The Ladies of Harrington House is the first series I’ve tackled as I usually write single title, stand alone stories. My process remained the same - before I start writing a book, I spend some time researching the time period. The Ladies is a Regency era series, a period I’m familiar with so I didn’t need to do much research. The series originally consisted of three novels however an opportunity arose to write a Christmas novella so I turned that into the prequel. For all the books, I spent a few days getting to know my characters and coming up with plot lines.
I usually keep a letter size file folder for every book I
write. In it are my character arcs, notes to myself, daily writing progress and
print outs of material I’ve found online that I think are worthwhile to have in
hard copy, particularly if it’s something I can use for other books ie names,
Regency slang, Regency clothing, types of carriages, etc.
However, in the case of The Ladies of Harrington House, I
put together a series bible in a three-ring binder as I needed to keep track of
details throughout all the books as of course the characters appear throughout
the series.
I have separate sections for Sophie, Leah, Catherine and Evelyn, plus sections that are pertinent to all four such as a description of Harrington House and its servants and a description of the fictional town of Trewater. At the front I have a map of Cornwall marked with the location of the Harrington lands.
A close up of the character tabs - in case you're wondering, Evelyn is included in the Characters section - I suppose I could add a tab for her but I know where to find her so it works.
Peaking out from the back (above) are the
pertinent research print outs of Cornish history, covering such things as
mining, smuggling and fishing in the area.
As I write, I jot down notes for each character in their appropriate
section to make sure I’m consistent with their appearance and to keep the names
straight. This is particularly important the deeper into the series I go.
I’m more of a pantser but I always have certain scenes that
I know I will be including. In Sophie’s Choice, it’s the scene in the library where
Sophie finds incriminating papers on Bryce. In Leah’s Surrender, it’s the
shipwreck scene. I’ve just started Catherine’s Passion and already I know I
will be including a scene where a mining disaster will involve the hero, Julian. For Evelyn’s Christmas
Beau, the prequel, it’s the final scene under the mistletoe.
Over the years I’ve learned not to spend too much time
plotting because invariably my characters run the show. When that happens, I
know I’m on the right track!
It’s the first time I had to write a series blurb and this
is what I came up with:
The Ladies of Harrington House is an exciting new series from BWL Publishing that is set in Regency era Cornwall. Three sisters, three stories: Sophie Harrington, the independent minded one determined to choose her own husband. However, has she lost her heart to the wrong man? Leah Harrington, the prim and proper miss. She survives a shipwreck but can she survive heartbreak? And Catherine Harrington, the quiet musician. Will her passion for the keyboard lead to passion in a man’s arms?
The first two books are already available HERE.
Writing series can be interesting. I have a number and before I begin a new one, I read all the books that have gone before. Series can be fun
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, yes, so far I'm really enjoying the experience. :)
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