Elizabeth Ellen Carter's Blog, page 6
November 5, 2019
Warming Winter’s Heart
As an author, thoughts and ideas tumble about in your head whirling about until one day a story comes out.
Such was the case of my Christmas story called Warming Winter’s Heart which is in the Dragonblade anthology, Stars Are Brightly Shining.
Although Christmas is summer in Australia, one of the traditions we have is to watch the several different versions of A Christmas Carol including two with Alstair Sims, the classic 1951 version and this animated one.
Another poignant story which has remained with me since childhood is Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Match Girl.
Christmas is a time when heaven and earth touch.
On the one hand we have the joy, warmth and celebration – the angels of heaven rejoicing; on the other the very human foibles, faults and miseries. Never is the contrast so stark than at Christmas.
That’s how I ended up writing Warming Winter’s Heart. Set 30 or so years before Charles Dicken’s classic, I wanted to evoke a sense of the social reform which was growing at the time where the growing middle class, socially conscious entrepreneurs and passionate religious folk drawing public attention to important public reform.
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to bringing together my King’s Rogues in from Cornwall to the heart of London and introduce you to a character who will appear as a supporting character in my next full length King’s Rogues book, called Spy Another Day which is now with my editor.
Warming Winter’s Heart is in the Dragonblade Publishing anthology Stars Are Brightly Shining. Here’s an excerpt:
Stars Are Brightly Shining
Julian heard the sound of singing before he could make out the words. As they drew nearer, he spotted the singers, a rather rag-tag group wearing working men’s clothes. Now he could hear the carol clearly.
God rest you merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born upon this Day.
To save poor souls from Satan’s power,
Which long time had gone astray.
Which brings tidings of comfort and joy.
A crowd had gathered to listen. Lady Abigail urged the party closer together, warning the ladies that cutpurses favored those distracted by entertainments.
Others, including one tall, older man dressed in priest’s vestments, were handing out pamphlets. Julian found one pressed into his hand.
Call on Parliament now
To Enact reforms to end
Child Labor
Open your hearts
Open your minds
Save children from Exploitation!
He turned it over. On the reverse was a reprint from this morning’s article in The Argus. The Nightingale’s by-line was prominent.
He looked up once more and spotted her – the woman from last night.
She was several yards away but there was no mistaking her. There was something about a close brush with death which sharpened the faculties.
Today, however, she wore clothing more in keeping with the elevated station he’d suspected she owned. Her attire was well-made but not ostentatious, a maroon-colored pelisse over a forest green dress. A matching hat framed her face, and her fair complexion served as a canvas to finely drawn features.
Muttering his excuses, Julian disengaged himself from his party and headed in her direction.
If there was any doubt about her identity, it was vanquished when a young boy abandoned a group of his friends and ran back to this woman. It was the child he’s rescued last night
The choir continued to sing.
How did he feel about seeing the woman again? Julian wasn’t sure. Was he angry at her? In an odd way, he supposed he was. While she had apologized at the time, he couldn’t help a measure of annoyance at her disappearance. Was it merely the result of a satisfaction denied him to remonstrate against her carelessness and inattention?
Or was there something more?
At first, she did not see him approach, but as the choir reached the chorus, she turned his way.
Recognition was instant. Julian waited for the woman to pretend the acknowledgement was an error, but she did not. She rested a hand on the child’s head and waited for him to join her.
“Lucas,” she said softly, attracting the child’s attention. “Remember the gentleman who saved you last night? I think it would be right for you to thank him properly.”
Large blue eyes in a chubby face looked up at him directly. All of a sudden, Julian felt a large and as gormless as Gulliver among the Lilliputians.
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September 10, 2019
Meet Tabetha Waite
Last year I was delighted to meet Renee Barnard, historical romance author extraordinaire, publisher of a new magazine and organiser of The Historical Romance Retreat, the most amazing event for lovers of historical romance novels.
The event takes place in Riverside, California and features historical romance authors from around the world, along with cover models and historical specialists.
This will be my first time at this event and I’m excited to meet other authors like the wonderful Tabetha Waite.
Here’s a little bit of information about Tabetha:
Meet author Tabetha Waite
Tabetha Waite is the multi-award winning author of the historical romance Ways of Love Series. Her debut novel, “Why the Earl is After the Girl,” was published in July of 2016 and won the 2017 Best Indie Book Award in Romance and the 2018 Second Place Feathered Quill Book Award in Romance. “Where the Viscount Met His Match” was an International Book Award finalist in romance and a Book Excellence Award finalist in romance in 2019, and “When a Duke Pursues a Lady” was a Book Talk Radio Club finalist in romance in 2018. She is also a certified PAN member of the RWA and holds a milestone pin for 5 published romances.
When she’s not writing, Tabetha is reading as true bookworms do, or checking out any antique mall she comes across. She is a small town, Missouri girl who continues to make her home in the Midwest with her husband and two wonderful daughters.
