September 12, 2026
Happy New (School) Year!
When you’ve been a teacher for years and years, had kids in school, and have a husband who still works at a school, September becomes a month to mark new beginnings.
And this month, it is marking some new beginnings for me in my writing life.
If you read the latest SWR Tearoom post, you’ll know that I’ve been struggling with feeling like quitting. I’m not going to, but I am going to have to change some things in order to keep doing this writing business – which I love.
Here’s the link to the SWR Tearoom article so that I don’t have to repeat myself.
To sum it up into one compound phrase that really does not encompass all of what I said in the article but at least gives a hint as to what it’s about, I am now a part-time author and am shifting my business plan a bit.
So, during this month of new beginnings, I am attempting to work into a part-time schedule that will be productive. To aid me in this, I’ve set two daily goals for myself, neither of which I have yet accomplished every day.
Those two daily (M-F) priorities are writing/working on a story for 30 minutes and working on audiobook things for 1 hour. And everything else will have to be slotted after those two things are done.
Today (Thursday), my writing time is being used writing this newsletter and updating the about section on my Patreon page. It will take more than 30 minutes to do all that, but I took a day off from Uber Eats because it was pouring rain this morning and I had no desire to get soaked, so I have a bit more time to do it.
My audiobook time today will first be used to add a new book to the ElevenReader library, because I haven’t gotten one added there this week, and then, if there’s time, I’ll do some more production work on chapter 5 of Not an Heiress.
Last week, part of my writing time was used to write the segment of Harriet and the colonel’s story at the end of this newsletter.
And last week, I also missed sharing a chapter of Not an Heiress on YouTube because I just hadn’t had enough time to get it ready. I hope that I’ll have chapter 5 ready for next week, but we’ll see.
So now, let’s jump into all the book news, starting with…
Audiobook News
I am still working on adding my Sweet Possibilities and Extras stories to ElevenReader. This is the final series that I have to add over there, and after today, I will only have two books left to add. Today (Thursday) I am adding Pretending to Love Mary to ElevenReader. It may actually be live over there by the time you read this on Saturday.
You can find all my books on ElevenReader @ bit.ly/Leenie-11R.
On YouTube, as mentioned above, I have started sharing Not an Heiress as a by-the-chapter audiobook and yesterday, chapter 4 went live over there. Chapter 5 is still a work in progress so it may be there next Friday or the following one.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to my YouTube channel, I would love to have your support in reaching my first 1000 subscribers so I can apply for monetization. You can find me on YouTube @ youtube.com/@leeniebbooks.
Book News
I have begun sharing Lydia’s story on Patreon! Chapter one posted this past Thursday, and there will be a new chapter added each Thursday as long as there is one ready to go. I have several chapters already scheduled to post for the next few Thursdays as I continue to write that story.
On Wednesday evening this week, I shared a Bookish Fun post called “Names and Colours from With Quill and Ink and Arguing With Mary Crossword and Wordsearch.” You should be able to find that in the Bookish Fun section of my blog, Patreon, or Substack if you missed seeing it in your inbox.
As the name suggests, it includes both a crossword and a wordsearch based on two of my Sweet Possibilities and Extras books.
Arguing with Mary is this month’s $0.99 book.
That’s $0.99 USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, EUR, GBP, with all other currencies also reduced, and it’s marked down at all the regular eBook retailers.
As you can see, Arguing with Mary is also one of the two eBooks to Keep that Patreon members can download this month.
Moonlight, Mistletoe, and Mary is the other eBook to Keep and is also the free Patreon read this month.
If you’re a subscription reader, Patreon is just one of the subscription places where you can read my books. In addition to Patreon, my books are included in the Kobo Plus and Everand subscription programs.
And one more impromptu book promotion that wasn’t planned until recent current events took place. I mean I’ve heard enough doom and gloom tariff talk to last me for years, although I know it’s not over yet and likely won’t be for some time. So, I thought, why not have some fun with it, and let there be some good financial news.
Therefore, from now until September 29, all my box sets are marked down by 50% on Smashwords. This is a public coupon code so it should be applied automatically at check out. Just double check that it is before clicking buy. (In case you need it, the code is 7X6Y6)
You can find a list of all my box sets on the Box Sets page of my website at this link.
And now for…
Something New to Read
In this section, Harriet and the colonel’s reunion continues.
Please remember that there are sections where previous chapters from all the Harriet and the Colonel stories can be read on whichever platform you subscribe to.
On my blog, look for Harriet and the Colonel in the menu options.
On Substack, look for the Harriet and the Colonel section on the home page.
On Patreon, look for On the Way to a Wedding in the collections tab.
Chapter 3 (Part 2)
Four hours later, the various aspects of travel had been sorted, dinner had been eaten, and a fire crackled in the hearth of the drawing room where Harriet sat snuggled into Richard’s side on a sofa, while Julian softly read a story to his wife on the opposite side of the room.
