Cecilia’s been busy!

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For those readers who’ve enjoyed An Accomplished Woman, there’s good news on the horizon: Book 2 in the series Cecilia’s Mismatches, The Chaperon, is getting ready for publication! Leigh finished the content editing earlier in the summer, Brynn’s proofreading has just been completed, and the book is on to formatting. The Janet B. Taylor-designed front cover is complete, which is just as pretty as all my books! We’re in the process of finalizing the back cover art for those who adore the cover so much that they must have a hard copy.

The Chaperon will also have Cecilia making a match that doesn’t quite fit, but the story is quite different from Book 1. The characters wouldn’t have it any other way. In this case, we’ll see Everett and Audra take minor roles, with the new hero and heroine in the foreground. Cassie and Reeve are both so sweet and kind because they’re channelling Jane and Bingley! And Lexie, the match,—well, she’s something else!

You don’t have to have read Book 1, An Accomplished Woman, to enjoy Book 2, The Chaperon, though it wouldn’t hurt to get to know some of the characters ahead of time. Besides, Book 1 is excellent according to readers: a little nod to Jane Austen, with a pinch of Georgette Heyer in this Suzan Lauder original. I expect you’ll find Book 2 no different in terms of reading quality.

The new cover and a generous glimpse of the story will be revealed in about a month’s time when Meryton Press offers a set of long excerpts prior to the release of The Chaperon. Watch the Meryton Press newsletter (sign up at the bottom of the page in the link) and blog for more information.

In the meantime, delight in reading my seven other books, which have garnered accolades of their own!

2023 September 9: A quick update: Due to another book with the title “The Chaperon,” Book 2 is now called “The Reluctant Chaperon.” The cadence is much better!

Foodie on a Mini-Vacation

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When you live for half the year in a place where most from the rest of the world comes for a vacation, it’s fun to go elsewhere for a mini-vacation within that time. This year, we went to Oaxaca (pronounced wah-HA-ka), the food and arts and crafts capital of Mexico. We chose to fly, since it would be about 20 hours by ground transportation. That meant we were in our hotel on the Zocalo (town square) within the UNESCO World Heritage Site within a few hours via Mexico City airport.

Loud, fun music was playing on a stage outside our room, so we quickly got changed to a quieter room on the other side of the hotel, which was a hacienda-style historic building. The location on the Zocalo in the middle of Centro couldn’t be beat.

We found the mercado and freshly roasted Oaxacan coffee quickly, and also a new treat to us: chocolate covered churros (long donuts)! They were still crunchy inside. We spent most of our trip wandering the 300-year-old streets of the heritage part of town, where the buildings are made of volcanic rock, so some have a greenish tinge to the stone. Glorious huge churches stood every few blocks, or so it seemed. We stepped inside each when they were open. (You can click on the thumbnails for larger images.)

We were treated to fantastic food every step of the way. I happened to choose about half vegetarian meals—not that I’m vegetarian, just that the selection was good. It helped me to gain no weight on the trip. I wore my Jennyvi (Jane Austen Couture) dress out to dinner since it packed well and was the right weight for the weather, which is quite warm in the day and quite cool at night.

Some of the specialties of Oaxaca include the sauce called mole that’s served over meat or vegetables (with at least two dozen ingredients, the best mole has chocolate in it!), a sort of hard tortilla pizza called tlayudas, tamales (filled corn dough inside a banana leaf), memelas (a simple fresh open-faced thick corn tortilla with beans and cheese), and toasted, seasoned grasshoppers called chapulines. The latter was the only thing we didn’t try. They’re supposed to be quite tasty, but I had to give them a miss. Also, Oaxacan chocolate is quite different: grainy and dark.

Eggplant appetizer

Tlayuda

Ancho stuffed with huitlacoche

Custard cone

Two of the days we visited Oaxaca were for side trips out of town. One day, we went to small towns south of the city and looked at an historical village and another town known for its black pottery. We took the bus. There are also towns with weaving (we already have two Oaxacan rugs), Alibrije art (little animals that are supposed to come out of dreams), Amate art (made from tree bark), embroidery art, and other kinds of pottery. Often, when you’re in big Mexican tourist towns, the best art you see isn’t from that city, it’s from Oaxaca state, a testament to the hundreds of indigenous tribes and their traditional crafts.

