Friday, 27 November 2020

A Bride for Lord Redfield - Arabella Sheen EXCERPT 2

 



A Bride for Lord Redfield

by

Arabella Sheen

A risqué regency romp enjoyed by both servants and masters as love and passion is discovered―above and below stairs―in his lordship’s household.


Chapter 1 – Emily
EXCERPT 2


Robert was handsome, tall, and shapely. And dressed in his uniform, he looked strikingly masculine. But until now, he had never really had the opportunity to approach her. Not like this. And she had purposefully kept him at a distance.
Of course, he had made advances. He had teased and flirted like all the footmen did, but he had never actually achieved anything except the occasional stolen kiss.
In the cellar or laundry room when no one was looking, he had cornered her and tried his luck, but she had always managed to fob him off and keep him at bay…until now. It appeared things were coming to a head, and she sensed he was beginning to want more than she was willing to give at present.
Girls in her position had to be careful. She couldn’t afford to lose her job. And any liaison―innocent or not―with another servant would be noticed and frowned upon.
“Are you going to let me take you to the traveling fair this weekend?” he asked. “Or are you going to watch the jesters and puppet shows with Cliff? I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t already―”
“Don’t you dare, Robert Manson. Don’t you dare think something like that has happened between Cliff and me.”
Cliff was the stable hand who looked after Lord Redfield’s carriages and horses. Nothing had happened between her and Cliff, and even if something had, that was no concern of Robert’s. Was it?
“Then give me a kiss to prove there’s nothing between you and Cliff,” he said with a grin. “And I mean a real kiss. You’re pretty enough to have all of us running around after you. You might look prim and proper with your fair curls covered beneath your lace cap and your shapely figure concealed under your dress, but you aren’t really prim and proper, are you?”
Without Emily realizing what was happening, Robert had captured both her hands in his. He was forcing them, twisting them behind her back until he was able to grasp them tightly in one hand. They were face to face. Torso to torso. And beneath her clothes, she could feel the hardness of his awakening manhood pressing against her thigh.
An ache was beginning to grow between her legs, and warmth spread throughout her. Robert always had the ability to set her pulses racing, and that was the case now.
With his free hand, he took hold of her face. Then, with the demanding firmness of his mouth, he once again lunged, ravishing her lips with his.
“Stop it, Robert,” she gasped breathless.
“Stop what?” he said between kisses.
She laughed cheekily. “You know what I mean.”
His kisses were deepening, becoming urgent. His tongue traced the outline of her lips, and he slowly pried them open before penetrating her mouth.
Emily could feel him, smell him, and taste him. And although she wanted to give in to her desire, she had to resist.
Robert released her hands, and somehow, of their own accord, they were now around his neck, pulling him down toward her. She was kissing him back. She couldn’t resist…her desire was ignited, and it was equal to his.
Pushing aside the neckline of her dress, he reached for the drawstrings on her chemise. He began playing with them, pulling on the ties, and as he tugged them loose, a glimpse of her breasts was revealed to him.
“You want me, Emily. I know you do.”
“I can’t. We can’t. Not now, Robert. I have things to do. Rooms to prepare. Lord Redfield will have a house full of guests this weekend, and nothing is in readiness. It’s going to be chaos if I don’t prepare the bedchambers.”
“And it’s going to be chaos if you do, especially in Mrs. Greenwood’s bedchamber,” said Robert with a laugh.
“What do you mean? What do you know?” Emily asked, curious.
Did Robert know something she didn’t?
“If you make it worth my while, I might tell you,” he said with a bold smile and a wink.
Emily’s heart skipped a beat. Not because of Robert’s veiled promise of lovemaking, but because over Robert’s shoulder, she could see the door to the breakfast room was being opened. Someone was about to enter.
Quickly, she turned away to conceal her flushed face and exposed cleavage from view. Then surreptitiously, sliding to one side, she stood in front of the service lift, pretending to be busy.
“Is there a problem?” said a low voice.
“Mr. Henderson, sir. I was just helping Emily finish up here.” Robert was taking the brunt of Mr. Henderson’s censorious glare. “Her ladyship is in the morning room, and she asked me to collect her shawl.”
Walking over to the chair, Robert retrieved the forgotten silk wrap.
Luckily for Emily, Robert had given her just enough time to covertly straighten her garments before turning back into the room.
“I’m nearly done here, Mr. Henderson,” she said, and gave her ruffled lace cap one last jiggle before tucking a few stray hairs neatly back into place. “And if Mrs. Clements doesn’t need me for anything urgent, I’d best get on and get the bedchambers ready for his lordship’s guests.”
“Then see to it,” said Mr. Henderson. “And be smart about it. The guests will be arriving anytime now, and they will want to unpack and rest before this evening’s entertainment begins.”
Emily knew only too well that tonight was going to be busy―for everyone.
About a week ago, a meeting had been held in the staff dining room below stairs. Mr. Henderson had called everyone together and explained that while at the town house, Lord Redfield intended to give a ball for his friends. But it was only when Mr. Stephens, Lord Redfield’s secretary, provided housekeeping with a list of guests and the rooms her ladyship wished to have made ready, that everyone, including the gardener, knew something big was happening.
The names on the list pointed to only one thing, and that was that Lord Redfield was about to propose marriage to Miss Rosalinda Mills.
It was known throughout the servants’ hall that the master had recently packed an overnight portmanteau and had driven his phaeton and grays to Lippon. According to Bishop, the head groom, who had accompanied the master on the journey, they had stabled the team at The King’s Arms and his lordship, having obtained lodging at the inn for the night, had then gone on to call upon his aunt, Lady Whitaker.
That act alone, according to speculation in the servants’ hall, could mean only one thing. His lordship had gone to Lippon to seek the hand in marriage of Miss Rosalinda.
His lordship’s aunt, Lady Whitaker, was Miss Rosalinda’s godmother. And as Miss Rosalinda had lost her parents at an early age and was raised by Lady Whitaker in Sir Whitaker’s household, it was assumed Lord Redfield had approached his aunt for consent to marry her goddaughter.
Of course, all this was conjecture, but Emily, sure that all would be proven true this afternoon when the guests arrived, was full of excitement.
After Mr. Henderson and Robert left the breakfast room, and when everything had been brought to order, Emily made her way upstairs to prepare the bedchambers for the visitors.
* * * *

