The Revolution Comes to an End

 In January, the final book in my Revolutionary Women series will be released and the series will come to an end. A British Governess in America has been proofed, a cover produced, and it's nearly ready for its debut. We had to change the gown my governess wears on the cover, but it was essential she look like a working governess and not Cinderella at the ball. Took some doing to get it right, and my thanks go out to Prairie Rose for their willingness to work with me on it. Here's the cover; 

With all the turmoil of the latest election in America, it's given me great pleasure to be visiting our founding fathers in the midst of this chaos, and to see that their vision had a solid foundation but may need some tweaking. Just as we changed the amount of time needed to install a new head of government when the advent of a speedier form of getting the word out to the country was developed (remember the telegraph?), so should we now be taking a hard look at our way of handling elections. I loved rubbing imaginary shoulders with the Sons of Liberty and experiencing life in our earliest times. They had no way of knowing the type of America we would have now, but they gave us a solid foundation. All we have to do now is keep it.

But the series, as will all good things, must come to an end, and it's time to carve out another era to live in for the next little while. What that will be is still up in the air, but it'll be fun, regardless. 

I heard someone say the other day that 2020 will be used as a measurement for a bad time for years to come. Someone can say they had a bad day or week, and the other will say Was it a 2020 kind of day or week, or just the usual? Regardless of how you spin it, we're all glad to kick the year to the curb and move into 2021. Happy New Year, and happy new beginnings.

Sticks In The Air

There's a new home being built in my neighborhood, and my dog, Mary, and I have been walking by it for several weeks now. My dad was a builder and taught me everything I know about the building process. There's a lot that takes place before you get to this point in the process, when you actually can see 'sticks in the air.' For weeks, all we've been seeing is a hole in the ground, and then, suddenly, we're at the stage. 

Writing a novel is a lot like building a house. There's a lot of work that has to be done before you can begin to build the story. You have to create a solid foundation, plan where the high points will be and lay the groundwork. Only after you carefully lay out your plan can you start putting your sticks in the air without fear of having them collapse and fail. Consider them the plot points of your story. Once your plot is all good and solid, you can start adding things to make the work unique and the story line different from every other book out there. And only once the story line is running smoothly can you embellish the work with the elements that make it special. It all comes down to having a good plan before you turn over that first shovel of dirt. Or, in the case of a manuscript, before you write that first line.

I'm working right now on the final book in my Revolutionary War series. One of the things I especially love about writing historical novels is having the ability to plop my characters into the middle of chaos to see how they rise above it. For me, in order for a book to be considered a historical novel, especially in romance, is to use actual events as an integral part of the story. But that means I spend a lot of time building my foundation. I need to make certain I have the correct dates, the correct location, and in the case of the Revolutionary War, the right generals in charge. If I don't have a proper foundation for my story, I should not be surprised when the sticks begin to fall over. 

Mary and I will keep track of this house, now that the sticks are in the air. We'll watch as all the walls get framed out. Maybe we'll even sneak inside and try to determine the layout. Then, we'll watch as the pretty elements start to come in and the home gets a personality. Hopefully, my manuscript will proceed at the same rate, and develops a personality as well. 

Stay safe and write, everyone. You don't need to write a novel, but in these troubling times, a journal or a letter to a loved one will keep at least some of the panic you're feeling at bay. Stay strong. 

Hoping For Ideas

To my faithful readers and friends–I need some brainstorming ideas.

Here's my dilemma: I have a hero who is a widower with 5 children. His wife died while giving birth to child #5. His uncle has sent him a governess from England to help him take care of the kiddos while he fights the Revolutionary War.

Obviously, hero doesn't want the governess–he wants his wife to still be alive.

Obviously, heroine doesn't want to be in America when she's never been more than five miles from home before.

So, other than making sure his children are well cared for and fed, what little things can my heroine do to worm her way into hero's heart? So far, I've had her keep a meal warm for him and kept a candle in the window so he won't come home to a dark house.

What else can I have her do? To be clear, she's not trying to entice him, but she is a caring woman. I want some little things that aren't calculated, but will sooner or later have hero realize he can't live without her.

What little acts of kindness do you do for your significant other that make them feel loved?

As a caveat to this, if you give me an idea and I use it in my story, I'll put your name in the acknowledgments!

So bring it on! There are no bad ideas if they make your partner feel loved and cared for.