Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 60

Resignation Letter from Mr. Malcolm Jasper (hero in His Wicked Lady)

Click here to check out the pre-order page!

Dear Mrs. Ruth Ann Nordin,

When I agreed to be the hero of one of your Regencies, I had no idea you would be casting me in such a bad light.

Malcolm who is not at all happy with me

Instead of seeming like a hero, others are likely to think I’m conceited and stubborn to a fault.  Given the fact that you’ve already humiliated me in Ruined by the Earl by making me lose the duel (and badly, might I add) to that dimwit Lo-Loga- ….  *sigh* I can’t even write his name.  That’s how abominable that vile creature, whom you forced to marry my dear sister, is to me.  Even to this day, I dare not speak his name aloud for fear stupidity will befall me.

Logan (aka Lord Toplyn), as Malcolm sees him

I thought this book was going to show me as I truly am.  Whether or not you choose to accept it, I am an important gentleman.  My time is worth money.  The very fact that I even agreed to show up in one of your books is an honor.  I could have said no.  I could have gone to White’s and talked about my next investment with Lord Steinbeck.  Lord Steinbeck doesn’t take time for just anyone, you know.  He only sees those he deems worthy of his attention, and those whom he chooses to speak well about often find their reputations improve that much more.

Lord Steinbeck who, according to Malcolm, is much too important for the likes of us

But instead of doing something worthwhile, I have been subjected to one bad thing after another.  You have subjected me to ridicule because of Lo-Loga-…that dreadful brother-in-law of mine.  In addition to that, I’ve wasted valuable time on your travesty of a book.  You have given me a wife whose favorite pastime is trying to get me caught in a scandal.

It’s bad enough she trapped me into marrying her when she knew full well I despise scandals of any sort.  Now she’s trying to distract me from my important business plans.  She keeps pestering me to do all kinds of things I’m too much of a gentleman to mention in this letter.  Honestly, Ruth, the bed is only for having children.  Nothing more.  Deal with it.

But all of that isn’t even the worst of it.  My new wife has been going around talking to that brother-in-law of mine, and you know those two are in cahoots together.  They’re determined to make me miserable.  Between the two of them, I’ll never get a moment’s peace, and this book certainly won’t have a happy ending.

Regan (aka Lady Cantrell) who Malcolm believes should have been a mindless bimbo in a sleazy romance novel

Given all these grievances, I have come to the conclusion this book won’t work out.  Either find another hero to replace me or stop writing this awful book at once.  If you decide to give me a role befitting my pristine reputation, I’ll be more than happy to be the hero in that one.

Sincerely,

Mr. Malcolm Jasper

P.S. Real literature is dead.  Jane Austen would be rolling in her grave if she knew you were writing these dreadful books.

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Photo credits:

Malcolm – ID 21663285 © Inara Prusakova | Dreamstime.com

Logan – ID 19812969 © Jason Stitt | Dreamstime.com

Lord Steinbeck – ID 29258057 © Valua Vitaly | Dreamstime.com

Regan – ID 13495507 © Viorel Sima | Dreamstime.com

The Fun of Putting Together Characters Who Hate Each Other

I know.  I’m totally mean.  I love putting together characters who can’t stand each other and letting them take jabs at each other.  If you’ll recall, in Ruined by the Earl, Logan (Lord Toplyn) and Malcolm (Mr. Jasper) hated each other.

Where the rivalry began

In fact, at the end of the book, the two only agreed to get along enough in order for Melissa (the heroine in Ruined by the Earl) to have some peace.  Melissa, after all, was Malcolm’s sister and had to marry Logan.   So she’s really stuck in the middle of this.

Until now…

The rivalry continues…

We introduce Lady Cantrell (also known as Regan) who has, by marrying Malcolm, gotten in the middle of the rivalry between Malcolm and Logan.

I honestly don’t know if these two will resolve their differences or not.  Characters are often unpredictable.  I’ll think they’ll do one thing, and they’ll surprise me by doing something else.  So we’ll see how things play out in the course of His Wicked Lady.

What I want to do today is share the scene I wrote today.

Setting for the scene: Logan has come to visit Regan to offer her advice on how to get Malcolm to fall in love with her.  (Up to now, Malcolm hasn’t been happy with his new bride.) While Logan is trying to help her, Malcolm comes to the drawing room and interrupts their conversation.

And the scene continues below…

They looked up in time to see Malcolm coming into the room, rolled up parchment under his arm and a scowl on his otherwise handsome face.

“Why are you in my townhouse, and why are you touching my wife?” Malcolm demanded, striding over to Logan.

“First,” Logan began as he stood up, “this isn’t your townhouse. It’s hers.” He gestured to Regan. “Second, I was merely offering my comfort in this trying time of her life.”

“Trying time?” Malcolm asked.

“Yes. The poor thing is married to you. Her life will never be the same.” Logan bit into his scone and maintained eye contact with Malcolm, as if daring him to offer a rebuttal.

“It must be boring to lead the kind of life you do, Logan. Drifting from one thing to another with no real purpose. Meanwhile, the rest of us are engaged in important things.”

Logan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Regan as if to ask, He always has something important going on, doesn’t he? Regan stifled the giggle that rose up in her throat. The two of them really didn’t get along, but it was amusing to watch them engage in their banters, though she’d never tell either one that.

