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Music Monday: Peaceful, Louis Landon

I could use a little peace on this Monday morning. How about you? If so, click play, and listen to this pretty piano piece while you read about the exciting, yet not so peaceful, stuff going on in my writing life and then continue on reading to enjoy the first story excerpt from Master of Longbourn.

Landon, Louis. “Louis Landon Peaceful.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar. 2011, youtu.be/X2Z-dduUEaQ.

First up, writing news:

Zoe Burton, Rose Fairbanks, and I have started doing live Saturday broadcasts on our Facebook group called Longbourn Literary Society. I know that not everyone is on Facebook, so I am attempting to download the videos after we finish and then upload them to YouTube. I have managed to figure out how to do it for three of our Saturday chats. The most recent one can be found HERE.  They are conversational, and we’re just learning as we go. However, it’s been a blast doing these. If you have any questions for any of us, feel free to leave them in the comments here or on the YouTube video. We’ll do our best to answer them. [warning: They’re not short. We get very chatty.]

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is in the process of being put on preorder. I finished a very long session of editing Saturday night just as the clock was striking midnight. As I write this post on Sunday night, I have submitted the files to one ebook sales platform and have two others to do. The print version will be worked on after the ebook has been put on preorder. The release day for this book is Thursday, April 26, 2018 — that’s just ten days away! But it should be enough time to get the print book ready to go. (I hope 😉 barring any technical issues)

Confounding Caroline concludes this week, and there will be no Thursday story for two weeks.  I will be sending that manuscript to my final editor this week, and am still planning to have it ready to release by mid-May which is close to when the sequel Delighting Mrs. Bennet is set to start posting on Thursdays. It’s been a bit tricky to work on two new stories while having these other two so close to publication, so I will breathe a sigh of relief later this week when some of those items are off my plate, at least for a while. 🙂

I have started posting the sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Comfort on Patreon, and I am happy to report that I have just passed the 10K word mark on that story. I am enjoying this story so much. Here’s something you won’t hear very often — I’m loving Mr. Collins! Yep. Mr. Collins. He’s the romantic hero in this story, which is also something you won’t hear very often. LOL To me, he’s awkwardly endearing in this story. Until tonight, I had not decided on a title for this story, but since chapter one is in the back of Mr. Darcy’s Comfort, it had to have a title. I have had a list of titles and the one I chose, Master of Longbourn, has been “speaking to me” as I have been writing. It seems to encapsulate a good deal of the inner conflict poor Mr. Collins has been facing so far.  Below is an excerpt from chapter two which I hope will give you a tiny taste of Mr. Collins’s character as I am writing him.

Whatever you do, when you read the excerpts I will be sharing, do not think of any of the versions of Mr. Collins you have seen in film or likely any you have read in various variations either. Come to this story with an open mind expecting that I will do as I always do and present a character to you that is perhaps a bit different than you expect with a backstory that makes him who he is and poses a challenge for him becoming who he wishes to be. Or in other words, remember who is writing this story. Leenie likes to shape and mould these less likable characters into something new and enjoyable. (And she’s hoping to do just that with her Mr. Collins.)

Here’s your first peek at my Mr. Collins. Enjoy!

AN EXCERPT FROM Master of Longbourn:  Continue reading Music Monday: Peaceful, Louis Landon


Music Monday: Edward/Elinor – Come Home (One Republic)

Sense and Sensibility was the first Austen novel I ever read many years ago, and I do like revisiting it now and again whether it’s in the form of the book, a movie, or a fan video like the one I am sharing.

CoolCatKerr. “Edward/Elinor – Come Home.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Dec. 2008, youtu.be/u52sW9sh5NY.

I will also admit that I have been considering this story a bit more lately. One of these days, I am going to write another Touches of Austen book, and it might be one based on Sense and Sensibility. However, writing such interesting and enjoyable things has to wait until there is a cushion in the bank to cover a hit since honestly, they are not yet great sellers. (Notice I said yet — I’m a bit stubborn and have no plans of giving up these sorts of projects. Eventually, they just might catch on. 🙂 )

But that is a future plan.

