At the 2012 RWA National Conference I attended a workshop called "Have a Ball with Your Blog: Fostering an Online Community for Readers" where six fabulous historical romance writers (Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, Miranda Neville, Sabrina Darby, Lauren Willig and Kate Noble) talked about their blog, The Ballroom.
All of these authors write Regency Romances, stories set in England in the early 19th century and the most popular of historical genres. In these romances, much of the action is likely to take place in ballrooms where lovely young women and dashing aristocratic men meet under the scrutiny of the ton. By a stroke of creative genius, these authors have created a blog ballroom supervised by an ever-gracious hostess, Lady B, and visited by authors and the characters in their books in a fun mash-up of time and cultures.
Each author has adopted a Ballroom personality while remaining herself. Occasionally the hero of a book scandalizes Lady B or or a heroine enlists help in catching the eye of a handsome young lord. There are polls,quizzes, parlor games, holiday parties and guest posts by visiting authors. Last week, Sophie Jordan and Cleo Hadley (the heroine of LESSONS FROM A SCANDALOUS BRIDE) joined Sarah MacLean and Lady B to find Cleo a match.
Each post is a story in itself--interaction between author, characters and Ballroom regulars that anyone can join in. I was delighted by the wit, not only of the poster, but also in the comments as authors and visitors get into the spirit of Regency romance.
There are thousands of blogs out there with all kinds of purposes and themes. The Ballroom stands out for me as a place to enjoy the whimsy and creativity of a brilliant group of writers who invite us to hang out with them in the imaginary world of their books and an era that has inspired an entire genre of romance. If you enjoy historicals, check it out!
Are there any blogs you find especially fun to visit? Please share!
6 comments:
Thanks for introducing me to The Ballroom, Lark. I've marked it as a "favorite" and will drop in frequently even though I'll be the worst-dressed member of the crowd. Now where did I stash my best frock and favorite fan?
I'm a faithful reader of The Pioneer Woman's blog. A ranch in today's Oklahoma is far removed from a Regency-England ballroom, but TPW is witty, warm and a little bit corny. I like corn--and any and all food recipes, observations about kids and pets, self-deprecating humor, renovation projects, gardening advice, and so forth.
Feel free to wear your pioneer garb, Pat. These ladies have a wonderful sense of humor!
I'll check out The Pioneer Woman's blog. Sounds like a lot of fun!
How totally COOL! I'll go check them out, although only as a lurker. I'm sure my Regency manners would scandalize the entire blog 'ton.'
I love the Ballroom concept. Thanks for siccing me onto this blog.
I know I love my blog and my faithful readers!
From what I've seen, scandalizing the ton is the blog's favorite sport, Sarah. You'll fit right in.
It is a great concept, Joan. I enjoy your blog, too, as a lurker, I'll admit.
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