Tag: Sweet Regency Romance

Music Monday: Falling for You (Northanger Abbey)

I adore Northanger Abbey. It’s one of my favourite Jane Austen novels. I enjoy Catherine’s sweet nature and her youth and naivety (not to mention her imagination 🙂 ), and I find Henry’s teasing yet loving personality delightful.

As I was looking for a period drama montage video to share today, I watched a couple of Northanger Abbey videos, and I began to realize that Kitty in my work in progress shares some traits with Catherine — none of which were planned. Of course, they share the same name — that was not my doing ;), but they also share a love of novels and a sweet youthfulness. And both will end up with a clergyman.  However, that similarity brings with it a contrast for Kitty’s parson, Mr. Collins, will be a former parson and welcomed heir to an estate while we know that Catherine’s parson, Mr. Tilney, is a son who has fallen out of favour with his father and is in the process of becoming a parson. The gentlemen have other differences as well, such as Mr. Tillney is confident while Mr. Collins is not. Their fathers, however, might have something in common.

Before I share an excerpt of my current work in progress, I need to share a little bit of writing news.

First, I want to remind you that Confounding Caroline has finished and there will be a two-week break between stories. Therefore, there will be no Thursday post this week. Delighting Mrs. Bennet will start posting on May 10.

Second, Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is currently on pre-order and will go live this Thursday! (The paperback is already live.) You can find Mr. Darcy’s Comfort at your favourite retailer by using this link: https://books2read.com/u/3GYBBr

If you wish to read a preview of Mr. Darcy’s Comfort, which is an extended preview until Thursday, you can do that at this link:  https://mrdarcyscomfort.pressbooks.com/

I think that is all the news I have for you today, so let’s get to that excerpt, shall we? This clip gives a small bit of background info about Collins but also gives us a glimpse of Kitty’s personality.

AN EXCERPT FROM Master of Longbourn: 
Continue reading Music Monday: Falling for You (Northanger Abbey)


Music Monday: Peaceful, Louis Landon

I could use a little peace on this Monday morning. How about you? If so, click play, and listen to this pretty piano piece while you read about the exciting, yet not so peaceful, stuff going on in my writing life and then continue on reading to enjoy the first story excerpt from Master of Longbourn.

Landon, Louis. “Louis Landon Peaceful.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar. 2011, youtu.be/X2Z-dduUEaQ.

First up, writing news:

Zoe Burton, Rose Fairbanks, and I have started doing live Saturday broadcasts on our Facebook group called Longbourn Literary Society. I know that not everyone is on Facebook, so I am attempting to download the videos after we finish and then upload them to YouTube. I have managed to figure out how to do it for three of our Saturday chats. The most recent one can be found HERE.  They are conversational, and we’re just learning as we go. However, it’s been a blast doing these. If you have any questions for any of us, feel free to leave them in the comments here or on the YouTube video. We’ll do our best to answer them. [warning: They’re not short. We get very chatty.]

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is in the process of being put on preorder. I finished a very long session of editing Saturday night just as the clock was striking midnight. As I write this post on Sunday night, I have submitted the files to one ebook sales platform and have two others to do. The print version will be worked on after the ebook has been put on preorder. The release day for this book is Thursday, April 26, 2018 — that’s just ten days away! But it should be enough time to get the print book ready to go. (I hope 😉 barring any technical issues)

Confounding Caroline concludes this week, and there will be no Thursday story for two weeks.  I will be sending that manuscript to my final editor this week, and am still planning to have it ready to release by mid-May which is close to when the sequel Delighting Mrs. Bennet is set to start posting on Thursdays. It’s been a bit tricky to work on two new stories while having these other two so close to publication, so I will breathe a sigh of relief later this week when some of those items are off my plate, at least for a while. 🙂

I have started posting the sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Comfort on Patreon, and I am happy to report that I have just passed the 10K word mark on that story. I am enjoying this story so much. Here’s something you won’t hear very often — I’m loving Mr. Collins! Yep. Mr. Collins. He’s the romantic hero in this story, which is also something you won’t hear very often. LOL To me, he’s awkwardly endearing in this story. Until tonight, I had not decided on a title for this story, but since chapter one is in the back of Mr. Darcy’s Comfort, it had to have a title. I have had a list of titles and the one I chose, Master of Longbourn, has been “speaking to me” as I have been writing. It seems to encapsulate a good deal of the inner conflict poor Mr. Collins has been facing so far.  Below is an excerpt from chapter two which I hope will give you a tiny taste of Mr. Collins’s character as I am writing him.

