Category: Music Monday

Music Monday: The Dance (Doug Hammer)

“I saw you dancing.”

Grace pasted a smile on her lips. She had been doing her best to not meet up with her mother, for doing so would inevitably lead to having to speak with her sister. And, she was not wrong, for Felicity was at her mother’s side, looking all eagerness.

“He was very nice looking and exceptionally light on his feet,” said Mrs. Love.

“Oh, indeed!” Felicity cried. “He might be one of the best dancers here.”

“Even better than Mr. Ramsey?” Grace asked. Her sister should be thinking only of Mr. Ramsey, but, of course, she was not.

“Yes, I do believe so, though I would not for all the world tell him so,” her sister replied.

“What was his name?” her mother asked eagerly.

“Mr. Norman,” Grace replied. “He is a physician.”

Her mother gasped and blinked. “A physician? He has no estate?”

A wicked thought captured Grace’s imagination. “None of which I know, but he has a home here in Bath. Some rooms somewhere. I really do not know where. There is still so much to learn about Bath.”

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen Book 3]
The Dance by Doug Hammer, Provided to YouTube by CDBaby on July 2, 2105.

I chose this song from my Music to Write By playlist because of the title and because of the playful tone. Tomorrow’s story begins with the clip above in which dancing is mentioned and where a dance all of Grace’s own making begins. 🙂  The question is — will the dance go as planned or will some stumbling and tripping happen along the way causing some ungraceful moments or worse, a catastrophe?

I’m also going to share a scene from a previously published book below. In this scene, there is also a game or dance set to begin, but first, let me update you on the progress of my current writing projects. Continue reading Music Monday: The Dance (Doug Hammer)


Music Monday: Catherine and Mr. Tilney, Your Hand in Mine

“Bea likes to be prepared for all eventualities,” Graeme offered.

“Different sides of the same coin, then,” Mr. Norman muttered.

“Quite,” Graeme agreed.

“It seemed to me that such is also true of Shelton and his wife.” Walter’s lips tipped up as he finally found for whom he was looking. Mr. Shelton was bending to hear what a very pretty young lady named Grace was saying. Miss Love was it? “Is that your guest with Mr. Shelton?” he asked Graeme.

“Yes, that is Miss Love. Would you care for an introduction?”

Yes, yes, he would very much like to meet the secretive Miss Love. “If it is not a bother,” he replied with an air of indifference before following Graeme across the room.

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen Book 3]
Published to YouTube by AuburnAfterglow on January 8, 2018.

We will be at the Assembly Rooms in this week’s chapter of Her Secret Beau, so I thought a video featuring Northanger Abbey would be a good choice.

In writing news: 

I wrote nearly one chapter each of Her Secret Beau and Persuading Miss Mary. Persuading Miss Mary‘s chapter needs to be finished.

And…drumroll…

I finally started my third work in progress. Just barely, but it is started. Remember how I said it was going to be titled Robert: something to something? Well, I was wrong. It turns out that it is going to be called Addie: To Wager on Her Future (or something very much like that). 🙂 Continue reading Music Monday: Catherine and Mr. Tilney, Your Hand in Mine


Music Monday: Quiet Beauty (James Todd)

“Please, have a seat. Would you care for some tea or perhaps a glass of port?” Mr. Love asked.

“We cannot stay long,” Beatrice replied as Graeme helped her to take a seat.

He was so attentive. He had even been so before he married Beatrice. Grace had not been unaware of the care he gave her cousin when she had been at Heathcote last year. The hand on Bea’s elbow accompanied by the whispered “Are you well?” made Grace wish to sigh, but she refrained and merely smiled at the sight. One day, she would have a gentleman who would be so thoughtful and caring.

“Mr. and Mrs. Shelton are expecting us to return quickly so that we can make plans for today and tomorrow,” Bea continued.

“Do you not just love Miss Hamilton — I mean Mrs. Shelton?” Grace asked eagerly.

