Avoiding the “Too Stupid to Live” Heroine in Regency Romantic Suspense Plus: Read a Deleted Scene from The Spinster’s Christmas If you’ve ever shouted at a movie screen because the heroine ran into the dark woods instead of toward safety, you’ve probably encountered what writers call a “Too Stupid to Live” (TSTL) heroine. As a reader and writer of Regency romantic suspense, I’ve always tried to avoid falling into that trap. But sometimes, even the most logic-loving authors can make mistakes. When I was about to release The Spinster’s Christmas , I hired a professional macro-editor to take a look at it. I wrote the book during a difficult season in my writing journey, and although I sensed something wasn’t working in the manuscript, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Turns out, it was a classic case of being too close to the story to see the problem. My editor pointed out a scene near the climax where my heroine—normally level-headed—suddenly runs away from safety and int...

Christine Henderson interviewed me if you’d like to read a little about how I came up with the idea for The Spinster’s Christmas and some tips on writing. Check out the interview. Christine writes Christian contemporary romance and is in the Once Upon a Starry Night box set with me. You can check out her book The Sweetest Delights in Life here .

Google allowed me to create audiobooks with an AI narrator for free of my titles available on the Google Play store, so I decided to give it a try. Right now, Necessary Proof , Unshakeable Pursuit , Weddings and Wasabi , The Spinster’s Christmas , and my devotional Who I Want to Be are all available as AI-narrated audiobooks. From now until March 11, 2023, Necessary Proof digitally-narrated audiobook is free! Pick up you free copy and let me know how the audiobook sounds. If you hear anything weird, feel free to email me and let me know the exact time where you heard it, and I’ll try to have Google correct it.

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 22 January 1st The turret door, which Miranda always had to struggle with, opened easily under Gerard’s strong hand, but it was nearly blown out of it by a whipping wind. “It’s too windy,” she said. “Let’s go back.” “No, Lady Wynwood said it had to be here.” “Lady Wynwood?” She pulled her cloak around her and followed him out onto the roof of Wintrell Hall. Despite the wind, the sun shone high above, only briefly misted over by the occasional wisp of cloud before beaming down upon them, turning the red brick orange-gold. They found a spot in the lee of the cupola where the wind was only a gentle swirling around their bodies. Gerard wrapped the wings of his greatcoat around both himself and her, and then he pulled her close to kiss her. In the cocoon of h...

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 21 Harriet was several yards from the tree where Miranda hid. She would walk past her in a minute or two. Then a voice drifted through the trees. “Miranda!” Oh no. It was Gerard. Harriet’s head swiveled around, and she searched the trees behind her. How had Gerard found them? How had he known? She could not call to him, but she could not allow Harriet to shoot at him. “Miranda!” Miranda had not moved, had barely breathed, but a clump of snow from a branch above her dropped down. It collided with more snow-covered branches, and suddenly there was a cascade of snow that rained upon the ground, the only movement in the forest. Harriet looked up. Saw Miranda hugging the tree limb. And fired the pistol. Searing pain exploded in her shoulder. She saw stars. ...

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 20 It was purely his foul mood that led Gerard to the library. Soon the bell would sound to dress for the New Year’s Eve dinner party, but he only wanted a glass or two of Cecil’s mediocre brandy. He had never before proposed to a woman. It was just his luck that he would receive such a resounding refusal on his first attempt. And then he’d kissed her like a desperate schoolboy. And then she’d kissed him. And then … He knew logically she had been deliberately trying to push him away, but the word had been like a blow to his stomach. She knows how to hurt you, old chap. T’would be best not to get close to anyone at all. No. Miranda might live her life by that sentiment, but he would show her that to live without love was worse. Her kiss had simply reinf...

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 19 Ellie was missing. Miranda had walked back from the Lower Gardens with her and the other children, and there had been much bustling about as they shed their cloaks, scarves, caps, and mittens. The nursery smelled strongly—and not very pleasantly—of wet wool, freshened only in the corners where pine boughs were tucked. Dinner for the children was earlier than usual today because of the New Year’s Eve dinner party. The kitchen simply could not prepare the food for all the children and the grand party at the same time. But when it was time to eat, Ellie was nowhere to be found. Miranda spent twenty minutes searching the nursery wing, in every closet and corner. She had begun to feel real concern when Jean, the under-maid, came up to her in the deserted hallway. ...

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 18 Gerard made his way blindly down the corridors. He knew Miranda could not have meant the callous words she had flung at him. She was not indifferent to him. She had given herself away with that kiss. She would have refused him in order to keep him safe. The thought warmed through the cold that had seeped into his limbs. So she must have lied to him. If she had lied, she was uncomfortably good at it. She had looked him in the eye to tell him she did not love him. Why would she refuse him? He could offer her everything she did not have. He could protect her. Unless, he realized bitterly, she truly did doubt his broken body’s ability to protect her from anything. No, he knew she had lied to him about that, too. He knew where he wanted to go. He made his wa...

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 17 December 31st The children were being positively horrid. Miranda, Miss Teel, and the nursery-maids who worked for the other Belmoore families were quite prepared to begin stringing them up by their toes. So Miranda suggested a game of Hide and Seek in the Lower Ornamental Garden. Miss Teel was amenable, but the nursery-maids objected since they did not wish to trouble themselves to bundle up the children for the outdoors. However, the children were enthusiastic about the idea, and Miranda remarked that they would be entertaining themselves in such a way as to require very little supervision, since the garden was walled, so the maids were at last persuaded. Wintrell Hall had two large walled gardens, the Upper and Lower Ornamental Gardens. They were accessed b...

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 16 December 30th Gerard had wearied of staring at his bedroom walls while submitting to another poultice, so after Maddox had removed it, he went to stretch his legs. The drawing room was stuffed, like a meat pie, but with chattering young women discussing their gowns for the New Year's Eve dinner party the next evening. Gerard sneaked past the doorway and headed instead to the music room, where he heard the laughter of children. For most of the year, the ballroom at Wintrell Hall served as the music room on one side, and store-room on the other half, separated by some painted folding screens. He didn't realize until he entered the room that he had hoped to see Miranda there, but it was the governess at the pianoforte while the girls still in the schoolr...

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 15 The bell to dress for dinner had already rung, but something drew Laura, Lady Wynwood, past her bedroom and up the stairs to an older section of the house. She followed a winding route she remembered well from her childhood, taking her from staircase to hallway to staircase, always climbing upward. At the top of the last narrow set of stairs, she wrestled with the door, but it eventually flung open to the pressure of her shoulder against it, and she was out on the rooftop of Wintrell Hall. The brick cupola, slit with glass to let light fall into the great front hall far below, was flanked by two small turrets, one containing the door out of which she stepped. The wind whistled harder at this height, but she’d brought her fur-edged cloak, and the fresh bite of the...

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 14 Gerard almost didn’t notice the footman. He wanted to say it was because he was distracted, but in reality, it was because Michael was that accomplished. After Miranda left him, Gerard was too cold to remain out of doors and was seeking the comfort of his fire and perhaps a pot of tea with a splash of whiskey in it for good measure. However, the way to his bedroom was blocked by footmen leaving the music room, each carrying some chairs which had been stored there. They headed toward the drawing room, and Gerard guessed that the extra chairs were for the guests tonight. Felicity had planned a lavish dinner party for this evening. A certain footman passed Gerard, his ill-fitting livery looking as though it had been made for someone else. At first, the man’s face ...