Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 80
October 24, 2013
Sunday Story Sample: Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Here’s more of the story. :-) I’m combining a couple scenes today since they were pretty short.
The reason I’m posting this early is because I’m going to be focusing on revising The Stagecoach Bride this weekend instead of working on this blog.
“She’s with my brother,” Agnes Brothers protested, glancing up and down the street to make sure no one overheard their conversation.
“She didn’t want to be with him,” Kent replied.
“But what about Rebecca? You’re engaged to her.”
“No, not anymore.”
“Well, no one around here has been told otherwise.”
He debated how much to tell her. Of all the people who would know where Ann and Todd went, it would be Agnes, her closest friend. “Don’t tell anyone, but we have secretly ended the engagement. We will tell everyone when the time is right, but this isn’t the time. Understand? It’s very important you don’t mention it to anyone.”
Though she looked worried, she nodded.
“Good,” he replied with relief. “Ann said you were the kind of person who could be trusted to keep her word, so I believe you’ll let Rebecca and I tell everyone when the time is right.”
“Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that Ann is with Todd. You can’t come between them.”
“Is she married to him?”
“I don’t know. I think so. The preacher wouldn’t say if they went to his house or not on their way out, but my brother is an honorable man. He would have married her if he planned to live with her.”
“Or he could have gone out West and told people he married her,” he pointed out, not putting it past Todd to do something like that, and why would Ann disgrace herself by telling people otherwise? Making another attempt with Agnes, he added, “Surely, Ann told you how much I meant to her?”
After a long moment, she swallowed. “Yes, but that was back in April, before you broke her heart. She’s had all this time to be with Todd.”
“It’s only been six months.”
“And six months is enough time for her to fall in love with Todd.”
“No, it’s not. She told me she would never love him, no matter what. And I love her. Circumstances have compelled me to end our courtship, but it wasn’t something I wanted. I promise you my feelings for your friend are sincere, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making things up to her.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. Todd’s my brother. Ann might be my friend, but my first duty is to him and I believe he’s better for her than you’d ever be.” She glanced around them again and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. “Now, please go find a lady more suited for you.”
He watched as she walked away, both disappointed and frustrated. How could he expect her to tell him? Todd was her brother. She’d do whatever she could to make sure Ann stayed with him, even if Ann didn’t want to. But he also knew Agnes was the person who could lead him to Ann. He’d bide his time and watch her. Sooner or later, she’d lead him to Ann. And he had no trouble waiting. He’d wait an entire lifetime if it meant he could be with Ann in the end.
***
Three weeks later, Kent followed Agnes to the train station. He suspected she was going to see Ann, and if he could find out where she was going, he’d know where Ann was. With the amount of people gathered around to wish their loved ones safe travel, it was easy enough to blend in with the crowd so she didn’t notice him.
“Excuse me,” he called out to a ten-year-old boy who was standing by the newsstand, eyeing the candy while his parents talked to another couple a few feet away.
The boy turned to him. “Am I in your way, sir?”
“No,” Kent said, offering him a smile, “but I can’t help but notice you’d like some candy.”
“Oh, yes, but I’m not going to steal any.”
“I know you aren’t. You look like an honest lad.”
He nodded and turned his attention back to the candy.
“You see that young lady standing in line at the ticket counter who’s wearing a green dress?” He motioned to Agnes who was in the line.
“Uh huh.”
He lowered his voice so no one would overhear them. “If you tell me where she’s going, I’ll give you a nickel. You don’t even have to talk to her. Just listen to her tell the man behind the counter where she’s going.”
The boy glanced between her and the candy. “All I have to do is listen to her?”
Kent nodded.
The boy headed off for the line and Kent dug out a nickel from his pocket. Kent watched as the boy got close to Agnes and stayed near her until she left with a ticket. He straightened as the boy ran over to him, swiftly dodging several people along the way.
When the boy reached him, he gave him a wide, satisfied smile. “Jamestown, North Dakota.”
He handed him the nickel. “Thank you.”
The excited boy ran to the newsstand and Kent turned away from him then watched as Agnes headed for the train. Soon enough, he’d be going to Jamestown.
