What a lovely thing to find at the end of the holiday weekend, a wonderful review for Christmas Hope. Yes, I believe it is a gem, and it is wonderful to have someone else say so.
Character work on the new series has been humming along. I’ve scoped out backgrounds for two heroes and a heroine, and outlined their families, but I hit a major speed bump when it came to names. You never want to give a fictional earl the name/title of an actual earldom. On the other hand you want the title to sound feasible. Surnames can be found in phone books, on street signs, on genealogy charts, and by scanning maps. It turns out most of the counties in New Jersey and Virginia are named after historic, usually still existing, earldoms. It is a deep rabbit hole but I’ve worked out most of it.
I just started scoping out the village and county that will be the main setting. I need to name a town, a river, a church, shop owners, 2-3 estates, and most important of all, an inn. It has gotten fun.
This week, around doctor appointments, decorating, facing my holiday gift list, I hope to complete my town notes and outline the major turning points in Book One. I’m on it. But first, coffee.
