The Home Stretch

It's certainly been a harried last few weeks trying to get the old house straightened out, but we're coming into the home stretch and by the end of this week, it will be finished and put up for sale. (I'd like to add "even if it kills me" but I have some dodgy ladder work to do in the kitchen, and I don't want to tempt fate.)

I haven't been writing per se, because I don't have the time, however, I have been taking notes and I've been working on the synopsis for THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE. That book will not probably be written until next year sometime, but it's good to write notes down now, so I don't forget what I want to do with it.

I've also done some writing on THE EARL'S ENQUIRY. Funnily enough, it was a very serious, very important conversation that happens between Lady Olivia and the Earl of Bailey. I hadn't planned it that way, but sometimes that's how it happens in the writing biz. One minute you're spilling out the first line, the next you're working on the most important scene in the book with nothing in the middle. But it all works out when you get to write THE END.

But first, yes, I must get to the edits on A ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION. It shouldn't take long once I stick my mind to it, the problem is, waiting for the time. The old house was supposed to be finished last week, but with every contractor I've ever known, no one finishes on time, least of all me. And it's not that I have a lot to do, I don't. A little bit of painting, some trimwork, the floor of the deck and the bathrooms, and that's it. The weather has broken as well, so it won't be as hot or muggy and the painting will go smoothly. The COLLECTION will probably be released around the 21st if everything goes well.

As for everything else, one day at a time.

So that's what's going on and where I've been. Thanks for stopping by.

A New Story to Wait For

Funny what happens when you spend five hours painting the hallway and dining room. I found a new story. Not that there's a whole lot I can do with it at the moment. I'm still working on the old house and haven't had time to think, let alone write something down.

BUT...

The seeds are there.

A couple of months ago, I found pictures for a few characters for a new story (as I was building my A -Z Challenge posts for this blog) THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE. I have two beautiful sisters and only one man to marry. I do know which woman will get Mr. Summerville. However, I didn't know what would happen to the other sister.

Guess what, I do now.

It seems in LADY CADORET'S LONGING I have an extra duke hanging around with nothing to do. Who needs love badly. Who wants to marry and raise children. Only problem is, he's a first class jerk. Not the stumbling bumbling Winsbarren kind of jerk. Or the "I'll do whatever I want" kind of jerk like Robert in THE DUKE'S DIVORCE. No, the Duke of Straford is a first class jerk with nary a hint of decorum or nicety about him. Someone who is not a sympathetic character at all.

And I can't wait to write about him. Unfortunately, if I look at my timetable, I won't be able to get to him until 2014.

That's the problem with this writer. I can't write everything I want to when you want to. Unfortunately, writing takes time and is something in short supply at my house these days.

However, the Monster Child goes back to school this Wednesday (1/2 days) and then back in full time the last week in August. I have 6 solid hours every day of that last week to get everything completed and finished at the old house. Come September 4th, I am dedicating those 6 hours every day to get the last of the formatting issues completed on THE ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION and then it will be published both in e-book and paperback.

Then I will go all out crazy to finish up THE LADY'S MASQUERADE because I am just so sick of that book being the albatross. Yes, it was the one that started it all, but it needs a lot of work to get it right. I need to tie up all kinds of loose ends in that before I can even think about starting THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE.  (Talk about a lead-in).  But before that book can even be started, I still have to finish THE CAPTAIN'S LADY, and THE EARL'S ENIGMA. (Which, according to my calculations, will be next year.)

(And then, let's not forget about the writing I do under my other pen name Robynne Rand. I'm working on a collection of short stories and two more novels on that side.)

You know, this is real life. In every project I ever start, I need to do 19 things first, BEFORE I can even begin to do what I want to do. You should see how long it takes when I try to clean the kitchen...

Tell me -- How frustrating is it for you as a reader to wait for the next book from an author? Do you ever wonder just exactly what they do with their time instead of writing?

My New Cover for A Romantic Regency Collection

Isn't it beautiful?

Lady Cadoret's Longing is Done

Seven days. It took seven days to write this short story, or is it a novella at 20,000 words? Of course, during the course of this week, I gave up laundry, vacuuming, cooking, dusting, working at the old house, mowing the lawns and showering. Okay, I did cook. Twice.

But it's done and I feel great. I like this story. It's cute. It also deals with some heavy duty topics, like death. Ewww. But I think I pulled it off with aplomb. Or perhaps after you read it you might think it bombs. I don't know.

Either way, I'm pretty happy with it. It's going into a collection with three of my other short stories. No, I'm sorry, you won't be able to find it singly by itself. I want to give people a chance to have the whole collection together in one place rather than taking space up on their e-readers.

I'm also going to put this book in paperback as well. Give-aways will be forthcoming in the fall. Perhaps if my fingers hold out, I may also be able to get THE LADY'S MASQUERADE finished in time for the celebration.

In other news, I also made a book trailer for THE DUKE'S DIVORCE. You can find it here for your viewing pleasure. http://youtu.be/3UF7waPhJ5I

Hope you all have a great week.