My latest novella, Spies of Our Acquaintance, is now available! I am so excited to share my latest Jane Austen variation with the world!
Spies of Our Acquaintance is part of the Skirmish and Scandal Series published by Meryton Press. This series is a grouping of stand-alone novellas united by the theme of scandals and skirmishes. I’m honored to be a part of this series, as it includes some of the greatest authors of the Austenesque genre.
I cannot believe this is my third book release! Thank you all for your love and support!
My latest Work In Progress, which I’m calling The Guardians Trilogy for now, is set in New York. Well, a good chunk of it is anyway. My parents are both from New York, and I lived in Jersey until I was six. We frequently visited my grandmother in Jackson Heights.
Even so, I feel as if I barely know this city that is so important to my personal family history. Yes, I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty, but as I began to write my story, I realized I didn’t know New York very well at all.
I’ve never had much of a desire to go back, until now. I’ve done extensive research on neighborhoods, burrows, historic landmarks, and Central Park. Now I have an itching to see them with my own eyes.
Living in the Midwest, I’m as far from the hustle of city life as can be. I wonder sometimes how I would handle moving among the crowds, navigating the subway system, or–dear God–driving in the city.
My kids are still too small to travel to such a busy place with ease. They would love it, I’m sure, but I would not be able to relax. Especially as one of my kids has a tendency to wander off! But I decided, once these books are finished, published, and world famous (just kidding), I’ll plan a trip and we’ll see all the sights mentioned in the books.
Especially the Chrysler Building and Gapstow Bridge, two very important places 😉
Final edits for Spies of Our Acquaintance have been submitted! This novella is part of the Meryton Press Skirmishes and Scandal series.
Here’s a little book teaser for you:
When Mr Darcy apologizes for insulting her at the Meryton Assembly, Elizabeth Bennet begins to see another side to the gentleman she had sworn to hate forever. As their acquaintance begins to grow into friendship, Elizabeth finds herself intrigued by this man from Derbyshire.
For his part, Darcy cannot seem to get Miss Elizabeth Bennet out of his head. When Mr Wickham—a villain from Darcy’s past—shows up in Meryton, Darcy is resolved to warn Elizabeth. However, Wickham turns out to be involved in a plot to undermine British relations with Russia, and Darcy and Elizabeth find themselves captured by a Russian spy.
With reputations and hearts on the line, they must work together to find a way to escape. Just what will the true consequences of their adventure be?
I’m sitting on my deck this lovely spring afternoon, wondering where April went. Tempus fugit.
A few weeks ago, I found myself completely stuck on my latest WIP. Guardians is a young adult fantasy romance, and it’s only in the beginning stages. I mean, I’m 40,000 words in, and I have no idea how it ends. So after taking a week or two to work on other things, I came back to Guardians with fresh eyes, and a refreshed playlist.
Sometimes all it takes is a song.
In this latest installment of Music to Write By, I’m sharing an artist whose work could pretty much be the soundtrack to Guardians. Ruelle is a singer-songwriter whose music has been used all over the shop. Her work is sweeping, cinematic, and dramatic. Perfect for writing young adult romance. Here I’m sharing “The Other Side.”
I just love it. I listen to it so often my kids have the words memorized.
My musical sources are often soundtracks from films. The Marvel Universe is an excellent place to find inspiring tracks. Here’s one of my favorites:
It’s called “Bridge and Love’s Burning” from the Spider-Man Far From Home Soundtrack. I mean, is this not just fun and sweet? Perfection. Thank you very much, Michael Giacchino.
That’s it from my corner of the woods. Back soon with more music.
Can we just take a moment to adore this cover art? Thank you so very much to Janet Taylor who designed the cover for Interrupted Plans! This painting is by Armand Point, the gentleman who painted Reminiscing by the Pond, the painting that serves as the cover for A Chance Encounter in Pemberley Woods.
Interrupted Plans is now available on Amazon in ebook or paperback format!
