Hey folks. Well. I’ve once again been entangled in the technical details of running two websites and newsletters – the second being my author site – and it’s enough to turn me into a quivering mass of nerves at the end of the day. But I will not be vanquished. I’m still working on solving RSS feed issues so that my blog subscribers will actually get my blog posts via email. I’m also working on becoming GDPR-compliant so if you’re one of my blog subscribers you’ll be getting an email tomorrow asking you to reconfirm that you still want to get emails from me.
But who cares about all that right? Who wants to read a blog post about technical problems from a non-tech blogger? No one. So please keep your fingers crossed for me that I can solve all the issues and stay compliant with caring for your personal information (name and email address) according to EU laws.
And if you are getting this post by email (that means yay! it worked!) you’ve only missed one post since I sent you the recent newsletter, and it’s On Jesus and Grief.
Today I’m writing to tell you about some good news. My Regency novel, which I’ve been talking about for, oh… has it been two years now? has been accepted for publishing by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media and will be released in March of 2019.
You know what’s so exciting about having my book published by Cedar Fort (besides the thrill of someone finally saying they like it?). It’s that they publish one of my hero Regency writers – Carla Kelly. Just pick up a copy of Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career and you’ll see what I mean. Her books are awesome. So I’ll be rubbing elbows with some incredible authors.
Would you like to see what it’s about? Stay tuned for …
A Regrettable Proposal
Eleanor Daventry has come into money, but the inheritance comes with a condition: she must marry to have it. Steadfast Eleanor would rather be a schoolmistress than take a husband she doesn’t love.
Stratford Tunstall has just discovered his predecessor willed the estate’s unentailed land to Miss Daventry. Although cynical regarding love, the man recognizes a practical solution when he sees one. He and Miss Daventry must marry, and Stratford wastes no time in pressing his suit. While drunk.
Eleanor rejects both Stratford and his proposal and flees to London, hoping never to see him again. But she doesn’t realize her best friend has known Stratford from childhood, and the two houses are inseparable.
Now thrown together constantly, Eleanor admires Stratford’s masterful apologies, never mind how often he must deliver them. Stratford concedes that, against all his predictions, Eleanor enjoys success with the ton. How fortunate. Now, if only her suitors didn’t feel the need to apply to him for advice.
When combined forces threaten Eleanor’s reputation, Stratford must decide whether she is worth fighting for. And Eleanor must be convinced his coming to her rescue is a deed inspired by love
The cover is almost finalised and you’ll get a sneak peek as soon as it is.
In other exciting news, my 2014 memoir Stars Upside Down – a memoir of travel, grief and an incandescent God – is still getting some attention. It was chosen for a Publisher’s Weekly review, but I’m not sure when that will come out, or even if it’s guaranteed. I just know it went through two rounds of cuts before getting chosen, so that in itself is an honor. And I now have over 200 reviews on Amazon. Maybe that’s not huge compared to other books, but it still feels like a big deal to an indie author like me.
But the real exciting news is that my memoir will be published in French in September of this year. I’ve been working with a truly amazing translator for the past year. We have friends in common so she’s not a complete unknown to me but what she is is highly skilled. The French title is:
UN OCEAN D’ETOILES – Voyages, deuils, et rencontre avec un Dieu incandescent
And if you read French, here is an excerpt from Chapter One:
J’étais vouée à m’enraciner en France. Je sais cela maintenant, même si je ne le savais pas alors, au moment où j’ai fait ce rêve. Cette voie m’était prédestinée, aussi sûrement que l’étaient mes cheveux bruns, mes yeux verts et mes formes généreuses sur ma fine ossature. Mon chemin était tracé, aussi sûrement que le vôtre l’était, même s’il ne s’agissait que d’une promesse chuchotée au creux d’un rêve lointain.
Bien sûr, ce n’est qu’aujourd’hui, à mi-parcours, que tout commence à composer une image intelligible : les fils colorés de ma personnalité se sont entremêlés, les événements presque oubliés se sont liés en minuscules nœuds de soie, formant petit à petit une tapisserie, presque à mon insu.
Beautiful, isn’t it? She’s a genius with words and I love how she transposes mine. I’ve arranged to have her translate my Regency as well, but not until 2020.
I have to say that I’m way more nervous to have the people in my small French town read my memoir than I was when I first put it out in English. I never felt self-conscious about my memoir – it’s who I am, for better or for worse. But in my town, people know me and they know my kids. And I am afraid of backlash. Just how French is all that vulnerability anyway? Gulp. I’m not sure. I’m praying for good to come out of it and not the rejection I fear.
As for future writing projects, I’m really excited to continue with the sequel to A Regrettable Proposal. I have four books planned in all. This next one is the story of one of the earl’s twin sisters, and she’s the wittier one of the two so it’s a lot of fun to write. However, since it’s going to be awhile before the first one comes out, I decided to write another contemporary romance set in Paris. (A modern romance won’t pose any potential conflict of interest to my publishing contract). I’m almost halfway done with writing it and I really hope to have it published by the end of the year. I don’t want the release date to be too close to the Regency.
So that’s where the blog news comes in. I’m not going to try to keep any sort of blog schedule until I finish the rough draft of my contemporary romance. To my dismay, I’ve learned in recent months that I’m completely ineffective when I try to produce something worth reading in too many places. It steals my joy. My tourist posts usually take at least a full day of research and writing, and my faith posts take just as long. And as much as I love writing them, the wide variety of topics (faith, recipes, France, fictional stories, not to mention a French translation) is only possible when there is no pressure and no deadlines. This might possibly mean a month with no posts at all. Or, they might be light, no-pressure posts like this one.
Even if there’s a little pause in blog activity, I’m still here, of course, and so grateful you’re still reading my blogs and books after all these years.
