Sunday Afternoon De-Stresser

Vintage Tea and Text (digitally embellished by C. Hadleigh)

What do I do when in between writing my stories, especially in the midst of the Christmas season madness?  Easy -- I take out some lush yarns and brew a cup of tea; make sure to use a lovely vintage tea cup, put on the fire, the music and kick back. Works like a charm!

I'm not even sure what I'm knitting -- could be a hot pad for the table, a simple cowl, a pillow . . . ? It's just the simple, steady clicking of the needles, the feel of the soft yarn slipping through my fingers, the heady aroma of a good Darjeeling and a scrumptious candle burning on the mantel that eases the shoulders, the cramped neck, the frayed nerves (many of us writers have other jobs as well).

Before I know it, visions of words and scenes begin to drift through my mind. As I gaze into the fire or into the tea, words miraculously appear. I'm far, far away, in another place, another time. So despite wanting to put aside the writing and clear my mind, my mind decides to bypass my intent and dwell in the land of words. 

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places

where other people see nothing. 

Camille Pissarro

New Book:

Pre-Order a Regency Holiday Romance!
Release date:  12/16/16

William Rhys Burnham, the Duke of Huntington, handsome, wealthy and a confirmed bachelor, requires peace and quiet for the holidays at his ancestral estate, Huntington Ridge.

But his sister and friends, all widows, are tired of peace and quiet. They're desperate for all the festivities and lusty frolics of the Christmas season!  How can they prevail against the Duke's demands?  One simple ingredient: they have a secret weapon and aren't afraid to use her -- the beautiful Meredith Lambert, his old childhood friend, who's back in England after a ten-year hiatus on the Continent. 

Can she win him over to their plans? But, more important, can she hold off his amorous seductions? And does she even want to? Join the fun as Huntington Ridge is invaded by passionate women, cranky relatives, quirky neighbors, a dashing Major, a lovelorn vicar -- and a snowstorm like no one has seen in years!

Snowbound Seductions is the first in The Merry Widow series, soon to be followed in summer 2017, by Betrayed in Brighton!

More ebook stores - CLICK HERE

Mood Boards to Write:

Sometimes the writer hits that brick wall where nothing seems to inspire, the words don't come as easily -- or not at all.

Scary stuff. What does one do?

Give up? Never -- or at least, maybe for a while. I'll be the first to admit it. If the blank screen or white page is staring me in the face with that "go ahead, I dare you" attitude, I throw up my hands and walk away.

Walking is good. It clears the head of all the extraneous crap, allowing fresh ideas and thoughts to emerge. Creating something with your hands or digitally helps also. I like to fiddle with Photoshop and Paintshop, altering images, enhancing, embellishing until something unique evolves.

These are my two mood boards to help me get past the "great swampy middle," as Joe Butcher phrased it. I'm mired in revising and editing, and everything seems stale at this point. I realize what it is, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

So today was a "play" day for me. No writing except for this blog. This first mood board symbolizes my heroine, Meredith Lambert, a young woman just returned to Regency England after a long hiatus in southern France with her mother and step-father. She is elegant, beautiful, smart and terribly in love with the hero, her old childhood friend, William Burnham, now the Marquis of Huntington. After almost ten years, they meet for the first time only to end up arguing like they were children again.

And this board is for William Burnham, the Marquis -- a confirmed bachelor, self-centered, experienced in war, a financial wizard. Tall, dark and handsome, of course.There are secondary characters as well -- all widows and still young enough to want more out of life, especially fun and passion during the holiday season -- much to Burnham's chagrin.

Well, let's hope this dead-in-the-water phase dissipates soon. My deadline for release is December 1st, so I'd better get cracking!  I think I'll start with a fresh scene -- the love scene between Meredith and William. That usually gets the blood stirring -- hmmmm!

Here's a sneak peak at the ebook cover -- I hope it intrigues you!  If I can move onto the final revisions soon, I'll post an excerpt for you to read.

19th century fashion:

One of those dreary days here in New England -- cloudy, cool and damp. Home after a bit of surgery as a result of too many days / years in the sun and at the beach! Yes, remember the days of using baby oil as a suntan lotion? Who was to know back in those days?  No heavy lifting or working out (ho, hum, not a problem for me), but the stitches are a bit painful and now I have an amazing hairdo with headband reminiscent of the 1960s!