For the second day-trip, we hired a driver to head east and take us to see the “frozen waterfall” and a thousand-year-old tree. We chose not to go to the pyramids since we’d seen Teotihuacán and Chichen Itza, and they’re now not much more than tourist traps, and besides, ruins are not our thing. We saw many of Monte Alban’s artifacts at the Cultural Museum.

Our trip back home from Oaxaca was an adventure in itself. Three airplane delays in Oaxaca plus two delays and finally a cancellation in Mexico City meant we could have gotten home faster with the bus. We literally spent 14 hours in airports that day. Even though we were masked and used sanitizer, we both got Covid. We weren’t too sick, but it’s not something I’d wish on anyone.

We brought back lots of coffee and chocolate, plus a nice black pottery vase and lots of cool memories. I suggest you all put Oaxaca on your bucket list.

Coming up: I have a new release planned. I mentioned on this blog that I’d been working on the Cecilia’s Mismatches series, and the first book is due out the end of March 2023. An Accomplished Woman is a shorter novel, set in Bath, with a bit of a nod to Northanger Abbey. But it’s not an Austenesque book. The characters are all new. Janet B. Taylor, Meryton Press’s cover designer, has gone all swoony over Everett Tremaine. I hope you will, too. Spread the word! And watch for the cover reveal coming up soon!

Which Book is this New Book?

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With my frequent posts about typing “The End,” readers can be forgiven for wondering which book is coming out first. Because the novellas for my Regency romance series are around 40k words each, I’ve finished writing three books over the last year. The one that’s slated to be available for pre-order from Meryton Press on May 2 is the Austenesque The Barrister’s Bride.

The Barrister’s Bride was written when I was having trouble writing the middle book of the Regency romance series (the trilogy might have four books, so I’ve started to call it a series). I often find that if my muse doesn’t work, writing something else, even if it’s a short story, will help get me started again. The jump-start on the muse worked. I finished the middle novella and wrote the third within the last year, after writing the much longer The Barrister’s Bride.

I suppose you’re curious about all these books. Since The Barrister’s Bride is the book coming out first, it’s the one featured in today’s post.

The barrister in question is Fitzwilliam Darcy, a second son. His older brother, George, is a bad boy. In fact, the two Georges—Darcy and Wickham—are fast friends who are up to no good in this 120k word novel. We wish they would keep to the sidelines, but like a pair of bad pennies, they keep turning up. In the meantime, Fitz, as he is called, has met and become friends with Elizabeth Bennet, whose father passed away six months ago. Fitz and Elizabeth have something in common: they both have had marriages arranged for them, sight unseen, that will take place upon the lady’s majority. Although Fitz has known this for some time and has become accustomed to his fate, Elizabeth only recently discovered about her situation and is not certain what to make of her father’s decision to take away her chance at marrying for love. Of course, that’s the basis of the conflict within the story, and much more happens to liven up the book and make it a real page-turner.

Meryton Press marketer, Janet Taylor; my editor, Leigh Stewart; my British beta, Anji; and Mr. Suze all agree: The Barrister’s Bride is my best book yet. I’m quite honoured by their view since readers seem to think others of my back list are pretty darn good reading, given the positive comments I’m honoured to receive all the time. I do hope you get your copy soon and enjoy devouring the fresh new story on release day, May 9.

If you’d like your paperback of The Barrister’s Bride personally signed, there are two great ways to do so: win the one that I’ll be offering, along with some unique items, as part of the author’s prize (international) for the blog tour (May 9-16), or come to the JASNA AGM in beautiful Victoria, BC September 30-October 2, 2022 to get one signed. The theme for the AGM is Sense and Sensibility in the City of Gardens, and you can meet me there while I’m selling and signing all my books. Either choice sounds like tons of fun!

Here is a short excerpt from The Barrister’s Bride:

“Fitz!”

He jolted at his name spoken in a loud tone near his shoulder and turned to a laughing Bingley.

