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The Benefits of a Local Writing Group: The Maumee Valley Romance Authors, Inc.

Dec13

I was struggling the conclusion for this story when my local writing group, the Maumee Valley Romance Authors Inc., gathered for our annual Brainstorming weekend. Each year we rent a lakeside cottage in September and spend the weekend writing and helping each other “brainstorm” plot twists and other issues with our stories. And have fun socializing as well. The absolute best part is that we go away inspired and empowered to keep getting our stories out into the world. It’s a small group, but a very committed and supportive one.

I’d been working on Della’s story for quite some time, but never had a clear idea of how to end it, other than my heroine and hero ending up together, probably at the Christmas Ball. But how to manage it? I won’t give away everything, but my writer friends helped me come up with an idea involving an embroidered heart. Their encouragement and suggestions helped ME recall an embroidered heart given to me by my grandmother when I was about sixteen. It was meant to be a ring pillow for my wedding, but since I never married, I just kept it as a reminder of her. (She died two years later and I still miss her today.)*

Other scenes in the book came into being with the help of my writer friends, as well as the title. I finished the story within two weeks of returning home from Brainstorming, and I owe it all to them and their support.

*My sister got one of these too, and when she read Della’s Christmas Gift, she immediately recognized the source of the inspiration.

Here’s our MVRAI Book Lovers group if you’re interested in discussing books and authors with us!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/251624704125214

Our History

The group has been around for 30 or so years, most of these as a chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Several of our members have been around since the beginning. Eventually, we formed our own independent group, as many other chapters have. We are a small but fierce and supportive group of writers of assorted genres, mostly romance. We are actually celebrating three new members this month in this photo of our Christmas party at the Whitehouse Inn. (I’m the one with the pink hair!)

I joined in 2012 after I retired and decided I wanted to pursue my lifelong dream of writing in my senior years (as opposed to becoming a couch potato).  It seemed to me that nearly everyone in the group had been working really hard to improve their writing and get their stories published. Some had received over 100 rejections, but that didn’t stop them! Oddly enough, I found that encouraging. I knew I could write stuff, and I knew what I wanted to write (after having read thousands of historical romances over the years), but every issue of Writer’s Digest had convinced me that my chances of publishing a book were about the same as being struck by lightning. True, self-publishing was becoming a thing, but I figured I had a long way to go before my writing was good enough to publish.

It turns out that I joined the group just at the moment when group members started getting acceptances! Jill Kemerer, who had been working four years for her goal of getting an agent and writing for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, finally succeeded. She just received an award from Harlequin for publishing 25 books with them! Constance Phillips, Shay Lacy, Ray Wenck, and others got acceptances too. My first story, Treasuring Theresa, was accepted within three days of submission!

Publication isn’t the end of the story, though. Even after publishing multiple books, we are constantly aware that we don’t know it all. We support each other through the tough times. We study writing craft topics, marketing and promotion (which keep changing every day), discuss plot issues (at the brainstorming event and by text), and just become great friends. Marilynn Rice became a great travel partner; we have such a good time together!

We meet monthly in the Toledo area. A potential member may attend two meetings prior to joining, and then must decide. http://www.mvrai.com/p/meetings.html

Our First Group Anthology… and it’s Christmas!

Shay Lacy: This Christmas romance gives a whole new meaning to “set their hearts on fire”. A Fiery Flamingo Christmas.

Denise Lynn: Will her husband remember her touch in time for Christmas? Christmas Memories.

Constance Phillips: Can Jack and Kayson reclaim Christmas for their newsly formed family. Family Reclaimed.

Mila Winters: She’s no cougar, but he makes her want to roar. What’s a woman to do with this Christmas present? What She Wants for Christmas.

Amazon

Robert Bakewell and the Science of Cattle Breeding: Della’s Christmas Gift

Dec10

While I’m a farmer’s daughter, my family were strictly crop farmers; we never had livestock. My maternal grandfather did, though, and both of my parents grew up milking cows. But I learned all I know about cattle breeding from Wikipedia and other online sources.

In the mid-18th century, two British agriculturalists, Robert Bakewell and Thomas Coke, introduced selective breeding as a scientific practice and used inbreeding to stabilize certain qualities in order to reduce genetic diversity. Bakewell was also the first to breed cattle to be used primarily for beef. Arguably, his most important breeding program was with sheep.

Robert Bakewell

In fact…

There really was a Thomas Paget family who worked with the innovative methods of Robert Bakewell  (the elder Thomas in my story was a second cousin of Bakewell) in the Leicester vicinity, and the family really did give up farming for banking. Della’s older brother Thomas (who wasn’t suited for farming in the story) founded the Bank of Paget and Kirby (although I fudged the dates a bit). He became MP for Leicestershire in 1831 and was Mayor of Leicester in 1836-7.

