Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Thrift store junkie

My To Be Read pile is as mountainous as it is mostly because of thrift stores.

I haven’t had as much time to do this lately, but I love going into thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army and perusing their book section, looking for Regency romances.

I especially look for the mass market paperback novels of the category Regency romances that used to be printed years ago by Harlequin, Zebra, Fawcett, and Signet. They typically have pretty recognizable spines.

I can spend a good hour looking for Regencies at a thrift store if they have a good book section. After a while, I had to take with me a list of the books I already have (titles and authors) so that I don’t get duplicates.

I have not had as much luck at garage sales. Whenever I did the round of sales in my area, there weren’t many boxes of Regency romances--there were usually other genres instead. :(

I also did buy some boxes of books on eBay where the sellers would auction off a huge box of Regencies, but after a while I didn’t like that too much because there were usually books in the box that I already had.

My TBR pile of print books (let’s not even go into my TBR list of ebooks!) is almost entirely Regency romances I bought from thrift stores. I’m slowly going through them and donating back any book that I don’t want to keep, but I’m thoroughly enjoying having such a huge pool of titles to choose from whenever I’m hankering after a Regency!

I know some of you do the same thing, right??? Confess! And, er, give me any tips you might have. :)

Thrift store junkies unite!

Comments

Martha A. said…
I collect older books too! I have liked Grace Livingston Hill and would love to find some of the good older regency books too! I can have piles of books TBR and still go into a bookstore, second hand store and usually come out with a book or four...
Erica Vetsch said…
I love used bookstores, Goodwill and Salvation army for used books. If I like an author, I tend to want to read their back-list, and thrift stores are a great place to find out of print books. :) My bedside TBR pile is threatening to topple over and kill me in my sleep. But what a way to go. :D
Ladette said…
Ha, my TBR pile is huge and my TBR Ebooks... well, lets just say I have over one thousand ebooks and I've read about 5. :) Oh well. They are there when I need them.

You now have my curiosity up about the Regency books. I have no idea what the look like or anything about them. Google, here I come. :)
Fedora said…
Totally, Camy! I actually volunteer at a local FoL and can keep an eye out for you to, if you have a list of authors/titles you're looking for :) I also had to cut way back on hitting thrift stores, garage sales, and the like because well... DH would prefer for us to not be literally buried in books ;) Free free to e-mail me directly with your list, OK? :)

f dot chen at comcast dot net
Anonymous said…
I go through phases of historical and then contemporary. I like going to the library when I have time to browse and filling a bag with books (that I'll binge read in a week).

Why Regency? I'm curious, since you write contemporaries??

Natalia Gortova
www.nataliagortova.blogspot.com
Angela said…
I too peruse the thrift shops books, library sales, and here in San Antonio there is a yearly 70,000 book used book sale where hardbacks are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents... Most recently I've joined paperback swap.com where I can get more recent stuff and it helps to thin out my already read stash.
Oh yes Goodwill, Salvation Army and the St. Vincent DePaul thrift shops in this area are AWESOME for getting books. St. Vincent's is nice because the books are usually only 25 cents! We also have a chain of closeout stores called Ollie's which is awesome for getting new books and publishers remainders. I've seen the Sushi series there for around $3 a book. If you're ever on the East Coast you should definitely look for an Ollie's LOL!

XOXO~ Renee C.
Camy Tang said…
Sounds eerily familiar ... :)
Camy Tang said…
I've found tons of great backlist at used bookstores! Now I tend to buy them on ebook since they're easier to find. :)
Camy Tang said…
Regency romances used to be category romance mass market paperback books (about 60-70K words) published by Harlequin, Zebra, Signet, Fawcett. The lines went dead several years ago but I loved them because they tended to be relatively clean and the stories were cute and short. Now, the historical Regency romances are a lot longer (100-120 K words) and usually have a lot of sex in them.
Camy Tang said…
I LOVE YOU!!!! YOU ROCK!!!! I would love any by Patricia Veryan. Thank you!!!!!!
Camy Tang said…
I'm not sure why. My first romance book was a Regency romance--Regency Miss by Alix Melbourne. Loved that book! Maybe that's why I have such a fondness for Regency even though I don't write it.
Camy Tang said…
Oh my gosh I would go nuts at that booksale!!!!! I should look into Paperbackswap.com, but then again, my TBR pile is so large I ought to read those rather than getting more books from Paperbackswap!
Camy Tang said…
WOW 25 cents!!!!! I'm glad to see my Sushi series there, because I never mind when my books are sold cheaply since that means someone who hasn't read me can pick up a book for a low price and low risk. :)
Fedora said…
Will add that name to my "look for" list :)
Camy Tang said…
Thank you SO much!!!!