Whatever you do, when you read the excerpts I will be sharing, do not think of any of the versions of Mr. Collins you have seen in film or likely any you have read in various variations either. Come to this story with an open mind expecting that I will do as I always do and present a character to you that is perhaps a bit different than you expect with a backstory that makes him who he is and poses a challenge for him becoming who he wishes to be. Or in other words, remember who is writing this story. Leenie likes to shape and mould these less likable characters into something new and enjoyable. (And she’s hoping to do just that with her Mr. Collins.)

Here’s your first peek at my Mr. Collins. Enjoy!

AN EXCERPT FROM Master of Longbourn:  Continue reading Music Monday: Peaceful, Louis Landon


Music Monday: Easter Parade, Judy Garland

I found a clip on YouTube of a song that I thought was appropriate for this particular Monday morning. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it — and don’t forget to scroll on down and read my updates and a story excerpt (if you dare 😉 since it may contain spoilers).

Maldonado, Gregory. “In Your Easter Bonnet – Judy Garland (Easter Parade).” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Apr. 2011, youtu.be/lYac9O3GYTM.

Writing News:

Confounding Caroline:  THE scene posts this Thursday. You know — the one where Caroline falls into a betrothal. There are only two more posts after that one, and we will be ready for a new story to start posting after a short hiatus. Confounding Caroline is back from my first reader and just waiting for me to give it some attention before it goes off for the next round of edits. However, it has to wait since I must first attend to…

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort: I finished the first draft of this story on Thursday of this past week. I have begun to reread it and do a bit of polishing in preparation for sending it to my first reader. I hope to have it off to her by the end of tonight or maybe tomorrow. I will be posting the last chapter of the story on Patreon tonight. It took me a little longer to get this story written than expected, but I am still hoping to release it in April. However, it will probably toward the end of the month with a preorder up by April 17th or so.

That means both writing projects are now editing projects. Therefore, I have begun working on two new stories.

Delighting Mrs. Bennet: This will be the next Thursday story and will pick up Darcy and Elizabeth’s story from where it left off in Confounding Caroline. Plans for this story include some hopefully fun twists as well as a naughty little puppy. 🙂

The Sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Comfort: I have had some “conversations” with the characters, and I have some goals, conflict, and motivation sorts of ideas roughly sketched out. However, I have not written a word of this story yet. That will hopefully happen tonight, although my husband is off today, so it might be tomorrow before I get to begin. This story holds promise to be a fun story as well and will star another character that most readers do not particularly like. (Why do I feel compelled to work with the trying characters? :D) Hopefully, there will be a few readers willing to try it because it should be an entertaining read.

That’s it. A lot of transitioning from one project to another. Next week, there may not a story excerpt because I don’t think I will be far enough into either story to be comfortable with sharing from them. Today, the excerpt is from the end of the story, so read at your own risk.

AN EXCERPT FROM Mr. Darcy’s Comfort:  Continue reading Music Monday: Easter Parade, Judy Garland


Music Monday: All About Her, Paul Brandt

Today, I’m sharing a song that I listened to for the first time this past week. Yes, YouTube notified me that it had been uploaded the week before, but I didn’t actually take the time to listen to it until now. 🙂 Life. That wonderful thing that we get to live and struggle with each day just kept me from taking the few minutes needed to listen. And then life crowded out any mental memo to listen later. I’m sure that never happens to anyone but me, right? 🙂

I’m glad I finally just pushed a few things aside and listened. It’s a lovely song.

At first, when I decided to share this video, it was just because I liked it and not for any story connected reason. But as I listened to it over and over this week (that’s what I do for a while when I  find a song I like), I realized that this song really fits with what I try to write about in my stories — that love that turns your attention from your own wants and desires to the wants and desires of another, that makes you worry about the other person’s happiness even before your own. So, while I didn’t think this would have a story connection, it does — to all of my stories. 🙂

Now that you know all that about this song, let me update you on what I did this past week in my writing life. I finished my first round edits/read-through of Confounding Caroline and have sent that on to my first reader to have her check it over for story stuff. I am not sure at this time when I will be publishing that as Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is supposed to be published first according to my planner. I think I am closing in on the ending for that story, so soon, I will be doing first round edits/read-through of that.

