Jane Austen – Page 2 – Leenie Brown

Music Monday: The Woodshed is Full (Dean Brody)

Elizabeth could not agree more. Darcy’s love was the best Christmas gift she could have ever received, and every year, from that one forward, in addition to gifts being exchanged on Christmas morning in the Darcy home, gifts of the heart would be given as well. But these gifts, these special gifts of love, would neither be given nor received on Christmas morning but would always be shared, just as Georgiana’s had been — two days before Christmas.

[The final lines from Two Days Before Christmas]

Published to YouTube by Dean Brody, November 28, 2014.

Traditions. They are often a big part of the end of the year holiday season.

A tradition for me in my writing life, which is going on three years this week, is writing and giving a story to my readers on my email list. The process starts in the early fall as I decide on the story to be written. Then, I usually spend October writing and November editing, so that the book is ready to distribute in December.

This year, I started writing the first of the three novelettes in the book I am giving away in August. I wanted to learn how to write using dictation, so I knew the process would not be fast — and I was right. I wrote in small sections (while getting ready in the mornings). It was interesting how my brain was trying to get used to speaking a story rather than sending it through my fingers to the computer. (I am not sure that it is completely familiar with that process yet) The software also had to get used to my style of writing. (It’s getting better but still needs work.) Needless to say, these three stories needed a LOT of editing for typos and punctuation. 😀 However, it was a great learning experience, and I am going to do it again — after New Year’s.

Anyway… These three stories will be both given away to my mailing list and published to Amazon and on whichever of the other vendors are open and not on holiday hours. 🙂 (Thursday is the planned day if all goes well.)

If you wish to join my mailing list and pick up these stories for free, you can do that from now until the end of 2018.

I will be talking about this book and sharing an excerpt from each of the stories tomorrow, December 18, 2018, on Austen Authors.

Of course, I will also be posting a chapter of Frosted Windowpanes, which is one of the three stories in this collection. I will post the final chapter next week. Just because the book is being distributed this week does NOT mean I will not finish posting that story.

As you can probably guess, I was busy getting last edits done on Nature’s Fury and Delight’s: Thunder, Mist, and Frost this past week, but it was not all I was working on. I also…

sent off Delighting Mrs. Bennet to my final editor and have a tentative publication date set for January 10, 2019.

wrote the second chapter of Loving Lydia and scheduled the first chapter to post on January 3, 2019. 🙂

wrote chapter 3 of Tom: To Secure His Legacy — which means I think I am ready to start sharing a few snippets of that here. However, I cannot promise that I will have something to share each Monday during the holiday season. I think I will, but you know how busy it can be at this time of year. Therefore, I don’t want to make a promise I might not be able to keep. But anyway… Shall we take a peek at a few hundred words from Tom’s story?

AN EXCERPT FROM Tom: To Secure His Legacy: (this is from chapter one) Continue reading Music Monday: The Woodshed is Full (Dean Brody)

Music Monday: Burn the Ships (For King and Country)

“Let me put a point on it for you, my dear sister. Had I not attended that last party at your persuasion and had I gone to Norfolk as I had planned, we might both be happily married. But,” he dropped her hand and held up a finger to mark his point, “you wished for me to see Mrs. Rushworth. You thought there would be great entertainment in it. Do not cast this debacle at Fanny’s feet. She was the only one in this whole sorry tale who was without guile. She refused me because she knew I was not worthy of her, and I was not — as anyone who reads a paper or sits in a drawing room with a cup of tea knows, I was not. And with that blackness attached to my name, I shall have a difficult enough go of it trying to find a lady of substance to accept me. To throw myself back into the society I kept before…” He shrugged and shook his head. “It would be foolish. Therefore, I will gladly welcome you and your friends at soirees such as this, but I will not be accepting any invitations to private parties, save for those held by Dr. and Mrs. Grant. I will call on them next week after I am truly settled in town.” He bowed to the gaping women and hastened out into the corridor.

[from Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy]

Published to YouTube by ForKingAndCountry on October 4, 2018.

Talk about cutting ties and burning the ship! Henry knew that he had to cut ties with his former life if he wished to make a lasting change. His sister Mary is going to have to do the same before she can be free to become her best self. Jane Austen tells us at the end of Mansfield Park:

…and Mary had had enough of her own friends, enough of vanity, ambition, love, and disappointment in the course of the last half-year, to be in need of the true kindness of her sister’s heart, and the rational tranquillity of her ways.

