~My Lady Coward~ The End is in Sight

Many of you are fans of my very first serial Regency, My Lady Coward. You've anticipated every installment of this sporadic story, wondering just what mischief Lady Maria will get into while trying to make her husband fall in love with her. You eagerly await the conclusion, where you are sure I'll finally give her the HEA she deserves. 

But being the proper lady that Maria is, though not technically a lady (tradesman's daughter), will she really be able to tell Richard how she feels? I'm halfway through the final installment and even I'm not sure she's gonna shed her cowardly exterior and say what she needs to say. I'm sure some of you would be very upset with me if she doesn't get her HEA so I'll try my hardest to steer her in that direction. I've already managed to surprise myself with a twist that I didn't expect. But there's been so much about this story that surprised me. After all, it was only meant to be the original short, posted over on Clever Fiction.

Are you caught up? New followers of this blog (or my facebook page) may not have seen the billion places I've posted the links to this story. So here they are again. Make sure you're caught up before I finish the final installment!

1. Original short on Clever Fiction for the prompt All Day/Speechless/Dinner 
2. Clever Fiction prompt Darkness/Faith/Perplexed 
3. Clever Fiction prompt October/Bad Luck/Compass 
4. My website, using the Clever Fiction prompt Stormy/Family/Holidays 
5. My website, no prompt, scroll down past Part 4 
6. Clever Fiction prompt Thoughtless/Blue Skies/January 
7. My website, no prompt, scroll down past Parts 4 and 5 
8. Clever Fiction prompt Late/Anxiety/Continue 

All links will open in a new window or tab, depending on your browser settings. If you'd like to comment on any of the installments, please do so. Commenting is enabled on the Clever Fiction website. For the parts located on my site, feel free to comment here (the blogger or goodreads end). ☺ Enjoy! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Alicia Keys ~ Why Do I Feel So Sad

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.

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! 

Falling Down

The last few weeks have been rather hard. Many of you heard that I lost 6 cats in less than two days (momma cat and five kittens). Even before that, my blogging took a downturn. I apologize for falling down on the job and promise to make it up to you. Regency Wednesday will return as will Photo Friday. I'm considering taking part in Teaser Tuesday as well but haven't quite decided yet. 

While I've been ignoring my online responsibilities, I've been working on my household and writing responsibilities. My children and husband enjoy clean clothes and The Dragon's Birth is this close (can you see my fingers about a half inch apart?) to being ready for upload to Smashwords. I just figured out the Table of Contents (WOO-HOO!) and that was the last step. YAY!! 

Meanwhile, I've been having a blast with the Clever Fiction website, using the short story prompts to further my work on Sable's highly unromantic novel. For those of you who write or always wanted to, I highly recommend this site. Even if you choose not to submit your stories, the practice is worthwhile.

My new story is up. Crossing the Channel is another "chapter" in Sable's story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story, but even if you don't like to comment, please read it anyway. It's less than 1000 words so it won't take much of your time.

Do you have any short stories out there? Please leave a link in the comments section here so we can pop over and check it out.

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

New Short Story Site ~ And a new short story by yours truly!

There's a new short story site out there in web-world and everyone can submit stories. It's called Clever Fiction, run by the talented Pat Sipperly, and there's a new prompt every week. 

I participated in this week's story prompt (a key, noon, falling leaves) and my short story Unwilling Protector is up for your reading enjoyment. It's part of Sable's story. (You'll know who that is if you've read my short story Assassin's Keeper in the anthology UNLOCKED. If you haven't, pop by the UNLOCKED website and download the anthology for free.)

There are other stories there as well, in a variety of genres by a variety of authors. You can leave comments on each story, if you are inclined to do so. Go, read, enjoy!