I almost always have music playing when I’m writing or editing. I put together playlists for each book so I can get myself in the right mood. Here are all the songs I’ve been listening to while writing and editing Her Runaway Lady, a sapphic romance set in Paris in the 1880s. The setting is a Belle Epoque That Never Was but the music in this playlist, titled Sapphos, is all over the place.
It includes Fever Ray, k.d. lang, Billie Eilish, Unwoman, Sinead O’Connor, Morphine, Satie, songs from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, Cat Stevens, Kate Bush, Baby Rose, Girlpool, Suzanne Vega, yeule, Saint Avangeline, Kiki Rockwell, Aimee Mann, Nouvelle Vague, Florence + the Machine, Christine and the Queens, Julien Baker, dodie, India, Tove Lo, Cecile Chaminade, Arlo Parks, Floor Cry, chloe moriondo, Debussy, Jill Tracy, Willow, and Sharon Van Etten.
These songs have ALL the feels of two young women falling in love but resisting that with everything they’ve got.
If you listen to it, leave a comment and let me know what your favorite track is.
A fine cup of tea at Betty’s Tea Room in York, U.K.
So I have a dusty partial manuscript of a lesbian contemporary romance hanging about. This is a scene I wrote that sets up the main character’s plotline but won’t be in the actual book. I thought it would be a fun read.
Tea
Ginny stood in her tiny kitchen shuffling through bags and canisters of tea. The musty, floral, smoky dust drifting out of the cupboard tickled her nose. She pried open a brightly patterned metal tin full of green tea leaves and sniffed. Her wide mouth twisted and she shut the lid. Nope. Not this morning. She grabbed another canister, catching a couple of bags that slithered out of the cupboard.
“Eric, what kind of tea do you want? I can’t decide,” she called over her shoulder.
Her best friend slouched over the counter, perching on a bar stool. He shrugged. His face had a greenish tinge and his eyes were still smudged with black eyeliner. Last night had turned into this morning and neither of them had slept. Eric’s drag show had dragged on into the wee hours. A cup of tea before crashing had seemed like a good idea but Ginny’s tired brain couldn’t make a decision and apparently neither could Eric.
She sighed. “Fine, my English breakfast as usual. I just hope the milk hasn’t gone off. I meant to get some yesterday.” The giant tin of her favorite black tea was already on the counter. Ginny scooped heaping tablespoons of leaves into her trusty brown teapot and tapped her fingers, waiting for the water to boil. The kettle always took ages. Maybe one day she’d buy one of those fancy Japanese water boilers that Eric had. Maybe one day she wouldn’t struggle to pay rent and the water boiler would seem like a reasonable purchase.
The whistling kettle pierced the air and they both winced. It had been a long night and Ginny had lost track of how many drinks she’d tossed back. All of her favorite drag queens had been at the show and they all insisted on buying her a drink. She couldn’t say no. It was their way of showing gratitude for her help with makeup, hair, and backstage wardrobe malfunctions
“You really love tea, don’t you?” Eric broke into her train of thought.
She poured the boiling water over the tea leaves before shooting a glance at him. “Well, yes. What of it? You love tea too.”
He shifted on the stool, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “I love tea but not like you. You LOVE tea. Look at your cabinet. You have a monthly tea budget. And your own tea blends? Which are fantastic. You’re a tea fanatic, Ginny my love.”
She pursed her lips, watching the tea timer. “So I’m really into tea. What’s your point?”
He was silent and Ginny glanced over at him. She knew him well enough to know that look. “You’re scheming.”
Eric’s mouth dropped open for a moment then shut with a clap. “I wouldn’t say scheming exactly. It’s just that I had an idea.”
Ginny poured the tea into mismatched porcelain mugs and inhaled the aromatic steam with closed eyes. “Ideas at 6 am before tea? Not good. Here, drink this.” She shoved a mug across the counter to him.
He blew across the liquid and took a sip. “Mmm, nice, what is this?”
She grinned. “I blended some pu’er and Assam with a little Pekoe. It’s great with milk.”
He shuddered. “Milk in tea? Heathen.”
“Just because Chinese people don’t like milk in their black tea doesn’t mean I can’t like it.”
Eric put down his mug and fixed her with a stare. “My mother would kill me if I put milk in my tea. But anyway. I have an idea. About your career.”
Ginny snorted and raised her eyebrow. “Career? I don’t have a career, sweetie. I have a series of low-paying gigs and soul-killing retail jobs.”
