Meet the Characters: Charles and Evelyn

We’re moving on to book two of my Other Pens series this week. You’ve met these characters already if you’ve read Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy since both of these characters are good friends with the main characters in book one.

This is how I like to build series. Each book is a stand alone, complete romance, but what happens in earlier books lays the foundation for and adds to the fictional world in which the characters live.

I like reading, and therefore, writing, series that are like this since it really gives me a feel for a place and society/group of friends or family that I might wish were real enough to visit. So when, I say, “step into their world” at the end of this little promo video I made for the series, I hope you really do feel like you are doing just that when your read any of my books!

Now, back to Charles and Evelyn, also known as Mr. Edwards and Miss Barrett. Let’s step into their world as they are at a play in chapter 3 of Charles: To Discover His Purpose.

You’ll notice some other familiar faces – Aunt Gwladys, Constance, Henry, Trefor – in this partial scene because everything that happened in the last book is what this book is building on.

And, I have another fun addition to the end of this post like I did last time. It’s another video but much longer.

Continue reading Meet the Characters: Charles and Evelyn

Meet the Characters: Henry and Constance

It will come as no surprise to those who have been readers of my stories for a while that I do not just write Austen-inspired stories that reimagine Austen characters in new places and situations. I do write those kinds of stories, but I also like to develop my own characters to insert into Austen-inspired stories and, of course, to populate my own original stories.

My Other Pens series is one that combines a few of Austen’s characters, as reimagined to some extent by me, and many original characters. This is a series where we step off of the last page of Mansfield Park and into Henry Crawford’s world as it continues past Austen’s novel.

Did you know?

The Other Pens series title comes from the first line of the final chapter of Mansfield Park:

Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody, not greatly in fault themselves, to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.

Continue reading Meet the Characters: Henry and Constance

Music Monday: Falling Leaves (Brian Crain)

Some days just need a little Brian Crain, and I decided that today is one of those days. 🙂

I selected this particular song* for a couple of reasons (besides the fact that I love it). First, while there are no falling leaves in this excerpt, the scene is happening when it is raining, and the music lends itself well to imagining rain falling in place of the leaves. Second, it’s October, and October means falling leaves around here. 🙂

So, Happy October to you! And enjoy the excerpt. 🙂


Bea made a show of concentrating on the flowers she was planting in the garden on her canvas, and said, “A house party will be exciting, I am sure.”

“Oh, indeed!” exclaimed Grace before beginning a litany of things that she just knew would happen at this party. This, in turn, led into another recital of many of the interesting bits of gossip from the season. This meandering stream of stories which were of great interest to the Misses Loves and of little interest to Beatrice continued until there was a soft tapping at the door and in walked Max, followed closely by Everett and Graeme.

A story about an unfortunate gentleman who had been rejected twice by the same lady ended abruptly and was replaced with excited exclamations of greeting and cries of how dreadfully dull the day had been without the gentleman for company.

“Did you miss me?” Graeme asked Bea. He had wandered away from the shrill voices of the Misses Loves and had found his way to the corner where Bea was working. “It is a fine representation,” he said, tilting his head to study her painting. “You are becoming quite proficient in landscapes, which means you will soon have to move on to other things such as handsome neighbours whom you missed.”

He had missed her. As he settled himself against the wall just behind her to her left, he had to admit how pleasant it was to be greeted by her smile. He had been restless all day, but here, he finally felt at ease.

Bea chuckled. “Did I miss you?”

“Oh, you did,” Graham replied with a smile. “I hear it was quite dull around here without me.” Beautiful blue eyes filled with amusement met his.

“Most dreadfully, but if you do not believe me, you may ask Grace.”

“There is no need for her to repeat it. I heard her quite well when we arrived,” he replied with a laugh.

[from His Beautiful Bea]


Click the image to find His Beautiful Bea in your Kindle store.

*The link in the first paragraph is to the song on Spotify. This is not an affiliate link. It is just my way of attempting to help out the artists whose music I share.


Music Monday: After All (Robin Spielberg)

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY ROBIN SPIELBERG – TOPIC ON JUNE 23, 2015

This week’s choice from my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify, After All*, seemed well-titled to go with today’s short excerpt from The Tenant’s Guest.

In this excerpt, Darcy and Elizabeth have met to talk the day following their surprise reunion at Willow Hall.


“What do you wish?” Her heart drummed fast and heavy in her chest as she voiced the question.

He smiled sadly. “My wishes and desires remain as they were.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she had to look away as she asked, “And what if my wishes have changed?” She looked back at him briefly before looking away once again. “Is there any hope that we might ever be more?” She shook her head. “I know I do not deserve it, but might I have a second chance?” Nearly before she had finished speaking the words, she found herself wrapped in his embrace, and then just as quickly, she was standing on the path looking at his back.

“Forgive me. I should not have — ”

“I am uninjured, sir,” she interrupted.

“But I had no right — ” Her smile as he turned toward her snatched all thought from his head.

“I am uninjured, sir,” she repeated. “In fact, I find I am quite well — more well than I have been in months.”

[from The Tenant’s Guest]


Find all the places where you can download And Then Love here.

Find all the places where you can purchase The Tenant’s Guest here

Sales price of $0.99 is USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, EUR, GBP, all other currencies also reduced

*The link in the first paragraph is to the song on Spotify. This is not an affiliate link. It is just my way of attempting to help out the artists whose music I share.


Music Monday: Scarborough Fair (Taryn Harbridge)

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY TARYN HARBRIDGE ON SEPT 29, 2019

Welcome back to Music Mondays. These posts will be no more frequent than every other week. They will, however, still feature a story connection. This week’s choice from my Music to Write By playlist on Spotify, Scarborough Fair*, seemed to have just the right sort of tone for the excerpt from the turning point from things going well in the story to things going very badly. Have you read this book? (It was once a Thursday’s Three Hundred story.)


Darcy jumped down from the carriage and lifted Elizabeth to the ground so that neither would have to wait for the steps to be put in place. If his sister were injured, he knew that he would not wish to wait for such a thing, and he assumed from the distraught look on Elizabeth’s face that she felt the same.

Elizabeth thanked him once again and then hurried toward Lydia, calling to her. Lydia jumped at her name, and Elizabeth thought for a moment she would run away. “Lydia,” she called again.

“Lizzy,” Lydia called back as she turned to meet Elizabeth.

The sisters met in an embrace with Lydia clinging tightly to Elizabeth and weeping. Darcy stood a short distance away. He neither wished to intrude on their privacy nor did he wish to be too far away if assistance was needed.

[from With the Colonel’s Help]


Click the image above to find all the places where you can get this book.

Sales price of $0.99 is USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, EUR, GBP, all other currencies also reduced

*The link in the first paragraph is to the song on Spotify. This is not an affiliate link. It is just my way of attempting to help out the artists whose music I share.