Category: Book scenes

At the Theater-A Misalliance with Love

“As they ascended the grand staircase and found their box, she could feel the excitement building around them and eagerly anticipated the beginning of the play.
Lowering herself demurely into a seat and opening an ornate Chinese jade fan, she turned to Alton, aware of the eyes of society upon her.
Since signing the marriage contract, they had not laid eyes on each other, and on that occasion, she had been in a fit of pique. She could not help but smile, remembering the look on Sinclair’s face when it became clear she knew exactly what she wanted and was brave enough to ask for things that her father would never have asked for on her behalf.
“What are you thinking?” Alton glanced down at her curiously, puzzled by the expression on her face.
“I was thinking of our upcoming marriage,” she replied, then a wrinkle formed on her brow. He must think she meant . . . what comes after.
“Are you unhappy with this marriage?” He had seen her hesitate, and a frown and brief flare of disappointment passed over his face.

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

A writer’s corner: Big red flags

In the writer’s forum I belong to, a writer posed the question: What are huge red flags, no-nos, or just downright cringe-worthy things you have identified in books or manuscripts you’ve read?
There were some great answers. The OP revealed that they dislike books with too many characters that remain undeveloped. I second that. Knowing the backstory of secondary characters and the motivations behind their action can bring the story to another level.
Many writers admit that they dislike certain tropes, and for some, the biggest pet peeve was unrealistic dialogue that ‘explains’ too much: info-dumping.
A detailed description of a character’s physical features that are baldly written was mentioned, or when characters are stereotypically perfect.
My biggest pet peeve is setting up a character’s personality, history, and traits and then having them behave completely out of character in order to advance the narrative. E.g., the character is lauded for their intelligence, which surpasses all others, and they proceed to make one dumb decision after the next to move the story along. Or they are rational people who are suddenly, stupidly made incoherent by lust. Just.not.believable.
Contrived activities that are not credible but are added in order to elicit a certain behavior from the character also get my goat.

What is cringeworthy for you?

Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“It was a dangerous game. One that required reckless confidence and one he was bound to lose sooner or later. He must have chosen his victims carefully not to have found himself up against an enraged husband before now. Well, he made a grave mistake choosing Rosie as his next victim.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis.-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

Approaching Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“Gaylord’s was the type of grand country house built in the pleasing red brick style of the middle of the previous century. Sinclair had passed neatly tended formal gardens and spied numerous outbuildings as he approached the residence. The exterior was symmetrical, with a central front entrance and evenly spaced windows on either side. Modest in size but impressive, the home reflected the wealth and status of its owner.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

Temptation-A Misalliance with Love

“Gazing out over the water meadow and the reeds blowing in the gentle breeze, she picked up her brush. Dipping the brush into the water in her jar and then into a tiny cake of paint, she passed swift brushstrokes over the page filling in light and shadows on the face she had sketched. She glanced back at Philip under lowered lashes.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. A Misalliance with Love.

The Wedding-A Misalliance with Love

“After his eyes traced her movement down the aisle on her father’s arm, Alton seemed distracted and preoccupied, his attention wandering rather than focusing on the promise they were meant to share. Even when the exchange of vows and rings approached, his mind seemed elsewhere.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Sinclair sees Rosie for the first time-A Misalliance with Love

“His eyes swept the room, taking in the fetching bouquet of debutantes in their brightly colored afternoon party frocks. Their hues mimicked those in a garden—rose pink, mossy green, bluebell, lilac, sunflower yellow, and water blue. His eyes came to rest on the champagne curls of the girl sitting beside Lady Penelope Haverford.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Rosie and Sinclair-A Misalliance with Love

“After dinner, Rosie decided to introduce Sinclair to the intricacies of mahjong, and they laughed and engaged in friendly banter. Sinclair couldn’t help but notice how graceful her movements were as her slender fingers carefully placed her pieces. The wicked smile in her eyes and the champagne curls that escaped their pins and rested softly against her neck tempted him.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis- A Misalliance with Love.

Dinner scenes make me so hungry!

One thing I’ve noticed in historical romance novels is that the female main character rarely has a healthy appetite. Why is that? An author can describe a meal where course after succulent course is brought to the table, yet our heroine either has no appetite or has quickly lost it and ends up pushing food around her plate. Don’t these scenes make you hungry?

I confess that when I read these passages, I cringe. I want her to eat to her full and savor every bite and forget all the silly conversations that make her so nervous. Gorge yourself, girl!

Instead, she picks and prods at her food, sometimes not taking a single bite of a meal that sounds heavenly. This is the norm.
Just another little detail I never fail to notice.