Tagged Special Extras

Introducing A New Character, Arsenic! Researching Lady Doctors in the Victorian Era for Reticence (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Reticence may have Percy on the cover but it opens with a fabulous new character, Arsenic! This is a teaser post and shouldn’t contain any spoilers so… read on!

The opening scene…

WANTED: Airship Doctor

Physician welcome, surgeon preferred. Remuneration according to experience level. Education open to negotiation. Progressive philosophy and equable temperament preferred. Must tolerate explosions and cats.

Arsenic turned the advertisement over in her hand. She’d spotted it three days before, in The Mooning Standard, which was a very forward-thinking paper. Yet it went beyond her expectations. It was, in a word, ideal. The author of such an oddly worded advert might be convinced to overlook her greatest failing as a doctor in the eyes of society: being female.

She read it over for the hundredth time. That last line was a corker. Arsenic knew of very few doctors who would put up with both explosions and cats. Or explosions caused by cats. She was one of the few.

So… Arsenic

As you can see, in Reticence we meet one of my most favorite new characters, Arsenic Ruthven. You can visit her inspiration board on Pinterest. Mild spoiler in the description if you didn’t already get it from her name.

Arsenic is partly driven into become a doctor to make amends for her mother’s profession. Arsenic is one of several sisters, all named after different poisons, and all much beloved by their doting father and in awe of their somewhat distant mother. (Spoiler behind the link, but if you want to read about how Arsenic’s parents got together, I wrote that book. Otherwise I hope my faithful readers will have fun figuring it out.)

From Reticence…

Arsenic turned to look curiously at the cheerful captain. “He tried to kill you?”
“Obviously he wasn’t successful.”
Arsenic nodded. Obviously. “My mother would say that shows a lack of follow-through.”
The captain grinned. “Your mother sounds logical.”
Miss Tunstell added, although not critically, “And a little bloodthirsty.”
It was a fair assessment. “You’ve no idea,” replied Arsenic, because it seemed they really didn’t.

Like Faith (How to Marry a Werewolf) Arsenic is very practical in her manners and mode of dress. She takes blood spatter into account and mobility, she was a former battle field surgeon.

Some Excerpts from 1871, Medical Common Sense & Plain Home Talk by Edward B. Foote, M.D.

  • The human machinery becomes clogged with poisonous humors.
  • As a female germ can not produce a child without the addition of a male germ, so there latent impure particles in the blood can not generate disease without meeting their affinitive poison.
  • These latent impurities, like the spoor of a minute plant buried far underground, must be of the right quality to unite with and engender specific diseases, or a person, however exposed, will escape.
  • Free circulation of vital or nervous electricity, and unruffled mind, and good blood are essential to health.
  • Leading us to the irresistible conclusion that the first duty of a physician to a patient is to see that his nervous system is set right, his mind emancipated from all depressing influences, and his blood restored to that condition which enables it to impart the tint of health to the skin, strength to the muscle, and abundant juices to all the tissues.

So there.

Medical Research!

I did a lot of research for writing a lady doctor in the late Victorian era. Wanna peek?

Victorian Lady Doctors!

Here are some interesting tidbits on the advancement of women gleaned from Godey’s Lady’s Book 1872.

On the Higher Education of Women in the United States

“Our readers are aware that a munificent offer of $250,000 has been made by Mr. Sage to the trustees of Cornell University, on condition that young women shall be admitted to the advantages of that institution on the same terms as young men. A correspondent states that President White, after having examined the practical workings of the co-education of the sexes at Antioch, Oberlin, the Michigan University, and several other institutions of less note, declared, in a recent speech, “that he was heartily glad that Mr. Sage had made this offer, and he should do all that he could to promote its acceptance.” Later accounts state that the gift has been accepted, and that the new buildings which will be required are soon to be commenced.”

~ Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine July 1872

A New Profession for Ladies: Dentistry

“We learn from the German papers that a young lady recently presented herself at the Faculty of Medicine at Munich for examination for a license to practice as a dentist. Being refused, she went to Erlangen. The question was here referred to the government, who at once authorized the examination on the ground that it was absurd to exclude a person desiring to submit herself to authorized professional tests of ability by reason of her sex. The young lady triumphed, and is likely to find immediate imitators.”

~ Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine September 1872

Very Satisfactory

An English Lady, Mrs. Chaplin Ayrton, has just passed her second professional medical examination (anatomy and physiology) in Paris, with the note of “very satisfactory,” the faculty having, with the liberality to strangers for which they are so justly renowned, accepted that lady’s certificates from Apothecaries Hall and the Edinburgh University as equivalent to a “degree” in letters and science and to their first professional presented herself for the first professional examination (chemistry, physics, natural history, and botany), also passed with “very satisfactory.”

~ Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine November 1872

Dr. Walker

In line with the above image…

Women Delivering Ice in 1918. I love this picture, it’s so very Vieve.

