Thursday, December 4, 2014

Cover reveal for The Lady and the Minstrel

I have a lovely early Christmas present from An Author's Art . . . a beautiful cover for my upcoming romantic historical novel, The Lady and the Minstrel!



In 13th century England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord’s manor. He tries to make a daring escape and is nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away. 

Years pass and Robert takes up trade as a minstrel.  Invited to play at a banquet for the notorious Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten—now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, betrothed to the earl. Her status as a noblewoman puts her completely out of Robert's reach, but he knows they are meant to be together. He vows to make her his wife no matter what the cost.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape.  Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives.  She longs to be free to marry Robert, the man she loves, but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear. 
They are tested at every turn by those bent on driving them apart and destroying what they have found together.  Can their love truly conquer all?

Watch for The Lady and the Minstrel, coming in January 2015!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Who's reading Loving Lucianna?

Have you read about my free keyring giveaway? Here are four readers who have sent me a picture  of them and my sweet medieval romance, Loving Lucianna! That means four of my ten keyrings are gone. Only 6 remain. They're waiting for more readers to send me their pictures!

Click here or on the keychain in the left column to find out more about how you can get a Loving Lucianna keychain!


Karen H from Arizona


Tasha F from Wisconsin


Laura M from Michigan
(See? You can enter even if you're shy. :-) )


DeAnn S from Arizona

Thank you, ladies, for sharing your beautiful pictures with me! 




Friday, November 28, 2014

Discounts! Black Friday/Cyber Monday and beyond!

Looking for some quick and easy stocking stuffers for Christmas? You can never go wrong with a book and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home for these deals! I'm offering 20% discounts on THREE of my medieval romance titles. The sales start on Black Friday and run through Cyber Monday and beyond! In fact, this sale is available through December 13th.

The discounts are for PRINT copies of Loyalty's Web, Illuminations of the Heart, and Loving Lucianna. Purchases must be made through CreateSpace to use the discount codes. You can use the same discount code for any or all these titles. If you buy multiple books the discount will be applied to your entire order. Just use discount code: PDZJKR7D


20% off Loyalty's Web
Regularly priced: $15.95
Discount price: $12.76
20% Discount code: PDZJKR7D


20% off Illuminations of the Heart
Regularly priced: $16.95
Discount price: $13.56
20% Discount code: PDZJKR7D


20% off Loving Lucianna
Regularly priced: $10.95
Discount price: $8.76
20% Discount code: PDZJKR7D


And don't forget my always bargain priced Christmas novella, 
A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance
Always only $5.50



Thursday, November 27, 2014

Wishing you a Happy Musical Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving in the USA, and one thing that I'm grateful for this year (and actually year round) is music! My sister is visiting for the holiday, so I took her to visit the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ. They permitted non-flash photography, so here are some of the photos I snapped with my iPod.

We started out in the Mechanical Music Gallery, where we saw some beautiful old time music boxes, some mechanical figurines, an old player piano, and some pipe organs that included mechanical instruments in their "performance." (I didn't get pictures of the music boxes or piano--I didn't start taking pictures early enough--but here are a few I did get.)


Pipe organ - those instruments you see on top (accordions, drums, saxophones, etc) played music along with the organ!


Another pipe organ


Musical mechanical doll. This one was accompanied by a video that showed it in motion, and it was even freakier than this stationary version!

After lunch in the museum cafe, we visited the gallery of musical instruments for Europe. I wanted to start with Europe because I was hoping to see some medieval instruments that I have used, am using, or might yet use in some of my stories! But I was also lured by a few instruments from other time periods, too. Naturally, in retrospect, I wish I'd taken dozens of additional pictures, but somehow I only came away with these. 


This is called a rebec. It was a stringed instrument used in the Middle Ages and in later time periods, as well.


This is a lute. My hero, Robert, plays one of these in The Lady and the Minstrel.


This is called a crumhorn. It was used in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Stick around and I'll share a cool crumhorn video with you at the end of this post!