In the excerpt that follows my writing news, Mary has gotten to the point of having had enough of her friends, enough of vanity, ambition, love, and disappointment, and she is ready to move on with new friends toward a happier, more contented life.

That is why I have selected today’s music video. I think the song expresses the concept quite well.

But, before we get to that excerpt, let me give you a few updates about what’s happening in my writing life.

First, Assessing Mr. Darcy is available for pre-order. ARC copies will be sent out to my mailing list and Leenie’s Sweeties Facebook Group today, and my $2 patrons will receive their copy of the story. Assessing Mr. Darcy will go live on Friday, October 26, 2018 (a day later than I had expected but as early as I could schedule it with one of my distributors). Tomorrow, I will have an Austen Authors post with an excerpt and a giveaway for this book.

Second, I have started a new short story set during December and in the Willow Hall world. This story will feature original characters who are part of the community that surrounds Willow Hall and Kympton, and there will be at least one cameo appearance by a couple of Willow Hall characters. I am also hoping to give it just a touch of Persuasion flavour as there has been a rejection and a separation of lovers before the story begins. I still need to name the main characters (both the guy and gal) as well as the estate that the hero has inherited.

Third, Mary’s story has reached about the halfway point — I think. I will start posting this story on Patreon this week (hopefully today). I did a lot of research this last week for this story since Gabe is not just your standard landed gentleman but rather a fellow who is in trade, was born in India to a Company man, and now owns his own business and partners in backing privateers. And those are all new to me things to weave into the backstory and character of a hero.

And I think that is all the writing news I have for today. So, now we can get to that excerpt where Mary set a new course for her life by leaving her old friends behind.

AN EXCERPT FROM Mary: To Protect Her Heart: Continue reading Music Monday: Burn the Ships (For King and Country)

Music Monday: Period Drama, Ghost of a Rose (Blackmore’s Night)

I thought today I would share a recent addition to my Music Meets Movies YouTube playlist. I had never heard this song before coming across this video, but I like it. It’s the sort of song that sparks the imagination, and we all know how I love a song that can do that. Even better is when that sort of song is accompanied by images from various period dramas as it is in this video. 🙂 There’s story inspiration all through this video, I think. I hope you enjoy it and then read on to hear my writing news and to take a peek at what I was writing this week. There are actually a couple of items I would like to have your opinion on if you are willing to give it.

In writing news…

I have begun edits on Confounding Caroline, and the further into it I go, the more assured I am that my instinct to end where I did was a good one. I have also done a bit of brainstorming for the sequel to that story which will probably be called Delighting Mrs. Bennet. My mind is currently working on a couple of questions that arose during my brainstorming, and I hope to find a bit of time this week to start writing that story as my brain continues to work on the questions. For me, sometimes (or is that often 😉 ) the answers are found as the story begins to take shape.

I am also still working on Mr. Darcy’s Comfort and beginning to wonder if it is indeed going to be a Dash of Darcy story or something longer.

I try not to set word count limits for my stories. I like them to go where they naturally want to go. They end where they end. I don’t fluff them up to hit a particular number nor do I cut out scenes to make them fit in a lower range of words.

Here’s my dilemma, and you can tell me what you think. My Dash of Darcy stories, to this point, have been about 25,000 words (some have been just over 26,000) or less. The concept of A Dash of Darcy stories is for them to be quick reads that fit into busy lives and for people like me who absolutely love novellas. If I wish to put Mr. Darcy’s Comfort in that collection, I may have to extend that upper limit. But that wouldn’t be such a bad thing though, right? Five or ten thousand more words would not make them too long to be a quick read that fits into a busy life, right? I’d love to hear your opinion on this.

Speaking of books in the Dash of Darcy series, they often have companion books and one of those sorts of books just released this past Thursday!

Enticing Miss Darcy is now published! And the first few reviews have been great! Thank you for that. After reading one review that listed Unravelling Mr. Darcy, Becoming Entangled, and Enticing Miss Darcy in order for other readers, I did make a change to the “series” title on these books. Normally, I just list them as either A Dash of Darcy or A Dash of Darcy Companion Story on the retail sites. However, I had worried about readers being able to easily find all three books, and that review let me know that that worry was probably founded in a real need. So, they are now listed as Unravelled, Entangled, and Enticed: A Dash of Darcy and Companions Trilogy and each book is numbered.