So I spent some down time going through my collection of ephemera -- papers, kimono scraps, vintage postcards and more. Just want to do something creative and fun in between writing my next Regency romance (sneak peak coming soon!). 

I picked up this portfolio years ago. I believe it was produced in the early 1900s and is a collection of 100 years of fashion from the 19th century, one page for each year. Below is 1800 - check out that gown on the right! OMG, how did they keep from popping out of their dresses, I ask you? No wonder the Regency period was so racy! 

But I think this will be fun to try and incorporate into my writings -- actual gowns and accessories that existed back then rather than racking my pee brain to come up with something that would probably resemble the Victorian era.  Now I can be accurate and pay homage to the era!  

Video Debut

Labor Day afternoon. What's to do? Laundry, pay bills online, catch up on Facebook, diddle around with other online stuff.

Hey, wait a minute, why not create a video? Simple, right?

Duh, no.

2+ hours later, I finally had a 38-second video. Not only was it a challenge, but it was fun!

I hope I can do more, especially with my upcoming "Snowbound Seductions" regency romance due out by November 1st (stay tuned for more on that front). So, here is the debut video for Passionate Persuasions on YouTube -- I hope you enjoy!

English Beauty over Time

It's been a busy, hot summer but I feel like it's finally winding down a bit. Hard to think about writing when the garden and beaches beckon you outdoors! 

"English Rose: Feminine Beauty from Van Dyck to Sargent" - Exhibit at Bowes Museum

As I start to put together my preliminary notes for the next book, "Snowbound Seductions," I don't have much trouble envisioning my hero. But the heroine is a bit more troublesome. Then I came across this article about a new exhibition: "The English Rose: Feminine Beauty from Van Dyck to Sargent" running at the Bowes Museum, County Durham, England. 

Think of it -- 400 years worth of how English society depicted its ideals of beauty in portraiture. Now that is a resource that I can use as a writer!  Here are some images over time --

Such a wealth of information -- dress, hats, hair styling, jewelry and other adornments.  It certainly makes it easier to begin to craft not only the heroine, but also secondary characters.  And as this novelette will be set during the Christmas holidays, that will be my next subject area to research.

So I hope you stay tuned for more updates on Snowbound Seductions -- 

Down Time from Writing:

What does a writer do in between books? The summer is such a hard time to sit in front of a computer and attempt to create a story when the sunlight flickers on the blinds, the birds are chirping and the garden is beckoning you from beyond the window! So now that my studio/writing den is completed, I decided to give myself several weeks off to empty the tired brain, ease up on the eyestrain and enjoy the remaining weeks of summer. Here in New England it's just a matter of time before the weather may take a turn for the worse.

This is my Cape Cod bowl of broken sea shells -- I call them my writing worry beads. Whenever I get in a jam for just the right word or phrase or a particular scene, I dip in and find a shell I can rub as I ponder. It also reminds me of my time on the beach at the Cape earlier this summer -- peaceful, relaxing, marvelous!

Another way to turn off the writing brain is crafting. I've been a crafter for years -- knitting, quilting, crochet, collage and painting. This is the current palette of colors I'll be working with, along with my stash of batik fabrics. I'm going to try to complete a log cabin quilt, probably just a lap quilt or a wall quilt to hang in my studio -- another source of inspiration!

This is a sample of one of the log cabins I finished this weekend. Now I'm interested in trying this pattern in crochet. Well, it's going on 3pm and I feel a need for a glass of chilled chardonnay and my latest read: Shannon Hale' Midnight in Austenland. I got such a kick out of the movie, Austenland, that I decided to try the book -- both quite enjoyable, although this one loosely follows Northanger Abbey so it has a bit of a Gothic twist! Have a great Sunday afternoon, everyone and thanks for stopping by!

After 20+ years in the lower level of our home, next to the laundry room and with very little natural light, I have finally emerged upstairs into a new creative space -- my studio and writing den . . .

I think I may faint!

