Writer’s life – Page 2

Music Monday: Quiet Beauty (James Todd)

“Please, have a seat. Would you care for some tea or perhaps a glass of port?” Mr. Love asked.

“We cannot stay long,” Beatrice replied as Graeme helped her to take a seat.

He was so attentive. He had even been so before he married Beatrice. Grace had not been unaware of the care he gave her cousin when she had been at Heathcote last year. The hand on Bea’s elbow accompanied by the whispered “Are you well?” made Grace wish to sigh, but she refrained and merely smiled at the sight. One day, she would have a gentleman who would be so thoughtful and caring.

“Mr. and Mrs. Shelton are expecting us to return quickly so that we can make plans for today and tomorrow,” Bea continued.

“Do you not just love Miss Hamilton — I mean Mrs. Shelton?” Grace asked eagerly.

Bea smiled softly as she often did. There was such a sweet, gentleness about her. Grace had not admired it so very much until now. It was in complete contrast to Felicity.

[from Her Secret Bea, Touches of Austen Book 3]

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby, June 23, 2015.

Tomorrow, Bea and Graeme enter our Sweet Tuesday tale. This song was one that I added to my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify this week, and it just seems like a perfect song for a sweet and quiet lady such as Bea. Because she and Graeme are entering our story, I will be sharing an excerpt from their book below. Continue reading Music Monday: Quiet Beauty (James Todd)

Pinterest, Sweet Pinterest

I don’t know about you, but Pinterest can be a dangerous place to go at times. Why? Because it pulls me in and leads me down fabulously inspiring trails for hours at a time!

I love pictures, and Pinterest delivers on those in spades. Add to that the information that can be found connected to some of those pictures and it’s a recipe for procrastination for me. 🙂

However, while addictive, Pinterest is also an incredibly powerful tool in my author toolbox. And that is what Rose, Zoe, and I are discussing this week in our LLS Society Papers* broadcast — Pinterest and how we use it as writers for inspiration and research.

The live broadcast begins at 3 PM Eastern, but you can always watch the replay.

AND… something went a bit wrong, so here is part two of our live.

Books and links mentioned in the show:

Rose’s Links

The Maid of Inverness

Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride

Rose’s Books Pinterest Board

Find Rose on Pinterest

Leenie’s Links

Leenie B Books Board

Nature’s Fury and Delights Board

Zoe’s Links

Find Zoe on Pinterest

Lady Catherine Impedes

Caroline’s Censure

The Darcy Marriage Series, Books 1-3

Coming Together Series Compilation

Shop for signed print copies

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

~*~*~

You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

The Audio/Visual Connection to Writing

In this quote, Voltaire linked writing and painting.

I tend to not only think of writing as painting word pictures but also as something possessing musical qualities. I listen to the rhythm and tone of what I write as much as I do the images I paint. I want my words to flow smoothly where they should and have a staccato rhythm where it is needed.

Both visual and audio arts can stir the emotions and resonate deeply with the person experiencing the art. I hope that my writing can do that — if not now, then, maybe one day as I continue to improve.

But how do the visual and audio arts inspire my writing? If you follow my Music Monday posts or my Wordless Wednesday ones, you probably have a good idea that both music and art spark my creativity.

Tomorrow, in our LLS Society Papers video, Rose Fairbanks and I will be discussing this very topic and likely sharing a few examples of the link between the inspiration and final product.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM Eastern, but the video of the discussion can be viewed after that as well.

Books and links mentioned in the show:

Rose’s Links

Once Upon a December

Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn

How Darcy Saved Christmas

The Maid of Inverness

Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride

A Sense of Obligation

Leenie’s Links

My news-related links:

A Scandal in Springtime

Mailing List Sign Up Form

Darcy and…

Books Currently in KU

And my discussion-related links:

Finally Mrs. Darcy

Music Monday: Five Long Years (Colin James)

Pinterest Book Boards

Mary: To Protect Her Heart

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

~*~*~

You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

Strange Writing Locations

When author life collides with the need to feed the family.

Sometimes the work just has to get done, and the location is of secondary importance. 🙂

I know when I was teaching I marked paper when at a concert, after a seminar in my hotel room to the wee hours of the morning, in the car when waiting to pick someone up, and during a business meeting at church. That habit of doing work whenever has transferred over to my writing life.

In fact, I began writing seriously while I was still teaching in a traditional classroom, which meant squeezing writing in between the planning and marking.

So, where have Zoe and I written other than at our desks? Find out in this week’s episode of the *LLS Society Papers.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM Eastern (4 PM Atlantic).

Leenie’s Links

A Scandal in Springtime http://bit.ly/ASIS_Tab

Mailing List Sign Up Form http://bit.ly/LBBookNews

A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 2 Box Set http://bit.ly/CottageBoxSet2

Books Currently in KU http://bit.ly/KUreads

Apple Blossoms http://bit.ly/SweetTuesdays

Thursday’s Three Hundred http://bit.ly/Thurs300

Zoe’s Links

Austen Authors post: https://austenauthors.net/boating-and-fishing-in-the-regency/

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

~*~*~

You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

A Book’s First Impression

Do you judge a book by its cover? If you do, you’re likely not alone.

A partial screenshot of one of my design folders on canva.com. I use Canva for many things, including cover design.

First impressions are important, and normally, when scrolling or strolling through a bookstore, the first thing that is going to draw your attention to a book is the cover. That means a cover is a pretty important part of a book.

In this week’s episode of LLS Society Papers* Rose, Zoe, and I are discussing what goes into covering our books. Please note that this is not a how-to. This is just a conversation about our preferences and practices when getting a book’s cover ready to make that all important first impression.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM Eastern (4 PM Atlantic).

Rose’s Links

The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter

A Sense of Obligation

Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride

The Loving Elizabeth Series

Leenie’s Links

Tom: To Secure His Legacy

Enticing Miss Darcy

His Darling Friend

MASSIVE book sale ends Monday, May 27, 2019

Zoe’s Links

Darcy’s Secret Marriage

Darcy’s Secret Marriage Large Print Version

Mr. Darcy, My Hero

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

~*~*~

You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON