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Ships and Safe Harbours ~ Love on a Winter’s Tide

May 4, 2017 by Rosie Chapel

Helena Trevallier first appears, albeit briefly, in Once Upon An Earl and she has been nagging at me ever since to write her story – quite insistent she was. Finally I gave in and Love on a Winter’s Tide is my third Regency Romance, one, which unexpectedly led to two more. So yes, as seems my habit, this will be a series and there will be five all together.

Helena, youngest sister of Giles is desperately trying to avoid being swept up into the marriage-go-round. So, although she attends all the social gatherings expected of a young lady of the ton, she is far happier in another world; a world unrecognisable to her peers, a world where she spends her days helping at a refuge for underprivileged women seeking respite from abusive husbands or situations.

Hugh Drummond, is a wealthy shipping magnate and although not a member of the ton, does move within their circle. He is as determined as Helena not to get sucked into matrimony; he has far more important things to be concerned about than marriage to some air-headed debutante, only interested in dancing and frippery. One night, at a ball, Helena meets Hugh – and yes, you can see where this is going can’t you!

Their relationship is not all plain sailing, as neither is willing to relinquish what they have fought so hard to achieve. Helena has no intention of giving up her work at the refuge – something most husbands of the elite would expect their wives to do after they wed – if they swallowed their pride enough to allow such freedom in the first place. Hugh spends long hours managing his shipyard, which has suddenly become the target of a series of strange incidents that may yet undermine his company. Any thought of marriage while everything was so unpredictable was, to Hugh, untenable. Fate, of course, has other ideas!

Until I started this novel, I knew scarcely anything about ships of this (or any) era. How they were designed, constructed, their purpose, strengths, weaknesses anything. I admit to becoming enthralled by the majesty of the shipping trade and how quickly it was developing. Thankfully, I have read all the Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin series, so I had some insight into how competitive and cutthroat the industry was, which inspired the skulduggery abounding in Hugh’s shipyard.

It was also a revelation researching the seedy side of London during the Regency era. The lives of those who were generally beneath the notice of the nobility. Cramped conditions, squalor, disease and poverty was a daily struggle and a dangerous combination, one I imagine exploded far more often than is recorded. This is where Sanctuary House came in, offering a haven for any who needed an escape, if only for a short while. To provide lessons in such basics as reading and writing, or perhaps to teach a skill which might lead to opportunities previously considered impossible, seemed like something the more socially aware members of the ton might get involved with.

Anyway, their tale is told and Love on a Winter’s Tide is now available worldwide from Amazon

US: Love on a Winter’s Tide
UK: Love on a Winter’s Tide
Canada: Love on a Winter’s Tide
Australia (kindle only): Love on a Winter’s Tide
Australia – Fishpond: (paperback only) Love on a Winter’s Tide (coming soon)

Filed Under: Love on a Winter's Tide

Writing To Unlock Her Heart

May 3, 2017 by Rosie Chapel

To Unlock Her Heart was born, because, as ever with my characters, I couldn’t say goodbye after the first book and decided I’d like to give Theo Elliott – the doctor in Once Upon An Earl –  his own love story.

The prologue occurs two years prior to the previous book, but the main narrative begins about eight months after Billie and Giles’ wedding. Grace Fitzgerald, abused by a duke and shunned by society, is bequeathed a house in a small village, where she hopes to start afresh away from malicious gossips. Once there, she meets Theo, the local doctor who knows something of her history and the trauma she has endured. Although aware it will take a patient man to persuade Grace to trust again, Theo has long known he wants to be the man to unlock her heart and so begins a tentative courtship.

Sure that Theo will condemn her like so many before him, Grace acknowledges that if this relationship has any chance, she must share her darkest secret with him. She underestimates the gentle (and devastatingly handsome) doctor however, for Theo, already irrevocably in love with Grace is not easily deterred.

Of course, it isn’t all straight forward and just as happiness appears to be within her grasp, Grace is confronted by her abuser and it seems her past is about to ruin her future. As her nightmare becomes reality, Grace fears by the time Theo finds her it will be too late and her heart, now unlocked, with be shattered forever.

Theo was a delight to write, his strong, loyal dependable and totally unflappable nature was apparent in Once Upon an Earl, I just needed to let him step out from Giles’ shadow. Grace – although she has closed down, lost within herself – is a spirited woman with a backbone of steel. It was interesting to see her softening as the days progressed.

Abuse is a hard narrative and I wanted to portray it as sensitively as possible without allowing it to dominate the romance. Balancing the very natural revulsion Grace would feel towards anyone, man or woman, who tried to form a relationship with her after what she had suffered, with the emotions she was beginning to feel under Theo’s tender attentions, was a very fine line. I didn’t want to draw it out, neither did I want to just push it aside, but trust is hard fought and easily lost. It’s not an easy road for either of them, but in most romances, love muddles through.

To Unlock Her Heart is now available world wide from Amazon

US: To Unlock Her Heart
UK: To Unlock Her Heart
Canada: To Unlock Her Heart
Australia (kindle only): To Unlock Her Heart
Australia – Fishpond: (paperback only) To Unlock Her Heart

Filed Under: To Unlock Her Heart

Writing Once Upon An Earl

May 2, 2017 by Rosie Chapel

While I was researching Etched in Starlight, I started to play with the idea of writing a simple romance. I loved Mills and Boon as a teenager, especially what used to be (I have no idea whether it’s changed) their rather old fashioned style. I came upon Regency Romances and was immediately hooked.

Not even sure I would be able to write one of my own I really wanted to try and the result was Once Upon An Earl, the story of Willow, a young woman with no memory, who appears in the middle of a storm and Giles, the very respectable Earl who, not only rescues Willow (known as Billie), but also unravels the mystery surrounding her.

As we all know love has a habit of striking at the most inopportune moments and that sometimes fairy tales happen when we least expect them. Unfortunately, a burnt house, dead bodies, missing documents and an upturned carriage might just thwart even Fate’s best intentions. Billie and Giles’ path to a happily ever after is strewn with obstacles, not least of which is a French agent who, while searching for a set of confidential papers, is also determined to destroy everything Billie holds dear.

It was fascinating researching covert operations during the Napoleonic wars and the spy networks on all sides, which apparently continued long after hostilities officially ended. It seems enemy agents attempted to infiltrate Society, for as peers of the realm it was assumed they would be privy to government secrets. I didn’t go as far as determining how successful they were, but as the backdrop to a novel it was riveting.

This was going to be a one off but quite unexpectedly it set in motion ideas for several of the characters who appear in this book. Theo Elliott, Helena Trevallier and Duncan Barrington each have their own story, the fifth and final book of this series is connected because the hero is Helena’s brother-in-law.

Where to find Once Upon and Earl

This book – which has two different covers for the kindle version – is available in print and kindle format through all Amazon sites and in print from Fishpond. I hope you enjoy it.

US: Once Upon An Earl
UK: Once Upon An Earl
Canada: Once Upon An Earl
Australia (kindle only): Once Upon An Earl
Australia – Fishpond (paperback only) Once Upon An Earl

 

 

Filed Under: Once upon an Earl

Writing, Editing and Reviewing

October 23, 2016 by Rosie Chapel

 

Something that has become, to me anyway, quite noticeable recently, are the comments in certain book reviews. As I expect most people do, I tend to scroll down to the reviews before I buy a book, especially if it is a new author whose title has intrigued me. For the most part, reviewers are generous souls and even if they haven’t enjoyed the story, they try to put a positive spin on their comments. Obviously, there are some who will hate a book, for whatever reason and that is their right – although this doesn’t, necessarily, make it a bad book.

Courtesy ~ She Inspires

As a new writer, I appreciate more than ever, the blood, sweat and tears that goes into creating, in your own eyes at least, a masterpiece. The hours spent on research; in producing backgrounds for all your characters; in developing the storyline; in setting the scenes; choosing the place, the era, the clothes, the houses, the politics, the culture, the list goes on.

Courtesy ~ The Book Refinery

Then, after weeks of banging away on the keyboard, fighting writer’s block, waking at ungodly hours because a plot line just has to be pinned down, and forgetting to eat – you finish. There it is – 100,000 words or so drawn, in some cases, kicking and screaming from your imagination. You set it aside for a couple of days then begin the long haul of proofreading.

Courtesy jims-rohini.tk

After you think you have edited it within an inch of its life, you ask one or two trusted (and responsible) friends/colleagues to read it for you, just to ensure it isn’t actually a load of drivel. Finally, after doing your absolute best to try to make it as perfect as possible, you upload it to one of the sales platforms in the hope that people are captivated by the synopsis and buy it. Waiting for the first review is a nightmare, this could make or break it, others will read it and decide whether you are an author worth trying or should be avoided at all costs. It’s gut wrenching.

So far so good, your reviews are mostly positive, then horror of horrors someone complains about the grammar or your syntax or your style or your spelling. If I’m honest, I too find it disconcerting when I read a book that looks as though the writer/editor didn’t really care about the final product. If you haven’t tried to proof your manuscript at all, or haven’t had someone else check it, then you may deserve some criticism.

The price of professional proofreaders

Courtesy Appleby Editing

Now this is a bit of a sticky issue. I have noticed that, on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, some people go on and on (and on) about getting your work professionally proofed and edited. Yes, I agree it is vital that your work should be presented in as professional a manner as possible, which is all fine and dandy until you look into the costs of these services. Some writers might be fortunate enough to have a friend who has proofreading experience and is happy to check their work, but I imagine that many indie/self-published authors are not so lucky.

Not long ago, I had occasion to check the costs of proofing and it is staggering. Ranging from $15/1,000 words to $30/1,000 words, or some offer an hourly rate, somewhere between $20 and $60/hour (usually presuming 1,500 words/hour, which does leave it rather open to exploitation). I accept that this is someone’s livelihood and they deserve a decent income along with the rest of us, but herein lies a problem for self-publishing writers.

Courtesy ~ Pipeline Editing

My books tend to be around 80-110,000 words, making for me the average cost for proofing around AUS$1,000. A huge amount when you take into account that the majority of self-published authors will never make that sum of money on all of their books, never mind the one they are trying to get proofed.

Thankfully, all hope is not lost. I discovered Word Refiner through twitter, an excellent proof-reading service and most affordable. Moreover, there are ‘pages’ on Facebook, offering free beta reading, and seem legitimate. I know a few fellow authors who have found them to be eminently satisfactory. Of course, any beta readers need to be interested in the genre in which you write and, more importantly, have the time to scrutinise your manuscript thoroughly.

Further, even books released through reputable publishers are not always as well edited as they could be. It makes me wonder whether far too much reliance is being placed on the ability of whichever word refining application the manuscript is run through to pick out mistakes that are then, never re-checked. Quite frankly, if I followed every suggestion Word offered me, my books would resemble a Scrabble board.

So – yes, I’m getting to my point – please, do review our books. For the most part reviews are awesome! They are what attract others to our work; it is the number of good reviews that increase our rating within particular genres and, if you are listed on Amazon, reviews are what get you a recommendation. All I’m asking, is that you remember what went into a book, and that sometimes there may be mistakes. Sure – give feedback on such things, but do it constructively. You might be at a distance when you write your review, but the phrase the pen is mightier than the sword was coined for a reason and the nibs of the most benign looking pens can still cut.

Filed Under: Thoughts on writing

September Stories

September 15, 2016 by Rosie Chapel

Wow, so I am reliably informed that it’s Spring here in Australia. Bearing in mind that by this time last year we’d had a few days in the high 20’s and so far this month it’s barely reached 19 (that’s centigrade), I’m reserving judgement. Still, as Spring conjures up the idea of new things on the horizon and a promise in the air, I realised that an update was timely.

once-upon-an-earl-coverI have been pretty busy since my last post. The Regency Romance, Once Upon an Earl is now available, worldwide, through Amazon (for UK link click here). I decided to have two covers done, one for the USA market and one for the rest of the word, to see whether different design styles make any difference to sales.

once-upon-an-earl-alt-cover-600dpiInitially, this novel was only going to be released as an e-book, but I’ve had quite a few requests for the paperback version, so that should be added soon.  My, long suffering, technical support is away at the moment, but on his return we (or rather he) will organise that side of things. It’s quite a time-consuming process and I prefer to let the expert handle it!

I am excited to share with you that prequel to the Hannah’s Heirloom Trilogy is finished – yay! It ended up being quite a bit longer than anticipated and is not far off a proper book…certainly longer than the novella I was aiming for. Much as it’s taken quite a while to complete – researching Roman Army battle strategies, the Armenian campaign and the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem prior to the Great Jewish Revolt has been fascinating.

To complicate matters further, I decided that Maxentius and his soldiers would travel on foot from Armenia to Masada, as opposed to travelling part way by sea. A not inconsiderable distance, the soldiers would have followed well-worn trade routes, which gave me the opportunity to investigate some of the cities that they would have passed on their journey. Some, already regarded as ancient in AD62, were undergoing redevelopment usually as a result of Roman occupation, most especially, Palmyra and Damascus.

The Temple of Bel, Palmyra. Courtesy Bernard Gagnon
The Temple of Bel, Palmyra.
Courtesy Bernard Gagnon

Palmyra was an important centre long before it fell under Roman control. Archaeological finds date the settlement to the Neolithic era and the city was first documented in the second millennium BC. An established caravan oasis, it linked Persia, India and China with the Roman Empire, and these diverse cultural influences were manifest in its art and architecture.

