I know I said I was only going to post Music Monday posts every other week, but I’ve been missing them. 🙂 So, I’m breaking that rule for this week and revisiting a post from five years ago.
On August 18, 2015, I published my fourth book. That book was Listen to Your Heart, which happens to be on sale at present. I thought it might be fun to look back at the Music Monday post from when that book was published. So, here it is below (with a little bit of an excerpt tacked on under the video, which is where the original post ended).
A friend had this video posted on Facebook last week (back in Aug 2015), and I thought it was just so beautiful that I had to share it here.
I love this phrase in the song,
“People fall in love in mysterious ways,”
or as Mr. Darcy says it in Pride and Prejudice,
“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”
which also made me think of Anne in Listen to Your Heart
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY PIANO TIME ON MARCH 23, 2020.
I find it mesmerizing to watch the lights dropping down, showing the notes. That is why I chose this video to share today. The reason I chose the song is for the title, for today, I am sharing a chapter from my very first published book, Oxford Cottage, which is where the dark part of the tale begins.
Darcy looked across the assembly hall and watched the dancers as they wound their way through the steps of a country dance. His eyes followed Elizabeth for a few moments before he pulled his attention back to the rest of the people standing around him.
Just to his left, Mrs. Bennet fidgeted and fussed with Kitty’s dress. “Stand up straight, Kitty,” she scolded. “No man wants a woman who is all bent and crumpled.”
“Yes, Mama,” said Kitty.
Darcy suppressed a chuckle as he watched Kitty roll her eyes before she pulled herself up, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. It reminded him of Georgiana. How often had he, when watching Miss Kitty, noticed similarities between the two young ladies? Both shared an exuberance for life that was infectious, and neither appreciated the reminder to carry themselves in what society deemed a ladylike fashion. Miss Kitty was a bit silly, but she was a sweet and caring young lady. She was the sort of young lady with whom Darcy did not mind having his sister associate.
Having seen to her daughter’s lack of posture, Mrs. Bennet had moved on to discussing with several local ladies her very good fortune of having “three daughters so agreeably attached.” Mr. Bennet was attempting to calm his wife’s happy nerves in order to keep her voice at an acceptable volume. Darcy shook his head slightly and smiled. How a man as intelligent as Mr. Bennet could abide such a fluttering wife was beyond his comprehension.
But he knew it to be true that Mr. Bennet did not just abide his wife, he loved her and showed it through his solicitous attentions and patience. Although some might only see the man who teased and laughed at his wife’s silliness, Darcy had observed the soft glow of his eyes and an occasional touch that accompanied such teasing. Mrs. Bennet often responded in a huff of emotions but there was always a twinkle in her eye, a little wink, or a slight upturn of her mouth which let him know she was not truly put out by her husband’s comments. It was a dance of words and actions, a game they played, a game he was just beginning to learn to play with his beloved Elizabeth. He allowed himself the pleasure of once again watching her dance.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY THE TENORS VEVO ON OCTOBER 7, 2015.
When I heard this song a couple of weeks ago, a short scene from Listen to Your Heart sprang to mind. It’s only a few paragraphs long and comes at the end of Chapter 14. Because this is nearing the end of the book (the novel has 17 chapters) and, therefore, contains spoilers, and because it is a rather long chapter, I have only excerpted a portion of the beginning of the chapter, then indicated a break with three dots and continued with the short but sweet reunion between Cranfield and Lady Catherine. Hopefully, I have kept the most critical spoilers from appearing here, but as always, read at your own risk. (And remember, this book is on sale everywhere for 99c or so until February 15, 2020.)
Listen to Your Heart, Chapter 14 Excerpt
“Cranfield.” Lord Matlock clapped the man on the shoulder in a welcoming fashion as he entered the dower house. “A word, if you do not mind.” Noting the look of suspicion on the man’s face, he added, “A friendly word.” He chuckled. “My wife constantly reminds me I need to spend time on small talk and pleasantries. She says neglecting them makes people uneasy.”
“She would be right.” The right side of Cranfield’s mouth curved up into a half smile.
“My apologies.” Lord Matlock motioned for Cranfield to enter the room ahead of him before turning to Bingley and Darcy. “I believe you will find your ladies, as well as the rest of the guests, in the garden.” Bingley took a step toward the sitting room, but Lord Matlock held up his hand and lowered his voice. “You have nothing to fear, my boy. I have a family apology to make, and I believe a reunion would be better in private.”
“Right,” agreed Bingley and followed Darcy toward the garden.
Lord Matlock closed the door gently. “My father was wrong.”
Cranfield gave a small snort of laughter. “You do not circle a topic, do you?”
Welcome to the weekend. I hope your week went well. We ended ours with some snow and ice. Here’s all that has been happening in my busy writing life this week.
Writing Life
A New Story: Remember how I was hoping to get some planning done on a third writing project? Well, I did — but just a tiny bit. However, it was enough for me to start exploring the idea by writing the first two chapters. Here is what I can tell you about it at present:
^^That’s not the most creative title, is it? 🙂 I was running low on creativity when it came time to create this blog post. The clock just rolled past midnight here — which means it is now Saturday in Nova Scotia as I write this. I’m pretty sure that has a lot to do with why my creativity is running low.
Writing News
This week, with the help of a friend, I managed to add another chapter to both His Irreplaceable Belle and Marrying Elizabethbook 5. These chapters were not easy ones for me to write — not because the content of them was challenging but because I felt stuck, which, I think, happens at least once with every story. There were a few questions I needed to answer before moving on. This is where my very patient friend, Zoe Burton, helped me by being a sounding board when I needed to talk through some details. She also helped me come up with a possible title out of a long list of options for Marrying Elizabethbook 5.
No, I have not yet started that third writing project. Maybe I’ll get some planning done this coming week? Maybe. 🙂
Publishing News
There’s nothing new here. Just a reminder that Her Secret Beau is now available in the Kindle store for purchase or to read with your Kindle Unlimited subscription if you have one of those.
Book Promotions
Listen to Your Heart (ebook edition) will be $0.99 from February 1-15, 2020. This sale is across all sales channels and in all regions of the world with all currencies being reduced. Continue reading The Saturday Broadsheet for February 1, 2020
