I’ve been missing in action from this blog because I’ve been caught up in so many other things. Not just writing things, but life things. I used to say that the most important thing for a writer to possess (other than a storywriting skill) was a spouse with a job with medical benefits. Now I’m wondering if that most important thing would be an assistant to take care of all the life details that always get in the way.

But I’ve vowed to spend more time on this blog…starting later this week. I’m going to be spending tomorrow (May 13) and the next day visiting a readers’ blog in Italy. My Ladies of St. Jude’s Abbey books are being published by Mondadori to be followed by the Nethercott Tales. So I’m excited to spend some time with Italian readers. If you want to drop in go to:
http://romancebooks.splinder.com/post/17081717

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find the blog in both English and Italian.

Oh, as far as the books here are the covers of the first two. A Knight Like No Other (the first cover shown) becomes “The Pride of the Knight”, and it is followed by One Knight Stands which becomes “The Night of the Knight”.

What do you think of these covers?

I’m honored that My Lady Knight, the fourth Ladies of St. Jude’s Abbey book, will be the Fresh Pick from Fresh Fiction tomorrow April 2, 2008. It’ll be at http://freshfiction.com/

As the announcement stated:

“The Fresh Pick is chosen by a group of readers and is never a purchased advertisement or promotion. We’ve chosen your book because it appeals to us and we like to share our diverse tastes in reading and hope other readers will give it a try.”

This is special for me, because this is the book where I had to learn to create gunpowder with a 12th century formula…which got me all kinds of strange looks when I asked questions. A couple of times I thought Homeland Security might be called in when I was asking about blowing up things with such primitive, easily found materials. As soon as I could figure out the formula. Fortunately, handing out bookmarks from the previous books in the series convinced people that I was really interested in the theory of such an explosive.

Check out the book for yourself if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet. If you have, please pass the word along to others who will enjoy it, too.

Those two words aren’t often seen in each other’s company, but that may be why editors ask authors to pull the prologue out of the ms. A prologue when it is done well is a powerful storytelling tool. When it’s done wrong, it can give the reader the wrong impression — or worse, give the whole story away right from the beginning.

A prologue like everything else in a ms must do double duty. Yes, it can reveal some backstory, but if that’s all it does, get rid of it and reveal those tidbits of backstory somewhere else in the ms — at the point when that revelation has the most impact on the characters and plot.

What a prologue must do is:

• Create a story question that won’t be answered until the black moment. This means that the information contained in the prologue must include something that plays into the hero/heroine’s deepest fears so it fuels the conflict that is resolved at the black moment.

• Elicit a strong emotional reaction from the reader. To do this, the scene in the prologue has to have all the aspects of a complete ms. The POV (point of view) character in it must have a goal. The POV character have fears, and the character must make a decision that will resonate throughout the body of the ms. Sometimes, it will be the wrong decision, so the hero/heroine must face the same decision at the black moment…and make the right one now. Sometimes it is the right decision, and it will play into the motivation of the hero and/or heroine and be part of the impetus that moves the story forward. The hero/heroine may not not realize this until the black moment…or one may and for the other it’s a moment of discovery that leads to the decision that must evolve from the black moment.

I’ll give you an example of the latter. This prologue is from my Welsh historical, Wake Not the Dragon, which was published by Harper.

