Today’s song is one that YouTube put in the “You Should Watch This” (or as they call it Recommended) section of my front page about a week ago, and it has been replaying in my brain a lot — over and over and over. That has, of course, led me to rewatch the video and reinforce that replay. 🙂 It’s a “vicious” cycle, but one with a purpose — a writing purpose.
JoJoMasonVEVO. “JoJo Mason – Something to Wrap My Heart Around.” YouTube. YouTube, 09 June 2017. Web. 08 July 2017.
When I heard the song, it just seemed to embody the sort of idea I wished to convey for the hero in my current work in progress, so listening to the song was a great way to focus my mind as I got ready to write this week (before I switched over to the instrumental music for writing.)
And it was a great week of writing for me. The best I have had in about two months!
The result is that the first draft of Henry’s story is complete! Completing that draft is always an exciting moment. Of course, that means I must now start first round edits on it — that part is not as exciting. LOL I am hoping that if all goes well, this story will be available in August.
That is what I have to work on this weekend (I am writing this on Saturday) — planning.
I have once again finished all the projects that were on my 90-day plan (all the sticky notes on the calendars above my desk have been removed!), and I must create a new 90-day plan. The only things I know for certain will show up on the plan for August, September, and October are the publication of His Beautiful Bea as well as Henry’s story in August and the final Thursday Three Hundred post of With the Colonel’s Help (with publication shortly after). So the slate is pretty blank. I have a list of things from which to chose —
Another Dash of Darcy story
One of the stories that have been circling in my brain and follow Henry’s story
Another Touches of Austen story based on Sense and Sensibility
Some short stories
Or…
There’s that list of plot bunny ideas I could revisit
Though I have all those options, I’m always open to suggestions of what readers would like to read, so feel free to drop ideas in the comments if you would like.
Now, for a bit of what I wrote this last week. I can’t share what I wrote in my last writing session as that was the conclusion of the story and, unlike me, not everyone likes to read the end of the book before reading all the rest of it. 🙂 So, I will give you what I wrote in my first writing session last week…which happens to star the young lady the Henry has found his heart wrapped around.
On a personal side note: I’m rather excited about this book. I know I started out very nervous about it, and those nerves are still there. However, the story was great fun to write, and I actually found myself liking this Henry Crawford and was happy to see him finally get his HEA. Hopefully, when it is ready to publish, there will be readers who will also be ready to take a chance on a reformed Henry. 🙂
I have made a few additions to my Music to Write By Playlist over the last few weeks. One of those songs is the one below. Not only is it a new song on my playlist and beautifully performed, but the idea of the song’s lyrics kind of goes with the story I have been working on this week.
ThePianoGuys. “Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis) – The Piano Guys.” YouTube. YouTube, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 01 July 2017.
But first, one writing news note — Tomorrow, June 4, 2017, is my day to post at Austen Authors. I will be talking about a favourite movie I watched last week and sharing a bit of history about Canada while I explain what I admire about the antagonist of the film. I hope you get a chance to stop by.
Now, back to why I chose the video above.
If you have been following along with the Monday posts, you know I have been focusing on Mansfield Park related stories and that the subject my current work in progress is Henry Crawford. I am attempting to help him find happiness. His disastrous affair with Maria Bertram and the subsequent loss of any hope of ever gaining Fanny Price’s love left him somewhat miserable according to Jane Austen.
…we may fairly consider a man of sense, like Henry Crawford, to be providing for himself no small portion of vexation and regret: vexation that must rise sometimes to self-reproach, self-reproach, and regret to wretchedness, in having so requited hospitality, so injured family peace, so forfeited his best, most estimable, and endeared acquaintance, and so lost the woman whom he had rationally as well as passionately loved.
Austen, Jane. Mansfield Park (p. 334). . Kindle Edition.
Now, in Mansfied Park, Henry was not supposed to fall in love with Fanny. He was supposed to make her fall in love with him — I’m not sure what he planned to do after she fell in love with him. Break her heart, perhaps? It seemed rather important for Henry to be loved by women and looked at with fondness. I mean, it is the coldness of his reception from Mrs. Rushworth that makes him wish to make her Miss Bertram, the girl who loved him, once more.
My story is based on the premise that Henry’s wretchedness was his turning point, and after some soul-searching, he has begun his transformation into a respectable fellow before page one of my story. From there, he must prove that he is worthy of a respectable lady. He has enlisted the help of a friend’s sister to help him learn the sort of gentlemen a respectable lady prefers.
He and she are both warned that such arrangements can be dangerous. Hearts can become engaged where you least expect them to. Henry should know this from his time with Fanny, but…sigh…Henry seems a bit of a slow learner on that count. He finds himself once again falling in love with a lady he never intended to love.
