~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

It was put to a vote on my Facebook page and Gertrude won by a landslide—granted, that was only a handful of votes, but still. It counts. ;) So this week's excerpt is from Gertrude's Grace, chapter three. Enjoy! ♥

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Taken from the beginning of chapter three...

 Having a clumsy daughter was what all Society mothers feared most—that and being denied vouchers to Almack’s. Clumsy daughters were nearly impossible to marry off, every gentlemen desiring a lady for a wife and a lady must always be graceful.

 A clumsy young lady might successfully marry if she was titled, fair of face, or in possession of a generous dowry. Gertrude’s standing as the daughter of an earl gave her a title but her dowry was modest. Her strong features and sturdy build were opposite the delicate, china-doll appearance that was so popular. Her tendency to laugh aloud instead of emitting nothing more than a charming titter put many gentlemen off. She strode around like a man when she wasn’t tripping over her own feet, and her hair—horror of horrors!—was unruly red, the most despised of hair colors. Certainly a mother’s nightmare!

 But Gertrude’s mother, delicate fae creature that she was, loved her great clumsy child. As much as she wanted her child contentedly married and surrounded by children of her own, she was just as happy with the thought of her staying by her side, a comfort in her declining years.

 And Gertrude adored her mother right back, wanting to please her with a brilliant match. So she dressed carefully that Wednesday evening, only a few days after her comical introduction to the much sought after Duke of Chatterton.

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As always, thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Evanescence ~ Hello

~Regency Wednesday~ A Villa (July 1817)

For today's Regency Wednesday post, let's take a look at a Regency building. I've selected a villa from the July 1817 issue of Ackermann's Repository.

  "This building is intended for the residence of a small family, and has its domestic offices situated in the rear of the principal apartments, which are thence approached by a door entering into the staircase at A. The dining-room is spacious, and is decorated by niches and statues, which would combine with the greatly projecting bay window, to give the whole an appearance of architectural arrangement and classical finish. The drawing room and music-room, communicating with a small conservatory, would form a very agreeable suite of apartments, wholly unconnected with the dinner-room. The library is arranged for a tasteful disposition of the books; and, as being a room of business, it is entered immediately from the small hall: this leads to the principal staircase, and to a corridor containing a closet, coat-room, store and china-room, &c. and is the passage by which the house is entered from the servants' apartments. These consist of kitchen, scullery, and larder, servants' hall, pantry, and housekeeper's room, with proper cellaring; and above them are the servants' bedrooms. The chambers over the chief apartments are four in number, two of which have dressing-rooms.
  The lawn front only would be architecturally decorated, the remaining sides being disposed for finishing in the simplest style, and for concealment by plantations; indeed the offices might be nearly excluded from view by the shrubberies between them and the principal building."*

*Taken verbatim from Ackermann's Repository, July 1817. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Evanescence ~ Call Me When You're Sober

~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

Let's get back to the way things were. Here's another snippet on a Saturday for your enjoyment. ;)

Since Gertrude is about to make her debut, I thought I'd share some of her story with you now. This clip is taken from the almost final draft. I'm still editing on this story, so don't be surprised if this changes a bit in the final manuscript. 

I hope you like it. Gertrude is very special to me. ♥

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From chapter two...

Hyde Park was the place to see and be seen most afternoons. One could ride, walk, or drive, dressed in the latest fashions, escorted by the most sought after gentlemen Society could boast. It was every debutante’s dream to make her friends jealous by snaring the company of the one man considered the marital prize of the Season.

Lady Gertrude Shiveley could boast no such conquest. She walked alone, no one but her maid, Margaret, trailing along three paces behind as a good servant must.

Gertrude longed to ask the other girl to step up beside her but didn’t dare. It would cause talk if anyone saw her being so familiar with a servant. And it would probably embarrass Margaret.

So she continued to amble along, taking the tiny, mincing steps ladies are supposed to take. She wished she could stride the way she was comfortable. Mincing steps were not sufficient to get from point A to point B. She had a destination in mind and she wanted to get there within decent time.

Granted, her destination was merely the other end of the park, but the sooner she got there, the sooner she could turn around and leave. She’d come early enough to avoid the worst of the crowds and hoped to leave before a certain duke showed up with whatever lovely young miss he’d chosen to escort.

