Story Excerpt – Page 8

Music Monday: Something Just Like This, Instrumental Cover

Welcome to a new week. It’s time for a bit of music, some writing news, and an excerpt. Shall we get started?

Click play and read on. 🙂

Solís Music. “‘Something Just Like This’ The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Piano Orchestral Pop Cover by David Solis.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 June 2017, youtu.be/4S5pqnv4EcE.

You can find the original version of this song by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay at this link if you wish to hear the words sung. In my mind, the lyrics really fit with the story I just finished writing and am sharing an excerpt at the end of this post, which is why I chose this song to share today.

Now, that I have told you there is a story connection to the music, let’s get to the writing news:

First of all, this happened last week…

Confounding Caroline is now available for pre-order! 🙂

And Delighting Mrs. Bennet, the sequel to this story started posting on Thursday.

It was truly a week of excitement because late Friday night, I finished writing Master of Longbourn, and I know I am the author, but it is such a good story. You’re going to have to read it. 🙂 Mr. Collins is just so surprisingly likable — truly. I have had early readers who have surprised themselves by saying things like “I really like Collins.” The final chapter and epilogue of the story will be posting this week on Patreon after I have had a chance to reread and polish them a little.

Before I get to the excerpt from Master of Longbourn, I want to remind you of what I said last week. This will be the last excerpt from this story, and I will likely not have an excerpt for the next two or three weeks or so. I am going to take some time to work on Delighting Mrs. Bennet, and then some other story will get started, although, at this very moment, I have not decided which one. 🙂 Maybe I will know by next Monday…maybe. 🙂

Now for…

AN EXCERPT (a longish excerpt) FROM Master of Longbourn: Continue reading Music Monday: Something Just Like This, Instrumental Cover

Music Monday: Song from a Secret Garden, Hauser

Happy second Monday of 2018! How was your first week? Mine was “interesting.” 🙂 My son and I resumed homeschool classes — sort of. A winter storm altered our plans. The wind howled and rain (not snow for us) pelted the house. Then the rain stopped and the wind calmed, only to pick back up as the storm wrapped around, and the backside of it passed through. We were very fortunate. We sustained no damage and only lost power for a few hours. So, I am not complaining. I’m just saying it created a week I wasn’t expecting.

Hauser. “HAUSER – Song from a Secret Garden.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Nov. 2017, youtu.be/qZSJvyBag8A.

While the wind blew and the candles flickered on Thursday, I found it difficult to focus to write until I pulled out my mp3 player and turned on some music. Music plays such an important roll in my writing process. 🙂 The above song is not one I was listening to on Thursday but is one that I recently added to my Music to Write By playlist on YouTube which I have been using during my writing sessions this week (on days when there is power).

In writing news…

I have gotten One Winter’s Eve back from my first reader, made the necessary corrections, and sent it on to my second reader. I expect to have it back sometime this week so I can start final edits and get a preorder set up for January 15. Release day is scheduled for January 25, 2018.

I have posted three chapters of Enticing Miss Darcy on Patreon and am halfway through writing chapter 4 (excerpted below). I plan to have that chapter completed and posted on Patreon by tomorrow evening. I had hoped to get a full chapter written on Friday, but I ended up spending a good bit of time doing some research for the story. The tentative release day for this book is March 6, 2018. (I did some planning this past week. 🙂 )

As part of my plan, I have switched up my writing schedule just slightly to fit in writing time for Confounding Caroline. I am now doing Work In Progress writing M, T, W, and F, and giving Th over to my Thursday Three Hundred story writing. I will say that, while the power was out on Thursday, I finally wrote the part of Confounding Caroline where we will first see Elizabeth. Those two parts will post on the blog in the second half of February.

That, I believe, is all the writing news I have for you this week. Now, to share a portion of what I wrote on Friday night.

AN EXCERPT FROM Enticing Miss Darcy: Continue reading Music Monday: Song from a Secret Garden, Hauser

Music Monday: Moonlight Sonata, Dan Gibson [Beethoven]

Below is a piece of music that Georgiana might have had in her music room since Ludwig van Beethoven completed Moonlight Sonata in 1801. This version of that sonata happened to be included on a CD that I picked up recently at a thrift store and has been playing in the background during part of my writing time this past week.

Phyllo GP. “Moonlight Sonata – Dan Gibson [Beethoven].” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Sept. 2012, youtu.be/FIVn7hmnfmc.