Other than that, the story is entirely my own (LOL). It’s odd how certain things take hold of my imagination and drive me to create a story.

If you haven’t purchased A Christmas Quintet, it’s available here for the pre-order price of $0.99.

 https://books2read.com/AChristmasQuintetBluestockingBelles

Books, Books, & More Books!

Summer Wallflowers

Two collections of Revenge of the Wallflowers stories, The Wallflower’s Brazen Revenge, and The Wallflower’s Sassy Revenge. https://books2read.com/u/mqkkLv

Free for the Month of December

Love Will Find You: The Knights of Berwyck, A Quest Through Time (Book 4) on sale for FREE. Sometimes a moment is all we have… Grab the ebook now and enjoy falling back in time! Learn more at https://sherryewing.com/medieval-time…/love-will-find-you/

Historical Romance Sale

https://books.bookfunnel.com/HistRomSaleDev/koi7tt6dr8

Clean & Wholesome Romance Books

https://books.bookfunnel.com/mailorders3/1xkfvoayr3

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Apologies… and Della’s Gown for the Lauds’ Christmas Ball

Dec7

Apologies!

For anyone who ordered A Christmas Quintet on Amazon and received the wrong book, Amazon has advised us to (1) Ask for a refund on the order page and (2) if that doesn’t work, call 888-280-4331. Simply explain that you purchased the book, it was the wrong book, the book is no longer on your Kindle, and you require a refund.

The correct book is available at [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPNMGWV5] at the same price.

We humbly apologize for the error and the inconvenience it has caused you.

We are still working on a solution with other vendors.

Della’s Gown for the Lauds’ Christmas Ball

You may know that I am an avid collector of fashion prints. I have a ton of them! When I was writing Della’s Christmas Gift, I started looking around for a ball gown for her to wear at the Lauds’ Christmas Ball in 1801. This is the one I chose for her. You can read about it in this excerpt:

Madame Celeste Modiste

Leicester, Leicestershire

12 December 1801

“Well, I do think the white satin trimmed in gold would become you well, Della, with your dark hair. White is the fashionable color these days. Mama says white is the only appropriate color for young girls to wear in the evening.”

Helena held up the shimmering fabric against Della’s chest while an employee obligingly carried the remainder of the bolt.

“I told you I shan’t wear white,” Della insisted, pushing the fabric away. “White isn’t even a color. I prefer the lavender sarcenet.”

Stepping off the small stool, she selected the lavender bolt and held it under her face in front of the mirror.

Helena took a step back and studied her for a moment. “I must say, it does flatter your coloring. Perhaps with a delicate white handkerchief tied about the neck.”

Della frowned at the white handkerchief idea, but eventually agreed that white was the best trim color for the dress. Necklines for evening were lower than she was accustomed to, and she wasn’t eager to show off too much décolletage. She found her full breasts somewhat embarrassing, not to mention inconvenient when she was out tending the stock. She was secretly envious of Helena’s more elegant figure that better suited the current styles. Her bosoms didn’t jiggle when she moved quickly or danced, nor was she ogled by members of the male sex wherever she went.

After hearing her grumble about this, Helena laughed. “My dear, you don’t know how many young ladies envy your-er-fullness.” She glanced down at her own meager chest. “Mama kept telling me mine would fill out in time, but I haven’t seen evidence of it so far, and I’m a full year older than you are.”

Della’s eyes widened. “But… why? They are so… unwieldy! I’ve tried binding them to my chest, but it’s not at all comfortable, and Thomas and the farmhands laugh at me behind my back.”

A shocked gasp came from behind her. “Oh mademoiselle, you must never do such a thing again! You have lovely high bosoms that should be cherished and prized, even exploited!”

Madame Celeste grinned at Della’s white face. “Poor dear, it is such a dommage you have had no maman to guide you. For she would have advised you that a chest such as yours is highly attractive to gentlemen. Your husband will convince you of that, when you are married.”

Well! Della couldn’t understand that at all. In any case, she didn’t want a husband, unless it could be Toby Boxworth. But he seemed to prefer Helena’s more modest figure.

While she mulled over this contradiction, Madame Celeste and Helena discussed a way of using boning under the breasts in her short stays to provide more support. Following this, the young ladies sorted through ribbons and trims for the neckline and sleeves, purchased a small length of white satin for the headdress, and headed for the haberdashery next door for a few sprigs of silk lavender flowers to dress it up.

“As for slippers,” Helena suggested when they entered the ladies’ shoe shop across the street, “Purchase at least two pairs if you plan to dance. I’ve had mine shred to pieces at a ball and would have had to return home in my stockings had my maid not brought along a spare.”