A Bride for Lord Redfield
Copyright © 2019, Arabella Sheen
ISBN: 9781949300277
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: February 2019
Editor: Lynne Sully
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.


About Arabella Sheen 

  

Arabella Sheen is a British author of contemporary romance and likes nothing more than the challenge of starting a new novel with fresh ideas and inspiring characters.
One of the many things Arabella loves to do is to read. And when she’s not researching or writing about romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons or she is curled on the sofa with a book, while pandering to the demands of her attention seeking cat.
Having lived and worked in the Netherlands as a theatre nurse for nearly twenty years, she now lives in the south west of England with her family.
Arabella hopes her readers have as much pleasure from her romance stories as she has in writing them.

Social Media



A Bride for Lord Redfield




Book Blurb: A Bride for Lord Redfield

A risqué regency romp enjoyed by both servants and masters as love and passion is discovered―above and below stairs―in his lordship’s household.

At Redfield House, everyone is busy with preparations for a ball, and rumor is rife in the servants’ quarters that the master is about to propose.
Lord Thomas Redfield realizes the time has come for him to take a wife and that this duty can no longer be delayed. The only trouble is…he isn’t sure the desire he once felt for Catherine, the woman he was previously betrothed to, is over and a new life with Rosalinda can begin.
Can Lord Redfield take Miss Rosalinda Mills for his wife, and will she agree to an engagement knowing he could still be in love with Catherine?
As the weekend unfolds and the fun begins, a bevy of illicit encounters are enjoyed between maids, footmen, grooms, and guests, while his lordship inwardly struggles with the problem of finding a wife.

