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?
I know it’s a given that Mary will need to start seeing him differently — he’s not the white horse kind of prince charming. He’s more of a dark horse prince and far from what Mary would consider proper or acceptable.
I also know that Wes is going to have to change internally. His shift away from being only a pleasure seeker to someone who can be trusted by a lady such as Mary cannot be merely a facade he wears just to get her to say yes to his proposal. It has to be deeper and come from a place of desire for something more than momentary pleasures that originates within him. But what is going to make it believable that his change is long lasting? Mary needs to know that the change is not momentary.
I’m sure the answer will come to me eventually, but I would like that answer to show up sooner rather than later. 😀 [Suggestions are always welcome.] So far, I only have two chapters written of the story and am a week behind. That’s not just because I am pondering this large question. It is also because I have been busy, busy, busy with so many projects.
Here’s what I have been up to in my writing life:
If you click over to the Books Currently Available in Kindle Unlimited page, you will see that A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 1, as well as the individual titles found in that bundle, are now in Kindle Unlimited. In the process of taking those titles off of all my other vendors and putting them in KU, I updated their files and have adjusted the number order for the series page because I am discontinuing the Duos for now and maybe for always. I really don’t want to have too many bundles of the same books out there. It feels unwieldy and cluttered to have them in more than one bundle, and removing those Duos makes things more streamlined.
I also have published A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 2 in both ebook and paperback format. So, now if you are the bargain hunter sort of reader and want the full Dash of Darcy and Companions library, you can just purchase Cottage Collections 1 and 2 at a fraction of the price it would cost to buy them all separately. Unfortunately, if you purchase books on sites other than Amazon, you will have to wait until September to get Cottage Collection 1 when it leaves the Kindle Unlimited program.
Release day for A Scandal in Springtime is this Tuesday, June 4, 2019. I have an Austen Author post that day about some of the tension in the story along with an excerpt from the book. I’d love to have you drop by and say hi or click the like button.
In A Scandal in Springtime, Kitty Bennet writes a story called The Education of Mr. L, who was cursed for his behaviour and doomed to walk the earth while wearing his character on his back. 🙂 It’s a nice long, descriptive title, isn’t it? There are snippets from this story in the book, and to be able to write those snippets, I actually sat down and wrote that story while pretending to be Kitty. I have shared it with my patrons on Patreon, but the only other place it will be available will be through joining my mailing list. If you are already on my mailing list, you will automatically receive the story (soon — probably Tuesday?). If you are not on my mailing list, you can sign up now and get that story either on Tuesday with all the current subscribers or as part of the sequence of welcome emails that I have set up to introduce readers to who I am and what I do. [This is the link to my mailing list.]
As a reminder, Apple Blossoms concludes this Tuesday, and Persuading Miss Mary begins on Thursday. Loving Lydia will be removed from the blog soon to get it ready for publication (which I am still hoping will be June 18 but might be a couple of days later than that as I am a bit behind on the edits).
And I think that is all the news that I have for this week, so now I will leave you with a short (500 word or so) excerpt that plays on the theme of today’s music video but in a less straightforward fashion. In this excerpt, we have a character who to one and all has always looked like the rose or the prince on a white horse, but when you get to the heart of the matter, there’s a bit of wildflower and dark horse in this version of Bingley.
The excerpt is from later in the book so read understanding that it might be a bit of a spoiler, although I think I cut it off at a very intriguing part which will leave you wondering. 😉
AN EXCERPT FROM At All Costs:
He waited for Richard, then ducked into a tavern and wound his way through the establishment and out a side door. Across the alley, a large man leaned against the wall of a building, smoking. Seeing Bingley, he nodded and tipped his head toward the door to his right. Bingley gave a look up and down the narrow passage before entering the building.
“You continue to surprise me,” whispered Richard as he ducked through the door behind Bingley. “Ever considered espionage?”
Bingley chuckled. “No, although covert imports did cross my mind when I was younger.”
Richard raised a questioning brow.
Bingley shook his head. “All legal, nothing covert.” A slow smile spread across his face, “Well, until now, I suppose.”
Richard chuckled softly and followed Bingley down a hall and into a room where Wickham sat slumped over a table, a bottle of rum three-quarters empty and a scattered deck of cards framing where his head lay.
Bingley motioned for Richard to take a seat and then took one himself as he picked up the bottle of liquor, wiped the top, took a draught, and passed it to Richard. Richard took the bottle and a gulp of his own, all the while eying Bingley with a mixture of intrigue and appreciation. Bingley gathered the cards and gave them a shuffle. He also gave Wickham’s leg a nudge with his foot.
“Leave me be,” Wickham muttered.
“I am afraid that is impossible,” said Bingley, discarding the deck of cards and catching the legs of Wickham’s chair with the toes of his boots upset it, sending Wickham sprawling backward.
“What is the meaning of this?” Wickham sputtered as he clambered to his feet. He swayed slightly as he stood, blinking his eyes as he attempted to focus on the men before him.
Bingley waited patiently until Wickham’s eyes grew wide, and he took an unsteady step backward.
