Category: Scenes - Christian Romance with Sizzle

Just Finished Edit!

5/1/2013

Okay. So I really did. I've just completed a run through on all 76 chapters of The Governess--some of them newly created. Whew!

So what's the prognosis? I have more work to do. :( I really can't put it out there yet. It still needs a ton of fine tuning, but honestly, I don't think I have the patience to do all the fine tuning it needs right now. I still think I'm going to get it out there this month if I can. I think maybe that a Second Edition would be a worthy effort after getting feedback out there in the real world. It might be crippling, but I've got a choice to make here. I'm not sure yet what it'll be. Publishing very soon--or waiting as I rewrite into one POV at a time. Sucks! But there you have it. :)

Signing off for the day...
Ellise

P.S. By editing it, I never did chop it (which was one of the reasons I was supposedly doing the edit). At the time, the manuscript was around 184,000 words. Now it's 194,000. How did I do that? Yes, I guess it was the new chapters added in. ;D

Sneak Peek Update!

4/30/2013

I've decided to add two more chapters of The Governess to this website for reading. Two of the better ones, I think.

Click here to read.

Enjoy!
Ellise

Contest Winner!

4/24/2013

I would like to announce the Winner of The Governess Contest!

Nicki D.!

Nicki had a splendid, simple, and complete way of bringing Creighton to Miss Amelia Hansen’s home, which he could not refuse. Or so he thought.

Nicki will get to pick from two offered prizes:
1)  To rename Miss Amelia Hansen’s character, or;
  2)  To receive a signed copy of The Governess when it is published in May/June 2013.

Read these chapters soon to find out what Nicki suggested and how I incorporated her ideas.

Thanks, Nicki D, for your contribution and for reading The Governess! I'd also like to thank all those who participated in the contest! Your support means everything to me! :)

Have a great day everyone!
Ellise

About the Contest:

4/17/2013

I've decided to give the Contest just one week from today for input. So, by next Wednesday--say Noon--the contest will be closed. Thank you to those who have participated already!! :) Much appreciated! You bring joy to the world of writing for me. It's always amazing to have our work read and enjoyed, so to have any of you willingly participate is overwhelming in an awesome way! Thanks!
Ellise~

A Contest!

4/16/2013

I've decided to have a contest! Yippee!!

What this entails: I have a small snippet from The Governess that I will share below; but in it, I don't have a good enough reason, yet, (and this is where you come in!) for the male hero to be at a certain person's home for tea. I would love to have you come up with a great reason for me.

The prize? Well...I might be open for suggestions on this, but so far, I've come up with an idea that YOU might be able to rename this lady character for me. Is that a good prize? I don't know. I'm open. I thought about a signed copy of The Governess, but it's not out yet. If that is better, let me know. Whoever's suggestion I implement, we'll talk okay. :)

Here's the snippet I need reworked with a 'reason' for Creighton to be at Amelia Hansen's house:

Creighton could not believe how Miss Amelia had wiggled her way into getting him over for tea. She was a conniver, just as Janese had been. Maybe that was why they had been best friends. All that he knew was, at that moment, if she touched him once more, he would leave.

Her hair glistened, her hands looked invitingly soft, and her gown was a luscious pale green. She was delectable.

But not to his palate.

“Your home and lands are gorgeous as always, Creighton, darling, I must say.  You always do keep a good house.  Your servants are devoted to you, in spite of the gossips.  How do you do it?”

“Uh…,” Creighton lifted his teacup to his lips not knowing how to comment.

Amelia’s brother answered for him. “He does not do it at all, Amelia. He has an extensive staff to do that for him.”

“You are quite wrong, Felix. Have you not ever seen Creighton out working with his tenants? It is a sight to behold!” She
smirked alluringly at the earl, her own lustful thinking blatant to all who listened to her.

She is appalling.

And then she touched him…

What do you think? Is it fine, or should we do something special, more interesting? This is the end of Chapter 46.