Gertrude hated to admit it, but she found Lord Chatterton fascinating. His manners, his poise, his….grace.

A snort escaped her. She admired his grace’s grace. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Margaret heard her unladylike noise, but the girl was staring off into the trees. In fact, she wasn’t even moving anymore, her gaze caught by something that Gertrude couldn’t see.

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This one will be released soon, I promise. Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

~Regency Wednesday~ Fly Through 17th Century London

So yeah, the 17th Century is not Regency. However, this video is incredibly neat and I just had to share.

I saw it yesterday in my Facebook news feed, shared it with my Facebook followers, and then decided it needed shared here as well. It really is that neat.

I just love how the technology we have now can be used to give us a glimpse into a fascinating past. It's breathtaking.

Click on over to YouTube to see a little more info from the students who made this, and give the video a like while you're there. ;)  

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

~General Updates~ Upcoming Releases, Cover Reveals, Website Revamps

Hello again, my lovely readers! I've left you in the dark about a great many things lately. Truth is, I've been plagued by a bout of depression so bad that I just didn't care anymore. I was ready to let everything fall to the wayside, eventually disappear. I've managed to claw my way mostly out, though I'm by no means in the clear yet. I will get there, though. I've climbed out before and I can do it again.

That said, here are a few things that I've done recently and a few things to look forward to. 

Upcoming Releases & a Cover Reveal

That's right, my lovelies! There is a new book on the horizon. It's called Gertrude's Grace and it's a bit of a change from my usual offerings. While it has a streak of seriousness to it, it's by no means as dark as normal. It's even a bit humorous—I've been told it's "laugh out loud" funny. Which is good, since that's kinda what I was going for with this. It's my fluffy Regency offering to the world, and I hope it's received with the good humor I intended.

There's no set release date on it, as of yet. Honestly, it started out a really short story of about 6000 words (for those of you unsure how long a story that is, a novel is over 40,000). After my beta readers expressed the desire for a longer tale about these two characters, I gave the manuscript another look. It has two more chapters at the time of this post and is currently over 9000 words. So I'm not sure how long it will end up being, thus the reason I don't have a clear release date yet. I will endeavor to keep you lovely readers updated on that score. 

Meanwhile, I do have a cover for the story and I will share that, and the blurb, with you now. 

Blurb:

Ladies know how to behave in Society. Ladies never put a foot wrong, never say an inappropriate word, and never cause their parents a moment of distress. Ladies can overcome any embarrassment with grace and poise.

….and then there's Gertrude.

Gertrude struggles in the bright light of Society, trying to keep her poise and not embarrass her adoring mother. But when she falls for the most eligible bachelor the Season has to offer, she literally falls.
​
….on him.

Lord Chatterton survives Lady Gertrude's onslaught with dignity. While Society mocks her from the sidelines, Chatterton isn't laughing. He's falling, too. For Gertrude.

And there you have it. I hope that little description makes you eager to read it. ;)

At this time, I have no plans to make this available in paperback, but if it gets any longer, that could change. I'll keep you updated on that, as well.

Website Updates

In other news, I've completely revamped my website. The image I used behind the name is one I took myself. It's a pink carnation my husband gave to me one anniversary.

I hope the site more inviting now, and easy to navigate. Click HERE to give the site a view and, if you want, you can let me know your thoughts in the comment section on this blog post.

I plan to redo my business cards, design new bookmarks, get more cool things to advertise my books, and host more contests and giveaways this year, too. I have a busy, busy year ahead of me. :)

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Yeul's Theme

~Regency Wednesday~ Basket Maker

Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you are well this fine Wednesday, and eager to learn about another trade from the handy 1818 Book of English Trades, and Library of Useful Arts. This week's selection is the Basket Maker.

"The ancient Britons have been celebrated for their skill in the manufacture of baskets, from the time of the Romans; and so much were the baskets of this country valued by that people, that immense quantities of them were exported to Rome, where they were held in great estimation, and bore so high a price, that they are mentioned by Juvenal, among the extravagant and expensive furniture of the Roman tables of his time."*

It goes on to discuss the various materials used to weave baskets—even going so far as to explain the optimum growing conditions for some of those materials—and how those materials are prepared for use. Eventually, the book gets into the way baskets were used at the time this work was published. 

