Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 87

Inspiration for the Book: The Scene Where Kent Ashton Ends His Courtship With Ann Statesman

For this Monday’s “Inspiration for the Book” post, I thought I’d compare the same scene from different points of view.  Since Falling In Love With Her Husband has been out for a few years, I’d like to post the scene from Ann’s point of view first.

Ann’s point of view is given in first person.

“Miss Ann, you have a caller,” Ginny announced.

I turned from my bedroom mirror in anticipation.

Ginny giggled.

“Do I look alright?” I asked her.  I wore a dark blue satin dress.  He liked the color blue the best.

“You look as beautiful as usual.  Come along.  It wouldn’t be right to keep him waiting.”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.  When I entered the parlor, my heart raced with excitement.  He looked to be larger than life with his broad shoulders and tall frame.  “Good afternoon, Kent,” I greeted warmly as I approached him.  “It’s good to see you.  Will you sit down?”

“No thank you, Miss Ann.”

Surprised by his formality, I stood awkwardly.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ginny shrug, just as bewildered as I was.  I waited for him to speak but he refused to look at me.  I knew something was wrong, so I took great care in asking my question.  “Did you have a bad day?”

“No.  I…I have to tell you something,” he mumbled, staring at the lace curtains on the other side of the room.

I was afraid of what he had to say, so I didn’t press him to continue.

He sighed loudly.  “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

I remained silent.  Part of me needed to know while another part wished to remain ignorant.  At last, I asked, “Is someone in your family ill?”

“No, nothing like that.”

By now, I was squirming.  When I could not stand the awful silence anymore, I demanded, “What is it?”

“I cannot call on you again.”

“What?” I dumbly asked.

“I love Rebecca Johnson, and I intend to marry her.”

“How…When…?” I couldn’t manage to finish my question.

“It just happened.  I didn’t plan it.  I don’t think anyone can plan things like this,” he hastily explained.

Before I could reply, he walked to the front door.  “I hope there won’t be any hard feelings between us.  I’ll see you in church tomorrow.  Good-bye, Miss Statesman.”

And just like that he was out of my house and out of my life.  I didn’t know how long I sat in the chair, staring blankly at the wall in front of me.  All I kept wondering was how he could claim to love me one day and claim to love someone else the next.  Ginny sat by me.  I took small comfort in her presence.  I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to talk to her.  I wished to be alone with my thoughts for awhile.

*****

Now that we’ve seen Ann’s view of things, here’s Kent’s.  I found doing it from his point of view made the whole scene appear different, which reminds me that we can look at the same event but it’s how we perceive that event that makes all the difference.  :D  This was a lot of fun to see that more was going on than Ann realized.

Kent’s point of view is given in third person.

Kent took a deep breath to steel his resolve before he knocked on the door.  He had to do this.  It was no longer a question of what he wanted to do.  It was now a matter of doing the right thing.  If he could take back the previous night, he’d do it in a heartbeat.  But he couldn’t, and no amount of wishing he could turn back the clock would make it so.  It was his sin to bear, and he’d bear it for the rest of his life.  Resigned to his fate, he knocked on the Statesmans’ front door again.

One of Ann’s servants answered the door and he asked to see her, hoping her father wasn’t there.  He’d already made enough of a mess without having to deal with her father once more.  The man should be content because after today, he would win.  Kent would be out of Ann’s life.  Swallowing back some tears, he followed her servant into the parlor and waited for her.

He scanned the parlor, recalling the times he’d come over to show her pictures or talk about New York.  They’d made plans in this room, plans for the future that would no longer come true.  Letting out a heavy sigh, he removed his hat.  He felt as if he were at a funeral and in some ways, he was.  He’d come to end the best thing that ever happened to him.

One of Ann’s female servants came into the parlor, followed by Ann, and it took all of his willpower not to get on his knees and beg her forgiveness.  This was going to hurt her, something he once swore he’d never do.

“Good afternoon, Kent,” she greeted, her smile lighting up her face.  “It’s good to see you.  Will you sit down?”

“No thank you, Miss Ann,” he replied then, in shame, he lowered his gaze.

She remained standing, shifting uneasily from one foot to another, and after a long moment, she asked, “Did you have a bad day?”

“No.  I…I have to tell you something.” He took another deep breath, doing his best to ignore the way the clock ticked, ever reminding him he’d never get to be in her parlor again.  “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

“Is someone in your family ill?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“What is it?”

He had to do this.  There was no choice.  He gripped his hat and forced out, “I cannot call on you again.”

“What?” she asked, her jaw dropped in shock.

“I love Rebecca Johnson,” he quickly explained, hoping she didn’t notice the way he winced, “and I intend to marry her.”

“How…  When…?”

“It just happened.  I didn’t plan it.  I don’t think anyone can plan things like this.”

If only he hadn’t drank alcohol, then this wouldn’t be happening.  But wishing it was no use.  Before he could break down and beg her forgiveness for how things turned out, he headed for the front door.  His father and Rebecca had agreed that no one—not even her parents—would know about him being in bed with her, and that meant he couldn’t tell anyone, not even Ann.  But if Ann knew, she’d lose all respect for him, and then she’d never love him.  That would be worse.  Maybe it was selfish, but he wanted Ann to always love him, even if he couldn’t be with her.

Clearing his throat, he forced out, “I hope there won’t be any hard feelings between us.  I’ll see you in church tomorrow.  Good-bye, Miss Statesman.”

He noted the way she winced and gritted his teeth as he opened the door and left her house.  Once he made it down the steps of her porch, he closed his eyes and steadied his nerves.  It wouldn’t do to cry.  Men didn’t cry, at least not in front of onlookers.  When he could trust himself, he opened his eyes and proceeded down the sidewalk, putting one step forward, resigned to the future that loomed ahead of him.

