Starting Out Strong

Hello! Welcome to day three of NaNo. Everything’s going well so far. However, I’ve spent far too much time looking up one random fact or another that I think I might have to throw in the towel and admit I shouldn’t be a pantser. Then again, I think even if I better planned my novel, I would still be googling “Regency House Names” because if there is one thing I remember from regency romance novels, it’s that every house has a name.

Hey Ashley–you’re a house now. Hope that’s cool.

I’m trying out a new genre for NaNo. Typically I write fantasy geared toward young adults. In fact, two of my NaNo wins have been in this genre. The one time I deviated from it I had a ton of fun but ultimately hated the end product. Then again, I wrote in a genre I don’t read. This year I’m at least sticking with something I enjoy. Regency romance novels are my guilty pleasure. I can chew through several in an afternoon. In fact, in preparation for my new novel I spent a week with my nose buried in the spines of one of my favorite authors.

My synopsis:

Miss Amelia Roswell never expected much out of life and she certainly never anticipated having a season. Then one morning while suffering a terrible headache, she drew the shades shut–from the other side of the room.

By month’s end she received an invitation from the Duchess of Breslie to sponsor her for the season in London. Before she knew it, her mother had her packed up and in a carriage, off to spend long months with her mother’s cousin.

Despite her humble parentage, Amelia was an instant success due to her sponsorship and talent. It would require great skill to make it through the season unwed–especially in the face of the Duchess’s matchmaking schemes.

* * *

So, I wrote that synopsis before I started writing my novel and already a lot of that doesn’t quite add up. I’ll be interested to see how far off the mark it is by the end of the novel.

Oh. Miss Amelia Roswell? She might be in love with her best friend. Which doesn’t bode well for her marriage to the Duke of Breslie inevitably scheduled for the end of things.

I’m only on day two and already my characters have developed a mind of their own. Stay tuned for the rest of my crazy ride!

Eliza Jaquays

At the age of six, Eliza was certain of two things. The first was that she had stories to tell. The second was that she had no talent for illustrating them herself. Talent or no, she still wrote and illustrated her first book, one that should be located and locked away if only to prevent her parents from embarrassing her terribly by showing it off alongside baby pictures. Now she spends her days writing stories that she isn't embarrassed to show off after a little bit of polishing.