“Forgive me, but I have said your name three times without a response.” Bingley tilted his head in the direction of his fascination. “Are you acquainted with the lady?”

He nodded and cleared his throat so he could speak without mortification. “Yes, she is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. We collided with one another whilst she searched for her sister in Hatchards, and her uncle, a Mr. Gardiner, introduced us. Gardiner is a congenial fellow who has no estate but supports himself in textiles if memory serves me correctly.” He had been impressed with all of them, but especially Miss Elizabeth. She was now his goddess.

“The ladies’ father died last Easter. His estate, Longbourn, near Meryton, was entailed to a distant cousin. A pity, and my heart broke for the ladies.” Bingley nodded, his mouth more severe than usual. Both men had lost their parents. They knew well the enormous grief associated with the death of a close family member. “At the time we met, I had no idea your leased estate was so close to this small market town, else I may have made mention of that point during the polite discussion that followed our introduction.” That information would not usually have been missed by a man such as Fitz (as his friends called him). He possessed a mind that captured details and never forgot them—not a one.

The intelligent glow within Miss Elizabeth’s eyes when she gazed into his was one of those fine points. She was blessed with a strong will and astute mind behind that uncommon yet pretty face. As soon as he became aware that Bingley’s estate was near Meryton, Fitz’s thoughts were consumed with whether he would have the opportunity to meet her again—and tonight was his chance. Now, how was he to go about approaching her? A reserved sort, he had never been as socially oriented as his older brother, George. Some might have even called him shy. His diffident nature never mattered to him in the past. He had always been sought out for friendship for no other reason than he was a Darcy, a name that was important amongst polite society. He was fortunate to have come to his age of seven and twenty years without becoming too prideful. Vanity had not escaped George’s personality. Fitz scoffed in his head. His brother was an example of most of the older brothers in England—filled with a sense of importance they justified by their position of power and wealth. George would use that confidence to march right over to Miss Elizabeth and request a set. He would not stare at her from across the ballroom, debating his next step; but like a dunderhead, Fitz continued to do just that as he mulled over stupid thoughts of his scoundrel older brother. Why was bravado not a quality he possessed? His lack of assertiveness compared to others seemed unfair. He would not need much. A drop would do.