While my blog might have sat idle this past week, my fingers have not. I had a great week of writing, even after taking time off for Thanksgiving. There are perhaps a few projects that are not as far along as I would like them to be, but the short pause was refreshing. As of today, the blog is returning to its regular posting schedule, and, as promised, a new story, Confounding Caroline, will begin posting this Thursday.

If you look in the Thursday’s Three Hundred section, you will see that it is currently empty. That is because I have removed With the Colonel’s Help as I move down my publication checklist and get the book ready for release in just a couple of weeks. I had hoped to get a short preorder set up, but it’s not looking promising. However, the publication date of October 26 for the ebook version looks to be on schedule with the print version to follow shortly thereafter.

I was also able to complete the first draft of Becoming Entangled, the sequel to Unravelling Mr. Darcy. I will share an excerpt from that below. I expect this story to be published by the end of November — maybe in time for American Thanksgiving. We shall see.

I have started a brand new story called Two Days before Christmas, which features a spunky Georgiana whose Christmas wish is to see her brother happy even if it means doing some meddling. I am just a few thousand words into that one and would like one more week with it before sharing any excerpts. Of course, that means you will get a peek at that next Monday.

But for now, here is

AN EXCERPT from Becoming Entangled:

[Warning: this piece is from near the end of the book. Therefore, read at your own risk.] Continue reading

Music Monday: Thunderstruck, 2Cellos

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!

2Cellos. “2CELLOS – Thunderstruck [OFFICIAL VIDEO].” YouTube. YouTube, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

WRITING NEWS:

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 for So 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.

STORY EXCERPT: Continue reading Music Monday: Thunderstruck, 2Cellos

Music Monday: Shape of My Heart, 2Cellos

2Cellos. “2CELLOS – Shape Of My Heart [OFFICIAL VIDEO].” YouTube. 09 Dec. 2014. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

Happy Monday! Isn’t this a beautiful piece of music to start the week? It is one of my favourites to listen to while writing. (Yes, I know I have a lot of favourites, but they are all so good. 🙂 )

I chose to feature this video today for a couple of reasons that are related to what I was working on this week. First, the plucking of the strings makes me think of traveling by horse or carriage and the constant clip-clop of hooves as you roll or ride along for hours. There was a good deal of travel in what I was writing this week because Bingley had some business to take care of.

Second, the visuals of floating and burning papers made me think of things happening in the plot. The business our hero left to complete was not of a pleasant nature, and it was the sort of which you do not really wish to have documentation. (Yes, I am talking about Bingley as the hero here. There is something surprising hidden behind that pleasant exterior.)

I finished the story except for an epilogue, and, thanks to the help of a reader and friend on Facebook, I have a title for this fourth book in the Willow Hall Romance series. Yay! The title is At All Costs, and I think it fits perfectly since the story, both for the hero and one of the “villains” (yes, one of them — there are several that cause trouble), is a story of fighting for and protecting your love at all costs.

I plan to write the epilogue in a few weeks after I have edited So Very Unexpected. That book is slated to be published on February 14, 2017, so I am busy doing the first round of edits so that I can send it to my first reader, fix what she tells me, and then send it on to my proofreaders/copy editors. This means the story has disappeared from the blog, but I have left a link to a two chapter preview on my Leenie B Books page. I am enjoying going back to this story after being away from it for about two months. I still love Lydia!

I believe that is all the writing news I have for you today. This week, I will be editing and working on my Austen Author’s blog post for next Tuesday (which will feature a giveaway). Enjoy your week! Hopefully, you will get to stop by the blog on Wednesday and Thursday for a lovely painting and a full chapter of At All Costs.

EXCERPT FROM At All Costs: *Contains spoilers and a cliffhanger. 🙂 *

The sun was setting as Bingley and Richard wound their way through the streets of London. They had paused long enough upon arrival to leave their bags at Bingley’s townhouse and for Bingley to stop at his solicitor’s office to check on the progress of marriage papers and a special license. Now, however, he and Richard had left the favourable portion of town and were slowly making their way down toward the river.

Bingley waved to some chap who was seated on a crate marking things off in his notebook.

“She sails at dawn,” the man called.

“Where to?” Bingley called back. Continue reading Music Monday: Shape of My Heart, 2Cellos