On March 15th I’ll be on Facebook with 30 other authors celebrating the first birthday of the Bluestocking Belles.

Elizabeth Montagu

Fans of Regency romance will have heard the term Bluestocking. Here’s the Wikimedia definition:

A bluestocking is an educated, intellectual woman, more specifically a member of the 18th-century Blue Stockings Society led by the hostess and critic Elizabeth Montagu (1720–1800).

The Bluestocking Belles are all educated, intellectual women, as well as authors of romance fiction, mostly historical, and mostly Regency-set.

In their own words (and I LOVE this description), they are “eight very different writers united by a love of history and a history of writing about love.”

Through their boxed set of Christmas stories, the Belles are generous supporters of the Malala Fund. And through their scandal sheet–er,blog, The Teatime Tattler, they share whispers of gossip and stories of scandals in support of other authors. See my own “Unsolved Crime of a Shocking Nature in Mayfair” for a sample.

Thomas Rowlandson, Breaking up the Blue Stocking Club, 1815

This Rowlandson print makes fun of the intellectual ladies of his day. Sadly, the need for a charity like the Malala fund proves that educated women are still not universally respected and appreciated.

Care to do something about that? Check out the Projects tab of the Belles’ Website for ways to contribute.

And join the eight Belles: Amy Rose Bennett, Jude Knight, Susana Ellis, Nicole Zoltack, Sherry Ewing, Mariana Gabrielle, and Caroline Warfield for a fabulous party on March 15th. I’ll be hosting from 3:15 to 3:30, EDT (12:15 to 12:30 PDT). Come join us and celebrate!

Images: happy birthday meme, Blue Stocking Belles; all others, Wikimedia