***
“Oh, let him go,” Kent’s mother said during dinner that evening. “Mr. Jeffries is a wise investor. He might teach Kent a thing or two.”
Kent wasn’t necessarily fond of the idea that his mother had to speak up on his behalf, but considering how reluctant his father was to let him go to New York, he figured she was his best chance. And all he needed was a couple weeks. A couple weeks would be sufficient time to travel to Jamestown, tell Ann he would rescue her from Todd in April after his investments matured, and come back. He wished he had the money to start a new life with her now, but he’d have to bide his time. They’d have the rest of their lives together. Half a year was a small price to pay.
He glanced at his father as he cut into his steak. “Mr. Dawson is letting me take the time off so I can go.”
His father sipped his wine then set the glass on the table. “I don’t know why you refuse to work for Mr. Johnson. You’d have a much better job as his future son-in-law.”
“I want to prove I can earn money on my own merit,” he replied.
“You could go farther on Mr. Johnson’s.”
He hid his grimace. One thing he’d be sure to do when he married Ann was to move far away from Virginia. Maybe they could go to California. That was as far west as he could go and make it near to impossible for his father to track him down. Rebecca and Samuel were making plans to go to Canada where he had a distant relative who could use help with his horses.
“There’s no denying Mr. Jeffries’ advice would be of great benefit to you,” his father finally said, bringing Kent’s attention back to him. “How long will you be gone?”
“Only a couple weeks. Three at the most,” Kent replied.
After a long moment, he nodded. “Very well. You may go.”
Relieved, Kent continued eating while his parents discussed an upcoming ball they wanted to attend.
October 20, 2013
Story Sample Sunday: Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Now we continue with confrontation between Kent and Rebecca. :-)
It took all of Kent’s self-control not to pound on the Johnsons’ front door. He thought the walk to Rebecca’s would calm him, but he only grew angrier with each step. The front door opened and he forced his tone to remain polite as he said, “I’d like to talk to Miss Johnson.”
“Miss Johnson just went to the carriage house.”
Thanking the butler, Kent hurried around the house, determined he’d find Rebecca before she left. She owed him an explanation. His grip tightened around the bottle in his coat pocket. He wasn’t going to leave until she told him why she did it.
He flung the door to the carriage house open and made it two steps in when he saw her jerk from the young man she’d been kissing.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded, not sure what surprised him more: the fact that she had drugged him to get him into bed with her or seeing her in another man’s arms.
She quickly pulled away from the stable hand, her face a wild shade of red. “Kent, I…” She glanced at the young man and cleared her throat. Turning back to Kent, she continued, “I’m sorry.”
The stable hand hurried to stand between her and Kent. “Why are you apologizing, Rebecca? You don’t want to marry him. You want to marry me.”
“Samuel, let me handle this,” she said, her eyes pleading with him to do as she wished.
He crossed his arms, his jaw clenched.
She turned to Kent and clasped her hands in front of her. “Kent, what Samuel said is true, but,” she glanced at Samuel, “my father will never allow it. Samuel, I’m sorry, but I can’t.” She released her hands and sighed. “My father is insistent I marry someone with money.”
Samuel shook his head. “Who cares what he thinks? You think money will make you happy?”
“It’s not as easy as that,” she replied.
“It is that easy, but you refuse to acknowledge it.”
“No, it isn’t,” she insisted. “Please, Samuel. You’re only making things worse.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. I’m out of here.”
Kent waited until he stormed out of the carriage house before turning back to her. “What’s going on?” he asked in a tone that was more bewildered than angry.
She approached him, her expression pleading with him to understand. “Kent, I have all the respect in the world for you. You’re a good man, an honest man, a decent man. I promise that I won’t see Samuel anymore.”
“But you want to see him.”
Wincing, she shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m going to marry you. I can’t betray my vows to you.”
“Why are you marrying me? Because of this?” He brought the bottle out of his pocket and showed it to her, only mildly satisfied when her face paled. “Don’t pretend you didn’t bring this to my house and put it in my drink because it couldn’t have been anyone else.”
