Eleven Years in the Making! The Story Behind LORD LOVELY

Lord Lovely is the first book I wrote when the writing bug bit, way back in 2005. I love Regency, and I love secret identity stories. I combined the two in Lord Lovely, a secret identity story without masks about a Regency gentleman who writes romance novels on the side.

All of my books go slightly against the most familiar tropes in Regency romance. You won’t find many noblemen, and if they are there, they have the lower titles (dukes need not apply). And most of my heroes have to work.

So, in this story, my poor gentleman hero, heir to a baronet, has to make his own way. He earned a scholarship to Cambridge and then he found a job. His work has made him an expert in his field, and also gives him respect. Alas, expertise doesn’t translate into much money.

Enter Lord Lovely, so called because the ladies sigh “Lovely” when they read his books. To everyone’s surprise, our hero’s romance novels become smash hits. The books earns him some decent money, for which he’s grateful. But what happens to his non-book career if anyone finds out his real name?

Lord Lovely owes a big debt to the old television show, I Dream of Jeannie. The genius in that show was making the genie’s master an astronaut. The ordinary man in the street would have tossed away his job and lived in the luxury the genie could provide. But an astronaut? Throw away years of education, training and respect, not to mention some adulation? Not likely.

Same with my hero. He’s worked long and hard at his career, he’s attained some eminence and respect, and he doesn’t want anything to destroy that. His identity as Lord Lovely, writing romance--what trash say the men! (Sound familiar?) could do that.

So, Lord Lovely was born--a poor hero who works and has to muddle his way out of the unwanted notoriety his book’s success has spawned. Since Lord Lovely is a romance, of course everything works out well.

I shopped the book around to agents in 2009. No one was interested. So, I wrote a time travel novella which I entered in a contest at a small press (I didn’t win), but they subsequently did publish that story and another four novellas.

Then I went indie. After some more books, the time had come to publish Lord Lovely. But first, I published Book One in The Feather Fables series: Goosed! Or A Fowl Christmas, a Regency with fantasy elements, and in which Lord Lovely plays a supporting role. Then I rewrote Lord Lovely, taking advantage of everything I’d learned about writing since I first penned the book.

A romance also needs a heroine, and I originally named her Elizabeth. But, in my research, I found that one of the historical characters in my book was named Elizabeth. So, I had to find another name. (I used the name Elizabeth for the heroine in A Gift from the Stars.)

I’d already used up the common Regency names. There aren’t many, and the same names crop up over and over, so I needed something new. I kept my heroine’s name as Elizabeth almost up to the end, when I had no choice but to rename her. I named her Belinda.

“Belinda” is a Regency name, albeit an uncommon one, and I have her use the nickname “Bel”, which is very pretty.

I also had an ulterior motive for naming her Belinda.

I love all my heroes, but Lord Lovely was my first, and I have a special place in my heart for him. So, I named the heroine after myself.

I couldn’t use “Linda”, though, because Linda isn’t a Regency name, but “Belinda” is close enough. Bel and I aren’t the same person, but I can imagine I’m the heroine and that the hero is mine.

That’s it. My latest sweet Regency romantic comedy, Lord Lovely, has finally come to publication eleven years after I started. Some things take a while.

The Feather Fables

 

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Inktera and other retailers:

Lord Lovely, Book 2 of The Feather Fables

https://books2read.com/u/bP1ewz

Goosed! Or A Fowl Christmas, Book 1 of the Feather Fables

books2read.com/u/bw821e

Thank you all,

Linda

 

Twitterings, or News from the Regency Animal Kingdom

The Winter Solstice in the Current Time
By the Great White Cliffs^

Greetings to all my feathered, furry and hairy friends. In this issue of Twitterings, I, your humble Bird Enquirer, bring you all the latest on dits from the world of Animals. (At times such as these, I wish we Animals could read. Then we could all hear the scintillating news at the same time. But, alas, that is not to be. Since, as a Bird, I am constrained to provide the news by beak, at least I can fly to each of your gatherings, a swifter method of locomotion than running.)

And what are the juicy tidbits this time?

Once again, our friend, Machiavelli, Head Goose (indeed, the only goose) at Shaw Farm is at the top of the news. He abandoned Shaw Farm (gasp!) and traveled (flew? Nay, Machiavelli is much too weighty to fly) to the aviary on the estate of His Lordship*. There, he implemented a dastardly scheme to lure two of the aviary ducks to harm in the outside world. Luckily, the ducks, intelligent birds that they are (of course, ducks are intelligent. I, myself am a duck), saw through Machiavelli’s sweet words and protected themselves. They are now again safe in the aviary, returned there by His Lordship, who also brought Machiavelli back to His Mistress**.

There was something of a dustup then, because, as you can imagine, Machiavelli did not wish to return, and objected most vehemently, much to His Lordship’s chagrin. While I am sorry His Lordship suffered (nothing that could not be remedied) at Machiavelli’s hands (to borrow a Human phrase), I admit to a little quack of glee at a Human being bested by a Bird.

Nevertheless, that Machiavelli is quite the scoundrel. Who knows what other mischief he will engineer, especially since he and Sylvester the Fox are always at daggers drawn, and they have not had a confrontation in months?

In parting, I must issue a note of warning about the Humans. I do not often speak of Humans, since they cannot understand our speech, but this latest development requires our notice. By all accounts, His Lordship and Machiavelli’s Mistress have become enamored with each other. Where does that leave the aviary’s Head Keeper***, who also has a tendre for the female? Change may be in the wind for us Animals if the Human male and female seek to mate, especially if the males come to blows over the female, as males of all species are wont to do.

Be on your guard, and I will report whatever else I can garner about this situation.

Thank you, all. And until the next issue of Twitterings, I bid you adieu.

Your Bird Enquirer

^ December, 1805, Kent, England

* Robert, Baron Tyndall

** Miss Julia Shaw

*** Mr. William Borland

 Goosed! or A Fowl Christmas, The Feather Fables Book 1, is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Overdrive, Inktera and Apple Books.

All buy links are here:

http://books2read.com/u/bw821e

And don't forget Book 2 of The Feather Fables, Lord Lovely.

Buy links here:

https://books2read.com/u/bP1ewz