The corners of Miss Elizabeth’s full lips rose as he bowed his head to her across the haze-filled room, and she returned a nod of her own. She moved across the assembly rooms as if intending to cross to greet him, yet at the last moment, she spun on her heel and took a different direction towards a group of ladies. An ache emerged inside him as if a favourite toy had been denied.

~~~

Watch for the cover reveal later this week on Meryton Press! In the meantime, the featured image is one that was not used for the cover. The Barrister’s Bride will initially be available in ebook, KU, and paperback. Audiobook will be coming soon after the release.

New Release and Audiobook Fun

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I didn’t expect to be releasing a book so soon, but Janet Taylor, the marketing director at Meryton Press, had an idea. “Let’s create an anthology of longer short stories,” she said one day last winter. She had already approached a couple of other authors who were keen, and we were to share our stories of under 30,000 words.

At the time, I was just finishing book one of my Regency romance trilogy Cecilia’s Mismatches. Since I wanted the three to be released close together, it would be a good year until I had a new book release. The short story would be a good way to keep my name in readers’ minds. But I had nothing good to share in my old stories, so would have to write something new. What to write about? I considered several ideas until I latched onto one about Darcy being melancholy after the Hunsford proposal and his family staging an intervention.

A few months later, while I was still writing my story, Janet came back and said, “Michele and I learned that anthologies are passé, and we really should do a series of short novels.” Michele is the managing editor at Meryton Press. Janet asked more authors if they had a novella up their sleeve, and there was a lot of excitement about the series called Skirmish and Scandal. I figured my bit of light romance could just fit sideways into that theme. Completing a novella would be easy because my short story was coming in at just over 30k words. Since I had time before the series was scheduled to be released, my trusty betas ldb531 and Anji went over the book and reminded me that I’m human: lots of red pencil, so to speak!

I was fortunate to have the inimitable Ellen Pickels as overall editor and formatter since I had worked with her as a copy editor, proofreader, and formatter for four novels already and knew her style. We got through the book quickly, and she helped me find a better name than the original The Fitzwilliams Intervene. The title became Schemes of Felicity, much better in many ways. Janet Taylor gave me a fantastic cover with artwork by Frédéric Soulacroix and a Skirmish and Scandal theme. With some bumps in the road–two novels expected to come out before our series were delayed (COVID 19 was a real issue for several lead players at MP)–Skirmish and Scandal was finally unveiled, and I was the lucky author whose book came out first!

Shortly after Schemes of Felicity came out, the audiobook for A Most Handsome Gentleman was released. The narrator, Ofelia Oliver, sounds like my perfect Elizabeth Bennet. Since this story is in first person (I blogged about this in an earlier post), her suitability is more important than in most audiobooks. I do hope you get a chance to listen to this excellent recording. In addition, you can check for The Mist of her Memory with Neil Roy McFarlane, whose voice is swoon-worthy.

And in the future, while I’m busy writing book two of Cecilia’s Mismatches, you can watch for more audiobooks from me, beginning with Schemes of Felicity and followed by Letter from Ramsgate and Alias Thomas Bennet. So, if you’re a person who prefers to listen to books, your chance to enjoy all five of my books will be coming soon.

Here’s what they’re saying about Schemes of Felicity:

Fun with 5 stars: “This book is a delight!” “Thumbs up.” “I could not put it down.” “a very pleasant reading experience.” “Authentic and clever writing style.” “I enjoyed the story immensely.” “well-written and proofread” “This story was so good.” “I loved it.” “I recommend this to all Jane Austen fans!”

More fun with 4 stars: “I do love the way Ms. Lauder writes!” “I highly recommend this story.” “cute and adorable.” “beautifully penned” “The ending was so swoon-worthy.” “an enjoyable storyline.”

I’m certain you hope you can read it soon!

White Author, Black Character

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I’m in a pickle as to where to go with my writing. I have a novel just started (book two of the Cecilia’s Mismatches non-JAFF Regency romance trilogy, called The Chaperon) and I haven’t yet got a solid plot carved in stone, just a general outline in my head. It’s an opportunity to incorporate some of the learning I’ve just picked up and try to be a bigger person with a world human rights view. But how to start?

Let me backtrack.

I finished writing the first book in the trilogy, An Accomplished Lady in June, and I’m quite pleased with how the novel turned out. Audra is a mashup of Catherine Bennet and Catherine Morland, though her love interest is a sturdier sort than Tilney. Cecilia is written after Caroline Bingley.

This week, Ellen Pickels and I finished editing my Austen-Inspired variation called Schemes of Felicity (formerly The Fitzwilliams Intervene). Listen for more about this light romance and other novellas from Meryton Press coming soon.

I’m in the midst of prepping an audiobook of A Most Handsome Gentleman with excellent narrator Ofelia Oliver, which should release next month. “Hot Collins” is such a funny mini-novel, and Ofelia gives all the inflection and emotion needed to make it great in an audiobook!

Those are water under the bridge—the same sort of work I’ve done for a while now.