After a moment, she swallowed then lowered her gaze. “Yes, I did it. Your father told me no one would be in the house except for you.”
“Why did you do it? You didn’t even want to be with me this whole time, but you went through the trouble of slipping this in my drink so it’d look like we were together…that way. Or did we really…?” He couldn’t even bring himself to say it aloud, even after all this time.
“We didn’t. It only looked like we’d be intimate, but we never were.”
“Why?”
“Um…” She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Your father caught me in a compromising position with Samuel and threatened to tell my father if I didn’t make it look like you and I had been in bed together.”
“But… Wait. Let’s start from the beginning. I thought you were interested in me.”
“It was all an act. Kent, that first night your family came to my house for dinner, my father wanted us to marry. Your family has old money and my father got along with yours. He figured an alliance with your family would benefit him financially.”
At that, he laughed. Financially beneficial? If her father only knew how poor they were at the time, he never would have wanted such a thing. But now his father was very well off, thanks to the investments, and in the years to come, he’d be rich again. His father’s ploy had worked. No one would be the wiser.
“I don’t know what’s so funny,” Rebecca said.
“Nothing.” He stopped laughing and motioned for her to continue.
Though she looked hesitant, she nodded. “Alright. Well, my father insisted that I do everything I could to be charming. When I realized you wanted to be with Ann Statesman, this was easier to do. I knew you’d never marry me, and when you married her, my father couldn’t fault me for not trying. But then, your father saw me with Samuel…” She wiped a tear from her eye and took a shaky breath. “I am so sorry, Kent. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was so scared. Your father said I either do it or he’d hire someone to remove Samuel.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Remove Samuel? What does that mean?”
“I think you know what it means.”
“No, my father wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“I didn’t say he was going to kill him. He was going to hire someone to kill him.”
“I can’t believe that.”
She adjusted the collar on her coat and shrugged. “Then don’t. But that doesn’t change why I did what I did. I wanted to protect Samuel. I’d rather spend my life without him than risk his life.”
“And does Samuel know?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Yes. He thinks we can just run off and make a life for ourselves, but he has no money and I won’t have any if I don’t marry someone my father wants me to marry. My father will never allow a marriage with him. The whole thing is hopeless, and I never should have let it get as far as it did with him. The first time he expressed his feelings, I should have insisted my father hire someone else to take his place.”
“But you couldn’t.”
“I was weak.”
“There’s nothing wrong with pursuing love, even if it comes at the most unexpected time.” Letting out a heavy sigh, he slipped the bottle back into his pocket. “I can’t fault you for what you did.”
He knew his father could be manipulative, knew his father would do many things to get what he wanted, but he still couldn’t believe his father would make good on a threat to have someone killed for not doing what he wanted. Rebecca had been too scared to consider his father was bluffing.
He considered their options. He didn’t want to marry her any more than she wanted to marry him. What had led them to this point was no longer relevant. What they needed to do was figure out a way to move forward.
“Rebecca,” he began, “what if I could get enough money saved up to help you and Samuel leave Virginia and start a new life somewhere else?”
She blinked back her tears. “You’d do that?”
“I will but no one can know about it, and I can’t do it right now. We have to wait until about March or April.” That was when his investments gained enough profit to make it possible. “We have to bide our time until then and pretend we’re still engaged.”
“Kent, after all I did to deceive you, I don’t deserve it.”
“I know how my father is. He manipulates things until he gets what he wants. We can work through the details later.”
To his surprise, she hugged him. “Thank you.”
Feeling more at peace than he had in a long time, he smiled and patted her back. “Everything will be alright.” And once he found Ann and told her the good news, it would be.
October 17, 2013
Family Tree for the Anthology I’m Doing With Janet Syas Nitsick
In the future, I plan to marry one (or more) of the children from my novella in the Bride by Arrangement anthology to a character (or more) in the Nebraska Romance Collection. This post is going to be linked up to the anthology page so I can remember the kids’ names and when they were born. This way I can better match the future couples up when it comes time to write their books.
