Oh dear, oh dear oh dear... I have truly neglected my blog. But here I am!
So what HAVE I been doing all this time? I have been toiling away at my next novel but in recent weeks I stepped away from my manuscript to enjoy a cultural bonanza of activity with my mom while she visited us here in London. We were a whirlwind of theatre, exhibitions, a couple of road trips etc.
Since her departure, I have returned to working on my manuscript. And I just received the BRILLIANT news that it has been shortlisted in the Historical Novel Society First Chapters Competition. Competitions are very important and can help writers find publishers and literary agents, so this is an accomplishment that must be properly celebrated. If there is one thing that I have learnt in this industry, it’s celebrate, celebrate and celebrate again when something good happens. (Because it might be a very long time...)
In celebration, I am sharing the opening chapters of my manuscript, Mrs. Jordan’s Final Act, on my website. This one is set in Georgian England with a biographical core and the action mostly takes place in my local area, my beloved Bushy Park. While visiting the National Portrait Gallery with mom, we ran into my whole cast of characters, beautifully displayed.
Top left: Dorothea Jordan, Queen of Comedy of the Georgian stage.
Middle: Queen Adelaide
Right: King William IV
I think the lower left is one of William’s brothers, not significant to our story.
These characters have become very near to my heart and seeing them all together in such splendour was emotional. Here's to hoping that Dorothea, Adelaide and William can find a publishing home (SOON!). Until then, you can have a sneak peek here.