His smile called to mind the cat who’d stolen the salmon off the counter. “Exactly. What you need is direction. Passion. Motivation.”
She gulped down her tea then wrinkled her nose at him. “You sound like a career counselor or something. What are you getting at?”
“You love tea, no you’re obsessed with tea. So make something of it. Open a business. A tea store, a booth at craft fairs, I don’t know, what about a tea room?”
The sound she made could’ve been mistaken for a cat with a particularly nasty hairball. “Tea room? Like one of those lace doily and matching china tourist traps downtown? Me? Are you kidding?”
Eric sipped his tea, waiting for her to calm down. She sputtered and huffed for a while. After Ginny’s snorts and expletives had quieted, he tried again.
“I meant something more you. Unique tea blends. Tea that people who know tea would want to drink. But nothing really high end. We already have that in Victoria.”
Ginny frowned in concentration. She did love playing with teas but she wasn’t convinced that it could actually be something she made money doing.
I recently read (and LOVED) Jessie Thomas’s new release, Once Upon a Dark October, a sapphic vampire romantasy, so thought I’d chat with her about her writing and inspiration for her book.
What inspired you to write Once Upon a Dark October?
I love writing about vampires, and I hadn’t written a sapphic romance yet even though I really wanted to, so I decided it would be fun to mix the two in a dark, Gothic setting. And then I started thinking about the usual fairytale elements—curses, shapeshifting, sleeping women in coffins, etc.—and how interesting they’d become if they were twisted a bit and then blended with some familiar vampiric lore. The title really made everything else come together.
All curses made in blood must be broken with blood.
ONCE UPON A DARK OCTOBER is an adult sapphic reimagining of Cinderella with a vampiric twist on other classic fairytale tropes. Available now through Amazon.
How long did it take you to write (and edit) Once Upon a Dark October?
It took longer than I’d planned. I worked on it off and on over the course of a year, and after about six months of that year, it finally felt like the story elements were coherent. It’s so rewarding to see it all take shape and to polish it up after you’ve hammered out the details.
Who is your favorite character and why?
It’s so hard to choose! I love the coven; the ensemble scenes are fun with the banter and the characters learning how to work through their conflicts and combine their powers and skill sets. All of them bring something to the fight and they’re loyal to each other.
What came first, the characters or the world?
I think the world came first. I was kind of thinking of Poe when the title came to me: “Once upon a midnight dreary…” And so this gloomy, sea-swept coastal town of perpetual fog and mist came to mind.
Where do you write your books?
I attempt to write them while my cats help. And by “help,” I mean they demand attention and try to interfere (or advise?) with the editing process.
What’s your go to beverage while writing?
Something cozy! My writing routine starts with a nice, warm drink, so usually I’ll have cappuccino or hot chocolate.
What can you tell us about your next book?
I have more works in progress than I can count, but I’m hoping my next release will be finally finishing up another vampire romantasy, A RANSOM IN BLOOD. It’s the first in a duology—a regency Bridgerton-esque inspired world where a thieving woman unexpectedly finds herself blood-bound to the vampire she attempts to steal from. When her rival steals the vampire’s ancient relic, they’re forced on a journey together to get it back, and she has to keep the vampire alive with her blood. And then he offers to tend to her every desire in exchange… I’m hoping it’ll be ready by early next year.
Melissa Addey writes historical fiction and has just released her first Regency romance, Lady for a Season, a delightful addition to the genre. I asked her about her book and writing in general. Here's what she has to say.
What were the differences between writing historical fiction and historical romance and why did you try that new genre?
I’d just finished a series set in Ancient Rome which follows the backstage team of the Colosseum as they stage the gladiatorial Games. Some of the material was quite dark and I wanted something lighter. I thought writing a Regency romance would be full of pretty clothes, elegant manners and falling in love – so I wrote Lady for a Season and it’s been all of those things but also came with darker elements. History isn’t all sunshine! It’s been interesting just how shocked romance readers have been about some of those darker elements compared to my usual historical fiction readers, I think less pleasant parts of the Regency era are sometimes skimmed over, but I wanted my world to be accurate. I think it’s a warm love story and definitely a romantic ending, but it starts a little bleakly. My books have always had a romantic streak but I knew with a proper romance I’d have to make sure romance was always front and centre, I learnt a lot by reading many other Regency romances and seeing what I liked about that genre. I found my ‘mentor’ in Mary Balogh, who I feel often brings in something unexpected from the era which makes the romance harder but adds a lot of authenticity. I hope I can do the same.
What inspired you to write this book?