[sidenote: I really appreciate all the comments you left on last week’s Monday post about length.]

So one “finished” story and one almost finished story means I must be starting some new things, right?

Right.

I have started Delighting Mrs. Bennet which will be the next Thursday’s Three Hundred story (beginning May 10), and I am beginning to brainstorm some details for the story that will follow Mr. Darcy’s Comfort. I haven’t settled on a title for that one, but I can tell you it will start a less loved character and shine some new light on him.

In the world of selling books, New Beginnings which is an anthology of Finally Mrs. Darcy, For Peace of Mind, and Through Every Storm, can still be purchased for 40% off at Kobo if you use the 40DEAL promo code at check out. However, that sale ends today.  You can read excerpts from those books in the last week’s Friday’s Feature.

There will be a Friday Feature this week as well. I have a book that will be included in a promotion on Kobo starting Thursday of this week. I am still waiting to get the promo code sent to me. I will, of course, send an email to my mailing list and post a graphic about it on social media as well as having an excerpt from the book here on the blog on Friday.

In the trying something new section of life, Zoe Burton, Rose Fairbanks, and I have been trying out doing live videos on our Longbourn Literary Society on Facebook, and I have figured out how to add those videos to my YouTube channel so I can share them with those who are not on Facebook. You can find the live video from Saturday HERE. [Zoe read a short excerpt from her upcoming release in this week’s live.]

I think that is all the writing/book news and that means it is time to share a bit of what I wrote last week. Remember, this is getting toward the end of the story, so there could be spoilers. Read at your own risk. 🙂

AN EXCERPT FROM Mr. Darcy’s Comfort:  Continue reading Music Monday: All About Her, Paul Brandt


Music Monday: The Only, High Valley

I had a different song in mind for today’s post until this one popped up on YouTube as a recommendation for me on Saturday morning. Well, I gave it a listen, and then hit repeat several times and added it to my “My Kinda Country” playlist on both YouTube and Spotify. 🙂 To say I like it is a bit of an understatement. LOL Added to the fact that I like the song (a lot) as a reason for posting it today, is the fact that it fits in tone and theme with what I have been writing this week.

You see, I typed the final word of the first draft of Enticing Miss Darcy on Friday night (or technically Saturday morning as it was after midnight)! And we all know how a romance ends, right? On a very happily ever after note, which I think this song has in spades. So, I shelved the other song to use another week, and instead, you get to listen to this one. 🙂

Frankly, between writing the ending of Enticing Miss Darcy (8000+words) and One Winter’s Eve releasing this past Thursday, not much else got done this week in my writing world. 😀 Of course, it’s not like that was a relaxed schedule of work! I sent out emails, posted about the book being available, created some graphics as well as another book excerpt video, kept an eye on how things were selling and watching for the print version to link with the ebook, and so on. It was busy. I even skipped writing more of Confounding Caroline this week because when I get to the certain point in a story, and I can see the end coming, I have to get it out in order to be able to relax. 🙂 And I just couldn’t fit adding to Confounding Caroline and concluding Enticing Miss Darcy in my available writing time.

Looking ahead to this coming week, I will be working on a short story that will be a bonus follow up sort of thing for a couple of original characters in Enticing Miss Darcy.  I will also begin my first pass edits on Enticing Miss Darcy so that by the end of this  week or the beginning of next week, I will be able to send it to my first reader and start the process of polishing for publication. The tentative publication date is March 6, 2018, with a short pre-order period before that.

Also this week, I will have to begin working on brainstorming what the next work in progress will be. I think it is going to be a Dash of Darcy story.

Since I am heading into a transition period between stories, there maybe be one or two Monday’s without a story excerpt as I want to keep this bonus short story to Enticing Miss Darcy secret, and I want to have the next work in progress well underway before I share from it. (I like to make certain I am happy with how a story is unfolding before I start sharing.) And honestly, I need a breather, which means I am going to not push too hard to get things written and planned this week. (or at least I am going to try not to push too hard LOL)

So, for the final time on a Music Monday, here is…

AN EXCERPT FROM Enticing Miss Darcy: 

[Remember, this is toward the end, so it could very likely contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.] Continue reading Music Monday: The Only, High Valley