To give an idea of what they were up against:

“Truth is, the female sex is really as inferior to the male in vigour of mind as in strength of body; and all arguments to the contrary are founded on a few anomalies, or based on theories that can never be reduced to practice.”

and

“Men make fortunes, women make livings. And none make poorer livings than those who waste their time, and bore their friends, by writing and lecturing upon the equality of the sexes, and what they call “Women’s Rights.” How is it that most of these ladies live separately from their husbands; either despising them, or being despised by them?”

by Eliza Leslie (American 1864)

Yours never wanted to be a doctor but always fascinated by the profession,

Miss Gail

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After a design by Cornelis Pronk (Dutch, Amsterdam 1691–1759 Amsterdam), Chinese, for Dutch market

Cornelis Pronk (Dutch, Amsterdam 1691–1759 Amsterdam) Plate depicting a lady with parasol, ca. 1734–37 Chinese, Yongzheng (1723–35)–Qianlong (1736–95) period The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,

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facesofthevictorianera- Two Fashionable Ladies c. 1880s

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“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Why Dress Characters in Victorian Sportswear? (Claw & Courtship Custard Protocol Special Extra)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

I love me some Victorian sportswear, Gentle Reader.

In How To Marry A Werewolf, Faith the main character (an upstart American girl) is a proponent of the great freedom and joy in the bicycle suit.

In Reticence, new character Arsenic wears all manner of sportswear from a golfing costume to a bicycling suit as well. Because she’s a doctor, she also doesn’t bother with hat (falls off, gets in the way) or gloves (how you supposed to stitch up a would with gloves on). And she usually has some kind of pinafore or apron over the top of everything.

Fashionable Reader, these articles of clothing were considered quite the SCANDAL at the time!

Possibly, just possibly, there is a bit of rebellion in this choice, but I can imagine no matter what both ladies love the freedom of movement granted by such attire.

via @VictorianWeb Twitter Punch 1895, The Bicycle Suit—very dashing

1895 The Bicycling Suit

Cycling ensemble, 1895, USA via shewhoworshipscarlin tumblr
Cycling shoe, 1895-1900 via shewhoworshipscarlin tumblr

I have a bit of a passion for vintage bicycle riding gear.*

And this before I learned that there is some significant connection between the advent of bike riding and women’s liberation.

At first women’s bike riding attire is not so different from other exercise attire of the late 1870s early 1880s. Which is to say, to the modern eye, not very exercise orientated at all.

via FB

But if you look closely you can begin to see the concept of freedom of movement (fewer undergarments, easier to get in and out of), and the importance of exercise (shunned in the early Victorian era as countrified and sporty) slowly embraced.

“Let the skirts be as short as possible – to clear the ankles. Nothing else is permissible for mountain work, where one must face bogs, deep heather, thorny gorse, and must not stumble into the hem of one’s garments on the face of a rocky precipice. I must, however, draw the line at the modern feminine costume for mountaineering and deerstalking, where the skirt is a mere polite apology – an inch or two below the knee, and the result hardly consistent with a high ideal of womanhood.”

~ Lillias Campbell Davidson, 1889 travel guide

And the style of bicycle attire combines this notion with that of equestrian and riding wear.

http://www.tumblr.com/liked/by/funsanity/page/6
http://www.tumblr.com/liked/by/funsanity/page/6

Then, finally, with the advent of access to higher education, rise of the middle class, the suffragette movement and the right to vote, better understanding and use of heath care particularly with regards to procreation, everything changes and, most germane to this blog… women wear trousers.

“1900 Doll” from the Gratitude Train  Calixte  1949  MET

George R. Sims on Cycling in London in the 1890’s.

1894 cycling_suit-1894-harpers-bazaar

Staring in the 1890s it becomes mostly acceptable for women to wear voluminous (but still actual) trousers to bike ride.

By 1895 we see large scale advertisements, and some lampooning in the popular press, but generally it’s clear that only the most elderly sticklers objected to the style.

1895 Cycling Ensemble  1895-1900 British Manchester City Galleries

And this wasn’t just in England, either. America, and indeed much of Europe, embraced the look.

1895 Mlle Babion et son professeur, Luchon, laiterie, 5 septembre 1895 par Eugène Trutat .      Via Rosalis tumblr

A great deal of the inspiration for this attire has its source in men’s hunting garments.

Bike wear for ladies involved heavy material: lots of country Harris tweeds, the early onset of houndstooth, all very much Too the Manor Borne. (This becomes quite a problem for Arsenic in Reticence.)

1895 Bifurcated-riding-ensemble-1895

If you want to read a fun comic novel set in the 1900’s featuring a New Woman and her fiscal and literal liberation via the bicycle, you can do no better than Miss Cayley’s Adventures by Grant Allen.

It’s free to download in ebook form.

1900bikes2

And what happened after the turn of the century?

