Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 62

Update on My Progress for The Earl’s Stolen Bride and A Groom’s Promise

I’m hoping to finish up with both of these by the end of next week.  *fingers crossed*

Marriage by Deceit Series: Book 4

I just finished Chapter 20 in this one.  I pretty much hit on the major climax of the book already, and everything from here is resolution, which basically means I’m resolving all the points of conflict that I introduced earlier in the story.  I’m not sure how many chapters are left, but I’m at 53,700 words now, and I don’t expect to hit over 65,000 words.  So that hopefully gives you an idea of how close I am to the end.

I was going to put this one on pre-order, but because I don’t want to wait all the way to August to get it out, I’m not going to do a pre-order on this one.  I’d like to get it out in July.  I already have my editor reserved to work on it in June.

This one is quickly nearing the 50,000-word mark, which will make it a full-length novel.  I got almost 47,500 words in.  I have just reached Chapter 20.  I should have either 3 or 4 chapters left.  So this puts me at an estimate of 54,000 words total for this book.

I have struggled a lot with the title of my story in this anthology, and I finally just settled on The Shy Groom.  I really can’t come up with anything else that fits.  So The Shy Groom, it is.

During June, Janet and I will be going through this book, and we’re expecting to have it to our publisher in July.  From there, it shouldn’t be too long before it’s out.

Why Characters Matter So Much To The Story

As I was writing The Earl’s Stolen Bride today, I suddenly realized the only reason why Lord Hawkins married Chloe (heroine in The Earl’s Stolen Bride) in The Earl’s Secret Bargain was because she was beautiful. ��More than that, she was extremely beautiful. ��I know Toby (Lord Davenport) didn’t think Chloe was as good looking as Regina, but then Toby was going to marry Regina so, of course, he thought she was better looking.

It’s all about perspective. ��Over and over, Orlando has been telling Toby that Chloe is far more attractive, but Toby has refused to listen, which he should because he’s married to Regina and should think Regina’s better looking. ��But when I brought in a minor character into The Earl’s Stolen Bride, he made a comment that made me realize Orlando was right. ��Chloe is the prettier of the two. ��In fact, she’s the prettiest heroine of all the ladies I’ve featured in all my Regencies.

And this was why Lord Hawkins (the gentleman who ran off to India right after marrying Chloe in The Earl’s Secret Bargain) married Chloe. ��It’s also why he had no real interest in consummating their marriage. ��To him, beauty was to be looked at and put on display, not touched. ��Had I ever written Lord Hawkins’ point of view, I might have figured this out sooner, but I never did write in his point of view.

I’ve been in Orlando’s point of view, and he has been in love with her since before she married Lord Hawkins. ��He’s spent the past three books of this series longing for her. ��She had attracted a lot of other gentlemen, too. ��I had a lot of them gathering around her everywhere she went, but I assumed it was because she knew how to flirt because that’s what Orlando thought. ��Now I know it was because she’s incredibly attractive. ��Had it not been for Dr. Harvey talking to Chloe, I would never have known this.

When I talk about writing in a character’s point of view, this is what I’m referring to. ��It’s best for a writer to be so immersed within that character (seeing everything only from that character’s point of view) that they aren’t aware of what the other characters are thinking unless the characters either say something or if the writer writes in the other character’s viewpoint. ��In real life, we only know what we are thinking. ��We can’t read other people’s minds. ��The only way we find something out is if someone tells us. ��We can guess, but we can’t ever truly know. ��(This is why they say, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”)

Finding out these surprises is one of the reasons why writing is so enjoyable, and it’s why secondary characters can really add something fun to a book. ��Writing a story isn’t just telling a story. ��It’s about living through a character, feeling and thinking everything that character is. ��It’s being inside the character and seeing the story from their perspective. �� The story is not the writer’s story. ��The story is the character’s. ��This is why I love the story as much as I do. ��Without the character, the story has no meaning. ��The story is only a series of events. ��The character is what gives the story heart. ��This is why I believe the character is the key to the entire story, and the focus should always be on the main characters. ��Secondary characters support the story, but the main ones are the ones that really count.

Making Good Progress on The Earl’s Stolen Bride and A Groom’s Promise

Obviously, having incentive can do wonders to kick a writer’s behind into gear. ��I made awesome progress in The Earl’s Stolen Bride and my novel in A Groom’s Promise. ��At the end of this month, my mother-in-law is coming for a visit and I have a conference in Arizona. ��I want to get the first drafts to both done by May 23.