Content Warning: contains passionate, sensual love scenes

UNIVERSAL BUY LINKS:  https://books2read.com/u/bzvgwD
Arabella Sheen Website: http://www.arabellasheen.co.uk/
  


Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Welcome to RNA - NWS member - Susan Griffin

I’m delighted to welcome Susan Griffin, a New Writers’ Scheme member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, to my blog.



For those unfamiliar with the RNA - New Writers’ Scheme, the scheme offers unpublished writers the chance to network with fellow writers, agents and publishers…and includes many more membership benefits.

Hello Susan – Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, today. As we whizz through a few Questions & Answers, hopefully, readers and followers can gain insight into some of the things that matter to you as a writer. It's a chance for all of us to get to know you a little as you make your way towards the publication of your novel. So, let's get started... 😊


Arabella:  How did you hear about or discover: The Romantic Novelists’ Association - New Writers’ Scheme?

Susan: I heard about the RNA through Facebook, after connecting with other writers. From there I learnt about the New Writers Scheme, and immediately wanted to join, hoping it would help me improve my writing and have a better chance of finding a publisher.


Arabella:  What is your romance genre and why have you chosen this particular type of novel to write?

Susan:  My first book is an Edwardian Drama set against the backdrop of the Suffragette movement, and this has been self-published on Amazon. Since then I’ve written two more novels both of them time-slip. I’m drawn to this kind of book, because I love exploring how the past can impact on the present, and how the present day characters have to unravel the mystery of the past. This doesn’t mean to say that I will always write dual-timeline books; in fact I’m planning to write a contemporary novel next year.



Arabella:  When and where do you write? Early mornings when the world is still sleeping? Late afternoons when you’ve time to relax? Or other opportune moments…?

Susan:  I don’t have a regular time to write, as I fit it in around other things. But I do have a writing room, in fact I have two, one is our small study, and the other is a summerhouse. I alternate between the two places. I try not to write in the evenings though, otherwise I can’t sleep and am conjuring up plots in the middle of the night.


Arabella:  Do you have anyone supporting your writing endeavours? Friends, family, writing groups, etc?

Susan:  I belong to a writing group based around the Brighton area. We all met on Facebook mainly through the RNA, and we are all supportive of one another. We meet up around once a month, and are always there for each other on the writing journey.

 

Arabella:  Which season of the year do you most enjoy and why?

Susan:  I love the summer best as I love the outdoor life, and this also means I can sit in my summerhouse and write. Writing in the summerhouse makes me feel as if I’m still enjoying the sunshine and writing, so it’s a winning combination.



Arabella: Do you set yourself a daily/weekly word target?

Susan:  I don’t set myself a daily target but try to get a decent word count down. As well as being in the NWS I am now an Indie author, and will be launching one of my books in December. The Amethyst Necklace will be out on the 7th December and I’m currently writing the sequel to it, called Scarlett’s Story; which will be released early next year.

 

Arabella:  So…you are a member of the RNA’s – NWS which means you are in the throes of writing the next bestseller.

No spoilers and without revealing too much about your plot… (otherwise someone might pinch your great story ideas before they’ve been published… 😊 ) Tell us briefly about the romance you hope to submit to the RNA’s - New Writers’ Scheme for a friendly critique, before approaching an agent or publisher with your completed manuscript.

Susan:  A Short Blurb of the Romance I’ll be Submitting to the NWS in 2021…

Scarlett’s story is the sequel to The Amethyst Necklace and tells the story of Scarlett Cunningham, who as a child was affected by a Spanish flu epidemic, which swept the world in 1918 and hit East Sussex in the summer of that year. After finding herself an orphan at the age of nine, she grows up determined to escape her roots and live a better kind of life, while hiding her strange gift of second sight from the seeing eyes of the world.

When she meets wealthy shipping tycoon Eric Johnson, Scarlett is offered a way out of her bleak existence. She doesn’t love Eric but he is a kind man so she accepts his offer. The outbreak of WW2 brings a chance meeting with Eric’s son Frankie. And Scarlett immediately recognises the mysterious fair-haired stranger she’s been dreaming about since the age of sixteen.