“As it turns out,” Logan began, “I came here to invite you both to a dinner party tomorrow evening. Melissa wishes to get to know her sister-in-law better, and I wouldn’t mind welcoming her to the family either. The fact that you’re coming along is a mere inconvenience I’m willing to bear. That is, unless you have something important to do. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from amassing a king’s fortune.”

“We’re unable to attend. Lord Steinbeck has already extended an invitation for tomorrow.”

Regan, who was biting into her scone, almost gagged on it. An entire evening with Lord Steinbeck? She’d rather stick a fork in her eye.

“I have an idea,” Logan said, his smile widening. “Why don’t you go to Lord Steinblech’s, and your lovely wife with come over to my place?”

This time, Regan wasn’t successful at hiding her laughter. She’d never heard Steinbeck referred to in such a way, but the name Logan came up with certainly fit. When Malcolm glanced her way, she covered up her laughter by coughing into a napkin.

Malcolm turned his attention back to Logan, “My wife wouldn’t dream of missing such a golden opportunity. Lord Steinbeck is very influential. He’ll be bringing Lady Iris.”

Logan grimace. “You mean the Duke of Hartwell’s daughter?”

“Yes. She’s got a pristine reputation and a lot of money,” he replied.

“She has a pristine reputation because she’s so ugly no one will go near her. As for money, all the money in the world can’t make up for her looks.”

Malcolm looked over at Regan and gestured to Logan. “You see how inconsiderate he is? Only a cad would refer to a lady like that.”

“Well, it’s true,” Logan said. “She’d be better off wearing a mask to the balls. Maybe then someone would touch her. Malcolm, if you ever need to restrain your baser desires, think of her.”

“Unlike you, I am a gentleman. I don’t have base desires.”

Logan smirked at him. “Sure, you don’t.” Then he turned to Regan. “So, will you be gracing us with your presence tomorrow evening?”

Before Regan could speak, Malcolm said, “She’ll be going to Lord Steinbeck’s with me. She’s my wife. Her place is by my side.”

“She can speak for herself.”

“Fine.” With an irritated sigh, Malcolm glanced over at her. “Tell him you’re going to Lord Steinbeck’s with me.”

Regan set aside the rest of her scone and rose to her feet. “He’s right, Logan. I’ll be going with him tomorrow.” Just as Malcolm turned to give Logan a satisfied smile, she added, “But I do want to visit you and Melissa. Would the day after tomorrow be all right?”

“That will be fine,” Logan replied. “I’ll let her know.” He bowed to Regan. “It’ll be a pleasure to see you then.” With a glance at Malcolm, he added, “We’ll just have to make the best of it with you there.”

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It was so much fun to write that scene, and yes, I will be bringing the not-so-lovely-to-look-at Lady Iris in another book, hopefully in this series.  We’ll see how things progress.  (I’m thinking Lady Iris can look attractive given the right makeover.)

I am not sure what to do about Lord Steinbeck (or, as Logan likes to call him, Lord Steinblech).  I’m not sure if he’s a hero or a villain.  Or a villain that will be a hero.

If you would like to reserve your copy of His Wicked Lady now so you get it as soon as it comes out, I’ll insert the links to where it’s available for pre-order.  This will be out January 9.

iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

It’s also up on Smashwords if you want to put it in your library.

Got My Publishing Schedule Through 2016

There is a lot going on, but it’s all good stuff. No one has to listen to me talk about septic problems today. ;)

I have been working on my publishing schedule, and this is where I am at…

Due out December 20, 2015!

My wonderful publisher, Parchment & Plume, is in the process of getting this up on pre-order.  When it becomes available on pre-order, I’ll let you know.

Due out January 3, 2016!

Wagon Trail Bride (Pioneer Series: Book 1)

I’m so excited about Richard Larson’s book!  It took me about three years to finally write this, but today I reached 44,000 words!  That means I’m less than a month away from finishing the first draft.

Personally, this is one of my favorites of everything I’ve written.  It’s a very emotional read.  I’ve cried several times while writing it, but there is a happy ending.  My publisher, Parchment & Plume, has agreed to put this on pre-order, too.  I’ll announce when that is up.

In the meantime, I am working on character thoughts on this book for the book launch page I’m doing.  Is there any Larson (Sally, Jenny, or Dave) that would you like to see chime in on this book?  I already have Richard and Amanda saying something.  I do have so Tom and Joel already saying what they think, but to be honest, Joel is a little self-centered and tends to pick on Tom…so he really doesn’t say a whole lot about Richard or Amanda.

This is already up for pre-order on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.  It should be up on other sites soon.

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To demonstrate what a book launch page looks like, I have two already made!  (I’ll be working on book launch pages for the other books in this post as time permits.)

Due out January 9, 2016!

His Wicked Lady (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 1)

Here’s the book launch page for His Wicked Lady.

Now, I was wondering if anyone would like any other characters from any of my past Regencies to say something about this book.  If so, please comment below, and I’ll see what I can come up with.  (In case anyone is wondering, yes, this is the book where we find out who wrote the book Lord Edon’s been handing out since The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife.) ;)

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Due out February 21, 2016!