You can find her on most any social media site, and she encourages fans of her work to join her mailing list for updates. www.authortabethawaite.wix.com/romance
Social media
https://www.facebook.com/TotallyTabetha/
http://www.twitter.com/@TotallyTabetha
http://www.instagram.com/tabetha.waite
http://www.linkedin.com/tabethawaite
http://www.pinterest.com/tabethawaite
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15485251.Tabetha_Waite
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tabetha-waite
https://www.amazon.com/Tabetha-Waite/e/B01MS315YL
Check out this beautiful title – What a Gentleman Does For Love here:
https://www.amazon.com/Tabetha-Waite/e/B01MS315YL
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tabetha-Waite/e/B01MS315YL
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Tabetha%20Waite&fcsearchfield=Author
https://itunes.apple.com/us/author/tabetha-waite/id1134400117?mt=11
The post Meet Tabetha Waite appeared first on Elizabeth Ellen Carter.
August 5, 2019
Who Doesn’t Love a Free Book?
The wicked Lady Abigail has been set free! (But only for a short time…)
Moonstone Conspiracy is free on Amazon until 9 August and who doesn’t love a free book?
Revolution in France, rebels in England, and one woman caught in the crossfire…
https://www.amazon.com/Moonstone-Conspiracy-Romance-Boo…/…/r
What’s more, Dragonblade is giving away a heap of free books this month and Dark Heart is one of them!
It’s three books a week all month long so check out the links below and 
March 26, 2019
Tuesday Book Club with BJ Scott
I have a confession to make… I accidentally omitted BJ’s title in the Pirates of Britannia wrap up in the most recent edition of the Love’s Great Adventure Magazine. But the good news, I get to learn more about BJ and her wonderful new title, Laird of the Deep.
Welcome to my blog BJ! Tell me a little about you. What were you like at school?
While you would not know it now, when I was in school, I was on every sport team except Basketball. Not much call for players that are five foot-three lol. When I was not in the gym, on the playing field, or studying, I was reading or doing a variety of crafts…many of which I still do today.
What inspired you to write?
A true Gemini, I was born with the gift of gab and need to tell a story. I have always loved jotting down stories.
My mother was a Gemini and she loved books too. Which writers inspire you?
There are many authors I admire, but my first love was CS Lewis. I adored the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
What inspired you to write this story?
I generally write Scottish Historical Romances set in the 1300s and 1400s, but when I was approached by the publishers of Dragon Media and asked to write a book for the Pirates of Britannia series, I thought it would be a nice change, yet still allowed me to stay in my genre.
How much research do you do?
It all depends of the book. When writing sequels to my initial books, most of the research is done at the beginning, so the books that follow do not take as much. However, each of my books have something new or a battle that needs to be researched accordingly. This is my first venture into the pirate realm, so it took a lot of research to make sure the book stayed as true as possible.
Can you give us a blurb to let us know what the story is about?
Kendrick MacCallum never dreamed he would trade his life as a highly respected Highland warrior–slated to someday take his place as laird–for a one of danger and deception, but the harsh reality of a recent attack on his beloved clan taught him that desperate times really do call for desperate measure. Left with no other choice, he must face his own personal demons, choose between honor and piracy, vindication and love, if he wishes to save his clan, keep the promises made to his father, and rescue a precious cargo he discovers while onboard ship.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
Kendrick MacCallum is a strong Highland warrior, raised on a strict code of honor and duty to his clan and country. He is a passionate man, who is not without flaws, but when his father is killed in an attack on their stronghold and he suddenly finds himself a laird, burdened by the responsibility of saving his clan and seeing his enemy punished, he must make some lifechanging decisions. Kendrick is prepared to do whatever is necessary Even if it means pushing aside his own, fears, wants and desires for the good of the clan.
What book/s are you reading at present?
Unfortunately, my writing plate is very full right now, so I have little time for pleasure reading. I have a long TBR list but right now am busy with writing and trying to fit in time for my husband and pets.
What writing project are you working on next?
I have several works in progress. I am nearing completion of the first book in a new series Highland Challenge, that is a sequel series to my bestselling Fraser Brothers Trilogy and bestselling series Blades of Honor. I am also working on fleshing out two novellas that I wrote as part of boxed sets and hope to release them soon as full novels. Highland Covenant and A Rose Among Thorns. There are several others waiting in line and I am considering another pirate book as well.
Tell us something unique about you that they wouldn’t guess from just looking at your photograph?
Not sure you could tell from a photo or not, but when I am stuck in writers block, I have been known to take to my clawfoot tub and spend hours working through chapters.
Oh my, a clawfoot bath! How wonderful!
What is your favourite movie and why?
I have many movies I adore. I love any that are historically based in either Medieval Scotland and am also fond of movies about the American Civil War, or Native American history. So on my list would be, Braveheart, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, The Patriot, Legends of the Fall.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-BJ-Scott-308663055834706/
Twitter: @BJScott3
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/B.J.-Scott/e/B006NSQR9G
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4938076.B_J_Scott
Buy Laird of the Deep today!
Would you like to share an excerpt from your book?
Crinan, Scotland 1499
Kendrick MacCallum never imagined he would find himself lurking in the shadows outside a seedy establishment like the Pirate’s Lair. The waterfront tavern was an infamous gathering place for scoundrels, murderous cutthroats, brigands, and thieves. Honorable men avoided the inn, aware if they dared to enter, leaving unscathed was highly unlikely—if they left at all. Not even the king’s warriors charged with apprehending known pirates dared enter, fearing they would disappear without a trace.