Jimmy Kelly – Cheryl
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Ron (1870) Nicole (November 1876)
Pete Kelly – Ada (Wilcox) Kelly
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Fred (February 1877) Chester (1880) Erma (1883)
October 16, 2013
Updates On What I’m Doing
The Anthology Janet Syas Nitsick and I Are Working On
I’ll finish the first draft of my novella in the Bride by Arrangement anthology this week. :-) I just finished the last chapter and will write the epilogue either tomorrow or Friday. Then I’ll start in on the editing process with my awesome team. This anthology is going through a publisher and should be out around New Year’s.
Book Stephannie Beman and I are working on.
I’m almost halfway through my part of the editing process on this book. All I can say is that this book would not have been nearly as good as it is without Stephannie Beman’s part. It was a lot of fun working on it, and reading through it again, I’m reminded of how much I enjoyed working with Stephannie. I plan to give it back to her on November 11. From there, she’ll do the final touches on what needs to be done with it. December is still the goal on when to publish it. So all things are going according to plan. :-)
I’m almost at chapter nine in this book. I have a tentative date for finishing the first draft, which is December 27. If I can make this deadline, then the last week of January will be the publishing date.
Things are now picking up in this book. It took a while because I wasn’t sure where things were going, but I have a better feel for the characters and things are moving much more smoothly. I have adjusted the daily word count goal to 500 words a day instead of 250. At the moment, I am on chapter seven. I have no estimated finishing date, but I’m thinking March or April might be the month I’ll publish this if all things continue to go according to plan.
I just started this one. I wanted to do it while the plot is fresh in my mind and the characters were ready to have the book going. This book goes into the wager that Agatha exposed in His Reluctant Lady. It deals with how the wager was made between Lords Davenport and Pennella and what happens after it’s exposed. I showed what Lord Pennella did after it was exposed, but I never told what happened to Miss Giles or Lord Davenport. I expect it to be fun to find out how it all works out.
I think this time I’ll finally get this one done. :-) This is Richard Larson’s romance. Since I had a dream where I basically saw the entire book play out in front of me like a movie, I figure the characters are ready. No, I don’t hear voices or anything spooky like that. It’s just that I need to know the characters well enough to write the book. I couldn’t get a real handle on Amanda for the longest time, and I think it’s because I wasn’t willing to get as dark into her story as I needed to. Once I accepted how things are going to play out for her, the story fell into place.
I have decided on the book that will take the place of Bride by Arrangement once I’m finished with it. I’m still in chapter one, but since I know what to do with Harriett Larson, I figure I’d write it while the characters are still fresh in my mind from Catching Kent. Harriett will end up with Stan Craftsman, but it’s the “how” that’ll be fun to find out.
October 13, 2013
Story Sample Sunday: Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Today, I’m posting the scene where Kent begins to discover the truth about that night he was caught in bed with Rebecca. (He’ll confront Rebecca next week. I loved the confrontation. :D)
The passage of time was something Kent hardly noticed. He went through one day to the next, attending dinner parties and balls, playing the doting fiancé to Rebecca. But it was all a blur. In many ways, he’d become numb, mindlessly doing what his father wanted, hardly aware of what was going on around him. His thoughts were with Ann most of the time, but he never told anyone.
Every morning he wondered where she was, if she was miserable and wishing she was back in Virginia. Of course, she had to be miserable. From what he heard, the life Todd had chosen as a farmer was one that would be hard on a lady. Ann had been brought up for better things than that. She had not been prepared for the hardships living out West entailed. It sickened him to think of what she might be going through, probably crying herself to sleep each night as she thought of everything she’d left behind.
The guilt gnawed on him. If he’d only kept his promise to make sure she would end up with him instead of Todd. If only he hadn’t gotten drunk that night. He’d condemned them both. He’d condemned her to Todd and himself to Rebecca.
All he could do was move forward, something that got harder to do as each day passed. In the summer, he declined Mr. Johnson’s offer to work in one of the companies he owned and chose to work for Alex Dawson’s father instead. The pay was less than what he would have made under Mr. Johnson, but his father’s control in his life would be weaker.