The Temple of Jupiter, Damascus. Courtesy Franco Pecchio
The Temple of Jupiter, Damascus.
Courtesy Franco Pecchio

As with Palmyra, Damascus, positioned at the crossroads of the East and West has always been of tremendous commercial and cultural significance and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Although the earliest visible physical evidence is dated to the Roman period, the name ‘Damascus’ appears in the 15th century BC on a geographical list, and human settlement can be dated to around 6300BC.  Mindful of the current destruction being wrought on these beautiful cities, I felt it appropriate to include them.

Herodium From Above. Courtesy Asaf T.
Herodium From Above. Courtesy Asaf T.

Herodion was another must on their itinerary – well, if they had to march, they might as well have some fun on the way (there was a swimming pool)! Herod the Great, arguably an architectural visionary and considered one of the greatest builders of his time, had this palace constructed between 23 and 15 BC to commemorate his victory over the Parthians.

Herodium. Courtesy Eitan Ya'aran
Herodium. Courtesy Eitan Ya’aran

It is the only site which bears his name and believed to be where he was buried. Nine years after Maxentius and his soldiers visited, it was destroyed by the Romans.

Now – while frantically editing – my biggest challenge is to come up with a title for this prequel. I usually find that this, along with a synopsis is harder than writing the book itself – seriously! I have a couple of possibilities floating around, so hopefully I be able to choose one soon.

As for the second Regency romance – it is coming together nicely but is on hold while I prepare the prequel for release. It does keep intruding into my thoughts though, so I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to resist! Then there’s the mystery series….*clutches head* I need another me!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blurb, I hope you have a great day!

Rosie 🙂

Filed Under: Latest News

Latest News

August 13, 2016 by Rosie Chapel

August already, this year is flying by. I have been quite busy with a few projects and thought you might like to hear about them.

I mentioned previously that I was working on a prequel to The Pomegranate Tree – and I still am – but even though this will be more of a novella than a full length book, it is taking much longer than I anticipated.

Courtesy - Konstantinos Plakidas: Wikimedia Commons
Courtesy – Konstantinos Plakidas: Wikimedia Commons

This is more to do with trying to get my head around both the machinations of the Armenian campaign – which Maxentius was part of prior to his transfer to Masada – and the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem, where Hannah was living.

On top of this, the sections relating to Maxentius are quite technical – what with battles, shifting frontiers and political alliances. Yes, I realise that it’s fiction, but I wanted to try and demonstrate a sense of what this chapter of his life was like. I must admit, though, it has been good fun being able to include things that occurred in both Hannah’s and Maxentius’ past, which are alluded to in the other books.

Trilogy Cover red 400dpi

I also decided, after releasing Embers of Destiny, that it might be an idea to add a compilation to the mix. So The ‘Hannah’s Heirloom Trilogy’ is now available through Amazon as an e-book only (being much too big as a paperback, although I may try and work out how to release a box set at some stage).

In between researching Armenia and Jerusalem, circa AD58-66, I have written a Regency Romance (otherwise known as a ‘bodice ripper’… although to be fair, bodices mostly stay intact in mine …). It is a style of novel that I have only only recently started reading but one, which I have discovered, I can easily lose myself in. The basic scenario, like most romances, includes a hero, a heroine, an underlying plot – and of course – the romance. When I hit writer’s block during ‘Echoes,’ I began one, thinking it to be a useful distraction until I could refocus on ancient stuff. The characters wormed their way under my skin, however, and I found that I needed to see their story through to its conclusion and thus, I ended up with a proper novel.

As an aside – part way through writing Hannah’s story, I contemplated the notion of writing the odd story, set at random points throughout history each mentioning the clasp. No connecting of souls, no time shift, simply a way to follow it’s journey from my Hannah of the ancient world, to her descendent in the modern day. As they would be stand alone novels, there was no reason for them to be written in any particular order, so I decided to include the clasp into my Regency story, for although barely mentioned, now I have my first link in the chain.

As with the compilation, the Regency romance will only be released as an e-book initially, to see whether there’s enough interest to warrant a paperback version. Until I started on this story, the history surrounding the Georgian or Regency era was something about which I knew very little, so researching it has been fascinating. The Napoleonic Wars, along with the social and political changes that were occurring in England during the first quarter of the nineteenth century, offer great backdrops for a plot line, as are the shenanigans of the nobility. It’s in editing at the moment and – as seems to be a habit of mine – I loved it so much that there is a second novel in the works, involving the same characters.

So, I think that’s brought you up to date! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Have a great day.

Rosie.

Filed Under: Latest News

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