Salisbury, England

The Governess Tales series, for which I wrote the first book, The Cinderella Governess, begins in Salisbury, England at the fictional Madame Dubois's School for Young Ladies. Our inspiration for the school was the Mompesson House in Salisbury. If you've seen the Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibiliy then you will recognize this house as Mrs. Palmer's London residence. It's a museum which is open to the public.




To help you get in the mood for the romance of the series, I've decided to post some pictures of Salisbury from my last trip to England. I hope you find them as inspiring as I did.

Salisbury Cathedral

 

 

A view of the cathedral from across the River Avon.

The sheep in the fields near the cathedral.

Houses and streets on the River Avon.

Streets and houses in Salisbury

A Lesson in Perseverance from Jane Austen

Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence is a biography of Jane Austen. The book offers an interesting look into Jane Austen's life and the elements in her background and family that shaped this remarkable woman and author. It also paints a realistic picture of life in Georgian and Regency England. Despite the manners and elegance or these eras, they were very harsh time periods, especially for widows and children without money. However, these difficulties gave rise to a great deal of strength and resilience.


The book is not only a lesson on Jane's life but an inspiration. The spirit and fortitude shown by the women in Jane Austen's family is remarkable. For example, orphaned Phila Austen, Jane Austen's aunt, was penniless with little more to look forward too than a career as a Milner in sketchy Covenant Garden. Instead of accepting fate, she made the brave decision to travel to India and create a new life for herself.

Stories like Phila’s remind us that we achieve success by rising to the challenges of life instead of avoiding them. This is an excellent lesson for writers since the writing and publishing process is full of challenges. Jane herself must have learned this lesson from both her own life and the lives of her remarkable female relatives. I’m glad she did. Where would we be if she had given up? Imagine a world without Mr. Darcy, Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility.

I've face a number of obstacles in my own writing career. Instead of allowing them to stop me, I've worked to overcome them in order to achieve my dream of being a published author. It isn't always easy but, when the alternative is to stop doing what I love and to give up, I refuse to allow the setbacks to stop me. I also try and see each problem as a learning opportunity that will help me grow as a writer. So, when the going gets tough and you think of giving up, rise to the challenge. You never know what greatness awaits you.

If you like strong women who don't give up then check out my books. There area  lot of strong women in my stories.

My Journey to Harlequin Historical

My journey to becoming a Harlequin Historical author began with a pitch session at a mini conference held by my local Romance Writers of America chapter. A Harlequin editor was in attendance and I’d signed up for a pitch session. After finishing my first pitch for a contemporary, I still had some time left so I decided to pitch the Regency I’d written. The editor liked both stories and asked me to send her the manuscripts.

(Tip: always have a back up pitch or two in case you need it because you probably will.)

After sending in the manuscripts, I waited patiently for a response. Oh, who am I kidding? I obsessively checked my email every day hoping today was the day I sold to Harlequin. A few months after I sent the manuscript, I received a wonderful email back from the editor. While she passed on the contemporary, she was intrigued by the Regency and asked if she could forward it to the Harlequin Historical editors. I couldn’t type “yes” or hit send fast enough. While we waited for a response, I stayed in touch with the editor, sending occasional follow up emails while I worked on other books.

(Tip: Always be working on the next book while you're waiting.)

Then one day, the editor sent back the response from Harlequin Historical. They liked the story but thought it needed some work. They offered me a couple of pages of suggestions for revisions with the option to resubmit the manuscript. I dove into the revision. It took about three months to revise the book and then I resubmitted it. I continued to stay in touch with the editor while we waited for a response.

(Tip: When an editor suggests you revise the manuscript and resubmit, you revise the manuscript and resubmit.)

I attended the the RWA 2012 conference in Anaheim that year. To help me relax and prepare for the excitement of my first writers' conference, I’d booked a massage for the day before I traveled. About twenty minutes before I was supposed to leave for my massage, I checked my email and there was an email from the editor. I opened it and nearly fainted. Harlequin Historical had accepted my story. I was now going to be a Harlequin author! How I managed to calm down and remain still for the hour massage is still a mystery. Needless to say, my whole goal for the RWA conference changed. I was now in search of an agent and about to meet a number of editors from the historical line. It was an experience I will never forget. My fist novel was Engagement of Convenience and I've written almost 9 more since then. It has been an amazing experience.