This one's called a serpent. (Can you guess why? :-) ) It originated during the Renaissance.


This is called a lur. It was a Scandinavian bronze horn used in the 7th century. That's even earlier than any of my books take place!


This is a bass horn with a serpent's head. I don't know what time period it's from, but I thought it looked cool!


And here's a slide trombone with a serpent's head. It obviously goes with the bass horn above, don't you think? Again, I don't know the time period, but wouldn't it be fun to march in a parade playing one of these?


This is a harpsichord, a replica of the oldest extant keyboard instrument, c 1480. (And yes, that's the same lute I showed you above in the background.)


This is the harpsichord as most of us are familiar with it today. This one was made in Florence, Italy in 1890.

Okay, now for the promised crumhorn concert video! I found this on YouTube and fell in love with it. The players are dressed in Renaissance costume. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!



CRUMHORN CONSORT - Al Milanese Castell´Arquato Manuscript - XVI Century Italian Renaissance Music

My sister and I are hoping to go back at Christmas and visit some of the musical galleries from other areas of the world.

Wherever you live, I wish you a very happy day of reflecting on what you are grateful for!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Free Loving Lucianna keychains!

Look what I have, courtesy of Loving the Book Launch Party! Keychains that match the cover of Loving Lucianna!



In fact, I have 10 of them and I want to share them with you! If you have read and enjoyed Loving Lucianna, this is all you have to do: snap a photo of you holding a copy of Loving Lucianna (yes, the copy can be on your Kindle or iPad--just be sure the cover is showing) and email me the picture with your permission to post it here on my blog and on Facebook. Email me the photo with your mailing address to jdipastena@yahoo.com and I will send you a free keychain. I'll even throw in some magnets with the covers of Loyalty's Web, Illuminations of the Heart, and Loving Lucianna.

What if you borrowed a copy to read? That's okay, too. Just borrow it back long enough to snap a photo and send it to me.

One keychain per photo. No purchase necessary. (As I said, you're welcome to borrow a copy of Loving Lucianna.) 18 years old or older. USA entries only. Deadline is open until all the keychains are gone. Remember, I only have 10, so start snapping your photos now!


Monday, November 17, 2014

Bookmarked Bargains begins today!














The picture above says it all! Bookmarked Bargains is holding a massive book sale that starts today and runs through November 20! Find free or deeply discounted books in the following categories: contemporary romance, romantic comedy, inspirational romance (LDS/Christian), historical romance, romantic suspense, non-fiction, inspirational fiction (LDS/Christian), YA General/YA Romance, Middle Grade, fantasy/sci fi, and YA fantasy. Two of my medieval romances, Loving Lucianna and A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance will each be on sale for only 99 cents!



Each only 99 cents!






Also enter to win an awesome Reader's Party Pack, specially designed to include everything a reader needs to enjoy a good book!

Visit Bookmarked Bargain here and start your holiday shopping now!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Loving Lucianna is going on tour!

Loving Lucianna is going on tour today! For the next two weeks, she will be visiting a variety of blogs who have a unique love for "all things Italian." The tour is being hosted by Italy Book Tours, and organized by Laura Fabiani. Since Lucianna and parts of her story take place in medieval Venice, the bloggers of Italy Book Tours have graciously agreed to spotlight and review my book.

And, because Loving Lucianna and I are still in a celebratory mood over her release to readers, I will be giving away 10--yep, 10!--ebook copies during the tour!

So follow along November 10-21 as Loving Lucianna tours Italy!

Click here to follow the blog tour stops.

Join the giveaway on Rafflecopter! (If the form doesn't appear here, click on the Rafflecopter link below.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Spooktacular Blog Hop Giveaway: Winner!

Congratulations to Chanel E, winner of the Spooktacular Blog Hop Giveaway here at JDP NEWS! Chanel has won a three-book combo of my three sweet medieval romances, Loyalty's Web, Illuminations of the Heart, and Loving Lucianna.

Thanks to all of those who entered! I hope you had a wonderful Spook-holiday!