“Perhaps they should be made sturdier,” Della mumbled as the proprietor approached with a bow. Helena gave her a warning glance before she smiled and spoke to him.

“My cousin wishes to be measured for two pairs of white silk dancing slippers, if you please. They’ll be needed soon, for a Christmas Eve ball.”

“Ah, for the ball at Laud Manor. Come this way, miss. We will get you fitted up in good time for the event.”

“Please, do make them as stout as you can. Miss Paget is extraordinarily fond of dancing, you see.” Helena smiled wickedly at Della, who rolled her eyes.

The shoemaker clenched his jaw. “Our footwear is always sturdy, miss. We serve the best families in the shire, and they never have cause to complain.”

“Perfect. When should we return for a fitting?”

Amazon

Books2Read

A Review, Perhaps?

I hesitate to ask this in view of the inconvenience I’ve caused by uploading the wrong file for A Christmas Quintet; however, if you could contribute a review to any book vendors or sites like Bookbub, the Belles would be exceedingly grateful! I never realized a simple mistake could cause such an avalanche of bad publicity!

A Christmas Quintet: A Bluestocking Belles Collection + Giveaway

Nov3

The Bluestocking Belles have produced a new set of Christmas stories for your holiday enjoyment! They include:

  • Friends to Lovers—The farmer’s daughter, the viscount’s son, and the estate manager reunite as adults. Della is starry-eyed for the viscount’s son, but is he really the one for her? (Regency, Christmas)
  • Fake Relationship—When the pressure to marry is overwhelming, can a plan put in place at a Christmas house party turn into a love that will last forever? (Regency, Christmas)
  • Second-Chance Love—An accident leaves the modiste burned, blinded and in despair until the physician offers hope and stirs memories. (Regency, Christmas)
  • Country Mouse and Marriage-Shy Duke—Invited at the last minute to make up the numbers, she expects to be an interested observer. The duke has other ideas. (Georgian, Twelfth Night)
  • Two Spies, One Secret—Trapped in a deserted wilderness, will they set aside secrets and past betrayals to rekindle their love and ring in the New Year together? (Medieval, Hogmanay)

Away From the Holiday Crowd by Sherry Ewing

When the pressure to marry is overwhelming, can one Christmas house party provide a love that will last forever?

David Chadwick, Marquis of Lockhart feels burdened by his title’s responsibilities. Heir to a duchy, he knows he must marry but seeks a genuine connection beyond wealth and status.  A chance encounter by the lake with his neighbor’s eldest daughter opens his eyes to the possibilities that might blossom between them.

Lady Elinor Lacey has yet to find a man she would consider for her husband. But time is running out when her father demands she pick an eligible lord by Christmas. When the Marquis of Lockhart shows up at the edge of their property, she sees him in an entirely new light, giving her hope.

Their conversation becomes easier the longer they converse. David and Elinor begin concocting a plan to give them more time to find their perfect match. What could possibly go wrong? But as love begins to enter the picture, can the two of them go beyond their original plan and let love into their hearts?

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot? by Alina K. Field

Dreading meeting an old enemy at a Yuletide house party, Madame Marie La Fanelle, an acclaimed London modiste, has a clumsy encounter with a lamp that leaves her burned, blinded, and in terror of the future. 

But then a kind German physician appears, offering a hopeful diagnosis, and stirring memories of the man she once loved. Can the magic of the holidays heal Marie’s blindness and soften the hardened hearts of two prideful lovers?

Maryann and the Twelfth Knight by Jude Knight

Maryanne is only at the house party as chaperone for her half-sister. She is far too old and insignificant to attract the attention of a duke. Or, at least, if he is pursuing her it cannot be for honorable purposes.

Dell knows it is time to take a wife, but the offerings of the marriage mart bore him to tears. The only lady of interest at his sister’s house party is the spinster chaperone. But she isn’t eligible, is she?

Her Hogmanay Spy by Rue Allyn

In the winter of 1296, can a Scottish Lady and an English knight survive shipwreck, winter in the wilderness, and a betrayal that could break hearts to bring in the new year with a love for all time?

Excerpt: Della’s Christmas Gift by Susana Ellis

Paget House

Ibstock, Leicestershire

15 September 1801

“LAUD’S HEIR RETURNS FROM GRAND TOUR. In search of wife, says reputable source.”

Della’s brother threw down the latest copy of The Teatime Tattler and snickered. “Poor sod’s too young for a leg-shackle. Doubtless Lady Laud’s pressing for grandchildren. Mothers!”

