The random—and not so random—musings of a quirky Regency romance writer.
No one with that many people in her head can possibly be normal...

Monday, October 31, 2011

National Novel Writing Month 2011

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Bad to the Bone ~♥♥~

NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow. Are you taking up the challenge? I won't be doing it this year but I have many writer friends who are. 

If you are participating, what's your goal? I seem to recall someone saying they were going to attempt 100,000 words instead of the usual 50,000. I know I'd go crazy if I tried that; at the very least my family would go crazy. lol 

If you're not doing NaNo, do you have a different project in mind? One friend chose to use last year's as a way to work on a WIP. I'm considering something like that. I have several in various stages of completion—another reason I shouldn't start a new one.

Logically, I should make my November goal HEARTLESS, especially since I have made promises to certain lovely people in regard to that particular novel. And besides, it hurts to have my bestseller off the virtual shelves for so long.

So what are your goals for November? 

Friday, October 28, 2011

My Lady Coward, In Three Parts

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: Adele, Someone Like You ~♥♥~

I have succumbed to reader demand and submitted another installment of My Lady Coward to the Clever Fiction story prompt site. I really like these characters and I think they're beginning to like me. :O)

Below, you'll find the opening paragraphs of each installment and a link to the Clever Fiction site where you can read the rest. Enjoy!! 

Part 1 (posted 10/06/11): 
  He'd had a mistress for years. She'd known it all along. Heart aching, she'd comforted herself with the thought that it was nothing more than a physical relationship, something he did to save face before his Society friends.
  He'd lost so much respect when he'd married her. She was nothing more than the daughter of a Cit, a despised class of people who earned their money from trade rather than inheriting it as any decent sort would.
  Lady Maria sighed and sipped her tea. Was marriage to a duke worth the heartache, the loss? With her marriage vows came the acquisition of a title and position in Society. Security. With her marriage vows came the loss of her friends, her family, and everything familiar and comfortable. Love.
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

Part 2 (posted 10/20/11):
  Lady Maria waited in her bed, clothed in a diaphanous nightdress. A single candle, burning on the nightstand, kept the room from complete darkness.
  It was the fourteenth consecutive night she'd waited thus, a book in hand so as to appear nonchalant, less like a young wife awaiting her husband's presence in her bed.
  Would this be the night? She'd listened to rumor after rumor concerning her husband and where he preferred to spend his nights. She'd accepted it as life in high Society, the life of a real lady.
  They'd consummated their marriage, of course. Her face warmed at the memory, a tiny smile touching her lips. Even now, weeks later, Maria could still feel Richard's caress, feel his fingers grazing her skin, his lips brushing her lips, her neck, her shoulder, her...
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

Part 3 (posted 10/27/11):
  They were married in October. No Society marriage ever took place in October. The weather had already turned cold, a harbinger of the no doubt difficult winter to come. Was it an omen, a sign of ill luck?
  Shaking her head, Maria turned away from the window through which she'd been blindly staring, watching the servants load boxes and traveling cases into the carriage waiting out front. The soft rustling of her skirts made a strange counterpoint to the occasional crackle from the fire, a necessary luxury on such a chilly morning.
  It was silly to believe in such superstitious nonsense. Her marriage was not doomed due to an October wedding or an early chill in the air. No, her marriage suffered the insurmountable odds of unequal birth.
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

This started as nothing more than a short story but I like that it's developing into a serial instead. I hope you enjoy it. I'll update this blog when a new short is posted. Until then, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*All links open in a new tab or window, depending on your browser settings.

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#13)

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: Linkin Park, Iridescent ~♥♥~

Ready for more guessing fun? Here's this week's mystery pic: 


Think you know what it is? Comment here, on facebook, goodreads, twitter...anywhere you see this pic/question. Bottom line, this is all in fun, so guess, guess, guess!! The answer will be revealed next Friday. 

Happy reading, writing, and guessing! 

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#12) REVEALED

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: Lee Ann Womack, Something Worth Leaving Behind ~♥♥~


Did you guess a bird nest? If so, then pat yourself on the back! Great job! 

Stay tuned for a new mystery pic later today. Until then, happy reading, writing, and blogging!! 

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

~Regency Wednesday~ Fashions for September 1807


None of my books take place in 1807 but when I came across this fashion plate while perusing the 1807 edition of La Belle Assemblée, I fell in love. I'm not normally a big fan of the Regency plates from the fashion magazines, not really, but this one...I really like this one for some reason. So here's the plate with the description from the magazine itself. Enjoy!!    