1920s
via sydneyflapper-tumblr
1930s Riding Habit 1stdibs.com
1940s Claire McCardell bicycle outfit

Yours riding regularly,

Miss Gail

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Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

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Theodore Wendel – Lady with Parasol by Stream

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Your Tisane of Smart . . .Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  Fake, Pirated And Counterfeit Books A Big Problem On AmazonBook News:

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“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Spot the Outfit in the Book? Clothing Featured in How to Marry a Werewolf: 1890s Hats, Dresses, and Men in Uniform (Claw & Courtship Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

Want to play a rousing game of spot that outfit in How to Marry a Werewolf, Fashionable Reader?

I feature a number of fashionable items from the historical record in this one. It was fun for me to research and to write.

On Faith…

Walking suit, American, circa 1890-95. Wool, silk taffeta.
Mint Museum
1890 ca. Boater Hat English Straw, silk, by Lincoln Bennett and Company’s Hats.
museumofcostume.co.uk
Raudnitz & Co. evening dress, 1897
From the Musee Galliera
Punch 1895 – History of the bicycle
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rouff ca. 1897 | French

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I love this last one because it so perfectly goes with How to Marry a Werewolf‘s cover art.

On Teddy…

Walking dress L’Art et la Mode 1894 N°47 Marie de Solar
1895 Ballgown by House of Worth Paris,
the Bruce Museum

On Channing (in the flashbacks)…

Player’s Cigarettes “Regimental Uniforms, Second Series” (issued in 1914) #52

Coldstream Guards ~ Light Infantry Company, 1793

Peninsula 1812 1_The Honourable W Dawson 1st Foot Guards 2_Daniel Mackinnon,

Coldstream Guards 3_The Honourable Orlando Bridgeman 1st Foot Guards

This post originally appeared in Retro Rack.

Yours in vintage sportswear,

Miss Gail

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“Overall, this novella is a delightful read, mainly because the prose is so fun.”

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Boater Hats of the 1890s – Fashionable Research Behind How to Marry a Werewolf (Claw & Courtship Special Extra)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

I love a boater hat (also called spinners), Fashionable Reader.

One of the joys of writing in the 1890s (my Custard Protocol and Claw & Courtship series) is the fact that I can finally start to include this fashion item!

Obviously this started as a gentleman’s hat.

Source

With the advent of women on bicycles, among other things, this hat grew in popularity for the ladies.
1890s women’s boater, taken by Gail Carriger at the Degas Exhibit, 2017, do not remove attribution

Because it started out as an item ubiquitous to younger men river boating (pole boats) it became particularly associated with sporting activities from beach side strolls to hiking and biking.

Taken by Gail Carriger at the Degas Exhibit, 2017, do not remove attribution

This in turn gave it the aura of vacation and countryside, which means also casual and daytime.

Taken by Gail Carriger at the Degas Exhibit, 2017, do not remove attribution

Linen walking suit, 1895, Jacques Doucet, French. 

“This suit might well have been worn for a tour abroad. Linen was favored for hot-weather travel because it was washable & comparatively lightweight. At this time, women’s tailored suits were very popular, borrowing such details from men’s dress as wide lapels & exterior pockets. This practicality suited the more emancipated lifestyles women were beginning to lead.” From OMG That Dress

Eventually, rather like pantalettes, the boater became the provenance of school children.

Check out the importance of Faith’s boater for her, Biffy and all of Victorian his society, in How to Marry a Werewolf.

Self matching the cover of How to Marry

This post first appeared in Retro Rack.

Yours in a boater,

Miss Gail

Sporting a boater hat

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The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

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Alice White 1920s fashion, parasol, lace via fawnvelveteen tumblr

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Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

How to Marry a Werewolf Special Extras (Claw & Courtship)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

How to Marry a Werewolf (In 10 Easy Steps) is the first book in my Claw & Courtship line. This story returns me to my Soulless roots, with a heterosexual couple one of whom is a werewolf. It features, however, my first American female main character. (GASP!) This is also, currently my only book available in LARGE TYPE. (And likely to remain so.)

How to Marry a Werewolf novella released in May of 2018

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book, character building, why I decided to redeem Channing, why Faith is a geologist, and more.

Faith crosses the Atlantic, looking for a marriage of convenience and revenge. But things are done differently in London. Werewolves are civilized. At least they pretend to be.

Author Thoughts on This Book

I’ve talked in person a lot about how I don’t really start writing a book until I have a “scene epiphany.” This isn’t always (or even often) the first scene in a book. And I don’t always remember which one it is. But I DO remember which one it was for How to Marry a Werewolf. It was the confrontation between Faith and Channing over rocks in a suitcase. I can still see it with perfect clarity in my head.

Without question How to Marry is my most commercially successful novella. I noodled over why, the title? The cover? The release time of year? The more standard het relationship? Channing? Facebook ads? Story pitch? But therein lies madness. The only way to know for sure is to do another in this line and see what happens.

So don’t worry there will be more!

“Who the devil are you?” Alexia asked, the man’s cavalier interference irritating her into using actual profanity. “Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings.” Alexia gawked. No wonder he was so very full of himself. One would have to be, laboring all one’s life under a name like that.