Currently, I have a couple other new writing projects underway, and two books making their way to publication. So, I’m busy enough without adding another thing (even if I am sorely tempted to do so). Here’s what is happening in my writing life at the moment:

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is in the hands of my final editor, and by this time next week, I will have preorder information for you. I am sharing an excerpt from this book in my Austen Author post tomorrow. Oh, and I will be revealing the cover.

I have begun writing the Sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Comfort, which is still title-less. In fact, I shared the first chapter with my patrons on Patreon on Friday and included that in the manuscript I sent to my editor since I hope to put it in the back of Mr. Darcy’s Comfort. It’s not about a well-loved character and, even though Mr. Darcy will likely play an important role in the story, I am hoping that having the excerpt there will help readers not just pass over the book. [Yes, I do worry a lot. 🙂 Sometimes with justification, sometimes without. Only time will prove which it is this time. 🙂 ]

Confounding Caroline has only two more Thursday posts! Can you believe that? It is just waiting to be sent off to my last editor after she finishes with Mr. Darcy’s Comfort and should be published in May shortly after it’s sequel, Delighting Mrs. Bennet begins posting on Thursdays.

I have scheduled the first post of Delighting Mrs. Bennet for May 10, and I wrote the second post on Friday. That post will get a reread and be scheduled next Friday before I begin working on post three.

And those are my four reasons why any other temptingly interesting plot bunnies must stay in their hutch. 🙂

As mentioned last week, since I am in the beginning phases of writing, I am not comfortable publically sharing any excerpts so early on. I like to have several thousand words in place before sharing. Maybe if writing time goes well this week, I will have something next Monday, but I make no promises.

Until then…

I hope you have a good week!

~*~*~

Leenie B Books

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Music Monday: Easter Parade, Judy Garland

I found a clip on YouTube of a song that I thought was appropriate for this particular Monday morning. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it — and don’t forget to scroll on down and read my updates and a story excerpt (if you dare 😉 since it may contain spoilers).

Maldonado, Gregory. “In Your Easter Bonnet – Judy Garland (Easter Parade).” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Apr. 2011, youtu.be/lYac9O3GYTM.

Writing News:

Confounding Caroline:  THE scene posts this Thursday. You know — the one where Caroline falls into a betrothal. There are only two more posts after that one, and we will be ready for a new story to start posting after a short hiatus. Confounding Caroline is back from my first reader and just waiting for me to give it some attention before it goes off for the next round of edits. However, it has to wait since I must first attend to…

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort: I finished the first draft of this story on Thursday of this past week. I have begun to reread it and do a bit of polishing in preparation for sending it to my first reader. I hope to have it off to her by the end of tonight or maybe tomorrow. I will be posting the last chapter of the story on Patreon tonight. It took me a little longer to get this story written than expected, but I am still hoping to release it in April. However, it will probably toward the end of the month with a preorder up by April 17th or so.

That means both writing projects are now editing projects. Therefore, I have begun working on two new stories.

Delighting Mrs. Bennet: This will be the next Thursday story and will pick up Darcy and Elizabeth’s story from where it left off in Confounding Caroline. Plans for this story include some hopefully fun twists as well as a naughty little puppy. 🙂

The Sequel to Mr. Darcy’s Comfort: I have had some “conversations” with the characters, and I have some goals, conflict, and motivation sorts of ideas roughly sketched out. However, I have not written a word of this story yet. That will hopefully happen tonight, although my husband is off today, so it might be tomorrow before I get to begin. This story holds promise to be a fun story as well and will star another character that most readers do not particularly like. (Why do I feel compelled to work with the trying characters? :D) Hopefully, there will be a few readers willing to try it because it should be an entertaining read.

That’s it. A lot of transitioning from one project to another. Next week, there may not a story excerpt because I don’t think I will be far enough into either story to be comfortable with sharing from them. Today, the excerpt is from the end of the story, so read at your own risk.

AN EXCERPT FROM Mr. Darcy’s Comfort:  Continue reading Music Monday: Easter Parade, Judy Garland