A magical mix of unicorns and fairy dust adhered together with Post-It notes and duct tape.
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Just kidding. Well, about most of it. I do go through an inordinate amount of Post-It notes. My plotting starts with getting ideas from music and Pinterest and slapping those ideas onto a plot board (using Post-It notes) that is laid out using a basic Save the Cat style beat sheet.
My actual writing of the first draft bounces around from scene to scene until I have enough puzzle pieces to string the whole story together. Then I smooth it out and let my beta readers and editors tell me everything that's wrong.
If you haven't ever finished a book, plop your butt in a chair and write. Don't worry about technique or style and especially don't worry about marketing and whether to go traditional or indie. Before you do anything else, write.
Then learn the craft. Learn everything you did wrong and be willing to admit that there is room for improvement in your writing. Your first book will be horrible. That's okay. Your next one will be better. Read. Learn. Don't be in a hurry to publish. Get the writing right first.
That depends very much on your child. I do not write with young teens in mind. My characters are adults and they are dealing with life as adults and all of the messiness that comes with that. If your teen is mature enough, you could use the books as conversation starters. Generally speaking, I would consider most of my books appropriate for 16 years old and above.
The books are "clean" and written from a Christian worldview, but they are romance novels. If you are concerned about the level of physical intimacy included in each story, please check individual reviews as that will vary from book to book depending upon the characters and the story.
I get asked this alot. All of the Hawthorne siblings (Miranda, Georgina, Trent, and Griffith) have their own stories. Amelia and Anthony have their own story as well. All of those books can be found on my Hawthorne House Series page.
Jess, Ryland's parlor maid, is a main character in the Haven Manor series. Her story is told in A Pursuit of Home.
Lord and Lady Blackstone had a novella in the collection A Return to Hawthorne House as in a novella for Lydia and Finch, the married servants in An Uncommon Courtsthip.
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Got someone else from Hawthorne House you're hoping to see? Let me know! You never know what your interest could inspire.
Oh, yes. Despite the general debauchery across much of the culture, there were people who were devoutly Christian. This was the generation laying the groundwork for greats such as Charles Spurgeon and D.L. Moody to rise up and change the world. While the faith was certainly present, evangelism as we know it today was not a priority yet.
No. The Hawthorne family are Anglican. Colin is Presbyterian, a denomination much more common in Scotland than in England at the time. This leads to a slightly more evangelical leaning in the practicing of his faith. All Christian characters firmly believe in the saving power of the risen Savior, Jesus Christ and the need to gives one's life to Him.
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Edit 1/4/2018- I greatly apologize that I accidentally mistyped Protestant instead of Presbyterian when I first put up this FAQ. Presbyterian and Anglican are both Protestant denominations.
The real question is... would it be possible to get a man of Griffith's size drunk? And the answer is... maybe? I honestly don't have a lot of experience with it. But, according to science, for a man of Griffith's size the equivalent of 4-5 shots taken in a row like he did would give him a blood alcohol level that qualified as drunk. Combined with the fact that he's injured, on the verge of shock, isn't accustomed to alcohol, and has been working outside most likely without having eaten in a while, and... Yep. I'm going with it. He got drunk.
The series follows Kit, Daphne, and Jess, so all of them have their own books. You can find them on the Haven Manor series page.
Aaron has a book in the Hearts on the Heath Series.
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As always, though, I would love to know who else's story you would like to see. You never know what future series will bring!
There are currently no plans for a book on Oliver and Rebecca.
Most likely, though, you are here looking for an answer on Rigsby or Brimsbane. All I can say is that I hope to give both of them happily ever afters in the future, but I'm not sure when. Join my newsletter to get the news first!