Regency Snippets - Barristers

The differences between solicitors and barristers were greater in the Regency period than they are now. The terms are still  in  use but the words sarjeant and attorney were used more often than barrister. In the early decade of the 19th century the training and work of barristers and solicitors was being standardished. To this day barristers are called to the bar at one of the four Inns of Court. In the Regency they were sometimes called pleaders and were hired by solicitors.

Regency Snippets - Solicitors

Solicitors dealt with wills, land conveyances, trusts, marriage settlements, employment contracts, leases - and dealing with the bank. They were often retained as a family's man of business.

In many criminal cases, as well as civil suits, the injured party had to prosecute the case against the alleged perpetrator. Those who could afford it hired a solicitor who briefed a barrister to act for the plaintiff.  Because of the cost, merchants banded together to share the cost of prosecuting shoplifters and those who charged for goods but did not deliver them.

Regency Snippets - Baby Carriage

Charles Elliot, cabinet maker and upholsterer, designed for the baby a cushioned chaise, with a white carpet, a large lustrine umbrella and a mahogany turned stick for the front of the chaise.

Extract from Queen Charlotte by Olwen Hedley

Regncy Snippets - Almacks

In James Grant's book The Great Metropolis published in 1837 he lists the following patronesses of Almacks.

"The commitee consists of six ladies-patronesses. Formerly there were seven; but since the Princess Lieven, the celebrated Russian politician and beauty, quitted this country the number has been only six. They are the Countess of Jersey, the Marchioness of Londonderry, Lady Cowper, the Countess of Brownlow, Lady Willoughby D'Eresby and the Countess of Euston. These ladies are self-elected."

* * * *

D'Orsay, who was in London for a first visit in April 1823 and went to France later that year, not to return before 1829, wrote.

"At the upper end, on a raised seat or throne, sat the all powerful dames. There might be seen the splendid figure and handsome face of the Countess of Jersey; by her side the slim yet graceful form of the female representative of the Court of the Czar; there the good-humoured enbonpoint Lady Castelreagh, all smiles and good humour; the ladylike aristrocratic Lady Gwydir; and the dark-haired daughter of France, Lady Tankerville.

"On the side benches, the lovely nieces of Rutland's Duke - the peerless Eliza, afterwards Hon. Mrs Smith; the fascinating Isabella, who married George Anson, and Anne, now Countess of Chesterfield. Mark the magnificent aristocratic and beautiful sisters, Ladies Caroline and Jane Paget. The Fitz Clarences - Sophia, afterwards Countess of Errol; Mary, still Lady M.Fox."

A list of distinguished men present follows as wekk as mention of other female beauties."

When writing my new Regency novel, Monday's Child, the sequel Sunday's Child, if I mention a patroness or patronesses of Almacks I shall be very careful to make sure who they were in 1814.

Research for My New Regency Novel

I plan to begin the sequel to my novel Sunday's Child which ends when Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from Elba.

My research will begin when re-reading Dancing into Battle A Social History of the Battle of Waterloo by Nick Foulkes.

I am browsing through a very large file of notes and cuttings about the period and intend to share some snippets from it. The first ones are from notes I made on Regency advertisements.

"Rowland's Essence of Tyre will produce a brown or black hue for hair."

"Anodyne Necklace - for use of children cutting teeth. Sugar plums for worms for children and grown up persons. Necklace 9 shillings. Sugar plums - box 2 shillings and eight pence."

"At Repositaire a la Mode. Dresses for Christmas balls for 12 shilings and swansdown muffs for 1 pound ten shilings."

"Need to learn the latest dances for the Christmas ball? Only 2 guineas a quarter at Mr Leiven's select Evening Academy.

(Unfortunately I did not note the source of these ads.)

Christina Courtenay

The first novel which I read by Christina Courtenay was The Scarlet Kimono set in 1611. In Japan, HannahMarston is abducted by Kumashiro, who has been warned about her by a seer. I enjoyed it so much that in future I shall read it again.

Yesterday, with a satisfied sigh, I finished reading Christina's novel The Silent Touch of Shadows in which dreams and visions concerning a mediaeval knight and a young woman plague genealogist Melissa Grantham. Jake Precy, a vet, also dreams about the past.  Neither Melissa nor Jake can decide whether they are in love or whether ghosts are manipulating them.

Now, I am looking forward to reading Chistina's new novel The Gilded Fan.

