Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Wedding of the Century

Hi all! Hope your week went well. I won't be on the blog much for the remainder of the month! Those pesky deadlines! But I will be giving away three-four more copies of Wedding of The Century. And it's easy peasy to win. Just add a comment and you're entered.

Next week I'll be showing you my inspiration for Jase and Blossom, plus giving a bit more background into the story. Abd maybe a little snipped of a scene....

So now, without further adieu, the winner of this week's copy of The Wedding of the Century is.....

                                                              joeyjhg2!
Congrats! Just email me at charlotte@charlottefeatherstone.net with your addy and I will get this shipped otu to you.

Now....if the deadlines go well, and the muse is with me, what you like a little to see me write...a little sexy scene wth Lindsay and Anais, or Jane Wallingford. Most votes wins!!!
See ya next week!

Promo~The Wedding of the Century

Happy Monday, I hope all the Mother's out there hada lovely day yesterday, and whether you're the mother of a child, or a special little fur baby, I'd like to extend my wishes (although belatedly) for a happy Mother's Day.

Which, incidently, brings me to today's post. Mothers. So many people have written to me requesting more from the 'Addicted world'. And I thank them for it I was surprised, and honored that they asked. So, when my editor presented me with the opportunity to be included in an anthology that included Mary Jo Putney I was thrilled, yet flummoxed. What would I write about? At about the time I was asked to write the novella, Sinful was just released, and the epilogue I had written to complete the book was floating around the internet. In it, Jane and Wallingford are married, and Jane is carrying his baby. The epilogue was a warm, feel good piece, which was what the publisher wanted for the novella. So, immediately, I began to think. And think. I re-read the epilogue again, and it was then that it hit me. Jase. The little scoundrel who thought girls were yucky would be the perfect hero!

Jase is Lindsay and Anais son (Addicted) and I began to muse about the idea of bringing him together with Jane and Wallingford's daughter Blossom. When I approached my editor with the idea, I was afraid of the reeption. I was already working on the Sins and the Virtues, and the world of Addicted and Sinful seemed far away. But she loved it. And the rest, is the cliched, history.

While writing it, I had to think of Jane and Wallingford, and Lindsay and Anais, not the way they were in their books, but twenty-five years down the road, when they've matured into fifty somethings. I also had to think on what sort of mothers they were to their children. It was surprisingly easy to imagine both Jane and Anais as mothers--but they both have very different mothering styles.

Anais is a very maternal, affectionate woman. Her mothering style is warm, close to smothering, but not cloying. She has the gift of caring deeply, of comforting with embraces and the sharing of secrets. She is the type of mother who would have cried at the door while you tottered off to school. The one most likely to welcome you home from school with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies. In essence, she's the Norman Rockwell mother.

Jane on the other hand is a far different woman. Caring and loving, most certainly, openly affectionate, absolutely. But her style of mothering is far ahead of the average Victorian female. Jane could be considered today's woman. Teaching her daughter to rely on herself, to forge her way in the world so as not to have to rely on a man--a very radical way of thinking in the Victorian era. Janeecourages Blossom to find herself, to be what, and who she is. Despite being a duchess now, Jane is still that down to earth working girl who had
towork and scrape for everything she had.

I like the prevailing differences between Anais and Jane because their ideas and personality have shaped their children. And it was a real delight to see them both interact with their children.

I hope readers will enjoy the novella, and the glimpses of Jane and Anais as they strive to bring their children together, in an union of love of which both have been so blessed to experience.

So, to celebrate the release of The Wedding of the Century, I will be giving away a copy of the book, each week until the beginning of June. Nothing to terribly difficult, just leave a comment thorought the week, and I'll randomly pick a name out of a hat.Winners will be announced on Fridays.

Stay tuned, though, more to come on Lindsay, and that naughty Wallingford as well as Blossom and Jase, and a little surprise for readers about Sarah, and finding her own true love.....

Be Well!