(Tip: Don't give up. It will happen, especially if you take advantages of opportunities.)

If you enjoyed this story then you will enjoy the stories in my novels. www.Georgie-Lee.com

Books & Websites to Help You Research Your Historical Novel

I'm a non-fiction history junkie. As a result, I enjoy doing research for my Regency England novels. I love it but I realize it isn't everyone's cup of tea. Last month, a writer friend of mine asked me to put together a list of some research books and websites I use. She shared the list with people at a workshop and I thought I'd share it with you. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to comment with any other research resources you use.

Good History Series Books for Different Time Periods.

What Was life Like… – Covers all time periods. Time Life Books

A History of Private Life – Many volumes covering all time periods. Editor Phillippe Aries

A Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in… – Writer’s Digest Books. Each book covers a different time 
period and it is a great quick reference on various topics of everyday life.

You Wouldn't Want to Be - series of children's books. Despite being for youngsters there is a lot of great information, detail and historical facts. It's all presented in a fun and entertaining way.

Ancient Egypt

Anything by Joyce Tyldesley

Tudor England

Anything by Alison Weir, David Starkey or Antonia Fraser

Regency and Georgian England

The Regency Companion - Sharon Laudermilk & Teresa L.Hamlin - hard to find but if your library has it then check it out!

An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England –Venetia Murray

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Foxhunting to Whist – the Facts of Daily Life in 19th Century England –Daniel Pool

Candice Hern’s Regency World - http://www.candicehern.com/regency.htm

Kristen Koster's Regency Primer - http://www.kristenkoster.com/

Jane Austen Society - http://www.janeaustensoci.freeuk.com/

Jane Austen’s World - http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/

The Georgian Index - http://www.georgianindex.net/fd/

Edwardian and Victorian

To Marry an English Lord or, HowAnglomania Really Got Started - CarolMcD. Wallace, GailMacColl Gail MacColl(Au› Visit Amazon's Gail MacColl Page

Inside the Victorian Home - Judith Flanders

Clothing

Museum of Costume in Bath http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/

Kyoto Costume institute http://www.kci.or.jp/exhibitions/index_e.html

Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress by Phyllis G. Tortora & Keith Eubank  

The Heritage of Dress – Wilfred Mark Webb

Maps

www.oldmapsonline.org

Houses

Georgian and Regency House Explained by Trevor Yorke

The Royal Palaces of Tudor England – Simon Thurley

Dance

Dance A Very Social History – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Medicine

Doctors on Horseback: Pioneers of American Medicine by JamesThomas Flexner

Revolutionary Medicine - C. Keith Wilbur - Great book with pictures an great explanations. Other time preoids and are available in the series.

A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Balladard, Based on HerDiary, 1785-1812 – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Body Trauma: A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries –David W. Page M.D.

Horse and Buggy Doctor - Arthur Hertzler

I hope this list helps you begin your research journey. Check out my books because I incorporate a lot of research into my novels www.Georgie-Lee.com

Torture Your Heroine to Strengthen Her

I love to write strong women, but I also like to make them suffer through a few tragedies before they reach their happily ever after. Think of Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind and how much she had to struggle through during the ten long years of her story. However, unlike Scarlett O’Hara, my heroines overcome their challenges with their hearts still intact and become the kind of women Rhett Butler wouldn’t walk out on.

I have lots of ways to torture my heroines. Some of my favorite methods are poverty, dead parents, neglectful parents, dead husbands etc. You get the idea. Usually, it’s not just one tragedy they must deal with, but many spread out over their lifetime so that by the time they walk on stage in chapter one, they’re carrying a load a luggage, I’m talking Louis Vuitton steamer trunks.

No matter how I decide to torture my heroines, I always give them two things to help them deal with and overcome their troubles; heart and grit. For each leading lady, grit can be something different, from the courage to carry on after a nasty shock, to the sheer determination to succeed no matter what. My heroines aren’t the kind of women who sit down and give up when faced with disaster or setbacks. Instead, they figure out how to overcome them, and in the process, become stronger women.