English Costume.

No 1. --Evening Dress 
A round train dress of India muslin, embroidered in a fancy border of needle-work at the feet. The stock bosom, ornamented with white beads. A full Spanish short sleeve, over a plain one of white satin. A scolloped* lace tucker, placed strait round the bosom. Circassian scarf of gold, chambrey, or lace, crossing the back, and gathered in front of the left shoulder into an emerald brooch, reaching to the feet, finished with a gold tassel, and occasionally formed into drapery by the attitude of the right hand. The hair tastefully disposed in bands and curls; and a small ostrich feather crossing the crown towards the right side, is fastened to the hair with an emerald stud. Earrings, necklace, and bracelets of pearl with emerald clasps. White kid gloves and shoes.

No 2. --Evening Walking Dress 
A plain round gown of jaconet muslin, a walking length, simply ornamented with rows of open-hems round the bottom. A plain square bosom sitting close to the form, laced up the front, and trimmed at the edge with twisted muslin. A large straw hat of the Gipsy form, tied across the crown with a silk handkerchief. Deep Vandyke stock, of lace or needle-work. A black lace or Chinese shawl, thrown in irregular negligence over the shoulders. Straw-coloured kid gloves and shoes. White sarsnet parasol, deeply fringed, and painted in historical devices.**

*Typo? Or did they actually spell "scalloped" that way in 1807? lol
**Taken verbatim from La Belle Assemblée, September 1807, page 113. 

Friday, October 21, 2011

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#12)

~♥♥~ Now playing on my mp3 player: Evanescence, Snow White Queen ~♥♥~ 

Sorry I'm late with my Photo Friday post. Here's another mystery pic for your guessing enjoyment! Have fun!! 


The answer will be revealed next Friday. Until then, comment with your best guess. :O) 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

More Cowardice From Lady Maria

~♥♥~ Now playing on my mp3 player: Adele, Someone Like You ~♥♥~

Remember my poor Lady Maria, Duchess of...whatever*? She's back in part 2 of My Lady Coward. You can read it for free on the Clever Fiction site. Here are the first few paragraphs, just to whet your appetite. Enjoy! 

Lady Maria waited in her bed, clothed in a diaphanous nightdress. A single candle, burning on the nightstand, kept the room from complete darkness. 

It was the fourteenth consecutive night she'd waited thus, a book in hand so as to appear nonchalant, less like a young wife awaiting her husband's presence in her bed. 

Would this be the night? She'd listened to rumor after rumor concerning her husband and where he preferred to spend his nights. She'd accepted it as life in high Society, the life of a real lady. 

They'd consummated their marriage, of course. Her face warmed at the memory, a tiny smile touching her lips. Even now, weeks later, Maria could still feel Richard's caress, feel his fingers grazing her skin, his lips brushing her lips, her neck, her shoulder, her... 

The rest can be found HERE and if you haven't read Part 1, you can find that HERE. Oh, and there's already a new prompt posted. What can you write with October/Bad Luck/Compass?

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*I have yet to determine her husband's title. Would you believe me if I said this was a spur of the moment short story that is blossoming into a serial? lol 

Would you want to be CHOSEN?

Now playing on my mp3 player: Breaking Benjamin, Anthem of the Angels♥ 

I totally forgot to share my latest Clever Fiction short. Last week the prompts were broken~desert~voices. I wrote a story called Chosen, based on an idea provided by my husband. He read the finished product before I submitted it and said it more than met with his approval; I'd surpassed his vision. 

For those of you who wonder, my husband is painfully honest with me about my writing. He praises me where he feels I've done well but doesn't hesitate to point out where I've erred or my story falls flat. 

That said, I invite you to pop over to Clever Fiction and read my short story, Chosen. It's not romance, not historical, and not what I normally write. It was fun to veer away from my usual. I hope you enjoy it! Comments on the story are always welcome and appreciated, but not required. 

There's a new prompt this week and today's the deadline. I'm almost done with mine. Tomorrow a new prompt will be announced. 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging! 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A Heartless Dragon Update

Remember way (way, way, way, way) back when I asked for Heartless beta readers? I bet you're all wondering what's up with that, right? I haven't announced a winner, I haven't revealed a cover, I haven't mentioned a release date... 

The list goes on and on. 

Here's the deal: I'm a coward. That's right, a coward. I haven't cracked open those critiques 'cause my stomach lurches every time I think about it. I'm not sure why; Honor's critiques didn't fill me with this much dread.  