Sunday Story Sample: Kent Ashton’s Backstory

I’m back from the RT Booklovers Convention, and it was a lot of fun!  I got the privilege to meet some awesome authors and ladies who love reading romances.  Over the next week or two, I’ll post pictures and talk about the great people I got to meet.  It was very exciting.  :-)

Since today is Sunday, I wanted to post a sample of one of my stories, and I’m choosing to do another scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

“What is going on here?”

Kent bolted up, unaware of where he was or how he got there.  All he could see was light as his father yelled in outrage.  His head throbbed with piercing pain, and he thought he might vomit so he settled back onto the bed.  A bed?  Gulping back the bile in his throat, he opened his eyes and blinked back the blurry objects around him.

Strong hands clasped his shoulders and pulled him back into a sitting position.  “Do you realize what you’ve done?  Do you think Mister and Missus Johnson will be happy when they hear about this?”

The room swam around Kent, making him grab his head and groan.

“I…  I…” Rebecca stammered.

Kent forced his eyes open and stared dumbly at Rebecca who was next to him, holding a blanket up to her chin, tears in her eyes, her lower lip trembling.  His gaze went to himself.  The blanket was draped over his waist, but he didn’t need to look under the blanket to know he was naked.  And they were both in his bed.  His startled gaze returned to his father whose face was bright red, his nostrils flaring with anger.

“This is inexcusable,” his father finally said, rage simmering just beneath the surface.  “Thank goodness your mother stopped by at a friend’s so she didn’t have to see this.  It’s scandalous.  Unbelievably scandalous!”

“I-I’m sorry.” Kent swallowed.  His throat felt dry.  He could barely form the words to speak, but even so, any apology would have been hollow.  The last thing he remembered was helping Rebecca to her feet in the parlor.  He’d meant to see her to the door but then…  Everything was blank.  Was this was happened when a gentleman got drunk?  He acted abhorrently then forgot all about it?  Glancing at Rebecca who was crying, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“You’re going to make things right,” his father barked, bringing his attention back to him.  “You’re going to marry her.”

Without thinking, he nodded.  “Of course.  Yes,” he glanced at her again and hoped to reassure her that he’d treat her honorably from this point forward, “I’ll marry you.  And I’m so sorry I did this to you.”

He quickly looked away from her.  She had to hate him for what he did.  She’d been no match for him.  He didn’t even want to think about it.  His stomach churned and he thought he’d vomit for sure, but somehow he managed to keep it down.

His father walked to the other side of the bed and wrapped another blanket around Rebecca’s shoulders.  “We are terribly sorry, my dear.  You may dress behind the dressing screen.  I’ll make sure my son doesn’t do anything else inappropriate.”

Kent shut his eyes, unable to bear the weight of his shame.  Of all the things he might have done, he never thought he’d do anything like this.  Never again.  He’d never drink alcohol ever again.  It caused nothing but grief and while he would willingly do the right thing, it had cost him what he loved most: Ann.

 

 

The WordPress Family Award

Joleene Naylor has nominated me for the WordPress Family Award.  Thanks, Joleene!  :D

Rules:

Display the award logo on your blog.
Link back to the person who nominated you.
Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.
Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.
That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as  a friend, and spread the love.

Well, I started this blog on Thanksgiving Day back in 2010 because I needed a blog that was separate from the one I co-administer with Stephannie Beman (and co-author with Joleene Naylor and Janet Syas Nitsick) dedicated to supporting other self-published authors.  Now, that blog was started back in January 2010, so it’s older than this one.

So my real introduction to WordPress stemmed to January 2010.  I was on Blogger at the time, and Stephannie told me that WordPress more user friendly and suggested we combine forces to create a blog dedicated to sharing our research and experience in self-publishing.  We asked Joleene if she’d like to join, and she did.  From there we had a couple of authors who contributed on a regular basis but then got too busy to stay on.  Today Janet is the other author who contributes to the blog.

I met Stephannie back in 2008 on LiveJournal.  I got into LiveJournal because of Melanie Nilles.  Melanie also introduced me to MySpace which is where I met Joleene (and I don’t remember when I met Joleene or even how).  I remember Stephannie was the one who found me on LiveJournal.  (I met Melanie in college; we were suite mates in the same dorm.)

So what I’ve learned along the way is that friendships are developed slowly and usually in places you least expect it.  I’ve met a lot of people through WordPress (and in other avenues) through the years, but in the WordPress world, I’d say Stephannie Beman, Joleene Naylor, Lauralynn Elliot, and Rose Gordon stand out as the ones I’ve had a “WordPress” relationship with.  Lauralynn, Rose, and I met through the self-published author’s WordPress blog.  I know I met Lauralynn before Rose (so maybe in 2010?).  Correct me if I’m wrong on any of this, Lauralynn.   I met Rose in 2011.  I remember when I met her because I picked up one of her books before I realized she wrote it, and it was a new release at the time (so all I have to do is check the date on that book to remember).

Now, I didn’t meet one author in particular through WordPress, and honestly, I don’t remember how long I’ve known her, but she does have a WordPress blog so I’ll mention her along with the other authors who’ve made my WordPress experience a fun one.  Her name is Paula Freda.  I know we met through my website contact form, but I don’t remember when I met her.  I want to say 2009, but I’m not definite on that.

Janet is my author friend in real life (we met back in 2008 and live in the same small town).  Melanie and I go further back to 1994 in college.  I guess if anyone should take credit to where I am today, it would be Melanie because she inspired me to go beyond simply writing stories in my notebook.  Because of her, I discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing.

So another lesson I’ve learned is that one thing leads to another, and you can never tell what steps you’re taking today or who you’re meeting today who will lead you down a path full of amazing rewards.  The best things in life often come in the simple and small things we can take for granted.