Cornelia, Comtesse de Vane, the heroine of my novel The Courtesan’s Book of Secrets has suffered her share of tragedy by the time her story begins. Her father neglected her as a child then tried to gamble away her virtue when she was a teenager. Her mother died when she was young and she had to deal with a nasty stepmother. As an adult, she married a man she thought was rich, and when he died, she discovered he was poor. Yet through each difficulty, she has retained her ability to love, as seen in her regard for her young step brother, and her desire to acquire enough money to make sure he is secure and safe. It is her ability to love, despite the cruel hits she suffers from life, which help her capture the heart of the hero and get her happily ever after.

Sometimes it doesn’t seem right to torture my heroines so much, but in the end it’s for their own good. Without suffering, they can’t discover their inner strength, or become the kind of woman the hero needs to help him deal with his troubles (don’t get me started on the ways in which I torture my poor heroes). Through their trials, they learn about themselves and what is most important to them and their lives. All Scarlett O’Hara got at the end for her suffering was Tara and a possible divorce because she lost her ability to love (did she ever really possess it in the first place?). My heroines achieve their Tara and their Rhett after a lot of suffering because heart and grit are the dominant characteristic of my kind of heroine.

If you love the idea of torturing your characters then check out my novels. I really stick it to my characters www.Georgie-Lee.com

Tips for Writing Realistic Detail

Write what you know. You've heard it a thousand times but I'd like to remind everyone to write the details you know. Details help the reader connect to the characters while bringing the world of the story to life, and many details are drawn from our own life experience. For example, I may not know what it's like to sail across the Atlantic in 1803, but I do know what it's like to be seasick. I can use my experiences with seasickness to create realistic scenes.

A realistic detail I enjoy adding to my stories is the relationship between a dog and its owner. In Lady's Wager, I created the canine character of Minnie who is the female version of Wiggins, my beloved, my semi-bald Cairn Terrier mix.

Drawing on my experiences with Wiggins, I created a realistic dog character who added additional layers to the story. Another fictional Cairn Terrier who accomplishes this is Toto. Toto is, according to many scholars, an extension of Dorothy's subconscious.

Minnie serves this same purpose in many scenes of Lady's Wager. For example, the only male character Minnie likes is Edward, suggesting to both Charlotte and the reader that Edward is Charlotte's true love. I've spoken to many dog lovers who've had similar canine intuition experiences. It happened to me when I first brought my husband home to meet my parents and their killer Yorkie didn't try and chew his ankles off.

So, think about your life and the things you enjoy and use them in your story. You never know where your subconscious Cairn Terrier might take you.

.

If you want to see how I use dogs in many of my stories, please check out my books. www.Georgie-Lee.com

How to Move A Story Forward When You're Stuck

Have you ever reached a point in your story where your characters stop talking to you, the plot stalls, and you’re banging your head against the keyboard trying to figure out how to fix the problem? You try to push through it, sketching out the plot points or letting your mind wander while you clean the house. But nothing works. This happened while I was writing my first Harlequin historical, Engagement of Convenience. So, what do you do after your bathroom is sparkling and you still haven’t come to a solution? Kill a character. Or, if that isn’t practical for your story, burn something important to the ground.

It sounds violent, and it is, and that’s the point. A death puts pressure on your hero and heroine, compelling them to act, and character action is what drives the story. Depending on who dies, your hero or heroine may be motivated to seek revenge, to solve a mystery, to help others deal with the tragedy, or to hide the body. The course of action your characters choose will be influenced by their ultimate goals, but forcing them to make a decision will push them and the story in a new direction.

A dead body is also a great opportunity for conflict. Based on the hero and heroine’s goals, the hero may want to hide the body, while the heroine might want to call the police. This clash will create tension between them that you can use throughout the rest of the story.  Also, a stiff in the story will put external pressure on the hero and heroine from either the authorities or the villain. A friend of mine who writes paranormal romance likes this method, and often uses it when she is stuck. Her paranormal characters are trying to evade detection, so when they’re caught with a dead body, it creates all kinds of problems for them to deal with.

Death can be a powerful tool for characterization. How a hero or heroine reacts to a death will reveal who they are, and will indicate whether or not you need to do more character development. If your hero simply steps over his friend’s dead body, or doesn’t take much time to mourn, you may need to reexamine your hero to understand why he’s so callous. Or, if it’s appropriate to the story, the hero’s callous reaction can be used to illustrate his growth. If your hero reacts with more emotion to a death later in the story, then it will show how much he has grown and changed.