Heck, I got critiques on a fantasy novel I wrote almost two years ago and still haven't read those suggestions. (And I'm positive they're GREAT suggestions!) 

Then there's Dragon's Birth. OK, this one is a little closer to seeing the publishing light of day than the other two. In fact, it is up on Smashwords but the version there is not how we (Linda Boulanger of TreasureLine & I) want it to look. So, don't rush out and buy it yet. Especially if you were one of the ones who commented on my blog post ~Giveaway~ Woo-hoo! 100 Posts! (OK, 101.) and are thus entitled to a free copy.

All that said...

I am not trying to renege on my promises. The lovely readers who took time out of their busy schedules to read/critique Heartless will receive their free, cleaned-up eBook version when it's released, and one will receive a paperback. As for Dragon's Birth, as soon as my publisher gives me the HOORAY, I'll be emailing those download codes to the 6 lovely readers who commented (with their email addy) on my earlier blog post.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. I really appreciate it, as I appreciate each and every one of my blog followers. :O)

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!

Friday, October 14, 2011

~Photo Friday~ Caption This! (#1)

Here's a new (for me and this blog, lol) Photo Friday game! Come up with a clever caption for the photo. You can post your caption here or anywhere you see my blog feed (twitter, facebook, goodreads...). This is all for fun so have a ball!!* 


*Please keep it clean and watch the language. Thank you!
Photo © Laura J Miller

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#11) REVEALED

Last week I posted a new mystery pic and everyone who guessed got the answer right! YAY!! 


This is indeed a red (or purple) onion. Great job everyone! Stay tuned for a new mystery pic later today!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

~Regency Wednesday~ Random Cant Day (#6)

It's that time again! Time for more random cant (slang) from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. YAY!! 

Affidavit Men. Knights of the post, or false witnesses, said to attend Westminster Hall, and other courts of justice, ready to swear any thing for hire. 
Degen, or Dagen. A sword. Nim the degen; steal the sword. Dagen is Dutch for a sword. Cant
Demy-rep. An abbreviation of demy-reputation; a woman of doubtful character. 
Gift of the Gab. A facility of speech. 
Mushroom. A person or family suddenly raised to riches and eminence: an allusion to that fungus, which starts up in a night. 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, available for free download from Amazon's Kindle store

Saturday, October 8, 2011

More Shorts

So there's another short story of mine floating around in web-world and it's called My Lady Coward. Ooo, LOOK! Here's a pretty little cover just for it. Gosh, I do love book covers. {happy sigh} 

If the title or cover intrigue you, please click HERE to read, comment and share. Or just read. That's OK too. :O) 

In other, related writing news, there's a new Clever Fiction prompt up on the site and I encourage all writers to take a look. Even if you don't want to submit a story to the site, it's great practice. 

Readers, at the time of this post 5 writers have already answered this week's challenge. There are 20 stories from last week's challenge, 18 from the week before, and 12 from the week before that. All these stories are between 250-1000 words. Stop by and read a few; you might find your next favorite author.

Until next time, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

Friday, October 7, 2011

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#11)

Back by popular demand....Mystery Photo Friday!!! YAY!! (OK, I admit, the popular demand was all mine...and my brother's. Still. We're both pretty popular...in our own little worlds. lol) 

Without further ado.... What is this? 


Comment anywhere you like with your best guess. This is all for fun so guess, guess, guess! :O) 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

~Regency Wednesday~ Beau Brummell

One very famous Regency figure was George Bryan Brummell, more commonly known as Beau Brummell.

He set the trends for fashion and cleanliness of person. His acerbic wit was both loved and feared by his contemporaries. In the early years of the century, he was never far from the Prince of Wales's side.

At the start of the Regency in 1811, the newly appointed Prince Regent started distancing himself from some of his friends, Brummell included. Towards the end of the Regency, as his debts piled up until he couldn't afford to pay them, Brummell lost favor with the Regent and fled to the continent in 1816 to escape debtor's prison. He died in Caen, France in 1840, insane and poor.

Monday, October 3, 2011

For the Record

Forgive my lapse in whining diatribes. Here's the latest... 

45 record
FOR THE RECORD 

If a potential publisher asks for thousands of dollars to publish your book, yet claim they are a traditional publisher, THEY ARE LYING. Traditional publishers DO NOT charge you to publish your book. 

Thank you. This bugs me. Always has. 

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