With the exception of Joleene who nominated me for this award, I’m going to pass along the award to the above people I mentioned (in alphabetical order):

1.  Stephannie Beman

2.  Lauralynn Elliot

3.  Dorothy Paula Freda

4. Rose Gordon

5.  Melanie Nilles

6.  Janet Syas Nitsick

(6 out of 10 isn’t too bad, right?)  :D

Updates on What I’m Doing

His Abducted Bride

At the moment, I’m on Chapter 15.  I had to go back and fill in a scene and swap another one, but everything is right on track.  Sandy spends 95% of this book in the fantasy world she created, so you won’t see much of her friend Caitlyn (from Suddenly a Bride) and I don’t know if Lexie fits in this story at all.  Sandy is Caitlyn’s friend, not Lexie’s.  Lexie will most likely show up in Blake’s book.  (Blake is Caitlyn and Lexie’s brother.)  But Blake won’t be part of the Across the Stars Series.  He’ll be in the Florida Contemporary Romance Series.  Substitute Bride is the first book in the Florida series.  I have not scheduled Blake’s book yet so I have no idea when I’ll write it.

I expect His Abducted Bride to finish up the Across the Stars Series.

His Reluctant Lady

I’m on Chapter 11 of this book, though I have written two scenes that come later in the story because those scenes kept me awake at night.  LOL  When a scene bugs me enough, I break down and write it.

Since this book has Claire and Nate (from The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife) and Ethan and Catherine (from A Most Unsuitable Earl) in it, I thought I’d throw in one or two scenes that give a glimpse into what these characters are doing now.  On the time line, His Reluctant Lady starts at the last 1/4th of A Most Unsuitable Earl, so Catherine and Ethan haven’t had their child yet.  I figure someone is bound to wonder why I don’t mention their child when I mention Claire and Nate’s.  Well, the reason is because Catherine is still pregnant.

For fun, I’m adding a scene with Ethan and Catherine that is really a follow-up from A Most Unsuitable Earl because there was one issue I had left unresolved.  I’m not telling what it is (some of you will probably guess), but I’d rather wait until the book is out so you can find out what it is.

As a side note, I got another Regency story idea while writing this book.  I mentioned a wager that two earls are making for a lady, and Agatha (heroine in His Reluctant Lady) exposes it in the Tittletattle.  This has a few consequences, one of which will be the focus in the book I’ll write featuring the two earls and the lady in question.  I might end up writing that book instead of Just Good Friends.  I want to write Perry’s story in The Earl’s Scandalous Wife, Boaz’s Wager, and Patty’s Gamble, so I only have a slot for one more book this year to work on and I think the earls with their wager will be it.

Kent Ashton’s Backstory

This is going to be a novella.  It was supposed to be a short story.  Then it was bumped to a novellette.  Now it’s moving to a novella.  I’m in Chapter 7, and I figure I probably just made it past the halfway point.

Just so everyone is clear on what this is, it is a prequel to Lassoing Her Groom.  I’ll make that clear in the description when I publish it.  I realize some people will assume this is a romance, and while it has a romance in it, it is one in which the hero does not get the girl.  So it’s a sad ending.  Ann, after all, ended up with Todd in Falling In Love With Her Husband, so she can’t end up with Kent.  There’s also a surprising twist with Rebecca.  For a moment, I thought I’d end up in trouble with her since she let me know that she’s not the villain I expected her to be.  It’s not easy when the characters end up changing on me.  But she gave me a nice “out” so I can proceed with making Kent the hero in Lassoing Her Groom.  (For a moment, I thought Kent really would end up with Rebecca, but as it turns out, this won’t be the case.  *big sigh of relief* I’m already 22,000 words into Lassoing Her Groom and don’t want to lose that story.  LOL)

Lassoing Her Groom

Currently, I am at Chapter 8, though I have written about two chapters’ worth of future scenes.  (So this book is really 10 chapters completed.)

I have to say that Rose Larson is turning out to be a very persistent heroine.  No matter how much Kent does to push her away, she isn’t backing down.  She has it set in her mind that she and Kent will end up together (and she’s right), and nothing anyone says or does is changing that.  I’m not exactly sure how she convinces Kent they’re meant for each other, but since I already have a scene in mind where he proposes, I have to trust these characters to get me to that proposal.  LOL

A lot of writing depends on trusting the characters to lead me to the happy ending.  I know they will get me there, but I can’t help but wonder how sometimes.

Kent Ashton’s Backstory (Another Scene)

For this Monday’s Inspiration For the Book post, I thought I’d put up another scene for Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

This was the scene I had in mind when I started this novella.  :-)

That evening as Kent’s parents headed out of the house, his father knocked on Kent’s open bedroom door.  Kent glanced from where he sat by the window, trying to lose himself in the book he was reading.

Reluctant, he focused on his father.  “What?”

“Your mother and I are going to the opera.  We let the servants have a night off.  Mr. Johnson will be here soon to get the book I borrowed.  Make sure you’re waiting in the parlor so you hear him when he knocks.”

“Alright.”

It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.  As much as he tried to forget the miserable day he was having, he kept rereading the same passages in the book because he couldn’t focus on it.  He tossed the book aside, rose form his chair and followed his father to the parlor.

“Your mother and I will be home in a couple hours.” His father set the book on the table in front of the couch.  “This is the book you’ll give Mr. Johnson.”

Kent nodded and plopped on the couch.  After his parents left, he kicked off his shoes and settled onto his back.  He stared at the ceiling for a long time, aware of how quiet it was when all he could hear the ticking of the clock in the corner of the room.  He took a deep breath, blinking back his tears.

His gaze went to the liquor cabinet.

Drinking wine at dinner was no longer as common as it’d once been since his father lost most of his money in a poor investment, but they still had some on hand for special occasions.  Granted, this wasn’t a special occasion, but he’d heard alcohol could dull any man’s pain.  And he wanted nothing more than to be numb, even if it was for one night.