If killing characters isn’t your thing, or doesn’t work for your book, then burn something down. A big fire in your story will push you out of your comfort zone, and make you take a hard look at whether or not your carefully created plot is actually working. As writers, it’s easy to fall in love with our plots. After all, we’ve worked hard on them and they seem so neat and tidy on spreadsheets or note cards. However, once we start writing, our characters don’t always follow the path we’ve laid out for them, or, if you’re a pantser like me, they stop telling you where they want to go. As a result, you may spend precious time writing scenes you’ll probably end up cutting as you try to force your characters in a certain direction. Instead of forcing things to work, try lighting a fire under your characters, literally, and shocking them and you into in an entirely new direction.

I once had a historical heroine whose story got stuck in her colonial house. I wrote scene after scene with her in this house, hiding the hero from the villain, helping the hero recover from a gunshot wound, and in the end boring myself to death. I didn’t know how to get the story moving. Then I realized that the house had become a crutch for both the character and me. As a result, I decided to burn her house down. The emotional and physical repercussions of suddenly finding my heroine homeless got her story and my creativity moving. An author friend of mine who writes romantic suspense finds burning things down, or blowing things up, to be very helpful for getting her hero and heroine on the move. Like a dead body, a fire can increases the stakes, provide conflict and move the plot forward.

If these suggestions seem too violent, or you aren’t ready to commit murder or arson, then maybe just the threat of death or fire is all you need to spark your creativity. For instance, there’s nothing like the drama of an approaching army or the suspense of a crazy killer chasing the heroine to put pressure on your characters and motivate them to act.  Just make sure that whatever drama you choose is intense, so that it ups the stakes for your hero or heroine and keeps the reader hooked. For me, the threat of burning down the heroine's precious house in Engagement of Convenience was enough to get her story moving after a big block.

Choosing to kill a character or burn something down is up to you, and isn’t always the right option for every story. However, the next time your WIP hits a sticking point, like my novel Engagement of Convenience did, I challenge you to step out of the comfort zone of your preconceived plot and consider the more dramatic options. By doing something powerful and unexpected in your story, you’ll create conflict, character growth and, on another level, author development. Surprising yourself and your characters with a traumatic event might be just the thing to snap you out of your writer’s block, and get you successfully to “The End.”       

Check out Engagement of Convenience to see how this story turned out or read one of my other novels because I sometimes struggled with plots on those too. www.Georgie-Lee.com

Don't Be Afraid to Tweak Your Dreams

Someone once told me that when it comes to choosing whether or not to do something, time will pass whether you do it or not, In other words, when debating whether or not to follow a dream, time will pass whether you go after what you want or whether you don't.

I confess, I didn’t start my writing career with romance. I wanted to be a screenwriter, so I moved to Hollywood, learned the craft of writing screenplays, and dove headfirst into the film business. Time and life passed while I chased my dream. I gathered up a lot of great experiences, however, I fell a little short of reaching my goal of seeing my name on the big screen.

As a result, there came a day when I had to admit that perhaps, just maybe, it was time to change course. I still wanted to write, but maybe screenwriting wasn’t the right genre for me. I started examining my interests and thinking about what the next step in my writing career would be. I loved romance and I loved history, so maybe I could write a historical romance. I’d read romance for many years, but I was sixteen the last time I thought about actually writing one. Back then, I’d even checked out a library book on how to write romance. What I thought a sixteen year old could bring to a story, I’m not sure, but I give myself kudos for trying. Now, I needed to try again.

It wasn’t easy changing course because, in many ways, it meant starting from the beginning. Thanks to my screenwriting background, I knew a great deal about the craft of writing, but not as it applied to narrative. During the first drafts of my first novel, Lady's Wager, I struggled with moving characters through scenes, description, and even the proper use of speech tags. I hadn’t discovered RWA yet, so I stumbled through these early, self-taught lessons with the help of some brutally honest critique partners. Once I did discover RWA, I began to learn the business of writing romance and found new ways to hone my skills as a novelist. Like the pursuit of my screenwriting dream, it took time and effort to learn the craft and business, but unlike screenwriting, I began to see success. With each accomplishment, I gained more confidence and the encouragement to keep going. 

