Julie Regency Romance

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Judging a Book by its Cover

Okay, confession time. How many of you choose a book just because you like the cover? Well, apparently a vast majority! A book's cover is the author's sales pitch to the reader. It must grab the potential buyer's attention and outshine the millions of other covers out there. No pressure! I am also learning that there are many, subtle indicators, to readers of particular genres, about what they can expect to find inside a book. If your cover promises something that the reader does not actually find within its pages, you can lose a reader. The opposite is true too. If your cover does not suggest 'PG 13' rated content within, but the book contains it, you can offend your reader. Wow, it's a minefield! Research of other covers in your particular genre is a very important place to begin. I self-published my first book and created the cover myself. I was new to the industry and had no training. That was probably not a good idea and when I ever g

New Book - The Unlucky Governess - to be published

I've written about the imposter syndrome before - the nagging feeling that you are not a REAL author. The cure for me was the day, a couple of weeks ago, that my publisher wrote confirming that they would publish my second manuscript. I was so elated! Now I believe that I'm a REAL author and I no longer feel like a fake. The title that I gave the book, 'The Unlucky Governess ', may not end up being THE title when it goes to publication but it is a book about an upper class girl who is left unexpectedly destitute and the only way to keep herself out of the poor house is to get work as a governess. It does not go well. Dickens always put a 'too-good-to-be-true' character in his works; Little Dorrit, Mr. Jarndyce, Joe Gargery, Lizzie Hexam. I love these characters. I believe that there are still people in the world who are good, through and through, like them. I also love these types of characters in books who give the reader relief from the harsher c

P.A.I.N.ting and Writing

Just over a year ago we bought a fixer-upper. It had been ravaged by at least three renters and you had to be able to envision its potential to want to buy it. Fortunately, most of the work has been cosmetic but we have invested a lot of sweat equity to begin bringing it back to its former glory. Every wall needed to be painted. Every wall. We began slowly, a room at a time - you know, the old 'you can eat a whole elephant one bite at a time' proverb. But then it came time to do the two story entrance and staircases (one going down to the basement). Frankly, I thought this might be a job for the professionals but my husband insisted that we could do it and that it would probably save us several thousand dollars. I've decided there is a reason the word painting begins with 'pain'. P.A.I.N. The only thing that has kept me going is the fact that the money we are saving will pay for my writer's conference registration fee and an educational cruise I want to go on.

Trying a New Genre

Though I write Regency Romance (and children's historical fiction), my very favorite genre to read is the "Whodunnit", the classic murder mysteries of Agatha Christie fame. It was her books, in fact, that made me into a reader as a child. These mild mysteries, that have had a following since Ms. Christie's days, seem to have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity of late under the genre name of Cozy Mysteries. The thought came to me a few months ago, "Since you like them so much you should try writing one!" So I am. I have created a dynamic duo, to borrow a phrase, who snoop out clues and help the local Bobbies. They are rich, beautiful and from the upper classes - because for some reason that's often how we like our heroines to be. This book will not reflect the politically correct culture of our day, but will try to capture the essence of life in the 1920's, while solving a crime. I think it will be a lot of fun!

Bookclubs

I'm back from traveling to Europe and about to leave town again so I thought it was time to add a post to my blog. Since the release of my book I have been invited to share my thoughts at three book clubs with another planned for after Christmas and it is so much fun! I am loving the interaction with people who have read my book. We have had some great discussions about prejudices, adoption, nasty relatives and the writing process. In life, when we step out of our comfort zone and try new things it can go one of two ways; success or failure. But for me there has been additional path: it has been an unexpected delight to experience positive, unintended consequences such as meeting my readers. Little did I think when I was tapping away on my computer two years ago that the publication of my book would lead me to meet so many new friends. Comforts zones are safe places, which is why we like them, and not every new venture will end in success or great unintended consequences, but s

What's in a name?

I have never understood couples who cannot come up with a name for their babies before the birth. I'm not judging, I am just comparing it with my own experience. The minute I know I'm pregnant I am thinking of names, testing how they sound, making sure the name cannot be mutated into something horrible on the third grade playground. And let's not forget the initials. One friend's daughter named her child and the initials were BMW - so they nicknamed her Beamer! Cute. I actually love the thrill of finding the perfect name, one that sits in my brain and brings complete and utter satisfaction. I am a traditionalist. I choose my names from the 'approved list'. That is the list I deem to be approved names. With the name chosen, the baby takes on an identity even before birth. It is the same with new characters. I relish the search for the perfect name. Of course, in Regency England there was an approved list of names. Parents were expected to use traditional name