I’m trying some changes. Here’s what they are and why.
Have you ever been so tired that you put the jar of protein powder in the fridge instead of in the cupboard next to the fridge? I have been. Several times lately.
The lockdown is taking its toll. Later this month, I will get to return for an appointment with my osteopath. I have not seen her or any of the health care team at her clinic for more than 6 months now. This, coupled with just the stresses we all face during our current world situation, has not done my health any favours. Much of the progress we had been making on correcting some sleep issues while still keeping me relatively free from pain (I have some disc issues) has been lost.
I know that getting in to see my healthcare team will be even trickier now as appointments per day for the clinic are being restricted due to health measures that are in place. This means it will be a while before a regular pattern of treatments will resume for me.
With this in mind, I am looking at ways to adjust, rearrange, and/or lessen my workload, thereby easing some of the stress on my body at least for the summer months and possibly longer if I find the changes work well. Rest assured that creating stories for you to read will remain my priority.
Trust me. Cutting back is not something I find easy to do (I am a bit of a workaholic), but I know it is necessary. Here are the changes I have planned at this time:
- This weekly blog post will shift to a bi-weekly blog post for the remaining portion of June and then to a monthly blog post for July and August. I have a book coming out later this month, but then, I don’t expect to have another release until possibly August at the earliest. There should be no Kindle Unlimited changes until August either, so just one update in July and another in August should be adequate for the summer.
- Music Monday posts will be discontinued at the end of June until the end of August at the earliest.
- Protecting Miss Darcy, my current Thursday Three Hundred story, is drawing to a close, which means the Marrying Elizabeth series is also drawing to a close. After the final chapter posts on my blog, I will be taking at least a month-long leave of absence from Thursday and, by extension, Wednesday posts. I will need this time to get started on whatever will take the place of the Marrying Elizabeth series on Thursdays.
To keep up-to-date with what books are on sale, you’ll have to check the Current Book Promotions page. I try to get that page updated on Thursdays unless life gets in the way.
There may be other changes that I find I need to make along the way, but it is my hope that this time of drawing in will be a period of refreshment that will set me up to be well prepared to pick some things up again in the fall.
Writing News
I have begun my final read of Matching Mr. Darcy as I prepare it for publication on June 30, 2020. It should be on preorder by next weekend.
I wrote two chapters of Her Convenient Forever this week and one chapter of Protecting Miss Darcy. I am in the home stretch for Protecting Miss Darcy and hope to have it completed before my next update on June 27, 2020. 🙂
Publishing News
Publishing June 30, 2020 — Matching Mr. Darcy (preorder coming soon)
Book Promotion
This was a fun premise to contemplate.
What if Elizabeth was injured and Darcy was the only one who could help her? What if that required him to not only tend to her wounds but make certain she was dry and warm? How will he explain to her why she is wearing his shirt (and only his shirt) when she awakens? And how will she deal with being inescapably bound to a man she does not like?
You can find Waking to Mr. Darcy at your favorite ebook retailer here.
Book Review
I was able to fit three short reviews in this screenshot. Thank you, Karen, Vee, and Jasmilez, for reading and reviewing Waking to Mr. Darcy. I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed reading this novella.
Something Extra
Page count and number of chapters can be misleading when trying to determine the length of a book. Even small adjustments in font, formatting, and trim size can increase or decrease the number of pages in a book — sometimes significantly. The word “sweet” when applied to romance seems to have a variety of means these days. Some use it to denote the tone of a book while others use it to indicate that there is no sex in a romance. So, how do I classify my books according to length? And what do I mean when I say I write sweet romance? This week, I added a page containing the following information about those very things to the blog.
I often describe my books as being short and sweet. But what does that actually mean?
Let’s start with the word sweet.
You will find that when you read one of my books, the tone of the story is not dark. In fact, it is often quite light and might venture into the Hallmark-y rom-com realm. When you finish one of my books, I hope you are left with a sweet sigh and a desire more. (Kind of like when you get to the end of a favourite sweet treat.) But I mean more than how a story feels when I use the word sweet.
When I describe my work as being sweet romance, I mean that the romance is going to focus on the emotional intimacy of my characters and not their physical intimacy. While the story will contain some sexual tension or desire, as is normal between two people who are falling in love and thinking of marrying, none of my books include on-screen physical intimacy. Some might include what are called fade to black moments where you know that physical intimacy is about to happen, but then, the screen goes black.
If I were to describe my books in a movie rating sort of fashion, I would say that they are all PG-13 or lower. While both the tone and the heat level of my stories are sweet, the obstacles and evil villains in them often aren’t and may at times be quite bleak and exceptionally evil.
Now, let’s tackle that word short.