Making the change wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. I now have nine published novels and a handful of published novellas under my belt. I didn’t give up on my dream to write, I just changed it. If you’re thinking of tweaking your dreams, I encourage you to do it. Don’t let fear of the unknown or going back to the beginning stop you. After all, what do you have to lose?

If you enjoyed this article then you must like to read so check out my books www.Georgie-Lee.com.

Books and Myths to Inspire Your Writing

I've always enjoyed classical mythology. The archetypes speak to me as they have to millions of people throughout the centuries. Edith Hamilton and her book Mythology was my first introduction into the classic stories of man verses god and sometimes himself. In college, I discovered Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces and how mythic images are still with us today. I recently picked up The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By by Carol Pearson to help me with character and story development.

If you aren't familiar with Joseph Campbell's work and want a quick introduction, then I'd recommend Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion edited by Diane K. Osborn. It is a beautifully compiled series of his lectures and thoughts on mythic subjects and how they still influence and inspire us. It also provides a good introduction into the concept of the hero’s journey and examples of its continued use in modern novels and movies. Watch Star Wars to see the hero's journey in action. Understanding the hero's journey can help you better understand plotting and story development.

In regards to writing and how mythic imagery still influences storytellers, my two favorite books are The Writer’s Journey and The Artist’s Way. The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler was one of the first writing books that I read. The plotting techniques are great for helping me create both simple and complex stories and characters that appeal to a wide range of people. His use of common films like The Wizard of Oz to illustrate his points makes it a very accessible book. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is an excellent book that appeals to my mythological side while offering some great writing techniques for inspiring the muse. Her method of daily journaling helps keep writer's block at bay and to keep the creative juices flowing. It's an excellent book for those looking to unlock their creativity or for those just starting as writers. Through the book's exercises, emerging writers learn about themselves and their process while developing the daily habits necessary to becoming successful.

I hope you check out some of these great writing resources, and that they help you on your own path to writing just like they helped me.

Check out my books because if you like to write then you must love to read www.georgie-lee.com

What Classic Hollywood Can Teach Us About Writing

We live in an age when anything can and usually does end up on screen. Characters have no problem discussing the most intimate topics or being placed in compromising situations, but this wasn’t always the case in Hollywood. In the mid 1930s, the Hays Code was introduced and film producers faced strict rules about what could and could not be said or portrayed on film. Working under these restrictions, filmmakers and screenwriters became very creative when dealing with adult subjects. It is this creativity that writers can learn from to bring depth and subtext to their own writing.

A great example of using subtext is the classic Tyrone Powers, Gene Tierney film The Razor’s Edge. In one scene, the heroine wants to get pregnant by her fiancé so he won’t leave her. In 1946 when the film was made, the heroine couldn’t simply come out and admit her scheme. She and the hero had to dance around the subject yet, listening to the dialogue, it is obvious what is being discussed in the scene. It’s an excellent example of how characters can say everything while saying nothing.

Classic Hollywood films can also provide a great lesson in how to pepper in backstory through dialogue. His Girl Friday with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant is a great example of how to use witty dialogue for both characterization and backstory. In the film, Russell and Grant play a divorced couple who work in the newspaper business. Most of the film takes place in the office of Grant’s newspaper, but there is no voice over telling us what happened to make Grant and Russell get a divorce. Instead, their past relationship is revealed in their verbal exchanges with the characters providing just enough information so the viewer knows what happened, but not so much that the action of the story stops for an info dump. The Philadelphia Story is another great film, staring Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn where dialogue is successfully used to reveal backstory. The best example is with the character Liz, who is Stewart’s camerawoman, and the way she reveals her previous marriage. There are only about 3 lines where the ex-husband is mentioned but each paints a vivid picture of who he was and why the marriage didn’t last.

His Girl Friday is also a great film to watch if you are looking to add zing to your dialogue. At Times, Grant and Russell speak so fast that they practically step over each other’s lines. However, the way each of them speaks reveals their character and gives the viewer a sense of the fast paced life of a 1940’s newsroom.

So, if you're having trouble with dialogue, subtext and dropping in backstory, and you need some examples of how it’s done well, check out one of these great classic films. And, if you get a chance, please check out my novel Studio Relations. Set in 1935 Hollywood, it is the story of a vivacious female director and a handsome studio executive who must overcome their professional differences to find love during Hollywood’s golden age. 

