I hope you had a good week and that you are staying safe and well. We are settling into a new routine at the Brown house as my husband has started back to work on a summer schedule, and my eldest son will be starting to go back to work part-time next week since his place of business has re-opened with limited hours. This all means my days are starting and ending a little earlier at present, which is great since the lawn will soon be long enough for its first mowing, and I like to get that over with in the morning. That’s it for my short personal life update. Now, let’s get on with my book news.
Writing News
This week, I wrote one more chapter of Protecting Miss Darcy. I’m up to chapter 11 in that story currently, and in this chapter, Wes makes an appearance and is his usual fun and slightly annoying self. I’ll let you have a little peek at that this week.
I hope you are all safe and well. We are still doing well here in Nova Scotia. A few lockdown regulations are loosening — for instance, parks are open but we’re still being encouraged to stay in our own communities. My husband will be returning to a more normal schedule of work next week. I’m going to miss seeing him so frequently and having his help doing the laundry and cooking the supper. He’s a pretty awesome guy. 🙂 But enough about my home life. Let’s get on with my writing life details. Here are a few highlights of what you will find below. I have a free book from now until May 12. This week, I will begin posting a new story on Tuesdays on my blog. And, the books available in Kindle Unlimited will change up this week.
Writing News
I’ll keep this short since I don’t have any story excerpt that I want to share this week. I did write two chapters of Protecting Miss Darcy. However, I think if I share from either of them, it might give a spoiler, and I don’t want to do that. They are part of a pivotal moment in the story for our main characters as they have decisions to make about moving forward or retreating. I am probably going to have to write at least one more chapter of that story before my brain will let go of it long enough to focus on other things that need to be written.
I did not write anything else this week because I spent a lot of time rereading His Irreplaceable Belle so that I could get that sent to my first reader. (She’s the one that checks the manuscript for any story issues or things that don’t make sense to her but might to me.) I have some publishing news about this book below.
And I think that is all the writing-related news. So let’s move on to the publishing news.
Publishing News
Thank you to all who have purchased Cherishing Kitty already, and a special thank you to those who have already left reviews. I used a few snippets to make a short video, which I will share below. You can find the book at your favourite retailer at this link.
Coming Soon!
I have His Irreplaceable Belle scheduled to release during the final week of May. I hoping for May 26 but might have to push that out to May 29. I should have a definite date for both the preorder and release day next Saturday.
I shared a sneak peek of the cover for His Irreplaceable Belle in my Leenie’s Sweeties Facebook group and in this week’s newsletter to my email subscribers. I’ll be sharing it here on the blog soon.
Book Promotion
This book, along with the other books in A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 2, will be leaving the Kindle Unlimited program as of May 13, 2020.
Before they do leave, I have set this book to free for a few days. In this book, Elizabeth has a brother of sorts. He’s actually her cousin who came to live with them when he was ten and has become more like a protective older brother than a cousin. He (William Collins) and Elizabeth are especially close, and he is more protective of her than any of his other sisters. Unfortunately, he’s not always wise in how he makes his decisions, and his judgment will be clouded by some stories he has heard from a particular scoundrel who doesn’t like Darcy. (Did you guess Wickham? If so, you get a gold star.)
You can download a FREE copy of this book at this link.
Book Review
Thank you, David and ForeverHis reading and reviewing Cherishing Kitty and for providing such lovely comments in your reviews that I could use to make this video.
Kindle Unlimited Comings and Goings
LEAVING KINDLE UNLIMITED ON MAY 13, 2020
A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 2 omnibus
Unravelling Mr. Darcy
Becoming Entangled
Enticing Miss Darcy
Mr. Darcy’s Comfort
Master of Longbourn
Assessing Mr. Darcy
ENTERING KINDLE UNLIMITED ON MAY 11, 2020
Darcy Family Holidays, Volume 1 ominbus
Two Days before Christmas
One Winter’s Eve
Scandal
Thunder, Mist, and Frost
First Blooms and Second Chances
See my Books Currently in KU page on my blog for links to all the books currently available to read with your KU subscription.
Something Interesting
In my writing, I often use the term wedding breakfast. However, did you know that the term was not in common usage until probably the 1830s and did not get entered into the Oxford dictionary until quite a bit later than that?
So, why would I use a term that may not have been common in the year in which my story is set? Simply put for clarity. The term conveys the meaning of what is happening very clearly and is not a modern term. Add to that the fact that terms such as wedding day and wedding clothes are used in Jane Austen’s work. I figure it is not too far a stretch to use wedding as an adjective to describe the type of breakfast one might have after a wedding ceremony on a wedding day while wearing wedding clothes. 🙂 Therefore, I choose to use it.
