Research

I've been reading more lately. I like to read other authors of historical "clean" fiction. Sometimes I'm shocked at what passes for clean. I always think, "would I want my teenage daughter to read this?" Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes, absolutely not! Other times I am so bored by the extra filler in the book I would not recommend it to anyone. There is such a prevalent, and publisher promoted, idea that a novel should be somewhere north of 200 pages. This is ridiculous! You end up with a story chock full of adjectives and too much unnecessary detail. I don't like the feeling of wading through a heap of adjectives to finally arrive at the actual story. I recently read Radcliffe's "Mysteries of Udolpho" all the way through. So much wordage was spent describing grass that was simply being passed in a coach, that I was tempted to skim. I persevered and read the entire book. Whew. I feel so accomplished. Ok, not really. I do realize that my books are short. But then, I have always been a firm believer in concise speech and writing. I want to deliver a story with plenty of detail, but not an abundance of "snow" as we called it in university. I would love to hear what my readers think! I was told recently that someone special to me didn't like one of my books, but loved another. Such is authorship. I would absolutely love to have ideas and opinions given to me! Please share the links for my books. They make wonderful inexpensive gifts!

Reading

Beth Fordham came out last month! I've been contemplating ways to promote my books. I'm coming up empty, quite frankly. I do not have an agent, and can't afford what it costs to have others promote my books. The struggles of the modern author! I am still writing, proofing, and dreaming, however. I love writing. I have always been half in my own imagination and half in the real world. In my dreams I live in mid-nineteenth century and mucking about the country villages of England looking for fabulous stories. Of course, I draw from my love of Jane Austen, but her stories were set half a century before mine. 1850-60s were incredible years of innovation. Industrial advancement was exploding in factories, mining, transportation, and communication. It was an exciting time. Instead of taking a week in a coach to cross the country, it was a matter of a day in trains. Wars were being waged in fashion, the ever present dispute over wool, cotton, and silk. Steam ships brought news of the entire world in much less time than before. Travel across the continents became accessible to a much broader range of social ranks. Lovely! So, I sit contemplating my eighth book. hmmmmm. As a joke, I've begun to write a post-apocalyptic novel. Not my genre! Oh well! The story was in my head 2 mornings ago. So I will spill it on paper and see where it goes. Beth Fordham LINK.