The Convenient Mail Order Bride (Colorado Series: Book 1)

I also got a book launch page for The Convenient Mail Order Bride.

Since I’m introducing all new characters in this series, I don’t have any past characters to say something about it….unless you want me to have a character from another one of my books say something about this one.  Also, if there’s anything else you’d like to see on the book launch page, or if there’s something specific you’d like me to mention the “About the Author” section, please comment below.

I’d like to make this a fun page to check out, so let me know if I can do anything to make it better.

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This is cut out May 8, 2016!

Her Devilish Marquess (Marriage by Arrangement: Book 2)

COVER COMING SOON

(Stephannie Beman, my awesome cover artist, is working on it.)

This one features Dr. Westward (the gentleman most known for taking off his shirt at a ball and decrying the hypocrisy of the Ton).  He made his debut appearance in The Earl’s Stolen Bride when he took care of Chloe’s younger brother.

This is already on pre-order at iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.  It should be up on Kobo soon.

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This is due out June 5, 2016!

The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (Colorado Series: Book 2)

COVER COMING SOON

(Stephannie Beman is also working on this.)

This is the second book after The Convenient Mail Order Bride. The basic premise is that the woman who comes off the stagecoach isn’t the one who answered the hero’s ad, but neither one realize it until they’re already married.   I don’t know if this will be a comedy or not, but it has the potential to be.

At the moment, I only see it showing up on iBooks and Smashwords.  I need to tweak on the book description, but I probably won’t be able to do it until I start working on the book and have a better idea of what the characters want to do.

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This is due out August, 2016!

The Marriage Agreement (Pioneer Series: Book 2)

I’m working with my publisher to get this one going.  At the moment, I really don’t have anything to share about it except the month it’s due out.

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This is due out September 4, 2016!

The Accidental Mail Order Bride (Colorado Series: Book 3)

COVER COMING SOON

(Yep, Stephanie’s working on this, too.)

This is third book in the Colorado Series, and it features an overweight (think hefty) hero who has some scars.  Because of this, he is a recluse.  I asked people over at Facebook if an imperfect hero would appeal to them, and I got enough interest where I decided it’d be worth writing.  So thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts with me!

The bride who comes off the stagecoach was supposed to marry the hero in book 2.  Since there’s no one else to marry, she marries this hero.  (I’d like to think of this as a Beauty and the Beast type of book.)

At the moment, it’s only at iBooks and Smashwords.  I think Barnes & Noble and Kobo won’t show a pre-order that is a year out.  I want to say they’ll put the book up at nine months prior to release, but it might be six.  I’m still learning how this stuff works.

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This completes the entire list of books I have coming out next year.

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About the series with Stephannie Beman

A side note: Some have asked about the series Stephannie Beman and I have been working on.  While I was moving this summer, Stephannie had to deal with a death in the family and is still working some personal things out in her life.  At this time, we have put our co-written projects on hold.  In case anyone wondered about the books coming after The Stagecoach Bride, I wanted to address this while I was thinking about it.  (It’s much easier to work on covers than to do a co-written project.)

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Enchanted Galaxy Series due out in Novmeber 

I do still have Enchanted Galaxy Series coming out in November.  (The books are Royal Hearts, The Royal Pursuit, and Royal Heiress.) This turned into a romantic fantasy series instead of the fantasy romances I was planning on.  The reason I’m not focusing in on those books is because I love romance a whole lot more.  I mean, the fantasy is fun, but my heart is in romance.  So I’d rather focus on those.

Pre-Orders and Wattpad

I am about a month behind in everything except for my writing.  With my books, I am right on schedule, so that’s good news.  But I’ve been definitely struggling with trying to catch up with other areas.  If you sent an email or message and I haven’t replied, please send it again.  I’m not ignoring anyone.  It’s just with moving and having to fix up the new house, I’ve had a hard time keeping up with everything.  I seriously need more hours in the day. :P

Since I am having trouble juggling everything, I have decided to go back to pre-orders.

I don’t feel comfortable doing a pre-order on Amazon.  I know there are good reasons to, but I’ve heard of stories where authors messed something up with the pre-order and got banned from being able to do any more of them for a year.

The sad truth is, I’m not super organized, and I am prone to making mistakes.  I’ve had to go back and update things, shift things around so they are easier to understand, and after uploading a manuscript, I’ll catch something and have to go back and fix it.  And if you’ve ever watched my videos, you know I’m not eloquent at all.  I’m the type of person who trips and bumps into things.  Graceful is just not my way.

So I feel safer by just using Smashwords to do the pre-orders.  At Smashwords, if I goof up, I won’t get banned from being able to do more. It’s pretty much built in to be mistake-proof.   So the pre-orders will only be on iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.  I think Smashwords will only let you put the book in your library.

Anyway, I really want to simplify my life as much as possible, and pre-orders will help me do that.   I’ll try to have some fun with them along the way.  It’d be nice to get creative.  But mostly, if I can get everything set up for the book before it’s due out, then I can focus on letting everyone know the book is available.  Otherwise, it takes me a couple of days to do everything.  That’s a couple of days I could work on emails, answering comments, checking out Facebook, and buzzing around other parts of the Internet.

