Book 5 is now on the third draft and off to the editor soon! It is full of Christmas spirit and Regency era traditions.
I know many of you are wondering how on earth I am going to redeem Caroline Brown after what she did in Book 1?
I will admit it was a daunting prospect. It was one thing to have the earl repair the mistakes of his past, but when it came to Caroline, I had to dig deep and think about how she came to betray Annabel. Not only that, I had to figure out how The Stable Incident influenced her. What might she have learned from the experience, and what she might do to earn back her self-respect?
But why is Book 5 set at Christmas, you might ask?
To answer that, I will take a brief side trip.
The greatest Christmas tale ever told was a story of redemption.
When Charles Dickens published The Christmas Carol, he literally changed the world. He sparked a movement of charitable works and his ideas still impact the world today.
Dickens wrote his story, had it illustrated, and self-published in an incredible six weeks back in 1843.
He paid out-of-pocket because he wanted to get the story out to the world. His book was driven by his motivation to help make people understand the plight of the very poor after he visited the Ragged School, an establishment for street children.
One could say that investing his own funds into a tale so dark for the holidays was ill-advised, but history proved his decision was right. The first print of 6000 (premium) copies sold out before Christmas Eve, and the second and third edition were reprinted before New Year.
He went on to perform paid readings of the book 127 times until his death in 1870. The rest is history, with Scrooge undeniably being one of the most iconic characters ever created.
So why is Caroline's tale set at Christmas?
Because what better way to celebrate the holidays than to find your way back home?
Caroline will meet a blacksmith haunted by times gone by. Perhaps the spirit of the holiday season can help them face the past, find love, and build a brighter future? I am the eternal optimist, so I can't help but believe in her and William Jackson.
Find out if it can be done in Book 5, Caroline Saves the Blacksmith, in which Caroline's green cloak will be explained, Regency Christmastide will be explored, and carols will be sung!