But lately, with multiple calls to action on making Regency books more realistic as to the underrepresented groups of the people of the era (Lopt and Cropt Editing, Bella Breen, Katherine Grant, my two courses), I’m thinking a lot about how I can incorporate marginalized characters without making them too stereotypical or minor. When I say marginalized, I mean people of colour, LGBTQ++, disabled, or similar under-represented characters within JAFF or Regency romances. Because they were there in the Regency, and we’ve chosen to ignore them. So far.

I don’t come to this without some degree of education. I attended two Beau Monde courses (Louisa Cornell’s Gay in Regency England and LaQuette’s Critical Lens) and the Beau Monde two-day annual conference and gained a ton of information on how to improve my writing.

In the past, I’ve written the “discovered an intelligent slave, purchased freedom for him and his wife, employed and educated them, brought them back to England for the top servant roles at Longbourn” with the Akuetes in Alias Thomas Bennet. The Akuetes even had an important role to play in alerting Mr. Bennet to a potential spy in Maria Lucas. But they were servants and in minor roles. I also did the raped, PTSD character for Fanny Bennet in the same book. I had a depressed, head injured lead character for Elizabeth in The Mist of Her Memory, when so many mentally ill characters are portrayed as villains in fiction.

The question is, how can a white, straight, cis, mentally disabled woman do better to write marginalized characters? Well, after a lot of fear and then subsequent soul-searching, I’m going to try in the best way I can. I’m going out on a limb to write Regency POC and gay characters as if they were regular characters except that sometimes, other characters treat them poorly because they appear different. It’s their response, or the response of those they call friends, that has potential to bring on or settle tension in the story—if I allow it to become an issue. Is that lame? Potentially. But Regency authors are obligated to try to show examples of how the Regency really looked, and free Black people were a common and visible part of Regency England. Gay people were there, though less visible.

Within The Chaperon, I want to at incorporate a person of colour in a highlighted role, and show that Black people were not so uncommon in the Regency as our whitewashed Regency romances seem to demonstrate these days. But I don’t want to go overboard and point out every black person in every role in town. That’s a side plot that will distract from my romance. “and by the way, the farrier is black…” Clearly, I’m in the middle of a balancing act. Now, who would be a good character who’s not a servant for my first try? Someone similar to a Mr. Denny or a Sir William Lucas?

The earl as a marginalized person will come in book three: Secret Affairs to Discuss. I have three characters who will suit, so I can incorporate multiple underrepresented people. This is the “Darcy and Elizabeth” book, though all three books are non-JAFF Regency romances.

This is a lot for me! I’m outside of my range of comfort, the excitement of writing is balanced by the nerves of the new material. I look forward to the challenge of doing something that’s so right.

How about you? Are you ready to take up the challenge? L.L.Diamond has a major character who is gay in Undoing. Abigail Reynolds is in the midst of writing a book with an abolition subplot. You can check Maggie Mooha’s Elizabeth in the New World as well. I’d love to read your #Black Lives Matter or other marginalized groups sensitive portrayal JAFF, and hear about your ideas in comments!

Busy People

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If there’s one thing that’s a constant in this world, it’s that you can expect that busy people are eventually productive people.

So what can I hold as evidence? I managed a lot of completions since my last blog post, including:

  • A three week trip to England during which I sought out many Jane Austen locations (lifetime and film) among other tourist destinations, plus met JAFFers Mίra Magdó and Lizzie Sargent, and saw Pride and Prejudice with author Leslie L. Diamond at the only operating Regency theatre left in England (the Royal Theatre in Bury St. Edmunds)—that should have been a blog post in itself;
  • Writing a JAFF novella (working title The Fitzwilliam Intervention);
  • New writing on Book One: An Accomplished Woman of my non-JAFF Regency trilogy (the Lady Hoxley, Matchmaker Trilogy);
  • Collaborating with narrator Neil MacFarlane on the recently released audiobook for my novel The Mist of Her Memory.

During the start of the current pandemic, I was still in my home in Mexico, which at the time seemed to be the safer place to be. In the midst of the expat travel panic in late March, I contracted viral pneumonia, which was also a COVID-19 scare. This meant I was in isolation in a nice private hospital in Mexico at the cost of an excellent insurance company then rushed home on a private jet since the commercial companies wouldn’t take someone with my cough. For the record, I was tested as COVID-19 negative, as well as negative for Influenza A and B and Dengue.

I’m now recovering, though my lung capacity won’t let me exercise like I used to, but that will be overcome in time. Being a COVID-19 vulnerable person, I must be more careful than most, so I remain isolated in my home, with only walks in a mask to get out of the condo. I don’t mind, as it’s a lovely loft apartment with huge windows and views to make you jealous, and includes two cats who like to cuddle up to me while I’m on the laptop on the sofa. I can read and write and edit like before, and I’m enjoying it as well. I’m busy enough that I have to say “no” to special projects, and all that’s on top of a happy and balanced real life!

I’ll let the pictures show the excitement from my trip! Click on the thumbnails for a larger picture.