To Russia with Love...the Regency World of Ally Broadfield

As winter settles in on chilly Melbourne, over in Texas, my friend Ally Broadfield is sweltering. Don't you love our cyber world?

Ally lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and several reptiles. Oh, and her husband.  She likes to curse in Russian and spends most of her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia.

Ally I know you and I share a fascination for Russia (having visited it for the first time last year) so I am eschewing tea today in favour of vodka.  “Na zda-ró-vye” (which means “Thank you” and in this context…thank you for being my guest today).  Do you have a favourite drink (alchoholic or not!)?

Thank you for hosting me today, Alison!

This choice is heavily influenced by the fact that I live in Texas and it’s summertime, but I’d have to say lemonade. There’s something so refreshing about its tart, sweet taste. I think it would be even better with a splash of vodka. (AS:  Definitely improved with vodka... although Ms. Stuart's preference for a hot summer's day would be a gin and tonic or a Pimms)

What or who inspired your love of historical fiction and do you have a particular period that ignites your passion?

I’d have to give credit to author Jennifer Blake for my love of historical fiction. She wrote the first romance I ever read (when I was twelve), Royal Seduction. I like to read in many different periods, but Regency England and Imperial Russia during the reign of Alexander I are my favorites. (AS: It was a fascinating time in Russian history!)

Ballroom: Catherine's Palace at Tsarkoe Selo

 Like you, I have visited the incredible palaces of St. Petersburg. I thought I had seen the world’s great palaces such as Versailles and Schonnbrun but nothing prepared me for Catherine’s palace at Tsarkoe Selo, even though, sadly, it is now a recreation (the original interiors having been destroyed during World War II) the grandeur was just intimidating. Will we be seeing a story set in Imperial Russia?

Ally in ST. Petersburg in 1987 (brave woman!)

It is sad that nearly all of the palaces in St. Petersburg suffered heavy damage during World War II. You will definitely see some future stories from me set in Imperial Russia. For now, I can share that though the setting is Regency England, the sequel to Just a Kiss features Princess Anna Tarasova and a mysterious man from her past.

When you’re not writing, what is a typical day in your life?

I am lucky to be a full time writer, so there are very few days when I don’t write. The bulk of my non-writing time is occupied giving the appropriate amount of attention to my five dogs (as determined by them) and shuttling my three kids around to various activities. I manage to fit in time to read almost every day, and also enjoy watching movies. My oldest son has enlisted us all to watch the 100 greatest movies of all time during our summer break, but since there is some disagreement among experts as to the top 100 films, we will be watching closer to 115. So far we’ve managed to watch six.

Your debut story, JUST A KISS, was released by Entangled Edge on April 28th.  What was the inspiration for this story and is it going to be part of a series?

The idea for this story came from a short story I entered into a Jane Austen inspired contest in the spring of 2011. It was a continuation of Sense and Sensibility focusing on the youngest sister, Margaret. I didn’t win the contest, but I loved Sebastian so much I decided to write Just a Kiss so I could expand his story, and Charlotte gladly took over the role of Margaret.

Just a Kiss is part of the It’s in His Kiss series and will be followed by three full length novels. As mentioned above, the second story in the series will feature Princess Tarasova from Just a Kiss, and will release in the spring of 2015.

It is always exciting to get that first sale… What is your “call story”?

My call was an email, but that didn’t make it any less exciting! I happened to stumble across a blog that was hosting a pitch event with editors from Entangled Publishing, so I wrote up a pitch for the story and posted it for the editor who was acquiring historical. She requested the full manuscript and I waited about twelve v-e-r-y l-o-n-g weeks before receiving the message that it had been accepted. The funny part was that I read the email while on my way out the door to take my boys to see Top Gun on Retro Movie Night at the local theater. I’m pretty sure I had a huge, possibly creepy (think The Joker), smile plastered on my face the entire time.

