Good authors are known for polishing and polishing their
writing before ushering it into the world. But times change, and careers
advance, and sometimes a book gets left behind. Such was the case with Secrets and Sensibilities, the first
book in my Regency romance mystery series, the Lady Emily Capers. So I rewrote
it. Why?
Well, you see, S&S has a special place in my heart. It
is actually the third Regency romance I ever had published. Originally titled A Dangerous Dalliance, it hit the
shelves in the spring of 1999 through Kensington’s Regency line. Back then, I
had a tendency to write my friends into stories, and my heroine Hannah
Alexander was no exception. Hannah is based on one of my dearest friends. Her
name was Nancy Robak. We met in high school, both transplants to the Tacoma
area, and bonded instantly over a shared infatuation with the actor Roddy
McDowall. Like Hannah, Nancy was an artist, only she preferred the expression
of anime-style charcoal drawings before anime was truly “cool.” Her creativity
inspired me, and she honored me with her friendship.
Unlike Hannah, Nancy didn’t get a happy ending. She never
met her David (who was based on Brent Spiner, the talented actor who played
Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, another shared infatuation, as was Hugh Jackman). She saw only minimal return on her
talent. She contracted lung cancer, though she had never smoked, and passed
away many years ago now. But a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of
her.
I originally wrote S&S with sections from the point of
view of the villain. I thought that upped the stakes by making the reader aware
of things the hero and heroine didn’t know.
But that pattern doesn’t match what I did with the other Lady Emily
stories, and I felt as if the villain was actually upstaging Hannah and David’s
story. So I cut out those pieces, found other ways to incorporate the necessary
information, and added depth here and there. The result is a tighter love
story, and a slightly more entertaining mystery.
I think Nancy would be pleased. She loved happy endings.
To celebrate the rebirth of Secrets and Sensibilities, I’ve dropped the price to 99 cents
through October 24. Enjoy!
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