“Shhh. Rest quietly.”
The heaviness on his chest lifted, but instead of feeling relieved, he missed the warm, protection of whatever it was. Or whoever it was, he adjusted as a hand cupped his cheek.
“We will be to the dock soon.”
He attempted to open his eyes again, but they still would not allow him to look at the lovely lady who was now stroking his forehead.
“Rest,” Mary cooed.
A drop of something wet splashed on his cheek and was quickly brushed away. Sniffling. She was crying. He forced his eyes to open enough so that he could see her through his lashes. If he could get his arms out from under these blankets, he could touch her, and she would know she had nothing to fear. But he could not do more than lift his hand and place it on his stomach under the blankets.
[from Mary: To Protect Her Heart]
Uploaded to YouTube by christamtime4u on October 21, 2011
Wouldn’t you like to know what is happening in that scene with Mary and Gabe?
Well, today is the day when you can because today is release day for Mary: To Protect Her Heart!
(And remember that this story as well as Charles: To Discover His Purpose, Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy, and His Beautiful Bea are all available to read in Kindle Unlimited.)
It was a busy week getting things ready for the release of Mary’s story mixed in with other things such as going to speak to a class of young writers (grade 4) on Wednesday. It’s always such fun to go into my friend’s class and share my love of writing with such eager learners. I also got to read some of their stories — which were excellent!
The busyness of the week, however, contributed to my not quite getting everything done that I needed to do for Mary’s release. I did not get Advance Reader Copies out until Sunday — Sunday! I don’t usually send emails on the weekend, but this time I had to. I also do not have a print version of the book ready to go at this time. It should be ready by the end of the week.
In other story news,
I have gotten my Nature’s Fury and Delight stories back from my final editor and have started on those corrections. Chapter two of Frosted Windowpanes will post this Thursday.
(Thank you to all who read and to those who commented on last week's post. It is so exciting to me to see people taking a chance on this Austenesque original tale.)
I picked the video above partially because I thought the images really fit with that story being set in the winter around Christmas time — and it is a story about a homecoming. As I explained in my author note last Thursday, this collection of stories was specifically written as a Christmas gift from me to my newsletter subscribers. If you are not a subscriber, you can click the link at the bottom of this post and be added to the list. Anyone who joins the list before the end of December will receive a copy of this book, and I am hoping to be able to give away a lot of copies. 🙂
I finished my first round edits of Delighting Mrs. Bennet and have sent that off to my first reader. Yay! Publication is still slated for the beginning of January.
I wrote the first installment of Loving Lydia, but I did not get any more of Tom’s story written. Therefore, there is no story excerpt this week (again — I’m starting to feel guilty about that 😉 ).
I think I need someone who can look at my writing plate when I am planning and tell me “No, that’s too much. Put one of those stories back” 😀 because it seems when I stacked this plate I definitely filled it too full. 🙂 [But there are just so many tempting story treats to pick up and play with.] Hopefully, by the new year, I will have it whittled down to manageable. And I thank you for your patience during this very scattered period of my life. <3
Until next Monday — have a blessed week!
Leenie
~*~*~
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How I love that part of Mary’s story. And of course the carpenters are one of my favorite
Oh, I am glad you like that part, too! Her lying on his chest and him worrying about her and… sigh. 😀
Oh, the music video was delightful. The music fit this story line so well and those photos in the video were so welcoming. Perfect choice. That excerpt certainly grabbed my attention. I can’t wait to see what that was about. Congratulations on the launch and success of your new Mary book. I’m starting it today. We were iced in yesterday and lost power for about an hour. Thank goodness it wasn’t like the ’94 ice storm. Whew! I don’t ever want to see that again. Unlike your neck of the woods, the southern states simply can’t handle a lot of winter weather. Places that rarely see snow are getting hammered, while other places are getting ice and rain. Oh well, we will manage. This too shall pass. Blessings and don’t over do… you need your rest.
Thank you.
Spring will come…eventually 😀 I hate ice storms (and power outages!). Whenever I hear there is a storm coming, I tend to make food that can be eaten even when cold and make sure I have enough books to keep me entertained for a while. I don’t know why, but we tend to lose power easily where I live. I hope you enjoy Mary’s story. That excerpt is from a favourite part of the story — the beginning of the conclusion. Gabe and Mary are just so sweet. (Yes, I did just say that about Mary Crawford. 🙂 )
I don’t know how you keep it all straight! I can’t READ more than one book at a time much less imagine writing more than one. LOL I love this song by the Carpenters. That and Merry Christmas Darling. I’m excited that “Mary” was released today. This means I get to devour it as a whole! Whoot! Also, really looking forward to being able to do the same with “Delighting”…oh and the elements one in between. 🙂 I am a greedy reader. I want them all. LOL Take some time for you in the craziness, we’ll wait.
LOL Sometimes I do have trouble keeping things straight — but that happens mostly if I am attempting to do more than one Darcy and Elizabeth story at a time. I find I often have to stop and just focus on one of those at a time. However, if it is different main characters for each story, that tends to make it easier because then it is like just switching classrooms from one class period to the next. 😀
I just love Karen Carpenter’s voice. It is so pure and beautiful.
I plan to push to get things done this month (before the 21st if possible) and then I hope to settle into a less crazy (though still slightly nuts) schedule. You know, I couldn’t keep this schedule if I didn’t love writing and sharing these stories so much. However, I know that I must try to pace myself better — which is a never-ending struggle for me and always has been. 😀
Enjoy Mary’s story! I think you’ll love Gabe (and Mary).