One evening in September after he and his parents ate at the Johnsons’ house, he played their piano and Rebecca sang. The only time he could feel anything seemed to be when he was playing music. Tonight, Rebecca sang a happy tune, and he was back to the time when he met Ann. How he missed walking her home from school.
He didn’t realize tears had welled up in his eyes until one slid down his cheek. He quickly brushed it away before anyone noticed.
Rebecca stopped in mid-song and glanced at him, a question in her eyes.
“I missed a note,” he quickly explained and picked up where he left off, hoping she wouldn’t ask anything else about it.
Fortunately, she didn’t and soon enough, they were done with the song.
***
It wasn’t until October that Kent debated whether or not to burn the letters Ann had written him while they were courting. He hesitated to do it because it was a reminder that they had been together, that they had planned to share a life together. Dreams that would never happen but dreams that often gave him comfort. And as much as he wanted to hold on to the letters, he didn’t feel right marrying Rebecca while he held onto them. It wasn’t fair to her.
With a heavy sigh, he collected all the letters from his desk and carried them to the parlor, figuring he’d burn them in the fire roaring in the fireplace. He stared at them for a long moment then decided to read them one last time. He sat on the couch and unfolded them, his hands careful not to do any damage to them, something which was ridiculous since he’d be burning them soon enough.
He felt foolish when he began to cry. This was a trap of his own making. He couldn’t blame her for running off with Todd. It hurt her to watch him with Rebecca. He knew she did it to get out of Virginia. He pulled the handkerchief out of his suit pocket and wiped his cheeks before anyone could come in and see him. As soon as he married Rebecca, he’d get his own house. It wasn’t New York, but it was better than being in such close quarters with his parents.
He quickly stuffed his handkerchief back into his pocket, and one of the letters slipped from his hand. Placing the other letters on the table, he knelt by the couch and reached under it so he could retrieve it. His fingers brushed something hard. Curious, he clasped the cool object in his hand and pulled it out with the letter.
Setting the letter aside, he inspected the bottle in his hand and noted the date written on it. April of last year. It was laudanum. His parents didn’t use laudanum and neither did he. He thought over the people who’d visited the house back in April. A couple of his father’s friends had stopped by, but he doubted any of them would have brought this bottle over. The only person who might have brought it over was Rebecca, that night that she came to get the book. His grip tightened on the bottle and his jaw clenched.
“Rebecca.”
Bolting to his feet, he retrieved the letters and returned them to his room before he left the house.
October 6, 2013
Story Sample Sunday: Kent Ashton’s Backstory
I am in the process of publishing Catching Kent on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. I have already published Kent Ashton’s Backstory, but I am waiting until Catching Kent is live on B&N before I send out the email to those of you on my new release list. I don’t like to crowd peoples’ inboxes. :-)
Now for today’s Sunday’s Story Sample. I’m continuing with Kent Ashton’s Backstory and will keep posting it on this blog every Sunday until I have the complete novella up on here.
It wasn’t until Kent and his parents were on their way home in the carriage that the town was abuzz with news of Ann’s disappearance. A man riding a horse hailed the carriage and the driver pulled it to a stop.
“Whatever’s going on?” his mother wondered, fanning herself.
“We’ll find out in a moment,” his father replied as he waited for the footman to open the door so he could lean forward to speak with the man who slid off the horse, his movements indicating that he was in a hurry. “Is something troubling you?” his father asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Have you seen Todd Brothers pass by on a wagon with two horses?” the man asked.
It took Kent a minute to realize the man was the Brothers’ butler. He rolled his eyes and settled back in his seat. What did he care what Todd did? If he wanted to go riding through town on a wagon, let him.
Kent’s father shook his head. “We haven’t seen anything of the sort. Have you?” he asked the footman.
“No, sir, I haven’t,” their footman told the butler.
The butler nodded. “Thank you, sirs.”
Before he could return to his horse, Kent’s father called out, “What is this about? Should we be concerned?”
“There was a note. Todd is running off with Miss Statesman,” the butler replied.
“With who?” Kent asked, his heart stopping as the cold hand of panic wrapped around it.