~ From Channing’s first appearance in Changeless

Incidentally it’s no accident that Madame Lefoux and Channing both first appear in Changeless, since they are kind of foils for each other.

Things Pertaining to this Book

New Main Characters!

  • Channing character design board, he first appears in Changeless (then the rest of the Parasol Protectorate series) and has a small but important roll to play in How to Marry a Werewolf, hints as to his backstory are dropped in Romancing the Werewolf
  • Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings is a Cad (in 4 Quotes)
  • Faith character design board, I chose sedimentary geology for her academic interest because as an archaeologist I carry a minor in geology
  • Teddy character design board, I wanted to introduce the concept of familial friendships in this book, since it was so common in the Victorian era but I hadn’t really dealt with it before

In which I ate a piece of cake to celebrate my book baby, about the size of said book baby

Reviews of How To Marry A Werewolf…

Book Loving Nut says:

“This book is a lot of fun but also goes a little deeper and darker into the worst of Parasolverse society problems than some of Carriger’s other books. From what sends Faith to London to Channing’s own past, I’d call both backstories much more tragic than others Carriger has written. It gives these two more minor characters a bit of depth that we don’t always get for “lesser” characters.”

Jessticulates says:

“Despite its darker elements, or perhaps because of them, this was a lovely read. Faith and Channing’s relationship isn’t an all-consuming love story, but a story of two people finding something they both need in one another.”

Hidden Pages says:

“Overall this is a must read for fans of the Parasol Protectorate universe. I would especially recommend this if you enjoyed Major Channing as a character in those books and would like to learn more about him. Carriger writes wonderful steampunk romance that is full of quirky humor and is an absolute joy to read. I can’t wait for more books in this series!”

Yours with werewolves,

Miss Gail

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The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

Every Book a Doorway says of The 5th Gender

“I think Carriger did an excellent job of creating – and conveying – zyga as an identity; the eponymous 5th gender of the title. It’s incredibly important to Tris, the story, and his culture, and I found it deeply moving. It’s a really beautiful concept/identity, one that hearkens to the roles queer people have held in many different cultures, and especially the minor revelation of the last few pages just took my breath away.”

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Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

 

Quote

Dressing Percy & Quesnel for the Custard Protocol Books ~ Victorian Fashion for Men 1890s (Special Extra)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

With Reticence coming out soon, and it being Percy’s book, I thought I might do a bit on men’s fashion for a change, Fashionable Reader.

Here’s a quote from Reticence on the subject of Percy’s appearance…

“The others looked interested, surprised, and resigned according to their natures. Except Percy, who looked like none of those things, but just like Percy.”

I know the power of my prose (dum dum dum) in the Custard Protocol books ought to cast into your mind exactly the image of what men looked like in the 1890s, but frankly pictures are better.

The eagle eyes and costume-minded among you will have already noticed that Percy is NOT dressed appropriately to the 1890s in either of his covers…

Yes that’s regency wear he has on, around 1840s NOT 1890s. (Actually when I asked you to judge the covers I was expecting a bit more outrage on this matter). Suffice it to say, there is a VERY GOOD reason for his cover outfit. But no, what’s on the cover is absolutely NOT what a Victorian gentleman would ordinarily wear in the mid 1890s.

So shall we talk about what Percy should be wearing?

Here is a sample of 1890s clothing for gentlemen of the kind the Percy & Quesnel are oft described as wearing throughout the series.

Fashion plate, 1880s-90s via shewhosorshipscarlin tumblr

Hats have begun to get smaller and more refined than the earlier parts of the Victorian era.

The cravat is tied more simply, leans towards muted colors, and is beginning to look more like a tie. In fact we start to see the word “tie” being used for this piece of clothing, or something similar but cut of a thicker fabric and shaped more precisely and thinly around the neck. Also the bow tie becomes the rage for evening.

Higher collars, narrow lapels, and vests (singled breasted) instead of waistcoats (double breasted) are more fashion forward. Trousers are draped and tapered but not tight. Shoes have become more uniformly black, shiny and laced. Rarely boots outside of the countryside and sporting events.

“There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, ‘Do trousers matter?'”

“The mood will pass, sir.”

― P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters

J.W. Losse Tailoring, 1897 via dandyads-tumblr

Adjusted for inflation, one of these spring overcoats would run you $400-720 today.

This advert is an example of something it’s important to know about the late Victorian era, that professional garb is becoming ever more important, i.e the idea that you wear a specific kind of clothing for your specific job (as opposed to your station in society, although the two are linked). This is a concept in fashion that often collates historically to a rise in the middle class.

This next image is a little more modern but I imagine, given the prevalence of dirigibles in the Parasolverse, that something like this driving outfit would have been around earlier in the Parasolverse as a gentleman’s floating outfit. I can see Madame Lefoux rocking it.