Below is a clip of some information you can find about Regency weddings on Sharon Lathan’s blog. She has an abundance of information there for those who are looking for something interesting to read.
One more little detail about wedding breakfasts — it was at Mary and Wes’s wedding breakfast where all the trouble started for Kitty and Lorcan when the two of them were caught in a compromising position. Do you remember that?
Have a good weekend! Be safe and well. I’ll see you on Monday.
Click to find all of Leenie’s books at your favourite retailer.
I hope you are staying safe and well. I and my family are safe and well, which, this week, means more than we have not contracted a virus because last weekend our province was the site of the worst mass shooting in Canada. To say it has been a challenging week is an understatement.
Be that as it may, I still went to work and did the things, and, below, you will find information about what I accomplished in my writing life this week, as well as publishing information and book sale news.
Writing News
Here’s an update on my writing I have with a short excerpt from two of them.
Her Convenient Forever: I wrote chapter three this week. So, I am on track to start posting that story on my blog on May 12 as I had hoped I would be. Here is an excerpt from chapter 3.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY RYANN DARLING ON JANUARY 6, 2018.
This is a video I “stumbled” upon by accident on YouTube while looking for Music Monday video options. What a sweet discovery! I think that this song pairs well with the relationship between Lydia and Richard in my Marrying Elizabeth series — especially with the scene they share at the end of the chapter I am sharing below — and if you’ve read the wedding breakfast scene at the end of Loving Lydia and remember the song Lydia sings for Darcy and Elizabeth, as well as her colonel, I think you’ll agree that this is another song she might sing to him. 🙂
Mary huffed as she stood beside Elizabeth, waiting to be allowed entrance to Netherfield the next day. There had been a long and lengthy discussion between Mary and her father after Lydia had told him what Mary had said on their walk.
“You are to be polite,” Lydia said.
“I know,” Mary grumbled.
“And apologize.”
Again, Mary huffed. “I know. Stop speaking.”
“Good day, Mr. Harvey,” Jane said as the door opened. “We are here to see…” She looked at her sisters. “Well, everyone it seems.”
“Very good, ma’am. If you will follow me.”
“That lace Mama selected looked very nice on Elizabeth’s wedding dress, did it not?” Jane asked Lydia. She was attempting as always to direct the conversation so that the argument from a few moments ago would be lost.
“It was lovely,” Lydia agreed.
“Only two more weeks,” Kitty whispered, “and we shall have to call on you here, Jane.”
Jane smiled broadly. “It seems so far away and yet so close.”
When he had asked, their mother had assured Darcy yesterday that she thought all the necessary preparations for a wedding would be completed by the end of the week. There was nothing to be concerned about except whether Colonel Fitzwilliam would be able to attend and if standing for a full service would be too much for Mr. Bennet’s leg. Therefore, a date had finally been decided upon, and Elizabeth knew that Jane was eagerly anticipating becoming the mistress of Netherfield.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY MICHAEL ORTEGA ON NOVEMBER 3, 2019
When I heard this song on a day when I was working on finding music to pair with stories, I knew I wanted to share it, and when I turned my mind to what story might pair well with this song, His Beautiful Bea came to mind first. I just think that the song has the same sort of feel that His Beautiful Bea has. It’s soft and lovely with a touch of sadness that is lifted up and turned into something far better than what was lost by true love. Hopefully, that explanation makes sense to more people than just me. LOL
Just a note before you read: His Beautiful Bea is a novella of 8 chapters. I am sharing chapter 6. Those facts should let you know that there may be some spoilers in here for those who have not read this story already. 😉
His Beautiful Bea, Chapter 6
Touches of Austen Book 1
For two long and tiresome days, Beatrice was confined to either a sofa in the sitting room at Heathcote or a bench in the garden. Her mother was not known to coddle her children, but she was not the sort who foolishly flouted precautions, especially when it came to Beatrice. Having nearly lost her daughter to a fever when Bea was just eleven, Mrs. Tierney stuck firmly to all prescribed restrictions, and a turned ankle that showed signs of bruising required, according to Bea’s mother, a full two days of rest with little walking. Mrs. Tierney would not confine Bea to her bed, but she would not have her hobbling about ─ not even with a cane. Bea was to rest with her foot on a pillow.
It was, therefore, a happy morning on the third day when Bea could rise from bed and take a walk around the garden — a short walk around the garden, one that would not aggravate her injury. Her mother’s words and expression when giving her directives had been stern, and Bea knew better than to disobey.
So it was that Bea was in the garden near the hedge when her brother, Graeme, and Shelton returned from their ride.
“Miss Tierney!” Shelton doffed his hat and greeted her from where he sat on his horse. “I missed our rematch. I am confident I could have been victorious today.”
