Author: Leenie Brown

Leenie Brown fell in love with Jane Austen's works when she first read Sense and Sensibility followed immediately by Pride and Prejudice in her early teens. As the second of five daughters and an avid reader, she has always loved to see where her imagination takes her and to play with and write about the characters she meets along the way. In 2013, these two loves collided when she stumbled upon the world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction. A year later, in 2014, she began writing her own Austen-inspired stories and began publishing them in 2015. Leenie lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her two teenage boys and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley and Edmund with healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tillney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).

Thoughtful Reader, František Dvořák: Čtenářka (1896)

František Dvořák (1862-1927) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

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“I have already explained why you did not know about my guests,” his mother said sternly.

Wes wondered for a moment, before he recovered himself after being caught woolgathering, if she had been reading his mind, for her look was as severe as her tone.

“Yes, I am not to be trusted.” He attempted to keep his tone flat and not one which spoke to his great displeasure with the whole situation.

A small, quiet burst of laughter caught his ear and drew his eyes to Miss Mary, who was diligently smirking at her book. The cheeky lass! What he wouldn’t do at this moment to be alone with her and discover just what she was thinking.

[from Persuading Miss Mary, book 4 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]

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Confounding Caroline ~ Delighting Mrs. Bennet ~ Loving Lydia

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Music Monday: Dance of the Imagination (Greg Maroney)

Guess what starts tomorrow? 😀

Grace Love was not the sort of lady who sat on the side during dances. She was not the sort of lady who stayed at home when there was an outing to the park. She was not the sort of lady who avoided any sort of fun. Or, at least, she had not been such a lady until now. And all it had taken for Grace’s world to change had been one house party.

With eyes narrowed, she watched the progress of her sister’s hat as the carriage Felicity was perched in made its way down the street.

“Grace, dear, do not spill your tea on that chair.”

“Of course, Mama.” Grace pulled her attention back to the sitting room in the house they were renting for the season and away from her treacherous sister.

[from Her Secret Bea, Touches of Austen Book 3]

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby. Published on YouTube on July 5, 2015.

I had considered attempting to find songs with either the word secret or whisper in the title for each week that this story posts. However, I do not know how many weeks that will be, and I thought I might get bored of that. 😀 So, I might toss in a few secretively titled songs over the weeks but not every week. This week, I have selected a song that is on my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify that has a title which reflects what must happen as a story is being written. The imagination must dance! 🙂

And my imagination has been dancing. I am not sure how many conversations Mary and Wes have had in my mind this week. It all has to do with future possibilities, however, and not the portion of the story I am currently writing. They are even making it a bit of a challenge to focus on any other story but theirs. But then, we should expect Lord Westonbury to be a bit troublesome, shouldn’t we? LOL Continue reading Music Monday: Dance of the Imagination (Greg Maroney)

The Audio/Visual Connection to Writing

In this quote, Voltaire linked writing and painting.

I tend to not only think of writing as painting word pictures but also as something possessing musical qualities. I listen to the rhythm and tone of what I write as much as I do the images I paint. I want my words to flow smoothly where they should and have a staccato rhythm where it is needed.

Both visual and audio arts can stir the emotions and resonate deeply with the person experiencing the art. I hope that my writing can do that — if not now, then, maybe one day as I continue to improve.

But how do the visual and audio arts inspire my writing? If you follow my Music Monday posts or my Wordless Wednesday ones, you probably have a good idea that both music and art spark my creativity.

Tomorrow, in our LLS Society Papers video, Rose Fairbanks and I will be discussing this very topic and likely sharing a few examples of the link between the inspiration and final product.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM Eastern, but the video of the discussion can be viewed after that as well.

Books and links mentioned in the show:

Rose’s Links

Once Upon a December

Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn

How Darcy Saved Christmas

The Maid of Inverness

Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride

A Sense of Obligation

Leenie’s Links

My news-related links:

A Scandal in Springtime

Mailing List Sign Up Form

Darcy and…

Books Currently in KU

And my discussion-related links:

Finally Mrs. Darcy

Music Monday: Five Long Years (Colin James)

Pinterest Book Boards

Mary: To Protect Her Heart

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

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You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

St. George’s Hanover Square (1787), T. Malton

“St George’s Hanover Square,” aquatint, by T. Malton. Dated 1787. Courtesy of the British Library, London. [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

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“What do you mean I am not allowed entrance?” Reginald Fitzwilliam, Viscount Westonbury, glared at Mr. Nibley.

“Just that, my lord. The countess has informed me that you are not allowed entrance without specific invitation.”

“But it is my home!”

“Not at present, my lord. Your residence is the house in Brook Street.”

“The house in Brook Street?” Wes huffed and looked at the sky above him before continuing. “I fully realize that my residence is in Brook Street. However, this is also my home, and I will not leave without seeing my mother.”

[from Persuading Miss Mary, book 4 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]

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Confounding Caroline ~ Delighting Mrs. Bennet ~ Loving Lydia

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Music Monday: White Horse, Tenille Townes

I’m sharing something a little different from my usual Monday Music selections. However, it is a song that I have been enjoying lately and it has a connection to my writing life at this moment in time.

Published to YouTube by Tenille Townes on March 18, 2019.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about Persuading Miss Mary this week because I’m struggling a bit with finding the answer to what I think is the major question of the story. How is Wes going to persuade Mary to love him when he represents something of which she very strongly disapproves? Continue reading Music Monday: White Horse, Tenille Townes