Say What You Will

Let’s start this with a Thank You to Tim Bergling who wrote this song. Wake Me Up, Avicii

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can’t tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start

They tell me I’m too young to understand
They say I’m caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don’t open up my eyes
Well that’s fine by me

So wake me up when it’s all over
When I’m wiser and I’m older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn’t know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
Hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don’t have any plans

Wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life’s a game made for everyone
And love is the prize

So wake me up when it’s all over
When I’m wiser and I’m older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn’t know I was lost

Didn’t know I was lost
I didn’t know I was lost
I didn’t know I was lost
I didn’t know (didn’t know, didn’t know)

Now, I listen to this song almost every single day. It isn’t my fave Avicii song, but it’s still really good if you don’t take into consideration the absolutely ridiculous over-the-top brand name dropping of the music video. So, as I said. I listen to it almost every single day.

Today? BAM! Idea. i just love how the mind works like that, don’t you? I’ve been listening to it and listening to it with nothing to show for it (aside from exceptional taste in music, of course), then out of nowhere,

I wonder, is it like that for you? How do your ideas come to you? Where do you store your ideas? Do you share them with anyone?

Now then, it’s Tuesday. Here’s a Tidbit. Enjoy!

Though her eyes were still closed, Mrs. Wescot spoke. “That one is trouble. Nothing but, if you ask me. Her sister, too. You girls would do well to stay clear.”

Sarah exchanged a glance with Barbara. To assuage the guilt she saw written in the younger girl’s eyes, she said, “Come pet, give it no more thought.”

“But Emily and Amelia are so favored. I need to stay in their good graces.” Barbara grimaced. “You wouldn’t understand, Sarah. You aren’t in anyone’s good graces, and I do not entirely believe you care to be, either.”

Sarah jerked as if slapped. “Then find your duke so I can be done with you. I would rather a thousand years of solitude than continue this farce.”

Overuse of Words

This is a subject that recently came up on Twitter. It was a fun discussion because it forces you to stop and actually be conscious of the words you use. ‘Tis a valuable lesson. One I missed in my personal life, it seems. Hopefully it is one I can still make up for.

Personal problems aside, at the time of the conversation my personal favorite seemed to be a phrase rather than individual word. Olivia, the heroine in my Cinderella revisioning, was always “doing as bade”. It’s 10,000 words, and I bet I use that phrase at least three times.

And it isn’t the bane of just the amateur, which is me. Stephanie Laurens, an author I absolutely adore, loves to use the word “bar” in her Cynster novels. Which was always funny to me, since the first six novels are about the group collectively known as the Bar Cynster…

Anyway. My current words seem to be “lest” and the phrase “well _____ know(s) it” – also seen as knew. Ugh. What starts these habits? Is it a limited vocabulary? I honestly thought I had a better vocabulary than evidenced by the frequency with which I use these words. Um. Is that grammatically correct? It’s late. I’m tired. I don’t know. Ugh.

Anyway. It’s Thesaurus Thursday. The words today were elapse and uproarious. Do enjoy!

Uproarious laughter echoed through the silence left by the musician’s break. Heads turned, everyone craning to see who would dare laugh so freely. Tucked into a dim alcove, Lady Patience sat frightfully close to a man. A devilishly handsome man with a wicked gleam in his eye, no doubt.

She and Patience being friends, and the latter the only daughter of Lady Hendrickson, Sarah knew she would bear the blame for this, too. Surely Lady Patience would never breach the strict rules set out for Proper Young Ladies. Not without the influence of a coarse orphan.

Several minutes, full of awkward silence then stilted conversation, elapsed. Whispers flew from mouth to ear as the scandalized Ton did what they do best: ruin an innocent girl.

Sarah put one foot in front of the other. She was so close to the dais, to Lady Jersey. It was time for her to take matters into her own hands.

She had a wager to lose, after all.

Proper Ladies Do Not Wager

At least, that is the lecture Aunt Margaret gave Sarah when she decided to finally thrust her into the whirl of the Season. I’ve put so much work into creating two flawed people with love to spare but I’m still struggling with planning the actual story. And that’s OK – I figure that just means I need more time to really discover Sarah and Stratford. We shall get there.

It is, of course, Tidbit Tuesday over in my Facebook group. Today, I put the attempted planning to the side and went back to that very beginning, to the hook. See, it all hinges on a wager between Barbara and Sarah. Barbara is a sweet young lady, but she is not cruel. And the original wager really made her seem cruel – if Sarah lost, she wanted Sarah to leave London forever. The wager, at its heart, is still the same. The stakes are the same. I’ve just changed how Barbara phrases it, really. I hope that it isn’t to easily guessed. But perhaps it shall be.

I did not get a lot written today, but there were actually words written. That’s exciting, right? Planning just really isn’t my forte. Every time I start a new project, I swear I’m going to plan it to DEATH, but nope. It just doesn’t happen. Kills the creativity, so to speak.

Now, it’s rather late, and I am rather tired so I give you my Tidbit for Tuesday. I hope you enjoy.

“Ten days, Cissy. ‘Tis all I need, and I wager he shall eat from the palm of an outstretched hand.”

The despised nickname grated over raw nerves, but Sarah Grace Patterson only said, “Hush now. A Proper Lady does not wager.”

At least, that is what Aunt Margaret had told her just the other day. According to that esteemed dragon, she could only hope to emulate the meanest of Proper Ladies, for she would never Measure Up.

Leaning closer, she lowered her voice to a whisper lest Lady Jersey or Countess Lieven hear. “Ten days to have whom eat from the palm, Barbara?”