There was still time for Kendrick to forgo his plan and depart before anyone noticed him, but right now, his estranged cousin, privateer Findlay MacAlpin, was the only person he could ask for help.
Chilled to the bone, exhausted, and hungry, he huddled beneath his heavy woolen cloak, then turned his back to the cold north wind and driving rain that pummeled him. His legs numb from standing in the bushes for what seemed like an eternity, Kendrick shifted his weight from one foot to the other, while rubbing his icy palms together. The idea of going inside and warming himself by the fire tempted him. The aroma of roasted meat and what he suspected was freshly baked bannock, wafting from the inn each time the door opened, caused his empty stomach to growl so loudly he was certain anyone passing by would hear it. Yet, he stood his ground and waited. He wanted to be sure Fin was in the tavern before he entered.
He swiped a hand across his beard-stubble chin and blew out a heavy sigh. Four summers had passed since Fin last set foot in MacCallum Castle, and Kendrick greeted the prospect of a reunion with an unsavory mix of anticipation and dread. The bad terms on which his cousin departed, and how he might react to this unannounced visit, gave him cause for concern. But after the devastation and horror he witnessed during a recent unprovoked attack on his father’s castle by their neighbors, Clan Lorland, he had nowhere else to turn.
Despite the animosity between his father and Fin, Kendrick cared what happened to his cousin, so he relied on gossip bandied about the castle to track his whereabouts over the years. Now he needed to find him, he hoped the stories were true.
When not at sea, amassing a great fortune from ill-gotten gains, Fin was rumored to spend most of his time on the Isle of Scarba—a notorious haven for Scottish pirates. However, Kendrick also learned that when his cousin returned to mainland Scotland, he frequented the Pirate’s Lair. Some claimed it was to quench his insatiable lust for whisky and disreputable wenches who lifted their skirt for coin. Yet others swore Fin was a silent partner of the tavern owner, Scurvy Dan. Knowing his cousin, both reasons made sense, but regardless of why he came to Crinan mattered not. Finding him was all that Kendrick cared about, and he figured it was a logical place to start.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of Crinan a little before sundown, he was relieved to spot his cousin’s vessel, the Bana-Mhara—the Sea Witch—anchored in a small secluded inlet on the outskirts of the village. Hoping his fortune was about to change for the better, he offered up a quick prayer of thanks.
It was common knowledge that pirates seldom anchored their ships where the king’s men or other scoundrels might spot them and confiscate the cargo. Not even when they needed to make repairs following a battle did they dock in plain sight. But if what he’d heard was true, his cousin was no ordinary pirate and feared nothing.
When they had been young lads, Fin spent a great deal of time at MacCallum Castle and the two were as close as brothers. Unfortunately, as time passed, they grew apart and each followed their own path, inevitably leading them in opposite directions.
The oldest bairn and only son of Laird Ronald MacCallum, Kendrick prided himself on being an honest, brave, and a highly respected warrior slated to be the next clan chieftain. Fin chose a darker path, following in the footsteps of their mutually shared ancestor, Arthur MacAlpin—once known as the Pirate King, a ruthless demon who struck terror in the hearts of all he met.
Kendrick would never forget the flare of his father’s nostrils, bulging neck veins, and contorted expression of fury when he first learned his nephew chose to seek his fortune at sea, or the tirade that followed. Ronald called Fin an outlaw and an embarrassment to the clan before he banished him from the castle and forbid him to ever return. A dutiful son, Kendrick seldom challenged his sire’s decisions, but was about to do so now.
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February 2, 2019
Shredding A Little Light On The Subject
It’s not a remarkable purchase, nor an expensive one, but strangely enough it’s been a lifechanging one.
Thirteen years ago marked the beginning of one of the most difficult periods of our lives.
Our business was struggling, my mother was dying and, unbenownst to us at the time, termites were eating the home right out from under us.
It was period where the black dog bit the hardest, hanging on with the razor sharp teeth of hopelessness and despair.
A litany of other things happened as well, an almost weekly series of setbacks, that tested our resolve to carry on.
Getting by was a day-by-day affair.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Indeed it did.
One step in front of the other, if we could finish the day together, alive, and at least a basic meal in our belly, then it was enough to keep us going for one more day.
They were tough days and I wept through some of them (which if you know me, I don’t do often).
Seasons change
But these things are seasons – although this one lasted nearly seven years.
And when it did end, it was the dawning of a new day when all had been blackness for so long.
And with the light of the new day, we were able to see things more clearly – within ourselves and the world around us.
The darkness changed us, but only for the better, our relationship was forged by fire and together we are stronger for it. Individually we are stronger as well.
I was once asked why I always appear so calm. The answer is simple: I’ve been through hell and I know you can come out of it on the other side.
This period of upheaval and setback was the beginning of something new – a new career for us both with a purpose we can see will take us well into the future.
So, what does this have to do with buying an inexpensive paper shredder?
My husband and I went through the filing cabinets from our old office and pulled out paperwork – receipts, bills, tax information, mortgage statements.
