I thought we would start off the season of Christmas music with a bang! This song should do that quite well.
Heads up: This is not your sweet and soft Christmas carol, and if you are sensitive to flashes of light, you might want to listen and not watch. If you follow my Facebook page, I did share this video on there last week because I just really enjoy this fun take on this classic song.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY FOR KING AND COUNTRY ON NOV 9, 2018.
I have very little writing news at this moment. I was able to get two more chapters of Kitty and Lorcan’s story written this week. I had hoped to get three done, but that just did not work out. 🙂
I did complete my final read-through of First Blooms and Second Chances. This project, while it is going to be published soon, was written with the intention of being a gift to my mailing list and Patreon subscribers. If you happen to fall into one of those groups, be watching for your copy of this book to show up in your inbox this week before it goes live on any publishing platform.
If you are not a Leenie B Book News mailing list subscriber and you’d like to be, there is a link at the bottom of this post where you can join. Until January 6, 2020, one of the thank you gifts for subscribing will be First Blooms and Second Chances. (Or it will be as soon as I get that set up to send out after I have emailed the current subscribers — so many little details.)
The only other thing I wished to mention in the writing news section today is that there is now a print version available of The Choices Series compilation, and it has been linked to the ebook sales page and has had the page count updated there to match for both books. (It used to list the book as 400 and some pages and the 5.5 in x 8.5 in paperback I submitted was over 600 pages — this is why it is not always safe to assume that the page count Amazon is showing you is correct or even close, in this case.)
Well, since I do not have anything new that I am writing and since my writing news was rather short, I think I will share the first chapter from “Morning Mist”, which is a Sense and Sensibility variation novelette and is part of last year’s mailing list Christmas gift, Thunder, Mist, and Frost (Nature’s Fury and Delights, book 1).
He sighed as he heard the tears that lay behind the softly spoken words. “I know. You are right. We must make sure she has everything she needs. It is as Father and Uncle Barrett would have wished.” He ran the back of a finger down the baby’s soft cheek. “She is sweet.”
Kathleen smiled at him. For all his size and grumbling, he was rather more of a kitten than a lion at times. “She is, and you’ll not be spoiling her, Douglas Witherfield.”
He laughed, a deep rumbling sound she had not heard much in the past year. “It is good to be home,” she said as she stepped into the apothecary shop.
[from “Hope at Dawn” from Nature’s Fury and Delights: First Blooms and Second Chances, publishing Dec. 2019]
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY BROOKLYN DUO ON MARCH 27, 2015
Today’s music video is another song from my Music to Write By playlist. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
I only have a few items for my writing update. If you’re on my mailing list, you’ve already read these. Nothing much has changed since I sent that email to you on Friday.
“...and if my impression of his mood this morning was correct, he is sitting in the garden staring at the church.”
It was where Nicholas had sat every day for two weeks after the Witherfields had left. He had refused to eat more than once a day, and then, only because Jonathan had begged him to do so. To be perfectly honest, Jonathan had thought his brother was going to purposefully do himself harm during those days. It was why he had promised to be at tea today, for the expression his brother had worn this morning at their parting was so reminiscent of the way he had looked back then. [from Hope at Dawn]
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY PHILIP WESLEY ON APRIL 27, 2015.
This is just one of the songs by this composer that I have on my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify. I thought it went well with the Through Every Storm chapters I am unlocking for this week. It also goes well with how our hero in Hope at Dawn is feeling at present.
It won’t take me very long to update you on what I got written this week because it was NOTHING. Not one single word of a new story was typed on the screen this week. That’s unusual for me, but there is a very good reason for my lack of writing. I edited or proofread somewhere around 65,000 words instead of writing. 🙂 That means Her Secret Beau is out of my hands for a while and Persuading Miss Mary is publishing — more details about that below.
His brother stepped in front of him. “You are not going to follow her? You are just going to let her go?”
Nicholas pushed him aside and kept walking. “I do not know what I am going to do.” He knew what he wanted to do, but was that what he should do? She had returned, but she had not returned alone. The image of her standing on the deck of the ship with a baby in her arms would not be easily cast aside.
[from Hope at Dawn, a sweet Regency romance short story]
Published to YouTube by Liara I’Sorry on April 13, 2010
Have you read the first chapter of Hope at Dawn yet? The second chapter will post tomorrow. This short story revolves around the possible reunion of two separated lovers. The mood of the above song seemed to fit this story, and just as the song ends on a happier note than what it starts with, so does Hope at Dawn… eventually, at the end. 🙂
I am also writing a story that starts with separated lovers, and I am sharing chapters from a story that has a husband and wife who are currently separated. And when I finally get to starting the next Touches of Austen book, that story will also be about separated lovers. I tell you, it’s a bleak November for story characters. LOL
Of course, that Touches of Austen book might not get started in November (though I hope it does) because my to-do list is at that point where I look at it and just want to go back to bed and hide from it. 😀 Let me tell you what has been accomplished, as well as a bit about what is on that to-do list.
This week, I wrote two more chapters of Kitty and Mr. Langley’s story. He is likely going to be referred to as Lorcan in this story (which is still without a title) because he happens to have a cousin with him who is also a Mr. Langley.