So I’ll try to get things up soon with the pre-order stuff to keep you informed on what I’m doing.  What I also want to do is make it fun.  I want it to be entertaining instead of the “reserve your copy now” general message.

I’m on Wattpad.

Click here to go to my Wattpad page!

Okay, I’ve been on Wattpad for a couple months.  I started it because Smashwords was running a promotion for contemporary romances, and I was asked to join in on it.  I figured, “Why not?” I’d been tinkering with the idea anyway.

I was able to keep posting over there while in the process of moving, but it hasn’t been until now that I sat down to get the “follow me on wattpad” symbol off their site (with the help of my cover artist).  I have an Apple computer, and it doesn’t let me right click an image like the Windows computer used to.   My tech know-how isn’t my strong point.

I chose to put up the Across the Stars series for the promotion via Smashwords.  Right now I’m posting Catching Kent.  What I’d like to do is actually get a first draft up at some point. I’m still working up the courage to do this.  After going through some stolen books, it’s hard to do it, but I have had a few people help me find and remove stolen books in the past.  So I try to keep reminding myself you guys are looking out for me.  I’m not alone in this. :)

I can’t post anything that will go to my publisher.  Wagon Trail Bride and the rest of the Pioneer Series is off limits.  But I was thinking of posting The Convenient Mail Order Bride once I have enough written in the story.

If you are on Wattpad, I hope you’ll stop by and say hi.  Or let me know in a comment, and I’ll see if I can follow you.  I’m still learning the ins and outs of Wattpad.  On one occasion I had deleted a chapter in one of the stories and didn’t realize it until someone pointed it out.  I was able to get it back, but I still can’t figure out how I deleted it.  See what I mean about making mistakes? :D

Tentative Schedule for 2016

I had to submit some stock photos to my excellent and talented cover artist, Stephannie Beman, so I could reserve my spot on her calendar.  Okay, there were several spots because I want her to do all my covers.  Her calendar fills up fast.  The sooner I get things in far in advance, the easier it is to reserve my slots.  Doing this has been good because it forced me to map out a tentative schedule for 2016.

For those of you who’ve missed my historical westerns, you’ll be happy to see most of my books will be in that specific genre. :D

I am currently working on three series.  Two are historical western and one is Regency.  That being the case, I decided to focus in on the books that will fit in with them.   Ready for the line up?  Here we go…

Pioneer Series

Wagon Trail Bride: Book 1

When Amanda married Richard Larson, she had no idea he had secretly loved her for years.  Now she doesn’t know how to act around him. And worse, a young man from her past is the one leading the wagon train to Omaha, and he has plans for them to run off to start a new life elsewhere.

*This is to be published by my awesome publisher, Parchment & Plume.  I will hand it in around December 1.  When it’ll be published isn’t known yet.

The Marriage Agreement: Book 2

After the death of his wife, Jesse Palmer and Laura Rufus agree to a marriage of convenience so she can be step in and be a mother to his son.  But his mother-in-law and her parents are not at all happy with the arrangement and will do everything they can to annul it.

*I plan to have this in to Parchment & Plume around summer 2016.

Groom For Hire: Book 3

COVER COMING SOON

When asked to lead another wagon train West, a man makes an unusual request of Joe Otto.  He offers Joe money to marry his daughter so she won’t have to go on the trails without the protection of a husband.  Once she reaches her destination, Joe’s free to annul the marriage.  Since Joe can’t imagine loving anyone by the young lady he left in Omaha, this seems like an easy arrangement.  But as in other areas of life, few things are ever so simple.

*I plan to have this in to Parchment & Plume in late 2016.

Colorado Mail Order Brides Series 

His by Convenience: Book 1

(Stephannie Beman is going to modify the cover to reflect the new title.)

When Phoebe Durbin answers a mail-order bride ad, she doesn’t realize the groom-to-be didn’t write the ad.

*I plan to publish this in February 2016.

His by Mistake: Book 2

COVER COMING SOON

Eric Johnson has been writing to his mail order bride for months, and at long last, the day she’s due to arrive has come.  The only young lady who comes off the stagecoach must be her, so he takes her to the preacher at once.  The bride doesn’t realize she’s ended up in the wrong town–and with the wrong groom–until the preacher is done with the vows and turns to announce she’s now Mrs. Eric Johnson.   (This might be a comedy, but we’ll see.)

*I don’t have a publishing time frame for this yet, but I do plan to have it out in 2016.

His by Chance (Book 3)

COVER COMING SOON

Eric Johnson’s real mail order bride shows up later than expected, and she quickly learns he is already married.  Now Allie Jones is stuck in a small Colorado town with no way to leave.  She must either marry the only remaining bachelor or risk being sold to the saloon’s owner to be one of the soiled doves.  Seeing she has no real choice, she agrees to marry the bachelor.

Not being much to look at and overweight, Travis Martin is content to live alone, sheltered in the wooded area of the mountainside, free from the town’s endless gossip.  So that’s why  the last thing he expects is a preacher when there’s a knock on the door.  With great hesitation, he agrees to the marriage.  He can’t confine her to the saloon, but he knows the marriage won’t be a happy one for her, not when she could have had someone so much better.

*I hope to publish this in 2016.