1906-1908 Driving Coat The Victoria & Albert Museum

Is Your Victorian Gentleman Sponge Worthy? Contraception in the Years 1826-1891

‘Jeeves,’ I said coldly. ‘How many suits of evening clothes have we?’
‘We have three suits full of evening dress, sir; two dinner jackets—’
‘Three.’
‘For practical purposes two only, sir. If you remember, we cannot wear the third. We have also seven white waistcoats.’
‘And shirts?’
‘Four dozen, sir.’
‘And white ties?’
‘The first two shallow shelves in the chest of drawers are completely filled with our white ties, sir.’

~ Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

So why is Percy on the cover of Reticence in REGENCY garb?

“…the jacket was of the kind one’s grandfather wore in the 1820s. It was blue with puffy shoulders and large collar, and cropped in such a manner as to exaggerate certain frontal sectors of a chap’s anatomy, sectors Percy was tolerably certain a respectable gentleman ought to be exaggerating. Which was to say, he had received compliments in the past, but only from ladies who were monetarily encouraged to be positive on the subject.”

~ Reticence

You have to read the book to find out why…

Note that in this one Percy’s trousers are awful tight? THere’s a reason for THAT too.

Heh heh.

Yours in designer men’s wear,

Miss Gail

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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

1900 cgmfindings- Art Nouveau Advertising Parasol „Fiumaner Reisstärke“ Austria

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

IMAGE: Teapot Purse Massive Red

Purse I got myself in honor of Reticence, it was a lot bigger than I expected.

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Big publishers shafting libraries by pivoting their model to highlight new releases.

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“This Novella was amazing and I could not put it down.”

Quote of the Day:

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Dressing Primrose From the Corset Up: For Balls, Sports, and the Bedroom by Gail Carriger (Custard Protocol Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 6 Comments

So, Fashionable Reader, I have concocted a pictorial guide to possible outfits that a young lady of Prim’s rank might wear during this time period.

The images run with what she would need to put on, in order. Ready? Here we go…

On the bottom half:

1. 1890  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
2. 1890s Stockings The Metropolitan Museum of Art
3. 1899 Garters  1899  The Chicago History Museum
4. 1895-1905 Oxfords   The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Note that shoes have to go on early? Well before the corset and also the rest of the dress for bending and hemming reasons.

Combination  1890s  The Metropolitan Museum of Ar

Combinations are a hard one for me, as an author.

Because they were ubiquitous undergarments at the time of the Custard Protocol books. They were the most common form of underwear.

However, the name and the concept is entirely lost to the modern mind set. Most of my readers would have no basis for comparison should I drop the word “combination” into, for example, a shape change or a nookie scene. I must, therefore, use the word in correct context so as to make it clear that is what the character is wearing. Or have it described to a foreign character. And yet, it’s not something that would be described. Sigh. Challenging.

On the upper half:

Bust Improvers  1890s  Whitaker Auction

Prim wouldn’t need these, but I include them because I think its fun that they exist at all!

5. Camisol  1895-1905  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
6. 1893  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
7. Sleeve Supports  1890s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

And over the top:

8. 1895  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
9. 1894 Evening Dress  Charles Fredrick Worth, 1894  The Kyoto Costume Institute
10. 1890s  The Goldstein Museum of Design
11. 1895-1905  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
12. Muff and Hat  1890s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Alternatively, here’s a look at more sporty options…

Stockings  1890s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Combinations undergarment, England, 1875 – 1900
Corset 1890s Summer Corset   The Victoria & Albert Museu
Corset Cover  1895-1900  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

And sportswear on the outside:

Shirtwaist 1894 The Museum at FIT _ OMG that dress!
1890s Under The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Travel Suit  Jacques Doucet, 1895  The Victoria & Albert Museum

You don’t have to take the pictures as proof. Here’s some research to back it up…

Gwen Raverat at the end of the century describes the modest dress of a respectable female.

“Women were incredibly modest . . .  even with each other. You could see a friend in her petticoat, but nothing below that was considered decent. At school, the sidht of a person in her white frilly drawers caused shrieks of outraged virtue; and I should have thought it impossible to be seen downstairs in my dressing-gown.”

~ Judith Flanders The Victorian House (pg. 269)

americangothgirl-tumblr Catalog Photographs, Front and Back Views of Woman In Corset, c. 1880s. Albumen Prints

“This is what a young lady wore, with whom I shared a room one night…

  1. Thick, long-legged woolen combinations.
  2. Over them, white cotton combinations, with plenty of buttons and frills.
  3. Very serious, bony, grey stays, with suspenders.
  4. Black woolen stockings.
  5. White cotton drawers, with buttons and frills.
  6. White cotton ‘petticoat-bodice’, with embroidery, buttons and frills.
  7. Rather short, white flannel, petticoat.
  8. Long alpaca petticoat, with a flounce round the bottom.
  9. Pink flannel blouse.
  10. High, starched, white collar, fastened on with studs.
  11. Navy blue tie.
  12. Blue skirt, touching the ground, and fastened tightly to the blouse with a safety-pin behind.
  13. Leather belt, very tight.
  14. High button boots.”

