Little Tidbits about my Crescent Bay Series

Tugging on your heartstrings . . . 

Okay, Regency readers, just remember this:  I love you all and I love that you love my Regency romances!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  But my poor contemporary romances are languishing on the digital shelves . . . sigh!  :-(    Why?  I'm not sure because my beta readers and those who've reviewed them seem to like them, and I certainly enjoy writing them "almost" as much as I do my Regencies.  

So, I'm asking:  can you give them a shot?  These are not trashy stuff, I assure you.  Hey, I attended Catholic school from elementary through high school!  God forbid Sister Mary Joseph ever found out, I'd be dead meat .  . .

To start you off, my Crescent Bay series, book #1 and #2, go on sale tomorrow (May 2) through May 7 -- both will be free on Apple, B&N, Kobo and more -- here are the links for Hold You in My Heart and Straight from the Heart.  Unfortunately, Amazon will not let me reset the price to free unless I'm a "select KDP" author.  However, if you show them the offers at their competitors, I believe they'll honor the sale.

And, as so many of us Indie Authors ask, if you would leave an honest review on either or both, I would truly appreciate that.  So many of us depend upon reviews for future sales.

But now let's have a little fun, shall we? 

In Hold You, Amanda Gallagher opens a vintage home decor shop and her family members help her create various "rooms" throughout the shop.  Her cousin, Giana, creates a Boho corner (vintage hippie style) and I got the idea from a website and Justine Blakeley's book, Jungalow.  Awesome book!  Here's an example:

Takes your breath away, doesn't it?  Of course, my husband would run from the house screaming if I did this in the living room -- ha!  But I just love the bold designs and colors, especially during a dreary New England winter.  

Here's another image that inspired the side garden to Amanda's house where several scenes take place:

Not sure about the umbrella but you get the idea -- private, romantic and cool during the hot summer months.  The perfect setting for a romantic interlude, right?  

And who are Amanda Gallagher and Nate Russell?  

Sometimes a writer has images already in her head about her heroine and hero; sometimes not.  The two characters organically form as you write.  But for Amanda and Nate, I did have two distinct ideas for my characters.  Here are the posted images from Instagram:

I hope you'll give them a chance and read Hold You in My Heart.  Each time I finish a romance, I find myself a little sad to say goodbye to my characters.  If I can bring them back in the next book, great, and I think that's one reason so many authors create series -- they're reluctant to let go!  

Next blog posting will feature Giana and Ryan - completely different from Amanda and Nate, but just as much fun, in Straight from the Heart.  And naturally I'm already making notes for book #3, Heart's Journey, featuring Simone and Marc.  But in the meantime, I'm writing the final romance of my School of Sophistication, featuring Lady Caro and her long lost love, Julien Roberge, which should be ready for release in early June.  

Happy Reading!

Claire H.  

As promised: Favorite Historical Romance Authors

 Last entry I promised a list of favorite historical romance authors that you could easily download and print out for your TBR list.  Or your lists (plural) if you're like me, as I tend to jot titles down and then lose the list.  Hence, my house is scattered with bits of paper here and there.  Someday, I'll figure out a better way to do this . . .

In the meantime, here's my list.  These are "inspirational" authors, meaning there are no steamy scenes that may disturb some readers.  Why do I read them, although I do write steamy scenes?  Because I've found that these authors pay close attention to historical details and events, many of which are based in various time periods in American history, not just Regency England.  For me, it's a switch that I enjoy personally as I am a lover of American history and live in New England; thus I am surrounded by history on a daily basis.

I created this on Canva based on my own tastes; yours may be different.  However, I strongly urge you to try one or two -- I highly recommend Laura Frantz, Elizabeth Camden and Julie Klassen (most of Klassen's works are based in England).  

Next list will feature variations on Jane Austen, a collection of contemporary authors who've taken different spins on Austen's works.  So stay tuned and, of course . . .

HAPPY READING!

Hello! Happy Spring to You!

 It's been a while since I posted to the blog -- my bad, but Spring sucks me out of the house, away from my PC and into the garden -- or what's left of it after a winter season has its way with it.  Add to that a ton of rain in the past week or so, and the poor thing is under 6 inches of water!  

Well, I'm taking a break for a bit from that project and back to working on "Lady Caro and the Count".  If you recall, I left Romancing the Rogue in a bit of a cliffhanger with Caro fainting at the sight of Julien Alphonse Roberge, the man who tried to win her away from her second husband, the Count Roberge back in the early 1800s (you can find more details about that in the first book of The Merry Widow series, Snowbound Seductions).  

Anyway, this romance will feature a country house party, a passel of young ladies seeking betrothals and Lady Caro and the Dowager Rutherford struggling to keep up with their new clients, Julien's nieces, and the Dowager's granddaughter.  It should be great fun -- at least, that's my plan!

In the meantime, why not sign up for my newsletter to keep in touch with my progress (if any) and special sales that I post from time to time?  Easy-peasy and I don't hammer you with a daily or weekly newsletter in your box -- that's my promise to you.  Actually, you'll be happy to hear from me once a month, unless I run those specials.  