He glanced at the clock.  Mr. Johnson hadn’t shown up yet, but since he’d be coming by soon, a little wine wouldn’t hurt.  Then after Mr. Johnson left, he could drink more and go to bed.  He’d find another bottle to replace the one his parents bought and no one would be the wiser.

His plan in place, he went to the cabinet and selected one of the bottles toward the back.  Once he was settled back on the couch, he started drinking it.  He sipped it at first, mindful to listen for Mr. Johnson’s arrival but the clock ticked on and he sipped more and more.

By the time the knock on the door finally came, he felt lightheaded.  He wasn’t sure if Mr. Johnson would realize he’d been drinking, but at this point, he didn’t care.  His life had been singlehandedly destroyed because a stranger stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong.  He placed the bottle on the table and grabbed the book.  He stumbled once on the way to the door but managed to answer it, surprised when he didn’t see Mr. Johnson.

“Rebecca?  What are you doing here?” he asked.

“My father had to meet with a business partner,” she replied.  “I came to pick up his book.”

He held it out to her.  “Here it is.”

She took the book but didn’t leave.  “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine.”

She hesitated but nodded and headed back down the porch.

He shut the door and returned to the parlor, glancing at the clock.  His parents wouldn’t be home for at least another hour.  Picking up the bottle, he plopped down on the settee and drank more wine.  He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.  The wine did a good job of dulling the pain.  By now, he hardly felt anything.

Someone sat next to him, and he looked over in time to see Rebecca’s concerned expression.  “Kent, what’s wrong?  Did I speak out of line at the bank yesterday?”

He shook his head.  “It wasn’t you.”

None of it was her fault.  His father manipulated so much of his life.  Why he thought his life would be any different after leaving New York, he didn’t know.  His father had made up his mind, and he was determined to use him to get as much money as possible.

She took the bottle from him.  “Even so, I feel like I did something wrong.  You were so nervous at the bank.” She glanced around the room.  “If you’re going to drink, it’d be better if you did it from a glass.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured her as she carried the bottle to the decanter and glasses on another table and poured some wine into a glass.  He closed his eyes, aware that the room was beginning to spin around him.  “It’s my father.  He lives to make my life miserable.”

“Does he?”

“Yes.  All he wants to do is control everything I do.  I don’t know why he even let me believe I could marry Ann.” He bitterly laughed.  “He’s the one who told your father I wanted to be with you instead of Ann.  That’s why it’s not your fault.  How could you have known differently?”

“Oh, so then you didn’t fancy me at all.”

Noting the disappointment in her voice, he winced.  “I’m sorry.  Will you forgive me for lying to you yesterday?”

She sat next to him and handed him a glass of wine.  “There’s nothing to forgive.  You were in an awkward situation.  What were you supposed to do?  Be rude and tell me in a public setting that you didn’t care for me?  I would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed.”

“It’s not that I don’t care for you at all.” He sighed and ran his thumb along the glass.  “You’ve always been kind to me.”

She smiled and clasped her hands in her lap.  “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wished you cared for me the way you do for Ann, but I know we can’t help the way we feel.  And Ann adores you.  She’ll be very good to you.”

He shook his head, uncertain of the future.  Would Ann be willing to give up everything to be with him?  There was no way her father would give him her dowry now, and he couldn’t afford to give her the things she desired until the investments matured.  A year seemed like such a long ways off to wait until he could marry her.  And would his parents even wait that long to see him secure a wife?

He drank his wine and glanced at Rebecca.  “You can have a glass if you want?”

“Oh, I’m not thirsty.” After he finished the glass, she asked, “Would you like some more?”

“How much is left in the bottle?”

“About another glass worth.”

“Might as well finish it.”

Before he could go to the bottle, she took his glass.  “I’ll get it for you.”

When she returned, he took the full glass and stared at the dark liquid.  It was definitely soothing to drink alcohol.  His body had relaxed to the point where he no longer cared about the day’s events.  He glanced at Rebecca.  “Thank you,” he lifted the glass, “for giving me more.” He drank half the glass.  “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“Nonsense.” She touched his knee, giving it a light squeeze.

His body responded to her touch, the alcohol only intensifying the pleasure from her simple action.  There was no way she could be aware of his reaction to her.  And that was why he had to send her home, before he did something they’d both regret.  With a yawn, he placed his glass on the table and wobbled to his feet.  “You should go home.”

Though she remained seated, she grabbed her father’s book and said, “You’re right.  It’s not wise for me to be here when no one else is in the house.”

He yawned again and blinked to clear his vision.

“Help me up?” she asked, raising her hand.

“Of course.” Had he been sober, he was sure he would have remembered his manners.  He clasped his hand around hers and helped her to her feet.  He blinked again and his vision blurred to the point where he thought he saw two of her.  He needed to get to bed.

She placed her hand on his chest.  “Kent, are you feeling alright?”

“I,” he blinked again, “feel,” the room spun, “fine.” Then everything went black.

Sunday Story Sample: Kent Ashton’s Backstory: Another Scene

 

Okay.  Obviously, it’s not Sunday and I hit publish by accident.  I meant to schedule it for Sunday.   I’ll be scheduling other posts for this week.  I’ll be at the RT Convention all week so I won’t get to comments until after next Sunday (not tomorrow but the one after that).

Let’s hope I remember to hit “schedule” instead of “publish” when I do those.  LOL

For today’s Sunday Story Sample, I’m posting another scene for Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

“I’ve never been so happy in my entire life,” Ann said the next day as Kent walked down the block that would take her home.  “When do you think we should have the wedding?”

“I have to get your father’s approval before we can make plans, but I’d like to do it sooner rather than later,” he replied.