~ Judith Flanders The Victorian House (pg. 269)

Undergarments ca. 1900-03  From the FIDM Museum

 1898 Walking Suit, House of Worth, French, Made of silk and lace

For the Boudoir!

How about an alternate more sexy arrangement of underthings layer…

Here’s the first layer:

Brassiere  1910s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art copy
Drawers  1900s  The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Garter  1875-1825  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Stocking  1860  Les Arts Décoratifs

Over that would go the next layer of these items:

Corset  1900  The Metropolitan Museum of Art copy
Corset Cover  1910s  Antique Dress
Chemisette, Undersleeves, and Handkerchief  1860s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art copy

Over all of this she might wear this:

Negligee, 1908  From the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Dressing Gown  1897-1900  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Watch 100 Years of Lingerie in 3 Minutes

OK I know that’s a lot of research but you know how I feel about clothing!

This post originally appeared in two parts over on Retro Rack.

Yours in fluffy dresses,

Miss Gail

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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

Helene Standish, 1882 via shewhoworshipscarlin tumblr

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

How to make Neapolitan octopus salad

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Trader Joe’s Mint Ginger Green Tea 

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

How Predatory Companies Are Trying to Hijack Your Publisher Search 

Book News:

Quote of the Day:

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Competence Special Extras (Custard Protocol)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

The Great Parasolverse read along continues with Competence, the third book in my Parasol Protectorate spin off Custard Protocol series. This is the first time I switch main characters mid series, and the first time I wrote a queer central love story for a major NY publisher. This was also my first truly hybrid book, with me publishing it overseas myself, while a traditional publisher handled the USA and Canada.

A lot of firsts.

Competence released in July of 2018

At RWA with my new babies!

There was a year gap between this book and the one prior because I was in contract negotiations for the final two books in this series. During that time, I published several novellas and focused on my indie career. Because I wasn’t sure if Competence and Reticence would even happen, the first two books in this series are designed to stand together as a duology.

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book, includes that fact that I have visited both Singapore and Peru, plus my struggles with bringing out a UK overseas edition myself. (I declined my UK publisher’s offer because it was so low for such a large rights grab.)

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

Competence was an Amazon, Borderlands, and Locus bestseller.

Publisher’s Weekly said:

“Carriger excels at wry humor and clever phrasing, and her ensemble cast is thoroughly charming and satisfyingly diverse. There’s a genuine sense of whimsy and fun running throughout this story, making it a treat for fans of the series.”

Things Pertaining to This Book

ace-artemis-fanartist – Primrose Tunstell and Tasherit Sekhmet from the Custard Protocol series

Competence in Fashion on Retro Rack

Primrose and Tasherit by Ace Artemis Fan Artist

Accolades

Competence Early Reviews

Book Loving Nut says of Competence:

“Percy’s POV is awkward and often unpleasant, just like the man himself. However, over time you can’t help but start to find him endearing despite his many faults. Somehow, even though he’s still insufferable, Carriger makes the guy surprisingly likable. HOW? I will never know.”

All Things Urban Fantasy says:

“I adored COMPETENCE and the story ends pretty neatly, or as neatly as this wonderfully quirky series can. Luckily this is not the end for the crew of the Spotted Custard since there are still some loose story threads that need to be tied up.”

Lit Bitch says:

“This was everything I’ve come to expect from Carriger……imaginative, with loads and loads of adventure, a little tastefully done romance, and a seamless blend of Steampunk and fantasy in a unified world.” 

Ace Artemis Fan Artist Merlion from Competence

Carolyn Cushman says in Locus Magazine:

“Over­all, though, this is less about thrilling adventures and new discoveries than about the highly entertain­ing Seduction of Primrose, nicely wrapped up with happy endings for much of the crew.”

The Furious Reader says:

There are so many great lines in this book, but I think what really just captures the spirit of Prim is, “Prim didn’t like guns, and she didn’t like to have to shoot them, but that didn’t stop her from being very, very good at it.”

Amanda J. McGee says:

“This story is a coming out story of the best kind. It deals with not only attraction, but with the broader implications of coming out – the costs, both perceived and actual, and how those are not always the same; the embrace of family, both found and otherwise; and the joy of finally being yourself and letting go of the ideas of who you should be.”

The Smut Report says:

“So, as I said, the real treat of this book is the opportunity to reconsider what’s important (while also enjoying a little lighthearted escapism).”

Sophril Reads says:

“I loved this book! There is just something about the life lessons in this series that just warms my heart.”

ace-artemis-fanartist-Finished-Imprudence-Primrose-and-Tasherit-are-my-newest-ship

Yours,

Miss Gail

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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

The Lit Bitch says of The 5th Gender:

“Carriger does such a fantastic job with her world building and this book is no exception. The world is richly described and interesting, but it’s the mystery/plot that really push this one forward.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

via fawnvelveteen-tumblr Arthur Hacker – Lost Parasol

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

I loved many things about Singapore but these pandan kaya bao might be my favorite. I still dream about them

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

That time when I did a live broadcast FROM Singapore (which is one of the reasons it ended up in a book. I’m more likely to write about a country if I have actually been there.

