Changing Publisher

Changing my publisher is very exciting, but a lot of hard work is  involved. At the moment, I am updating my website, slowly but surely, and working on the final revision of Tuesday's Child, a follow on Regency novel from Sunday's Child and Monday's Child. Also it's the time of year when my organic garden in which I grow my own tempts me to go outdoors.

Guest Blogger Rosemary Morris

Today I am a Caroll Bradd's guest. If you have time, you may read the blog. The link is:http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com/?p=920

All the best,

Rosemary Morris

Multi-published Historical Novelist

Sepcial Offers $0.99 only on December Second Sweet Historical Romances

 

 

On the 12 days of Christmas my true love gave to me ebooks with food and wine.

For only one day (December 2^nd) my novels are on special offer at $0.99 from:-

 https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore

 False Pretences Annabelle runs away from school into the arms of a charismatic gentleman…but can she trust him to help her to find out who her parents are?

 Sunday’s Child Despite loss and past love, self-sacrifice, brutality and honour, will it be possible for Tarrant and Georgianne to find happiness?

 Tangled Love Tangled Love set in England in 1706 during Queen Anne Stuart’s reign, a story of two great estates, duty, betrayal and passionate love.

 Far Beyond Rubies When Gervaise sees Juliana for the first time, he recognises her, but not from this lifetime…

 The Captain and The Countess.  His heart captured by the Countess only Captain Howard sees pain behind her fashionable façade and is determined to help her.

 To read extracts, view the book covers and the book trailers please visit:

 www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

 

 

Writing Historical Fiction and Romance

I am pleased because I've nearly written half of my book, Tuesday's Child, a stand alone, follow on novel from my Regency Romances, Sunday's Child and Monday's Child. I had decided that I write too slowly so my plan was to finish Tuesday's Child without spending hours researching the historical background. I have notes in bold to indicate where I need to research something, or check if something is correct. However, I have found it impossible to develop the plot without some research. Fortunately, it hasn't prevented me from reaching my daily output, and keeping up with other 'writerly' matters. 

www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

Don't Lose The Plot

edited and revised. Now that I am writing my new novel, Tuesday's Child, I want to finish the first draft as quickly as possible. I don't plan to edit and revise until I complete it. However, since I'm writing so quickly I'm afraid of losing the plot, so I've decided to backtrack and record the main events in each chapter. This means that even if I resist the temptation to edit and revise I need to read what have written and make a few notes. If anyone else I meet implies that writing is easy or that it is a nice little hobby I'll want to strangle the person.

Tuesday's Child Traditional Regency Romance & Back Story

My new novel is Tuesday's Child, a traditional Regency Romance, by which I mean I don't open wide the hero and heroine's bedroom door.  It is a follow on novel from Sunday's Child and Monday's Child, which will be published in spring, 2016. It is a stand alone novel but because the heroine was a minor character who played an important part in Sunday's Child the back story is crucial. Back story is always tricky. I think I've solved the problem by the heroine observing a scene and reflecting on the effects of past events effects on her present and introducing conflict.

Choosing the Name of the Hero in My New Novel

Yesterday I chose the name Harry Royston for the hero of my new Regency novel Tuesday's Child a follow on novel from Sunday's Child and Monday's Child. However, the heroine of Tuesday''s Child is Harriet, who had a walk on, but important part, in Monday's Child. I think Harry and Harriet might be confusing, but most people would address Harry as Royston, so maybe I'll choose it.

Other possibilities are for a strong name for a strong hero and a nickname which implies fun and light heartedness are:

Alexander aka Alex, but does Alex imply fun and light-heartedness?

Christopher aka Kit, but the name fell into disfavour in the 19th century.

Dominic aka Nic; I think Nic implies a devil may care attitude which might be amusing.

Of course the surname will be as important as the Christian name.

1st Step to Writing a New Novel

I have not finished the revision of my mediaeval novel but, after a lot of thought about the characters, plan and plot while doing housework, gardening or shopping, I am almost ready to begin writing Tuesday's Child, the follow on novel from my published novel Sunday's Child, and Monday's Child, which will be published in spring, 2016.

Before I begin a novel I name the main characters.

To choose the hero's name I searched The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. I want a strong name which also implies an element of light-heartedness. My first choice was Harry Royston, but the name of the  heroine, who took part in Sunday's Child, is Harriet. So Harry, which would have been ideal is unsuitable because Harry and Harriet would be confusing.

So, back to the Dictionary to see if I can find the right name for the gentleman I have in mind.

Sunday's Child, Romatic Regency Novel, Back Cover

Sunday’s Child by Rosemary Morris

 

Back Cover

 

 

Georgianne Whitley’s beloved father and brothers died in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. While she is grieving for them, she must deal with her unpredictable mother’s sorrow, and her younger sisters’ situation caused by it.

 

Georgianne’s problems increase when the arrogant, wealthy but elderly Earl of Pennington, proposes marriage to her for the sole purpose of being provided with an heir. At first she is tempted by his proposal, but something is not quite right about him. She rejects him not suspecting it will lead to unwelcome repercussions.

 

Once, Georgianne had wanted to marry an army officer. Now, she decides never to marry ‘a military man’ for fear he will be killed on the battlefield. However, Georgianne still dreams of a happy marriage before unexpected violence forces her to relinquish the chance to participate in a London Season sponsored by her aunt.

 

Shocked and in pain, Georgianne goes to the inn where her cousin Sarah’s step-brother, Major Tarrant, is staying, while waiting for the blacksmith to return to the village and shoe his horse. Recently, she has been reacquainted with Tarrant—whom she knew when in the nursery—at the vicarage where Sarah lives with her husband Reverend Stanton.

