Free Christian Regency Romantic Suspense This post is part of my serialized novel, The Spinster’s Christmas. If you’re new, you can begin with the summary and complete chapter list on the Intro Page . *** Chapter 5 Miranda welcomed the distraction of picking Christmas greens to decorate the house. Everyone was in a merry mood, no one paying attention to her, and she could calm herself. She had thought Gerard would not expend much effort for her request to his mother, and had expected that path to be closed to her. His actions in enlisting the help of Cousin Laura had not only surprised her, but had caused hope to blossom in her chest. She ought not to hope. It always led to disappointment. And yet what else could she do when two people were suddenly championing her? She was unaccustomed to such consideration, for her parents’ treatment of her had taught her to avoid depending upon others. Therefore, it had been particularly difficult for her to ask Aunt Augusta for hel...

Free Christian Regency Romantic Suspense This post is part of my serialized novel, The Spinster’s Christmas. If you’re new, you can begin with the summary and complete chapter list on the Intro Page . *** Chapter 4 December 24th The morning had dawned crisp and cold, but clear enough for the annual Christmas greens collecting. Laura, Lady Wynwood, finished tying the scarf about Sally’s neck. The little girl had grown so much since Laura had seen her last Christmas here at Wintrell Hall. “There, now you are ready to gather mistletoe.” “William says mistletoe is for grown-ups.” “And who is William?” “He is the rector’s son. Back at home in Sussex.” Laura smiled and smoothed the brown curls peeking out from beneath the girl’s hood. “Mistletoe is for the kissing bough, so I suppose he’s right, after a fashion.” Sally made a face. “Why do grown-ups like kissing so much? William said that sometimes when grown-ups kiss, they make babies.” Laura choked back a laugh. “No,...

Today I tried the Formosa Ruby 18 Black tea from Mastersteas.com . They sent me several black teas to try and review for my blog, but I got so busy that I never got around to this until now. I was excited to be trying for the first time a tea I normally wouldn’t have bought—new tasting experiences are always fun for me. From the website: A very fine version of the Ruby 18, otherwise known as Red Jade, it is intense with surprising licorice notes. The long, dark leggy leaves, contain some lovely buds. The licorice cup also has a cooling menthol effect. There are notes of spice, a hint of caramel, and a whisper of toasted vanilla bean. The dry finish completes what is a very interesting, dynamic experience. In a word, excellent. Ruby #18 is a unique cultivar from Taiwan, and a relatively new invention, only surfacing in the late twentieth century after over fifty years of research. A cross between a wild Formosa tea plant and an Assam from Burma, it was developed specifically with...

I think the biggest change I made in December was that I started journaling again, except that I’m using an electronic journal instead of a paper journal. The decision was a tough one to make because I love the tactile feel of a paper journal, but I also had to consider what I wanted to get out of journaling. I wanted to do a variety of things, including logging my meals (I needed to figure out what I was eating that might be triggering some health issues) and my exercise, and recording what I did during the day for my writing and also outside my writing. I was originally going to use the SparkPeople app for my meals and exercise, but I decided to give e-journaling a try and found that I am more likely to log my meals when I don’t have to figure out portions and calorie count. I still can see where I overeat and when I snack mindlessly, I just don’t see the calorie count. Also I have a reminder on the journal page template to exercise, and I found myself being motivated to check t...

In my teens, I traveled to China and drank various types of Chinese teas everyday (black, green, oolong, and even red). I also bought some good quality tea to take home to my mom, who is a true tea snob, and tasted that, too. I don’t hate Chinese black teas by any means, but I always find myself preferring the more tannic, maltier English black teas. That being said, I always try teas with an open mind. However, my natural inclinations most certainly influenced my review, so take it with a grain of salt. Today I tried the Tie Kuan Yin Black tea from Mastersteas.com . They sent me several black teas to try and review for my blog, but I got so busy that I never got around to this until now. I was excited to be trying for the first time a tea I normally wouldn’t have bought—new tasting experiences are always fun for me. From the website: Tie Guan Yin, often translated as Iron Goddess of Mercy or Iron Buddha, is a variety of Chinese oolong tea. However, this version takes the class...

I’ve had a good start to the new year so far, but haven’t sat down to think about my goals until now. I love setting New Year’s resolutions. Some people think that’s weird and I know all about the low probability of keeping resolutions, but I still like to make them. It makes me feel positive about myself and the upcoming year, and for me, that just feels good. So I came up with some goals/resolutions for the new year that I hope to keep. 1) Three novels in 2020 Since I write full-time, this isn’t an unrealistic goal for me. Last year, I was still suffering from several bouts of writer’s block. Some was because of personal issues, but because I got nothing done during that time, it then made me doubt what I should be writing. I ended up flipping between several different projects as I tried to figure out what I wanted to work on, and the indecision itself also triggered writer’s block when I tried to write any particular project, because I wasn’t certain if that project was wha...

Free Christian Regency Romantic Suspense This post is part of my serialized novel, The Spinster’s Christmas. If you’re new, you can begin with the summary and complete chapter list on the Intro Page . *** Chapter 3 For the better part of the last ten minutes, Gerard had been staring up Cecil’s hairy nostril. It was most unpleasant, but Cecil had kept his nose upturned during their entire discussion here in the library, which had taken place directly after dinner. Gerard wondered that Cecil didn’t get a crick in his neck from looking down at all the world. Or perhaps Cecil simply had extraordinarily large nostrils. “I assure you it is no hardship for Eleanor to continue her stay here,” Sir Cecil said, playing with a pretentiously large silver paperweight upon his desk. “She is firmly fixed in our home. Indeed, the entire neighborhood is aware of it and approves.” Ah, now Gerard understood. Cecil would never admit it, but he did not want it known that he had “cast out“ a lit...

Free Christian Regency Romantic Suspense This post is part of my serialized novel, The Spinster’s Christmas. If you’re new, you can begin with the summary and complete chapter list on the Intro Page . *** Chapter 2 “Miranda.” Felicity’s sharp, displeased voice echoed harshly from the wainscoting along the walls of the nursery wing’s corridor. Miranda stopped on her way to her room and turned. Felicity stood at the head of the stairs. Waiting for her to come to her. She headed back down the hallway. “What is it, Felicity?” Felicity gave an impatient huff and strode to meet Miranda halfway. “For goodness’ sake, you walk as slowly as a slug.” Miranda’s mother had complained of that, as well, but she and others among the Belmoores had equated Miranda’s slowness of foot with slowness of mind, also. Probably because in moments like these, Miranda simply said nothing. It made others uncomfortable, which was why Miranda did it. Felicity waited, and when the silence stretched...