I love epilogues. I like to know what the characters are doing 2 years, 3 years, 5 years down the road. I have completed my ‘modern’ novel and am working on the epilogue. The darn thing is giving me problems…so many that I may write a short epilogue, or none at all, and begin a short story with those characters instead an epilogue! I want to finish so I can get back to my Regencies.
If you have read my first book you know that James Jessop, Earl of Fairford was married to Lord Tenbury’s sister Harriet. He is one of my favorite heroes. My second book is their story. It practically wrote itself. I based his home, Ashford Abbey near the village of Fairford in Gloucestershire. Well! On our recent trip to the UK we stayed in a cottage about 3 miles from Fairford and I got to visit the village twice. It is known for its church, St. Mary’s, that has medieval stained glass windows.The picture above is one I took of St. Mary’s church in Fairford. I used the stained glass theme in my book. I am now going to rewrite some of the book and incorporate my new found knowledge of the area. It is a lovely village and the Cotswolds are just beautiful. I am so fortunate to have been able to actually visit a place I had written about. My other locations, except for London, of course, are fictional.
I received my first royalty checks today and feel like a real writer, although I would write for the joy of it in any case!
In about a week we will be on our way to England/Scotland/Wales for one month. I hope to visit many of the sites I write about in my Regency novels. Work continues to progress on the modern romance. Why is it I fall in love with my heroes?
I made some great progress with Major Stafford’s Lady (book #3) in the Rothwell series while we were in Disneyworld, and then I hit a brick wall. A modern day romance was tickling around in my brain…a story I had begun years ago…and it would be heard! So I may write that story first (it will be a short story or novella, not a novel) and then get back to book #3. For some reason, the modern story is begging to be told!
So far all of my reviews have been very good. Some are by people I know, some are by people I do not know. Of course my sister Janet wrote the first one and predictably it was a good one. Today I got my first ‘less than stellar’ review. It was from someone I do not know (good!) who thought the book began well but became predictable and boring in the middle. The reviewer went on to say that he or she imagined it would lack drama toward the end. I am not sure if that means he or she did not finish the book because it was boring for them or what. In any case, I can take it! All regencies romances, and romances in general are somewhat predictable. The hero and heroine get together in the end. I am not thwarted. I write on! I love the Rothwells!
After a rather dry spell, Major Stafford’s Lady, book #3 in the Rothwell series is well under way. Because it is a bit different from the other two, I sometimes need to take a break from writing it. What do I do then? I re-read what I’ve written so I don’t lose the ‘feel’ of the story. One thing I love is the abrasive relationship that Robert Rothwell, Lord Tenbury has with his younger brother Edward. It is rather like the relationship of Siegfried Farnon and Tristan Farnon in the James Herriott books. The scene I wrote for them in book # 3 still makes me laugh. I suppose that is kind of weird…to create a scene and then read it as if I didn’t write it. Odd, but that’s how it goes. I think I am about half way through the book now, or perhaps a bit more.
Two horrible words–writer’s block! I am now stuck after dashing off about 20+ pages of novel # 3. I do not like what I’m writing. It doesn’t have the right ‘feel’. How do I know that? I go back and read novel # 1 and novel #2! So I am going to stop for a few days. Then, I will probably re-read everything I’ve written in novel #3 to get back in the groove, so to speak. I need to reconnect with the theme of the book and then, hopefully, the ideas will flow again. The general outline is there but the actual text is not to my satisfaction. To be continued!
Jane’s story is rapidly morphing into a story about more than just her romance with Major Tom Stafford. The Rothwells intrigue me. There are long passages of the book dealing with the relationship between Robert and Edward (always fun to write) and the relationship between Jane and Harriet. Still, it is basically a romance and that will come through. This is the most challenging book to write because there is an arc with Jane’s story and her brother Robert’s. Charlotte and Will must eventually appear. It will be interesting to see what they ‘tell’ me to write when that time comes!
Well I am busy on novel # 3, Jane’s story. The Rothwells are really a delight to write about. Each one has his/her own distinct personality and frankly if Jane was alive today I think she might be diagnosed as slightly ADD. She cannot behave exactly the way a proper Regency lady was expected to behave, although she would desperately like to. Her family, especially her mama, is in despair. She has reached the ripe old age of 23 and is still unmarried. How can she compete against the 18 year olds who will make their come out this Season? And on top of everything, she has decided she will not marry at all unless it is a love match! Though the male members of the ton cannot see it, her worth is recognized by a handsome, though non- aristocratic major named Thomas Stafford. Fun!!!