England - East of Offa’s Dyke 1277
She stood alone among the white blossoms of the apple trees. Her shoulders were as bent as their branches, and she trembled as if a high wind was swirling about her.
He clenched his hands at his side. It had happened again. He knew that as surely as he knew his own name. Damn Talbot! The girl was strong-willed, but only in that she resembled her sire. In every other way she was the image of her mother, who had treated him with such kindness when he was a lad no older than the lass was now.
The man swung down from his horse and looped the reins over a branch. He walked toward her. His short tunic did not brush the high grass, but she must have heard him approaching. Instantly her shoulders beneath her dark brown cote-hardie squared, and he took note of a surreptitious stroke of her hand against her cheek. He had never seen her weep, and she would not let that change today. When she faced him, she did not smile. She never was hypocritical with him, only courageous.
“Do I disturb you?” he asked.
She shook her head, and, when her veil fluttered back, he saw the bruise on her right cheek. Talbot was left-handed, he knew only too well. He wondered what had precipitated this day’s mistreatment. It mattered little. It had happened before. It would happen again, for as long as Talbot’s sole child reminded her father of his failure to sire a son.
“Do you wish to be alone?”
Again she shook her head. “I am always pleased to see you, Kenleigh.” She blanched, and the imprint of a hand on her cheek became more pronounced. “I mean, milord.”
He took her hand, which was as tiny and fragile as a newborn bird. An illusion, he knew, for this child had been fired like a fine pot by her life. No longer as malleable as clay, she was strong, but too many sharp blows would shatter her. “I, too, am unaccustomed to the grandeur of such a title being spoken to me. I had thought my father would possess it for many more years.”
“Your father was fortunate to have a son to bequeath his title to.”
He chuckled. The underlying sarcasm in her young voice always amused him. “You shall get yourself into more trouble if those words were to reach beyond my ears.”
“I trust you.”
“I know.” He seated her on a log that was as bleached as old bones. Sitting next to her, he said, “Trust me when I say that it hurts me to see you in pain.”
“You are a dear friend.”
“Your mother and my mother were distant cousins. We are family.”
She stared down at her hands which were folded on her lap. “I would prefer to think of you as a friend. A friend is more dear to me than family.”
“Not all families are like yours.”
“I pray not.”
Pain riveted him at the grim acceptance in her voice. No, she could not be ready to cede her will to her detestable father! She had fought all her few years. She must not capitulate now. He must give her hope to continue the battle to save her soul from destruction.
He glanced at his horse. He could not remain here to protect her as he had in the past year since he had learned of the consequences of Talbot’s fearsome temper. Within the hour, he must depart to throw his lot in with King Edward on his campaign to the west past Offa’s Dyke in Wales. He smiled as inspiration filled his head. He could not be here to protect his young cousin, but his name could.
Folding her hands between his, he said, “I would ask you a question for which I would like an honest answer.”
“You need only ask.”
“Marry me.”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth became a perfect circle of incredulity. “Marry you? You are a fine lord now.”
“You are an earl’s daughter. Our lands adjoin. We have long been friends. It makes utmost sense.” He curved his hand along her uninjured cheek. “I must leave you, and I know you have to be strong. Let my name be your shield.”
“Take me with you.” She shifted to face him. Eagerness stripped the pain from her expressive eyes. “The queen travels with the king on his campaigns. I shall go with you.”
He smiled. “I shall ask your father before I ride to join the king.”
“Father may not agree.”
He understood what she dared not say, even to him. Talbot might oppose the match simply to add more misery to his daughter’s existence.
Dropping to his knee before her, he said, “If he does not agree to let you join me now, I will gain his acceptance of our betrothal.”
“How?”
“I know not, but, dear one, I shall not see you suffer like this again.” His fingertip drew back the linen veil she had pulled forward to cloak the bruise. “I vow to you that I shall see you are protected for the rest of your days.”
“But if you are far from me. . .”
“No matter where I go, no matter what trials life or death throws at me, this is a vow I shall keep throughout eternity.” He tipped her chin up and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. “You don’t believe me?”
“I do believe you.”
“Then you will be my wife?”
“Yes.”
As she flung her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest, he embraced her gently. He had no idea how he might keep this vow, for the journey he was about to take was laden with peril. He would find a way to honor this promise. And he would honor it with every breath until his very last.

This scene was vital to the story because the POV character is dead when the body of the book opens, even though the heroine doesn’t know that. Yet the promise he makes to the heroine in this prologue informs the actions of the whole book, because as the heroine finds out at the black moment, he asked the hero to assume this vow of protecting the heroine. It explains ever act the hero makes, even though it is confusing to the heroine until that revelation is made.

