Tag: Master of Longbourn

Music Monday: Falling Slowly (Period Dramas)

“Why just last year, three young ladies made very eligible matches after I had shown them particular attention. I tell you, I am a good luck charm for the matrimonially-minded miss.” {Charles Edwards in Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy]

Those are just a few of the lines from Chapter 1 of Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy where we are introduced to Henry Crawford’s friend, Charles Edwards.

Posted on YouTube by FANNYJKL, May 18, 2018.

Why am I sharing a quote from that book when I have another book coming out this week?

Because Charles happens to be the next character who will be subjected to my particular sort of reformation and improvement. At present, he is a rake — a bad boy through and through.  But, we all know that that will change. 🙂

The above video is one that I have pinned to my Pinterest board for Charles’s story — but I’ll get to more information about that in a moment.

For now, I want to remind you that the story for another gentleman, William Collins, who underwent a transformation releases this Thursday, June 28, 2018! That’s only three more sleeps until Master of Longbourn goes LIVE. It is currently on pre-order and can be found at your favourite retailer by following this link.

There are a few advance reader reviews that you can read on Bookbub here. Thank you to those who read and reviewed early copies. 🙂

Ok, now back to Charles. 🙂

This week, I was able to get just under 5,000 words written on this new work in progress. Here’s what I can tell you about the story at the moment:

The title is Charles: To Discover His Purpose

The Hero and Heroine are Charles Edwards and Evelyn Barrett. As I said before, Charles is Henry’s friend (and also Trefor Linton’s friend). Evelyn is Constance Linton’s friend.

Charles is rakish. He’s drifting along through life having a great time.

Evelyn is a proper young lady — well, mostly — she does have a mischievous streak, and she can be direct in her words. She also has a carrying heart which sees her doing all manner of charity work.

As you can probably guess from that information, Charles is going to hit a rough patch in his easy, take-what-you-can-get life, and that rough patch’s name is Evelyn.  For him, it might start as a bit of a game to see if he can break the proper Evelyn and steal a kiss or two or more. But as Henry Crawford discovered in Mansfield Park, games such as this can be dangerous as they may end up breaking the player’s heart. (And yes, there is at least that one deliberate nod to Mansfield Park in this story. There may be more. Time will tell.)

Can you see how the song I shared today seems to fit with this story? Charles and Evelyn will be slowing falling for each other and there will be some games played and there will some struggle and there is a need for being pointed “home,” etc. That is why I chose this song to share as it’s theme feels like it fits well with Charles’s story.

Would you like to read a short excerpt from what I have written so far? If so, keep reading 🙂 This is a portion of what I wrote on Friday of last week. It’s part of chapter 2 and will be posted soon on Patreon. (Probably tomorrow)

This portion focuses on Evelyn and her not well-pleased mother.

AN EXCERPT FROM Charles: To Discover his Purpose:  Continue reading Music Monday: Falling Slowly (Period Dramas)


Music Monday: Period Drama Men, Sharp Dressed Man

Bingley rose from his chair and crossed to the wardrobe. “Do you have a man?” he asked as he pulled the doors open.

“No, I cannot justify such a luxury.”

“You will need one,” Bingley said as he looked through Collins’s possessions. “However, we will have to make do for now. I know a thing or two.” He turned and looked at Collins with a grimace. “I think it would be best if my man had a go at your hair and taught you a few more knots.” He pointed to his own cravat. “A lady does like a well-turned-out gentleman.”

[From Master of Longbourn]
DreamyViper. “Period Drama Men // Sharp Dressed Man.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 July 2011, youtu.be/svKWGnrbVos.

Master of Longbourn is now on preorder with release day scheduled for June 28, 2018.

While Master of Longbourn has a lot of soft, sweet, and gentle moments in it, it also has a few scenes that should draw a smile or even a chuckle. Bingley tends to be the cause of those chuckles. He was such a pleasure to write in this story. He added the light-hearted balance that was needed.