��I am now at chapter 16! ��(I just hit the 40,000 word mark today. ��The total word count is supposed to be 65,000 words. ��This puts my chapter goal around 22-24 chapters.) ��So I’m well over the halfway point. ��My goal is 1500 words a day (at least). �� If I can keep up that pace, I can make my goal. ��*fingers crossed*

I am in love with Chloe and Orlando. ��I’m really enjoying their story. ��When I introduced their romance back in The Earl’s Secret Bargain, I never expected to be as wrapped up in their romance as I am. ��I fall in love when my characters do, but there are some couples whose love seem to run a little deeper than the others, and this is one of them.

My story in this anthology will definitely be a full-length novel. ��I’m very pleased with the way this story is playing out. ��I have seventeen chapters in this so far. ��I’m expecting there to be about 21-23 chapters total.

This story has not turned out at all like I expected. ��The hero starts out as so awkward and shy, but then he decided he doesn’t want to stay that way. ��As soon as he realizes the heroine returns his feelings, he developed this newfound courage I never saw coming. ��I’ve been writing long enough to know that if a character is going to be a certain way, then I need to let him be that way.

Not to give away too much, but it really put a damper on the wedding night since I had hoped he’d hide in the barn to avoid her. ��That was supposed to be really funny scene. ��But now I can’t use it. ��Maybe I can do it in another book. ��(Sometimes I hate it when characters won’t let me do the incredibly awesome scene I wanted to.) ��But Jack wins. ��He gets to the wedding night his way.

Update on What I’m Doing

At the moment, my attention has been focused on two books, A Groom’s Promise and The Earl’s Stolen Bride. ��I was writing in four books at 500 words a day, but the momentum picked up in A Groom’s Promise and The Earl’s Stolen Bride so I decided to go with it and let the ideas come as long as they’re willing to.

A Groom’s Promise is longer than I expected.

��It was supposed to be 35,000 words. ��Now, I’m almost at 40,000 words, and there’s still more to do. ��So I am estimating 50,000 words.

One perk to being in full control of my content is that if I need to make a book longer, I can. ��Likewise, I can make it shorter if it needs to be. ��There’s nothing worse than a book loaded with fillers that end up being boring. ��Second to this is a book that feels rushed to get to the end. ��It’s why I’ve learned to be flexible on deadlines or a certain word count. ��Whenever I filled up a story or rushed it, I ended up regretting it, and after writing 48 romances, I’ve finally learned the very important lesson of letting each story be as long or as short as it needs to be in order to tell it.

I guess this begs the question, “How does an author know when the story is done?” My rule of thumb is when I am satisfied with it. ��I’m not sure if other authors have the same answer, but it’s mine.

~~~

For the first part of The Earl’s Stolen Bride, I had a limited idea on how I was going to proceed with it.

Thankfully, I now know what’s going to happen. ��The breakthrough came a couple weeks ago, but it didn’t gain momentum until this week. ��I stalled for a while because I had to work through a major transition point between the time Orlando and Chloe are at his country home to when they go back to London. ��Now that I crossed this major hurdle, things have gotten a lot easier to write. ��What a relief.

~~~

In case anyone is wondering about Janet Syas Nitsick, her husband is home from the hospital, but he’ll need to have surgery. ��I don’t feel like it’s my place to go into details in a public place. ��I just wanted to give a quick update and ask for prayer on their behalf. ��Thanks. :)

The Rambling Post

This post is more of a “got to clear my mind” post than anything else. ��I have tried private journaling, but for some reason coming onto this public blog and getting stuff sorted out helps a lot more. ��Weird, I know. ��But it’s how things are for me, and I might as well do what works.

Going Back to Pre-orders (except on Amazon)

After going through an entire day of publishing Ruined by the Earl with multiple formats (one for Amazon, one for B&N, one for Kobo, and one for Smashwords) and having to resize my cover at one place, I realized I need to simplify my life.

I think I’ve had enough of going through all these channels independently. �� I’ll do it if I have to. ��Like if the book is supposed to be on Kobo or B&N but isn’t for some reason, I’ll go in��and upload it through that retailer. ��(This happens about 10% of the time when I publish the book through Smashwords, but most of the time, things work like they’re supposed to.)

