A Note on My Linked Novella Series

I have a few different series of novellas going, and some of them are linked.

The Devilish Devalles series (currently only The Devil to Pay is available) is not linked to any of my other novellas or novels.

The Cavendish Brothers duo and the Bexley-Smythe Quintet, however, are linked fairly intimately.

The suggested reading order is as follows:

An Unintended Journey
Flight of Fancy
To Enchant an Icy Earl
Rhyme and Reason
Thick as Thieves

As more novellas are released, in these series or in any other series which are similarly related, I will update this post.

How are they linked?

Wesley Cavendish (the hero from An Unintended Journey) and Tristan Cavendish, the Earl of Fordingham (the hero from To Enchant an Icy Earl) are brothers.

Georgie Bexley-Smythe (the heroine from Flight of Fancy) and Mattie Bexley-Smythe (the heroine from Rhyme and Reason) are sisters.

Abby Goddard (the heroine from An Unintended Journey) and Thomas Goddard (the hero from Rhyme and Reason) are sister and brother.

The Duke of Danby (the link to all the stories in the Summons anthologies) makes appearances, whether in person or simply through "off-screen" meddling, in An Unintended Journey, To Enchant an Icy Earl, and Rhyme and Reason.

Georgie and Cedric (Flight of Fancy), and Abby and Wesley (An Unintended Journey) all make appearances in To Enchant an Icy Earl.

Additionally, in my Bexley-Smythe Quintet novella Thick as Thieves (in the anthology A Pact Between Gentlemen), the heroine is Freddie Bexley-Smythe (sister to both Georgie and Mattie). We also see more of Robert Goddard, the eldest Goddard brother here, though he is not the hero of this story. You'll have to wait for that one.

Percy Bexley-Smythe, the Marquess of Stalbridge, is a recurring character in Flight of Fancy, Rhyme and Reason, and Thick as Thieves. He can also be found in Ava Stone's novella My Lord Hercules (part of the anthology A Season to Remember) and in her upcoming novella in A Pact Between Gentlemen.

Red Door Reads Labor Day Sale

For all of Labor Day weekend, you can get each of these books for only $0.99! It's a great deal, so hurry and go get your copy of each of them now. The links below are for Amazon, but the sale is on at most, if not all, ebook retailers unless otherwise noted.

Tall, Tatted and Tempting by Tammy Falkner

Behind the Mask by Linda Winstead Jones

The Love List by Deb Marlowe

Lord Rotheby’s Influence – The Series by Catherine Gayle

My Favorite Major by Ava Stone

Second Chance by Lori Handeland

Endgame by Dee Davis

Lady Revealed by Jane Charles (Amazon and Barnes and Noble Only)

Kick Start by Caren Crane

Angel Unborn by Andris Bear

The Holding by Claudia Dain (Amazon and Barnes and Noble Only)

Drive Me Crazy by Marquita Valentine

More Than a Governess by Jerrica Knight-Catania

Unmasked by Michelle Marcos

Come Sail Away

Last week, I went on my very first cruise with fellow Lady Scribes Jerrica Knight-Catania and Ava Stone, along with Jerrica's husband and lovely daughter. We joined the FRW Fun in the Sun Conference on the Liberty of the Seas and headed for Cozumel. Ava and I left behind 18 degree temperatures in North Carolina to head to Cozumel, Mexico. (We won't talk about the 81 degree weather in Palm Beach that the Catanias have been experiencing.)

But I'm not going to talk about the conference in this blog. I want to talk about the cruise. You know, the important stuff.

Milkshakes, right?

I am certain these were kid friendly.

How did this get in here?

We might have had a few drinks while we were on board the ship. Not too many. We aren't lushes or anything...well, some of us. The thing about being on a cruise ship is that there are people carrying around delightful concoctions on trays all day long, and it is really easy to just say, "Sure, I'll have a dozen!"