Another reader on Facebook asked if I was going to do A Dash of Darcy Companion Duos like I do with the Dash of Darcy stories.

I’d like to hear how you feel about book bundles. Do you think a book should only be “packaged” in a bundle once or would you be fine with the book being in a number of bundles as long as the bundle clearly states which books are contained in that bundle? The reason I ask is because I am thinking of doing some various collections just to offer a greater selection of purchasing options to readers. Frankly, I love a bargain and think book bundles are awesome since I can usually save a few dollars, and I like having options. However, I would like to hear other thoughts on it as well.

Ok, now, for…

AN EXCERPT FROM Mr. Darcy’s Comfort: Continue reading Music Monday: Period Drama, Ghost of a Rose (Blackmore’s Night)

Music Monday: Coffee Shop Angel, Dean Brody

I know it is Halloween tomorrow, but at my house during writing hours, it’s Christmas — or just about Christmas. My story timeline is currently in early December, but Georgiana’s plans to give her brother a wonderful Christmas gift are well underway. So, as I have been transitioning from editing Becoming Entangled (which I just sent off to my first editor yay) to writing time, I have been indulging in a few Christmas songs, such as the one below, to help me shift mental gears.

DeanBrodyTV. “DEAN BRODY ‘COFFEE SHOP ANGEL.’” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rinnHmkGJ_s.

While the music that plays while I write must be only instrumental, I find songs that have great lyrics — especially ones that tell a love story — to be very useful in getting my imagination working. This song is one of those sorts of songs. It tells a sweet story, and, though it is a song by a Canadian country artist, it has a 1950s feel to it that, in my opinion, adds both to the enjoyment of listening and to the story itself. Without looking at the video, the words and music style create for me a great mental image of a couple in love and dancing in a darkened coffee shop with the chairs put up and the tables pushed back.

As I mentioned above Becoming Entangled is one step further down the publication trail. I have a sticky note marking November 21 as a tentative release day. It’s a fun story, and I am eager to share it with you all.

Of course, the fact that I have finished my first round of edits means my editing timeslot will be open for a few days. I haven’t decided yet if I will use that time to double up on my Christmas story, add to Confounding Caroline, begin another story starring Georgiana that will follow Becoming Entangled as a second sequel to Unravelling Mr. Darcy, or pick out one of my other many projects that are just waiting for attention. So many choices! 🙂 I’m thinking that I will likely put in extra time on Two Days before Christmas, but I am not making any promises. 🙂 I’ll have to let you know next week. For now, I will leave you with a sample from this week’s writing.

AN EXCERPT FROM Two Days before Christmas:

“Georgiana,” Darcy called as his sister passed the door to his study later that day.

Georgiana took four more steps before stopping and abandoning her plan to ignore his summons. There was no need to stir his ire any further; he was likely angry enough with her for her recent behaviour. She had not seen him scowl as much as he had during Caroline and Louisa’s call in a very long time.

“You wished to see me?” she asked from the doorway.

“Come in and sit down.” He leaned back in his chair and waited for her to comply. “Your behavior today was quite disturbing.”

Georgiana bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze to her hands.

“It is completely unacceptable for you to speak as you did — and in front of guests!” He rose and came to stand before her. “It was disrespectful. I expect so much more from you. Where have I erred?”

Georgiana peeked up at him. He was propped against his desk with his arms folded across his chest, looking down at her with such a sad expression that it nearly destroyed her determination to press her point. However, if she truly wished to see that heartbroken look in his eyes removed forever, she must not waiver. Therefore, looking down once again at her hands, which were nervously twisting in her lap, she answered. “Our parents, as well as you yourself, have taught me that a Darcy’s word is to be steadfast. I am to consider promises carefully before I make them because a promise should not be broken save for the noblest of reasons.”

“This is true,” Darcy muttered.