It was time to say good bye to all of those things. The time required by the Australian Tax Office was over, we were free to dispose of them.
How liberating it was to be reminded of those tough, depressing days; to know that they are over and we can dispose of them.
We’re enjoying this season of sunshine but we know that it won’t last forever. Change is inevitable like the setting and rising of the sun; the turn of the seasons.
There is tomorrow
We’re grateful for the moment; the now; confident to take chances, to assert what we know to be true about ourselves and the world around us.
Matthew 6:25-33 25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Even if you’re not at all religious (and this is not intended to be a sermon), just know this: no matter how tough life gets, it’s worth living. If a year is too far to look in the future, look to the next month; if a month is too far, then look to tomorrow; if tomorrow is too far, then take it minute by minute because the longer you’re here, the closer you come to emerging from the other side of your darkness.
Seek help when you need it, be grateful for your next breath, have courage to make it to the next breath, have faith that this is not the end.
When it is over shred the experience as we have done this these papers, and turn it into something useful.
I believe you can do it.
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January 27, 2019
Doing More With Wisdom
One of the things I’ve really battled with over the past few years is a work-life balance.
I know that it’s something a lot of people struggle with.
I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers (or even some of the answers), but if I share my experience and the conclusions I’ve come to, then hopefully I might have done some good.
Like many authors, I still hold down a day job and since my husband is a freelancer, my wages are the most reliable source of income at the moment.
That’s absolutely no problem at all. My husband did the hellish daily commute to another city to a job he hated for years while I worked on getting a business up and running.
Our marriage is a partnership the decisions we make as a couple and as individuals must work for the both of us. We need to see and been onboard with the common goal.
As authors, (and all small business owners can identify with this), we also wear multiple hats: writers, editors, marketers, social media experts, etc, etc.
That takes time away from family. I know authors who bring a laptop on holiday and write.
A social life goes by the wayside as deadlines loom. A mobile phone is glued to your hand to check social media with a desperate of missing out.
My previous job, which turned toxic very quickly over three months had, as its sole virtue, the fact that it was at least only four days a week.
I needed to move on and have since found a wonderful job which is five days a week.
I also made a new years resolution to spend more time with family and friends where I could, to exercise more – to fulfil deadlines on three full length novels and three novellas for 2019 (and I’m not including the four editions of Love’s Great Adventure magazine).
Oddly enough, despite the change of circumstances, I feel much more prepared, more calm and less stressed than I did for the last half of 2018.
Here is how I plan to cope with a chockablock 2019 (which also includes two 18th birthdays, one 21st, two 45th birthdays, one 50th birthday, one 55th birthday one 60th birthday and a 25th wedding anniversary)
Don’t Panic
Panicking results in poor decisions. Panicking results in you running around like a headless chook. It’s stressful, not fun and not productive.
Set A Realistic Word Count Goal (and a little bit more)
I worked out how many words I needed to do a day to fulfill all my writing obligations. I do that word count each day and a little bit more. I know that if I sprint without the inevitable social media distractions, I can do the word count in about two hours. If time permits on the weekend, I try to do another 500-1000 words a day in two 2 hour sprints. And that’s it, no more.
Set Boundaries On Social Media Use
I limit my time on social media and, when I’m on social media, I’m there with a purpose – setting up posts, connecting with friends, family and readers and then no more. I try to limit it to one hour a day in short ten minute bursts. I need to control it, rather than it controlling me.
Forget the Yo-Yo Review and Author Rank Checking
I limit checking author ranks to once a day and I hope to reduce that further to just once a week. One of the challenges I’ve had is watching sales go up and down like a yo-yo. That’s a bad thing to do. Mostly this is an area outside of my control. If I can just check my sales and my advertising campaigns to once or twice a week to ensure it’s effective, I think I’ll suffer less from the rollercoaster ride that gives you a high at one moment and gut-plunging lows the next.
Be Present
Putting everything aside and being present. It’s still something I need to work on, but if I maintain integrity with the two hour writing sprints with a 1000 word a day target and put that damn laptop aside for a while, I can spend time with my darling supportive husband and simply be together. It means we can go out with family and friends without me thinking of plots, rewrites, author rankings and more. Enjoy the moment, don’t think that I have to Facebook or Instagram every skerrick of existence to remind people who I am and please, please buy my books.
Gratitude Is Everything
Have a spirit of gratitude. Be thankful for everything and be generous with time, praise and thoughtfulness. And I am so terribly grateful that I’m true humbled by it and I do my best to be a better person, wife, employee and author each day.
Practice The Serenity Prayer
Put those things which are in my control, well and truly in my control and master them the best I can. That means be purposeful and productive. Things are not within my control, there’s nothing I can do about it, so it’s not worth worrying about.
I hope doing these things will give me the space to be creative, productive and present in everything I do and I hope anything I’ve shared helps you. And, if you have any other recommendations, let me know in comments.
xxx
Elizabeth
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January 19, 2019
The Best A Man Can Get
There’s a man I know. I won’t name him because he’d be embarrassed.
He struggles at school, an academic life is certainly not for him. He leaves at the earliest opportunity.