 If I were Virginia Woolf, I would add to my famous quote: A woman needs a room of one's own (preferably with a lock), money and time . . . and natural light. 

When the last child moves out of the family nest, it is a bittersweet moment. And then the ideas begin to percolate. I am very lucky that my husband spent the past three weeks scrubbing down wood floors, buffing, painting, hauling teenage debris, especially in the 90+ degree heat we've been having (I helped, too!).

Although the space is a work in progress, here are some of the ideas I pulled from Pinterest. Windows are a big thing with me, as you can tell.  And color, lots and lots of color.

We copied the colors of our favorite place -- Cape Cod -- using bright white for the trim and windows and a soft, pale grey for the walls, leaving the wood floors clear of rugs.

Right now I'm working on some hand-crocheted mandalas, which I'll make into buntings for around the windows (no curtains) and perhaps along the bookcases.  Here's a sneak peek at what they look like --

Once I have enough, I'll string them together and hang. I like to follow two excellent crochet gurus:  Lucy at Attic24 and Wink in the Netherlands.  If you're into crochet or knitting, you must check out their sites.  

Well, what does this have to do with writing romance novels?  It's just another way to keep the creative right brain functioning, even when you're taking a break.  I've already begun the opening scenes for my next romance.  Hint: something set during the holiday season involving some merry widows!  

What is your favorite spot to create, read, paint, sew, dream?

Share it!  Pin it!  The more, the merrier!

Debut eBook:

Release date:  June 13, 2016!

This is an exciting moment for a debut author - how many months
and weeks you work on your story, lose faith, pull your hair,
buy multiple bottles of eye drops due to bloodshot eyes, stomach
lurching because you've drank so much coffee -- but it's all
worth it when the day comes.

I hope you'll enjoy Passionate Persuasions (click here to purchase) 
and, if you can, leave a review for others.  After all, it's for our readers 
that we write, and your input is valuable to the writers!

 

The Writer's Life

Putting the finishing touches to my regency novella ebook, Passionate Persuasions, and hope to hit the submit button this coming weekend.  

Scary stuff.  It's one thing to write, but it's another thing all together different to revise, edit, revise again . . . 

You cry, 

You tear your hair out because somewhere in the middle of all this creativity you changed the hero's name but didn't carry it throughout the entire story,

You changed the heroine's hair color, which now clashes with everything she wears,

You stopped writing for a few weeks and when you return, the story picks up in a different landscape, a different season, a different town . . .  where the heck are we?

And the list goes on. And that doesn't include any grammatical corrections, sentence structure, chapter endings . . . 

So why does one write?  Why torture oneself?

Here's the secret:  because it ultimately is fun, enticing, magical.  You get to create a whole world all your own (until you publish, that is) and live in this world forever.  Well, not forever but long enough to feel that your characters are part of the family.  You know their quirks, their passions, their problems, just like children.

Ah, there's the rub -- just like children.  Yes, they do tend to do what they want; they often do not do what you want them to do, and then once in a great while, they turn the tables on you and do something not in the script, thus forcing you to revise again.

And so it goes.

It's a misery.  It's a passion.  It's an enigma.  

But ask me if I'll continue writing, and I'll say yes, yes, and yes again -- until I'm halfway through the next editing/revising process on that story and the cycle comes round once again!

 

Creative Block and Writing

Creative block.  Ugh.  There's no excuse but when it hits, it hits hard.  The blank page stares back at you.  The white, glaring computer screen flashes in your face, mocking your lack of inspiration, increasing your perspiration.

Some writers advise to 'just keep on writing!'  Write anything, any piece of drivel that falls onto the page or the screen, as long as you continue to write.  My brain comprehends that, but my heart just feels too weary to continue the battle.

That's what struck me about the Agatha Christie quote you see above.  Inspiration can come at the oddest times and in the oddest places -- doing dishes, digging in the garden, waiting on line at the grocery store.  It comes in waves or it can dribble in like a slow leak.  

The thing is to be ready for it.  Some artists sketch on napkins; some writers scribble a few indiscernible notes on the back of a receipt.  But here's the thing:  I think the physical act of writing, whether it be with a pen or pencil, crayon or eyeliner pen, makes the mind retain the essence of the inspiration.  The kinetic movement of hand and instrument at the time of your flash makes the body and the mind remember more effectively.