How to achieve this? I think I may have posted this previously in the “Beginning Blunder” posts, but I’ll repeat it here (even though it repeats some of what I’ve said above):

• If you have a prologue, you don’t need to have an epilogue or vice versa.
• Prologues need to be SHORT! 6 pages is pushing it.
• Show events/people that couldn’t otherwise be seen but have an impact on story.
• ‘Create story questions that are answered at the black moment
• Best to have a single POV/scene
• I try never to use names – because I want the reader to wonder how this scene ties in with the rest of the book.
• Readers don’t always read prologues so keep that in mind if you’re deciding whether or not to have one – it might be better to bring out the information as part of the back story elsewhere in the book.
• Make sure you have strong emotion — high stakes for the POV character in the prologue. If there isn’t that emotional impact in the prologue, you’re wasting information you could use more effectively elsewhere.

Prologues are an excellent tool…but you need to know how to use them to their best advantage. Exactly like every other page in the ms.

The very first book I ever read by Arthur C. Clarke was Childhood’s End. I picked it up in the library after reading his short story The Star in a science fiction anthology. From that point on, I was a fan and read every piece of his work that I could get my hands on. I never tired of his ability to tell a fascinating story at the same time he asked questions about who we are and why we are here. For a teenager, those were vital questions, and he opened my mind to possible answers that I never could have imagined on my own. I can’t remember how many people I have told to read Childhood’s End because it will open their eyes and minds as well. My own copy — I think I’m on my third or fourth, and I’m careful with my books, but they can take only so many rereads — is always nearby.

Thank you, Sir Arthur, for so many amazing looks into the future, the past, and into ourselves. We are better for it.

Today is the official release day for Kindred Spirits. All my books are special, but this one is especially fun for me because it’s set in the North York Moors, and that’s one of my favorite places in the UK. It was a lot of fun to remake our favorite B&B into Nethercott Castle…using the site as the center of the story.

We went to the Roman camp that figures into the story — Cawthorne Roman Camp. It is an amazing sight among trees at the edge of a cliff looking down over the moors. Below is a photo of one of the ditches that remains along with the earthworks that surrounded one portion of the camp.

The Wheeldale Roman Road, where my characters wanderd, is a puzzle. Is it really Roman or was it built by others? What remains is in a field where sheep roam, and you can walk along it and decide for yourself.

St. Mary’s Church Lastingham also plays a role in the story. In the book, the hero and heroine seek shelter in the crypt below the main floor of the church. There they see an altar set where the original one was hundreds of years before.

The moors themselves lend a gothic feeling because there are areas where only a few sheep roam.

So while you read the book, think of these images. If you would like to see other places mentioned in the book, let me know, and I’ll post more photos. We are heading back to the North York Moors in June for more exploration.

Kindred Spirits will be released next week by Signet Eclipse. The first reviews are in, and they’re great ones.

From Romance Reader at Heart.com

KINDRED SPIRITS by Jocelyn Kelley is one of those books that once read, will never be forgotten. I fell instantly in love with this story.The ghost of a Roman soldier, an achingly handsome member of the peerage who is the latest victim of a nearly two-thousand-year-old curse and a pair of feisty sisters who live alone in an enormous castle, all make for a tale that goes far beyond interesting.
China, who is still mourning the death of a beloved father who was a firm believer in the spirit world, meets Quintus, the ghost who beseeches—nee, orders!—her to safeguard the latest of his descendants to come under the spell of the wretched curse. China rescues Alexander, takes him back to her castle and does all she can to keep him safe. The task turns out to be more difficult than she could ever have imagined—had she ever imagined she’d be safeguarding the handsomest man she’s ever met while all sorts of evil do their best to take him from her.
I loved everything about KINDRED SPIRITS. The characters were so fully developed they seemed real. Even the scary giants were realistic enough that they terrified me. The love between Alexander and China was both searingly hot and sublimely tender. The plot is intricate, fast-paced, and gripping to the point that I realized I was holding my breath while I read certain passages!
The drama, mystery and romance in Jocelyn Kelley’s KINDRED SPIRITS is sure to satisfy any reader. It certainly satisfied this one! I look forward to reading more from this very talented storyteller. — Kay James

