THE CONCUBINE…THE REAL STORY – Part 1

I promised in the back of The Concubine to post the real history behind the story I created. There’s way more than I can tell you in a simple blog. Chinese history is vast and complicated. However, here’s a snippet as it feeds into my book. First a quick backdrop on Emperor Xian Feng.

Yi Zhu was born in 1831 and succeeded the throne in 1850 at the age of 19. He inherited a crumbling dynasty that faced challenges not only internally, but also from Europeans. The Taiping Rebellion began in 1851, and spread to several provinces with amazing speed. Xianfeng dispatched several prominent mandarins and Imperial relatives to crush the rebellion with limited success. Several Muslim rebellions in the southwest began in 1855.

Now, from my primary source, I’ve condensed the following. This is paraphrased from The Stone of Heaven by Levy and Scott-Clark

After 27 months of mourning his father, Xian Feng did indeed host a pageant of fertility on June 14, 1852. All suitable daughters of Manchu aristocrats were to present themselves to the Imperial Household Office. Girls with buck teeth whose hairs were growing in the wrong direction need not apply. Only 60 girls, walking awkwardly in platform slippers hung with pearls and jade, were allowed to rustle over the five marble bridges that spanned the Jade Belt River, crossing the cobbled expanses f the Forbidden City’s outer courtyards. The girls were poked, prodded, and measured for signs of good fortune and fertility. Eventually 28 perfect specimens were selected, then paraded before the Dowager Empress who awarded them a position in the Son of Heaven’s seraglio. Every woman wanted to become a Imperial consort, high consort, or consort as only these women could bear the Emperor’s child. But most would become lesser concubines who rarely slept with the Son of Heaven at all, and only then to arouse him before one of the senior members of his harem was carried into the bedchamber.

So, the base set-up for The Concubine is factual. My next blog will talk about what I changed and why. If you have questions, please feel free to comment and I’ll address them as best as I can.

NEW TITLE!!!!

Harlequin has decided on the title for my sequel to THE TAO OF SEX. I won’t tell you what my title was for Stephen and Zoe’s story. Why? Because I come up with lame-o titles. Truly lame! But…

Brilliant editor Brenda Chin decided on the following title for my September 09 Blaze. Ready?

IT'S A YIN/YANG THING

Jade

Greetings in the New Year!

Hello Jade Lee fans! I hope that 2009 brings you much joy and love! And maybe I can help with that–at least the love part! I’ve got a lot coming out, so read on! And BOOKSELLERS make sure you get to the end for a special offer!

The new year starts warm during these cold, cold days with WINTER HEAT, an anthology I did with Vicki Lewis Thompson and Anna DeStefano. Both lovely ladies, btw, and I thought their pieces were marvelous. All three of our stories deal with couples during the worst ski resort launch ever! Here’s what Romantic Times Book Review magazine said about Winter Heat. “This trio of stories is humorous, sexy and edgy. Solid characters and conflicts offer a depth not often seen in pieces of this length, with Lee’s arguably the most intriguing of the three.” 4 stars! Follow this link http://www.jadeleeauthor.com/winterheat.shtml to learn more about WINTER HEAT including an excerpt of my novella.

Next month is my very sensuous historical Blaze titled THE CONCUBINE. This is a new project for Blaze. They’re trying out historical settings for their hot, hot books, and mine is the second ever! Here’s the link to learn more about it, but the book doesn’t come out until February, but you can order it from the www.eharlequin.com site right now! Here’s the link: http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=18515&cid=192 And if you want to learn more, you can always check out excerpts and reviews on my website at http://www.jadeleeauthor.com/concubine.shtml

Anyone subscribe to Romantic Times Book Reviews? If so, then you’ve already got the February issue. One of their primary articles is on heros and heroines who struggle with some kind of drug addition. Here’s what Kathryn Falk says in her Dear Reader letter. “In this issue you can read about an upcoming trend–flawed protagonists and their addictions. The topic was once popular in historical romances, but it practically disappeared until the 2007 publication of Jade Lee’s Tempted Tigress.” Wow! Look at that! I’m a trendsetter! If you haven’t checked out Tempted Tigress, don’t wait. It’s a great book of adventure and love in China. I love that book!

BOOKSELLERS! I’ve managed to create special SIGNED BOOK PLATES to add extra value to your Jade Lee books. Email me your address at jade@jadeleeauthor.com and you can get a sheet! FANS! You can get one too! Just email me and I’ll send it out!

That’s it for the moment! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at jade@jadeleeauthor.com I’m trying to update my blog more often, so you can always comment there. And don’t forget my monthly contest!

Jade