But there was more than just alcohol to be found! Like the cupcakery.

We were all proud of the little princess's frog and lion cupcakes.

Ben and Jerry's made sure we never lost a pound.

But we did a lot of shopping, I mean walking, around the Royal Promenade to help with all the desserts.

We even found a little time for some swimming.

On our day off in Cozumel, Ava taught all the men how to drive a dune buggy before we went snorkeling.

Don't ask me why she took us to see the cocodrillos.

Back on the ship, we had some fun.

Then we worked.

Then we had some fun WHILE we worked.

These kid-friendly drinks (see the maraschino cherries???) were great inspiration.

Don't ask me what these two were up to. I might snort in laughter while trying to tell you.

Serious Writers At Work.

Don't we look all professional and relaxed?

Alas, the good times had to come to an end at some point. After four nights on the ship, we returned home with fresh ideas for our writing, a bunch of words written, and a renewed vigor to get back to it. We'll choose to forget about the cold/flu/sinus infection, Montezuma's revenge, and vertigo, not to mention the fact that we had to live without Twitter for FOUR WHOLE DAYS.

What's the weather been like lately where you live? Do you have any good ideas on how I can get someone to carry those entirely-kid-friendly drinks around on trays at my house? Who wants to come with us on the next cruise?

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**

What is that? What IS that??? OMG...It's YOU!!!

I think I may have mentioned this (she says, and looks around furtively to be certain no one is rolling their eyes) already, but I'm about to move across the country.

In preparation for the big move, I flew out to the Raleigh area last week so I could see the apartment, sign the lease, arrange for utilities...that sort of thing. Ava Stone was kind enough to offer to let me stay with her for a few days while I was in town.

Any time the two of us get together, much gut-busting laughter is sure to ensue. This trip was no different.

You might also recall that Ava recently had a run-in with a couple of dead mice...and that she is not so fond of mice. The mice problem has been eradicated, but her fear/loathing/general disquietude about the possibility of rodents being in her house has not.

We were sitting in her living room one night, watching the Olympics with her son. The two of them were having a discussion full of laughter (shocking, I know!), and I got a notification on my phone that I'd had an email. The response required a bit more typing than I really wanted to do on a phone, so I pulled out my laptop and started to type...and briefly tuned out the rest of the world while I composed my email.

This isn't an uncommon occurrence for me. I have been known to be lost in my head more often than I'm aware of what is going on around me. As a writer, I consider this a skill. (Perhaps an annoying skill for those who are trying to have a conversation with me, but a skill, nonetheless.)

After I was almost finished with typing my email, I became a bit more aware of Ava's conversation with her son. Here's what I heard from her: "What is that? What is that???" *cue dramatic pause* "Oh my god."

At this point, I looked up at her to see what she was freaking out about. Ava had one hand covering her nose and mouth. She pointed the other straight at me and, with sheer and utter horror filling her eyes, said, "It's YOU!"

Now, color me silly, but my first impression was that she was smelling something nasty and trying to place the blame on me and not her fourteen-year-old son.

After a few minutes of utter confusion, followed by long minutes of such sincere, gut-busting hilarity that I had tears in my eyes, my stomach hurt, and I couldn't stop myself from halfway snorting through my laughter, we sorted out that poor Ava was not accusing me of breaking wind or desperately needing a shower to clear the air of B.O.

No, instead she'd apparently heard my fingers tapping away at my laptop keyboard, and as it was an unfamiliar sound (normally, the only fingers tapping away at a keyboard in her home belong to her, and so she knows to expect it) and one which could potentially sound eerily similar to mice feet on hard floors, she thought her itty-bitty rodent problem had returned.

We continued to laugh over this--both her thinking that there were mice in the house, and my impression that she thought I'd stunk up the joint--the rest of the night. At least this miscommunication was harmless, not to mention humorous. I've had plenty over the years which were not so well received.