First up is Little Moments by Brad Paisley. I adore this song. It is so cute — and the ending is perfect! And, in my opinion, it is the little moments that show the greatest amount of love in a relationship. Grand gestures like romantic plans on Valentine’s Day as well as special getaways and gifts are all wonderful. Don’t get me wrong. I love them. However, when you’re struggling to keep it together because everything has gone wrong or the kids have stomped on your last nerve, and your husband folds the laundry or does the dishes or just wraps his arms around you and listens to your mostly coherent babbling — to me, those are the whispers that shout. Those little moments are so very precious.
I do have a story connection for this song, too. Tomorrow, February 14, is release day for So Very Unexpected. (It may actually be available already. Due to a blizzard warning being issued, I uploaded the files early just in case we run into power outage issues.) Now, if you read this story when it was posting on Thursdays, I think you will agree with me that Marcus and Lydia will likely have a lot of little moments in their relationship. Even the manner in which they met in his cottage because she had taken a wrong turn seem to fit quite well with this song.
I will be at Austen Authors tomorrow with an excerpt and some thoughts as well as a chance to win an ebook copy of So Very Unexpected. Stop by if you get the chance.
So obviously, I spent time getting my post for Austen Authors ready this week. I thought I had it done before but then, changed my mind and rewrote it. 🙂 I also spent a good bit of time rereading So Very Unexpected and making the line edits. Then, I made certain the print cover was ready — the spine width could not be set until the final page number was known. This also required the writing of a synopsis for the back of the book and the various retail sites. By the time I got all that done it was Saturday! So, no new words on my current work in progress. 🙁
As I sat down to begin getting blog posts scheduled on Friday, I kept coming back to this thought: “What will I share on Monday? I really want to share something new on Monday.” Well, yesterday, I decided to give myself a writing exercise. When I have not written in a week or more, I often find a writing exercise beneficial. Below is my writing exercise. In honor of both Valentine’s Day and the release of So Very Unexpected which is the third book in the Willow Hall Romance series, I decided to write a love letter — a particular love letter. In book 2, Darcy leaves Willow Hall and on his way, he stops to deliver a letter to Elizabeth. One of the readers here on my blog mentioned that they would like to see that letter (I think it was Linda who suggested it), and I wrote that idea down for later. Well, it’s now later. 🙂 (And song two is after the letter…so keep reading.) Continue reading Music Monday: Little Moments, Brad Paisley and More
In this week’s Music Monday post, I am sharing a bit about what I did with my writing time this past week as well as a story snippet and a fun video that I think sums up how Elizabeth feels in the excerpt when she figures out exactly where she is. Enjoy! And have a great Monday!
This week has been a low word count week for writing. There were other things that needed doing. One of the things that I did was create a new cover for
One of the things that I did was create a new cover forSo Very Unexpected. I had one that I was using as I was writing and editing the book, but I wasn’t completely happy with it. I am much better pleased with this new cover. At the same time, I also created a cover for At All Costs and for the bundled Willow Hall Romance series. I have also started working on the print cover for So Very Unexpected as well as getting final file formats started. I should have my last edits back this week and NEXT Tuesday, the book should be published in ebook format with print being ready shortly after.
Part of my writing time this week was devoted to the new story I have started and the other part was given to preparing an Austen Author’s post for next Tuesday. The first draft of that post is ready, but it still needs graphics. And I must decide if I am going to do a giveaway.
One reason I did not get as much story written this week is that I have hit a wall of thinking (which means I must be at least halfway through as that is where this wall usually hits). There are details that need to be considered. So while my brain works on those things, I did some reading and a bit of planning. Between this and the graphic work for the covers, my brain is feeling nearly ready to tackle those decisions.
I have two videos for you today — same song, different story — because I just could not pick one. I love both movies that have been paired up with this beautiful song. Writing news and a story excerpt can be found below the second video.
Hernandez, Danielle. “North and South – Falling.” YouTube. YouTube, 30 Mar. 2008. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.
Tiyera. “Pride and Prejudice – Darcy & Elizabeth – Falling.” YouTube. YouTube, 03 Oct. 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.
So which video did you like best? I really could not choose one. They are both on my Music Meets Movies playlist on Youtube. I picked this song to share today because of the excerpt that I am sharing. Like many (most) of my books, So Very Unexpected is a story of two characters meeting and slowly realizing that they love each other.