Books I Have Ejoyed

For as long as I can remember, I have always been an avid reader, particularly of historical fiction and non-fiction. As a child I read Jeffrey Farnol and Geoffrey Trease’s children’s historical fiction and, at the library, always chose to read historical fiction and non-fiction. Later, I read the classics, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. At around the age of fourteen or fifteen, I borrowed my next door neighbor’s novels by Georgette Heyer and could not read them fast enough. I also read the works of Elizabeth Goudge, Anya Seton, and, I think, in my late teens began reading the Angelique series by Seargeanne Golon. These authors and many more invoked my wish to become a published historical novelist. More recently I have read and enjoyed Helen Hollick and Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels. By the way, if you browsed through my personal home library, you would find The Bhagavita, The Song of God by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the great Indian classics The Mahabharat and the Ramayan, which rival The Odyssey and the Illiad which I own, as well as the St James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. You would also find The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge, all of Elizabeth Chadwick’s mediaeval novels, Benita Brown’s novels, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, These Old Shades and Devil’s Cub and other novels by Georgette Heyer, the works of Jane Austen, The Far Pavilions, The Shadow of the Moon and Trade Winds by M.M.Kaye, Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scot, and many others by authors I appreciate such as Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel series and the novels of Francis Parkinson Keyes. 

Novels On My 'Henry III' To Be Read List

I enjoy reading non fiction and fiction.


At the moment I want to read some historical novels set in the reign of Henry III.

On a pile of novels I intend to read is Sharon Kay Penman's Falls the Shadow.

On my to buy, beg or borrow list are Thomas B Constain's novels - The Magnificent Century. Katherine Ashe 5 part Montfort series about Simon de Montfort, Edith Parteger's The Marriage of Megotta and Arthur Diggan's Leopards and Lilies, as well as a number of non fiction books which I can't share because I have misplaced the list.

Allotment Society and Gardening

Yesterday, I visited the shop at the local allotments. The allotment holders who run it know the local conditions and always give good advice.  Although I have chitted my first early potatoes I was advised that it is still too cold to plant them out, something I had suspected. If the sprouts grow much more I shall plant them in pots and ease them into the ground later on.

In need of something cheerful, I bought a pot of Little Red Riding Hood tulips. I really like their dark green and white striped leaves and pillar box-red flowers. I've put the pot in a ceramic container on the front doorstep to welcome visitors when the tulips flower.

I also bought second early potatoes to chit, and a desert gooseberry bush which should produce large red and yellow striped berries. I dream of having home grown fruit, soft and stone all year round - in the winter I rely on bottled and frozen fruit. Last year it was so wet that my strawberries rotted, this year it's been so cold and wet with icywinds that farmers are badly affected. This means the prices of vegetables will go up.  Deep sigh.

Today, unless it's really too cold I shall make a start on clearing out the greenhouse, and setting my second early potatoes to chit. While doing so I shall think of gardeners in the past, particularly in mediaeval times when the sequel to my novel set in Edward IInd's reign will be set.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday, the sun's shining after days of snow, bitterly cold winds and rain. Berengia, crocuses and daffodils are blooming in my garden. I've been given three beautiful bouquets which I've arranged in vases, and am looking forward to spending time with most of my family throughout the day. Thank you God for all the good things in my live.

Easter Shopping

Today, I took three of my grandchildren to buy flowers for their mother to give to her tomorrow, Easter Sunday.

While we enjoyed drinks and snacks, we talked about the meaning of Easter and holy days observed by different faiths. As we chatted I appreciated how important it is for children to be taught at school and elsewhere about religions other than their own, and to respect the ways in which people worship God. After all, as my young grandson put it, God is God even if people have different names for Him.

The three children are really happy with their choice of flowers, and are looking forward to giving them to their Mum tomorrow.

Cold Weather and Sunshine

At long last the sun is shining although it is still bitterly cold outside. The weather forecast predicts cold,blustery,rainy weather and maybe snow from now until mid April. My plans for my vegetable patches have been thwarted by the weather. However, while it is cold I shall remain indoors writing, reading  and taking the opportunity to tidy up the bedroom in which I had a large filing cabinet which I have disposed of after decluttering.

The north-facing room is decorated in sunshine yellow and cream. to make it cheerful and welcoming throughout the year.

I bought a single bed with a second bed that pulls out from beneath it in order to preserve the floor space.

A little more clutter to clear out and some pictures on the wall and I'll be pleased with the room's appearance.