“This is lovely,” Harriet whispered. It was cozy and tranquil with a distinct domestic air. In her opinion, it was perfect and a lovely glimpse of the future. “The only piece that is missing is Edmund,” she continued, “and someone with whom he can share a quiet evening.”
“Perhaps that should be your next assignment,” Richard teased.
Harriet laughed softly. “It has crossed my mind, but I would not have liked for him to have pushed me at anyone –”
“And yet, he did attempt to do so,” Richard interrupted. “How many times did he mention this gentleman or that one to you before some soiree?”
This was true. Her brother had put in a valiant effort to find her someone to marry who was not Richard. “He mentioned and suggested, but he did not force me to dance with them or go on drives or anything like that.”
“Yes, well… I am still somewhat put out with him about his refusing to let me court you for so long. Not that I do not understand why he chose to do as he did, but I did not appreciate being kept from you.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss in her palm. “I might still be waiting if it were not for your interference. And that is why, I think perhaps it might not be so bad a thing to offer some assistance to your brother in this – maybe not to the point of concocting schemes that put anyone or their reputation in danger, but surely, you could discover someone who might fit nicely into his life.”
“I cannot believe you are suggesting that I play at matchmaking. You have always despised such things, or at least that is what you have said in the past.”
“I have never been so happily matched as I am now, and I find that I very much wish for my dearest friend – for you brother is still that to me – to be as content as I am.” Here, he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head before punctuating his point with a contented sigh.
“I would like for him to be loved as I am and you are,” she agreed.
“I would assist you if needed,” he offered.
“And I would be happy for the help,” she said. “But first, we must marry, and that cannot happen until our current assignment is done.” Hopefully, it would be over soon. While she thoroughly enjoyed figuring out puzzles and the prospect of helping her brother and his men rid the world of horrid people, she was rather eager to be Mrs. Fitzwilliam and settled into a life with the man at her side.
He hummed his agreement while tightening his hold on her for a moment, but said no more. Harriet also did not feel a pressing need for conversation, so the two of them sat in silence, just listening to the lilt of Julian’s voice and the snapping and crackling of the fire.
Lack of conversation did not mean that all was quiet, however. In her mind, Harriet was busy going over all the pieces of the investigation as things had transpired so far. Of course, she was not certain she knew all the details. It would not surprise her to learn that Edmund had withheld some information from her. He had withheld information from Richard about Mrs. Younge’s relationship with Mr. Wickham. And if he would withhold information from his best man, he would definitely withhold it from his sister.
“Are Mrs. Darcy and her maid, as well as Miss Darcy recovering well from their ordeal?” she asked as her thoughts had brought them to mind.
Richard nodded. “They seem to be. I think being able to vent her spleen on your brother did Mrs. Darcy much good.”
“I am glad to hear it. I still cannot believe he did not tell you about Mrs. Younge.”
“He will not make that mistake again,” Richard assured her.
“I hope not,” she muttered.
“I read the letter he wrote to Darcy about his part in the ordeal,” he added. “It will not happen again. I believe any chance that it might have, was removed when Mrs. Darcy put her bit of theatre into action at that inn.” He chuckled softly. “You would have enjoyed it.”
“I am certain I would, and it makes me anxious to meet her.” With this said, the pair once again lapsed into silence as Harriet turned her mind to Mr. Wickham.
She had never met him, but she had heard about him. He was charming – dangerously so, according to Miss Cooper. Of course, Miss Cooper was speaking about the fellow’s ability to charm a lady into ruin, but Harriet knew that the danger in his charming ways extended further than that – to life itself. He had orchestrated an abduction that was quite bold and well-crafted to cause pain and financial distress to someone he had once counted as a friend.
What still boggled her mind was why was someone, who could charm his way through life and diabolically scheme his way nearly into substantial wealth, suddenly fearful? If she had to guess – and truly, that was all she could do – she would say that Mr. [name] had something to do with it. But what? And how did Mr. Wickham, who had known Mr. [name] for many years, not know that he was the one for whom they were looking until recently?
Samuels’ visit before Edmund went to town played again in her memory, and it still did not sit right. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she knew that Mr. Wickham was playing out some sort of scheme.
“What do you think Mr. Wickham’s scheme is?” she whispered to Richard.
He simply shook his head and said, “I wish I knew, but perhaps we will know more when we get to London.” She felt him draw a deep breath before he added, “Your brother would not be the first to underestimate that miscreant.”
She sucked in a quick breath as a terrible thought entered her mind.
“What is wrong?” Richard asked.
She swallowed and whispered as softly as she could for she most certainly did not want her sister to hear this. Indeed, she did not wish to hear the thought outside of her head. But if anyone needed to hear it besides herself, it was Richard. “What if Edmund is being led into a trap?”
Thank you so much for being my readers! Have a lovely weekend!
<3 Leenie