New Regency romance in time for Christmas!

Award winning Regency author Donna Hatch has long been one of my favorite Regency romance authors! (Read an interview I did with Donna way back in 2009. See? I've been a fan a long time! Interview) I just discovered that she has a brand new Regency short story coming out for Christmas, and it's available for pre-order NOW! 



A Christmas Reunion, the Gift of a Second Chance

Heartbroken that her betrothed has wed another woman, Emily is determined to pick up the pieces of her life and enjoy Christmas with her family.

Newly returned from war, Bennett holds a secret and will do anything to ensure Emily, his only true love, never discovers it...even if it means losing her.

Fate reunites the star-crossed lovers and reveals the truth that will either unite them or drive them apart forever.

 The Gift of a Second Chance,  published by The Wild Rose Press, will be available in digital format everywhere ebooks are sold starting November 5, 2014

Donna says: It's not part of a series but it might feel like to readers because I seem to be enamored with long lost lovers reuniting, and also with chance meetings at a wayside inn. I'm sure a psychologist would read something into that but hey, I don't question the muse. 

I chose the heroine’s name Emily because the root Latin word is Emil, meaning rival. In A Christmas Reunion, there is a rival for the man Emily loves, but it’s not who she thinks. A secondary meaning for Emily is ‘to prevail’ which Emily does and wins back the man she loves, but not in a way she’d ever imagined.

Excerpt: 


She should step away. She really should. Allowing him to hold her created a long­absent sense of wholeness. As safety enveloped her, her shuddering eased and her tears faded to hiccups. He held her close, so strong and protective. She inhaled his aftershave, something clean and earthy and faintly spicy. The warmth of his body brought familiar comfort. She ached to kiss away all her hurt and loneliness. She ached to restore the love they’d once shared. She ached to be complete again. But he didn’t love her. He’d jilted her for another.

Pre-order (or order) your copy of A Christmas Reunion here.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Winner of chocolate giveaway! (Oh, yeah, and a copy of my book. ;-) )

Congratulations to Annette L for winning the $20 See's Candy gift card and autographed copy of Loving Lucianna!

I had an amazing response to this giveaway. Thank you all for celebrating with me!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

It's that time again! Time for the annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, sponsored by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer!


Here at JDP NEWS I'm giving away an ebook trio of three of my sweet medieval romances. (Click on the links to read about each title.)

Illuminations of the Heart
Loyalty's Web
Loving Lucianna (new title!)

This giveaway is open to International entries (18 years old or above). Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. If the Rafflecopter form doesn't show up, click on the link that says A Rafflecopter Giveaway and it should take you to the form. The winner will be announced on November 1, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All entered? Then return to I Am a Reader to find some more great blog hop giveaways!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Come celebrate with me!

My new medieval romance, Loving Lucianna, is being published this Saturday! I'm so excited, guess what I did to celebrate? Yep, you guessed it! (Well, you did if you know me very well. ;-) ) I bought myself a box of See's chocolate. Of course, I can't eat any of it until Saturday when the book goes live--I had the sale's clerk wrap the box in paper so I wouldn't be tempted, and so far I've been a good girl. (I didn't say it was easy!)


(See? Wrapped in paper to keep me out, just as I said!)


You know what makes celebrating even more fun? Celebrating with lots and lots of friends! So I'd like to celebrate with you by holding a giveaway. The prizes? A $20 See's gift card so you can buy your very own box of chocolate, and an autographed copy of Loving Lucianna.



I'm afraid I will have to limit this giveaway to participants in the USA because of shipping charges for both the book and the chocolate.

There are three ways to enter.

First, everyone gets a FREE entry!

If you'd like additional entries, help me spread the word about my Loving Lucianna Launch Party on Facebook on October 15 by tweeting about it. You can tweet about the launch party once a day.

And if you actually come to my Loving Lucianna Launch Party on October 15, you can earn 5 extra entries! We'll be playing games and giving away over 20 books as prizes! (Don't forget to claim your extra entries on Rafflecopter, though.)

