I’m giving you a picture from my mood board for How to Care for a Duke.
A Duke with a mysterious illness has many dogs and other animals and a will to live, especially when he falls in love with his bossy caretaker. I’m hopeful this second novel will be out in December.
Meanwhile, check out ‘A Misalliance with Love‘.
Image generated using AI Midjourney.
“The cool evening air soothed his raging mood as he left the House of Lords. He waved off his carriage and continued to walk towards St. James. The early evening was damp, and he turned up the collar of his topcoat. He had wanted to redeem himself in the eyes of society by working hard and showing himself, to be honest, serious, and reliable.
All of that was ruined now, and he looked like a fool. Like his father! Sinclair felt incensed at the unfairness of it all. He was not responsible for what happened but must do all he could to limit the damage. He must get Rosie to be a real wife, even if he had to go straight to Castle Holme and haul her back to London.”
Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. “A Misalliance with Love.”
“He offered her his arm, and they descended the terrace steps to the long table where sandwiches and cakes had been set up. A footman handed them their cups, and Rosie tilted forward to survey the delicious food arranged on platters. She selected a cucumber sandwich and munched on it with gusto. He thought that her lack of refinement would not do her any favors, and she did not seem to be conscious of it—or to care.”
Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. “A Misalliance with Love.”
“The weather was perfect, with the sun shining bright and a cool breeze blowing. Rosie felt exhilarated as she kept pace with the more experienced riders, and they galloped through the vast expanse of marshy flatlands, the soft ground cushioning their horses’ hooves.
It did not take them long to reach Ely, and they stopped in view of the town to admire the grandeur of the towering cathedral, majestically rising above all else in the distance. ”
Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. “A Misalliance with Love.”
Rosie’s choice to live apart from her husband means that she faces unwanted attention for another man.
-A tumult of disordered thoughts raced through her mind. She recalled the intense fear that had gripped her when Sir Gaylord had come too close to her during the estate sale. As she had moved from one room to another in the vast house, he had trailed her, and she had sensed that he was stalking her. Even now, her fingers dug into her arms as she struggled to keep her panicky thoughts under control.-
Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.
“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.
Once in a while, you see something that screams for a book to be made or a movie to be written about it. I saw this clip on Reddit and want to create a character as badass as this woman. What would her backstory be? How would she meet her love interest? My writing focuses on the Victorian era, but I will do post-WWI just to have characters like this.
She belonged to the Thirteen Black Flying Cats, and they deserve their own miniseries.
A writer in a writer’s forum posed the question: “To all the writers out there, be honest. Is writing really worth it? If yeah, how did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?”
I enjoyed writing from a very young age and have had teachers and one publisher tell me I have a ‘voice’. But I am also an artist, and the love of art was stronger, though I never made it a career.
I’ve tried my hand at writing books a number of times and did finally self-publish a non-fiction book.
I turned to fiction writing more seriously during the pandemic when I was building so many characters and scenes in my mind that I had to get them out of my head and onto paper. The ideas were never-ending, so I finally decided it was time to be serious about writing a book. 40,000 words into a contemporary romance, I hated my character so much that I started a historical romance instead, which is a genre I have always loved and have done an incredible amount of research on over the years.
I will continue until the characters are exhausted, which will be no time soon. I hope people read and enjoy my books. I am not doing it to become a best-selling author and make a lot of money. I want my characters to come alive and for their challenges to resonate with readers.
So far, it is really, really worth it. It is a labor of love.
“Figaro’s attention quickly shifted to the miniature wooden horse he had found in the nursery. He nudged her side in a gentle demand for attention, and she dropped to the floor beside him, the skirt of her pale green day dress billowing around her. Laughing, she attempted to wrestle the toy from his jaws.”
Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis. “A Misalliance with Love.”
Neither of them welcomes the attraction they feel, and a marriage is out of the question—until one fateful night. They are worlds apart yet are a lot more similar than they realize, and must find a way to reconcile their different dreams and create a life together.
A Misalliance with Love was published on Amazon on July 1! YAY! It’s in the historical romance genre, about two people who are forced into marriage. The marriage kills their initial attraction because they think they are incompatible in temperament and ambitions. They are more alike than they realize and have quite a journey discovering this.
Summary: Rosamund Percey aspires to be a working woman and dreams of writing and illustrating children’s books. While she desires marriage eventually, she first wants independence. Meanwhile, she attends debutante balls and garden parties with her friends, catching the attention of a handsome but stodgy Marquess named Sinclair Talbot. Sinclair seeks a traditional wife to redeem his family name and support his diplomatic career, but he is drawn to only one debutante. Despite their initial resistance, a fateful night brings them together. They embark on a journey of discovery and must navigate their dreams to build a life together.
DEE HARPER LEWIS 