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When to Give Up on a Book You're Reading

My to be read list is getting out of hand. As a result, if a book doesn't grab me, I'll abandon it and move on to another. A co-worker of mine told me about an interesting formula for figuring out how many pages a person should read before deciding to give up. Subtract your age from 100 and that number is the number of pages you have to read in order to give the book a chance.

I like this formula because it takes into account age and experience. The older you are, therefore the wiser, the less time you have to spend on a novel that may not suit your tastes. However, if you're a teenager, you have to read quite a number of pages before sticking your nose up at the story.

Someday, I will torture my kids with stuff like this.

If you've like to check out my books, please visit www.Georgie-Lee.com

A Free Read from a Fab Writer!

 I’d like to welcome my friend Kitty Bucholtz to my blog today! Kitty writes chick lit and superhero urban fantasy with romantic comedy elements. (She just celebrated her 25th anniversary to her college sweetheart, so she’s got a lot of experience with rom-com!)

Her chick lit book Little Miss Lovesick is free this week on Kindle. Be sure to download it for your phone or computer using your Kindle app or directly onto your Kindle between Tuesday, May 19 and Saturday, May 23.

Here’s an excerpt for you to enjoy:

CHAPTER 1

WE WERE all going to die.

My great escape into the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to vanquish Heartbreak from my life was going to end in my early demise. And here I thought it was my broken heart that was killing me.

We’d been driving for over seven hours. The last town snuck past us an hour ago when we’d turned off the paved road. Pavement became gravel, then dirt, then two-tracks. The wooden hand-painted signs with arrows and mileage that marked our way made it feel like we were driving through another world. Like the kids through the wardrobe in the Narnia books. Okay, that part sounded kind of nice, actually.

Dirk would hate it here. No tennis courts in the forest. No skim lattes with soy milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon. And he certainly wouldn’t drive his BMW down a two-track through the woods with the top down.

I sighed. This was harder than I thought it’d be, getting Dirk out of my head. If I could exorcise him from my head, I’m sure my heart would heal faster. I was so tired of crying, of whining, of wishing life was different. All I wanted was to settle down with a husband and a house and a dog and 2.4 kids. I knew exactly how I wanted to decorate our home. I’d planned the kinds of parties we would have. We’d be part of the Neighborhood Watch team, and we’d plan block parties for 4th of July. We were going to have the perfect life together.

Then it all ended. Abruptly. Without warning. And I thought I was going to die. But that was four months ago. I had to find a way to get my life back again. Hence the trip into the wilderness.

Then I remembered we were all going to die. Who knew there was this much wilderness out there?

“How much gas do we have?” I called from the back of the fifteen-passenger van. I could just see the obituary.

Ten city girls who should have known better died last week when they drove a van through the wilderness without gassing up in the last town.

Yeah, that’s the way I can see my life ending right now. Great.

“There’s plenty of gas, don’t worry,” said Patty.

Patty McEntyre had organized this fly-fishing trip — an idea I’d loved before I became convinced of our imminent deaths. Patty had become my Mom-away-from-home since I’d moved to Traverse City two years ago. My mom and I talk, but we don’t communicate. Patty’s the one I trust to listen and give me good advice. Mom’s advice…well, she means well, but she’s a big Dirk fan.

See, I met Dirk — Frederick Wayne Schneider III — when we both worked for the same company in Lansing, Michigan, where we’re both from. All the girls lusted after him, but I was the lucky one who got to sigh into the mirror and say, “He picked me.” Naturally, when he moved north to Traverse City, I came with him.

Well, I followed him. Looking back, I see the difference. On the one hand, he didn’t want us to move in together to “protect my reputation.” On the other hand, he had no compunctions about sleeping with me. Silly me, I thought that if I saved myself for the man I’d marry, he’d actually marry me! Instead, after four years of promises, he dumped me. Said he was in love with someone else.

So there I was in Traverse City with a job I loved (turns out I’m a great residential realtor), an apartment I’d assumed would be temporary, and a naked ring finger. Completely heartbroken. After four months of tears, I’d decided I needed an escape. Well, Patty suggested it, and my best friend Emily signed us up. A girls-only fishing trip into the wilds of the Upper Peninsula with the Harbor View Nature Club.