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

How Many Words In A Novel? It Depends On Your Genre 

Book News:

World Anvil Interview 

In which I give some writing advice, worldbuilding thoughts, and talk integration of queer characters.

Mentioned in the video:

Quote of the Day:

“Cats liked to occupy liminal spaces: both inside and outside, both tame and wild, both yawn and meow.”

~ Competence

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Romancing the Werewolf Special Extras (Supernatural Society)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

Romancing the Werewolf is the third novella I wrote and my first gay romance.

Romancing the Werewolf released in November of 2017

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to Biffy & Lyall, reunion romances, not to mention writing the most requested story for the most popular side couple.

Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him. His werewolves object to his curtain choices. And someone keeps leaving human babies on his doorstep.

This was a joy to write, I have always enjoyed reunion romances. And even though it was much anticipated, for some reason I didn’t feel the pressure with this one. I think because I just KNEW Biffy and Lyall so well, and I knew how they fit.

Also it was fun to do something set during the winter holidays. I don’t normally do Christmas type stuff, but I had a good time with this one not to mention the weird cult ritual aspect (and yes I am comparing leaving squash on a doorstep to erecting a tree in a living room because equally weird.)

Did you notice the opening sequence is a Biffy POV scene from Timeless that I rewrote from Lyall’s POV? Aren’t I a tricky bit of baggage?

Things Pertaining to This Book

Biffy Robin Lyall by ace-artemis-fanartist on Tumblr

Characters In Depth

  • Biffy & Lyall fan art by Ace Artemis
  • London Pack design board. I didn’t put too much into coloring Conall’s pack in until they became Biffy’s.
  • Professor Lyall character design board. Lyall was built as a foil to Lord Maccon and increasing I fell in love with him. He shows up in most of my series in some form or another. Professor Randolph Lyall Original Character Study

Via de Biffi street of biffy florence Gail Carriger

  • Biffy character design board (Biffy started out a very minor character, I never intended his art to be so dramatic he has an increasingly large roll in the Parasol Protectorate series before this book. He shows up again in the Custard Protocol series and How to Marry a Werewolf.)
  • Biffy character study in depth.
  • Soulless Manga Art Launch ~ Professor Lyall

I also have a Pinterest board full of Queer History

Men’s Fashion

Romancing the Werewolf reviews!

Book Loving Nut says:

“I would give this book 6 nuts is such a thing existed. That’s not a joke or exaggeration, I loved this book that much. While it’s the second of the Supernatural Society novellas, it is without doubt first in my heart and probably my favorite piece of Parasolverse writing.”

Jessticulates says:

“After Lyall and Biffy’s bittersweet parting in Timeless, I was so ready for a reunion between the two of them set at Christmas and Romancing the Werewolf certainly scratched that itch.”

The Smut Report says:

“All in all, this book is enjoyable. Biffy and Lyall are likeable characters, and I find Carriger’s writing generally delightful…”

Further reading…

Queer Characters? Blame Mercedes Lackey, Behind The Supernatural Society (Special Extras)

Yours with adorable werewolves,

Miss Gail

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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

Ladies’ Friend November, 1870

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Tea and Book Pairings For Your Afternoon Cuppa

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

“The best way to send information is to wrap it up in a person.”

~ Robert Oppenheimer

Book News:

Meeting some well dressed readers at Denver’s Pop Culture Con 2019

Quote of the Day:

“What I really thought was that I had ordered a goat when I was drunk and forgot.”

~ Borderlands Books’ hilarious “Overheard in the store” April News

Quote Blameless Broken Heart Waistcoats Lyall

Beautiful Dresses for Rue & Prim in the Custard Protocol Books, from Harper’s Bazaar 1891 (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

I have this lovely Harper’s Bazaar from 1891, Fashionable Reader, given to me by a lovely fan.

I finally got around to scanning some of the images. Here are a few for you, the kind of things Rue & Prim might wear in the Custard Protocol series.

“We are told that several ladies have actually appeared in public without gloves; no gloves! Do not these two words imply a verdict of vulgarity?”

~ 1873 Fashion Papers

This post originally appeared in Retro Rack.

1894 Huge Mustache

‘Bring my shaving things.’
A gleam of hope shone in the man’s eye, mixed with doubt.
‘You mean, sir?’
‘And shave off my moustache.’
There was a moment’s silence. I could see the fellow was deeply moved.
‘Thank you very much indeed, sir,’ he said, in a low voice.

~ Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Yours in fashion forward military inspired dresses,

Miss Gail

  • Want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

Journal des Demoiselles Date July, 1873

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

“[N]ever do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”

~ Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

“One should never use exclamation points in writing. It is like laughing at your own joke.”