“Ann, you fool,” his father muttered then turned his attention to the butler. “Where did they go?”
“Miss Statesman wrote they’re heading out West so he can be a farmer. That’s all we know.”
“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen either one of them,” Kent’s father replied.
With a sigh, he nodded. “Thank you.”
As he returned to his horse, Kent’s father motioned for the footman to close the door and settled back in his seat.
“Can it be true?” his mother asked, her eyes wide.
His father shrugged. “I suppose so.”
“But why would Miss Statesman leave Virginia?” she pressed.
“How would I know?” His father turned his gaze to Kent. “Now you see that Rebecca is the right lady for you. Ann’s feelings for you were never genuine if she’s been planning to run off with Todd Brothers this whole time.”
Kent wanted to protest that Ann hadn’t been planning to go away with Todd, that this was something that happened because he broke her heart. There was no denying the pain in her eyes whenever she saw him with Rebecca, and his father insisted they appear in as many places together as possible. All he’d done was add insult to injury, and in the end, it drove her into Todd’s arms.
I’ll never love him, she once told him, no matter how much he or my parents wish it. I only want to marry you. Promise me you’ll do everything you can to make sure we end up together?
And why wouldn’t Todd take her? It was obvious he harbored feelings for her. He’d willingly taken advantage of her moment of weakness and took her out of Virginia so she’d have no recourse than to be with him. By removing her from her family and friends, he had selfishly claimed her all for himself.
Kent’s hands formed fists. How could Todd do that to her? If he truly loved her, he wouldn’t have preyed upon her weakness. When Ann realized the mistake she’d made, would it be too late? Would she be forced to be with him for the rest of her life, living with a man she didn’t love?
As the carriage moved forward, his father smiled in satisfaction. “You see, Kent. Things have turned out for the best. You were meant to be with Rebecca. Fate has dealt kindly with you.”
Kent bit back his reply. Turning his gaze to the window, he ignored his father and mother the rest of the way home.
October 4, 2013
Updates
I’m almost done finishing up Catching Kent. As long as everything goes smoothly, that should be available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords early next week. *fingers crossed*
In the meantime, I am already turning my attention to other stuff I’m working on.
Book Stephannie Beman and I are working on.
Stephannie Beman’s done with her part so now it’s my turn to work on this book. :-) I haven’t touched it since June, so I’m looking forward to reading it through as a complete novel. Stephannie and I are planning on releasing this book in December.
The Anthology Janet Syas Nitsick and I Are Working On
I’m coming close to the end of my novella in this anthology. I figure I have 2-3 chapters left to go.
I’m not exactly sure where the characters are going in this book. Things haven’t been predictable at all with this pair. Today while I was writing, an angle did come up that has some promise. I’ll have to see if it goes anywhere. Some books are easier to write than others, and this is one that’s going to be challenging.
But more challenging than Boaz’s Wager is Perry’s book. The only part of this book that has been easy so far was the very first scene where the heroine finds out her brother’s going to arrange a marriage for her unless she does something to change her circumstances–hence the scandal. It’s not necessarily that I don’t know where to go. It’s just the scenes that connect where I’ve been to where I want to go are a bit fuzzy so it’s slow going. This is why I have the word count to 250 a day. I just can’t go faster on this one like I can on the others.
In the meantime, I decided to start a book that I’ve been wanting to write ever since I got the idea while writing His Reluctant Lady. In His Reluctant Lady, Christopher manages to snag Agatha into a marriage by telling her the news of a wager between Lord Pennella and Lord Davenport for the hand of Miss Giles. So this book goes more into how the wager came to be and what happened after it was exposed to the Tittletattle. This one is easier to write than Boaz’s Wager and The Earl’s Scandalous Wife.
I usually work on four books at a time (give or take other works I am proofing or editing at the moment), and I wanted to have a book lined up to start on for when I finish the first draft of The Purchased Bride (my part of the anthology). As crazy as it is, a couple weekends ago I had a dream that outlined the entire book of Wagon Trail Bride. I hadn’t wanted to go in a certain direction with the story, but it’s the only way it can go. The reason I haven’t been able to get past the second chapter is because I’ve been resisting it. I know what I need to do–or rather what the characters insist I do–and I ought to know by now that I need to follow their guidance if I want the book to get written. So I’m going to do it.