I made progress on my read-through of Her Secret Beau, and I received feedback on Persuading Miss Mary and printed out the manuscript so I can start a final proofread. I hope to have HSB sent off to be checked for story issues at some point this week and to have PMM ready for pre-order by next week.
First Blooms and Second Chances is currently being read for any story issues.
I have created two book covers. Would you like to see them? I shared one of them with my mailing list readers in my Friday update email, but the other has not yet been shared publically. Here they are:
Oh wait, that’s three covers. 🙂 Well, that’s because I did get Marrying Elizabeth, Books 1-3 Compilation PUBLISHED! This omnibus contains Confounding Caroline, Delighting Mrs. Bennet, and Loving Lydia. You should be able to find it at your favourite ebook retailer.
I have an Austen Authors post tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19, 2019, which means I wrote that this week and got it scheduled.
Some wonderful readers answered my call for help by writing reviews so that Charles: To Discover His Purpose now meets the minimum required for a Book Cave promotion, and I submitted it for a promo day. It was accepted! Charles’s story will be free from 12:00 PST Tuesday, November 19, 2019, until 11:59 PM PST Thursday, November 21, 2019. #feelinggrateful
And ALSO ON TUESDAY, Willow Hall will be leaving Kindle Unlimited, and the Choices Series will be entering Kindle Unlimited. I’ll be working on getting the Willow Hall books returned to all my vendors as soon as I possibly can.
And finally, I think we are at the end of the update that seemed as if it would never end. 😀 Now, let me share an excerpt from Through Every Storm, which is the book I will be sharing on Mondays over the next several weeks. This week, you can read chapters 4 and 5 at the link below this excerpt, but you will have to use the password Flowers. The password will expire on Saturday, November 23, 2019, and a new password will be given out for some more chapters next Monday.
This excerpt is from chapter 5 and is the reason why I picked the password that you will need to read the rest of this chapter (and chapter 4) this week:
She sighed and prepared to go clean her hands and, if possible, lie down to ease her headache.
“Wickham,” she said in surprise as she exited the room. “Have you come for tea?” She tucked her stained fingers behind her back.
“I did. Thomas asked me to take tea with him today, but I cannot be long. The shop is busy.”
She gave him a tight smile. “Yes, it seems extraordinarily busy lately, but that is a good thing, is it not?” She tried to make her voice sound carefree. “Will you only be taking tea with Thomas?”
Wickham laughed. “I am sure Louisa will join us. She is not one to pass up an opportunity to entertain.”
“I am sure they will be happy to see you. Thomas has mentioned how he has missed your stories at night.” Lydia hoped he heard the hint in her words. It was not only Thomas or Louisa who missed seeing him.
“I have been busy.” Wickham shifted uneasily.
“So you said.” Lydia moved toward the stairs. Disappointment wrapped itself around her heart.
“Lydia,” he called after her.
She stopped but did not turn to face him.
“I have been busy.”
“I heard you,” she snapped. “I have been busy as well.” She spun to face him. She held out her hands. “My fingers did not become stained from lack of work, and my apron did not become soiled from sitting about the house. I have been busy, but I have not neglected our children. But then they are more a mother’s responsibility and not a father’s, are they not?” She saw the moment of pain in his eyes and immediately regretted her words. “I am sorry,” she said, dropping her head to look at the floor. “I am tired and my head aches.”
“Lydia, things between you and me are just…” He searched for the correct word.
She shook her head. “Go. Enjoy your tea with your children.”
“I am eating with Denny tonight.”
She nodded and forced a smile to her face. “Give my regards to my sister and remind her of her promise to visit next week.”
“I will.” He watched her start up the stairs.
“Mr.Wickham,” said Harriet. “Your bowl of flowers.”
“Will Mrs. Wickham enjoy them more in the sitting room or the entry?”
“There are already flowers in both of those places, sir.”
“Then where would you suggest?”
“She’s not had any in her room for nearly a week, sir.”
Wickham’s brows rose in surprise. “A week?” It was no wonder she was a bit out of sorts with him.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then, please, place them in her room. And Harriet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Would you be so kind as to inform me when these flowers need to be replaced?” If his arms could not hold her and tell her of his love, then he hoped the flowers would surround her and speak for him.
“Of course, sir.” Harriet smiled and gave a quick curtsy before hurrying to do as he had asked.
Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada. It is a day when we remember both the end of World War I and all soldiers who have given their lives to ensure our continued freedom. In honor of the day, I would like to start with a moment of remembrance before getting to the normal Monday post items. Below is a beautiful violin version of “The Last Post”, which will be played at many, many cenotaphs today. There will also be readings of the poem “In Flander’s Fields.” If you wish to listen to this poem, there is a reading of it by Leonard Cohen at this link.
Published to YouTube by Rachel Bostock on April 27, 2016.
I am truly grateful for the sacrifice made by so many.
~*~*~
Now, for my writing news:
This week on the blog, I will not have the normal Tuesday and Thursday stories for you as those concluded last week. I will be taking down both Persuading Miss Mary and Her Secret Beau soon, as I am working on getting them both ready for publication. I did not get a lot done on either of these this week as I spent the week being sick. Continue reading Music Monday: The Last Post – Violin