Marriage by Arrangement Series

His Wicked Lady: Book 1

Helena, Melissa, and Chloe have started arranging marriages, but not all will go smoothly on the way to a happily ever after…

Mr. Malcolm Jasper prides himself on his immaculate reputation, and he’s decided it’s time to get married so he can start having children to leave a legacy to. Unfortunately for him, or maybe fortunately, he happens to be paired with Lady Cantrell, a lady who thinks the rules of the Ton are made to be broken.

* I plan to publish this in January 2016.

Her Devilish Marquess: Book 2

COVER COMING SOON

Helena, Melissa, and Chloe are still arranging marriages, but not all will go smoothly on the way to a happily ever after…

Dr. Derek Westward has been happy living his life doing everything possible to upset the Ton. Second to his occupation, it’s one of his favorite pastimes. Then his brother dies, and the worst thing imaginable happens. He inherits the title of a marquess. Now he has to secure the future of his family’s estate with an heir, and worse, he’s expected to be on his best behavior, something he’s been unable to do since childhood.

Miss Danette Everson has given up on ever marrying. At twenty-five, she’s resigned herself to spinsterhood, until her friend decides she’d be better off married. Before she knows it, she’s a bride. But her new husband isn’t the reputable gentleman she was hoping for. No, he’s got a horrible tendency to scandalize the Ton at every opportunity that presents itself. Surely, a pair couldn’t be more mismatched. Whatever were the three matchmaking ladies thinking when they arranged for her to marry the most devilish marquess in all of London?

*I hope to publish this in late spring 2016.

More to come in this series.  I just have no idea what the plots will be, so I can’t come up with a cover or title for them yet.  

Updates and Some Possible Titles for Future Titles

Before I begin, I want to point out a group on Facebook called Pioneer Hearts.

Click here to join

If you love historical western romances, there are other historical western romance readers and great authors over there.  I do belong to this group, but I don’t get to participate as much as I’d like to.  I have to limit my time on Facebook because I can get stuck over there for hours watching videos and reading jokes.  But there is a lot of activity in the group, and the administrators do a great job of keeping the atmosphere upbeat and positive.

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Now for my current works in progress….

Wagon Trail Bride is at the 30,000-word Mark!

(This is book 1 in the Pioneer Series.)

This is a huge deal because it means I’m at the halfway point.  Everything is flowing smoothly.  Let’s hope it keeps up.  This puts me on track to hand this in to my publisher in December.

I will say one thing about this book: it has several scenes that’s made me cry.  I’ve had to bring a washcloth to wipe my face while writing it.  But that is what makes the best historical westerns, in my opinion.  I tend to enjoy the tearjerkers more in romance when doing historical westerns.  I prefer humor in Regencies.  I know.  It’s weird.  But it’s how it works for me.  Anyway, the fact that I am crying so much while writing this story means it’s likely to end up being one of my favorites.

Malcolm Just Found Out Who His Bride Is!

(This is book 1 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.)

Exciting stuff!  Long story short, he lifted her veil, saw it was the wicked lady on the cover above, and scurried out of the room to lament his fate.  This is where it gets really good.  To be fair to Regan (the heroine), she made an effort to let him know it was her, but he was “too busy” to be bothered with trivial stuff like that.  So he had it coming.

I’m almost at 20,000 words, which puts me on track for a January release.

The Convenient Mail Order Bride  will be Book 1 of the Colorado Series

I haven’t made much progress on this one since things have been flowing so well in the two books above, but I have decided this is going to be a part of a new series.  I’ll need to contact my cover artist to update the cover to reflect this.  I was going to make this a standalone until I came across a secondary character who is pretty much demanding his own book.

So this will be Book 1 in the Colorado Series.  I’ve been wanting to write a book set in Colorado.  I figured since so many of my series are based off the location the stories take place in, I might as well do it with this one, especially since I haven’t done Colorado books yet.

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This brings me to my final part of this post…

I’m brainstorming for titles for the next books in these three series.  Here’s the breakdown.

Pioneer Series

Book 1: Wagon Trail Bride (this is already set)

Richard and Amanda Larson’s Book

Book 2: The Marriage Agreement (this is already set and I have the cover)

Laura and Jesse Palmer’s Story

I introduce Laura and Jesse in Wagon Trail Bride.  Jesse loses his wife to childbirth along the trail, and this causes a lot of tension between him and his mother-in-law.  Laura will step in to be a mother for the baby.  So this is a marriage of convenience story.

I need a title (and cover) for Book 3

I’ll get the cover from Stephannie Beman.  She’s done the other covers in this post.  I love her work. :)

This is going to be Joe Otto’s story.  Joe is the man who pines for Amanda in Wagon Trail Bride.  What I got so far from his story is that he’s going to come across a situation where a young woman is going to be in a vulnerable situation, and he’s going to step in and marry her in order to save her.  This will be another marriage of convenience story.

Possible titles from a brainstorm are The Rescued Bride, A Bride in the Bargain, Bride for Sale…  Okay, that’s all I got right now.