Bingley laughed heartily. “You would like us to –”

“Be my tutors,” Collins pled. “I shall die a lonely old man as my father said if you do not.”

Bingley turns out to be a rather demanding tutor! 😀

However, it is not just the instruction Collins receives from his new found friends, Darcy and Bingley, that helps him to be successful. It is the acceptance he finds within the walls of Longbourn that truly propels him to transform from how he views himself to how he wishes to be.

The quotes above are from chapter 3. You can read chapter three as part of an extended preview until June 28, 2018, at this link.

In other news, I am still in the planning stages for Mr. Edwards’s story. No story words have been written on it. I’m hoping to change that this week. 🙂

I did add a few more thousand words to Delighting Mrs. Bennet last week. I am hoping to be able to work myself back into writing on two stories at a time since the cast of characters are so different. I started using a timer to limit the amount of time I was spending on Delighting Mrs. Bennet. I found myself enjoying the competition of beating the clock and still producing the number (and quality) of words I wanted to produce. 🙂 (I have a strong competitive streak even if just competing with myself. LOL)

Since the song this week is about being a sharp dresser, I thought I would share an excerpt from my writing that includes Bingley speaking about another person who is very aware of fashion. This excerpt will be included in the post on September 6.

AN EXCERPT FROM Delighting Mrs. Bennet:  Continue reading Music Monday: Period Drama Men, Sharp Dressed Man


Music Monday: Woman, Amen, Dierks Bentley

It’s Monday — again. Time for some music, a story excerpt (but not from my current work in progress), and some writing news which includes news of a limited time price reduction on one of my books. (No, I’m not going to tell you which book here. I am going to make you scroll down. 🙂 But today’s song choice and story excerpt go with that book.)

Bentley, Dierks. “Dierks Bentley – Woman, Amen (Audio).” YouTube, Dierks Bentley, 17 Jan. 2018, youtu.be/mXOTJ-tluUU.

Let’s start with some writing news. It might not be a lot of news, but, it’s kind of exciting. 🙂

First, Master of Longbourn is in the formatting stage of production. That means it will be on pre-order by the end of the week and advance reader copies will have been sent out. I’ll have all the ordering details for you next Monday.

Second, I have added an item to the menu here on the blog. There is a “Varied Thoughts on Writing” option there now. This link will take you to a journal where I am gathering together some of my Austen Authors posts that I have written about writing in general as well as specific to various books. I have only gotten last Tuesday’s post added to that journal so far. That post was about Master of Longbourn and how I developed my Mr. Collins.

Third, I have made a decision about which story is getting written next. It has no title yet, nor does it have any beginning story notes. It is, at this moment, just a decision. 🙂 Here it is:

~ I have decided that I am going to be writing Mr. Edwards’s story. ~

I hear some of you saying, “Who is Mr. Edwards?”

I am glad you asked.  Here is a story excerpt to help you know who he is:  Continue reading Music Monday: Woman, Amen, Dierks Bentley


Music Monday: Pride & Prejudice: My Confession

Welcome to a new week and a new month! Today, I have a surprise as well as a small snippet (about 400 words) from what I was writing this past week. I also have this gorgeous song and well-done video that I found. Josh Groban, the singer, is among my favourites. (I have lots of favourites in many genres. 🙂 )

Pride & Prejudice: My Confession from darcywil on Vimeo.

The title of the song will go with the bit of story I plan to share, so stay tuned to see if you can make the connection. However, first, I want to share a little bit of writing news. I really don’t have a lot to share today, so it shouldn’t take long.

Master of Longbourn is still with my final editor. I expect to have that back later this week to begin working on last fixes, and then I can get a preorder set up. I’m wavering between a June 21 and June 28 release day. I guess it will depend on how much fixing I need to do when I get the manuscript back. 🙂

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5, 2018, I will be revealing the cover for Master of Longbourn at Austen Authors. I will also be sharing some about how I created my dear Mr. Collins. 🙂 I really do like him — my version of him, that is. Kitty is one lucky girl — truly! I think you’ll agree when you finally get to read the whole story.

