August is well underway here in the village and we are still enjoying a traditional British summer...
A Red Admiral Butterfly by David Duarte Crespo
IT REMINDS ME of the long summer days of my childhood, with its nostalgic mix of sunny spells, scattered showers and all the lushness and abundance of the season.
The changeable weather has also brought with it a veritable rainbow of produce, which now include red-cheeked pears alongside a little orchard of baby apples, a green jungle of cucumbers, punnets of scarlet berries and an embarrassment of fuchsia-pink rhubarb--which was turned into the most scrumptious rhubarb crumble...
Now the Once-Naked Chef offers THREE delicious ways to make rhubarb crumble
I've also watched plump bumblebees dip inside amber courgette flowers and emerge dusted with golden pollen as they do their daily garden rounds. They are accompanied by the largest number of Red Admiral and Clouded Yellow Butterflies I have ever seen in the village, as they spiral in aerial dogfights to protect their mating grounds.
And it’s while summer explodes in full Technicolor glory outside my open window, that I press on with editing A Summer Romance with the Earl.
Immersed in a Familiar World
The editing of A Summer Romance with the Earl remains a long and steady process. I am pleased with the way the story is coming together and confident that all the themes and developments feel natural and real.
However as mentioned in last month's post, research crucial to the events and skills that feature in the story, such as cattle health issues or the agricultural show have tended to slow down the writing and editing process.
Plus the introduction of two new characters and how their arrival affects the relationship between copywriter Jess Smith and Lord Christopher Burness, have once again also resulted in a longer book than I planned for.
Unexpected Twists and Turns
However having the story take an unexpected path is hardly a novel (Sorry, I cannot resist a pun!) experience for an author, even one who uses outlines such as myself. However it does mean that my plan to have the book out during summer seems increasingly unlikely.
Now I could always rush the writing and many authors with far more talent than myself are able to do so quite easily and successfully. However I know with the numbers of hours I put into creating an immersive story, that the quality would soon quickly suffer.
And I'm sure you would rather have the most compelling story I can write, rather than just publishing for the sake of getting something, anything published to meet an arbitary deadline.
So once again I am sorry for the delay and I do thank you for waiting very patiently as I try to produce the best story I possibly can. I will in the meantime put aside other writing projects in order to make sure I get this latest romance book out to you as soon as I am able.
The Story Must Go On
However I wish to reassure you that I do intend to finish A Summer Romance with the Earl and complete An Earl for all Seasons series regardless.
Because as a fourteen-year-old who only got to read the first book of The Young Astronauts Series by Rick North, I need a sense of completion.
A mere snip at £165.99! *As of Aug 2023
I also want those of you who have stuck with the An Earl for All Seasons series so far to have a sense of resolution. So short of myself being tragically run over by our rather infrequent village bus, you will get your happily ever after. I promise!
Keep Your Eyes Peeled...
Meanwhile I will let you know as soon as A Summer Romance with the Earl is available from Amazon to download onto your Kindle. If you want to read some of my other romance books while you wait then click here to try a copy today.
Once again thank you for your patience and remember to keep an eye on this website.
Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer and…
Happy Romance reading!
Kate