We’ve
all seen the pictures on the web – the perfect writing retreat. Not
too small, looks spacious. Not too big, feels cozy. Like Goldilocks’
ultimate choices, it’s just right. There are shelves to the ceiling
holding copies of the author’s many foreign editions, reference
volumes, and books by friends. Writing awards and keepsakes are
discreetly interspersed among them. A roomy desk overlooks an idyllic
landscape, probably a garden or a forest vista. The work surface
demonstrates the balance of order and chaos that sparks the creative
process. The chair in front of it appears fit for long hours of
productive work. Every detail is designed to support the busy writer.
The photo – the ideal manifestation of Virginia Woolf’s “room
of one’s own” – evokes a collective sigh of admiration, maybe
envy.
I
don’t have such a spot. I’m writing these words from a temporary
abode, in a spare bedroom furnished with cast-offs. My view includes
a laundry drying rack, several burned out bulbs in the overhead light
fixture, and the gas meter. There is a door that closes, however,
discouraging anyone from asking me where he left his glasses or his
phone charger.
Over
the years, I’ve had pieces of that ideal retreat, as I’ve written
in many different places. There was an attic dormer in New England,
with just enough space for a leaning set of shelves, a typing table
with gooseneck lamp, and a straight wooden chair (seat cushion
required for any long stretch of work). Stacks of boxes and unused
furniture occupied the dimness behind me. Hot in the summer; cold in
the winter. But treetops were visible outside, often full of
entertaining crows.
There
was a long desk, made from a door, in my bedroom in a city apartment.
It faced a wall of bookshelves and had plenty of organizational
surface and a good office chair. Two cat “assistants” offered
input in that location, walking across my keyboard when they thought
I needed a break.
There
was a nineteenth century writing desk in California, just big enough
for my laptop and elbows, a tad high for comfortable typing. That one
had the gorgeous view.
Lately,
though, I’ve been footloose, with no settled spot for writing. I’ve
worked in a cavernous university library, on a bed propped up by the
headboard, in a tent, and at Starbucks in a number of locations
around the globe. Whatever you think of the corporation, you can
count on Starbucks for strong tea, electrical outlets to keep the
laptop alive, and a chair where you can linger for hours without
being urged to move on.
Here’s
the thing. If writing is your job, you may need to learn to do it
just about anywhere. That kind of flexibility is a huge advantage
when you need to turn out the pages to meet your deadlines. And what
I’ve found? You can be carried away to another world, with a
fascinating cast of characters, from almost anywhere. Just as reading
can whisk you to a far off place or time with the magic of the
imagination.
Life
is predictable for a Duke’s first son
As
eldest son of the Duke of Langford, Nathaniel Gresham sees his
arranged marriage to Lady Violet Devere as just another obligation to
fulfill—highly suitable, if unexciting. But as Violet sets out to
transform herself from dowdy wallflower to dazzling young
duchess-to-be, proper Nathaniel sets out to prove he’s a match for
his new bride’s vivacity and daring.
Or
so he once thought…
Oppressed
by her family all her life, Lady Violet can’t wait to enjoy the
freedom of being a married woman. But then Violet learns her family’s
sordid secret, and she’s faced with an impossible choice—does she
tell Nathaniel and risk losing him, or does she hide it and live a
lie?
Buy
Links:
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/222MBai
Apple:
http://apple.co/1m2nt2B
Chapters:
http://bit.ly/1IQWkKv
Indiebound:
http://bit.ly/1I5j2i1
Jane
Ashford
discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated
by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That
delight led her to study English literature and travel widely in
Britain and Europe. Her historical and contemporary romances have
been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia,
Latvia, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as the U.S. Twenty-six of her
new and backlist Regency romances are being published by Sourcebooks.
Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book
Reviews. She is currently rather nomadic.
Title:
Heir to the Duke
Author:
Jane Ashford
Series:
the Duke’s Sons, #1
Pubdate:
January 5th,
2016
ISBN:
9781492621560
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