So I made the decision to go back into pre-orders. ��It was nice to be able to publish on just Amazon and Smashwords. ��I forgot what a pain it was to do four retailers. ��I would rather spend more time writing than trying to work out all the kinks I need to in order to get the book “just right” for every channel.

I want the book to be available on the same day at Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iBooks. ��In order to do that, I am going to upload the book to Smashwords 5-6��weeks out. ��That should be enough time for it to go up on all the sites so it’s available on the day I’ll be publishing it on Amazon.

I am not doing pre-orders to gain any traction or make extra sales, so I’m not going to worry about doing this on Amazon. ��My only goal is to have the book on the channels on the same day. ��So I won’t be posting any links until the day it’s actually available.

*The exception to this will be the books I submit to my awesome publisher, Parchment & Plume. ��I don’t have control over the distribution on those books.

I am way behind in my writing schedule.

And I’m extremely frustrated because of it. ��Words can’t describe just how frustrated I am. ��So much has been going on in my personal life. ��There’s nothing serious. ��It’s just a lot is going on, and it keeps on coming. ��I feel like I’m plugging up a hole in a dam only to realize there’s another leak. ��I finish one task and think, “Good, now I can write.” But then something else pops up, and I have to tend to it. ��So yeah, frustrated is the best word I can come up with to explain how I’m feeling.

What’s worse is that when I finally do get a chance to sit and write, my mind draws a blank, and I don’t even know what to type next. ��It usually takes me an hour to write 1,000 words. ��Now it’s like 250 words. ��The answer (as ironic as it seems) is to keep at it. ��I know it’ll get easier. ��If I take a break, it’ll actually be harder to get back to. ��The answer (for me) is to keep at it and plug away. ��This, too, shall pass. ��It’s just getting it to pass that is going to be the grueling part.

The Books I Would Like to Publish For the Rest of This Year

Now that I’m coming up toward the mid-point in the year, I can get a clearer picture of what I might be able to publish for the rest of this year. ��And since I need to sort this out (probably more than anything else), let me list that in this post.

This probably won’t be available until August. ��I know. ��It’s not as soon as I was hoping. ��I was hoping for May. ��Then I pushed it back to June. ��Then I said “this summer”.

See why I’m frustrated? ��Believe me, no one is more upset about it than I am, but I don’t want to publish an “eh” kind of book, which is what it would be if I rushed it. �� So��that means pushing it back to mid-to-late August. ��I need to give myself enough time to get it through pre-order and such, too.

This one might be out in July. ��Janet Syas Nitsick went��through two funerals in her family and today her husband is in the hospital. ��This, of course, affects��her writing.

Since this won’t be in pre-order, it should be out before The Earl’s Stolen Bride, unless something serious happens to her husband. ��We don’t know what is going on yet. ��He went in this morning. ��If you’re inclined, she could use the prayers.

This will also be with the publisher, but I’m thinking it will be a September release. ��We’ll see how things play out.

I have this planned for November.

And I have this planned for December.

How to Turn a Prospective Suitor Off (Excerpt from “The Marriage Bargain” in the anthology A Groom’s Promise)

Today’s post is a humorous excerpt from “The Marriage Bargain” which will be in the anthology, A Groom’s Promise.

A quick background into this scene, Maybell’s father told her Hugh wants to court her, so she is trying to do everything she can to lose his interest without coming out and telling him she’d rather be with his brother, Jack, instead.

She messed up her hair and clothes and then (for good measure) stuck parsley between her teeth. ��She also put a very bitter herb into Hugh’s stew. ��(Don’t worry, the herb didn’t hurt him.) ��Oh, and she didn’t put the herb into anyone else’s stew.

*****

���Where have you been?��� he pa asked.

She glanced away from Jack and saw Hugh coming into the dining room from the kitchen, looking as if he���d been in a hurry.

���I���m ��� I���m sorry I���m late,��� Hugh said, wiping his hands on his pants to dry them from having just washed them for the meal.

���Where were you all this time?��� her pa pressed.

���I shouldn���t have, but I stopped in to see Opal and the baby.���

Maybell���s eyebrows rose. Since when did men take it upon themselves to visit babies, especially ones that weren���t in their family?