Popular Posts

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Humorous Romantic Suspense: Year of the Dog (Warubozu Spa Chronicles series, Prequel novel) (Currently being posted monthly on my blog as a serial novel) Marisol Mutou, a professional dog trainer, finally has a chance to buy a facility for her business, but her world is upended when she must move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate. When she stumbles upon a three-year-old missing persons case, security expert Ashwin Keitou, whose car she accidentally rear-ended a few weeks earlier, is tasked with protecting her. However, danger begins to circle around them from people who want the past to remain there. Can they shed light on the secrets moving in the shadows? Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, n

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

Gerard's scarf & Prelude winners!

I finished Gerard’s scarf! It’s lovely and squishy. Here’s the link to my Ravelry project page if you’re interested. And the winners are: The winner of Gerard’s scarf and a copy of Prelude for a Lord is: Cathy B. (Oklahoma) The winners of a copy of Prelude for a Lord are: Cora B. (Ohio) DeVorah B. (Georgia) Breanna D. (California) Deidre D. (Georgia) Carol G. (Oklahoma) Janka H. (Slovakia) Deborah K. (Virginia) Cheri O. (Kentucky) Sara W. (Virginia) Joan W. (Florida) Congratulations! I’ve emailed you. If you didn’t receive my email, or if I didn’t respond to YOUR reply, please contact me through my website , Facebook , or Twitter . My email has been a bit wonky lately. I know that the rest of you are crying into your Regency White Soup that you didn’t win. Cheer up and buy the book! Buy links are below. Buy print book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com Buy ebook: Kindle iBooks Kobo Nookbook Christianbook.com Prelude for a Lord

Rules, rules, rules

Captain's Log, Stardate 09.09.2009 Well, I have discovered that I need to comply with California law in order to do my book giveaways. Who knew there were so many rules? It doesn’t really affect you guys much, except that I can no longer mail the books internationally . Sorry, guys, but I really don’t relish spending any time in prison. Here’s the new rules, effective for any give away on this blog, in my newsletter , or on my website after September 9th, 2009: Disclaimer: 1. No purchase necessary to enter any give aways given on this blog (http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/), in my newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Camys_Loft), or on my website (http://www.camytang.com/). The give away will end on the date stated in the posting. The opportunity to play may be affected by local ability to access the Internet at any particular time. The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. 2. Open to all readers, 18 years or older who are legally allowed to participate in su

Gerard's Red and Black Scarf

For fun, I decided to knit the Regency scarf that Gerard, my hero, gives to my heroine in my Christmas short novel, The Spinster's Christmas . I can’t remember if I posted the finished scarf on my blog, including any changes I made to the pattern, so here it is. I chose A Gentleman’s Comforter from The Ladies’ Knitting and Netting Book, First Series by Miss Watts, originally published in 1837. You can download the .pdf of the Fifth Edition, with additions, which was published in 1840 . I’m pretty sure this pattern was in use in the Regency, because most patterns had been passed down by word of mouth long before they were published. So Jane Austen could have gotten this pattern from a friend or family member and used it when making a scarf for her father. :) Here’s the original pattern: I wasn't entirely certain what “coarse steel needles” and “5 skeins of fine wool yarn” mean, so I just guessed. I used US 1 needles and fingering weight wool yarn, but you could use a

Blogging with beauty when you're loud and tactless

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.25.2006 I'm gone to RWA National conference : This might be my last post for the rest of the week, depending on if I can get internet access at my hotel. Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is WEB OF LIES by Brandilyn Collins . My Monday book giveaway is BE MY NEAT-HEART by Judy Baer . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. I won’t be drawing a winner this Thursday, but on Monday, July 31st, I'll draw the winner for BE MY NEAT-HEART and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Blame Mary: My beautiful friend Mary DeMuth is hosting a “Carnival of Beauty” on Wednesday. I’m not really sure what that means, but she asked me to join so I said “Cool!” The theme is “The Beauty of Blogging.” Now blogging I could talk about all day! Blogging is beautiful for people like me who can’t shut up. Maybe it’s ego-centric. I mean, blogging is uncensored, unedited writing/ranting/complaining/crowin