ABOUT JUST A KISS

Charlotte Lightwood has one season to find a husband or she'll be forced to marry her guardian's loathsome cousin. With no title or dowry, she doesn't have much hope of making a good match. Sebastian Wilkinson, the Earl of Marley, has been the most eligible bachelor on the marriage mart for more years than he cares to count and is very aware of his duty to marry a woman who will add to the wealth and stature of his title. 

Sebastian makes Charlotte an offer she can't refuse: he will pretend to court her to help her attract more suitors in exchange for her advice about which ladies he should pursue. As they work together, their mutual attraction grows. When they realize they just might be perfect for one another, they must decide whether to bow to the dictates of society or follow their hearts.

EXCERPT from JUST A KISS

Charlotte studied the man standing next to Elizabeth. Something about him instantly drew her to him, something in his confident bearing and the way a mischievous smile played across his lips. Laughter danced in his eyes.

Elizabeth smiled brightly. “Lord Marley, may I present Miss Charlotte Lightwood.” She gestured to Charlotte. “Charlotte, this is Lord Marley.”

Lord Marley took her hand, sending an unfamiliar sensation buzzing through her. They both froze for an instant before he bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Lady Lightwood has assured me you are available for the next dance. Please soothe my nerves by confirming she is not mistaken.”

Elizabeth nudged her, and in a whisper that could surely be heard on the other side of the ballroom, said, “Lord Marley is one of the most eligible bachelors on the market this season. He requested the introduction, though I can’t imagine why.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I am not engaged, my lord.” She surreptitiously glanced around them to see if anyone had heard Elizabeth.

 Lord Marley clenched his jaw before leading her onto the dance floor. When the warmth of his touch penetrated the fabric of her gown, she inhaled the scent of sandalwood with a hint of citrus, and her pulse thrummed. She couldn’t prevent herself from flashing him a smile. The noise of the ballroom faded into a harmonious cacophony as they settled into the waltz.

Overly wealthy, overly charming, overly good-looking, he could have any woman he desired. As she lacked both title and dowry, she could think of no reason why Lord Marley would have any interest in her. She narrowed her eyes.

Lord Marley nodded to the couples surrounding them, but when he met her gaze, his serene countenance disappeared. “Why do you look at me with such abhorrence? I assure you I have no nefarious designs upon your person.”

“I’m certain you have no designs, nefarious or otherwise, upon my person.”

He smiled widely, but made no response.

She lifted her brows. “Which begs the question, my lord, why did you request to dance with me?”

He deftly swung her away from a collision with an encroaching couple. “Miss Lightwood, you are one of the most beautiful and sought-after ladies in attendance. I merely seek my turn to be the object of your attention. You must stop frowning at me or everyone shall think I’ve said something inappropriate.” His knee brushed against her leg through the thin silk of her gown, and the intimate touch sent a shiver through her.

Though she couldn’t discern what he might want from her, she knew she couldn’t afford to alienate one of the richest and most powerful men in London. She softened her expression and immediately became lost in his clear blue eyes.

His gaze captured and held hers for several heartbeats before he cleared his throat and spoke again. “I have a proposition for you.”

JUST A KISS can be purchased at AMAZON, Barnes & Noble and all reputable Ebook retailers

Connect with Ally:  

Website: http://allybroadfield.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AllyBroadfield

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/allybroadfield

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/abroadfield

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZ98KE4QU__pnI5mkiWAeg/about

A Traveller's Tales: Catherine's Palace and the Mystery of the Amber Room

The author at Lenin's Mausoleum in Red Square

I have just returned from a trip to Russia. For a child of the cold war, Russia had never been high on my list of “must see” places but an opportunity arose for a 2 week waterways cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow and who was I to say no? I have to say I loved every minute of the journey which went a long way to dispelling any lingering notions I may have had of Russia as the dark, dismal place of my childhood.

The Cold War Russia of my childhood.

We began our travels in St. Petersburg.  Leningrad, as it was renamed in 1924, is infamous for the 900 day siege by the German forces during World War 2 (Or the "Patriotic War" as the Russians call it). The German advance on Western Russia came so swiftly that Russia was ill prepared for it. The first German attack on Russian sovereignty came in June 1941 and by September of that year they were bombarding Leningrad.  Staff of the Hermitage worked day and night to pack up over one million valuable works of art and 2 trains managed to get away before the blockade. The third train could not get through and the works of art spent the war in storage beneath St. Isaacs Cathedral. For an interesting story based on the life of the staff in the Hermitage, I recommend Debra Dean’s The Madonnas of Leningrad.