 Marriage by Arrangement Series

Book 1: His Wicked Lady (this is already set)

Malcolm (Mr. Jasper) and Regan (Lady Cantrell)’s Story

Book 2: needs a title and cover (working on both)

Remember Dr. Westward from The Earl’s Stolen Bride?  He took care of Chloe’s brother after the other doctor refused to care for him.  He is the one who told her no decent lady would have him.  Well, his older brother (the Marquis of Doddsworth) is going to die, and he inherits the title.  With the title comes the necessity to marry.  He’ll want a lady who doesn’t mind being married to a gentleman known for upsetting the Ton, but (to make it interesting), he’s going to be paired up (by mistake) with a lady who does everything she can to stay out of the spotlight.  She’s a wallflower and well past her ideal marriageable age at 23 or 24.

So here are some possible title ideas: His Wallflower Bride, Her Devilish Marquis, Her Scandalous Marquis…  That’s all I got.

I don’t have any ideas yet for Books 3 and 4.  I’d like to make this series four books since the other Regency series have four books in them.

Colorado Series

(All of these are new characters.)

Book 1: The Convenient Mail Order Bride (this is already set)

Phoebe and Abe’s Story

Book 2: needs a title and cover

I introduced Eric in Book 1 of this series early on, and he’s expecting his mail order bride to come in.  But when she does, she’s going to be the wrong one.  I’m thinking it’s a mistake and neither side is trying to deceive the other.  The plot is not set in stone, though, and might change.

At the moment, though, I’m thinking The Wrong Mail Order Bride… That is all I got.  All day long, I haven’t been able to come up with anything else.  Maybe more ideas will come later.  I probably need to think outside the box.

But….

Book 3: needs a title and cover

I have yet to introduce this hero, but he’s going to be overweight and think himself undesirable to women.  I’m thinking of making the mail order bride who was supposed to marry Eric be the one who is stuck in town (after she finds out Eric married someone else).  She’ll need someone, so the hero in Book 3 marries her, but he doesn’t think she’ll ever be truly happy she had to marry him.

Possible title ideas: The Perfect Mail Order Bride, The Mismatched Couple, The Other Man’s Mail Order Bride, The Convenient Marriage…  I’m stumped again.

***

I’ll have to keep coming up with ideas.  But if anyone has any, I’d love to hear them.

Malcolm (hero in His Wicked Lady) is about to learn a very important lesson: Always Meet the Lady Before You Marry Her

Today’s post comes from a current work in progress, His Wicked Lady, which I expect to have out in January.

Malcolm is Melissa Jasper’s brother.  Melissa was the heroine in Ruined by the Earl, and if you’ll recall, Malcolm wasn’t at all happy with the gentleman she married.  He’s still not happy with the match in this book.  I don’t know if that will be resolved or not.

But it’s now time for him to have his own story, and as it turns out, he will have it in His Wicked Lady.  Today, I wrote this scene which takes place in Chapter 5.  (This is in first draft mode.)

Needless to say, his refusal to meet with the lovely–and mischievous–Lady Cantrell will come back to haunt him. But let the record show, he was allowed to see her before marrying her. ;)

Two days later, Malcolm was in his den working on his ledger when a familiar knock came at the closed door. “You may enter as long as you didn’t bring your reprobate of a husband with you,” he called out to his sister.

She opened the door and peaked into room. “How did you know it was me?”

“Because you use the same series of quick taps every time you knock.” Since she hadn’t fully entered the room, he narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that cad with you?”

“No. Logan doesn’t like to be here any more than you like having him here.”

“Then why are you partially hiding behind the door?”

“Because I important news to tell you.”

That made no sense at all, but then his sister seemed to have taken loss of her senses ever since Logan came into her life. “Well, come on in and tell me the important news.”

She did as he requested, hiding something behind her back. Before he could ask what it was, she held out a piece of parchment to him. “We’ve selected a wife for you!”

Surprised by her excitement, he took it. “Is she unbelievably wealthy or something?” There had to be a reason she looked as if she was ready to jump up and down in glee.

“Well, she is. You’ll be delighted at how well she manages money.”

“All right,” he slowly replied, not sure why this wasn’t as reassuring as it should have been.

This wasn’t his sister’s typical odd behavior ever since marrying Logan. This was something altogether different. He lowered his gaze and saw the contract for his approval for the choice the Duchess of Ashbourne made in picking a wife for him.

Lady Cantrell.

He didn’t recall the name. Glancing back up at his sister who was still grinning from ear to ear, he asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing. I got a chance to meet her, and she’ll be perfect for you.” She clasped her hands. “I’m just excited about this. A better match couldn’t be made in all of London.”

He relaxed. Since she put it that way, he supposed he couldn’t blame her for being enthusiastic. He read through the contract.

“You can meet her before the wedding,” Melissa told him. “We can do the banns or get a special license.”

He thought over the options then ran through the long list of things he had to do. “No, that’s all right. You picked Lady Cantrell for me, and that’s enough. I’ll just meet her at the wedding.”

“I knew you’d pick that option,” she said. “That’s why I had Helena mark it down for you to initial.” She leaned forward and pointed to the paragraph. “You can get a special license, and we’ll arrange the rest.”

“What about Lady Cantrell?”

“Oh, she agreed to the marriage as soon as we told her your name. She’s more than willing to marry you without meeting you first. She signed her agreement to the special license.”

Surprised, he asked, “She did?”

“Yes. She knows exactly who you are, and she said she couldn’t be happier with the match.”