My second dual-timeline book, The Man in the Painting, which features the famous fossil hunter, Mary Anning, is currently with publishers and agents. 


Thank you so much for sharing something about yourself and your writing journey with us, Susan. Best wishes for any NWS works in progress, and I hope your manuscripts find a home with the romance publisher of your dreams.

Arabella

www.arabellasheen.co.uk


About  Susan Griffin



I love writing romance with a mystery at its heart, and weaving secrets of the past with the present. Being passionate about history means I use this passion to research my dual-timeline novels, and bring alive the past. I am also interested in how pioneering women have managed to overcome adversity, and how their role in life along the ages has changed. I feel as if story telling is what I was born to do and this is the driving force behind my writing.

My website can be found at:  www.susangriffinauthor.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susangriffinauthor/


Friday, 20 November 2020

A Bride for Lord Redfield - Arabella Sheen EXCERPT 1

 

A Bride for lord Redfield



A Bride for Lord Redfield

by

Arabella Sheen

A risqué regency romp enjoyed by both servants and masters as love and passion is discovered―above and below stairs―in his lordship’s household.


Chapter 1 – Emily

EXCERPT 1


The hog was on the spit roasting, and Emily, who wished she was anywhere except standing at the kitchen fire basting a pig, was doing as ordered. She spooned the dripping juices and the spitting fat collecting in the tray back over the pig’s carcass. Her new cotton work dress with short leg-of-mutton sleeves, although protected by her apron, was becoming visibly splattered by grease marks.
The heat made her sweat, and knowing she had to stay clean for her work above stairs, she longed to be away from the kitchen with all its dirt and grime.
Emily had too much to do to be standing idly saturating meat. She wasn’t a kitchen maid by trade; she was a housemaid. But Mrs. Jameson, the cook at Redfield House, was shorthanded this weekend, and without the housekeeper knowing, she had commandeered Emily to help below stairs.
“How you doing, Emily?” Mrs. Jameson asked over her shoulder. The cook was vigorously stirring a mixture for one of her specialties—a rich Madera cake. “You mind you cover that hog proper. We wouldn’t want the master to say the meat is dry, would we?”
Emily let out a deep sigh of frustration. “I’m trying my best, Mrs. Jameson. But I ought to be getting on with my own work. Molly won’t be able to cope upstairs without me. Mrs. Clements is short of staff today, and as Molly has been lent to us, temporarily like, she’s not familiar with how we do things here at Redfield House. She usually works on his lordship’s estate in Dorset, but she’s come to Tunbridge Wells to help with the ball.”
“Has she indeed?” said Mrs. Jameson.
“Molly’s only been with us a week, and she still can’t find her way around the house, let alone do all the cleaning she’s supposed to. I expect the wood has to be laid in the hearth and the furniture dusted in the morning room.”
Emily was thinking about the jobs she had yet to finish above stairs. The bedrooms had to be made ready for the weekend guests and the brass on the stairwell was to be polished until it gleamed. The carpet in the hall had also to be taken outside and beaten, and all was to be done before his lordship’s guests arrived that afternoon.
She would be lucky if Mrs. Jameson let her get away from the kitchen before noon. And if Mrs. Clements, the housekeeper, were to find out she had been skivvying for Mrs. Jameson below stairs, there would be hell to pay!
Mrs. Jameson and Mrs. Clements were always at loggerheads with one another, and any excuse to have an argument was looked for.
Emily had heard rumors that it was because of a falling out over Mr. Henderson, the butler. But she could be wrong. Old Mr. Henderson didn’t look the type to stir jealousy in anyone’s bosom, let alone the bosoms of two crotchety, bad-tempered women such as the cook and the housekeeper. Why, they must be nearly thirty, and Mr. Henderson at least forty, if not older.
One of the servants’ bells above the door rang. It was the bell for the breakfast room, which meant the mistress and master had finished breakfasting and were signaling for the table to be cleared.
“You’d best answer that, Emily,” said Mrs. Jameson while dusting the flour from her hands on her apron. “I can manage now. And Ruby will be here soon. She will help. And once she’s finished peeling the potatoes, I’ll set her to work on the dishes.”
Ruby was Mrs. Jameson’s niece and worked at Redfield House as a scullery maid washing pots and pans whenever Lady Redfield had guests for dinner or had planned a big event―like this weekend.
The kitchen, which was usually spick and span with gleaming brass pots dangling neatly on hooks or hanging from the rafters, was in a mess, and Emily knew Ruby would have her work cut out for her as she returned things to an orderly fashion.
Emily bobbed a curtsy. “Right then, Mrs. Jameson. I’ll get back to what I was doing if that’s all right with you. Thank goodness it isn’t every day that his lordship is about to pop the question. Everyone knows Lord Redfield needs a bride, but we’d never survive if he made a habit of having parties. Although, if truth be told, I’ve heard that he does make a habit of popping the question.”
“And how would a chit of a thing like you know that?” Mrs. Jameson asked with a frown.
