Today I...

You know that scene in the old "Superman" movie, where Superman (a la Christopher Reeve) circles the earth at hyperspeed? Today that was me, chasing my toddler.

It was a fun day because my mom is here visiting. She has been serving as my writing consultant--which I am sure she did not bargain for--and while driving home from the bookstore this evening, she helped me considerably with my opening scene. Between children bickering, me threatening them and aforementioned toddler throwing items all around the car, my mom got me over my mental block on how to write the dialogue for this scene! 

I hope.

It really helps to have someone in the house who watches Jane Austen movies. 

I think I need to get a scheduled rotation going of live-in consultants. People (females only, please) who will let me talk through scenes and plot and characters and brainstorm with me. My mom leaves Saturday; who wants to be penciled in for the 2nd week in March? Anyone? Anyone? ...

Bueller? 

Here is a view from my chair, where I am sitting right now.  Please note the following details: 
  1) the all-important magic yellow Diet Coke cup, given 
      to me by my neighbor & friend Christine. It is one of
      the items I will grab on my way out the door if ever we 
      have a house fire. 
          (Christine, if you're reading this, thank you from the 
                 bottom of my caffeine-addicted heart. Stay gold.)

  2) my midnight snack of brie and baguette. Why can I not
      crave something healthy & good for me, like tofu? 
     
   3) a new book I hauled home from the bookstore, hugging it
      like a little girl with her teddy bear. 

  4) the bowl behind my monitor from last night's midnight 
      snack of tofu. Mint chip ice cream-flavored tofu.  

I have been re-working my opening scene and currently have three versions. 
  Version 1
  Scene opens with heroine spying at library keyhole and 
  gets caught.

  Version 2
  Scene opens with heroine running down the stairs, racing
  to reach the library before her brother & the hated Lord 
  Markston (yes I changed his name & will probably change it again) come in the 
  front door. 


  Version 3
  Scene opens with heroine already sitting in a chair before 
  the fire, smug that for once she is there first and plans to 
  give him a piece of her mind for leading her brother astray
  with his dastardly dastard-ness. But politely.  Mustn't
  allow the social graces to lapse of course, even when 
  telling off your nemesis. I think it has something to do with
  wearing a corset. 


Without knowing much detail (I'm too lazy tonight to give back story), which version do you prefer? 


And here's to hoping that my Big Yellow Cup of diet coke doesn't keep me up until 3am.

Chapter One

...in which our heroine lands herself in

a very indelicate position.

“This is entirely beneath me,” Charlotte muttered under her breath as she lowered herself to her knees. One should never be on all fours if one was angry. It felt wrong to be in the position of a supplicant when what she really wanted to do was blow through that door and smash a plate over the head of one insufferable Lord Durham.

     “Where is the blasted man?” she muttered again as she strained her eye to catch a glimpse of the scene inside.  A short burst of laughter, deep and masculine, came from stage right, out of peeping range. Ah. They were in front of the fire, then. She gritted her teeth. This made the third consecutive week that her brother had returned home from his Wednesday meeting with that scoundrel. 
     “We’ll just retire for a game of backgammon and to have a tot,” Lord Durham had said in a deceptively bland tone tonight as he had shut her library doors—hers!—in her face. “Manly things, you understand.” She rolled her eyes. Yes, so very manly. As if anyone could envision the infamous Lord Durham having a "tot" of spirits. Tots were for elderly aunties. That odious man was sure to swig straight from the bottle. 

[Charlotte's Mayfair townhouse]

~~~~~~~~~~~~

There it is, blogsters! 

A wee preview of The Book. 

Thoughts? 

Critiques, if you please!