Good luck!
Ellise

Pizza & a Movie Night

4/12/2013

It's here again! So quickly too! Another week gone by. We've had a busy, busy day too. Homeschooling and work, errands afterwards, and very lucky to get to pick up a Papa Murphy's tonight--in other words--I don't have to make dinner tonight. Yay! Except for the salad. Gotta have a salad with my pizza. Yum!

One of the kids is off to a slumber party, the other had an orchestra concert that we just got home from, and now the pizza is in the oven, the salad is ready, and the house smells great! We've picked a movie called Arthur's Christmas, which we haven't seen before, but we love to laugh, so there you have it. Don't usually do Christmas outside the season, but we're okay with it. ;)

Busy day of school and writing fit in between recesses and helping. I'm on halfway done with Chapter 44--Escape. Just finished their confrontation in the gallery where...well, you'll just have to wait for the book. :P

Well, gotta go check on the pizza and pop the bubbles. Hopefully my hubby will make it through the movie without falling to sleep, snoring away. Of course, we get a great giggle out of it, and so does he.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Happy reading and writing folks!
Ellise

Sick days...

4/11/2013

Well, the last few days have been sick days for me and my son. And, BOY, were we sick. Hacking, coughing, sneezing, runny noses--but the worst was the sick tummies. My poor little guy was getting to the point of dehydration. I was worried. But he came out of it with renewed strength and a very hungry tummy. He made up for it yesterday catching up on what he wanted to eat.

As for my writing, I did make some time for it. The problem with being sick is that I might not have been very clear thinking, so those chapters should be gone over again...but not today. Onward! is what I say for now. So, I'll be moving forward onto Chapter 38 today. Yes, I did get pretty far, but the chapters I've just gone through have some POV difficulties. To me, it's natural to head hop from one character to another, as long as it's clear which head you're in. To others, I've heard, it's a pain to read more than one head at a time. Do you have an opinion? I'd love to hear from my readers what they think on this subject.

Getting it right is best, but getting it done is where I'm at right now. :)

Ellise

Chapter 30 -- Torment

4/9/2013

Even thought I'm pretty darn sick today, and my little guy is sick too, I'm grateful to have some time to work on my book. I'm on Chapter 30, currently. Reworking the story has given me time to ponder the main character's relationship. I think it will show stronger than before and will explain better some of the holes in the story that existed. For instance, why was Creighton so obsessed with her not being like his late wife? Also, why Carly was so convinced that Lord Huntington could never love her. I'm hoping these changes will make the story more believable and thoroughly enjoyable. I can't wait to share it with the world! I'm hoping that day is coming much sooner than I had previously thought. May? Definitely!

Happy reading and writing, folks!
Ellise~

Chapter 24 -- Haunted by Him

4/5/2013

Isn't that a great title? I love it. And I love the way I've used it in Chapter 24, which, I might add, I just completed. Whoopee!

Between classes, phone calls, and assignments, I've struggled to put together a cohesive story. I hope its working. I like it so far. I guess that's all that matters in the end. If I like the story, and I think others might like it too, then I've done the job. If all else fails, by the end of this novel, I will have at least completed a novel. Not an easy task. But enjoyable all the same.

I have to say that I hope these sequels will be easier. After learning some important no-nos with The Governess, it'll be easier to write the following stories. Keeping my fingers crossed!

So, here it is for now! Tonight is finished! Off to enjoy my family and our weekly pizza and a movie night--although we're up for a change. It's hoagies tonight. :)

Have a good one everyone!
Ellise

Characters

4/3/2013

I've really enjoyed getting to know my characters again as I work at editing. I find myself giggling uncontrollably, feeling sad, and cheering when Carly stomps off when she's mad at Creighton.

Today, I changed a scene by adding to it something about sewing undergarments. This is where the stomping off with a glare came from. I giggled at myself. Silly little tidbits like this make the joy of writing so funny.

Carly isn't the only silly one around here...what can I say...?