~ Mark Twain

Book News:

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

~ Oscar Wilde

Quote of the Day:

“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”

~ E. M. Forster

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

The REAL Reason the Custard Protocol is Set in the 1890s (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

The sleeves, Fashionable Reader. So ridiculous, how could I resist?

via  Robbie Rozelle @divarobbie  We are at puffed sleeves! #AnneofGreenGables

“Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.”

~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

edwardian-time-machine tumblr sleeve supports
fripperiesandfobs-tumblr Jacket ca. 1894 From Thierry de Maigret
andwomenworebloomers tumblr

And the steampunk elements are pretty cool too.

arsenicinshell tumblr

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

Doesn’t this lady look like she went to Finishing School?

1894. Is that a  weapon in her hair? 

Yours in velvet,

Miss Gail

  • Want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
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OUT NOW!

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

Sia (@raenbowgirl) on Twiiter said: 

“Super sweet sci-fi romance, really cool exploration of non-binary gender identities, with just a little bit of naughty tentacle shenanigans. Full review here.“

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

Spring Morning by James Tissot c. 1875 (@metmuseum)

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

“The bottle rules the sensual world, but the tea-cup is queen in all the fair dominions.”

~ Around the Tea Table, by T. De Witt Talmage (c.1895)

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

~ Madeleine L’Engle

Book News:

“Someone was trying to kill Lady Alexia Maccon. It was most inconvenient, as she was in a dreadful hurry. Given her previous familiarity with near-death experiences and their comparative frequency with regards to her good self, Alexia should probably have allowed extra time for such a predictable happenstance.”

~ Gail Carriger

Quote of the Day:

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”

~ Anna Quindlen

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Imprudence Special Extras (Custard Protocol)

Posted by Gail Carriger

 

Imprudence is the second book in my Parasol Protectorate spin off series, this time going on a journey up the Nile through Egypt and Africa (which I very MUCH want to take myself).

Imprudence released in July of 2016

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book, researching Egypt & Africa during the 1890s, among other things. I love this book because it’s my “let’s find the source of the Nile” story. (Or in this case, the source of the werecats!)

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England’s scientific community.

Imprudence was a Barnes & Noble B. Dalton and Locus bestseller. It was the first of Gail’s books since Changeless not to hit the New York Times. Buy me a drink some time and I’ll tell you more. In the end I used it to parlaying never having to do a book tour again, as they sent me on a 2 week tour-from-hell and didn’t get what they wanted (the LIST).

1893 General Gordans Last Stand Kartoum, occurred just before the events in the Imprudence.

Things Pertaining to This Book

“Milk is the great difficulty in travelling tea-making. It cannot always be easily obtained, and milk carried about with one in a bottle does not long retain its freshness in hot weather. Some people do not object to the condensed or Swiss milk one buys in small tins. It has the advantage of being extremely portable, but I must confess, personally, to finding its effect detestable in tea or coffee.”

~ Hints to Lady Travellers: At Home and Abroad (Royal Geographic Society) by Lillias Campbell Davidson (1889)

The discovery of oxygen. I think there is a word for when multiple scientists discover the same important thing at (basically) the same time in disconnected locals (Kuhn would mutter something about dominant paradigms and the structure of scientific revolutions but that’s neither here nor there, unless you’re an entomologist, in which case it’s both) but I can’t remember what that word is.

More Behind the Scenes of this book.

Spot the Following?

  1. French lessons.
  2. The unbirth of a particularly important ghost.
  3. More about Alessandro Tarabotti’s sordid past.
  4. Lord Akeldama’s real name.

Reviewers Weigh In

All About Romance says:

“Ultimately Imprudence offers an interesting mix of silliness, real danger, and character development. Best of all is the resolution of longtime issues for Lord Maccon and Alexia, dating back to the last book in the Parasol Protectorate series, Timeless. Many authors stop a series, or slow down the time process, not wanting to age their characters. That’s simply not the case here. Ms. Carriger does go there, and she does it marvelously.”

Jo of Vampire Book Club says:

“Imprudence firmly cemented the Custard Protocol series as a worthy successor to Parasol Protectorate. Filled with adventure, friendship and romance, this is an immensely fun ride, in a wonderfully amusing world.”

The Smut Report says:

“…I can’t get enough of this quirky writing…”

More Praise for Custard Protocol

Yours someday hoping to see the Sudd herself,

Miss Gail

  • Want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW! (Happy Pride!)

The 5th Gender (A Tinkered Stars Mystery as G. L. Carriger).

Amazon | Elsewhere | Direct from Gail
Audio is coming. 

Sci-fi queer romance meets cozy mystery in which a hot space station cop meets the most adorable purple alien ever (lavender, pulease!) from a race with 5 genders.

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

Journal des Demoiselles Date June, 1873

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

1891 Children in amazing hats

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Will Apple Just Kill iTunes Already?

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Book News:

Every author has a process, after 10 years of careful honing mine seems to be:
Stare into empty teapot, frantically type 12 different sub genres at once, make myself sick on seaweed popcorn and sour gummies. Make fresh cuppa to recuperate.

~ Self on Twitter

Quote of the Day:

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

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