His father is a hard man by today’s standards, a product of his generation. This young man knows his father won’t stand for him not being in work, so he looks for work and finds a job.
He hates it. He doesn’t suit the work, or the work doesn’t suit him. He drifts from employment to employment – always looking because his father won’t stand for anything less: ‘having a job you hate is better than having no job at all’.
He has to agree, the money does provide some compensation, he can now buy a second hand vehicle cheaply. It doesn’t run well, but seeing his initiative, his father offers to help him fix the car up.
Together, they work out the differences that caused them to butt heads often when he was a teenager.
A few years later, this young man finds a job that suits him. He’s beginning to master the profession. Sure, it’s not the world’s most glamorous occupation – it’s not going to attract supermodels as dates – but it pays well.
He starts chatting to the girl who works in the cafe where he buys his lunch. After a few weeks he plucks up the courage and asks if she’d like to go to the movies with him.
She does.
He can’t remember the name of the movie and he’d be hard pressed the remember when it was, but that doesn’t matter. He’s found the girl he’s going to marry.
After a few years he does and soon after she tells them they’re going to have a baby.
He’s nervous. Life’s been pretty good when it is just the two of them and they’ve both been working. He’s been thinking that they really ought to start saving for a house deposit because, as his dad has drummed into him, ‘rent money is dead money’, now with a baby on the way, his wife will have to give up work and they’ll be down to one income.
He breathes deep. His father made it happen. He and mum had four kids between them. And despite the head-to-head fights he and his old man had from time to time, he didn’t have a bad childhood.
Sure, he didn’t have the latest toys some of his friends have, but he didn’t want for much.
It’s only now with the benefit of hindsight and the perspective of adulthood that he realises how tight money was in his family.
And yet, his mum and dad made it work.
He’s not going to lie, the next ten years were pretty tough, but now he has two children (a girl and a boy) in primary school and he wouldn’t change that for the world.
He loves his wife who has kept him grounded when he thought he was going to lose everything. She encouraged him when he told her he was thinking of going into business for himself. She reminded him of everything he was working hard for – a better life for them, for us.
Being a responsible family man is a little limiting, he’ll admit that. Sometimes he wants a bit of time on his own, so he’s spend an evening or two fishing but as the children have got older, he likes the fact that they want to go fishing with him too. His son especially loves it and he’s grateful.
But he wants to do more. He’s joined the local volunteer emergency service organisation. He’s now part of a crew who gets called out in the middle of the night after a storm to remove trees that have fallen on people houses and spreads out tarps to cover the holes in their roofs.
He battles bushfires that threaten the community. He and his team provides support to the police and the firefighters during the floods.
His children are growing up. His daughter, the eldest, is the real brainbox in the family, she’s achieving at school and she’s on the school team for her favourite sport, netball.
The national league is playing a game in the capital city nearly 70km away. Will he take her?, she asks.
Of course he will. He knows a little about the game now she’s started playing, and he’s likes it as much as his favourite sport, rugby league.
It’s late, near 11pm, the game is over. He is tired, but his daughter wants to linger. She has a netball and wants her favourite team to sign it.
He’s been working ten hour days because there’s a lot of work on, but not nearly enough to employ another man, and in the past week he’s been called out twice with the volunteer emergency services.
They stay. Of course they stay.
The stadium empties of the hundreds who came to see the match and now it is quiet, only a few people remain.
“There she is dad! That’s the captain!”
His daughter rushes forward with the netball and the Sharpie pen he hadn’t known she’d brought with her.
The player looks tired too, but she stops and smiles at his daughter, exchanges a few words and signs the ball.
“Daddy! Daddy! Take a picture of us!”
He looks for the expression on the captain’s face. He doesn’t want his daughter to become a pest but the player smiles at him and he pulls out his phone.
“Thank you for this,” he says, “my daughter is a big fan. She’s representing her school in the under-13s.”
This makes the captain smile.
“You must be very proud.”
“I am,” he said.
And that makes his daughter grin.
The smile is so much like her mother’s.
Suddenly the tiredness is gone.
Tomorrow; correction, today, his son, who is like him in so many ways is going to little athletics.
And he’ll be there too, cheering him on.
They make the long trek back home.
“Did you get every player’s autograph?” he asked. He glances sideways to see his daughter shake her head.
“I’m just missing…” he can’t remember the name of the player, “who plays goal defence,” she says.
“Daddy, the team has another match here next month. Can we go?”
“Yeah, kiddo, of course we can.”
His daughter is asleep when he pulls into the drive.
There’s a light on in the living room. His wife is waiting up.
He unbuckles his daughter, who slumbers, still clutching the netball. He picks her up into his arms and carries her into the house.
“A cup of tea?” his wife asks.
He nods gratefully. His daughter awakes and he lets her gain her feet. They stop at her bedroom door.
He ignores the mess he can see in the room – there’s time enough to chip her on that tomorrow.
“Thank you Daddy, I really enjoyed the game.”
He ruffles her hair and she give him a hug.
He closes his eyes. She’s growing up, so he’ll savour the time he has now to be her ‘daddy’.
In the kitchen, his wife waits with the cup of tea. He kisses her cheek in tired thanks and they sit down together in companionable silence.