How was it possible Lady Cantrell knew about him, but he had no idea who she was? The answer came to him as soon as he finished the thought. He was well known and respected in all of London because of his business prowess. He had friends like Warren, and Warren was one of the most influential gentleman he’d ever met. So naturally, she knew him. She, however, was an unknown lady who probably remained in the corner somewhere during balls.

“Is Lady Cantrell shy?” he asked Melissa.

“No, but she’s a widow with a child, so she doesn’t engage much socially.”

Oh, that explained a lot. No wonder he’d never heard of her.

“I assured her you are good with children,” Melissa added. “In fact, my son couldn’t ask for a better uncle.”

“What’s not to like about children? They don’t represent the unpleasant aspects of London.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be so difficult when it comes to Logan. He’s actually quite sweet.”

He grimaced and signed the contract. “You and I will never come to an agreement on him.” He handed it to her. “Let me know when the wedding is, and I’ll show up.”

If Lady Cantrell was as happy to marry him as Melissa claimed, this would be a very suitable match indeed. Lady Cantrell, after all, was already showing him what good taste she had.

“I’ll do that,” Melissa promised then ran out of the room, and if he was right, she was cheering the whole way out of his townhouse.

“When The Going Gets Tough…

The tough get going.”

My mom said this a lot while I was growing up.  She went to be with the Lord at 48, and though she’s no longer a phone call away, a lot of her words live on.  This particular phrase she often repeated in my childhood has been echoing through my head all day.

Recently, I moved to Montana.  In Nebraska, my husband and I moved into a house that required a lot of work. The same is true for my new place.  I haven’t been able to get a lot done due to the repairs we’re doing.  Today is the first day in a couple of days I’ve been able to sit at the computer.  As you’d expect, stress makes it harder to write.  So I’m cleaning up emails the best I can.

But anyway, back to the whole thing about “The tough get going”.  I think there are two ways we can respond to any situation.  Sure, there’s the period of shock.  Stress, I notice comes more into play by a lack of planning.  I feel much better and relaxed after I’ve been able to plan out and enact a proper strategy to deal with the problem at hand.  In this case, it’s getting someone qualified to take care of the septic system.  The most stressful part is finding that someone, which is surprising since I happen to live in an area that has 60,000 people.  You’d be amazed at how backed up companies are when you really need them.  Or maybe not.  Chances are, you’ve been through something similar or know someone who has and were told, “The soonest we can do anything to address the real problem is in about 1-2 weeks.”

So I guess it’s normal you go through this phase of disbelief.  Seriously, if you had known the problem would come up, you would have called well in advance to reserve your slot on the waiting list.  But alas, like a lot of things in life, this comes without warning and in the middle of a long list of other things that need to be done.

Life is seldom ever boring.

But I guess what we can do is either stay in that place of limbo (aka. inactivity) or do something about it.  Yes, I know with a septic situation, you pretty much have to do something to resolve the issue.  If you don’t, you need an outhouse, and I can’t think of anyone who wants one of those in their backyards.  Nor do I want to go without my washer and dishwasher.  I might write about the old west, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

So after making the plan, I suppose the next step is whether to complain about it or to choose to look at the positives.  I did catch this while it is warm enough to dig into the ground.  That’s definitely a plus.  Nothing is flowing out of the toilet that shouldn’t.  Another positive.  The kids are in good health.  (No one worries more over kids than their moms.)  The list would go on.

When I was in the 8th grade, my teacher gave the class an analogy of how things work.  (I went to  private school, so this had a spiritual application, but I think it can work from any other perspective.)  When you’re starting out, you’ll get a small obstacle.  You manage to overcome it.  In the process, you learn and grow from it.  You become stronger because you stuck it out.  “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Then you are confronted with another obstacle.  This one is harder and challenges you more the previous one.  If you overcome that, then there’s another obstacle.

The cycle repeats over and over in the course of a person’s life.  People can choose to let these things make them bitter or better.  It’s up to everyone to decide what they’ll take away from everything that happens.  Troubles will come.  That is inevitable.  And in the moment, it hurts and it’s okay to have that period where you’re serious bummed out.  You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t cry, get angry, complain,  or react in some way to the obstacle.

Once the obstacle has been passed, though, we can be stronger and better for it.  I know everyone reading this has had their share of troubles.  I guess I just felt it was a good post to write today.  Probably because I needed this reminder the most at this time.

Out of curiosity, I searched the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” and found it to mean when a situation gets hard, the strong will work harder to rise to the challenge.  To do this, I find it helpful to do another saying.  This one wasn’t from my mom but something I heard on the radio a while back.  “Keep your eyes on the prize.” Sometimes focusing on the end result will help you be strong enough to deal with the challenge you’re facing or will face.

As a sidenote, I recently heard that when you dream about going to school again, this often means you’re about to be faced with the opportunity to learn something.  So if you haven’t been to class all semester and are suddenly faced with an exam, maybe you’re about to come across one of these obstacles.

The obstacles are never fun.  I don’t look forward to them than anyone else.  I’m just trying to remind myself to see the silver lining around the dark cloud.  I don’t know if this helps anyone else or not, but it was the only thing I could think of to write today. :)

Updates

Wagon Trail Bride is finally flowing!

