Oh, my! This has been a busy, busy week. Not much writing got done, but a lot of other tasks did. I’ll tell you more about that below, as well as about the books I have on sale, the book I have on preorder, and a little bit about a piece of exercise equipment that is mentioned in His Irreplaceable Belle. Ready to find out about all that? Here we go…
Writing News
This week, I wrote one chapter of Her Convenient Forever. That’s all I have gotten written so far this week. I hope to maybe have time to at least start a chapter of Protecting Miss Darcy later today, but we’ll see if there is time for that or not. Below is an excerpt from near the end of the chapter I wrote. The Loves have just arrived at Grenwood Hall to take a tour, and Mrs. Love is quite excited for the opportunity. (Little does she know just how eventful this tour will be — but I haven’t written that part yet, nor am I going to share that little secret.)
“I thought that we could start our tour in the drawing room with a glass of lemonade and a biscuit if youwish.”
“I just ate something on the way here,” Felicity admitted softly. It was not something she would have admitted to just anyone, but Mr. Hedrington had not judged her harshly for being with child. Therefore, she suspected he would not care one bit if she had consumed a full meal while travelling the few miles from their cottage to his home. “However, I would not turn down a glass of lemonade.”
“Then, we shall have lemonade and save the biscuits for later.” He paused before he reached the door. “Did you get a good look at the façade? It is quite grand is it not?”
“It is lovely, simply lovely,” Felicity’s mother cried. “Mrs. Adams – do you know her?”
“I do,” Mr. Hedrington said.
“Mrs. Adams told me that the house and grounds were well proportioned, and she was right. Oh!” One of her hands rested just above her heart. “It is delightfully proportioned. Even spacing on the windows and each matching the other. The symmetry is exactly as it should be.”
“You do not mind a flat front?” Mr. Hedrington asked. “Some have said it would look better if there was perhaps a portion protruding or a rounded room on both corners.”
Her mother looked aghast. “You should not listen to those people, for their taste in architecture is wanting. No, no, no. Leave it just as it is, and if you should ever decide to add on, I would suggest an extension that is set back a bit from the front, lower than the house itself, and longer than it is tall.” She tipped her head. “One on both sides would be lovely.” She nodded. “Yes, that is just what I would do.”
“I will keep your recommendations in mind should I ever find such a large house in need of more rooms,” Mr. Hedrington said with a laugh.
“One would be surprised how many rooms one needs once his family grows,” she added as she followed him into the house. “And you did say you intend to marry.”
“For Matthias’s sake and to satisfy the will,” Mr. Hedrington said. “He needs a mother, and my uncle requires me to have a wife.”
“Oh, yes, that is right.” She did not protest what he said with words, but the smile and sparkle in her eye spoke loudly of her not believe him at all that a new wife would only be so that Matthias had a mother or that some requirement might be met to keep his inheritance.
Now to the reason why I did not accomplish as much writing this week as I normally would. His Irreplaceable Belle is on preorder with a scheduled release day for May 26, 2020. I have a publishing checklist that helps me remember all the little details that need to be done before a release day happens. There are 39 items listed on that sheet of paper — some are simple and quick things and some are multi-step items. My week was filled with these items.
The first big item was to finish the final proofreading read-through because I needed the manuscript submitted to Amazon by a particular date and time. I got it in early (which is how I like to do it).
This time, the last item on that list is to write an Austen Authors post for the book. I have not yet accomplished that. That item will be on next week’s to-do list as my posting date on Austen Authors is June 2, 2020.
I have to say that I did a little happy dance when I crossed off the last of all the other items on that list this morning (Friday). The book is all ready and just waiting to be delivered to those who have preordered and to downloaded and read on release day by others.
Publishing News
His Irreplaceable Belle is now available for pre-order until May 26, 2020
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A love like theirs can neither be denied nor replaced by another
Preorder His Irreplaceable Belle here.
Book Promotions
You can find out more about each promotion on my Current Book Promotions page if you wish.
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Book Review
Thank you to the anonymous Amazon Customer who left this review on Her Secret Beau! It’s always fun to see that readers have fallen in love with the characters I also love.
Something Extra: Research and Writing
Above is a partial screen grab of an article which I read while writing His Irreplaceable Belle. [You can find that article at this link.]
We modern folk are not the only ones to have had at-home exercise machines. I actually think this contraption looks as if it could be a bit of fun. While I might find this machine to be fun, as you can see from the excerpt below, in His Irreplaceable Belle, Fritz’s patient is of a different opinion.
“Ah, Mr. Norman. Have you come to inspect the lot of us to see if we are following your directives?”
Fritz turned to the older gentleman who had joined him. “I am not certain I understand your meaning, Mr. Wesley.”
Mr. Wesley, who leaned heavily on his cane, tipped his head to the right. “The Pump Room.”
Fritz took in his surroundings. Chairs delivered people behind him while large columns on the face of the elegant building before him seemed eager to have him pass between them and enter with the others. He was indeed at the Pump Room, but how had he gotten here? This was not the direction in which he had intended to walk. He had intended to go home and spend a few hours in his surgery reading through his notes and writing a letter about his findings. Submersing himself in his work seemed a fine way to rid his mind of Belle, or, at least, it would occupy him so much that thoughts of her would be pushed aside for the time being.
“I have just arrived to take a meander around the place. That is, I shall meander after I have a sip of that foul-smelling water you claim will do me good and not hasten my demise.”
Fritz’s lips tipped up in amusement at his companion’s testy tone. Mr. Wesley was always complaining about the instructions he was given. However, though the man would grumble loudly, he never strayed from what he was told to do. Would that all his patients were so compliant.
“Would I purposefully wish for your demise to the point of attempting to design its soon arrival?”
“That contraption you insisted I use twice a day seems precisely conceived to do just that.”
“Does this grumble mean you are using your chamber horse as instructed?”
The man next to him grunted. “My wife will not let me do otherwise.”
[From His Irreplaceable Belle]Have a good weekend! Be safe and well. (And maybe read a book 🙂 ) I’ll see you on Monday.
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I loved the interaction between Mr. Hedrington and Mrs. Love. It sounds like the house is more than sufficient!
Your’re right it is more than sufficient. I thought a gentleman inheriting an estate he did not expect to inherit was a good nod to Sense and Sensibility’s Colonel Brandon 🙂 So it has to be at least as substantial as Delaford 🙂