He doesn’t need a mansion, a flash car, or millions in the bank.
Here, under this roof with his wife and their children, he’s the richest man in the world.
The End
All around the world there are everyday tales of romantic heroism like this and we fail to recognise it.
Billions of good men who do the very best they can to love and provide for their families.
They are honourable men, noble men without title or wealth.
And yet the world would be poorer if they did not do the millions upon millions of unnoticed things that make our lives better.
The miners, the bricklayers, the garbage collectors, the pest controllers, the firemen.
The linesmen, the ambulance drivers, the storemen, the electricians, the plumbers.
The street sweepers, the trawlermen, the police, the long-haul drivers.
Romance fiction, written by women for women, identifies the qualities of a hero.
He is brave. He will put his life on the line to protect. He will stand firm on principles. He provides. He loves and is a lover.
Often these heroes are represented as ‘billionaires’, ‘tycoons’, ‘sheiks’, ‘Dukes’, ‘Lords’ and ‘Viscounts’ – a distillation and artificial heightening of those fine ennobling qualities.
We’re told by some women that such men in every day life, ordinary men who are heroic, are fantasies, and don’t exist in real life, which is why that have to be invented.
That’s wrong.
Erroneous.
False.
If we open our eyes in the real world, we will see these heroes everywhere we go.
In fact, every larger-than-life romantic hero I write is based on characteristics of all real life men I know. Real people, real men, really good men I am honoured to know.
These everyday heroes might be rough around the edges, far from urbane, not pretty-boy handsome, but nonetheless they embody the qualities of every big-gunned, six-pack sporting, chisel-jawed, smouldering-gaze romance cover model if only we would choose to see it and honour it.
Surely little acknowledgement and appreciation of the heroic embodiment that exists in our everyday heroes, is the best a man can get.
Surely as a society, we can recognise that innate heroism which exists as potential in every male and appeal to his natural spirit of competition, drive, and stoicism.
Encourage, don’t nag, finger wag or hector, him to master himself. Acknowledge when he does and he will be the best a man can be.
The post The Best A Man Can Get appeared first on Elizabeth Ellen Carter.
January 12, 2019
Creating Compelling Characters
This week I started a new day job (and welcome to everyone visiting from Value Hearing!).
One of the things I’ve been doing is creating client avatars. In marketing speak a client avatar is a distillation of a ‘typical’ client – their demographic profile, creating a backstory which leads to their moment of decision.
It’s not unlike creating compelling characters in a novel.
The way I look at it is that all of us of human beings are like concentric circles.
The outer ring
The outermost circle is the one we project out to the world. It is a very low resolution version of who we are as people.
I hesitate to use the word stereotype because of its negative connotations.
Perhaps it is better described as the series of common and familiar elements which helps us decisions on how to interact with a stranger on how they present.
For example, if someone is wearing a police uniform, that tells us how we should relate to them. If they instruct us to do something, we do it.
A person wearing a white coat with a stethoscope around their neck is likely to be a doctor.
In fact, it’s become a trope – The Clipboard of Authority.
That comes from a line from Michael Keaton in The Paper: “A clipboard and a confident wave will get you into any building in the country.”
Snooty lady does not approve.
Another example would be the NPC, the non-player characters in video games. They are simply there to add colour or give basic instructions, but they are not someone we spend a lot of time with and have little influence on the game.
Unfortunately a lot of supporting characters in novels can be like that. They serve the purpose of steering our protagonist down one road or another and resort to stereotypes to do it.
Examples abound in entertainment – the heroine’s waspish gay best friend; the sassy African-American woman; the weak-chinned vicar; judgemental church lady; the technologically savvy children; the dopey dad.
Now, I realise that the thing which drives a novel (at least in popular fiction) is the story. Literary fiction can be character studies, but popular (or genre) fiction has to show the characters doing something.
Having a cast of characters is great and they have to be there to serve a purpose (even if it is simply to add a bit of colour).
The second ring
But I recommend going a little deeper in these characterisations and that’s where the tools to great customer avatars in useful.
This is the second concentric ring. This provides motivation of these characters that is quite outside any interactions your main protagonists (your hero and heroine) have with them.
If the traffic cop is surly, ask why? Is he at the end of a long shift? Has he just returned from doing a death knock? Has he broken up with his wife?
Not that you have to create a family tree for him or even include that level of detail in your story, but what it does is give you the opportunity to do more go skin deep.
The best characters are fully fleshed human beings.
Perhaps the cop has dark circles under his eyes. Maybe the protagonist notices that there is a pale band on his hand where a wedding band used to be.
Just go that little bit deeper and make sure they are as least as motivated as your main characters.
The final ring
The last ring in the concentric circle is the full POV (point of view), that means we not only know what motivates them and infer why, that inner circle is also the inner dialogue will actually tell us why.
This is actually the most intimate form of relationship. Done right, we actually have a visceral reaction to the words on the page.
The compelling characters are fully fleshed out human beings, we feel we could see them in the street and know them. And great authors can make you feel that way about all of the important characters, even those you’re not supposed to like
In the world of romance novels, that tends to be limited to the hero, heroine and villain.