“Before you talk to him, I want to go to him and tell him how much I love you.  I’ve decided if I can’t marry you, then I won’t marry anyone and I’m going to tell him that.”

Touched, he paused and turned to her.  “Really?  You’ll tell him that?”

“Of course.  I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”

“And you don’t mind going to New York?”

“As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are.”

He clasped her hand.  “I love you, Ann.”

She squeezed his hand and smiled.  “I love you, too.”

Once they reached her house, he said, “Let me know when you talk to your father.  I’d like to make our engagement official as soon as possible.”

“I will.  Thank you for walking me home from school.”

“It was my pleasure.” He kissed her hand then bid her good-bye.

Once she entered her house, he headed down her walkway when a carriage pulled to a stop.  His steps slowed when he realized the carriage belonged to Ann’s father.

The footman opened the door and her father gestured to him.  “I need to talk to you.”

Kent noted the stern look on his face and hesitated.  Something told him he didn’t want to hear what her father had to say, but what choice did he have?  Taking a deep breath, he entered the carriage and sat across from him.

“Take us to Mister Ashton’s residence,” her father told the footman who nodded and closed the door.  Once the carriage moved forward, he turned his attention to Kent.  “You’re not allowed to see my daughter anymore.”

“Is this because you didn’t give me permission to marry her?” Kent should have expected this.  He’d hoped Ann would get a chance to talk to her father before her father realized he was still courting her.

“No, though the fact that I said no to your request is enough of a reason.  But as it turns out, I know what’s been transpiring between you and Miss Johnson.”

His eyebrows furrowed.  “What’s been transpiring between me and Miss Johnson?”

“Don’t treat me like a fool.”

“I’m not, sir.  There is nothing going on between us.  Our parents are friends.  That’s all.”

Her father glowered at him.  “You would dare stare me right in the eye and lie to me?”

He swallowed, unsure of how to proceed.

“I found out about your conversation at the bank.”

Kent’s uncertainty slowly gave way to anger.  Todd.  Todd had been watching him.  “Whatever Mister Brothers said, it’s not true, sir.”

“I didn’t find out from Mister Brothers.  I found out from Mister Mitchell.”

“Who?”

“He was from out of town.  I don’t know him and neither do you.”

“I fail to understand how this involves me and Miss Johnson.”

Her father pressed his hands on his knees and asked, “Are you going to deny that you told Miss Johnson you were marrying my daughter for her dowry?  Did you not tell her you had a fondness for her?”

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.  Had he any idea someone was listening to his conversation, he never would have said anything.  But how was he to know someone who didn’t know him would meddle in his affairs?  When he was able to release his breath, he said, “It wasn’t the way it sounded, sir.  My father is determined that I’ll marry Miss Johnson, but I don’t want to be with her.”

“Then why not just tell her that?”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Of course, it is, if it was the truth.”

“It is the truth.”

Her father held his hand up to stop Kent from saying anything else.  “I’ve heard enough.  Your own words have betrayed you.  I forbid you to marry her, and tomorrow, you will end your courtship with her.”

“But—”

“Don’t disobey me in this.” The carriage came to a stop and he added, “This is the last time I’ll speak to you.  Understand?”

The footman opened the door and Kent struggled with something—anything—he might say to rectify the situation, but his mind drew a blank.

“Go,” her father ordered.

He slightly jerked at the subtle threat in her father’s voice and hurried to obey him.  It wasn’t until the carriage was halfway down the street that a tear slid down Kent’s cheek.

A Gift of Cookies and An Interview With Mark and Lexie (Hero and Heroine in Runaway Bride)

In Runaway Bride, Mark makes Lexie chocolate marshmallow cookies.  These cookies were inspired by Shelley and Ed.  Ed had offered to make me these cookies if I’d write Runaway Bride.  That was a year ago, and at the time, the book wasn’t ready to be written.  Some of you will remember that I even contemplated dropping the idea and giving the basic plot (an engaged woman who runs off with another man) to a Regency novel instead.

Then I realized the story would only work as a contemporary, and it pretty much had to be Mark and Lexie from the Across the Stars Series.  So I decided to go back to the original cast of characters.  This was actually an important lesson for me.  Once I set an idea with the characters it’s intended for, I can’t switch that idea to other characters.  This is why Mitch’s Win had to be a Montana book instead of a Nebraska one.  I don’t know what it is about certain characters making a particular plot work, but it’s pretty much set in stone or the story will never be as satisfying to write.

Anyway, as I was writing Runaway Bride and there was this big thing about Mark wanting to make Lexie something sweet to eat, I knew there was only one kind of dessert that would fit: chocolate marshmallow cookies.  That’s how they ended up in the book.  To be honest, I hadn’t heard of these cookies before Shelley and Ed mentioned them.

And guess what?  They sent me the cookies so I could taste them for myself.  :D  I took some pictures to share.

Here I am holding the cookies. I hadn’t taken them out of the box yet.

The kids ate them before I could get a picture of them with the cookies. (My fourth kid was on his way home from school. He’s deaf so he goes to a different school. Don’t worry, he got some cookies at dinner.)

The cookies were good, by the way.  They didn’t last past dinner in my house.  LOL

In addition to posting these pictures, I thought it’d be fun to bring Mark and Lexie in for an interview.

Ruth: Hey, guys.  Got anything you’d like to say?

Mark: Yes.  I would like to thank Shelley and Ed for giving Ruth the swift kick in the behind that she needed in order to write my book.  Had it not been for you, I’d probably still be this lonely and sad Pandoran male who was doing an endless search for a life mate.

Ruth: To be fair, you already picked your life mate out, even if she didn’t know you had plans to break up her engagement in order to marry her.

Mark: Gee, you make what I did sound so…so…conniving.