Georgiana lifted her eyes to his. “That is where you have erred. You promised Mr. Bingley that if he leased Netherfield, you would spend the autumn and most of the winter seeing that he had things well-in-hand before Easter, yet you have come home and refuse to return to Netherfield for who knows what reason.” She lifted a brow. “I truly do not believe it is to save him from a lady who is beneath him.”

“None of that explains your behaviour.”

“No, it does not,” Georgiana agreed. “But it is my answer to your question. You have not erred with me. I know my behavior was wanting and drastically so. However, it seemed the best way to capture your attention and get you to listen to me.” She stood and placed her hands on his folded arms. “You are my brother, and I love you with all my heart and hold you in the highest regard. You have cared well for me. You have even saved me from certain ruin. I wish to repay your kindness if only I knew how.”

He pulled his arms out from under her grasp and opened them wide to her in invitation. Gladly she stepped into his embrace.

“Let me love you,” she whispered. “Allow me to care for you and to point out your errors when I see them. I am not the foolish girl I once was.” She lay her head against his broad chest and listened to him pull in a deep breath and expel it in a whoosh.

“We are all fools at times,” he murmured as he squeezed her tight. “If there was a way for you to assist me with my current dilemma, I would gladly seek your help, but I fear there is not.”

“You will not keep your promise to Bingley?” she asked quietly.

He sighed. “Your point was valid. I shall consider it.”

“Are you still leaving?”

His grip on her tightened. “I do not know. I long to leave, to be far away from…” his voice trailed off and the room was silent for half a minute. “I will consider staying, but I cannot promise beyond that.”

“I am sorry,” she said.

“You are forgiven,” he replied.

She shook her head as he released her. “Not just for my behaviour.”

“Then what?” he asked as she moved toward the door.

“That I could not save your heart from breaking.” She smiled a sad, knowing smile at him as she said the words that he had repeated to her over and over again after her ordeal with Wickham. He stood quietly, looking at her as if he was uncertain if he should acknowledge that what she had said was true or false. “It is in your eyes, Fitzwilliam. Your heartache is in your eyes,” she whispered and took her leave.

~*~*~

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Music Monday: I Be U Be, High Valley

Happy Monday! Today, I decided to share a song because, well, it has just been stuck in my head a lot lately. It is just one of those that sticks. I love this group’s music. And even though this has a more traditional country sound to it, I like it, which is not always the case for me. But then it has such fantastic lyrics which I am certain plays almost as big a part in my liking it as the rhythm and melody. Although I did not choose the song to have a connection to what I have been writing this week, I think I can make one.

Highvalleymusic. “High Valley – I Be U Be (Official Music Video).” YouTube. YouTube, 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.

This week, I reached what I think is the end of Not an Heiress. It still needs an epilogue and would have one by now, but I ended up with a touch of the flu and had to take a day off from writing. (That was not easily done 😉 )

In this story, the hero, Richard, and the heroine, Mary, are really opposites when you consider them separately. She is bent on propriety, and he is more willing to have some fun. However, they blend together into something unique and strong. They have a passionate love that overcomes her propriety, and they both have a desire to help those who are less fortunate. And though, they, at first, think they cannot be together, it becomes obvious that their love is not going to just fade away and be replaced by another. Thankfully, Lady Catherine guesses that they love each other and forces the issue, so the coming together of the two happens more rapidly than it would have otherwise. And it is a sweet relationship that they have! I can see Richard singing this song to Mary. It seems to echo what his thoughts of Mary are.

In addition to finishing the main portion of Not an Heiress, I also completed the line edits of Discovering Mr. Darcy. And, just now, late on Sunday evening, I have just submitted my ebook files for review to all my retailers for a short preorder. The release day for the ebook book is April 18, 2017. (Print will probably be about a week later.)

Tomorrow, it is my turn to post on Austen Authors, where I will be sharing an excerpt from Discovering Mr. Darcy and talking about short stories/novellas a bit. And there is a chance to win an ebook copy. I hope you drop by and say hi!

Before I post an excerpt of what I wrote this week, I thought I would share the cover images for Discovering Mr. Darcy and Not an Heiress.

And now for a bit of what I wrote this week. Remember, this is from the end of the book so it will contain spoilers. It is a bit shorter of an excerpt to hopefully avoid any major reveals. Read at your own risk. 🙂

EXCERPT FROM Not an Heiress: Continue reading Music Monday: I Be U Be, High Valley