That little bit of extra detail to those all important secondary characters creates a universe your readers will find compelling.
Excerpt Live And Let Spy
The Angler’s Arms barn was dressed for the troyl. Swags of greenery festooned the walls, studded with posies of wildflowers of white, yellow and shades of pink. Outside, a pig was roasting on a spit, the smell of which was already making Adam famished.
He had been looking forward to this event all week. Frankly, it was exhausting to be on alert all the time; mindful of every action in case one is watched, and watching everyone else around you, looking for a hint they might be a spy and a traitor.
But tonight was all about the simple pleasure of a country dance among friends, where he could give himself in to the moment without reserve. It would be like furlough.
He settled himself on the edge of an unopened barrel by a door near the back of the inn.
He noticed Will lurking around the back of the kitchen. They shared a nod. No doubt the young man was waiting for his mother and one of her maids to leave in order to help himself to one of the fairings, a crisp, sweet and spicy ginger biscuit that had been left out to cool.
A moment later, the lad lunged out of sight a moment before emerging with two of the delicious morsels. Adam was surprised to find himself presented with one half of the spoils.
The young man grinned at him.
“If Mamb catches me, I’ll tell her you were the pilferer, then I won’t get a clip around the ear for it.”
Adam laughed. “Don’t be so sure your mother won’t give me a pinch for it either, so we’d better eat these now and leave no evidence.”
“William Bartholomew Trellow!”
The young man jumped and the winced at the sound of his full name being yelled in top voice by his mother.
“Make yourself scarce, Will. I’ll try to delay her for as long as possible,” Adam said with mock urgency.
Will didn’t require a second invitation. Adam chuckled as he watched the large young man sprint down the length of the barn and nearly losing his balance skidding on loose gravel as he rounded the corner.
He heard the sound of a woman’s footsteps and was conscious of the fairing in his hand, the smell of warm ginger reaching his nose. For a half-moment he considered taking off after Will.
Instead he turned, waiting to face his punishment like a man. But instead of seeing the thunderous face of Polly Trellow, he saw a vision of beauty instead. He immediately got to his feet.
Olivia smiled at him nervously and lightly brushed the back of her hand down the skirt of her cream dress embroidered with flowers of light blue, pink and green.
Adam held up the filched fairing. “Share this with me?”
Olivia shook her head. “Miss Lydia made a gift of this dress when she left and this is the first time I’ve worn anything so fine. I’m afraid I’ll spill something and spoil it.”
He took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it. He loved the way her lips parted when he did that. The dress was flattering to be sure, he considered, but it was still only a dress.
“It is only the wearer who can make a piece of fabric and thread look so fine,” he told her and she blushed.
Live and Let Spy is book 1 in The King’s Rogues series.
The post Creating Compelling Characters appeared first on Elizabeth Ellen Carter.
December 27, 2018
Live And Let Spy release day!
Live And Let Spy is the first of a four book series called The King’s Rogues. And I’m so excited for this series for a number of different reasons.
When I finished the Heart of the Corsairs series I pitched a new series idea to my publisher.
Kathryn came back to me and asked if I would do a series extension.
Because Shadow of the Corsairs (Book 3 Heart of the Corsairs) was a prequel to the first, I couldn’t continue with Kit Hardacre and his friends.
So it was suggested to find another way to ensure the Hardacre name lived on.
The Hardacre family expands
Well, inspired by watching an early version of Jamaica Inn and Doctor Syn, I wanted to examine the world of smugglers. And that had to be prior to the time Heart of the Corsairs was set because by that stage the Napoleonic Wars were over and Parliament had reduced the taxes which had made smuggling such a lucrative occupation.
The only solution was to give Kit Hardacre a father but to get the timeline working right, he had to be a young dad.
And so Adam Hardacre was born.
Since all my heroes are at their heart honourable men, I had to work out why Adam wasn’t in Kit’s life. None of my heroes abandon their responsibilities. What happened to Kit’s mother?
By the time I considered all of that, I had half a plot for Live And Let Spy!
The return of an old favourite
Another reason why I’m thrilled is that I get to bring back another couple who are no strangers to intrigue – Lady Abigail and Sir Daniel Ridgeway, the hero and heroine of Moonstone Conspiracy.
As some of you might know, I was bitterly disappointed by the treatment that story received at the hands of my previous publisher, so when I got the rights back for it at the beginning of the year, I couldn’t be more delighted.
Now I have a continuity universe which stretches from the early days of the French Revolution right through to the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
And I couldn’t resist having father and son reunion, which I wrote as Father’s Day – A Christmas Story for the Dragonblade Anthology, A Night of Angels.
While all of these stories can be read as stand-alones (I hate cliffhangers!), they are chronologically out of order.
So for fun, I’ve created a gallery that shows all the stories in a time line:
In addition to the three books in The King’s Rogues series, I have big plans for this extended universe and I hope to be able to share some news early in 2019.
I hope you enjoy Live And Let Spy.
Check out the book trailer!
Below is an exclusive excerpt:
Olivia shuddered but nodded her head to let Adam know she understood.