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. I'll draw the winner's name on October 16.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Making of a Book Blurb

“Blurb” is author slang for the back cover copy on a book, a plot summary tease that it’s hoped will prompt a reader who reads it to say, “Hey, that sounds interesting. I think I’ll buy this book!” These BCCs (back cover copies or “blurbs”) used to appear regularly on the back of paperback books in particular, and they still do. But since e-books don’t have a back to print these summaries on, these are now the descriptive summaries that appear for all books (e-book and print) on a book’s page at online bookstores, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They are important for helping potential buyers understand what they are buying before they decide to make a purchase. They are still generally called back cover copies, even for books that don’t have a back cover, or simply slanged to “book blurb.”


(Example of the Back Cover Copy on a paperback book - 
from my Christmas short story, A Candlelight Courting)


In the past, I have written all my own BCCs, even, at the request of my editor, for my traditionally published books. But when it came to writing a BCC for The Lady and the Minstrel, I felt overwhelmed. This is my longest, most complicated book to date and although I took a few stabs at it, I had difficulty deciding which plot lines to emphasize over which other plot lines and still keep the BCC short enough that it wouldn’t become a short novel in itself.


(How I felt after several failed attempts at writing a book blurb
 for The Lady and the Minstrel)


That’s when a friend recommended author Julie Coulton Bellon to me. Julie, it appeared, wrote BCCs for other authors for a very reasonable fee, alongside her personal, award winning suspense novels. (Visit her website here.) I couldn’t comprehend how someone who hadn’t read my book could come up with an effective BCC that actually reflected my book’s contents, but I was getting desperate with The Lady and the Minstrel, so I decided to contact Julie and give her a try.

Julie had me send her a 2 page, double-spaced synopsis of my story. With great difficulty I managed to boil L&M down to two double-spaced pages and sent it off. Approximately a week later, Julie came up with a perfectly splendid BCC! The only problem was, it didn’t accurately reflect some of the events in my story. And whose fault was that? Mine! Because I had inadvertently planted all sorts of false leads in my synopsis that she had drawn together into the following first BCC attempt:

Love. Betrayal. Sacrifice
As a lowly commoner forced into near slavery, Robert Marcel dreams of freedom. He makes a daring escape and is nearly caught, but a young girl helps him slip away from his cruel master.
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée to the earl.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape and her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is bound to marry another, a cruel Earl she does not love, and she longs to be free to marry Robert. Since she once helped him gain his freedom, can he help her now to do the same?
They have one chance to be together---if Robert can stop an assassination plot that could threaten the balance of power in England. With everything at stake, including his very life, Robert will stop at nothing to claim the woman he loves. But can love truly conquer all?

Now if this had only been the story I wrote, it would have been lovely! In many respects it was very close, but some things were “off. The way I had phrased some things in my synopsis had given Julie a false understanding of events. Julie told me from the beginning that this would be a back-and-forth refining process until we (mostly she!) came up with a version I was happy with. So in my email response, I typed the following (my comments are in BLUE CAPS; some of my comments have been edited for format and length):