“I’ve heard stories,” said Bingley, rising and moving toward Wickham, who matched Bingley’s every step with a retreating step of his own. Bingley only smiled and continued to advance, steadily moving his prey toward the wall. “Lady Catherine visited Derbyshire.”
“Did she?” Wickham replied, attempting to sound surprised by such news. However, it was a feeble attempt as the fear in his eyes grew.
Bingley nodded. “She was displeased with Darcy’s choice of bride.”
Wickham’s eyes shifted to look at the door behind Bingley.
“Her curate is a gossip, it seems, but then you knew he would be.” Bingley placed a hand on each of Wickham’s shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “You told him about Lydia,” he hissed close to Wickham’s ear.
Wickham attempted to push Bingley away, but Bingley placed his right arm across Wickham’s neck, pushing against it firmly enough to make the man gasp and cough. “You thought I would not follow through on my promise.” He pressed a bit harder. “You misjudged me.”
~*~*~
Oh dear, Mary and Wes. I love that dark/white horse song choice; it is a perfect fit for this story. I see where this would be a struggle. Let’s look at how we first saw Wes… leaving Sally’s. I suggest that you do the opposite and have Mary see him leaving the Rectory/Parsonage. Many times, when people are forced to see themselves through the eyes of a loved one… it can create a crisis of faith and force them to really look at themselves and how they live their lives. He then may not like what he sees and goes to talk to the pastor/rector. We all do it when we have life questions. That would certainly get her attention and make her look at him with a different eye. It would have to be something pivotal for her.
You don’t even have to say anything about religion. She will then watch his behavior and she will see him differently… his look of peace… his behavior. In a conversation he might mention that he visited the pastor and had life questions answered. You are the author and you have a better way to say it than I do. I just know that would be the one area where she would go… OK, something is different… and then she would be drawn to that peace. He would no longer be dark and she would be drawn to his light… as we all are. Just a thought.
I loved the excerpt from At All Costs. I loved that story and… well, here is an excerpt from my review:
“I just want to say Brava! to our author for creating [this] character version of Bingley. OMG!! Who was this guy? I love, Love him… he was so cool. I got chill bumps when he was in full command mode. I would not want to cross him in any form or fashion. In fact, placing him and our dear Colonel together was simply brilliant. They were like the enforcers of this story. Things that Darcy couldn’t or wouldn’t do, Bingley and our dear Colonel could and would with no second thoughts about it. I was amazed.”
Blessings on the launch and success of all your hard work.
The Bingley in At All Costs is one of my favorite ones 🙂 Thanks for the lovely words in your review. I agree. I would not want to cross him and put anyone he loves in danger.
Those are good thoughts about Mary and Wes. Thanks for sharing them. It’s always helpful to have ideas put forward as they often then lead to other ideas and then those lead to others and so on. 🙂
‘it has a connection to my writing life right now’ That is all I read before watching the video. I loved the lyrics, LOVED them. All I could think of was Mary and Wes. Then! Then I came back and read your post. So Leenie, you nailed it Woman! I’m not even a rock/contemporary music person at all and I loved it.
I was so impressed with J.W.’s comment that I don’t think I could top her idea. My only thought was that Wes might start to lessen the flirty, teasing attention he gives to Mary, and serious up over time. At the end of Loving Lydia he still hasn’t come forth with the idea that he is truly interested in seeking Mary’s regard in anything other than acknowledgement of his worthy existence. ;/ He might also come to the aide of the Bennets not exactly like, but just as important to the family as Darcy’s rescue of Lydia in canon.
ooooo…that excerpt. Must go read that very soon!!! Looking forward to this week’s chapter editions. !!!
Yay! I’m glad you got the Wes and Mary vibe from that song as well. I know they were my first thought when I heard it on the radio a couple of weeks back and I have not been able to get it out of my brain since. LOL
I like that addition of becoming more serious… I have had a few thoughts about some sort of “rescue” situation or something similar, especially if he, like Darcy in canon, is doing it without expecting anything in return but just doing it because it was the right thing to do. Thanks.
It could also be in the gossip columns that Wes hasn’t been seen doing AB or C or that he was seen declining to be included in something. I like the PP idea that could even include helping someone he doesn’t have to and not expecting praise or notice for it and being flustered when he gets it because that wasn’t the point, he’s just trying to be a better person, for himself, and for Miss Mary. She is uber observant so even the small things are going to be noticed. She also has to become less severe and more excepting of humanities foibles as it were.
The Bingley in that series is my favorite of alllll the Bingley’s including Janes. 😊
There are some good ideas there as well. 🙂 Definitely, Mary needs to soften her edges somewhat, and I think Wes can get her to do that if he tries.
I was thinking Wes could help his brother with his rehab, so he will be that much closer to marrying Lydia. Due to family closeness, Mary observes how much Wes loves Richard and wants him to have a successful marriage ceremony. Mary could even help plan ceremony.
Wes and Mary learn about love, forgiveness, and relationships from watching and speaking to Darcy/Lizzy, Richard/Lydia, and Charles/Jane. Even their parents had some touching moments in the last 2 books.
Great thoughts! I actually have them set up so that they will get to observe each other in relatively close proximity. 🙂 Hopefully, just being exposed to each other will aid in some understanding.