“Well, a while back, I was in the laundry room collecting some clean bedsheets when I overheard Mr. Henderson say to Mrs. Clements that Lord Redfield was once engaged to Mrs. Greenwood. Mrs. Greenwood jilted his lordship and married his lordship’s best friend. That would be the gentleman Lord Redfield hunts with. And Mr. Henderson knows everything about his lordship because Mr. Henderson has been here forever. I heard there was a right ruckus. An elopement to Gretna Green, and duels, and—”
“That’s enough, young lady,” Mrs. Jameson said crossly. “I suspect you’re telling fibs. Why in the world would Mr. Henderson be in the laundry with Mrs. Clements? And besides, it’s not for you to be gossiping about your betters. Be thankful Lord Redfield wasn’t killed and that he survived the shooting. If he hadn’t, you would be out of a job.”
“So it is true,” said Emily, astonished. “There is a secret about―”
“Be off with you!” Mrs. Jameson said, wagging a finger in warning. “Up those stairs and get on with your work. Not another word about this. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Mrs. Jameson.” And making a speedy retreat, Emily left the kitchen.
She was eager to discover more about Lord Redfield and an elopement, but it seemed Mrs. Jameson had no inclination or time to gossip with a lowly housemaid.
Emily made her way to the breakfast room, and when she got there, she discovered the room was empty.
It was a light, bright room at the front of the house, and although the sun streamed in through tall, sash windows and was reflected in the wide, gilt mirrors, it was too early in the day for the room to have lost its morning nip. A small fire was lit in the hearth in an effort to make the room warm, but all Emily could think of was that once the logs had burnt down and the embers had cooled off, the grate would have to be cleaned and fresh firewood laid in readiness for tomorrow.
Emily guessed Lord Redfield and his mother had gone through into the morning room. Lord Redfield, to read his morning papers, and Lady Redfield, to write her letters.
She had no idea where Molly was, and only hoped the morning room had been left in a tidy state before Lord and Lady Redfield had entered. All the housework and cleaning was supposed to be done early before the master and mistress were from their bedchambers. And if Mrs. Clements discovered Molly was still busy dusting when his lordship wanted to use the room, the housekeeper would be furious.
Clearing the breakfast dishes and salvers from the table, Emily loaded them into a service hatch in the wall. The hatches worked on a pulley system, hoisting and lowering food as it was needed back and forth to the kitchen. It saved carrying things up the servants’ stairs at the rear of the house and it also prevented the food from getting cold.
Still busy loading the lift, and on the point of pressing a button to send the lift and its contents downstairs, Emily heard the door to the breakfast room open and close.
Damnation!
Thinking it was Mrs. Clements come to check on her, Emily turned and was about to explain why she was late in clearing the room, when she saw it was not Mrs. Clements, but Robert, the footman.
“You scared me, Robert,” she said, putting her hand to her breast as if to slow its rapid beating. “I thought you were Mrs. Clements, or worse, Lady Redfield returning for her shawl.” Emily pointed to a fringed, silk shawl that was draped over the back of a chair. Lady Redfield had forgotten to take the shawl with her to the morning room.
“No, it’s only me, I’m afraid.” Robert smiled. It was a sassy smile that bordered on the flirtatious and playful. “I’ve missed seeing you about the place this morning and wondered where you’ve been hiding.”
Robert, although only a footman, was well liked by Lord Redfield. And it was whispered that Robert might be asked to leave Tunbridge Wells and work at Lord Redfield’s country seat in Dorset.
Redfield House was an excellently sized town house for a grand gentleman such as Lord Redfield, but it was nothing when compared to Redfield Manor and all its acreage. At the Manor, a footman would have plenty of opportunity to rise in rank, unlike the prospects offered when working at Redfield House. Competition for promotion was always fierce between servants, especially amongst the men. And the chance of Mr. Henderson retiring in the near future was remote. It would be a shame if Robert were to leave; she would miss him greatly. But she could understand that he would wish to do so as the promotion and the extra earnings would be most welcome.
“I haven’t been hiding,” Emily protested. She didn’t want it said that she was work shy. “Mrs. Jameson grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. I was only saved from turning that smelly hog on the spit when the bell rang to say breakfast was over.”
“So…Mrs. Jameson grabbed you, did she?” Robert shortened the distance between them and reached out. “Was it like this, or was it like this?”
Before Emily knew what had happened, Robert had caught her around the waist and pulled her close, planting kiss after brutal kiss upon her lips.
She struggled, but it was to no avail. He was strong. And as he pushed her back against the wall, she felt one of his legs slip between the folds of her dress, pressing against her thighs. He was spreading her legs apart.
“Let me go, Robert,” she whispered in a hushed tone when she could free her mouth from his. “Don’t. We mustn’t. Someone might come in.”
She twisted in his grasp, but he held her tight.