By the way, Wagon Trail Bride is officially the first book in the Nebraska Romance Collection. The Nebraska books will span about 30 books before all is said and done, and when Catching Kent is published, 11 books total will be in the series if you count Kent Ashton’s Backstory as part of it. Kent Ashton’s Backstory was a hard one to place since it’s not a romance, but since it’s a prequel to Catching Kent, I decided to put it in that list.
So anyway, if Wagon Trail Bride makes 12 books in the series, then that leaves me with about 18 more books to go. That will take years for me to complete. Some people tell me they want to wait until all the books in the series are done, and that’s fine, but be warned that will be a long time to wait.
October 1, 2013
Falling In Love With Her Husband and Kent Ashton’s Backstory (A Post About the Inconsistencies)
I’m writing this now so that when I get comments, emails, or messages, I can link to this page for easy access. :-)
1. In the original version of Falling In Love With Her Husband, you said Rebecca miscarried at 2 months but that time frame doesn’t work in Kent Ashton’s Backstory. What gives?
Answer: You are right. One of my editors caught that glaring error, and I have corrected it. I have updated Falling In Love With Her Husband to take out the “two month” period.
2. Why did did you take out the first chapter of the original version of Falling In Love With Her Husband?
Answer: Because I felt like it was boring and didn’t add anything to the plot. The original version started out in Ann’s Point of View. When I updated the book based on my editor’s and beta reader’s (two separate people) suggestions, I also removed the first chapter. So the new version will have Todd’s Point of View as the first chapter. In other words, the book used to have 28 chapters but now it has 27.
3. In the original version of Falling In Love With Her Husband, Ann’s mother said that Rebecca was “sad” and had removed herself from society. But this isn’t the case in Kent Ashton’s Backstory until after Kent returned to Virginia in November. Ann’s mother had to have left Virginia to see Ann around the same time Kent did. So what’s up, Ruth?
Answer: I changed this inconsistency in the new version of Falling In Love With Her Husband, thanks to my editor’s eagle eye. ;-)
4. When Agnes visits Ann in November (in the original version of Falling In Love With Her Husband), they say that Kent knew Ann was married, but you say he didn’t know.
Answer: That is correct. I have changed this in the new version of Falling In Love With Her Husband.
5. You still have the original version of Falling In Love With Her Husband up on (fill in the blank) online bookstore. Why?
Answer: I have uploaded the new version to Smashwords and Amazon. Smashwords can take a while to update files to different venues, and on a certain venue there seems to be no updates at all (no matter how long ago I made the change). So it should update on B&N, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and their other channels in the next couple months. As for Amazon, at the moment I have been unable to successfully upload the new version. It says it went through, but when I go to check the sample, the old version is still there.
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I think I covered it all, but if there’s anything I missed, feel free to comment below and I’ll try to address it.
September 29, 2013
Sunday Story Sample: Kent Ashton’s Backstory
This continues Kent’s side of things in Falling In Love With Her Husband. :-)
Kent’s gaze went to Ann who was dancing with Todd. Todd. Of all the men she could have chosen to go to the ball with, it had to be Todd. No doubt her father had arranged it. From across the room, he could tell she wasn’t happy, and what was worse was knowing that he’d only added to her misery by coming here with Rebecca.
His gaze went to his father who was laughing at something Mr. Johnson said. His father glanced his way, and Kent quickly looked away. What could he do? His course was set. By his own actions, he’d sealed his future…and Ann’s. Ann would probably marry Todd, even though she didn’t want to. Fathers had a way of making sure what they wanted happened.
“Kent’s been very attentive to my every need,” Rebecca told Debra who stood across from them with her dance partner. “Our parents are delighted of course. And why wouldn’t they be? You know how well they get along.”