Though if we didn’t find some kind of civilization soon, I had my doubts that we’d ever be seen or heard from again.

“Only fifteen miles to go,” Shelley said from behind the wheel.

“Fifteen miles?” Emily cried. “At five miles an hour, that’s three more hours!”

Emily Dodson, my best friend in the whole universe, had been unnaturally excited about this trip. I wanted her to come because she’s my best friend and I didn’t want to go alone. But I wasn’t prepared for her — well, exuberance. Emily’s a city girl. Well, as city as you can get where we live. She’s all about malls and looking great and having beautifully painted nails. She’s more Sex in the City than Northern Exposure. Emily had never even gone hiking with me. In a healthier state of mind, I would’ve seriously questioned her newfound desire to kill and cook her own dinner.

Patty smiled soothingly at us from the front passenger seat. “She’s teasing you. We’re almost there. Half an hour at the most.”

“That’ll make us look even more intelligent in our obituary,” I said. “‘Ten women died twenty minutes from civilization. It’s rumored that they drove in circles saying, ‘Just a few more minutes, a few more minutes.’”

Emily grunted. My pseudofascination with how I would die usually amused her. The fact that she wasn’t laughing meant she wasn’t so sure I was wrong this time.

She waved her cell phone. “It’s impossible to die in the wilderness if you’re anywhere near civilization in this day and age.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than the rest of us.

I looked at her phone and quirked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How much longer do you think it’ll say, ‘Searching for signal’?”

Emily looked at her phone. “Panic” would aptly describe her expression. “Are you sure you know where we are, Patty?”

But twenty-eight minutes later (I looked at my watch so I could gauge time of death), the two-track suddenly opened into a huge yard of sorts, a meadow really. Obviously it was used as a parking lot because there were half a dozen vehicles there.

But wherever tire tracks hadn’t crushed them, the lively color of wildflowers sprang from the ground. The pine, birch, and maple trees joined together to form a harmony of forest around us. To the left as we pulled in was a two-story building with a quaint painted sign, “Abundance Creek Lodge and Store,” nailed above the door.

Next to the store stood what appeared to be the bunkhouse. Two, no, three little cottages peeked out from the woods on one side of the meadow. The first thing that came to mind when I saw them was The Three Little Pigs. It made me smile. So long as the Big Bad Wolf and all of his real life brothers stayed far away. Yikes. I’d forgotten the U.P. (Michigan-speak for the Upper Peninsula) had actual wolves. I tried not to think about it.

Thing is, I expected all of the buildings to be rugged, wooden structures, hardly a step up from tree forts. Wooden they were, but there was a sense of artistry here. Nothing like what I assumed men would build in the wilderness — or even what I figured men would choose if it were this pretty place or a more earthy, flea-infested fishing lodge.

But hey, I’m single, so what I know about men is obviously in question here.

I don’t know where I went wrong, sighed Little Miss Lovesick. I was so close to having it all.

Ignore her. I’m not Sybil or Eve or anything, but…well, you know those voices in your head? I named them. Not all of them, just the obnoxious ones. I mean, it’s nothing weird or anything. Okay, it is weird, but it’s better than talking out loud, right? Then everyone knows you’re crazy. Oh, forget it. Anyway…

Shelley parked the van and we all spilled out, groaning and stretching. The feel of real, not-planted-by-human-hands grass under my feet made me take off my sandals. I sighed with pleasure as the long grass enveloped my feet. This trip was a great idea.

“I hope they sell fudge,” said Tracey, a marketing consultant I remembered from a previous Nature Club excursion.

“Why?” I asked. “We just drove here from the fudge capital of the world.”

She laughed. “But now we’re the ones on vacation. We can act like Fudgies and the locals can wish we’d spend our money and leave.”

It’s true. That’s what we call tourists in Traverse City — Fudgies. They’re always backing up traffic when they try to turn into a fudge shop unexpectedly. Very annoying when you’re trying to get somewhere. On the other hand, you have to be grateful for the economic boost. Me especially, since sometimes it’s a “Fudgie” buying a vacation home that helps me make rent.

Of course, the fact that you pay rent and not a mortgage is Dirk’s fault, said Pride (Sergeant Pride, I call him). You give the man love, loyalty, sex (!), and what do you get? The old kick in the caboose. Jerk.