Ruth: Well, you were.  You schemed a way to get Lexie to dump Nick.

Mark: I call that rescuing her.  You wrote the book.  You know she wouldn’t have been happy with him.

Ruth: I could have made her happy with Nick.

Mark: If you had, the story would have bombed.  No one would have wanted to read it.

Mark and Lexie

Lexie: Come on, you two.  I thought we were here to talk about how nice it was that Shelley and Ed sent cookies out, not to mention how delicious they were when Mark made some for me.

Mark: See?  Nick never would have done that.  In fact, he wasn’t going to let Lexie have any desserts because he had to make sure she always “looked good enough” for him so he could impress other people.  Send Nick to Pandoran where he can get a clue.  There’s more to a woman than how she looks.  There’s her ability to maintain an intelligent conversation and her kindness.   Though I will say Lexie is a total babe.

Ruth: Yeah, I recall how you were drooling over her in Suddenly a Bride.

Lexie: He was?

Ruth: He couldn’t stop staring at you, especially your legs and breasts.  He wasn’t exactly interested in your mind or personality at the time.

Mark: That’s not fair.  I thought we had a good conversation that day.

Ruth: Here’s a quote from the book: “Mark’s eyes traced the curve of her tanned legs until they settled on her feet which were in sandals.  She was hot.”

Lexie: He thought that about me?

Mark: That’s not fair.  You didn’t include the sentence after that:  ”He was finding the more he talked and looked at Lexie, the more excited he got about spending time with her.”  And I don’t see any reference to her breasts up in the passage you quoted.

Ruth: “Lexie took a deep breath—something Mark enjoyed more than he thought he should..” That’s an indirect reference to her breasts.   

Mark: And yet, I was thinking the more I talked to her, the more I wanted to spend time with her.  I was looking at the whole package, not just her body.  I know better than to base my decision on choosing a life mate solely on looks.

Lexie: Well, I’m flattered.  Maybe I should go read Suddenly a Bride.

Mark: There’s nothing else interesting in it.  Just a bunch of stuff about your sister and Chris.  Ours is a lot better.

Ruth: I’m sure Caitlyn and Chris would argue that one.

Mark: Since they’re not here, it doesn’t matter what their opinion, does it?

Ruth: I had no idea you were so difficult, Mark.  You remind me a lot of Dave Larson.  Easy to write on paper but hard to deal with in an interview.  And ironically, both of you are married to women who are peacemakers.

Mark: You need to quit writing while you’re ahead.  You’re using the same character types over and over.  Your writing will go stale.  Time to move on to something more productive like lint collecting.

King Blackheart

King Blackheart: Mark, speak such nonsense again, and we’ll have a duel.  I’ll have you know Ruth’s currently writing her best book yet.  She’s writing my story, His Abducted Bride, and I happen to be way better than you.

Mark: Way better? Just because you’re holding…  Wait what is that?

King Blackheart: It’s a sword.

Mark: Big whoop.  So you play with toys.

King Blackheart: A sword is not a toy.  I am a skilled warrior.  I have an entire kingdom and army at my beck and call.  That’s much more impressive than some whiny “I’m bored on this planet” hero who needs to break up someone else’s engagement in order to get a wife.

Mark: *snorts* And you have to what?  Kidnap Sandy in order to secure your wife?  Yeah, like that marriage is going to work out.

King Blackheart: I’ll have you know I kidnapped her for a very good reason.

Mark: Because you’re a brute?

King Blackheart: A brute?  I’m not a brute.  I’m an alpha hero.  I see what I want, and I take it.

Mark: So?  I did the same thing.

King Blackheart: Well, I’m more alpha than you are.  In fact, I am the most alpha Ruth’s ever written.

Mark: That’s debatable.

Ruth: Look, you two can argue this all you want, but this post is getting too long.  I need to end it here.

**Mark and King Blackheart continue arguing while the rest of us leave**

***

Picture credits:

picture of Mark and Lexie: © Msphotographic | Dreamstime.com

picture of King Blackheart: © Vladimirs Poplavskis | Dreamstime.com

Another Scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory

For today’s Inspiration for the Book (which I’ve been doing for Monday), I thought I’d post another scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory.  For those of you who read An Inconvenient Marriage, you might remember the brief conversation Jake Mitchell (hero in An Inconvenient Marriage) overheard while at a bank.

            (Jake Mitchell) went over to a desk in the lobby to fill out the necessary paperwork.  The boy named Kent sat in a couch close to him.  Though Jake had his back turned to him, he could hear Kent talk to the young lady sitting next to him.  The girl in Todd’s picture wasn’t the same girl who was talking to Kent.

“Why do you insist on marrying Ann Statesman instead of me?” the girl asked.

Jake rolled his eyes.  It was one of those discussions.

“Ann Statesman comes from one of the wealthiest families in town,” the boy replied.  “She has a considerable dowry.”

Jake focused his attention on the conversation.  It sounded oddly familiar to what he overheard from someone in his past.

“But I thought your affections were for me,” she argued.

“They are, Rebecca.”

“So why don’t you court me?  Who cares about the money?”

“It’s a lot of money we’re talking about.  I want to do some traveling and entertaining.  Her money will provide for that and more.”

Jake quickly finished signing the contract after he read through it and walked by Todd’s desk.

That was the conversation between Kent and Rebecca, and it took place before Kent ended his courtship with Ann in Falling In Love With Her Husband.  At the time, I thought it was so neat to give a glimpse into what was happening with Kent and Rebecca that no one got to see in Falling In Love With Her Husband.  However, when I started writing Kent Ashton’s Backstory, I forgot all about that scene until someone asked me why Ann’s father refused to let Kent propose to her.  I hit a roadblock on this for about two weeks and couldn’t write anything until I figured out what to do with that one pesky little conversation.

I finally got it smoothed out and am ready to post it.  :-)

The next day, Kent shifted in the carriage in an effort to get as far from his father as possible.  His father was in a sickeningly good mood.  The only thing that made his father this happy was when he was about to come into a lot of money.

“These investments will make us both wealthy in a year,” his father said, fidgeting in excitement.  “We’re very fortunate to had made friends with Mister Johnson.”

“Then I don’t need to marry his daughter,” Kent replied, hoping his father would relent.

“Rebecca will serve you much better.  She might not come with a dowry as much as Ann’s, but you can’t deny Mister Johnson has better connections than Mister Statesman does.  Why, to have anything to do with Mister Statesman is laughable.  What benefit can he give you?”

“I don’t care what benefits he can give me?  I just want to marry Ann.”

His father shook his head.  “Foolishness.  That’s all this is.  You will marry Rebecca.”

“No, I won’t, and there’s nothing you can say or do to make me.”

The carriage pulled up to the bank and the driver opened the door, but Kent refused to look away from his father.  His father finally left the carriage.

As Kent joined him, he whispered, “We’ll see about that.”

He glared at his father, but his father’s back was turned to him as he approached the bank.  If Kent didn’t need the money as badly as he did, he would have headed straight home.  But he did need the money if he hoped to be with Ann.

When he entered the bank, his gaze fell on Todd who was at one of the desks.  He grimaced.  He forgot Todd worked here.  It was because of Todd that Ann’s father wouldn’t let him marry her.  What was so great about Todd?

“Kent, come over here.”

Kent headed over to his father, his steps slowing when he realized Mr. Johnson had brought Rebecca with him.  She smiled at him in a way that made his stomach churn.  Noting his father’s silent message to return Rebecca’s smile, he did, but only because they were in a public place.

“Rebecca, my dear, why don’t you wait for me over there?” Mr. Johnson gestured to the couch in the center of the room.  “We don’t want to bore you while we discuss business.”

“Alright, Father,” she replied, offering Kent another smile before she left them.

Kent hardly paid attention while his father and Mr. Johnson went over the details of the investments, but soon enough, he followed his father to the teller.  Feeling the heat of someone’s gaze on him, he scanned the room and saw that Rebecca was watching him.  His face warmed from a mixture of aggravation and embarrassment.  Todd wasn’t that far away and he’d probably assume more was going on than actually was.

“Excellent,” Kent’s father told the teller, interrupting Kent’s thoughts.  He turned to Kent.  “We’ll arrange things with Mister Wilcombe.”

The two men went to the office and filled out the necessary paperback to open the investments.  When they were done, his father said, “I want to talk to Mister Johnson.  Sit over there and wait for me.”

Kent looked at the couch where Rebecca was still sitting and sighed.  The chairs were already taken, so there was nowhere else he could wait.  “I’m not marrying her,” he whispered.

His father ignored him and walked over to Mr. Johnson.

Gritting his teeth, he stumped over to the couch and sat down, choosing a section that wasn’t right next to her.

She chuckled and scooted closer to him.  “There’s no need to be shy,” she softly said.  “My father explained everything.”

“What did he explain?” He saw the two men leave the chairs and cursed his poor timing.  If he’d only waited a couple more seconds, he could have been sitting across from her.

She fiddled with her gloves.  “Oh, about how you want to you secretly want to be with me but was too afraid to ask my father if you could court me.  I had no idea you entertained romantic feelings for me all this time.  If you’d only asked me, I would have accepted your suit.”

Is that what Kent’s father told Mr. Johnson?  He couldn’t believe it.  Settling a little further from her, he said, “Rebecca, I don’t know how to tell you what’s really going on.”

“You don’t have to.  I already know.  Our times together have been magical.”

“I can’t marry you.” There.  He came out and said it.  “I’m going to marry Miss Statesman.”

“I don’t understand.  There’s nothing stopping us from being together.  My father heartily approves the match.” She frowned, her lower lip jutting out.  “Why do you insist on marrying Ann Statesman instead of me?”

“Ann Statesman comes from one of the wealthiest families in town.” Then before she could argue that she also came from wealth, he added, “She has a considerable dowry.” And that was true.  Ann’s dowry was significantly larger than Rebecca’s.

“But I thought your affections were for me.”

He glanced at his father and Mr. Johnson.  Neither would be pleased if he admitted that he had no desire to be with her at all, and quite frankly, it didn’t seem fair to let her know that he never found her attractive.  “They are, Rebecca,” he finally hedged.

“So why don’t you court me?  Who cares about the money?”

“It’s a lot of money we’re talking about.  I want to do some traveling and entertaining.  Her money will provide for that and more.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.  “So you’re giving up love for money?”

He inwardly groaned.  What was he supposed to say to that?

His father approached them.  “It’s time to go.  You may see Rebecca when we attend our next dinner party at the Johnsons’.”

As he stood up, he happened to catch the way Todd was staring at him.  Narrowing his eyes, he waited for a moment.  Todd refused to break eye contact with him.  What had he ever done to Todd?  Just because Ann didn’t want to marry him, Todd hated him?  Well, it was her choice who she ended up with, not Todd or even her father’s.

He considered going over to Todd and asking him if he had something to say to him, but his father cleared his throat.  “Kent, time is of the essence.”

Reluctant, Kent looked away from Todd and left the bank.

More Questions I’ve Gotten

Edited after this posted: I posted this by mistake.  LOL  I mean to post it on Wednesday or Thursday, but before I could schedule it, I hit “publish” and so here we are.  Because of this, I’m going to reschedule the post I meant to do tomorrow for Tuesday instead.  Next post will be the next scene for Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

***

I just want to say thanks to those of you asking questions because it helps me know if there’s anything worth discussing on my blog.  :-)

Here are a couple I’ve received recently:

Will you write backstories for other characters?