Barbara shrugged one pale shoulder nonchalantly, as only she could. With an airy gesture to the crowded assembly room, she said, “Any one of them, of course. I believe a duke will do just fine for this wager, however.”

Music For the Soul…

Boy, time has really flown today. Well, that or it has something to do with sleeping in until almost 11 am. I love days like that.

The luxury of sleeping in aside, today has not been a productive day for me. I am working on the timeline for my newest project, A Lady’s Wager. Sarah and Stratford are two very complex characters. I have actually worked quite a bit on them to ensure this, and I know there is still more to be done. Because I have made them so complex, they are being very difficult with sharing their story.

To counteract this stubbornness, a trait they share by the way, I am attempting to hammer down the timeline for this novel. There are some things I would love to include in the story – historical events, that is. Princess Charlotte was married May 2, 1816. She had such a short life so I am choosing to celebrate it via inclusion. The Duke of Milan, a Jacobean era stage play by Philip Massinger opened at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Another inclusion. Unfortunately, I know very little about the play – and cannot seem to find a performance of it anywhere online to view. Perhaps I can find it somewhere to read. I was hoping for some actual social events to send my couple to, but I seem to be running into a roadblock there.

Music. Right. I was going to talk about music. There was a discussion on Twitter recently about what we listen to while writing. Because I’m having so much trouble with planning out this book, I thought I would try some period music. So I am listening to the Romantic Classical station on Spotify.

What’s in your playlist this week?

A Book to Review

I have a ton of books. Really. I’ll bet almost every single person who bothers to read this particular blog does, too. Well, I started this blog with the intention of reading and reviewing one book per week. I’ve reviewed exactly one. What?? So, what’s a girl to do when she breaks her promise to herself?

Renew her commitment to said reviews, of course. It might not be one every week, but you will get at least two per month.

I have to start somewhere, though. And of all the books I’ve been given or bought, where do I start? Well, I have to start with the ones I was given with the specific intent of gaining a review. So, back to reading The Devil In Duke’s Clothes. To temper this, I am also going to read The Troublesome Apprentice by Liza O’Connor.

What are you reading right now?

Guest Author Liza O’Connor

Because I need another book series to add to my TBR list, here is Liza O’Connor’s Sleuth series. Combining my three favorite things: romance, history, and mysteries. Yes!

Ella Quinn ~ Author

Please welcome Liza O’Connor back to the blog. Since her last visit, Liza has been very busy. Today she’s going to tell you about all the books in her Victorian mystery series. She is also giving away a book to one of you who tells her you want it. Take it away, Liza!

ARE YOU CAUGHT UP?

In case you haven’t even started, allow me to say you have a bunch of fun sleuthing in front of you.

The books are a humorous and serious, Late Victorian Sleuth Series with a tendency towards romantic moments. And for one lucky commenter, I will give you your choice of the books, although I strongly recommend reading in order.

It all starts with The Troublesome Apprentice where the greatest sleuth in England, Xavier Thorn, hires a cheeky troublesome apprentice. To his shock, he discovers the fellow has awoken his heart and “Vic” is…

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Like Pulling Teeth

Or, perhaps a better comparison is pulling away bits of my soul. This newest book is taking its toll on me. I have a very vague idea of what happens at the beginning, and (because I write romance) I know there is a Happy Ever After (HEA). I do not, unfortunately, know the in-betweens. Or frankly, beyond the prologue. It’s killing me because I know this is an idea that works. I know there is a story, a happy ending for Sarah and Stratford.

I love the Regency period, and all that it entails. That is the only era in which this story can take place. They tell me that. And for once, it isn’t even the period giving me problems. I don’t know what’s going on with this.

One thing I do know is that I have shied away from mentions of the Napoleonic Wars that were such a big part of this era. Well, not this time. I have a hero who lost sight in one eye during battle. He injured his foot in another.

I am absolutely still in the discovery stage, but I think I’m getting there. Bits and pieces are revealing themselves as I write. YAY!

Anyway, whine session over. Tis Thursday over here in Nopelandia (yes, still a thing). That means Thesaurus Thursday. Today’s choices were lobotomy and ebullient. Since the former was not coined until the 1930s, I naturally went with ebullient.

Ignoring the ebullient laughter drifting from the dance floor, Sarah contemplated the bubbles of champagne as they tickled her throat.

It might even stay in the writing, lol. Short but sweet today, folks. Have a good night!

Random Advice

i am working with embarrassment today. Here’s the advice at the end of this part of the Emotion Thesaurus. 

WRITER’S TIP: Be wary of showing emotion too readily through the act of crying. In real life, it takes a lot to reach a tearful state and so it should be the same for our characters.

That’s a good tip too. While I might be a Weeping Wilma (I cry when I laugh, which makes me laugh harder, lol) not everyone is. Even in our romances, we should be creating strong characters, not fragile flowers who cry to convey every. single. emotion. 

Stupid Tater Tots

one of the companies my employer contracts with provided us lunch today. Monical’s Pizza. Which is awesome. One of the best chains around. 

And I can’t have any of it. Why? Because we fixed tater tots with dinner last night, and I ate too many. My fasting sugars were too high this morning. 

So, that’s awesome. No more tater tots. No pizza. 

Speaking of pizza, I do have a decent stand-in. In my nonstick pan, I melt cheese until crisp and top with pepperoni. I also like the meat crusts, but no one else in the house does. 

Low carb isn’t that bad. I promise. 

Novel Preparation

This is a great post on outing v pantsing. It fits in with my post yesterday where I discussed my crazy process!