So, yes, many of us dream of our "ideal" writing space -- perfect desk, perfect pen or laptop, perfect chair and cup of tea or java, perfect view (god, isn't this an awesome spot to write?) . . .
 

. . . but in the end it's simply capturing those flashes of inspiration on slips of paper and then plopping one's butt in the chair and writing.  When hitting those raw spots that are difficult to get through, move to long-hand writing.  Again, the physical act may prompt an even greater flow of thoughts and ideas, characterizations and plotting.  If editing and revising, that is a different process all together -- and I'll write more on that in a few days.  

What do you do to move through a creative block?

Share your tips with the rest of us!

Take a hint from Mr. Bradbury:

Don’t start out writing novels. They take too long. Begin your writing life instead by cranking out “a hell of a lot of short stories,” as many as one per week. Take a year to do it; he claims that it simply isn’t possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row. He waited until the age of 30 to write his first novel, Fahrenheit 451.

 

Stuff your head. To accumulate the intellectual building blocks of these metaphors, he suggests a course of bedtime reading: one short story, one poem and one essay. These essays should come from a diversity of fields, including archaeology, zoology, biology, philosophy, politics, and literature. “At the end of a thousand nights,” so he sums it up, “you’ll be full of stuff!”

I'm going to try some of these tips -- write swift, write short; diverse reading
to expand the old gray cells.  Works for me!
 

Ray Bradbury, recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91 after a long illness. He lived in Los Angeles.  A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Hero Material:

When beginning to imagine my stories I find it helpful to have some kind of visual image to work with, be it the hero and/or the heroine. But let's face it, in romance novels, the male often drives the story, the passion, the love. 

Obviously, because I am a female author, I suppose. 

 So who inspires you for a hero? Stop by my pinterest board ("Who's Your Hero?") and survey the candidates; I'm sure I'll be adding more! 

Richard Armitrage

Jonas Armstrong

Julian Sands

Alfred Molina

Al Pacino

So? Any one particularly strike you? I think all but, of course, that's too many heroes in one story!  I guess I'll just have to write more!    :-)

Where do you write?

Wouldn't it be lovely?

Where do you like to write?  Do you have a favorite place in your home or outdoors?  How important is this space to you?

As a writer and painter, I tend to be very protective of my space.  It's not an ideal spot but it is mostly my space in the lower level of the house I share with my husband and son. 

It's a very female space, too.  They can have their man caves, but my space is colorful and filled with objects I love -- yarns, paints, beads, sewing machines, journals, fabrics and, of course, my computer.  This space works well in the winter (it's the warmest spot in the house) and in the dead of summer (it's the coolest spot in the house). 
 
But it's also part of the laundry area.  Ugh.  And the windows are small and let in very little natural light.  Double Ugh.

Now this can sometimes be a good thing as no one truly wants to go down there except to throw in a load of laundry; thus, I have the space pretty much to myself, which is good for creativity.

But as I look through the images I loaded onto my new Pinterest board -- "Writing Spaces" --  I yearn for a small space with lots of windows and natural light.  A space where I can lock the door and keep everyone out, at least for a few hours. 

We're getting a new outdoor shed delivered in a few weeks and I'm hoping to take over half of the space.  There are two windows, of which one will be mine.  And I dream of putting a small writing desk under that window, along with a creaky old chair and some comfy cushions.  Perhaps a small set of shelves to hold my journals and other books.

And so this summer will be the test to see if this "accommodation" works.  At least I'll be outside with natural light, warm breezes and my garden.  I'll just ignore the lawn mower and tools sitting on the other side of the shed.

Perhaps a large Japanese folding screen?  Oh, yeah -- works for me!

“A woman must have money and a room of her own

if she is to write fiction.”

― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Overcoming Writer's Block:

The writing process.  What does that mean?  How does it work or what if it doesn't work?  Staring at a blank white page or computer screen or a blank canvas can be daunting.  Whether one is a writer or an artist or a composer or poet, the blankness can be the greatest hurdle.