Since I’ve had so many problems with this book for two years, the fact that I hit chapter 7 today was amazing.  LOL  I guess it was the main issue of what got Richard and Amanda to marry in the first place that was holding me back all along because once I gave in and let the original reason be the one, things have been falling into place.

A quick diversion on why stories don’t often go the way writers expect:

Writers really are not in full control of the story.  Yes, we write it.  Yes, all the elements in it come from the writer’s mind, but so much of it comes at a subconscious level.  That’s why writers are often surprised by the unexpected twists and turns that pop up, and that is why it often feels like we have to cater to the characters’ whims.

So much of writing is instinctual.  Maybe that is the way of all creative arts.  The story ends up being what it wants to be.  What I’ve learned from all of this is that the subconscious mind is a lot more powerful than I gave it credit for.

The reason I say all of the above is because when it seems like the writer should have gone in another direction, the truth is, no, they couldn’t.  The story is going to be what it’s meant to be.  I don’t know how many times I’ve told people, “The reason the character did X is because that is who the character is and what the character wanted to do.” If I, as the author, come in and try to change that, the story comes to a complete stop and never gets done.

Case in point, Wagon Trail Bride.  As soon as I stopped telling the characters what to do, I could finally write the story.  You’d think after writing over 50 books (not all romance but most of them being romance), I would have gotten that by now.  I guess it only goes to prove how much we can learn, no matter how far along we’ve come. :)

Back to topic:

If things continue as they have been, I’d like to get this out in mid-t0-late December.  This one is going to my publisher, Parchment & Plume.

His Wicked Lady

I’m in chapter three now, and love how well everything is coming along.  This book seems to be coming together easily, and part of that might be because it takes place in the same Regency world that my other Regency books do.  I’m already familiar with the characters and the way things are set up.  I know which characters are determined to keep their reputations clean and which ones couldn’t care less about propriety.  It’s even more fun when I get to mix the two types together.

I’ve already had Malcolm meet his future wife, though he doesn’t know it’s her because he never did get her name at the ball.  It’ll be fun to see his reaction when he realizes he’ll be matched up with her, especially since he was shocked at her brazen behavior.  (To him, that means she had the nerve to come up to him, grab his hand, and lead him to the dance floor without asking his permission first.)

I want to get this out in January.

The Convenient Mail Order Bride

Well, in the last post I made it a point to say this was going to be a standalone romance.  Then as I was writing chapter two, a character popped up unexpectedly, and I already know this is going to be the hero in a future book.  So this will be book 1 in a new series.  I just have to give the series a title.

I’m still waiting for the heroine to meet the hero of this particular book.  I honestly don’t know how he’s going to react to seeing her because he was never told someone posted a mail order bride ad on his behalf.  All I know is why the person did it.  (I can’t say it because it is a spoiler.)  I also know the hero of this book is going to marry her because it’s a romance.  See what I mean about the writer really having no control?  I find things out as I go along, and more often than not, I’m surprised by what develops.  This is why writing is so much fun.  You never know what will happen in any given writing session.

Updates – Back To Writing Romance

The Enchanted Galaxy Series is Done!

(And due out in November)

I am now done with the last book in the Enchanted Galaxy Series, which puts me right on schedule.  This doesn’t often happen. I’ve set the publishing date for all of these in November.  This way my editor has enough time to go over them, and I can get them all out at once.  I could delay each book by a month, but to be honest, since fantasy isn’t what I’m known for, I see no reason to spread out their publication.  I’d rather focus my energy and time on romances.  While other genres are fun, my heart will always be with romance.

I’m halfway into Chapter 1 in His Wicked Lady

And I’m already having a lot of fun with the characters.  I’ve figured out how I’m going to get Malcolm to agree to be paired up with a wife by using Helena, Melissa, and Chloe’s matchmaking service.  (I’m not calling it a matchmaking service, but that’s basically what it is.)  I already knew why the heroine (Regan) will be using it.  His was the piece of the puzzle I hadn’t figured out until I was writing this morning. On a strange side note, I keep wanting to type in “Matthew” instead of “Malcolm” for the hero.  I have no idea why, but apparently, choosing “Mathias” as the name for his nephew has only made it that more difficult for me to remember he is Malcolm.  Thankfully, there’s alway the Find and Replace function on Word.

Trying To Decide Where To Go On This One (Again)

I might have to change this one again.  I won’t have to rewrite anything I’ve done in this version, but I might have to go with my original reason for Richard marrying Amanda.  That is probably the hardest part while writing this book.  It all has to do with backstory, and it’s hard for me to figure out the best way to go.  And I can’t say what it is because it’s a huge spoiler.  I don’t know why, but this is one of the toughest books I’ve ever written.

Starting Chapter 2

I’m not far along, but at least I’m on a good start and know where I’m headed.  I have it set up where Phoebe has to go out to the Colorado Territory to marry a man she believes posted a mail-order bride ad.  I say “believes” because the ad was placed by someone who wants to see the hero married off because the hero is causing problems for him. The hero, by the way, has every right to cause problems because of the injustice he’s been through. However, not knowing this and the hero not realizing someone posted an ad on his behalf will cause some problems in and of themselves.  I’m looking forward to the moment they realize they’ve been deceived.  I believe that will come in chapter 3.