Let’s have a look at the back cover, too!
Suppose Elizabeth Bennet never visited Pemberley…
It is October of 1812. Elizabeth Bennet and her family have seen dramatic changes in the past few months—none of them welcome. Her sister Jane needs a fresh start, and Elizabeth is no less eager to leave behind the pain and confusion of not accepting Mr. Darcy’s proposal.
Fitzwilliam Darcy has not seen Elizabeth since he offered for her—and she adamantly refused him. When she appears in London, he is determined to gain her friendship and make amends. When a carriage mishap throws them together, Darcy does all he can to demonstrate his changed behavior.
Though their renewed acquaintance seems to be growing into a genuine friendship, a family secret constrains Elizabeth. As she falls deeper in love with the man she rejected, does she dare tell him the truth?
Thank you to everyone who helped make this book possible. I hope you all enjoy!
I’ve been researching quantum physics for my current WIP. It’s a little story I’m calling Archer. It’s a romance, of course, but it also has some science-y science stuff going on, and that requires a fair bit of research from me.
So I’m listening to Carlo Rovelli’s The Order of Time. Carlo Rovelli is a theoretical physicist from Italy who works primarily on quantum gravity. He is one of the creators of this theory called loop quantum gravity. They are trying to reconcile Einstein’s Theory of Relativity with quantum physics. (My apologies to Carlo and all physicists for butchering that.)
I have to tell you, it’s both fascinating and mind-boggling. If you don’t understand any of this, no worries. His books are actually super accessible for the average reader. If you’re interested, his website lists some of his publications.
Also, the audiobook is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. So…yeah. Go ahead and pretend that Dr. Strange is explaining time to you while you avidly take notes.
Interrupted Plans will be released NEXT MONTH! I am so excited to finally be able to share this full-length novel with you all. I love this story. It’s got snow storms, carriage accidents, new rivals, and a touch of scandal. Plus, lots of zinging, romantic scenes between my all-time favorite couple, Darcy and Elizabeth.
You might remember me writing about Guardians sometime last year. It’s my latest WIP, and so far I’ve really enjoyed crafting the story. It’s got guardian angel-like beings, magical overlords, and romance. Or at least, I thought it had romance.
My two main characters were supposed to fall in love and save each other. But they’re just not cooperating. Their romance is so…meh. I can’t seem to make their attraction believable or rewarding to read about. It’s a mess.
Meanwhile, two sets of other characters are hellbent on making their romances the center of the story. This is a new problem for me. Usually, I dream up an interaction between two characters and the rest comes from there.
So I’m more than 30,000 words into a story that I’m starting to not care about. It’s a roadblock, to say the least. I think my creative juices have just stalled a bit. Can juices stall? It’s January in the middle of a pandemic and some people just mobbed the Capital Building (yep, I went there), so maybe creative mind is just feeling a bit stifled.
For now, I’m putting it aside. Just like that wonderful scene in Kiki’s Delivery Service when Ursula says, “Stop trying. Take long walks. Look at the scenery. Doze off at noon. Don’t even think about [writing].”
And so, I’ll practice yoga and martial arts, take my kids to the park when the sun comes out, use my new watercolor pens, and stop trying to make Ella and Robbie work things out.
We all know the world’s problems won’t magically disappear when the clock strikes midnight. But perhaps we can use this moment as a mental and emotional reset. We can choose to focus on what is going well, and how lucky we are to be well, if indeed we are.
At least, that’s what I’m going to attempt to do. I know I’ll fail at at, but that’s kind of the point of life, right? Try for something, mess up, keep trying, sometimes succeed, sometimes not.
Take very good care of yourselves. I wish you all a new year filled with warmth, happiness, and health.
I’m so excited to tell you all that Meryton Press is running a sale this December that is too good to miss. Each week, select e-books will be on sale for only $0.99! Less than a dollar for a fun read that is sure to help keep your spirits up.
I’ll be posting the sales here and on my social medias each week!
Brigid Huey 