From Genre Go Round.com:

In the North Yorkshire Moors of England, sisters China, Jade, and Sian Nethercott mourn the loss of their father, who recently passed away. However, the middle sibling Jade has moved on since meeting the ghost of murdered Sir Mitchell Renshaw and her soulmate Lord Gideon Bannatyne (see LOST IN SHADOW). China affectionately remembers how he believed in ghosts although she has never seen an apparition. That is until China meets Roman era spirit Quintus Valerius.
The centurion explains to China that he is cursed to wander the earth until he rescues one of his descendents from being killed; since almost two millennia have past since he died, Quintus knows failure. However, his plan this time differs than in the past when he tried to intercede directly. Quintus plans to injure Major Alexander, Lord Braddock, who was admitted into the Order of the Bath for his courage during the Napoleonic Wars. That will mean he is forced to stay home to heal and ergo prevent his murderer from succeeding. China tries to help Alex heal, but the war hero cannot sit still even as they fall in love while Quintus omitted the rest of the story that China’s future is tied Alexander in life or death.
KINDRED SPIRITS is a terrific, lighthearted, paranormal Regency romance that will have everyone believing in ghosts. China is a courageous heroine who rescues Alexander and brings him back to her isolated home Nethercott Castle to heal. Fast-paced, fans will wonder whether the love between them will end the curse with a happily ever after in this life or eternity together in the afterlife (it is a romance). Jocelyn Kelley provides a delightful charmer filled with subtly like setting the time frame ten years after Napoleon claims emperorship.

I’m excited about such great early reviews. Hope you check it out, too!

Let’s hear it for our women veterans!

RomVets is a group of some 80 women who have served – or are currently serving – in either the US or Canadian armed forces. While in uniform they performed in such widely diverse military specialties as naval intelligence, military police, USAF pilot, physician, nursing, meteorology, sonar systems, avionics, communications, engineering, Russian linguist, supply, and personnel. At least one of these women has served in every armed conflict since the World War II. Several are currently serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Collectively they represent an astonishing 679 years of service to their country.

What makes them even more amazing is that they’re also romance writers. Their ranks include such mega best-selling authors as Joyce Adams, Lori Avocato, Diana Cosby, Cindy Dees, JoAnn Ferguson/Jocelyn Kelley, Susan Grant, Alison Hentges, Candace Irvin, Elle James, Geri Krotow, Merline Lovelace, Pam McCutcheon, Lindsay McKenna, Cathy Maxwell, with many more superstars in the making.

Join them on January 29th for a special blog that talks love and war from a uniquely female perspective!

http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book

Just go down to turquoise box at the bottom left of the page and click on Michelle Buonfiglio’s romance books blog.

This is the time of year when I always itch to try something new and different with my writing. I’m not sure why. Is it the lengthening of the daylight or simply the possibilities of a whole year of writing ahead?

Or it may be that I have recently added up all the pages I wrote in 2007. I keep a calendar on my desk, and I daily tally the number of pages I wrote that day. New pages — revisions don’t count. I started keeping track of my pages a day calendar in October 1987. I keep the calendars, so I can look back on what I was working on however many years ago. Sometimes, looking brings back good memories — of when I had a big break-through with a novel or how much I enjoyed working with those characters. Other times, I just want to groan when I think about the characters that simply won’t cooperate or the days trying to find my way out of a creative cul-de-sac.

So I am looking forward and backward at the same time. The perfect thing to in January when I ask myself what I want to be when I grow up. At least for the next year. While I work on the ms that has a March 1 deadline, my mind is considering what else I might like to work on. There are a few ideas buzzing in the back of my brain. Through the year, I hope they feel free to move toward the front and take their place in the queue. I never hurry ideas. For me, they need to ferment like fine wine or compost — and the ideas always turn into one or the other. The trick is knowing the latter from the former and letting those compost ideas go.

