Susan here, with thoughts on brevity and Victorians - opposites I'll now try to fit together . . .
My Victorian trilogy -- the Scottish Lairds series -- is finally available in reissue, new as e-books this month. The first, Taming the Heiress, is set in 1850s Scotland. All three books are freshly revised editions with gorgeous new covers.
These newly edited versions preserve the stories and characters while much improving the text. I may have overdone the {cough} word count in the original print versions of these books, so it was nice to apply a little judicious editing. Brevity might not be a natural fit with an authentically Victorian voice and story, but taking a red pen after a few years to three stories I still loved worked out very well.
That’s one of the advantages of digitizing a previous print edition. We can make old stories new again for a new audience, and update our books to be tighter, sharper, focused and just better books all around for readers who may have read them before, and for new readers just discovering them.
But even editing doesn't produce true brevity. Recently I’ve fallen in love with a little series of books that I’m collecting for my baby granddaughter (who doesn’t know one end of a book from another quite yet). I mentioned these books in our latest “What We’re Reading” blog. The series, Cozy Classics by brothers Jack and Holman Wang, makes classics like Pride & Prejudice accessible to little readers through the use of twelve simple words ("sisters," "dance," and so on) and photo illustrations of adorable little felt dolls in miniature sets. The perfect story essence and creativity of these wonderful little books is such fun.
And in the spirit of my made-new-again Victorians, now shortened, focused and improved -– I wondered what few words would perfectly capture my own stories. Let's give it a try.
First, here’s a little promo bit for Taming the Heiress:
An engineer determined to build a lighthouse on a Scottish sea rock meets the wealthy island baroness intent on stopping him—but one night and an ancient legend of love and danger challenge their hearts . . .
According to Scottish legend, the kelpie, a magical sea creature, grants good fortune to the Isle of Caransay upon finding a bride on the sea rock. When Meg MacNeill spends one night on that rugged rock as local tradition demands, a handsome man emerges from the sea—and passion takes its course. Legend fulfilled, the mysterious man disappears.
Seven years later, Dougal Stewart, engineer and deep sea diver, returns to the Caransay to build a lighthouse on the very rock where he washed ashore—but Baroness Strathlin is determined to stop construction. Little does Dougal realize that the barefoot island beauty he often meets is not only the mysterious baroness herself, but the girl he once loved that memorable night—and the fair-haired boy with her is his own son.
WAY too many words! Now to find the story's essence:
Island. Storm. Guy. Girl. Lighthouse.
Baroness. Diver. Kelpie. Danger! Rescue?
Love . . .
"An exquisite and magical Highland romance." ~Booklist, *starred review
Taming the Heiress is available now, and the other two books in the series, Waking the Princess and Kissing the Countess, will soon be ready via the e-book venue of your choice.
I’ll tell you a little about the rest of the trilogy in future blogs, including an interview with a gorilla keeper at the National Zoo. What does that have to do with a sexy, romantic Victorian Scottish historical? Stay tuned to Word Wenches to find out!
Your turn! In the spirit of the Wang brothers’ brilliant little board books, what few words would you use to describe a favorite book?
~Susan