The Germans occupied the outer reaches of Leningrad including the palaces of Peterhof and the collection of summer royal residences at Tsarkoye Selo ("Tsar's village"). The principle residence is that known as Catherine’s Palace, a magnificent confection of rococo/baroque/neoclassical architecture first started by Catherine I (the widow of Peter the Great). Other royal residences include the Alexander Palace where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were first imprisoned.

Our visit took us only to Catherine's Palace. Most famous in a palace noted for its excess of decoration was the “Amber Room”, an entire room paneled in amber – the gift of the Prussian Frederick Wilhelm I to Peter the Great.  It is estimated that on final installation it measured 180 square feet, making a room that glowed with six tons of amber and other semi-precious stones. The amber panels were backed with gold leaf, and historians estimate that, at the time, the room was worth $142 million in today's dollars. Over time, the Amber Room was used as a private meditation chamber for Tsarina Elizabeth, a gathering room for Catherine the Great and a trophy space for amber connoisseur Alexander II. (see Smithsonian article).

As the Germans advanced on Tsarkoye Selo the palace staff tried first to disassemble the valuable room but the amber proved to brittle and began to shatter. In an attempted ruse, the panels were covered with wallpaper but it did not take the German officials sent to source valuable works of art long to uncover the ruse and within 36 hours the Amber Room was removed, crated and sent to Germany where it was reassembled in Königsberg's castle museum on the Baltic Coast. That was the last that was ever seen or heard of the Amber Room.

Shelling scars on St. Isaac's Cathedral

Back in Leningrad the siege dragged on. Millions of civilians died of starvation and disease. As a side note even the famed Hermitage cats were not spared the hunt for food! Following the war, cats had to be imported back into the city to take up the important rodent control duties in the Hermitage. Scars of the bombardment can still be seen on some of the buildings in St. Petersburg

The destruction of Catherine's Palace in 1944

The siege was finally lifted in January 1944 and as the Germans were pushed back, in one final act of vandalism they set about intentionally destroying the royal palaces.  This picture, painted contemporaneously, shows the fire engulfing Catherine’s palace. Time bombs set in the cellar of the building failed to detonate.

The Grand Hall post War

Since the end of the war, Russian authorities began a painstaking reconstruction of the great palaces to the extent that a casual visitor would not know that what they are seeing was probably not original.

The Grand Hall in 2013

 I love mysteries and the question remains as to the fate of the Amber Room. It was last seen at Königsberg Castle.  In January 1945 as the war turned against Germany, “possessions” of the German higher echelon began to be moved. Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen crates containing the Amber Room panels waiting on a railway platform, others claim the crates were put aboard a ship that was later sunk or it may have been destroyed by allied bombing in 1944.  Other claims include stories of it being stored in underground bunkers beneath Königsberg (now lost) or in nearby mines.

Since World War 2 extensive searches by groups and treasure hunters have been conducted. See for example this 2011 article in the Daily Mail.  However researches by journalists Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy conclude that the room was most likely destroyed in the 1944 bombing. This theory to some extent is supported by the discovery of one of the original stone mosaics in Germany in 1997, in the possession of the family of one of the soldiers tasked with packing the room up. 

One other theory is that the panels were discovered intact by the advancing Russians safely stored in the cellars of the castle, however for propaganda reasons they decided to keep the discovery quiet. Amber disintegrates if it is not cared for and in the 1960s Soviet authorities destroyed the remains of the castle. Was this to hide the disintegration of this precious relic?

In 2003, the recreation of the Amber Room, based on the pre war black and white photos was opened by Putin. It had taken 20 years and cost  $12million. Even knowing it is a reconstruction, as can be seen from the photos below, it remains jaw droppingly stunning, (as indeed is the whole of the palace).