Her pa appeared equally shocked. ���You shouldn���t have done that.��� After a moment, he added, ���Since you���re a newcomer to this area, you may not understand how important harvest time is around these parts. There���s a lot to do and we can���t afford dilly-dallying.���

Setting her napkin aside, Maybell stood up. ���I���ve been keeping your food warm. You set yourself down and I���ll bring it in.���

She brought in his bowl of stew and set it before him. God willing, that rue herb would do the trick. If men were as concerned about eating tasty meals for the rest of their lives as Ada said, then it would.

���Thank you,��� Hugh told her. ���I appreciate you keeping this hot for me.���

Hopefully, that would be the only thing he���d appreciate this evening.

���Maybell?��� her pa called out, turning her attention to him.

���Yes, Pa?��� she asked.

���Why don���t you take what���s left of your stew and sit beside Hugh?��� With a sly grin, he winked. ���You two need to get better acquainted.���

���But Pa������ She tried to think of a way to argue with him without arousing Hugh���s suspicions. It had to be his idea things would never work between them. She couldn���t very well do that if she didn���t do what her father wanted.

To her horror, Hugh pulled out the chair next to him. She glanced at her pa again who waved her over to the spot. Then her gaze went to Jack, noting the way his brow furrowed in confusion.

Unfortunately, she didn���t have a choice. She had to do this. She sat down next to Hugh and smiled at him, showing him her teeth���and the parsley���in all their glory. He blinked but gave no other indication that he noticed it. Instead, he returned to his seat. She watched as he took several bites of stew, his hunger probably prompting him to go faster than he would otherwise. But after a few seconds, he stopped chewing and grew still.

She bit her lower lip. Did she put in enough rue? Was it as bitter as she hoped?

He quickly swallowed, grabbed the glass, and drank most of it down in several large gulps. He coughed, shuddered, and downed the rest of the water.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Good. It was as bitter as she wanted!

Maybell in all her hideous glory.

���This is my best stew yet,��� she told him. ���I used my special recipe. What do you all think?��� she asked her pa and Jack.

���It���s good, as always,��� her pa replied.

Jack nodded and muttered a compliment, but his mood had turned considerably dark since Hugh���s arrival.

���You alright?��� her pa asked Hugh.

���Oh sure, Maybell always makes the greatest meals.��� Hugh coughed and ate a roll.

���Yes, but my stew is especially good,��� she said.

���It���s true,��� her pa agreed. ���She won a cooking contest at the church with this recipe.���

���I did.��� Gesturing to his bowl, she asked, ���You���re going to finish it all, aren���t you?���

Hugh���s mouth hung open for a moment, and she could swear he gasped at the thought.

���It���s very important that the man who ends up with me enjoys what I make.���

���Maybell prides herself on her cooking,��� her pa said. ���As well as she should. She did outdo herself tonight. I hope she makes this more often.���

���Oh, I will, Pa,��� she replied. ���I promise.��� She turned her gaze back to Hugh. ���I just might make this every week from now on.��� Then, for good measure, she smiled again, showing him her teeth, and let out a belch so low that only he could hear it.

He paled then got to his feet. ���It���s been a long day, and I���m exhausted.���

���Already?��� she asked. ���I haven���t even served my apple tarts.���

���No. I can���t stay. I need to get some sleep.���

���I need to have a word with you first,��� her pa said, rising up from where he was sitting.

Hugh shifted from one foot to the other then let out a sigh. ���Alright, sir.���

She waited until the two left the house before turning to Jack. ���Would you like dessert?���

What I’m Working On

I’m so excited about my current works in progress that I had trouble sleeping last night. ��(This often happens, which is why I try not to think about what I’m writing a couple hours before bedtime. ��But sometimes in the middle of the night, I’ll get ideas, and that’s when it’s hard to sleep. ��I won’t complain. ��It’s fun when the stories pretty much write themselves because it lets me know I’m on the right track.)

All that aside, here’s what I’m working on at the moment…

The Earl’s Stolen Bride (Marriage by Deceit: Book 4)

This will finish up this particular series, but…we will see these characters again in my next Regency series, Marriage by Arrangement.

Quick note about Malcolm’s romance: Malcolm Jasper (Melissa’s brother in Ruined by the Earl) is going to be the hero in one of the books (His Wicked Lady), which might be the book to start that series. ��If anyone needs a lady who doesn’t care about the rules of the Ton and will loosen him up, it’s Malcolm. ��He just might come to befriend Logan.