Turns out Mom was right about the milk and the cow, sighed another Voice.

Whatever. I mentally stuck my tongue out at myself. I would be institutionalized — or medicated at the very least — if anyone ever found out about all the voices in my head.

Everyone followed Patty into the store. Everyone but me. I waved Emily off, deciding I needed to breathe in some soothing, wilderness air. The sugar blues that follow a sugar buzz wasn’t helping my roller coaster of emotions. I decided to self-medicate. I opened another candy bar and a can of Sprite from our stash.

Starting today, I would force my broken heart to heal if it was the last thing I did. Then maybe I’d lock it away someplace safe.

Don’t say that, said Little Miss Lovesick. Love is the most wonderful thing in the world. You just need to find true love.

True love. That’s what I wanted, but if I thought I had it once and I was wrong, how was I ever going to know how to find it for real?

I walked through the grass, trying unsuccessfully not to tread on the flowers. Closing my eyes, I savored the feel of the breeze on my face. Ahh, heaven. Feeling calmer, I folded the empty candy wrapper and stuck it in my pocket. I took a swallow of ice cold Sprite as I climbed the porch steps—

And ran smack into an opening screen door. Which wouldn’t have been so bad except the body moving through the door was moving in my direction and crashed into me. Cold Sprite sloshed down my shirt, making me gasp.

“Damn! Are you all right?” A hand cupped my cheek and moved the screen door away from my face. Cold Sprite dripped all down my front. I took a step backward in an awkward attempt to get away. I felt my balance wobble. The hand firmly gripped my elbow, moving me away from the danger of the stairs.

Sputtering from the pop up my nose and in one eye, I wiped at my eyes and squinted to see what had just happened.

It’s The Diet Coke Man, Little Miss Lovesick choked out.

I know I watch too many YouTube videos, but Lovesick may have been right. The Diet Coke Man from the “11:30” commercials was standing right in front of me. A flash of the commercial where the office women ogle the construction worker across the street blew through my brain. Dark hair and piercing eyes, built like a Viking. The way his black T-shirt outlined his muscular form did nothing to remind me that Heartbreak was the reason I had to get away.

Luscious, said Lovesick.

Holy… I tried to squeegee the liquid from my eye. Yeah, he looked equally fabulous with both eyes open. He stared at me in a concerned way that made my stomach flutter. I kind of liked men who looked at a woman this way. Like all you had to do was say the word and they’d fix whatever was broken.

The Diet Coke Man brushed drops of Sprite from my cheek and chin and I immediately sprang back, which only caused him to grasp my elbow tighter as I fell onto a lower step. Theoretically, I liked that kind of man. Realistically, I needed to keep my distance.

“Excuse me!” I found my footing and backed out of reach. He let go when I grabbed the handrail on the stairs.

“Sorry, sorry.” He wiped his damp hand on his jeans, and had the grace to look embarrassed. “Are you all right?” He was dangerously appealing standing there trying to help, looking both embarrassed and amused.

I shook my wet right hand, not really wanting to wipe it on my shorts (like a guy), and wiped my face with my left hand. My cold chest caught my gaze and I gasped, pulling the fabric away from my body.

“Fine!” Did I look fine? My shirt was white and wet. My bra was black and lacey. I glared at him so he knew I was lying about being fine. He couldn’t have noticed my glare, however, because he was staring at—

Look for a ring, Lovesick murmured.

You’re not looking for a wedding ring on a stranger who knocked you down and is now ogling your breasts, declared Sergeant Pride.

“Uh, wait right here,” said The Diet Coke Man, and he rushed back inside. As he opened the door, my eyes followed his left hand — but accidentally. Didn’t matter. Couldn’t tell. A moment later he was back, ripping a wad of napkins from a plastic package.

I swear, if he started dabbing at my chest with them like Hugh Grant did to Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, I’d pour the rest of my pop over his head.

 

Kitty Bucholtz writes superhero urban fantasy and romantic comedy, often with an inspirational element woven in. After she earned her MA in Creative Writing, she decided to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher, forming Daydreamer Entertainment and self-publishing her first novel in late 2011. She loves to teach writing workshops online at WriterEntrepreneurGuides.com and in person.