On Line Group

E-mailing, blogging and joining on-line groups can be interesting and rewarding unless things go wrong. This morning I joined an online group, and uploaded a brief author biography on group to introduce myself as a historical novelist. I then tried to add details of my historical novel Tangled Love to my biography. I nearly completed the form for Tangled Love before I made a mistake and the form disappeared from the screen. My attempts then went from bad to worse. Frustrated, I had to abandon the attempt and get ready to go out. I shall try again and hope I will be successful.

Another Five Star Review of Far Beyond Rubies

Hot Hero, Great Research, Touch of the Exotic, 24 Mar 2013


By

J. Pittam "Maythorn"

This review is from: Far Beyond Rubies (Kindle Edition)

It was great to see that there's a new Rosemary Morris out. I like her exquisite attention to detail, and she writes in the reign of Queen Anne, which is something a bit different from the usual Regency romance.

In this new book, which I have to admit I raced through and will now read again, the heroine Juliana is stunned to discover that, according to her half-brother William, she and her sister are bastards. The tale of how Gervaise Seymour helps her, how she helps herself, her sister and her various strays is quite enchanting.

Rosemary uses her knowledge of India, very pertinent in this period, to bring a spice of something different to this novel. Her 'tanned hero' is no pallid, painted Englishman but one who has travelled, married and been widowed on that exotic continent, thus earning himself the nickname 'Beau Hindu' amongst the fashionable in London.

This novel is not a light book, as it contains research into the politics, religion and morality of the reign of Queen Anne. However the research informs the novel quite naturally and I found this to be a lovely, sparkling romance. It is somewhat in the style of the late Georgette Heyer, although I think after four novels Rosemary Morris is developing a voice of her own. Yum yum.

Suitable for those who like a cracking good historical romance, set in England, well- researched, sensual but no explicit sex.

5* review of Far Beyond Rubies

Far Beyond Rubies is a little action packed gem of romance, intrigue, adventure, villainry and excitement. The hero is so hot you'll need a cool drink to go along with your read. There is a hint of love's embrace holding its memories across time and space, and sparkles of exotic India twinkling through the mix. Rosemary's best novel to date! V.L.Murray www.natterandreview.wordpress.com

Snow is Falling on My Hair

Here in S.E.England light snow has been falling and settling for most of the day. When I took two black bin bags to the rubbish bin I couldn't believe how cold it was. By the time I came back into the warmth of my house snow had not only fallen onto my hair it had settled, and I was shivering. However, the sight of a bouquet of yellow roses given to me by guests who came to lunch today, and a vase of pink carnations brought a touch of summer to my house.

Stormy Weather

On almost every day of the year I spend hours working on my laptop or computer writing my novels or working on other writing related matters.


Working in my organic garden, growing my own as well as ornamentals provides exercise and time to think about my work as a historical novelist.

This year it has snowed and rained. The soil is cold and water-logged making it impossible to plant seeds outdoors, and as my greenhouse is unheated it's not worth sowing seeds in it in compost. Today, the weather was milder. Tomorrow I hope to dig in generous quantities of manure and replant my rhubarb. Hopefully the weather will improve and the soil will warm up.

Special Offer for Far Beyond Rubies + extracts

I am delighted to announce the publication of my novel which will be published by MuseItUppublishing on the 29th March.












Far Beyond Rubies



By Rosemary Morris



Back Cover



Set in 1706 in England during Queen Anne Stuart’s reign, Far Beyond Rubies begins when William, Baron Kemp, Juliana’s half-brother, claims she and her young sister, Henrietta, are bastards. Spirited Juliana is determined to prove the allegation is false, and that she is the rightful heiress to Riverside, a great estate.



On his way to deliver a letter to William, Gervaise Seymour sees Juliana for the first time in the grounds of her family home. The sight of her draws him back to India. When “her form changed to one he knew intimately—but not in this lifetime,” Gervaise knows he would do everything in his power to protect her.



Although Juliana and Gervaise are attracted to each other, they have not been formally introduced and assume they will never meet again. However, when Juliana flees from home, and is on her way to London, she encounters quixotic Gervaise at an inn. Circumstances force Juliana to accept his kind help. After Juliana’s life becomes irrevocably tangled with his, she discovers all is not as it seems. Yet, she cannot believe ill of him for, despite his exotic background, he behaves with scrupulous propriety, while trying to help her find evidence to prove she and her sister are legitimate





Author’s Notes



When the popular Charles II died in 1685, he left a country torn by religious controversy, but no legitimate children. The throne passed to his Roman Catholic brother, James.