Kent forced his attention back to Rebecca and smiled. Indeed, their parents got along extremely well. Had his father gotten along with Ann’s father, he never would have gotten drunk that night and he wouldn’t be in this position now. Nor would he have subjected Ann to a life she never wanted. He took a deep breath to ease his guilt. God help him but he didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for getting drunk that night.
Debra said something that made Rebecca laugh, jarring his attention back to her. He needed to focus on Rebecca instead of stealing glances in Ann’s direction. He couldn’t change the past. He’d deflowered Rebecca. The least he could do was give her his undivided attention.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked her as the orchestra got ready to play the next song.
“I’d love to,” Rebecca agreed and joined him on the floor where the other couples assembled for the next dance.
As the music started, he tried not to look in Ann’s direction but couldn’t help it. Todd was talking to her and she was shaking her head. The two headed for the veranda, which was out of his view.
Rebecca followed his gaze and sighed. “I’m sorry, Kent.”
Surprised, he turned his attention to her. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She glanced at their fathers, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face.
He sensed she wanted to say something but decided against it. Instead, she offered him a tentative smile. “I know this isn’t the way you wanted things to be.” After a moment, she added, “It must be hard to watch Ann with Todd.”
He hesitated. While it would be a lie if he denied it, he didn’t want to admit it either.
“I understand. Some things are better left unsaid.”
He gave her a slight nod. It was the most he was willing to offer.
“I hope you don’t grow to detest me,” she whispered.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m not her.”
“I won’t grow to detest you,” he promised. “I will never deny my responsibility for how things turned out.”
She lowered her gaze, something he wondered about. But then he figured that even if she wanted to be with him in his bed, she felt ashamed for acting on her desires.
“I think it’s safe to say that we’ve both done things we’re not proud of,” he whispered. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. Just accept it and move on.”
She nodded and they continued to dance. The passage of time was a strange thing. In some ways, the evening progressed well enough. Rebecca, as it was turning out, wasn’t as bad as he originally thought. He had no romantic inclination toward her, but he supposed they might develop something of a friendship after they married. He should be content with that. It was more than he hoped for when he realized he’d spent time in bed with her. Based on their conversations up to then, he assumed she lacked any significant depth. Now, he was learning his initial impression had been wrong.
But he couldn’t love her. Not like the way he loved Ann. When his third dance with Rebecca ended, she excused herself so she could talk to her friends. His gaze went once more to the doors of the veranda. He checked his pocket watch. Ann had been out there with Todd for almost fifteen minutes. That seemed like an unusual amount of time. He closed his eyes and slowly released his breath. He didn’t think he’d ever forget the expression on her face when he ended their courtship. And now he couldn’t talk to her, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Try to act like you’re enjoying yourself,” his father said.
Slipping his watch back in his pocket, he opened his eyes and faced him. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“You will do better than that. It’s obvious to everyone you keep looking for Miss Statesman. Your focus needs to be on Rebecca.”
He bit back the urge to snap at him. Why couldn’t his father leave him alone? He was doing the best he could, given the circumstances. “I’ve danced with her. Now she wants to talk to some friends. I haven’t talked to Ann all night, nor will I.”
“People are watching.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“Yes, they are.” Before Kent could walk away from him, his father grabbed his arm and squeezed it with enough pressure that Kent almost winced. “You will not make a fool of me.”
Kent forced his arm away from him. It was all about his father and how his father wanted everyone to perceive him. It was never about wanting to see his wife or son happy. And if he had to make others miserable, then so be it. “I won’t make a fool of Rebecca,” he finally said in a controlled voice so he wouldn’t give away his agitation. As much as he tried to fight it, he was beginning to detest his father, something he didn’t want but seemed to be happening despite his best efforts to appease him.
“See that you don’t.”
Ignoring the subtle threat in his father’s voice, he turned away from him and headed over to Rebecca who was laughing at something Debra told her.
September 27, 2013
New Cover for Falling In Love With Her Husband
Here is the new cover! Stephannie Beman did an awesome job. :D
This is how the paperback will look once I get it up through CreateSpace (estimated around next week some time. I’m still tweaking on the content of the book to erase the inconsistencies one of my editors found while going through Kent Ashton’s Backstory).