What's the funniest thing you ever misunderstood? Or have you been on my end of things and interpreted someone's words and visual cues to mean something completely opposite of what they were intended to mean? Would you find a scene like this believable if you read it in a book? (Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction...)

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**

Ya Got Trouble, My Friend

But it doesn't start with T. No, this trouble starts with L.

As in, Lady Scribes at RT.

You see, last week was the Romantic Times Readers Convention (otherwise known as RT) in Chicago. And, well, a number of your Lady Scribes were present.

One thing I've quickly learned when getting together with various other Lady Scribes members is that we will invariably attract more than our fair share of trouble.

At least at RT they had a means to deal with us.

Yes, that would be me, Baroness Blithe, alongside Viscountess Noir, Her Grace of Grammar, the Countess of Whimsy, Lady Intrigue, and the Countess of Content...all in jail. Together. Somehow, Erin Knightley, aka the Duchess of Delight, escaped this punishment. Don't ask me how it happened. I couldn't tell you.

And no, it isn't because I had had too many drinks. I didn't start drinking until after we'd escaped our imprisonment that night. It might have had something to do with the fact that she is a social butterfly, and was off charming someone's socks off them. She has a knack for that.

There were countless moments where we got to dress up in costumes.

Such as here, where Ava Stone tried to make off with a Scot. And now I'm wondering when she might write a Scot into a story...

She hooked up with a Steampunk version of Erin Knightley, too. That's an odd looking couple, if I ever saw one. :)

Or here, where Samantha Grace let loose in her flapper outfit.

Here's another one. The lovely Heather Snow and Erin Knightley were ready to Charleston!

Jerrica Knight-Catania didn't need an outfit to ride away with the show.

For that matter, all Jane Charles needed was a glass of wine and some good music. (Yes, the blur in her hand IS a glass of wine.)

But RT wasn't all just about the costumes. We had more serious moments, too. Quiet. Stoic. Pensive. Reflective.

Well, some of us did. Clearly, both the Ava Stone half of Lydia Dare (aka the Countess) and the Tammy Falkner half of Lydia Dare (aka the tavern wench) were otherwise occupied and couldn't be bothered to be serious. Hmmm...I can't imagine why. (Did you SEE those smiles???)

And...well, I'll just show him to you and let you decide for yourself how serious he was.

I think they said his name was Bluebeard. Can't remember. Don't ask me why my memory is so shoddy. It couldn't have anything to do with the espresso chocolate martinis.

Neither could this.

No, seriously. I don't think Ava Stone and Samantha Grace were drinking the espresso chocolate martinis. Possibly cosmos and wine and...well...you get the picture.

But I digress. Back to what RT was really all about.

There were book signings...

There were photo shoots...(way to @$^& early in the morning, Catherine grumbles beneath her breath)...

That's the lovely Rose Gordon right in the middle of several of us, in case you were wondering.

There were workshops and games and prizes...

See the lovely Erin Knightley being dubbed a countess after playing Who Wants to be a Duchess? (Don't ask me why a countess needs a feather duster. I haven't quite figured that one out. I might still be trying to catch up on my sleep...)

And here the two of us are together, with our tiaras and boas and whatnot. She was still a mere countess. I, however, was a duchess. You may feel free to "Your Grace" me. I won't mind.

We mixed with other writers and readers, agents and editors, cover models, and just about everyone else involved in the romance community.

RT was my first conference, but it won't be my last. As a matter of fact, as you read this, I'm probably on my way back to Chicago to go to Spring Fling. We'll see if I come home with so much incriminating evidence...I mean with so many books and so much swag. (The stuff I shipped home just got here. Twenty-eight pounds of free books and swag. Oy!)

I had so much stuff, I decided to give some of it to my cats.

Too bad I already had to take it away. They were having a blast with it, but then one of them started puking feathers. Bye bye, feather boa.