 

The war in the Iberian Peninsula is nearly at an end so, after his older brother’s death, Tarrant, who was wounded, returns to England where his father asks him to marry and produce an heir.

 

To please his father, Tarrant agrees to marry, but due to a personal tragedy he has decided never to father a child.

 

When Georgianne, arrives at the inn, quixotic Tarrant sympathises with her unhappy situation. Moreover, he is shocked by the unforgivably brutal treatment she has suffered.

 

Full of admiration for her beauty and courage Tarrant decides to help Georgianne.

 

Plotting a New Novel - Tuesday's Child

After my visit to The National Portrait Museum I jotted down my ideas for Tuesday's Child, a follow on Regency Romance from Sunday's Child and Monday's Child. This morning I typed my notes, the first step to writing my new novel. Afterwards I completed some preliminary research.


I don't plan my novels in detail because I like my characters to surprise me, but I do consider how to begin, what might happen in the middle and possible endings that leave no unravelled threads.


Before I write the first sentence I complete profiles of my main characters. These not only include their appearance, their likes and dislikes, their eccentricities and much more, such as their family trees, where they were educated and their life experience. I don't reveal some of the information about the protagonists but it helps me to create believable characters.

New Novel - Tuesday's Child

I knew who the heroine of Tuesdays Child, the sequel to Sunday's and Monday's Child, Regency Romances, will be, and what  her circumstances are, but until I visited the National Portrait Gallery's Wellington Exhibition I didn't have an inkling of the plot. After viewing the exhibition I jotted down the outline while I ate lunch. All in all a satisfying day. I now plan to visit The Regency Exhibition at The National Gallery.

Meet Rosemary Morris

Some years ago, I thought I would never have a novel published. Today, I googled: Rosemary Morris at MuseItUp Publishing, and am impressed by my publisher's display of my mini author biography and details of my novels, etc.  With pride I invite my followers to visit me.

Writing a New Novel

At the moment, I am revising my mediaeval novel set in the reign of Edward II of England. I have entered the first 5,000 words in two competitions and am keeping my fingers crossed. To be long listed would be an achievement.


It seems strange not to get up in the morning and work on my new novel, which will be Tuesday's Child a follow on novel from my Traditional Regency Romances, Sunday's Child and Monday's Child. However, I have a lot of  'writerly' matters to deal with so I have set myself a deadline to write about 'Tuesday's Child' aka Harriet who 'is full of grace'. In the meantime, I shall be thinking about her a lot.

Traditional Regency Novel Monday's Child

The final revision of my traditional Regency novel, Monday's Child, the follow on novel from Sunday's Child is taking longer than I anticipated. I have revised 100 pages out of 292. If I work hard I should finish the revision by the end of the week.

Gothic Exhibiton British Library

Today I visited the Gothic Exhibition at the British Library with a dear friend. The exhibition traces the history of Gothic literature and films. The first emphasis is on Hugh Walpole's Castle of Otranto, but there are references to gothic subject matters in the mediaeval period and in Shakespeare.


We enjoyed the exhibits of texts, handwritten pages, books old and modern and the history of gothic films including The Birds based on Daphne du Maurier's short story. I came away inspired with material for Tuesday's Child a follow on novel from Sunday's Child, published by MuseItUpPublishing and Monday's Child which I am almost ready to submit.

More about Line Editing

Now that I have written Monday's Child the follow on novel from Sunday's Child, traditional regency romances, it is time to work on the line edit. I have a list of words which I check including 'and'. It is boring going through the novel deciding when to delete the word, when to rephrase a sentence and when to substitute another word. So far I've been through 150 pages and have nearly another 150 pages to check.




To mitigate my boredom I checked how many times I had used round instead of around. It's amazing how often I write - for example - she looked round instead of around. I suppose it is a minor point but in my opinion round applies to something which is round, an apple, a ball, an orange etc.




Now I have to continue checking 'and'.


Why am I being so pernickety? Because I want to write to the best of my ability.

Intense Revision

I am revising Monday's Child, a Regency Romance and  follow on novel from Sunday's Child.


I have highlighted 'and'. Substituting other words as well as dividing sentences into two tightens the prose. It also helps me to avoid repeatedly writing 'and then'. The process is boring but the novel will read better when I finish.

Monday's Child Final Chapter

I am delighted because I have written the last chapter of Monday's Child, a traditional Regency Romance. By traditional I mean that I have not opened the bedroom door wide. Monday's Child is the follow on novel from Sunday's Child published by MuseItUp Publishing. I am now enjoying planning Tuesday's Child the next novel in the series.

I Wrote 4,000 words today.

After time off during the Christmas preparations and festivities from writing Monday's Child a traditional Regency novel, the sequel to Sunday's Child, I wrote 4,000 words this morning. The main difficulty was slipping in some historical facts without allowing them to take over and make the reader feel as though he or she is reading a history book. Through dialogue, action and characterisation I think this part of Chapter Thirty-Three reads well. I planned to finish the first draft of Monday's Child by the 31st of December and am now confident that, God willing, I will do so.

Penultimate Chapter & Research

I had decided to write an epilogue after completing Chapter Thirty-One of my historical Monday's Child, but decided my readers would feel cheated. So I'm now writing Chapter Thirty-Two. I've completed my research and typed up all the important points. I did this for Chapter Thirty-one which meant I could write without constantly referring to non-fiction books. However, to write eight pages I have sixteen pages of notes. I hope that all the facts are correct and I can slip those I use into the novel. I hope to complete Chapter Thirty-Two this week and then write an epilogue.