A year from now, I’ll look back at this post, and I wonder what I’ll have accomplished by then. Whatever it is, it’ll be an adventure…

I’m thrilled to announce that Marry Me, Millie, the concluding book of The Dunsworthy Brides trilogy is available at ImaJinn Books. It is the launch book for the Forever Regency line at ImaJinn. Check it out at http://www.imajinnbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IB&Product_Code=MMM&Category_Code=

Or if the code doesn’t work for you, try www.imajinnbooks.com. Once you enter the site, the cover is at the top on the left.

The Dunsworthy Brides trilogy has had a strange life in publication. The first book — a traditional Regency then called The Perfect Match — was published by iPublish and was leading a successful life as a ebook. The second book was turned in and ready for editing when the plug was pulled on iPublish by TimeWarner. With the rights to the books back, I submitted them to my editor at Zebra. My last two book-length Regencies with Zebra Regency were the retitled The Perfect Bride and A Primrose Wedding. But that left Marry Me, Millie orphaned and without a home. When ImaJinn announced its plans for a Regency line, I submitted the idea for the third mss and it was accepted. So — finally — the third book is available to readers.

If you’ve read the first two books, you’ll want to know what happens to Aunt Millicent in the third book. However, if you missed the first two books, you can still enjoy this story because each book — though linked — is a stand-alone story.

So check out Marry Me, Millie. Want a tempting taste? Here’s the back cover copy:

THEIR ONCE IN A LIFETIME LOVE…

Millicent Dunsworthy has done her duty by seeing that her two nieces have made matches and married. She does not expect to make a match of her own until a very determined Alexander, Lord Marlesquin comes back into her life when she seeks his help for a friend.

…LOOKS FOR A SECOND CHANCE…

Even though Lord Marlesquin recently inherited his title, he still prefers being called “Quinn.” Not because he is accustomed to the nickname, but because he cannot forget how Millicent once whispered that name as he held her in his arms. He had to let her go fifteen years ago, but now she is back in Town and more desirable than ever.

…TO HAVE A HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Both Millicent and Quinn know the love they share has not diminished, but the secret that drove them apart remains unresolved. Yet, Quinn knows he cannot let her leave him again. But how can he say, “Marry Me, Millie,” when divulging his secret is sure to break her heart?

Enjoy! And don’t forget to check out My Lord Viking which is being reissued in the Forever Regency line. This book is not a traditional Regency, so if you prefer books with open door love scenes, this one is for you!

From the back cover of My Lord Viking:

A VOW THAT CANNOT BE BROKEN. . .

Viking Nils Bjornsson turns his back on a warrior’s reward to find his chieftain’s stolen knife and erase the dishonor brought upon Nils’s family. When he appeals to the Norse gods to send him a handmaiden to help him fulfill his pledge to bring the knife to his chieftain, he forgets how the old gods like to meddle in the lives of mortals.

A SPIRIT THAT WON’T BE BROKEN. . .

Lady Linnea Sutherland knows her father wishes her to marry their neighbor Lord Tuthill. It is certain to be the perfect match for a Regency miss. But Linnea is looking for a hero, a man who excites her heart as boring Lord Tuthill does not. When she discovers Nils injured on the shore, she is caught up in the adventure of helping this handsome, dangerous man complete the vow he made nearly a millennium before. But first she must teach this Viking how to act like a Regency gentleman.

TWO HEARTS THAT CAN BE BROKEN. . .

To help Nils means that Linnea must dare the ancient ways of his past and risk her future. In a game played in the Norse gods’ hall of Asgard, two human hearts are of little consequence and love can become an ally or a foe.

Just virtually. I’m doing a session this week on www.romancenovel.tv about my travels this year. I’ll be posting about Norway and Sweden as well as England, Germany, and Switzerland. C’mon along for the trip. Just click the forum button and go down the page to “Traveling…where the page takes you.” Join in the fun of thinking about warm places at this chilly time of year…