English on my mother's side - Eastern European on my father's. I'm a lethal combination of drama and tragedy when I write fiction.
I previously posted that The Village Affair would be available on Kindle Vella. I have posted 17 episodes (chapters) to the story on the Amazon platform but am extremely disappointed with the ability to market and find visibility for readers. If you have never heard of Kindle Vella, is aContinue Reading
Most of my covers have been designed by me, and frankly, I’m not a great designer. Dark Persuasion and The Phantom of Valletta were done by a designer, as were earlier versions of The Legacy Series. Recently, I made a business decision to redo all of the covers for theseContinue Reading
The Village Affair was scheduled for release on December 1, 2020. Unfortunately, it will be delayed. The year 2020 has thrown many of us into turmoil because of the pandemic and other personal challenges that have snowballed as a result. In my own life, I’ve had a few ups andContinue Reading
Writing a book is a long, arduous process. This particular story has not been an easy one for me. I started with a premise back in the fall and stumbled along the way to the end. Multiple times I had to put the book aside and ponder where to takeContinue Reading
Hi, everyone! The Leighton Family Saga has been put on hold for a while. I’ve had a difficult time marketing the first book, Toil Under the Sun. Let’s face it — most readers don’t like to read about poverty or bricklayers. Any historical fiction/romance with a duke is much moreContinue Reading
Whitefield Hall has been substantially rewritten and expanded, and will be out in eBook format in the next 24-72 hours on all major venues. In anticipation of its release, here is a post about companions in the Victorian era. My heroine in Whitefield Hall is a middle-class woman by theContinue Reading
How do you commit murder? Well, in the Victorian era arsenic was a good way to do in your rivals, spouses, and enemies. Blythe Court, contains arsenic, and you may wonder if my use is accurate. Hopefully, you know by now I do my research, even if it really doesContinue Reading
When I write historical romance, I take the time to research. All of my books are carefully laced with background material regarding the setting and era in which my characters lived. Thorncroft Manor was no different. The majority of my research in this novel related to the city of PendeenContinue Reading
I’ve been doing some cleanup on my Legacy Series Book blog and came across this post I wrote long ago. The entire series is on sale, by the way, until June 21st for 99 cents. This blog post came after writing book two, I believe. It speaks volumes. The BloodContinue Reading
Tomorrow marks the end of the First World War one hundred years ago. These are my ancestors who lost their lives. I dedicated my book Lady Grace to their memory.Continue Reading
As some may or may not know, I also have a historical romance website to help authors market the genre. It’s not that popular but is gaining in popularity, and I regularly post my thoughts or historical romance news on it. You can find me at Historical-Romance Books. This morningContinue Reading
I had a great time writing Lady Charlotte, which is a tit-for-tat relationship between Albert Beckett and Charlotte Rutherford. Cedric, Charlotte’s cousin, thinks her behavior is an embarrassment to the extended family and sets out on a bid to reform her ways. He chooses Albert Beckett to take on thatContinue Reading
I was one of the lucky ones to purchase a poppy from the Tower of London. As you know, I dedicated Lady Grace to my fallen cousins who lost their lives in World War I. I’ve been able to replant the poppy on this wonderful website! Please visit, comment, andContinue Reading
As you may or may not know, I’ve written one contemporary novel, Conflicting Hearts, under the pen name of J.D. Burrows. I entered the book into the annual competition at Readers’ Favorite and received a Finalist Award under Fiction/Social Issues. Here is the press release regarding the acknowledgment. There isContinue Reading
Marketing is a pain. It’s expensive. It’s a time-consuming task. It’s necessary to get visibility in a saturated marketplace. My biggest obstacle in releasing a new book is the lack of reviews plaguing me on Amazon for months. Without reviews, I cannot market. Without marketing, I cannot sell in aContinue Reading
As a young woman of twenty-one, Grace did not think it unusual to marry a man of forty. Although she wed a kind and respectful individual, something remained absent from their relationship. Before she could fully understand her growing despondency and restless emotions, England declared war on Germany. Like aContinue Reading
As I’ve been editing and rewriting portions of Lady Grace this past weekend, I have realized that I am emotionally involved in this book. Naturally, as a writer, that often happens when you create characters and bond with them. It certainly did to some extent with the Legacy Series sinceContinue Reading
My life would be much easier if I just wrote in the twenty-first century, where I’m familiar with everything around me. I can see why contemporary authors often pound out book after book of modern love stories. Unless they are focused on some particular subject, research is pretty much quickContinue Reading
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection about the stories I write. Often, I get caught up in author articles regarding various genres and what’s hot. Hot usually equates to more sales. And who doesn’t want more sales? Unfortunately, the lane I’ve traveled for my personal storytelling doesn’t seemContinue Reading
The call to war is evident by the myriad of propaganda posters encouraging the general public to enlist, serve as civilians, donate money, or to take in the downtrodden. One of the scenes in Lady Grace touches on the heroine’s thoughts of a poster she sees at the train stationContinue Reading
As part of my research for Lady Grace, I needed to know how families were notified of the death of their loved ones. The next of kin of officers often received telegrams, while the families of non-officers received a letter. The link to the article below discusses the sad processContinue Reading
Britain was home to 250,000 Belgian refugees in WW1 so why is their story forgotten today? Read the story below. Source: World War One: How 250,000 Belgian Refugees Didn’t Leave a Trace – BBC News When I set Lady Grace during World War I, there were two choices for herContinue Reading
I really wanted to put a man in uniform on the cover of Lady Grace. Days – I spent days hunting pictures on stock photo websites. Only a few decent ones came up after searching World War One soldiers, most of which could not be used because they were editorial.Continue Reading
Researching this story timeline is an interesting and somewhat sobering journey. I am aware of some things during that time period because my ancestors lived in the Manchester area during the war years of 1914-1918. I have a few reference books with newspaper articles that give insight into the timesContinue Reading
Lady Isabella is out for editing, and it should be ready for release February 1 in eBook and print. After mulling over a few story lines and time eras, I felt compelled to backtrack to the time period of World War 1 for my next story entitled Lady Grace. IContinue Reading
My recent promotion on The Price of Innocence has once again skyrocketed the book into bestseller sales ranks, giving it more exposure than usual. It appears that I am having a repeat of my 2012 experience when I participated in May with a free giveaway. Since this book was firstContinue Reading
My visit to Lyme Park while visiting Manchester UK this October was for the purpose of taking my book, Blythe Court, and standing in front of the estate and snapping a picture. Lyme Park is on the cover, as well as “The Cage” on a hill in the background. Of course,Continue Reading
Today I had a wonderful and inspirational experience visiting the home of Elizabeth Gaskell in Manchester, UK, at 84 Plymouth Grove. Her most memorable works were Cranford (1851-53), North & South (1854-55), and Wives & Daughters (1865). She also authored many other works over the years such as shortContinue Reading
As some of you may know from my past endeavors, I like to do book blogs as I write. They are informative tidbits of information regarding my research behind the book and also a therapeutic respite for me while writing. I’ve decided to start a blog elsewhere to track myContinue Reading
“An English lady without her piano, or her pencil, or her fancy work, or her favorite French authors and German poets, is an object of wonder, and perhaps of pity.” (The Habits of Good Society: By Unknown Author, originally published 1872. Copyright 2012 Forgotten Books). Chapter VI is another fascinatingContinue Reading