A Bride for Lord Redfield
Copyright © 2019, Arabella Sheen
ISBN: 9781949300277
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: February 2019
Editor: Lynne Sully
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

About Arabella Sheen




Arabella Sheen is a British author of contemporary romance and likes nothing more than the challenge of starting a new novel with fresh ideas and inspiring characters.
One of the many things Arabella loves to do is to read. And when she’s not researching or writing about romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons or she is curled on the sofa with a book, while pandering to the demands of her attention seeking cat.
Having lived and worked in the Netherlands as a theatre nurse for nearly twenty years, she now lives in the south west of England with her family.
Arabella hopes her readers have as much pleasure from her romance stories as she has in writing them.

Social Media




A Bride for Lord Redfield


Book Blurb: A Bride for Lord Redfield

A risqué regency romp enjoyed by both servants and masters as love and passion is discovered―above and below stairs―in his lordship’s household.

At Redfield House, everyone is busy with preparations for a ball, and rumor is rife in the servants’ quarters that the master is about to propose.
Lord Thomas Redfield realizes the time has come for him to take a wife and that this duty can no longer be delayed. The only trouble is…he isn’t sure the desire he once felt for Catherine, the woman he was previously betrothed to, is over and a new life with Rosalinda can begin.
Can Lord Redfield take Miss Rosalinda Mills for his wife, and will she agree to an engagement knowing he could still be in love with Catherine?
As the weekend unfolds and the fun begins, a bevy of illicit encounters are enjoyed between maids, footmen, grooms, and guests, while his lordship inwardly struggles with the problem of finding a wife.

Content Warning: contains passionate, sensual love scenes

UNIVERSAL BUY LINKS:  https://books2read.com/u/bzvgwD
Arabella Sheen Website: http://www.arabellasheen.co.uk/


Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Welcome to RNA - NWS member - Kate Baker

I’m delighted to welcome Kate Baker, a New Writers’ Scheme member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, to my blog.



