WHO WAS THAT FIERY SPANISH DANCER? by Kathleen Bittner Roth

Welcome back to History Undressed our regular first Tuesday blogger, Kathleen Bittner Roth! Today she's written a fascinating post for us about a Spanish dancer. Enjoy!

Lola Montez

WHO WAS THAT FIERY SPANISH DANCER?

by Kathleen Bittner Roth

While writing Celine, book one in my When Hearts Dare series, I had a scene where the hero and heroine clashed over another woman. The woman couldn’t be anyone they knew. I wanted someone who stood out above all others and thought nothing of brazenly making a play for the hero. The name Lola Montez popped into my mind. I vaguely recalled the name and thought she was some kind of famous Spanish dancer (I was right). I had no idea if she’d ever been to America, let alone New Orleans, or if she’d even lived during the time period of my story (1853). Since I was writing a first draft, I figured I would do the research later and find the right woman to fit my story. To my utter surprise, not only had Lola Montez toured America, she’d passed through New Orleans one time only—the very month and year I had written her into my story! 

Lola as a dancer

So who was this mysterious lady that caused so much trouble between my hero, heroine, and the hero’s cousin? It didn’t take long into research to learn that this Spanish dancer was no more Spanish than was the Queen of England.

Lola Montez was a stage name for Maria Eliza Gilbert, the Countess of Landsfeld! 

How did this woman, born in Ireland in 1821, become an exotic dancer and courtesan? And titled?

Lola, or Eliza, as they called her in her youth, was barely two-years-old when her father, an army ensign, was dispatched to India and took his family along. He died of cholera shortly thereafter. Lola’s mother quickly remarried. Lola’s stepfather adored her, spoiled her, and let her run wild in the streets of India. She became such a handful, she was sent to her stepfather’s family in Scotland, but they couldn’t control the wild little girl from India, so they sent her to an Aunt in England. Hot tempered, uninhibited Lola was soon sent to a private boarding school.

At sixteen, Lola eloped and ended up back in India, where, five years later, the couple separated. That’s when Mrs. Eliza James changed her name to Lola Montez and became a popular Spanish dancer. Unfortunately, she was recognized and a scandal ensued which prevented her from returning to England.

Scandal wasn’t about to stop this feisty woman now known for her beauty and quick temper. She departed Calcutta for the Continent where she became a courtesan. In Paris, she met and had an affair with the famous Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt, who introduced her to not only a Bohemian life but to other men, one of which was Alexandre Dumas with whom she carried on a torrid affair while still the mistress of a high-profile newspaper man. When he died, Lola left Paris for Munich.

Not long after, Lola became the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. He was so smitten with her that he gave her the title Countess of Landsfeld, and granted her a large annuity, much to the chagrin of the King’s people. From 1846 to 1848, Lola seemed to be the power behind the throne until the King abdicated and Lola fled Bavaria for England.

Once again, she married, but the terms of her divorce from her first husband did not allow remarriage so the newlyweds left England for Spain where her husband allegedly drowned. Alone, Lola sailed to the U.S. where she became popular as a dancer and actress from 1851 to 1853, exactly when I needed her for my story! That year, Lola Montez left the U.S. to perform in Australia, where she married yet again, only to be divorced yet again. Finally, she returned to the U.S. where she passed away at age thirty-nine in Brooklyn, New York in 1861.

Lola

If you’re a writer of historical romance reading this account of a scandalous Lola Montez, don’t let anyone tell you that ladies of that era would not do or act in certain ways. Throughout history there were always those who defied society’s rules and danced to their own tune. Lola Montez, Countess Landsfeld was one of those women.

Kathleen Bittner Roth thrives on creating passionate stories featuring characters who are forced to draw on their strength of spirit to overcome adversity and find unending love. Her own fairy tale wedding in a Scottish castle led her to her current residence in Budapest, Hungary, considered one of Europe’s most romantic cities. However, she still keeps one boot firmly in Texas and the other in her home state of Minnesota. A member of Romance Writers of America®, she was a finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart® contest. Find Kathleen on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest and www.kathleenbittnerroth.com.

 

Check out Kathleen's list of books on Amazon!

The Ultimate Hot, Hunky Hero With Kathleen Bittner Roth

Welcome back to History Undressed, my good friend, Kathleen Bittner Roth! She writes sweeping, sexy historicals that I can't get enough of :) She's here today to entice us with the ultimate hunky hero--and one of my favorites, WOLF!!! Enjoy!

The Ultimate Hot, Hunky Hero

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Kensington Books is looking for the Ultimate Hero. They’ve pitted thirty-two author’s characters against one another until an ultimate hero emerges. The winner from each round moves on to the next round until only one man is left standing. My hero’s turn comes up on Thursday, February twelfth. I do hope you’ll vote for him!

For my hero, I chose Wolf, from Alanna, book two in my When Hearts Dare series. He first appeared out of nowhere in Celine, book one. Not only did I fall head over heels for him, so did my readers. They demanded his story, and boy, did he deliver.

Here’s a little bit about him and a short excerpt:

My hero roams the west in the late 1850’s as a relentless tracker of lost persons. He can locate anyone anywhere…for a price. A formidable, solitary man with nothing to lose, he is known only by the name of Wolf. A legend across the land, no one knows much about him other than he is the best at what he does. But beware—he can be ruthless if crossed. 

At thirty years of age, Wolf stands over six feet tall. He’s lean-hipped and broad across the shoulders. He wears his sun-streaked, tawny gold hair clubbed at his nape, exposing a chiseled face reminiscent of a work of art. Beneath thick, gilded lashes, his startlingly blue eyes shimmer with pure sin. Despite his hardened demeanor, he moves across a room with a fluid grace, his muscled hips rolling seductively, his long legs stretching out in a slow, purposeful glide. Fascinating to watch, the man could pass for a fallen god.

But there is more to Wolf than he lets on in public. Beneath his worldly hardness beats a wild and lonely heart that yearns for more than the bad hand life dealt him. An enigmatic man who can command a room simply by walking through it, when it comes to bedding a woman, his heart turns tender. One look into those magnetic blue eyes filled with the promise of delicious sin, one feather-soft slide of his fingers across her skin, and the air grows thick with passion. The way he speaks soft and low in her ear, as if they were already making love, and desire, hot and gripping, threatens to capture her soul.

One other thing: He wears a woman’s garnet earring in his left earlobe. It’s all he has left of his mother after watching her brutal murder when he was only six years old. In the story, Wolf finally goes hunting for her killer. On his journey aboard a clipper ship from San Francisco to Boston, he meets Alanna Malone, a high-spirited, enigmatic woman intent on shedding a fiancé handpicked by her social climbing parents. She sets Wolf’s heart ablaze. But life isn’t easy for him once he lands in Boston and the mystery surrounding his mother’s death deepens—someone wants him dead. 

I often use visuals to get my stories started. If I were to have to name a celebrity to use as a visual for Wolf, I’d have go with Brad Pitt back in his role of Tristan in Legends of the Fall. 

Here’s a little excerpt from Alanna:

Wolf pulled his head back and studied Alanna through lazy lids. “Every time you took care of me back in Boston, every time you bent over me to change my bandages, every time you shaved me, or bathed me, you drove me wild. I wanted to do wicked things to you. Did you know that?” He took her by the shoulders and gently turned her around. “I’m going to undress you now.”

The event is going on right now but Wolf’s turn comes up on Thursday, February 12. I hope you’ll vote for him! Oh, and be sure to vote early and often – lol – there is no limit to the number of times you can vote. In honor of the event, Alanna is on sale for the month of February. $2.99 folks! 

The event is being hosted on Tumbler: http://kensingtonheroes.tumblr.com/ 

The price drops on all the participating books can be found here: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/catalog.aspx/category/313258

Bio:

Kathleen Bittner Roth creates evocative stories featuring characters forced to draw on their strength of spirit to overcome adversity and find unending love. Her own fairy tale wedding in a Scottish castle led her to her current residence in Budapest, Hungary, considered one of Europe’s most romantic cities. However, she still keeps one foot firmly in Texas and the other in her home state of Minnesota. A member of Romance Writers of America®, Kathleen was a 2012 finalist in their prestigious Golden Heart® awards. You can find Kathleen on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and on her website www.kathleenbittnerroth.com.