And that’s it. I have no other writing news to share with you. Amazing, huh? 😀 This week, I intend to start considering what I will be publishing next. Will it be a sequel to Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy or will it be another Touches of Austen story (like His Beautiful Bea) inspired this time by either Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility or will it be something else entirely? Oh, it’s like looking into a box of chocolates and not knowing which one to select! So many delicious options! 🙂  Speaking of sweet things…

Here’s the surprise: Today is my youngest son’s birthday. So, in honour of him, I am giving away on a first come, first serve basis 5 copies of the two books I mentioned above. Just click the links, and the first five blog readers who do will be able to download the books. (Links expire next Monday)

Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy

His Beautiful Bea

While I may not know what I will be writing next, one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that this week, I will continue working on Delighting Mrs. Bennet. The following snippet is from what I wrote on Friday and will not be posting until August 2! Yes, I am that far ahead, which is why it is time to start thinking about a non-blog story.

Ready to make a connection between song title and story? If so, read on.

A SNIPPET FROM Delighting Mrs. Bennet:  Continue reading Music Monday: Pride & Prejudice: My Confession


Music Monday: Pride and Prejudice — Angels

I added a couple of videos to my Music Meets Movies playlist this week, and the video below is one of them. It’s not my normal style of music, but I have to say the video paired with the music drew me in and held me transfixed while it played and wanting more when it ended.  The song’s full title is “Angels in the rRoom” and is by Delta Goodrem.

Tiyera. “Pride and Prejudice – Angels.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Aug. 2008, youtu.be/xbnAnqBmcjk.

While I don’t have a story excerpt for you today, this song did make me think of Delighting Mrs. Bennet.  The song contains these lines:

I just know I have found
The place my heart belongs

And if you read last week’s Thursday’s Three Hundred post, you read:

The thought of leaving her father did not sit well with her. However, the thought of leaving Darcy House did not seem to disturb her only because it meant leaving her father. She had not even been here for more than a few hours each day, and yet, she had found herself growing oddly attached to her surroundings.

There was a soft rap at the door before it opened, and Mr. Darcy, the likely reason why she was growing so attached to Darcy House, stepped into the room.

Elizabeth’s lips curl into a smile at the sight of him.

And if you read this week’s Thursday’s Three Hundred post, you will read this line:

She had just begun to learn what a wonderful gentleman Darcy was, and she suspected her heart would shatter into a million pieces if he should decide that he no longer wanted her. 

Elizabeth has found the place where her heart belongs. <3

I have gotten a good deal of writing done on Delighting Mrs. Bennet this week. In fact, I have posts scheduled until July 5th right now, and one waiting to be reread and scheduled tonight before I begin writing more. There is that unusual pairing that is still deciding if it is going to be a thing, and I see a “problem” waiting just off stage, ready to spring upon our happy inhabitants of Darcy House. But — I am not exactly sure how that problem is going to arise, though I do have some thoughts on how it will be vanquished. So, it should be an interesting week of writing.

I have no new releases or special promotions or anything else to share about my writing. How odd is that? I’m not used to such a short list of things.

Thank you to those who purchased Confounding Caroline and/or left reviews in various places. Your support is greatly appreciated, and so far the book launch has gone well.

Oh, I guess I do have one more thing. Master of Longbourn has been sent to my final editor, and I am tentatively scheduling its release for June 21, 2018. And I shared a couple of fake text message pictures on Facebook a couple of days ago which I made from part of an important conversation in Master of Longbourn. I thought I would share them here for those who are not on Facebook to enjoy.

Text conversation between Bingley and Collins
The message Darcy sent to Collins after Bingley’s exchange with Collins ended

Now, I’m really done. 😀

Have a great week!

Leenie