My natural tendency as an author is to write with an economy of words. I like reading stories that are tight and focused, and I tend to write what I like. This means that my stories fall on the shorter end of the story classification spectrum. Do not, however, assume that because a story I have written is short that it has not been crafted with the same amount of care with which a longer story would be crafted. While you may not need to flip a large number of pages to come to the end of one of my books, what you will find on those pages is a complete and satisfying story.
Here is how I classify my books.
| Classification | Word Count |
| Novel | 40,001 words or more |
| Novella* | 20,000 to 40,000 words |
| Novelette | 7,500 to 19,999 |
| Short Story | Under 7,500 words |
*The dividing point between novella and novelette can vary widely. If you’d like to see some examples of word-length classification guidelines for various literary awards for novellas and novelettes, there is a handy chart at the bottom of this Wikipedia article about novellas. I have gone with the dividing line used by the Romance Writers of America because I write romance. 🙂
And there you have it. Everything you need to know about what I mean when I say my books are short and sweet.
You might like to know that Waking to Mr. Darcy is a novella and is just over 26,000 words in length, which means it is on the shorter end of the novella classification range according to the above chart. On Amazon, this book is listed as having 179 pages because that is how many pages it has when formatted into a visually appealing and easy to read paperback with front and back matter included.
While Waking to Mr. Darcy may be a “short” read, it is not an incomplete read. Contained within its 26,000+ words, you will find a complete story. If you’re interested in reading more about what makes a story “complete” no matter what its length is, I wrote an Austen Author’s post about it last year, and I have included it in my Varied Thoughts on Writing Journal. You can find that journal entry here.
Have a good weekend! Be safe and well. (And maybe read a book 🙂 ) I’ll see you on Monday.
~*~
The next Saturday Broadsheet post will be on June 27, 2020.
MAILING LIST | PATREON | SOCIETY6
The most important thing to concentrate on is health! Luckily I’m a bit of an introvert so don’t mind staying in so much. However I do miss my 3 year old twin grandsons (FaceTime is not brilliant at that age). I also miss visiting my mum who lives in a care home! She’s registered blind so Skype is no good! She’s also had the virus but quite mildly!
I hope you manage to get your health issues under control soon. Take care!
Oh, my Glynis, I am so happy to know it was only a mild case of the virus that your mum had. Being apart from those we love can be challenging. I bet those grandsons are cute! Three year olds are fun and busy.
I’m very much an introvert so staying home and being quiet are not a hardship. However, other factors brought on by the lockdown have been challenging. The no appointments to manage chronic (though not severe) health concerns, as well as the impact to finances through job cutbacks and such have probably been the most stressful. That being said one must make adjustments as necessary and look forward to the future with as much hope as can be mustered 🙂
Take care dear, I will look forward to whatever news you have to share on whatever schedule makes sense to you and allows you to rest and recuperate.
Thank you, Deanna. 🙂 I’m hopeful that just a short respite from a few duties will be sufficient to re-energize me and give me the time and space to think, dream, and ponder — activities that in themselves bring renewal to me.
Take good care of yourself! Get better soon!
Thanks, Sally. I am trying to take care of myself, but I will readily admit to not being very good at it. LOL
Leenie, you come first and maintaining your health is paramount. We know where you are and if you need to cut back… it is no problem. We want you healthy. The stress you are feeling is not good for you. Relax, enjoy life, smell the… whatever is your favorite… roses, lavender, etc. Be good to yourself. Cut back where you need to and don’t worry about it. We are glad to hear from you whenever you can communicate something. Blessings and take care… stay healthy and safe.
Thank you, J.W.
For the most part, I tried to look for places where cutting back just made the most sense and would have the least impact. That’s why the weekly updates when not a lot is happening seemed to be a good place to start, followed by taking a pause at the end and not in the middle of a story. 🙂 And while I really enjoy the Music Monday posts, I knew that putting my energy toward Tuesday and Thursday story posts was the better option. I’m actually hoping I can stick with the changes and not jump back in too soon. LOL And I am excited to see how this time of refreshment will positively impact my creativity because I know it will.
I agree about the Music Monday. As much as I enjoy it… that is a lot of work searching for something to post and then to pull a short excerpt to go with it. Economizing your energy and focusing on less is really more. You can also look at the comments on those days and possibly see that there is less response. Not that people don’t like it… it is simply a teaser for the next post. Again, you have made a great decision and we are more than happy to give you that space that you need to rest, heal, and to concentrate on other things. Be well, Leenie. No worries, we will follow you ever which way you go.
🙂
Leenie, you, your health and your family come first. The amount of work you put in to your art is amazing. Trying different approaches and cutting back through the summer, may give you that extra bit of time to take care of yourself. We all thank you for your efforts and appreciate all you do for your readers. I do know what you mean about putting something in the wrong place…like adding chocolate milk to my tea! Not a combination that I can recommend! Do take care.
Oh, dear! I cannot imagine tea with chocolate milk tasting good. 🙂 Thank you for your understanding and support, Carole.