60 Comments
I have a confession to make. I put inside jokes in all my books. I can’t help myself. They amuse me. I am writing along and I put them in and then I spend a few minutes doing the “Do I? or Don’t I?” back and forth.
And they usually always end up in the final book. I realized I have always done this as I was rereading and cleaning up my first three books ( Brazen Angel, Brazen Heiress and Brazen Temptress) for their digital re-release. I was reading Brazen Angel and came to the following lines, where my plucky heroine, Sophia is admiring a sword that one of her mark’s owns. Lord Selmar makes the mistake of offering it to her to hold and admire.
Sophia didn’t need any urging. She slipped her hand into the hilt. To her surprise she found it fit. Balanced and deceptively lightweight, the blade molded to her grip as if it had been made for her. She twisted her arm back and forth, the sword moving gracefully like an extension of her arm.Selmar grinned. “I thought you would find that amusing. It was made for a lady. A pirate of some note.”
“A pirate’s blade,” Sophia repeated. She knew the rumors well enough to know better than to provoke Selmar, but she didn’t have all night to view his collections. She had business to finish.
“Is it sharp?” she asked, eyeing the edge.“Very,” he cautioned. “I keep all the blades in my collection well-honed. Best you hand it back to me.”
“Not just yet.” She stepped back, pointing the deadly weapon at his chest.
Now this scene is to most anyone else, just another scene where the Brazen Angel is robbing another aristocratic, but not to me. Or my critique group. When I wrote this scene and brought it to my critique group at the time, they howled with laughter because they caught the joke.
You see, the first book I ever wrote (and which currently lives under my stairs) was a Restoration set swashbuckler, The Spanish Blade. Are you starting to see the joke? Yes, the sword Sophia is about to steal is my original Spanish Blade.
The joke still makes me smile.
Now something to make you smile that it is Monday. A blog contest. Over the next ten weeks, I’ll be giving away prize packets of author swag as well as a signed book from the always wonderful, Julia Quinn. And I’ll throw in an autographed copy of one of my books. That makes me smile and I hope it does you.
To enter:
1) Leave a comment below and let me know if you’d like to hear about more about the inside jokes from my books.
and/or
2) Tweet the following: Get the inside joke from @ElizBoyle’s Brazen Angel & enter to win a signed book by Julia Quinn! No Joke! http://elizabethboyle.com/blog/?p=2022
Do both and you are entered twice! Iโll give you all until midnight, PT, Saturday, March 3rd to get your entries in.
Make sure to check back here Monday, March 5th to find out if you won. You’ll have a week to claim your prize.
February 27th, 2012 at 5:21 am · Link
Loved the inside joke…even though I didn’t get the ‘point’ this time!
February 27th, 2012 at 7:30 am · Link
Yes, I’d love to hear more about the inside jokes in your books, please!
February 27th, 2012 at 8:04 am · Link
Love hearing about secret tidbits in books! Including your ‘jokes’, so I would love to hear more!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:34 am · Link
Yes..I would love to hear inside jokes about your books. Thank you for sharing.
February 27th, 2012 at 9:35 am · Link
I’d like to hear more about your inside jokes!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:39 am · Link
I can’t wait to read more about your inside jokes!!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:40 am · Link
Secret tidbits are always great!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:51 am · Link
I think you should put more inside jokes in your books
it would be ‘a private touch’ from you;)
February 27th, 2012 at 9:58 am · Link
Your “inside jokes” really make your books and keep me coming back for more. I would love to hear more about them.
February 27th, 2012 at 9:59 am · Link
I love it! I actually wondered when I read that part if there was some significance to the sword, but alas I have not read The Spanish Blade, maybe you should send that out with your contest! Please publish more inside jokes!
February 27th, 2012 at 8:06 pm · Link
And if there is a God above, no one will ever read The Spanish Blade. Is really is a first book.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:09 am · Link
Inside jokes are cool. They must make the writing process even more enjoyable (especially on those days you want to pull your hair out). Also, I’d love to read that first book. ๐
February 27th, 2012 at 10:13 am · Link
I love the inside jokes and would LOVE to hear more about them. (I had also tweet(ed) as requested above.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:15 am · Link
Absolutely! I love the inside scoop.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:15 am · Link
Yes, I enjoy inside jokes. Please print more.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:19 am · Link
Love IT!!! Thanks for sharing your “Inside Jokes”!!
February 27th, 2012 at 10:24 am · Link
I’m really interested in more inside jokes, especially the ones from the Bachelor Chronicles.:)
February 27th, 2012 at 10:36 am · Link
Let me first say that I absolutely love your books! I’ve read 2 and look forward to reading all of the others. And yes I most definitely would love to know more about the inside jokes in your books!
February 27th, 2012 at 10:36 am · Link
Love getting the inside scoop!
February 27th, 2012 at 10:45 am · Link
I love hearing inside information about books, jokes are an added bonus. Thank you for sharing, looking forward to more inside tidbits and jokes.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:48 am · Link
I really love that you place jokes in your books! I noticed one once, but I didn’t realize that you put them in all of your books. I’ll have to look more carefully when your next book comes out.
February 27th, 2012 at 11:12 am · Link
There is a joke inside Along Came a Duke. But I won’t tell you what exactly. But I will say that it is a subtle reference to another one of my books.
February 27th, 2012 at 11:36 am · Link
Love, love, love inside jokes! So please, yes, write more about them!!
( and I’m counting dowm the days to the next book…)
February 27th, 2012 at 11:45 am · Link
Yes, would love for you to keep sharing those with us. I really appreciate it when you guys share info with us of a more personal side.
February 27th, 2012 at 11:51 am · Link
Thank you for sharing. I would love to hear more inside jokes.
February 27th, 2012 at 12:00 pm · Link
Yes I would love more info on the inside jokes. Every little bit makes the stories more alive and fun!
February 27th, 2012 at 1:33 pm · Link
Ha ha, good to know writers can have some fun while they work. ๐ I enjoyed the later connection of the sword to one of the characters.
February 27th, 2012 at 2:27 pm · Link
Loved the inside joke, keep them coming ๐
February 27th, 2012 at 3:01 pm · Link
I would love to hear more about the inside jokes.
I dont have tweet account but will share on facebook. B-)
February 27th, 2012 at 3:36 pm · Link
That is nice, I like to hear more inside jokes.
February 27th, 2012 at 3:53 pm · Link
Love to hear more of your inside jokes. Thank you
February 27th, 2012 at 3:59 pm · Link
It’s always cool find out all interesting tidbits from an author.
February 27th, 2012 at 4:01 pm · Link
Yes, please! Would love to hear more.
February 27th, 2012 at 4:32 pm · Link
I would LOVE to hear more about inside jokes! It makes the reading that much more pleasurable!
February 27th, 2012 at 5:34 pm · Link
I’d like to hear more about the inside jokes. Knowing about them will add another dimension to my reading.
February 27th, 2012 at 5:55 pm · Link
think it’s great you get to have a little fun in your books with the inside jokes. would enjoy learning about more of them.
February 27th, 2012 at 6:22 pm · Link
More inside jokes please. They make me laugh and that’s a good thing.
February 27th, 2012 at 6:23 pm · Link
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/FieryNa/status/174316858630082560
February 27th, 2012 at 6:56 pm · Link
YES! I would love to hear about more of your inside jokes! The humor and irony you infuse your books with already are marvelous! I am currently reading “Once Tempted” for the first time… it is fantastic!
February 27th, 2012 at 6:58 pm · Link
Hi, thanks for the great post! Would love to hear more.
February 27th, 2012 at 7:00 pm · Link
My goal everyday is to make at least one person laugh, so I would love to be the one laughing once in awhile. Love your books and more on the inside jokes but will love looking for them without the hints!
February 28th, 2012 at 7:58 am · Link
I love reading about the inside jokes in your books . It is soo cool getting to interact with the authors I admire
February 29th, 2012 at 11:40 am · Link
Would like to hear all about the inside jokes. Love your books. We share an awesome first name.
March 1st, 2012 at 7:21 am · Link
i love to read a joke inside the book ๐
March 1st, 2012 at 1:05 pm · Link
Elizabeth –
I love the Brazen series and had so much fun rading Sophia and Selmar story in Brazen Angel.
I’ve always enjoy your books and have looked forward to that “lighthearted” moment but since Brazen Angel was one of the first books of yours I read and at the time I didn’t know the curves and inuendos you would throw into a story!
I loved hearing the background and believe me now more than ever I’ll be looking for that one scene in the book where the jokes on me!
March 2nd, 2012 at 7:22 am · Link
I really want to read that first book of yours “The Spanish Blade”!! Keep the inside jokes up as they are a lot of fun!
March 2nd, 2012 at 7:22 am · Link
Inside jokes are the best. Please, give us more gems/jokes.
March 2nd, 2012 at 7:43 am · Link
I love a good laugh while i’m reading they always make the book more memorable.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/Gisselle_Alv/status/175601934626066432
Thank you so much for the giveaway!
March 2nd, 2012 at 8:31 am · Link
Love the inside jokes. Keep them coming ;D
March 2nd, 2012 at 8:35 am · Link
inside jokes are why romance novel authors win at life. ๐
No joke.
March 2nd, 2012 at 9:18 am · Link
I would love to hear more inside joke stories. I am a great fan so more is always welcome.
March 2nd, 2012 at 10:52 am · Link
I would love to hear more about the other inside jokes in your book. I adore Julia Quinn!
allison
March 2nd, 2012 at 12:17 pm · Link
I would love to hear about more inside jokes. I love it when I actually get them when I am reading a story.
March 3rd, 2012 at 5:50 am · Link
Yes! Inside jokes are fun!
March 3rd, 2012 at 5:54 am · Link
Of course I’d like to hear more about inside jokes! I might even go back and read all the books again trying to find them now! ;D
Thanks for sharing ๐
March 3rd, 2012 at 7:18 am · Link
Yes! I’d like to know more of the inside jokes. I put stuff like this into my books, too, and wonder if anyone besides me gets them!
March 3rd, 2012 at 9:21 am · Link
You have a book that lives under your staircase? Are you ever going to bring it out?
Cute inside joke. =)
Tweeted as well: https://twitter.com/#!/geekcdunbar/status/175991891723173889
March 3rd, 2012 at 9:22 am · Link
Absolutely!!! Haha I love inside jokes ;D
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:42 pm · Link
It’s so neat to hear about the inside jokes and other things that go on “behind the scenes” when an author writes a book! It really helps readers to connect with writers, their books, and the process.
Thanks for sharing!
March 8th, 2012 at 7:03 pm · Link
Love the inside joke and yes, I would love to hear about more of them that are hidden in your books.