Their father lifted an eyebrow. “If your mother were still alive, you’d be wed by now, Thomas. I suppose I’ve been negligent on that front. You’re what, thirty now? Ought to be settled down.”

Thomas’s fork clattered when it hit his plate. “And who would I marry? Some farm girl like Della here? If I were a banker’s son I could look higher.”

Della winced and her father’s face turned red. “THOMAS! Apologize to your sister this instant!”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. But Della could tell he wasn’t sincere, even before he added, “But dammit, she should be wed by now too. But what choices does she have, as a farmer’s daughter? We should all be better off if we sold out and went into banking.”

Thomas Sr. pounded the table hard enough to rattle his plate. “ENOUGH!”

Both of his offspring stiffened and stared at him incredulously. Their father rarely lost his temper, and never at the breakfast table. But there had been more than a few arguments recently, Della mused. 

“This farm has provided you an easy life, Thomas. You’ve been handed everything you need and want, even a chance for a superior education at Cambridge, which you squandered by neglecting your studies in favor of—er—” he swallowed as he glanced at Della  “studies of a different sort.”

Della snorted and promptly looked down at her lap when her father gave her a stern look. Well really. She was twenty years old, the same age as Thomas when he returned home from Cambridge in disgrace. Did they really believe she hadn’t heard all the stories about his misdeeds there? Rumors had been rife at the time, and although she might not have understand exactly what they meant at the age of ten, she had since apprehended them more clearly.

“I’m inclined to believe that this self-indulgent lifestyle you’ve embarked on can be attributed to the influence of the useless young lords with whom you caroused first at Harrow and then at Cambridge.” He shook his head. “Your mother would be ashamed, Thomas.”

His son had the decency to drop his chin. 

And well he should, thought Della. He’d had the good fortune to have had a mother, at least. She’d never had that opportunity, her mother having died at Della’s birth.

Their father pushed back his chair and rose from table. “Thomas, your jaunts to London and York and all points in between are now cancelled. Henceforth, you will spend your time at Paget & Sons, employed in furthering the interests of our sheep and cattle.” 

Folding his arms in front him, he glared at his son. “In case you’ve forgotten all you’ve been taught over the years, I’ll put the lad in charge to refresh your memory.”

With that, he marched out of the room.

Della giggled. The image of Thomas being bear-led around the farm by the much-younger estate manager seemed dubious at best.

He slapped the table. “It’s not funny! I don’t care a jot about sheep and cattle, and you all know it! Besides, I have a shooting party next week. It’s almost the end of the grouse season.”

Della’s hands curled up. “You should care. This farm will be yours someday! It’s in your own best interests to ensure its prosperity.”

Thomas’s lips curled. “It’s been losing money for years. By the time it comes down to me, it’ll be worth a pittance. Best to sell out now and put the capital where it can do some good.”

Tilting his head, he studied her with a gleam in his eye.

“If I’m not mistaken, you are out there with the cattle every day. And Kit too. Now there’s a match for you—the rustic farm girl and the penniless estate manager.”

Della tossed the remainder of her sausage at him. “You are horrid, Thomas.”

“And you’re a twit,” he threw back as he exited the room.

Della heaved a sigh. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Kit. He’d been one of her best friends forever. But as for marriage, she had something else in mind. 

Reaching for the Teatime Tattler, she smoothed her fingers over the headline. Toby was looking for a wife, was he? Well, she intended that he look no further than the neighboring estate.

Release Date: December 1, 2024

Preorder:

A Christmas Quintet Celebration Giveway

Mystery Box
8-1/2 x 6 x 2

What’s in the box? Hints:
• something Christmas-connected
• something tea-connected
• 2 somethings France-connected
• 2 somethings writing-connected
And, of course, the box is a prize in itself!

 

 

 

 

Post your guesses here: https://www.facebook.com/susana.ellis.5/posts/pfbid0diGAkyzVa6nK42DAqRRDFqkgYGz6hQkU3q4wnacSCJVLaptZG6FroLdj1AfQeUql

Contest ends December 1, 2024. The entry with the most correct answers will win the prize. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen randomly.

About the Bluestocking Belles

The Bluestocking Belles (the “BellesInBlue”) are eight very different writers united by a love of history and a history of writing about love. From sweet to steamy, from light-hearted fun to dark tortured tales full of angst, from London ballrooms to country cottages to the sultan’s seraglio, one or more of us will have a tale to suit your tastes and mood.

Website: www.BluestockingBelles.net/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dAJU_9

Teatime Tattler twice-weekly gossip magazine: https://bluestockingbelles.net/category/teatime-tattler/

Free books: https://bluestockingbelles.net/teatime-tattler-free-books/

Find buy links and story blurbs for all the following books on our website at https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/