I’d like to.  However, when I can depends on how much I have going on with other stories.  I can’t handle more than four works in progress at a time.  Two can be about 1,000 words a day, one can be at 500 words a day, but book four has to be 200-300 words a day.  After that, my brain is fried and I can’t do any more.

The other thing it depends on is what I’m in the mood to write.  I can’t force a story until it’s ready, even if it’s a backstory about a character.  I’ve found if I force something that isn’t ready to be written, it doesn’t turn out right and I’ll have to spend significant time rewriting it or have to stop and come back to it later.  Life is easier when I go with the characters and stories that are nagging at me to write.

At the moment, Kent is the only character who wants a backstory, and I’m writing his as we speak.  :-)

Do you write every story idea that you have?

Sadly, there is not enough time in the day (or years in my life) to write all of my ideas.  I’ll have more ideas than I’ll ever use.  This is a major bummer for me because I would love to get all of my ideas down.

Where’s a list of all the books you’ve done?

I put a list of all of my books on this blog and on my website.  Since I now have 31 romances published, I’ve found it easier to divide them up according to series: Regencies, Nebraska Historicals, South Dakota Historicals, Montana Historicals, Native American Romances (which are historicals), Virginia Historicals, Other Historicals, Across the Stars Series (contemporary with a slight sci-fi/fantasy bit), Omaha Contemporaries, and Florida Contemporaries.  I realize I have some updating to do.

I also include a list of all of my books with each book I publish.  The more recent my book, the more current my list.  So if you got my latest release, you have the most current list.

But for easy reference, I’m writing the list of published romances that is current as of April 21, 2013.  (In July I plan to add four more books–three full-length and one novella–to the list.)

Regencies

The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife

Her Counterfeit Husband

A Most Unsuitable Earl

Nebraska Historical Romances

Her Heart’s Desire

A Bride for Tom

A Husband for Margaret

Eye of the Beholder

The Wrong Husband

Shotgun Groom

To Have and To Hold

His Redeeming Bride

Isaac’s Decision

South Dakota Historical Romances

Loving Eliza

Bid for a Bride

Bride of Second Chances

Montana Historical Romances

Mitch’s Win

Native American Romances (Historical)

Restoring Hope

A Chance In Time

Brave Beginnings

Bound by Honor Bound by Love

Other Historical Romances

Falling In Love With Her Husband

Meant To Be

Virginia Historical Romances

An Unlikely Place for Love

The Cold Wife

An Inconvenient Marriage

Romancing Adrienne

Across the Stars Series

Suddenly a Bride

Runaway Bride

Omaha Contemporary Romances

With This Ring I Thee Dread

What Nathan Wants

Florida Contemporary Romances

Substitute Bride

***

Any other questions?  I’d be happy to answer them.  :-)

Another Scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory

For today’s Sunday Story Sample, I wanted to post a scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

As Kent entered his house, his father hurried into the entryway and beckoned for him to enter the parlor.  “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“We?” Kent asked as he shrugged out of his coat and handed it to the butler.

“Yes.  Now, come.  Don’t keep Mister Johnson waiting.”

Hesitant, he headed for the parlor, wondering what business Mr. Johnson wanted with him.  Knowing his father, this would probably be an unpleasant surprise.  He took a deep breath as he approached him.

Mr. Johnson set down his glass of sherry and motioned for the chair across from him.  “Kent!  Good, you’re here.  Sit down and have a glass.  We have much to celebrate.”

“We do?” Kent asked, glancing at his father who shut the parlor door.

“Now, don’t tell me you aren’t a little suspicious of what your father and I have been doing.” Mr. Johnson chuckled as he poured Kent a glass and held it to him.  “Though, I’ll admit I’m not at all surprised to hear you changed your mind about Miss Statesman.  No one could deny the way you and my daughter got along so amiably while you entertained us with your music.”

He turned his gaze to his father who gestured for him to accept the glass Mr. Johnson was handing him.  With a tentative smile, he took the glass.  “I’m afraid I don’t understand.  What are you talking about?”

His father laughed and settled beside Mr. Johnson.  “Even now, he’s too shy to tell you.  Kent, my son, I took the liberty of seeking courtship for Rebecca on your behalf.”

Kent almost dropped his glass.  “You what?”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Mr. Johnson quickly assured him.  “I heartily approve of the match.  You and Rebecca will make a splendid couple.  I understand you need to end your courtship with Miss Statesman and give a small space of time before you ask Rebecca to court her.  These things needn’t be rushed.”

Kent swallowed and looked at his father.  How could his father do this to him?

His father drank some sherry.  “You ought to tell him the other good news.”

“Oh, yes!” Mr. Johnson set his glass down and rubbed his hands together.  “I have decided to sign you and your father up as partners with me in a couple of investments.  You’ll need to keep the details to yourself since we don’t want everyone jumping on them, but they’re guaranteed to be fruitful in as little as a year.”

“And we’ll go to the bank tomorrow to work on purchasing them,” Kent’s father added.  “I’ll pick you up in the carriage after school so we can head straight over there.”

“But…  I…” Kent struggled to find a way to tell Mr. Johnson he couldn’t court Rebecca, but his father shot him a piercing look and turned to him.

“You’ll have to forgive my son,” his father told Mr. Johnson.  “I think our news has left him speechless.”

“It’s to be expected, given his age,” Mr. Johnson replied.  “I’ll never forget how uncertain I was when I was seventeen.  It’ll be alright, Kent.  As you get older, you’ll be more confident.”

His father chuckled and motioned to the door.  “You may be excused.”

He placed the glass on the table.  He had to think of something and he had to think of something quick because if he didn’t, his future would be unpleasant.  With a polite good-bye to Mr. Johnson and his father, he left the room.