Painting of a family game of checkers (“jeu des dames”), Louis-Léopold Boilly [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons
From etymonline.com: “draughts (n.)British name for the tabletop game that in U.S. is checkers, c. 1400, from draught, perhaps because the pieces are “dragged” over the board in moves. Earlier it is recorded as jeu de dames (late 14c.).”
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While Mr. and Mrs. Bingley settled in to play draughts, Lorcan was given the privilege to play fox and geese with Kitty. It would have been a wonderful way to get to speak to her in hushed tones had not his annoying and ever-present cousin been at his elbow instructing him about which was an excellent move and which was a daft one.
Do you remember this little fellow who likes to climb drapes, pounce on tables, and steal pretty things? I used this picture before with a few lines from Loving Lydia. You can find that post here.
The Butterfly by John Henry Dolph [Public domain] via Wikimedia
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“Oh, how am I supposed to get you when you are under that?” Kitty gave a small stamp of her stockinged foot.
Oliver had slipped under a chest of drawers that held a clock, a lamp, and beautiful vase that stood waiting for a fresh bouquet of flowers.
She got down on her hands and knees and peeked under the piece of furniture.
“May I please have my ribbon?” she begged in as sweet a voice as she could muster when feeling as annoyed as she did.
I am making a few changes to the Music Monday posts (which will cause some other changes on the blog). I’ll explain all that below.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY VOCES8-TOPIC ON JANUARY 17, 2019
Every year as one year changes to the next, I evaluate what I am doing and look for ways to try to improve. Sometimes, I try new things. Sometimes, those new things work. Sometimes, they don’t. 🙂
Last year, I made a change to the blog and added Sweet Tuesdays. They have been going well, although, honestly, adding that third story to work on consistently with two others has been challenging. But it is a good challenge and has been worth the effort, I think. I plan to continue it.
This year, I am going to try shifting my writing news out of the Music Monday post and give it its own post called The Saturday Broadsheet. I’ve been typing up my weekly writing news for my mailing list for a couple of months now. I’ve been doing it on Thursdays, but the week isn’t over yet. There’s still one day of writing to be done. So, I think I will move writing those emails until Friday and then send them on Saturdays. If I am doing that for my mailing list, I should be able to easily copy out the information I want to post here on the blog on Saturdays at the same time.
This should (hopefully) streamline some things for me, and it should make my Monday posts focused more on the writing inspiration I find in music.
I figure it’s at least worth a try. If it doesn’t work, I can revert back to the way Monday posts have been, right?
I really don’t have a lot of writing news this Monday. I took a good bit of time off over the holidays — way more than I had intended to, but it was so good that I can’t really feel sorry I did it. 🙂 The only real writing-related thing that got done was my final proofread of Her Secret Beau. I’ll share details about the preorder and release and all that later this week. I would say Saturday — but…there will be a Friday Feature this week which is related to Her Secret Beau. 🙂
So, I’m not making any huge changes to the blog. Just a few small ones. You can let me know if you like them or loathe them in a month or so. 🙂 We have to try them for a while before we can say if we like them or not. That’s the rule. 🙂
Ok, so Mondays… I hope to bring you videos of music that inspires me while I am writing or which sparks writing ideas. I also want to highlight some of my already published works over the course of the year. (Did you know that Her Secret Beau will be the 43rd book I have published? I just need 9 more to cover a year of Mondays. Maybe by next year? LOL)
The video I shared today has a direct connection with one of the books I have written because Robert Burns’ poem “My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose” is a poem Darcy is reading in Netherfield’s library when a scheme is put into play to force him to marry Elizabeth.
Here’s how that scene goes. This lengthy excerpt is from Her Father’s Choice, Chapter 1.
Illustration from “Eugene Onegin” edition (1908); Elena Samokich-Soudkovskaïa [Public domain] via Wikimedia
Our couple takes a walk in the garden in chapter 4, and there is a bench involved. However, the couple in this painting look far happier than either Kitty or Lorcan will be during their walk in the garden.
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“Are you well?” Kitty cried.
Mutely, he shook his head, for speech had left him.
“Do you wish to sit down?”
He nodded. Sitting was not exactly what he wished to do, but it was likely better than standing when the garden began to waver. She led him to a bench, and gratefully, he sank down onto it before his legs could fail him.
“Go on without me,” he said when he could once again speak now that his mind was no longer focused so intently on keeping him upright.
Though this scene depicts the 18th century and our story is set in the 19th century, I picked it because it reminded me of the Bennets — a mother and father with five beautiful daughters. I can just hear Mr. Bennet saying “we have done very well for ourselves, have we not, Mrs. Bennet.” (Does anyone else wish to smooth that rug? 🙂 )
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“It is Mother and Father’s anniversary. They will have been married twenty-four years next Thursday.”
“Oh, I had forgotten it was so soon!” That was indeed a day of great importance. “Are you planning a dinner for them?”
Since the time Jane was twelve, she had taken over the celebration preparations for their parent’s anniversary dinner. Before that, Mama had always arranged things.