Yummy Inspiration

Sorry to be gone so long. Deadlines, I'm afraid. I'm busy, busy writing Pride and Passion, as well as beginning the last book in the Brethren Guardian series--Temptation and Twilight. If you can believe it, it's actually time to start pondering future proposals. And I know I've already hinted a bit about that on the blog. But, thought I'd share my inspiration for a component of it.

So, just for all my readers, here's a little Friday mojo to put a smile on our faces....the inspiration for two future heroes. Names aren't fully fixed, but personalities are, and here we go...

Say hello to Mr. Born Common and Ruthless. This guy is determined to rise to the top of the Victorian Society, and he's not afraid to get his hands dirty! I'm quite certain he'll make many a ladies swoon with his skills! I love this guy! I can see him as very bad boy hero. You know how I love me a bad boy, especially when he falls hard for the heroine! This guy is going to look fantastic, especially in a cravat and shiny boots! I was thinking of the name Jake, or Nathan for him. What do you think? He needs a more 'common' less stuffy aristocratic name. Any thoughts or ideas?

And here is Mr. Dark and Brooding. Oh, how I love how masculine this guy is. He's perfect for the character I'm thinking of. He's kind of the quiet, skulking, itense type, maybe a bit ruthless, too, and definitely sexually intense! He looks like he could seduce the knickers off a nun!

So, what do you think? Inspiring?
Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Favourite Things, and Writing Ways

This is just an occasional blog post to let readers know me on a bit more personal level. I'm not out and about much on the net, mostly because of my writing and home committments, but also because I'm rather shy. I absolutely loathe talking about myself, and the limelight is certaintly nothing I've ever aspired to. Writing for me is something as necessary as breathing. I MUST get these stories and characters down and out of my head. I write books, not for fame but because I must. I think that is the way with most writers. It's a compulsion, and one that must be heeded, or we become miserable and unfocused. Funny, how hearing strange voices, and seeing strange scenes unfold in our mind keep us author's sane!

Lately, I've thinking about story telling, and writing, and I've realized that authors are not the only group of people that make people feel. To make them think, laugh and cry. A good songwriter can do the very same thing. And in fact, I have always responded to music with good lyrics, and a haunting voice in a much more visceral way than iwhile reading. Certainly, many books have touched me and changed me--shaping me, as it were. But when I compare those to music, I realize that music on the whole has inspired me much more. So many times when I'm reaching deeply inside--me--or a character, I can turn to music to get the physical feel. So many readers have asked how I connect to my characters and bring out their feelings until they bleed onto the page. Well, I think the way I do it is to dig deep. To think of some tragic, painful thing in my past and endure the physical manifestations the memory and emotions invoke. And I write them down. To be a character writer you cannot be afraid of what you might find, or what you might write. The same I think must go for songwriters who are writing a song of love, or pain, or longing. They, too must look deep, and face their life experiences to bring forth the words that they will sing. It's almost more intimate, singing those words, I think, then having others read them. For me, there's the connection of voice, and sound, along with the words. YOu can close your eyes and still hear and feel, but when you close your eyes with your book, you're left with only the remants of feelings the writer's words left with you. And let me tell you, this girl will blow your mind with her songwriting ability. She has certainly blown mine!

For a couple of years now I have been a devoted follower of the Brit phenom Adele. Never have I been so profoundly affected by a songer writer's lyrics, emotion, and voice as I have hers. For just being 21yrs of age, Adele packs a lifetime of pain, longing, love and heartache into her songs. This is the type of songwriter who can make people feel. Make them think, and damn it. make them cry.

To me she feels so real, so raw, and she's one of my most 'favourite things' in the world. Someone Like You is the song I go to when I need to dig deep. When I need to connect with a character who is feeling raw and exposed, one who is aching for the other. One listen (usually) has me crying, and feeling, and after I stop the iPod, I can immerse myself in my world--Victorian England, while still feeling part of her world.

So, without further adieu, have a listen to this song (might want to keep a kleenex handy). Watch her performance, her passion, and remember how young she is. She must be an old soul to be able to convey the power of this song so effectively.
Enjoy! And for everyone who celebrates Easter, Happy Easter!