Mr. Darcy’s Comfort – Page 2

Music Monday: Period Dramas – At the Beginning

Welcome to the beginning of a new week full of possibilities. As I look forward to the week ahead, I like to start by taking inventory of where I am by looking back at what I accomplished last week. It’s a lot easier to know where you are going if you know where you are starting. 🙂

But first…

Some musical inspiration…

videosbyloo. “Period Dramas – At the Beginning (PDC).” YouTube, YouTube, 17 June 2011, youtu.be/jMLlkAMLV-Q.

And then…

Writing News:

Mr. Darcy’s Comfort released, successfully, last week on Thursday. 🙂 You can find out more about the book as well as a link that will provide all my vendor options at this link:

https://books2read.com/b/3GYBBr

My writing time focused only on Master of Longbourn this week because I actually took two nights off from writing. I did not take them off completely. I still did some other book business work, but no story was written. Launching a book can be draining (so much excitement is tiring 🙂 ) and when I combined that with a lack of sleep (because my body does that sometimes), I ended up with a mushy, not terribly creative brain. And that is not good for writing. 🙂 So, after fighting the idea for a while (I’m no quitter, you see :D) I gave in and allowed the brain to do things other than create imaginary worlds. Hopefully, this week, I will get in all five writing sessions.

Because of the book release, I did not do my regular editing time. I gave that time to book release sorts of things such as creating a graphic, posting an excerpt (which I am using for marketing purposes), sending out an email to my mailing list, making sure I had the book added to my book page and a few other things like that. (I have a list. It’s rather long.)

But that was last week, and though I will need to keep doing some marketing work for the new book, this week during editing period, I plan to begin final edits on Confounding Caroline since I have them back from my editor. I should have a publication date firmed up by next Monday!

I have also begun a project of updating book covers and reorganizing some things. This project will not be completed any time soon, but it has begun. I started by updating the cover for Listen to Your Heart. The story inside has not changed, although I did update the book list in the backmatter and added an excerpt from And Then Love.

And lastly, I created a bundle of stories — a box set of Dash of Darcy and Companion Stories. This bundle contains Finally Mrs. Darcy, Waking to Mr. Darcy, A Very Mary Christmas, Discovering Mr. Darcy, and Not an Heiress.

I have only uploaded this bundle to Kobo so far since I wish to apply to have it included in a promotion in May, but this week, I will be attempting to add it to other vendors. In fact, between when I am writing this Saturday night and Monday when you are reading this, I might have gotten part of that done. There will be a print version eventually.

Phew! You know, now that I have listed all that out I can understand better why I was so tired by the end of the day on Thursday. When I’m just working on this and that steadily through a week, I don’t see how much I am actually doing. Little by little, consistent, steady effort adds up!

Now, for…

AN EXCERPT FROM Master of Longbourn: Continue reading Music Monday: Period Dramas – At the Beginning

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Im Trauerhause (Fragment), Walter Firle

Walter Firle [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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A short picture-related excerpt from Mr. Darcy’s Comfort

After having eaten, Darcy made his way to Anne’s small sitting room. He paused outside the door for a moment, blew out a breath, drew another, and though his heart would not remain beating at the pace he wished it would but instead insisted on increasing its rhythm, he stepped into the room. Anne lay peacefully at one end. She looked no less fragile in death than she had in life.

“Aunt Catherine,” he said softly. He knew that though Anne looked as if she were sleeping, she was not, but still, he kept his voice low as speaking any louder seemed wrong.

His aunt looked up from her work of tying black ribbons around small packages. “I have one for you, Darcy.” She searched her basket and pulled out a larger item. It was wrapped in lavender cloth and tied with the same black ribbon she was using on her current project. “I selected a few items for you that I know she cherished.” She held the gift out to him. “She is still beautiful, is she not?”

Darcy turned his head to look once again at Anne. “Yes,” he answered. Anne’s was not a classical beauty but one of delicacy like a fine piece of china.

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Music Monday: Falling for You (Northanger Abbey)

I adore Northanger Abbey. It’s one of my favourite Jane Austen novels. I enjoy Catherine’s sweet nature and her youth and naivety (not to mention her imagination 🙂 ), and I find Henry’s teasing yet loving personality delightful.

As I was looking for a period drama montage video to share today, I watched a couple of Northanger Abbey videos, and I began to realize that Kitty in my work in progress shares some traits with Catherine — none of which were planned. Of course, they share the same name — that was not my doing ;), but they also share a love of novels and a sweet youthfulness. And both will end up with a clergyman. However, that similarity brings with it a contrast for Kitty’s parson, Mr. Collins, will be a former parson and welcomed heir to an estate while we know that Catherine’s parson, Mr. Tilney, is a son who has fallen out of favour with his father and is in the process of becoming a parson. The gentlemen have other differences as well, such as Mr. Tillney is confident while Mr. Collins is not. Their fathers, however, might have something in common.

Before I share an excerpt of my current work in progress, I need to share a little bit of writing news.

First, I want to remind you that Confounding Caroline has finished and there will be a two-week break between stories. Therefore, there will be no Thursday post this week. Delighting Mrs. Bennet will start posting on May 10.

Second, Mr. Darcy’s Comfort is currently on pre-order and will go live this Thursday! (The paperback is already live.) You can find Mr. Darcy’s Comfort at your favourite retailer by using this link: https://books2read.com/u/3GYBBr

If you wish to read a preview of Mr. Darcy’s Comfort, which is an extended preview until Thursday, you can do that at this link: https://mrdarcyscomfort.pressbooks.com/

I think that is all the news I have for you today, so let’s get to that excerpt, shall we? This clip gives a small bit of background info about Collins but also gives us a glimpse of Kitty’s personality.

AN EXCERPT FROM Master of Longbourn:
Continue reading Music Monday: Falling for You (Northanger Abbey)

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!

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