But once past the 'blankness' or 'whiteness' of the medium and words begin to appear, page after page, I think we sometimes fall into that zone where we actually believe, "Hey, this is easy!"

Let me caution you (and myself) -- that is definitely a DUH moment.  Because sooner or later, we hit that "great swampy middle", as Jim Butcher described it, and the creativity comes to a screeching halt.  We slam into boredom, frustration and befuddlement.

Over the years I have taught writing to college freshmen (talk about a challenge to creativity) and have coached several writing groups.  More often than not, the writing group kept my own level of creativity alive with their energy and eagerness.

But now I'm writing for myself, hoping to publish within the next few months, probably going the route of self-publishing an ebook or two first, then tackling the traditional route of agent / publisher.  This can be a lonely process, isolation closing in, as well as the lurking sense of 'will they like it?' or 'how many more words in the count do I need to finish the first draft?'  Nothing can stymie the creative flow than worrying about things like that.

I thought I'd share some books that have helped me over creative slumps --

This one I have not read yet, but it's on the "To Read" list:

And some favorite quotes to inspire:

 

"What we call the beginning is often the end.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start."

T. S. Eliot

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit tired of seeing thousands of book covers (not just romance) filled with women in gowns either sprawled across the cover or running off toward the distance, their heads partially cut off.

I suppose it a kind of "branding" thing that publishers know works like a charm when choosing a book by its cover (pardon the pun).  So I decided to play around a bit (yes, I know I should be writing) to see if there are any unique types for cover designs -- not necessarily for regency or romance, but mainly for romance.  Here are some variations that I think show potential --

This image I pulled from Amy Rose Bennett's site (New Zealand) and, although it's another woman in a beautiful gown running away from the viewer, I liked the atmospheric aspect of this image.  Is she in fear?  Is she playing the tease?  The brooding landscape hints at maybe a Highland setting or maybe the French countryside.  Don't know, but I like it.  If I was a reader, I'd put my hands on this book because of the suggestion of intrigue!

Now, if I was writing something more contemporary, I don't want rippling six-packs plastered across the book cover (this must be my catholic school upbringing rearing its head).  If I want romance, I'd go with something more like these, mostly taken from Pinterest boards about dance, especially the Tango --

Now this would be a totally cool book cover!

Another great book cover, seductive, suggestive.  Phew, I'd grab this one of the shelf in a heart beat. Maybe a suspense romance set between the Wars, a la 1930s Paris? 

And what about the younger generation, the New Adult market (18-30)?  Here's something a bit grungier, edgier:

"Dancing is the vertical expression
of a horizontal desire." (George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950)   

I believe Mr. Shaw got that one right!  

Enjoy!

Sources of Inspiration

I've been working on my first Regency romance novel and, although I've read most of Jane Austen and seen so many of the excellent BBC movie variations, one still needs a bit of inspiration when working through the writing.

It's usually those small details, descriptive of the landscape or the manor house, that gives a work that added level of veracity, of impact for the reader.  Why else would readers want historical romance?  I have to think that it's the time period that intrigues, a bit like a time tunnel.  Go ahead, pick your period -- there's probably a romance set in each one.

That's why I love Pinterest.  If you can control the time spent on the great "P" -- and that's a big "if" -- there's so much out there to help spark those imaginative ideas or get a writer over the hurdle of writer's block.  Here's a few that I chose to help keep me churning out those words:

Image captured from Pinterest

Wouldn't this be the best image for the heroine as she enter's his lordship's grounds? Her first glimpse of his world . . . Stay or go, stay or go? Did I remember to pack those diamonds?  

Another shot of a classic Georgian-style manor house on a lovely English summer day --

And of course no English manor house would be complete without the venerable Rose Garden (this one was designed by Capability Brown).

Another source of inspiration and information are the British magazines that are now popping up at Barnes & Nobel and other larger bookstores.  This is one of my favorites, not only for the gorgeous images but also for the information on places, names, etc.

Of course, there is a word of warning:  between Pinterest and these magazines, you could spend your entire writing time immersed in viewing/reading!  What was that word count last time I looked?