For those unfamiliar with the RNA - New Writers’ Scheme, the scheme offers unpublished writers the chance to network with fellow writers, agents and publishers…and includes many more membership benefits.

 

Hello Kate – Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, today. As we whizz through a few Questions & Answers, hopefully, readers and followers can gain an insight into some of the things that matter to you as a writer. It's a chance for all of us to get to know you a little as you make your way towards the publication of your novel. So, let's get started... 😊

 

Arabella:  How did you hear about or discover: The Romantic Novelists’ Association - New Writers’ Scheme?

Kate:  I learned of the RNA through a reading-buddy in a Facebook group called The Fiction Cafe Book Club. She very quickly became a writing-buddy - the lovely Julie Morris.


Arabella:  What is your romance genre and why have you chosen this particular type of novel to write?

Kate:  I struggle to pinpoint my exact genre, having written one contemporary romance suspense manuscript, and now a historical romance. A third idea is an intergenerational friendship-based contemporary story. If I realise my dream to find an agent, perhaps they’ll help me to hone one genre!

 

Arabella:  When and where do you write? Early mornings when the world is still sleeping? Late afternoons when you’ve time to relax? Or other opportune moments…?

Kate:  This summer I turned a box room upstairs into my writing room, to keep it separate from the farm accounts desk which is in the busy thoroughfare that is our hallway. Upstairs, I can close the door and stare out into the fields, put some music on and type undisturbed. I just hope my self-assembled desk and chair don’t give way!




Arabella:  Do you have anyone supporting your writing endeavours? Friends, family, writing groups, etc?

Kate:  My musings blog has been fairly stagnant for six months while I allocate my rare writing time to my novel and, more recently, weekly zoom workshops with Anstey Harris. I watched her win her award at the RONAs in March, and immediately bought her winning title, 'The Truths & Triumphs of Grace Atherton’. I fell in love with her writing, and then discovered she is a tutor. I left school at 16, and had many gaping holes where knowledge should be!

 

Arabella: You’ve arranged to meet up with friends and family for an afternoon of fun. Where do you go and what do you do?

Kate:  I miss meeting friends in Covent Garden, securing an upstairs table at the Punch & Judy and sipping a spritzer overlooking the cobbles where street entertainers brighten any day.

 


Arabella:  So…you are a member of the RNA’s – NWS which means you are in the throes of writing the next bestseller.

No spoilers and without revealing too much about your plot… (otherwise, someone might pinch your great story ideas before they’ve been published… J ) Tell us briefly about the romance you’ve submitted to the RNA’s - New Writers’ Scheme for a friendly critique, before approaching an agent or publisher with your completed manuscript.

Kate:  My suffragette novel went through the NWS system this summer and I had some wonderful advice from my Reader in the Report. So many details I’d not given enough thought to and to have the opportunity to improve those, and to develop the plot is essential. It would be so easy to waste a one-to-one opportunity and submit a first draft, thinking it was good enough. I’ve since gone back to the drawing board and had some further help from a mentor and am about to embark on a serious edit during the remaining weeks of 2020!

 

Thank you so much for sharing something about yourself with us, Kate.

Meanwhile, best wishes for any NWS works in progress, and I hope your manuscripts find a home with the romance agent or publisher of your dreams.

Arabella

www.arabellasheen.co.uk

 

About  Kate Frances 



 

I live on a Suffolk farm with my husband of twenty-six years. Our two grown-up children still spend time with us by choice, so we’ve done okay in the parenting department!  I’ve run my own horse-rug cleaning and repairing business in a workshop here for fourteen years and last year was allocated the role of farm secretary by my seventy-something father in law, so that’s been a baptism of fire!

I’ve read more novels since I’ve started writing and there’s nothing I prefer than sinking into my old and thinning beanbag with an emotional yarn.

 

Social Media Links:

Facebook: Kate Baker

Instagram: katefranceswrites

Twitter: @BleuViola 


Castell's Passion - Excerpt 2 - Arabella Sheen

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