Ramblings From This Chick: Guest Post with Author Jayne Fresina and Giveaway

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Guest Post with Author Jayne Fresina and Giveaway

Meet Jayne Fresina author of How to Rescue a Rake.

Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England, the youngest in a family of four daughters. Entertained by her father's colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters - all with far more exciting lives than hers - she's always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

My favorite way to spend a Saturday in Winter

I spend every day writing. That includes holidays and weekends, of course, (no days off for this dedicated, twitchy-fingered author!) so a Saturday begins the same as any other day at 6:30AM— in front of my trusty laptop. Sometimes people suggest maybe I need a break once in a while, but to be honest I have tried that and, as my friends and family can attest, a few days without writing makes me very bad tempered!

My characters and what they might get up to that day are the first thing I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. I love that moment when, with my first warm cup of coffee in hand, I sit before the screen and prepare to start tapping away. There is always a little bit of a thrill that races through me, because I never know how it's going to go. I am not much of a plotter— just not that organized. Before I start a new book, the most I will usually do is write out character profiles for my hero and heroine. From then on I fly by the seat of my pants. Frequently those characters take the plot right out of my hands anyway and I am merely a pawn in the their wicked schemes. So I never can predict how the morning will go.

In the winter, particularly when its frosty out, or snow has begun to fall, it's especially peaceful and the perfect season for writing. As I sit at my kitchen island, looking out through the window, watching light slowly streak across the sky, I can see birds enjoying the buffet on my birdfeeder. That, for a few hours at the beginning of the day, is the only distraction likely to make my eyes wander above the laptop screen. I've always preferred the very early hours for writing. That's when my mind is freshest and the house is quiet. There is nobody up and about to unintentionally interrupt the flow of my imagination, and the only sound is that of distant, contented snores.

Out here the snow can be very deep and bitterly cold, with drifts almost as tall as my house, but as long as I have no need to go out, I am perfectly happy at my laptop, warming my toes by the fire and sipping my coffee. I am very much a hibernator, rather than a winter sports enthusiast, but when I need an extra dash of inspiration, there is nothing better than a walk out in the calm beauty of the wintry countryside just as the first, fat flakes of snow have begun to fall. It helps get my head clear again so I can untangle some of the knots that are troubling whichever manuscript I'm currently working on. And there is another advantage to a Saturday morning trudge alone through the snow— it's an excellent opportunity to rehearse a few lines of dialogue between my characters, with only the wildlife to hear me talking to myself.

Nathaniel Sherringham has returned to Hawcombe Prior a changed man. Gone is the reckless rake who went out on a limb to propose to Diana Makepiece three years ago. Now Nate’s mysterious new wealth has the town’s rumor mill spinning. To stir things up (and get Diana’s attention), Nate boldly announces his plans to marry “any suitable girl” under the age of 25.

Diana, now 27 and still single, is acutely aware of Nate’s return. When her mother suggests a trip to visit a cousin in Bath, Diana leaps at the chance to escape the heartbreak and regret she can’t help but feel in Nate’s presence…and avoid his irritating charade to find a bride.

But for Nate, Diana has always been the one. He might just have to follow her to Bath and once again lay his heart on the line to win her attention—and her heart.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |