“Patience is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.”
―
Lauren Willig,
The Masque of the Black Tulip
“Old books exert a strange fascination for me -- their smell, their feel, their history; wondering who might have owned them, how they lived, what they felt.” ― Lauren Willig
“Whether I like it or not, most of my images of what various historical periods feel, smell, or sound like were acquired well before I set foot in any history class. They came from Margaret Mitchell, from Anya Seton, from M.M. Kaye, and a host of other authors, in their crackly plastic library bindings. Whether historians acknowledge it or not, scholarly history’s illegitimate cousin, the historical novel, plays a profound role in shaping widely held conceptions of historical realities.” ― Lauren Willig
“They were close enough that he could feel the hurried beat of her heart. He could feel Charlotte's indecision in every word she didn't say and every move she didn't make. She was tense with uncertainty, quivering with irresolution. She might not be leaning into him, but she wasn't pulling away, either.” ― Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
“There is, I have heard, a little thing called sunrise, in which the sun reverses the process we all viewed the night before. You might assume such a thing as mythical as those beasts that guard the corners of the earth, but I have it on the finest authority, and have, indeed, from time to time, regarded it with my own eyes.” ― Lauren Willig, The Garden Intrigue
“I love the sound of words, the feel of them, the flow of them. I love the challenge of finding just that perfect combination of words to describe a curl of the lip, a tilt of the chin, a change in the atmosphere. Done well, novel-writing can combine lyricism with practicality in a way that makes one think of grand tapestries, both functional and beautiful. Fifty years from now, I imagine I’ll still be questing after just that right combination of words.” ― Lauren Willig
“Tell them I have the headache--no, the plague! I need something nice and contagious.” ― Lauren Willig, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“There's nothing so attractive as a blank slate. Take one attractive man, slap on a thick coat of daydream, and voila, the perfect man. With absolutely no resemblance to reality.” ― Lauren Willig, The Deception of the Emerald Ring
“It was lovely to see cynicism in one so young. It positively restored his faith in human nature.” ― Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
“Miles was still mourning the loss of his Romantic Plan. 'There was going to be champagne, and oysters, and you' -- he held out both hands as though shifting a piece of furniture -- 'were going to be sitting there, and I was going to get down on one knee, and...and...” ― Lauren Willig, The Masque of the Black Tulip
“When you think about it, everything has been said before, in one way or another. It's only our experience of it that makes it new.” ― Lauren Willig, The English Wife
“For a long moment, he held her gaze without speaking, simply letting the impact of words sink in, before adding rapidly, as though he wished to get it over with as quickly as possible, "I won't deny that you're beautiful. No mirror could tell you otherwise. But there are beautiful women for the buying in any brothel in London. Oh yes, and the ballrooms, too, if one has the proper price. It wasn't your appearance that caught me. It was the way you put me down in the gallery at Sibley Court." Vaughn's lips curved in a reminiscent smile. "And the way you tried to bargain with me after.""Successfully bargained," Mary corrected."That," replied Lord Vaughn, "is exactly what I mean. Has anyone ever told you that you haggle divinely? That the simple beauty of your self-interest is enough to bring a man to his knees?"Mary couldn't in honesty say that anyone had.Vaughn's eyes were as hard and bright as silver coins. "Those are the reasons I want you. I want you for your cunning mind and your hard heart, for your indomitable spirit and your scheming soul, for they're more honest by far than any of the so-called virtues.""The truest poetry is the most feigning?" Mary quoted back his own words to him."And the most feigning is the most true.” ― Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that one only comes up with clever, cutting remarks long after the other party is happily slumbering away.” ― Lauren Willig
“LIPID (Last Idiot Person I Dated) syndrome: a largely undiagnosed but pervasive disease that afflicts single women.” ― Lauren Willig, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“Amazing what the application of a knitting needle could do for one's manners.” ― Lauren Willig, The Orchid Affair
“Love doesn't attack; it infiltrates.” ― Lauren Willig, The Orchid Affair
“Quite definitely a Bingley” ― Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe
“Turning to Turnip, Miss Dempsey said, 'Do you think?'. 'As little as I can,' Turnip replied honestly.” ― Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that time moves differently for men.” ― Lauren Willig, The Deception of the Emerald Ring
“Old books exert a strange fascination for me -- their smell, their feel, their history; wondering who might have owned them, how they lived, what they felt.” ― Lauren Willig
“Whether I like it or not, most of my images of what various historical periods feel, smell, or sound like were acquired well before I set foot in any history class. They came from Margaret Mitchell, from Anya Seton, from M.M. Kaye, and a host of other authors, in their crackly plastic library bindings. Whether historians acknowledge it or not, scholarly history’s illegitimate cousin, the historical novel, plays a profound role in shaping widely held conceptions of historical realities.” ― Lauren Willig
“They were close enough that he could feel the hurried beat of her heart. He could feel Charlotte's indecision in every word she didn't say and every move she didn't make. She was tense with uncertainty, quivering with irresolution. She might not be leaning into him, but she wasn't pulling away, either.” ― Lauren Willig, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
“There is, I have heard, a little thing called sunrise, in which the sun reverses the process we all viewed the night before. You might assume such a thing as mythical as those beasts that guard the corners of the earth, but I have it on the finest authority, and have, indeed, from time to time, regarded it with my own eyes.” ― Lauren Willig, The Garden Intrigue
“I love the sound of words, the feel of them, the flow of them. I love the challenge of finding just that perfect combination of words to describe a curl of the lip, a tilt of the chin, a change in the atmosphere. Done well, novel-writing can combine lyricism with practicality in a way that makes one think of grand tapestries, both functional and beautiful. Fifty years from now, I imagine I’ll still be questing after just that right combination of words.” ― Lauren Willig
“Tell them I have the headache--no, the plague! I need something nice and contagious.” ― Lauren Willig, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“There's nothing so attractive as a blank slate. Take one attractive man, slap on a thick coat of daydream, and voila, the perfect man. With absolutely no resemblance to reality.” ― Lauren Willig, The Deception of the Emerald Ring
“It was lovely to see cynicism in one so young. It positively restored his faith in human nature.” ― Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
“Miles was still mourning the loss of his Romantic Plan. 'There was going to be champagne, and oysters, and you' -- he held out both hands as though shifting a piece of furniture -- 'were going to be sitting there, and I was going to get down on one knee, and...and...” ― Lauren Willig, The Masque of the Black Tulip
“When you think about it, everything has been said before, in one way or another. It's only our experience of it that makes it new.” ― Lauren Willig, The English Wife
“For a long moment, he held her gaze without speaking, simply letting the impact of words sink in, before adding rapidly, as though he wished to get it over with as quickly as possible, "I won't deny that you're beautiful. No mirror could tell you otherwise. But there are beautiful women for the buying in any brothel in London. Oh yes, and the ballrooms, too, if one has the proper price. It wasn't your appearance that caught me. It was the way you put me down in the gallery at Sibley Court." Vaughn's lips curved in a reminiscent smile. "And the way you tried to bargain with me after.""Successfully bargained," Mary corrected."That," replied Lord Vaughn, "is exactly what I mean. Has anyone ever told you that you haggle divinely? That the simple beauty of your self-interest is enough to bring a man to his knees?"Mary couldn't in honesty say that anyone had.Vaughn's eyes were as hard and bright as silver coins. "Those are the reasons I want you. I want you for your cunning mind and your hard heart, for your indomitable spirit and your scheming soul, for they're more honest by far than any of the so-called virtues.""The truest poetry is the most feigning?" Mary quoted back his own words to him."And the most feigning is the most true.” ― Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that one only comes up with clever, cutting remarks long after the other party is happily slumbering away.” ― Lauren Willig
“LIPID (Last Idiot Person I Dated) syndrome: a largely undiagnosed but pervasive disease that afflicts single women.” ― Lauren Willig, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“Amazing what the application of a knitting needle could do for one's manners.” ― Lauren Willig, The Orchid Affair
“Love doesn't attack; it infiltrates.” ― Lauren Willig, The Orchid Affair
“Quite definitely a Bingley” ― Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe
“Turning to Turnip, Miss Dempsey said, 'Do you think?'. 'As little as I can,' Turnip replied honestly.” ― Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that time moves differently for men.” ― Lauren Willig, The Deception of the Emerald Ring