It was an anxious time for the people, whose fears increased when James II became so unpopular that he was forced into exile, and his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, succeeded to the throne.

The Act of Settlement was passed in Parliament in 1701 to prevent a Roman Catholic inheriting the throne. This meant the Roman Catholic son of James II, by his second wife, Mary of Modena, could not become king.

In 1702, James’s childless younger daughter, Anne, inherited the throne from her sister Mary, and Mary’s husband, William of Orange.

Anne’s Protestant heiress was Sophia, the granddaughter of James I. If Sophia died before Anne, Sophia’s uncouth son, George, Elector of Hanover—who spoke no English—would be next in the line of succession.

Anglicanism, a mixture of ancient Catholic ritual and Church government with Protestant tenet, was the official national religion, re-established by law in 1660. Queen Mary and Queen Anne were staunch supporters of the Anglican Church.

Anglicans and non-conformists united in their loathing of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholics, or papists, as they were called, were suspected of endlessly plotting against the Government, and their civil liberties were restricted. For example they were forbidden to travel more than a mile or two from home.

Chapter One



1706



“Bastards, Juliana! You and your sister are bastards.”

Aghast, Juliana stared at William, her older half-brother, although, not for a moment did she believe his shocking allegation.

It hurt her to confront William without their father at her side. At the beginning of April, she and Father were as comfortable as ever in his London house. Now, a month later, upon her return to her childhood home, Riverside House, set amongst the rolling landscape of Hertfordshire, his body already lay entombed in the family crypt next to her mother’s remains. Would there ever be a day when she did not mourn him? A day when she did not weep over his loss?

A cold light burned in the depths of William’s pebble-hard eyes.

Juliana straightened her neck. She would not bow her head, thus giving him the satisfaction of revealing her inner turmoil.

William cleared his throat. His eyes gleamed. “Did you not know you and your sister were born on the wrong side of the blanket?”

Anger welled up in her. “You lie. How dare you make such a claim?”

Hands clasped on his plump knees, William ignored her protestation. “You now know the truth about your whore of a mother,” he gloated.

Well, she knew what William claimed, but did not believe him. “You are wicked to speak thus. My mother always treated you kindly.”

“As ever, you are a haughty piece.” William’s broad nostrils flared. Anger sparked in his eyes. “My dear sister, remember the adage: Pride goeth before a fall, however, do not look so worried. I shall not cast you out without the means to support yourself.”

William rang the silver handbell. When a lackey clad in blue and gold livery answered its summons, he ordered the man to pour a glass of wine.

Juliana watched William raise the crystal glass to his lips. What did he mean? How could she maintain herself and her sister? She had not been brought up to earn a living.

She looked away from her half-brother to glance around the closet, the small, elegantly furnished room in which she kept her valuables and conducted her private correspondence before her father’s death.

Now it seemed, William, the seventh Baron Kemp, and his wife, Sophia, had sought to obliterate every trace of her by refurbishing the closet. Where were her books and her embroidery frame? Where was Mother’s portrait? Rage burned in the pit of her stomach while she looked around her former domain. Juliana wanted to claw William’s fat cheeks. It would please her to hurt him as he was hurting her. No, that wish was both childish and unchristian. She must use her intelligence to defeat him.

At least her family portrait—in which her late mother sat in front of Father, and she and William, dressed in their finest clothes, stood on either side of Mother—remained in place. One of her father’s hands rested on her pretty mother’s shoulder, the other on the back of the chair. A handsome man, she thought—while admiring his relaxed posture and frank expression, both of which depicted a man at his ease.

At the age of five, she already had resembled Mother when Godfrey Kneller painted her family in 1693. They both had large dark eyes and a riot of black curls, as well as fair complexions tinged with the colour of wild roses on their cheeks. She touched her narrow, finely sculpted nose. Judging by the portraits, she inherited her straight nose, oval face, and determined jaw from Father.

Her hands trembled. After Father died, she knew life would never be the same again. Yet nothing had prepared her for what would follow.

Today, when she first stepped into the spacious hall, it seemed as though she had also stepped over an invisible threshold. From being a beloved daughter of the house, she had become her half-brother’s pensioner. Knowing William and Sophia’s miserly natures, she doubted they would deal kindly with her. Yet she could not have anticipated William’s appalling accusation of illegitimacy, and his arrangement—whatever it might be—for her to earn her living.

The lackey served William with another glass of wine.

William jerked his head at the man. “Go.”

Her head still held high, Juliana looked at tall, fleshy William. She liked him no more than he liked her. Indeed, who would not dislike a man so parsimonious that he neither offered his half-sister the common courtesy of either a seat or a glass of wine? Infuriated by his gall, she clasped her hands tighter, trying to contain her anger and keep her face impassive.

She shivered. Today, when she alighted from the coach, rain soaked her clothes. On such a wet, grey day, why did no fire blaze in the hearth? Here, in the closet, it was scarcely warmer than outdoors. She clenched her hands to stop them trembling and imagined the heart of the house had died with Father.

“You shall put your fine education, which our father boasted of, to good use,” William gloated. “You shall be a teacher at a school in Bath.”

Fury flooded Juliana’s chilled body. “Shall I?”

“Yes. Our father saw fit for you to have an education far beyond your needs. You are more than qualified to teach young ladies.”

“Beyond my needs? Father admired Good Queen Bess and other learned ladies of her reign. He deplored Queen Anne’s lack of education. Our father decided no daughter of his would be as ignorant as Her Majesty and her late sister, Queen Mary.”

The purple-red colour of William’s cheeks deepened. “Enough! I despise over-educated women.”

She stared at him. Undoubtedly his mean-minded wife had influenced him. Sophia was jealous because her own schooling comprised of only simple figuring, reading, and writing learned at her mother’s knee, whereas Juliana benefited both from the tutors her tolerant father, the sixth baron, had engaged, and her father’s personal tuition.

William interrupted her thoughts. “You have no claim on me. Moreover, our father left you naught in his will. To make matters worse the estate is so neglected, I cannot afford—”

“Cannot afford,” she broke in, outraged. “What nonsense is this? I have lived here for most of my life. Father encouraged me to familiarise myself with Riverside estate. I know every detail of it. Father even encouraged me to examine the accounts. I assure you everything is in perfect order, and the estate is profitable.” Scornfully, she assessed the poor quality of William’s black broadcloth coat and breeches. “You are a wealthy man. Besides the income from the Kemp estates, you have the revenues from those you inherited from your mother, God rest her soul. You could bear the expense of half a dozen siblings.” She glared at him. “I shall ask nothing for myself, but what of my sister?”

Despite her pride, Juliana’s heart pounded with fear for Henrietta. Although she cared little for William, who had rarely spoken a kind word to her, she adored her eight-year-old sister. She would do all in her power to care for and protect the child.

While she waited for William’s answer, she thought how different their lives would have been if, when she was ten-years-old, Mother had not died after giving birth to Henrietta. Although she should not question the will of God, sometimes it was almost impossible not to.

William shifted in his seat. The brass buttons of his waistcoat strained in the buttonholes due to the pressure of his sizeable girth. Juliana wrinkled her nose. Unlike their fastidious father, her half-brother did not bathe regularly. In fact, he reeked of stale perspiration, partially masked by musky perfume which nauseated her.

“Henrietta shall go to school.” William averted his eyes from her. “After all, I am a generous man. I shall pay for her education. She may think herself fortunate. I am under no obligation to support her.”

Juliana did not doubt he would send Henrietta to a school which charged the smallest possible fees, one which skimped on good food—a school at which clever Henrietta would learn little.

William sipped his wine. Did he want her to cry? If so, he would be disappointed. She would no more do so now than when she was a child, when he pinched her or pulled her hair out of jealous spite because he believed Father favoured her. Yet William never had any reason to envy her because Father had told her he loved William as much as he loved her and Henrietta.

How heartless her half-brother and his wife were. When Father died, they ordered her to remain in London, and at the time of Henrietta’s greatest need, confined her to Riverside House. For the first time since their marriage two years earlier, William and Sophia had returned to Riverside. Now, William’s cruel plan to send Henrietta away from home astonished her.

“Pay attention, Juliana!”

“I am all attention. You told me you will send Henrietta to school,” Juliana said, jerked from her still raw grief by outrage, yet determined not to make a fool of herself by pleading with him. “Be good enough to excuse me, I must see Henrietta. Where is she?”

“I have no patience with the snivelling brat. On my orders, she is not allowed out of the nursery.”