"Baskets have, of late years, been introduced by coach-makers, to form the bodies of gigs, for which purpose they are particularly well calculated, as we know of no other means, whereby so much strength can be obtained with so little weight. The mail carts in London are baskets, and many of the stage coaches have baskets placed behind them, for the purpose of carrying parcels; and we are convinced that the principle of basket-making might be extended with good effect, to many other purposes, where the three qualities of strength, lightness, and elasticity are required."*

...and then we learn about the basket-fish. LOL

*Taken verbatim from The Book of English Trades, p. 18-22 (1818). Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Sarah McLachlan ~ Fallen

~Regency Wednesday~ Disguised

How about a few more slang terms from my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue? 

Disguised. 

Drunk. 

Dogged. 

Surly. 

Earth Bath. 

A grave. 

To Feather One's Nest. 

To enrich one's self.* 

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your FREE kindle copy from Amazon HERE. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

2016 ~ What I'm Planning to Accomplish

Another year and another set of goals. What's a writer's life without goals, after all?

I had no goals last year, not really anyway. I didn't take the year off, though I avoided social media. Here's what I hope to accomplish this year:

• Finish polishing and publish short Regency comedy Gertrude's Grace in January. Reveal cover by Jan 10.
• Work more on my 10-book sci-fi series. Consider sending the first two off to beta readers. 
  
• Work more on my dragon series. Get Part 1 ready for second round of beta readers.
• Finish the first draft of Retribution (the next in my Regency series).
• Finish Temptation (another in my Regency series).
• Revamp Entangled (aka Spellbound) and finally get the new edition out there.
• Compile book of short stories. Write 3-4 new stories for it. 
• Finish short contemporary romance Locksmith's Daughter and send it off to beta readers. 
• Beta read at least three manuscripts for other authors. Actually finish beta read, send notes, and be [kindly] brutal. (Yes, this is something I need to work on.)
• Do at least 30 Regency Wednesday posts this year. 
• Be more balanced when it comes to.... well, everything. LOL

That's it for now. These will probably change or morph as the year progresses, but at this point, this is my plan. 

So what are your writerly—or even non-writerly—plans for the year? 

*Image found on Wikimedia Commons.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ OneRepublic ~ Counting Stars

2015 ~ The Year In Review

It's time for the end of year blog post.... 

This year has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I took a break from online life, which included social networks and blogging. I made a comeback mid-November and was touched by the outpouring of love and support I received from my friends, readers, and fans. It was humbling to see that even if I didn't think so, my presence made an impact in some people's lives. 

Due to a severe bout of depression, my gaming increased tenfold. I even started a gaming blog. Okay, that's not exactly true. I'd already started the blog, but this year I added a lot more to it. In a strange way, it helped me work a few things out in my head. Not many will understand that, but I know some of you will. That's enough. :) If you're into games and are curious, go ahead and check out the blog. It is public, but I basically have the thing turned "off" so to speak. Not sure I'm really ready to put my gaming self "out there" yet. So I do a lot of talking to.... myself. lol

Oddly, this was one of my best years for writing. My word count went over 110,000. Granted, that wasn't one story; more like eight different stories. Three of them got the coveted "the end" on their first drafts, though. One is a Regency short that will be published early in 2016. That one's been to beta readers already and the cover only needs a few more tweaks before it's officially revealed. 

I think that's it. Not much happened this year. Oh, yeah. I got a new laptop when an unfortunate accident destroyed my old one. Forgot to mention that. 

I'll be back tomorrow with my goals for 2016. Much ♥ to you, my faithful readers!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ OneRepublic ~ Stop and Stare

~Regency Wednesday~ Toad Eater

For the final Regency Wednesday post of 2015, I've randomly selected another slang term from my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy! ♥ 

TOAD EATER.

A poor female relation, and humble companion, or reduced gentlewoman, in a great family, the standing butt, on whom all kinds of practical jokes are played off, and all ill humours vented. This appellation is derived from a mountebank's servant, on whom all experiments used to be made in public by the doctor, his master; among which was the eating of toads, formerly supposed poisonous. Swallowing toads is here figuratively meant for swallowing or putting up with insults, as disagreeable to a person of feeling as toads to the stomach.*

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free Kindle copy from Amazon HERE. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ Bleeding Out