Love. Betrayal. Sacrifice I LOVE THE IDEA BEHIND THESE THREE WORDS, BUT I’M NOT SURE “BETRAYAL” IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STORY. NEITHER OF MY CHARACTERS ARE ACTUALLY BETRAYED, ALTHOUGH ROBERT IS SET UP AS BEING A BETRAYER OF THE KING 
As a lowly commoner forced into near slavery THIS MAKES IT SOUND LIKE HE WAS FREE AND THEN FORCED INTO NEAR SLAVERY, WHEN INSTEAD HE WAS BORN INTO THAT LIFE Robert Marcel dreams of freedom. He makes a daring escape and is nearly caught, but a young girl helps him slip away from his cruel master. I LIKE THESE TWO LINES. (MAYBE CHANGE THE FIRST PHRASE TO SOMETHING LIKE, “As a lowborn serf in 13th Century England, Robert Marcel dreams of freedom.”)
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée to the earl. THESE LINES ARE GOOD.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape and her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is bound to marry another, a cruel Earl she does not love, and she longs to be free to marry Robert. Since she once helped him gain his freedom, can he help her now to do the same. I THINK THIS WORKS. IT DOES FOLLOW SOME OF HER THOUGHT PATTERNS. 
They have one chance to be together---if Robert can stop an assassination plot that could threaten the balance of power in England. With everything at stake, including his very life, Robert will stop at nothing to claim the woman he loves. But can love truly conquer all I’M NOT SURE THESE LINES ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE STORY. I PROBABLY DIDN’T GIVE YOU ENOUGH INFORMATION. THE CONFLICT HE HAS TO OVERCOME ISN’T STOPPING THE ASSASSINATION — IT’S OVERCOMING THE PREJUDICE (FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD) THAT SAYS A SERF/VILLEIN CAN’T MARRY A LADY. (A LOWBORN MINSTREL SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO MARRY A LADY, EITHER. :-) )
AFTER REREADING THE SUMMARY I SENT YOU, I SEE THAT I DID MAKE IT SOUND LIKE ROBERT CAUGHT WIND OF THE PLOT AGAINST GUNTHAR BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT - HE ACTUALLY PREEMPTS THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, AND THAT LEADS TO A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT GRADUALLY UNRAVELS THE DETAILS OF THE PLOT - MY BAD FOR NOT MAKING THAT CLEAR!

After reflecting further on this version, I realized I had left out something even more important—that I had failed in my synopsis to make clear what the story of The Lady and the Minstrel was really “about.” So I sent a follow-up email to Julie, explaining in greater depth those aspects of the story I should have emphasized in the synopsis but didn’t.

Armed with the new information I had given her, Julie next came up with this version:

Prejudice. Customs. Culture. Can love truly conquer all?
In 13th century England, Robert Marcel, a common serf, chafes against the restrictions of his social class. In his mind, everyone should be free to pursue his own happiness---serf or nobleman---beholden to none  Robert tries to follow that dream and makes a daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away. 
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée to the earl. And with her status as a noblewoman she is completely out of his reach, no matter their history or how much he comes to love her. Is their love lost before it even had a chance to blossom all because of the circumstance of birth?
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is expected to marry the Earl, a man she does not love. Her social status dictates that she marry well, but she longs to be free to marry whom her heart chooses. Since she once helped Robert gain his freedom, can he help her now to do the same?

This was so very much closer! But being a bit (okay, maybe a lot!) of a nitpicker, I tinkered with this version and responded to it thusly:

In King John’s England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a serf on his lord’s manor. [REASONS FOR CHANGE: “restrictions” SOUNDED A LITTLE TOO MILD TO ME, MORE OF AN IRRITANT THAN A HEAVY, SUPPOSEDLY INESCAPABLE CONDITION IMPOSED ON ONE. In his mind, everyone should be free to pursue his own [happiness I’M AMBIVALENT ABOUT THE WORD “HAPPINESS”, BUT I’M NOT SURE WHY - IT MIGHT BE OKAY - I LOVE THE REST OF THIS SENTENCE!]—serf or nobleman—beholden to none. Robert tries to follow that dream and makes a daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away. I LOVE ALL OF THIS. :-)