“I fear what will happen if Mr. Fitzgerald comes here,” she said. “As soon as he sees me, he may suspect I overheard his conversation. And he’ll certainly reveal how… close you and I are. ”
Adam held out his hand and gave hers a squeeze, but he didn’t draw any closer.
“I suspect Fitzgerald prefers to keep himself at arm’s length. The man is not a true believer, not like Wilkinson. What was he promised? Gold?”
Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know. It was payment at any rate.”
“I asked for a thousand pounds in gold,” Adam added with a wink before bringing his attention back to the stove to check on the heating kettle.
She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood, but she suspected Adam’s confidence was chiefly for her benefit.
“The new moon is in three days time, unless our friends do something soon, you’ll be on the Channel at the turn of the tide. You can’t let them take you to France,” she said.
“I won’t,” he said, his back still to her. “Besides, I don’t speak the bloody language.”
Adam turned back with a large steaming kettle in his hand and filled the teapot. “I need to talk to Harold, but they’ll have him locked away. If I convince him I’m not a traitor, we might have half a chance of breaking out of here.”
Olivia let her disquiet settle. Adam would never abandon his friend, but he thought of the Lieutenant more kindly than she could.
Harold’s brash and self-confident nature was amusing at first but she was never quite sure whether he was mocking her. His insistence in overriding her wish to head straight to the Angler’s Arms was another thing she didn’t appreciate. And now after the shock of his foolhardy actions had ebbed, Olivia wondered whether it was not done on purpose.
A man burst through the door without warning. Olivia started but managed to keep her tea cup upright.
“Dunbar, you have the grace of an ox,” said Adam with an exaggerated put-upon sigh.
“Watch yer mouth, you—”
“Uh-uh, mind your language in front of the lady.”
This Dunbar man looked familiar, but she didn’t look at him for long. Better not to make eye contact with him.
“Wilkinson wants to see you and the lady.”
Wilkinson was not a man who looked like a traitor, Olivia thought. But then, neither did Peter Fitzgerald. Wilkinson looked like what he was, a retired military man; he had that air of authority. The major sat alone at the end of the table.
“Miss Collins, once again I wish to apologize for the inconvenience of keeping you here for a few days, and I will do my best to ensure your stay is comfortable under the circumstances,” he said.
“Thank you, sir.” She said the words but didn’t mean them. Gratitude was the last thing she felt. She ought to denounce him as a traitor and call him to shame. But she did not. She took her cue from Adam. There was something to be said for being not deemed a threat to threatening people. Let Wilkinson believe she would be meekly compliant.
Behind her, Adam asked, “What happened to Bickmore?”
“I’m afraid he’s not been very co-operative. We’ve got him tied up and locked upstairs in one of attic rooms.”
“I believe the room I’m in is Miss Collins’ old room. She can have it back until we’re ready to move on,” said Adam. “How about she waits in the study while I move out of there. She can select a book or two to read – with your permission, that is.”
Wilkinson shook his head. “Very chivalrous of you, Hardacre, but one of the others will escort the woman to her quarters later. Just take her to the study and lock her in. You have work to do. Our signal station has to be ready by tomorrow evening and I don’t care if you have to work all night tonight to do it.”
One touch of Adam’s hand to her elbow was enough to communicate his tension. She allowed him to lead her to the study without protest. She looked about at the place where she had spent hours poring over records of Kenstec House. Now that memory would be forever changed.
Adam leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“When it’s safe, get the house master key – the one you used when we first explored the tower room. If it’s there, take it. I’ll knock on your door tonight. We’ll free Harold. We can buy him some time to go and get help.”
Olivia nodded. “Be safe, my love.”
She watched his face soften.
“I promise.”
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December 23, 2018
The Symmetry of A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life
The horror of knowing that one’s life was not well lived. Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Future and wants the chance to start over again.
In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge was self-centred and embittered. He required the ghosts of Christmas’ past, present and future to show him how past and present choices lead to a dark future, not for himself but also for people in his circle.
In It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey was selfless and generous, but he too needed a divine visitation. In order to show George what life would be like without him, he was granted the wish of never having been born.
These are ghost stories in a way. There are scenes which are truly chilling – George, as he runs through Pottersville knowing his beloved children do not exist, Scrooge, as he desperately negotiates with the ghost of Christmas future, “I am not the man I was!”
At the heart of both films is the message that generosity of spirit and following the example of Christ, is not foolish or a casual decision, but one in which sacrifice is needed, but oh my, the rewards…
Even a chap as nice as George Bailey needs a reminder of his worth. Clarence gives him a nudge in the right direction.
Scrooge discovered that his openness and generosity rewarded itself in ways his wealth could never have bought – such as the reunion with his nephew Fred, and the true friendship with the Cratchit family in which he was considered a second father to Tiny Tim.
For George Bailey, he finally sees what was there all along – he was wealthy because he had friends and how much poorer the community of Bedford Falls would be without his presence.
Christmas is a difficult time of year for many, many people. Some have embraced the true meaning of Christmas and accepted the meaning offered by babe born in the manger and have hope in the Saviour.
Regardless of what religion you have (or none), if nothing else, please remember this. You are valued, you are loved and as George Bailey and Ebeneezer Scrooge discovered, the world will be poorer without you and your best.
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