In this book, the love story begins as a friendship. Marcus finds Lydia in his cottage and befriends her on their trip back to Willow Hall. Lydia has not had many true friends in her life and having someone like her just for herself and not for what they can get from her is a new experience. As the story progresses this friendship evolves into something deeper — love. The excerpt below is part of the chapter where Marcus is finally asked to consider Lydia as wife, and it is where his “fear” sets in as he wrestles with the thought.
So Very Unexpected is in its final stages of editing, and its release date is scheduled for February 14, 2017.
STORY EXCERPT FROM So Very Unexpected:
*( ) added to clarify characters
“The scoundrel (Wickham) may attempt to scheme his way into the coffers of whomever Miss Lydia marries.” He (Marcus) leaned forward and glared at both men (Mr. Williams and Philip). “You know as well as I that not all husbands will be kind to a wife they think has played them for a fool.” His heart beat heavily against his ribs while his fingers clutched the arms of his chair. How could they suggest such a thing? It would be better for Lydia never to marry than to be subjected to such treatment.
“Yes,” said Philip, pushing a folded piece of paper across the desk toward Marcus, “we have taken that into consideration. I made a list of men I knew to be upstanding in my estimation. The list was not long, of course. We are not well-stocked with eligible gentlemen here in Kympton at present, so I included those I knew from Lambton.”
Marcus attempted to take the paper from the desk, but Philip held it in place by pressing down on it.
“Lucy wishes for me to say that she had only your description and a few comments made yesterday by Aunt Tess upon which to base her opinions when eliminating names.” Philip removed his hand from the paper. “However, she also had a few opinions of her own about some of the gentlemen I had included and therefore, would not allow their names to remain on the list.”
Marcus opened the paper. A list of about fifteen names had been whittled down to five. “Harris? I dare say he would not treat her well,” Marcus muttered. “It was he who called her a flirt to Miss Elizabeth.”
“Would you like to remove his name?” Philip held out a pen. Had Marcus not been so disgusted with his cousin as a choice and therefore so eager to scratch out his name, he might have noticed the amused look that passed between Philip and Mr. Williams.
Marcus scooted to the edge of his chair and, placing the paper on the desk, scratched out his cousin’s name. “Besides, he is only a captain.” He looked up at Philip. “The bottom of what Miss Lydia finds acceptable for rank. Now, Colonel Fitzwilliam has a better rank and good connections,” he drew a line through the name, “but Mary Ellen would not be pleased.”
“She should make her interest known,” muttered Philip.
“Perhaps, but I will not attempt to steer the object of her affections away from her.”
“Just as you refuse to inform him of her affections?” Philip asked with a laugh.
“Precisely.” Marcus grinned at his brother. “For the same reasons you have not made mention of it.”
Philip inclined his head in acknowledgment of the fact.
Marcus returned his attention to the list and scratched out the next two names. “Not sensible enough. It would be a home filled with folly,” he muttered about the first. “Too sensible. She would be thought a fool,” he said of the second and looked up at his brother, “which she is not.”
He made one last omission from the list and, placing the pen on the desk, sat back in his chair. It had taken some fortitude to omit the last name, for a small flutter in the vicinity of his heart wished for the gentleman to succeed with Lydia.
“You have made our task impossible.” Philip’s words were stern, but his expression was not. “You did not mention why the last man was unacceptable.”
“He is too old, and she is too young.”
Philip picked up the paper and motioned to his brother to lean forward. Then, he looked very carefully at Marcus’ face. “I am afraid you are wrong.” He picked up the pen and added Marcus’ name once again to the list.
“I am not.”
Philip nodded and pointed to the corner of his eye. “No lines. Therefore, not old.” He grinned. “Although not young either.”
“I cannot marry her.” The words cut at his heart. “She is not ready to take on Aldwood Abbey.”
Mr. Williams snorted. “She is not ready, or you are not?” He stood. “Your grandfather said the same about your mother when your father married.” His hand rested on Marcus’s shoulder. “And she did struggle at first, but ask anyone in your father’s employ, she rose to the challenge, just as I expect, Miss Lydia would. She is quick enough to see a blackguard for what he is and cunning enough to bend him to her purposes. So, unless you can find a name to replace yours, you will have to accept one of the fellows you crossed off — or take on the responsibility yourself.” He gave Marcus’ shoulder a pat. “With you, she would, at least, be safe. Gentleman.” He bowed and took his leave.
Philip rose. “I suppose my tea will be cold.”
Marcus nodded and took up his hat. He really did not care if his brother’s tea was cold. In fact, if he had not promised to take tea with Aunt Tess, he would just go home. How could he face Lydia when his mind was in such a jumbled state. Marry her? See her married to another? Neither seemed an acceptable outcome.