Stay tuned for my next post where I'll include

some of my favorite historical romance authors in a

cute, easy to print bookmark.

HAPPY READING, MY FRIENDS!

New Release is here!

 

Yes, after six years The Darcy Variations has been released for your reading pleasure!  It's been a long time in the making, often neglected in a digital drawer, waiting patiently for me to return and set it free.  My bad.  But life gets in the way while you're planning for it, right?  And that's what happened to Kate Malone and Anthony Slade (aka Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 21st century).

However, they kept tap, tap, tapping at my little brain box until I pulled up the draft and dusted it off, read through what I had written back in 2017, and decided to give them my best efforts.

Stay tuned to my social media sites and here for some fun Darcy trivia questions, information about narrowboats, the tango and other fun stuff.

linktr.ee/clairehadleigh

 

 

 The Final Day of NanoWriMo '22:

 

This is a short, difficult week for keeping up with your NanoWriMo word count.  Many are traveling, whether by car on the interstates or flying and dealing with airports, security, delayed flights and more.  For those who are home and hosting, different scenarios but still stressful.  So today's tips are simple and something you can check out when you've got a quiet moment or two.

inkarnate.com

This is an online tool, available in free or paid models, that allows you to create and save maps for fictional worlds.  Whether you're world-building for fantasy, science fiction, paranormal or small-town mysteries and romances, inkarnate will help you visualize and create maps to keep your worlds organized.

One Look & Reverse Dictionary

Reverse dictionaries are more than thesauruses - they can help you search for that illusive word that's just hovering on the periphery of your tired brain because it describes what the word represents.  Feel like you're repeating the same word or expression over and over?  Dip into this site and see what you find.

I hope you find these sites useful.  I know I'm going to play on inkarnate because my contemporary Maine series - Crescent Bay - is into its third novel (working on it) and it's becoming difficult for me to keep track of where the stores, workplaces and homes are located.  I've tried sketching the village out, but it's a sorry-looking thing, let me tell you.

So enjoy your holiday and remember to relax and chill out because next week you're in the final stretch.

Good luck and be safe out there!

 Claire H.

 

NanoWriMo Tip #2

 

THE DREADED SLUMP

Tired .  .  . hate my story . . . life sucks . . . I need chocolate . . . did I mention my story sucks?

How many times have we been there?  Life interferes -- work, family issues, illness, finances.  The list goes on and on. What to do?  Break away before it swallows you whole and spits you out!

Why not take a long drive to nowhere.  Yes, I said nowhere.  I’m not kidding.  If you can, get in the car and wander with no particular destination in mind.  No car?  Live in the city?  Then take a walk with no destination, open up your senses and clear your head.  The mere momentum of movement can free up your thoughts and maybe, just maybe, you'll see alternative ways to work around the slump.

Japanese citizen have a thing -- "forest bathing" -- where they will spend time in forests sitting, lying down or walking.  British researchers at the University of East Anglia have found after studying 20 countries and more than 290 million people that regular exposure to green spaces had definite physical and mental benefits. 

MAKE IT FUN

There are many kinds of movement that can help break your slump.  It can be as simple as cleaning your apartment -- yes, the dreaded ‘C’ word.   Why not turn it into fun?  Crank up the music, dance with your broom, shake hands with your scrub sponge.  After your cleaning fest, pour yourself a glass of wine, light a candle and kick back.  Job well done!  And when you next sit in front of that computer screen or notebook, I bet you'll tackle that slump like a pro.  If not -- go hug a tree.

ANOTHER ANGLE:  INSPIRATION FROM OTHER WRITERS

There are times I am bored.  B.O.R.E.D  with my writing, with myself as a writer.  Between same old, same old and fear of missing out, I’m mentally fried, almost paralyzed.  And yet I know there are alternative ways to approach my craft.  

So what are the alternatives available to us as writers?  What about other creatives?  Poets and artists are the first that come to my mind.  What do they do when they hit that brick wall?  I cruise through their blogs, their social media; sometimes I sign up for their newsletters.  There’s one artist I’ve followed for several years -- he’s funny, pokes fun at himself, is messy and energetic.  But he’s also the first to admit that if he’s bored, then his potential buyers will be as well.  What to do?  Detour and turn left!

Mary Oliver in her book A Poetry Handbook (1994) wondered why it is that student artists and musicians are encouraged to copy the greats, play their works over and over until they could play the music in their sleep.  Yet writers are told that’s plagiarism, a very BIG no-no.  But then how do we as writers learn or find a new technique? 

So let’s try this:  you’re bored with your writing.  It feels stilted and stale.  Give yourself permission to spend an hour or so copying -- yes, I said copying -- one of your favorite authors.  Choose a few pages, put pen to paper (a pencil is even better because it slows you down) and copy out those pages.  How does it feel?  Can you feel the difference in the cadence of words as they move across the page?  What about the author's expressions and omissions?  Understand, these pages are going nowhere.  They are for your benefit alone, a bit of playtime for your right brain. Try it.  Give yourself permission to detour . . .

Happy Writing!

Claire H.