Juliana’s dislike of William flamed like a live coal. She could not endure the unreasonable fool’s behaviour for another moment. The sight of Father’s favourite gold ring, set with a diamond, on the puffy finger of William’s right hand, brought a lump to her throat. The diamond, of the finest quality, caught the light, displaying the colours of the rainbow. She coughed to check rising emotion. “I am going to the nursery.”

William raised his hand. “Grant me a moment more of your time.” He smirked. “Those of your clothes my lady wife deems suitable for your new position are in her tirewoman’s chamber, where you will sleep tonight.”

So, Sophia had appropriated her silks and satins, velvets and furs, before relegating her to a servant’s bed!

An outraged tremor ran through Juliana. More than likely, instead of the large bedchamber reserved for the mistress, Sophia had moved into the smaller, more comfortable one she, Juliana, had always slept in; the one adjoining the large bedchamber traditionally used by the Master of Riverside.

The thought of William sleeping in her courtly father’s bed intensified her grief. Never again would Father summon her in the morning to partake of hot chocolate and read to him while he lay abed, or while, on cold days, she sat snuggled up on the large wingchair by the fire.

“You may go, Juliana.”

How dare William dismiss her as though she were a servant?

She regarded William with acute distaste, but mindful of her training in the ways of society, Juliana curtsied before she straightened her back, hands clenched at her side to control her impotent wrath.

After she withdrew, she hurried not to the nursery, but to the closet which had been her father’s.

Without hesitation, Juliana opened a drawer and then pressed a knob at the back which opened a secret drawer in a lacquered cabinet. Smiling, she removed a drawstring purse bulging with gold coins.

Juliana sank onto a chair. Furious with William, she considered her situation. Until now, she took Riverside House—with its pleasure gardens, fruitful orchards, outbuildings, stables, and home farm—for granted, as she did the fertile acres encompassing villages and tenant farms.

Why did Father will the estate—which her maternal grandfather settled on Mother and she left to Father—to William? Deep in thought, she frowned. Why, in spite of his promises not to do so, did Father appoint William to be not only her own, but also Henrietta’s guardian?

Despite her love for Father, resentment stirred deep within her. She stifled it. Throughout his life, her father’s word was always as good as his bond. Now, although broken promises were his only legacy, he would not have failed her without good reason. But what could the reason be?

She frowned. Notwithstanding William’s words, Juliana believed she and Henrietta were legitimate. No lady as virtuous as her mother would have lived in sin with any gentleman. She cupped her chin in her hand. Bitter laughter escaped her. If William lied about that, what else was he lying about? Yet could he have spoken the truth? Could she and her sister be bastards? Surely not, for in that case her mother would not have been accepted at court as her father’s wife. Would it not have been impossible for a mistress to masquerade as a wife?

Nothing made sense. If Mother had been Father’s mistress and their daughters were illegitimate, how could Father have acquired the right to leave the estate to William? She had been told her grandpere settled Riverside on her mother, but was it true? What of her mother’s will? The will in which Mother had left jewellery and other personal possessions to both her daughters? Did Mother leave the estate to Father, or had she married him? If she had, the property would have become Father’s. But she had been told that under the terms of grandpere’s will, Mother’s eldest child would inherit Riverside. Was it true?

Well, she would not accept William’s claims. She would go to London immediately and consult Father’s lawyer, but first she must see her sister.

Pre-edits

My copy editor sent me a list of words to apply to the pre-edits of my novels. Some of the words are 'was', 'and', 'that' and 'because'. I highlighted all the words and was amazed at how often I had used them. By rephrasing and rewriting my writing has improved.

Today, I finished applying the pre-edits to a new novel with the working title Hearts Afire, which set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart - 1702-1714 when religious controversy was rife.  All that is left to do before submitting it to my publisher, MuseItUppublishing is applying the spelling and grammar check, read through it once more to check for errors, clumsy phrases etc., and revise the synopsis and write a letter. 

Hopefully my publisher will be as enthusiastic about Hearts Afire as she is about my other novels and accept it for publication.

Pre-edits.

This morning was a rainy, dull day, perfect for staying warm indoors and writing. I finished the pre-edits for my new novel with the working title Hearts Afire which I will submit to my publisher MuseItUppublishing. The pre-edits involve polishing the text by minimising the useage of words such as 'and', 'as' and 'that'. It's the proverbial icing on the cake' because it tightens the text.

The first time I highlighted the words on my copy editor's list I was shocked when I realised how often I had used them. Of course, it isn't possible to get rid of all of them but by rephrasing and rewriting my writing  had improved. It is tighter and more succinct.