Bea smiled softly as she often did. There was such a sweet, gentleness about her. Grace had not admired it so very much until now. It was in complete contrast to Felicity.

[from Her Secret Bea, Touches of Austen Book 3]
Provided to YouTube by CDBaby, June 23, 2015.

Tomorrow, Bea and Graeme enter our Sweet Tuesday tale. This song was one that I added to my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify this week, and it just seems like a perfect song for a sweet and quiet lady such as Bea. Because she and Graeme are entering our story, I will be sharing an excerpt from their book below.  Continue reading Music Monday: Quiet Beauty (James Todd)


Music Monday: A Good Man (Emerson Drive)

Tomorrow, in our Sweet Tuesday story, we will be meeting the hero of our story. Here is how chapter 2 begins…

“I do not see why Grace had to come with us.”

Walter Blakesley peeked over his morning paper to see the source of the comment. She was a fair-looking young lady with a pleasing figure and a dignified carriage. Not his sort. Such an air of grandeur was more likely than not accompanied by fits of temper when the chit did not get her way. He turned his attention back to the news from last night’s soirees.

“And leave her at home?”

Walter chuckled. The mother sounded shocked, but he reckoned that an opinionated young woman spouting her opinions should not come as a surprise to the young lady’s mother. He held his paper in place as if he were reading it but turned his attention to what he was certain was going to be an interesting conversation between mother and daughter as they strolled past where he sat in the garden.

“She has enough gowns for the number of soirees she will be attending. There is no need for her to follow us around from shop to shop.”

“I do not believe we are in a shop.”

He peeked around his paper so he could match a face with the voice of the young lady, most likely the aforementioned Grace, who had just spoken.

[from Her Secret Bea, Touches of Austen Book 3]
Published to Youtube by Katie Douglas on December 23, 2009.

I have heard this song by one of my favourite groups on the radio several times lately, and I thought it would make a perfect Father’s Day song. 🙂 So today’s song choice is for all those good men out there, whether real or imaginary. I am including the imaginary fellas here since I know that for my heroes, as well as many supporting characters, the ideas in this song hold true — maybe not at the beginning of a story, but most certainly by the end of a story. Therefore, it also seemed fitting to share this video today since tomorrow we are going to meet the hero of Her Secret Beau. Continue reading Music Monday: A Good Man (Emerson Drive)


Music Monday: Dance of the Imagination (Greg Maroney)

Guess what starts tomorrow? 😀

Grace Love was not the sort of lady who sat on the side during dances. She was not the sort of lady who stayed at home when there was an outing to the park. She was not the sort of lady who avoided any sort of fun. Or, at least, she had not been such a lady until now. And all it had taken for Grace’s world to change had been one house party.

With eyes narrowed, she watched the progress of her sister’s hat as the carriage Felicity was perched in made its way down the street.

“Grace, dear, do not spill your tea on that chair.”

“Of course, Mama.” Grace pulled her attention back to the sitting room in the house they were renting for the season and away from her treacherous sister.

[from Her Secret Bea, Touches of Austen Book 3]

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby. Published on YouTube on July 5, 2015.

I had considered attempting to find songs with either the word secret or whisper in the title for each week that this story posts. However, I do not know how many weeks that will be, and I thought I might get bored of that. 😀 So, I might toss in a few secretively titled songs over the weeks but not every week. This week, I have selected a song that is on my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify that has a title which reflects what must happen as a story is being written. The imagination must dance! 🙂

And my imagination has been dancing. I am not sure how many conversations Mary and Wes have had in my mind this week. It all has to do with future possibilities, however, and not the portion of the story I am currently writing. They are even making it a bit of a challenge to focus on any other story but theirs. But then, we should expect Lord Westonbury to be a bit troublesome, shouldn’t we? LOL  Continue reading Music Monday: Dance of the Imagination (Greg Maroney)