Anyway, this should give you a little glimpse into what the Lady Scribes who were present at this year's RT were up to. I know I'll be going back again next year...with an extra, empty suitcase in order to lug everything home!

Have you been to any readers or writers conventions? Do you want to go but just haven't been able to yet? And if you were there, how much will we have to bribe you with in order to keep you quiet about...um...well, I'm sure there's something we need to have kept quiet. Darn those espresso chocolate martinis! So how much?

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**

I Blame Ava

Back in June, our very own Ava Stone blogged about her Game of Thrones obsession. This wasn't news to me. As a follower of hers on Twitter, I was already well aware of the disease that had taken over her mind and life the last few months as she watched the first season.

I hadn't watched yet, though, so I could only be an outsider looking in.

Now, I knew this was something that had all the makings of a potential obsession for me as well. A series of books turned into a TV series (or movies). An intricately crafted, rich, deep world. A new take on medieval history. A retelling of the War of the Roses. It has all the elements necessary to take over my life for a certain amount of time, so I knew that once I got started, I wouldn't be free from it for quite some time.

You see, I know myself pretty well. With most books or movies, or even series, I can read and move on with my life or watch and the world doesn't stand still. Note the word most in that sentence, though.

When I discovered Harry Potter, there were already four books and one movie out, and I became a zombie for a time, devouring everything that was available to me as fast as I could, and then reading and watching again. Each time Rowling put out a new book or a new film installment was released, the Harry Potter Trance ensued again, as I delved back into the world she'd created to fully immerse myself within Hogwarts. I couldn't help it. It's a sickness I've got.

The same thing happens with Lord of the Rings. I admit, I never read the book before I saw the first film (same as with the Harry Potter series). But that first film was enough to convince me that this was a world I needed to discover. After watching the movie, I went out that night (I'd screened the film at midnight in Juneau, Alaska, and the only place open was the 24-hour Kmart) and bought a copy of the book. I stayed up all night reading, and kept reading through the next day and the next night, and I didn't stop until I'd finished the whole thing. Yes, the whole thing, including all the various appendices and whatnot. I read it again before the next film was released, and again before the final installment. Since then, it has become an annual obsession of mine, extending to include so many of J. R. R. Tolkien's other works. And much like the Harry Potter Trance, I go into a LOTR-induced Zombie-like trance. The outside world ceases to exist.

Since I knew that this sort of thing tends to happen to me, I was very, very cautious when I first started hearing about the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I thought it might take over my life like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have done. I was right to be cautious. When I finally gave in to the temptation (only after the final installments of the books had been released), the Zombie-trance obsession was activated. Thankfully, those two have not taken over my life as completely as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have done. I read through all of the Twilight books and the Rick Riordan books once, but haven't (yet) found myself going back to them.

All of this is to say that, before watching or reading even the tiniest bit of Game of Thrones, I knew I might be a wee-bit obsessive about it.

And I was.

I watched the first episode Monday night, intending to watch one and then move on with my life. Yeah. Well. That didn't quite happen. I watched three episodes before forcing myself to go to bed at sometime well after midnight (which is VERY late for me). And when I got up Tuesday morning, I started watching episode four before I even put the coffee on to brew. I don't ever do anything before I start my morning coffee. Ever. Anyway, I finished the entire series before going to bed on Tuesday. Wednesday arrived, and I went to the bookstore.

I don't think I have to explain to you what I bought. ***

Do you ever get so caught up in a fantasy world that you forget about real life? Have you ever called in sick to work because you couldn't put a book down? Do you suffer from a similar obsession to the point that you forget to eat/drink/use the restroom/shower/get dressed? Please, tell me I'm not alone in this.

No matter what, this time, it is all Ava's fault. If she hadn't been tweeting/blogging/obsessing about it all, I might not have noticed. (Yeah, I know. I'm kidding myself. Still, let me have this one, okay?)

***Please note, if I don't respond to your comments right away, it is probably because I've got my nose buried in a book.

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**