Back to The Earl’s Stolen Bride:��I am at 19,000 words in The Earl’s Stolen Bride. ��(My total word count goal is 60,000 to 65,000 words, so that gives you an idea of my progress.) ��Yesterday, I had a “light bulb moment” where I finally knew where to go in this book.

All I knew when I started was that Orlando had been pining for Chloe for over a year, and he finally gets his chance to be with her when her husband dies. ��But he had to make his move fast before her family could arrange for her to marry someone else after her mourning period was over. ��Beyond that, I had no idea where I was going in this book.

I am not a plotter. ��It doesn’t work for me. ��So I pretty much have to write until I know what to do because it’s only by writing that I truly understand the characters. ��This method does have it’s moments of panic because a part of me wonders if I can actually pull it off. ��But it is also very exciting because I never know where any story will go when I start it. ��It’s like going on a journey and discovering new things. ��This is why I love the writing part of creating a book so much.

A Groom’s Promise (sequel to Bride by Arrangement)

I’m between 1/2-3/4 of the way done with my novella “The Marriage Bargain” in this anthology. ��I’m thrilled at how well this story is coming together. ��My hero is about to make a bargain with the heroine’s father for the honor of marrying her. ��I’m a little over 27,000 words, and my estimate is that this will be about 40,000 words long.

Wagon Trail Bride

Now that Ruined by the Earl is out, I can get serious about writing in this one. ��I’m still hovering at 10,000 words (out of 55,000 to 65,000 I’d like to write total). ��This is Richard Larson’s book, and though we do see his family, the focus is mostly on others in the wagon train. ��This is going to be the first book in the Pioneer Series, so in addition to getting into Richard and Amanda’s romance, I’m also laying the groundwork to the next two books I’m planning in the series. ��This has caused me to go slower since I’m figuring out what to do with them.

One romance will feature a young woman who is “bugging” Amanda for most of the book because she insists on talking to her even though Amanda would rather be alone. ��This character (Laura) will be the heroine of book 2, which I have already titled The Marriage Agreement. ��The other romance will feature the young man (Joe) who will try to come between Amanda and Richard in this book. ��I don’t have the title (or plot) for his book yet, but it’ll be #3.

The Convenient Mail Order Bride

It took me months to figure out how to go about writing this one. ��I had originally titled this Stolen, but since I had “The Earl’s Stolen Bride” for the Regency, I nixed that title. �� Then I had to decide what to do with the hero because he’s the one who’s going to have the main source of conflict. ��I think I know where I’m heading, but I only started this one, so I have to keep writing to figure it all out. ��I can’t figure the story out until I write it (which I know makes no sense to authors who plot their books), but it’s just how it works for me.

Betting On Love

I’m working on this when time permits, which means not a whole lot. ��But a little here and there adds up after a while. :)

Ruined by the Earl is Now Available!

This is book 3 in the Marriage by Deceit Series. ��I am currently working on book 4 (The Earl’s Stolen Bride), and this will be the last book in this series. ��I am behind in writing it, so it probably won’t be out until June or July.

But these characters in Regency world will still show up from time to time in the next Regency series I have planned out. ��I’ll go more into that series when I get to it. ��(I want to get back to historical westerns��for a while.)

I just wanted everyone to know I have plans for another series in this Regency world. ��Malcolm (Melissa’s brother in Ruined by the Earl) is going to be featured in one of them. ��So at the end of Ruined by the Earl, what happens with Malcolm in relation to White’s will play a part in Malcolm’s future book.

For the time being, here is where you can find Ruined by the Earl. ��It should be up at iBooks in a couple weeks.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

For fun, here is the page I created at Booklaunch.io with reviews by the characters who play a major role in the book.

Interview with Melissa and Logan (Heroine and Hero in Ruined by the Earl) with Malcolm Jasper (Melissa’s brother) who isn’t at all happy about this book

I finally got the description for Ruined by the Earl, and here it is…

After losing all of his money in a reckless bet, Logan Breckman, the Earl of Toplyn, needs to marry a lady from a wealthy family���and fast. So he does the only thing he can think of and picks one at random to trick into marriage.

Unfortunately for Miss Melissa Jasper, she happens to be in the right place at the wrong time. Before she knows it, he comes up to her carriage and kisses her���and she is doomed. Now she can���t marry the gentleman she was hoping to and she���s bound to a cad who thinks of little else but himself.