Years pass and Robert uses his newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at a banquet for the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten—Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, now betrothed to the earl. [REASON FOR CHANGE: THE TERM “FIANCEE” DIDN’T COME INTO USE UNTIL THE 1800s. NITPICKY, I KNOW! BUT “BETROTHED” IS MORE MEDIEVAL AND WE CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE IN THIS SENTENCE.] And with her status as a noblewoman she is completely out of his reach, no matter their history or how much he comes to love her. Is their love lost before it even had a chance to blossom all because of the circumstance of birth?
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is expected to marry the Earl, a man she does not love. [Her social status dictates that she marry well - IT’S CONSIDERED A DUTY FOR HER TO MARRY WELL BECAUSE SHE IS HEIRESS TO VAST ESTATES AND SHE IS EXPECTED TO MARRY A MAN WHOSE STATUS MATCHES HER OWN WHO CAN GOVERN THESE ESTATES IN HER NAME (BECAUSE, OF COURSE, AS A WOMAN IN THE MIDDLE AGES, A MAN IS EXPECTED TO DO THE ACTUAL PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE LAND) AND ROBERT’S BIRTH WOULD PUT HIM OFF THE GRID OF POSSIBILITIES TO FULFILL THIS ROLE. I DON’T EXPECT YOU TO ADD ALL OF THIS TO THE BLURB, JUST CAN YOU WORD IT TO REFLECT MORE OF THE “DUTY” ASPECT OF HER MARRYING THE EARL, RATHER THAN SIMPLY A SOCIAL STATUS THING? MAYBE THAT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL DISTINCTION, BUT FULFILLING THE ROLE OF “DUTY” IS A MOTIVATING FACTOR IN MARGUERITE’S BETROTHAL TO THE EARL. ALSO, I MISS THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EARL BEING “CRUEL.” BUT YOU USE THE WORD “CRUEL” TO DESCRIBE ROBERT’S MASTER, SO WE’D NEED A DIFFERENT WORD THAT IMPLIES THE SAME CHARACTERIZATION FOR HIM. MAYBE THIS CHARACTERIZATION WOULD FIT BEST IN THE 2ND PARAGRAPH? BUT IT’S YOUR CALL. :-), but she longs to be free to marry whom her heart chooses. Since she once helped Robert gain his freedom, can he help her now to do the same? I STILL LIKE THIS PART. :-)

Retrospectively I also went back and added these comments to the lead-in: Prejudice. Customs. Culture. Can love truly conquer all? I’M NOT SURE I LIKE “CUSTOMS” AND “CULTURE,” BUT I DON’T HAVE ANY REPLACEMENT SUGGESTIONS. IT JUST GIVES ME THE FEEL THAT A READER WILL EXPECT THE STORY TO BE ABOUT “CUSTOMS AND CULTURE” AND WHILE THOSE ARE ASPECTS OF THE STORY, I DON’T WANT THE READER TO BE CONSCIOUSLY THINKING, “I’M READING A BOOK ABOUT CUSTOMS AND CULTURE” WHILE HE/SHE IS READING. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? (PROBABLY NOT! I’M NOT SURE HOW TO EXPLAIN IT OTHER THAN I DON’T THINK THE 2ND TWO WORDS GRAB ME AND PULL ME INTO THE STORY.)

One would think by now Julie was ready to throw my entire BCC against a wall in frustration, but instead she remained endlessly pleasant and cheerful and kind. She came back with this, which I accepted delightedly as the final version, for not only did it capture the essence of the romance and its conflicts, but in ways I can only ascribe to sheer inspiration, she also captured personality elements of my hero and heroine that I had never fully shared with her.

Here, then, is the BCC (or “blurb”) as it will appear on online book pages, as well as on a future print version, of The Lady and the Minstrel:

A forbidden love and a past they can’t leave behind . . .
In 13th century England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord’s manor. In his mind, everyone should be free to live how they choose—villein or nobleman—beholden to none  Robert tries to follow that dream and makes a daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away.
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at a banquet for the notorious Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten—now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, betrothed to the earl. Her status as a noblewoman puts her completely out of his reach, but Robert knows they are meant to be together. He vows to make her his wife no matter what the cost.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives, but Marguerite has a duty to marry the Earl. She longs to be free to marry Robert, the man she loves, but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear.
They are tested at every turn by those bent on driving them apart and destroying what they have found together. Can their love truly conquer all?

So there it is. The essence of the story captured beautifully by a hugely gifted woman who has never read the book, through what, in the end, was little more than a handful of email exchanges.


If you need help writing a BCC for a book of your own, I cannot recommend anyone more highly than Julie Coulter Bellon. You can contact her at juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com for a price list. Tell her a highly satisfied customer sent you. J