Logan is the first to admit he���s far from perfect, but being with a gentleman who knows how to ignite a passionate spark is a lot better than being stuck with one who���ll put a lady to sleep. Of course, she won���t thank him for forcing her hand in marriage yet. But he has no doubt that sooner or later, she���ll come to understand he���s the best thing that���s ever happened to her.

*****************************************

Miss Jasper (aka Melissa)

Melissa: Who wrote that garbage?

Ruth: You’re calling the description I painstakingly wrote “garbage”?

Melissa: Of course, I am. ��It’s filth. ��I mean, read it back to yourself. ��“Sooner or later, she’ll come to understand he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her”? ��It’s garbage.

Logan: What’s wrong with that?

Melissa: It makes me seem weak, like I should be falling at your feet in utter adoration and thanking my lucky stars that you chose me, of all ladies, to bless with a kiss.

Logan: There’s nothing wrong with that. ��In fact, it’s perfect.

Melissa: It’s not perfect, you cad. ��It’s awful. ��I will never, ever, fall at your feet in adoration. ��In fact, I’ll never be glad I had to marry you. ��I’m going to mourn the loss of my happiness every day for the rest of my life.

Lord Toplyn (aka Logan)

Logan: I don’t understand why. ��I’ll make an ideal husband. ��I fully support a lady who speaks her mind, and I don’t take myself too seriously as some stuffy gentlemen do.

Malcolm: Is that “stuffy gentlemen” comment directed at me?

Logan: Who else would I be talking about?

Malcolm: Words cannot describe how much I hate you.

Logan: Good. ��Then don’t try. ��There’s no reason for you to be here.

Malcolm: You kissed my sister at Lord Roderick’s ball without having the decency to even find out if she was already in love with someone or not.

Logan: I didn’t have time to go around asking something like that. ��Time was of the essence. ��I had to secure a betrothal right away. ��Melissa just happened to be there.

Melissa: You don’t even care about me. Why would I ever be glad to be married to you?

Logan: You have it all wrong, my joyful tulip. ��I cared about you. ��I’m very happy you’re a beautiful lady.

Melissa: Is that all you care about? ��How I look?

Logan: Well, it does make getting the heir a lot easier if I’m attracted to you.

Malcolm (Melissa’s brother)

Malcolm: Duel! ��I demand a duel a once.

Logan: Don’t be silly. ��A duel will accomplish nothing.

Malcolm: It’ll get you out of our lives, you pathetic slug.

Logan: Was “slug” a word back in Regency times?

Malcolm: What do you care about a word’s origin? ��You’re wearing��modern clothes with a modern hairstyle.

Logan: You have a point. ��I offered to come on here naked so I could fit in with the Regency time period. ��People look the same regardless of the time period if they don’t wear any clothes. ��However, Ruth was surprisingly against it, so I came in clothes.

Ruth: I want to keep this blog PG, Logan.

Logan: Which is a shame.

Malcolm: No, it’s not. ��None of us want to go blind from looking at you without clothes on.

Logan: You’re just upset that I’m better looking than you.

Malcolm: That has nothing to do with it at all. ��It has to do with what’s decent and right, and you, my lord, are none of the above.

Logan: Hmm…. ��I’m pretty sure “none of the above” is a modern expression, Malcolm. ��You might want to rephrase that.

Malcolm: A duel! ��I demand a duel!

Melissa: Who cares what words were said back in the Regency time period or not? ��My life is about to be destroyed.

Lord Waxman (according to Logan)

Logan: It would only be destroyed if you actually married this ultra-dork. *snickers as he puts up the picture on the left* And yes, I know no one said “ultra-dork” back then, nor did they wear those clothes. ��But trust me, this is what Lord Waxman is like. ��See why I need to save the fair and enchanting Melissa?

Melissa: *takes out her handkerchief* My life is over. ��There is no point in going on.

Malcolm: Melissa, I’ll figure a way out of this. ��Somehow, we can get you out of this marriage.

Logan: You can try, but it won’t work.

Malcolm: Oh, shut up. ��No one wants you here.

Logan: That’s not true. ��I overheard Ruth saying I’m her favorite Regency character. ��In fact, she even added that out of all the Regencies she’s written, Ruined by the Earl is her favorite.

Ruth: That is true.

Malcolm: Have you no sense of decency, Ruth? ��I don’t think I will be a hero in one of your upcoming Regencies when you work on your next series.

Ruth: But we already signed the contract. ��Your book is going to be in the Marriage by Arrangement series. ��I don’t know which number in the series it’ll be yet. ��You need a wife who’ll loosen you up. ��You’re much too stuffy.

Logan: *shoots Malcolm a pointed look* ��See? ��Even she thinks you need to relax.

Malcolm: I can tell when I’m not wanted. ��Come on, Melissa. ��We don’t need to put up with this. ��This book will not end up with you and Logan “happily married” as Ruth claims.

*Malcolm and a crying Melissa leave*

Logan: It does end up with me and Melissa being happily married, doesn’t it?

Ruth: It’s a romance, Logan. ��All romances have a happy ending.

Logan: That’s good. ��I’d hate to think Malcolm would really be stupid enough to challenge me to a duel.

*end interview*

*****************************

Picture credits (I bought these off Dreamstime.com):

Logan – ID 34873258 �� Artofphoto | Dreamstime.com

Melissa – ID 33605726 �� Victoriaandreas | Dreamstime.com

Malcolm – ID 21663285 �� Inara Prusakova | Dreamstime.com

Lord Waxman –��ID 4569913 �� Redbaron | Dreamstime.com

Ruined by the Earl will be Available Soon but the Epilogue was Removed (Only People on My Email List Will Be Able To Read It)

Ruined by the Earl comes out this weekend/early next week. ��

This pretty much determines how fast Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo will get it up. ��Smashwords gets it up right away. ��For iBooks, it depends on how fast Smashwords will approve the version for premium distribution and send it to iBooks. ��There are lots of elements I can’t control. ��But I am currently on Chapter 21 of edits. ��So either Saturday or Sunday is the day I will be uploading this book to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Those of you on my email list will be the first to know when it’s available on these sites.

And speaking of my email list…

The epilogue for Ruined by the Earl will only be given to those of you on my email list.

Why? ��Because the epilogue in Ruined by the Earl��takes place after the events in The Earl’s Stolen Bride. ��I was going to originally put it in. ��(It’s been written.) ��But my editing team didn’t realize Ruined by the Earl actually begins before Helena (Lady Seyton) marries Camden (the Duke of Ashbourne) in Love Lessons With the Duke. ��Then about a couple weeks later, Helena and Camden get married via special license.

Helena and Camden didn’t have to wait for the banns to be read, like Melissa and Logan did. ��Melissa (heroine in Ruined by the Earl) was not invited to the wedding because Helena isn’t good enough friends with her yet. ��She will be by the end of the series. ��But she wasn’t at this point in time.

It all has to do with points of view and how important an event is to each character I’m writing. ��Melissa was so traumatized with her own impending marriage to Logan, she forgot when Helena was getting married until after she got married. ��As for Logan, he was so preoccupied with himself he didn’t��care when the wedding happened, though I did mention it about 1/2 way into the book. ��(I love Logan. ��He’s a lot of fun, but he is self-absorbed.)

But since this whole thing confused my editing team, I added a very brief mention of Helena marrying Camden in Melissa’s thoughts. ��I hope that clears up the confusion, but beyond that, I’d have to go into “narration mode” which is me (the author) interrupting the story to tell you what is happening, and this is a bad storytelling technique. ��So I’m not going to interrupt the flow of the story to go into a huge explanation. ��Instead, I’m doing it here in this post.

If people on my editing team were confused about the timing Helena and Camden’s marriage, then the time frame for the The Earl’s Stolen Bride will confuse everyone. ��The epilogue to Ruined by the Earl takes place in 1817. �� The Earl’s Stolen Bride takes place in 1816. ��The time frame will throw some people off.

I only wrote the epilogue because several people told me they enjoy reading them. ��The epilogue doesn’t really add anything to the story. ��It’s simply an addition to the happy ending. ��You won’t miss anything by not reading it.

But since it is a nice addition to the story, I am going to put it in the email I sent out��to those of you who have signed up for my email list.

So when you get the email from me saying the book is available, I’ll be adding the epilogue below the links. ��Save the epilogue and read it after you finish the book. ��If you aren’t already signed up for my email list, you can do so at this link. ��(You don’t have to put your name in the box. ��It’s optional.)

Also, if you got the email notice when Love Lessons With the Duke was out, you are already on my list, so you don’t have to sign up again. ��I get a few of the same people signing up and don’t know why. ��If you aren’t receiving the emails, maybe they are going to your spam folder.