I had this idea of a My Fair Lady makeover for a girl pretending to be a lady, but also what happens if you’re locked away as ‘mad’ (which covered rather a lot of conditions in those times, many of them not really serious mental health conditions at all) and then have to come out of that place and be launched into high society? I like that it isn’t just Maggie (a maid) who is out of place, it’s Edward too, because although he was born into the ton, he’s been locked away for a long time and he doubts himself. I wanted them to grow together. And I’ll admit I liked the My Fair Lady element of making over Maggie, I spent an entire morning of research just creating a moodboard of her entire wardrobe, choosing pretty bonnets and gowns! You can see a fair bit of it on the Pinterest page for the book. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/melissaaddey/lady-for-a-season/
Who is your favourite character and why?
Although I love Maggie and Edward as the main characters and really like that they have an equal journey to feel sure of themselves and know their own worth, I got a surprise while writing when Honora (Lady Fortescue) opened her mouth. I plot my books, but my notes just said I wanted her to be a friend to Maggie and not be intimidated by high society because she was so intimately part of it. I wrote her opening lines where she lists all the eligible bachelors of the season and comments on each of them and found myself thinking “Oh, you’re a lot of fun.” I liked that she knew what the rules were but also could see high society for what it really is and make fun of it. She’s very scathing of that hallowed institution, Almack’s! She will get a book of her own as part of the series one day, as will many other minor characters… try and spot them as you read! I also liked Old John, the head of the stables. He says something important to Edward which made me (and Edward) a little misty-eyed. Often, it’s minor characters who catch my attention because I’ve spent so much time thinking about the main characters that I know them intimately but the characters around them may surprise me once I start writing.
Where do you write your books?
I’m very lucky to have a little office in my house, one whole wall is books and papers (mostly research) and I face the window. I have plants along the windowsill, including a cactus which started out the size of my thumb and now has turned into a huge mad Dr-Seuss-like creature with octopi-like tentacles everywhere, I love it. I have a little space just by my computer screen currently full of pretty shells as a sort of visual mood board for the next book I’m writing, The Viscount’s Pearl, another Regency romance in a standalone series I have planned. The series is called the Regency Outsiders because the main characters are somewhat out of the norm but still need to play by the rules of the ton.
What’s your go to beverage while writing?
In winter, Redbush Chai by Dragonfly Teas, it’s yummy. In summer, 1/3 beetroot juice topped up with ice and sparkling water, very refreshing though it does make it look like I’m downing pints of red wine!
If you’d like to explore Melissa’s writing, check out her website at www.MelissaAddey.com. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you won’t be disappointed!
It’s a beautifully written, evocative story of a country girl swept into the court of the Sun King. I felt immersed in the world of 18th century Amiens and later Paris and Versailles, as seen through the eyes of an innocent (but thankfully not stupid) young girl, Sylvienne. She was excited to experience life beyond her small town but I loved that she didn’t make any truly reckless decisions despite being completely out of her element at the Sun King’s Court. She acted more like a girl of the time period not a modern teenager and I deeply appreciated that veracity to history. The other characters were all well crafted as well, from King Louis and his mistress Athenais to the people of Amiens and Sylvienne’s friends in Amiens.
The descriptions of the clothing worn at Court were swoon worthy and so vivid. As you may remember, I LOVE fancy dress and this book has ALL the clothes. Yum.
I also loved that difficult emotional situations were resolved realistically with respect to both the characters and the society of the time. No hand waving magic fixes for romance here.
The book really took me back in time which was so much fun.
How lovely it is to get a deep, thoughtful review. I am so appreciative of W.A. Stanley for this delightful writeup of The Cultist’s Wife. He really enjoyed my Roboticist of Versailles books and I was a little nervous about the reception of this one since it’s so different. Happily, he had only positive things to say!
It was irresponsible, really, the way he wielded his smile without a care for where it landed. – Miss Amelia Thorne
I mean how swoony is that? I love historical romance but they’re not always that romantically written, if you know what I mean. I was drawn in by the set up: a noble scientist photographer and a scandalous recluse. What could possibly go wrong? It’s billed as a sweet Victorian romance and in my experience, those can be kind of bland. I was pleasantly surprised that this was most certainly not bland. The author packed in all the glorious, tumultuous emotions of a forbidden love without resorting to the usual smoldering looks and harsh kisses (and totally unrealistic trysts, looking at you, my beloved Bridgerton).
The love between the protagonists felt real and believable. And I liked them both, something uncommon for me. It was also beautifully written, almost as poetic as the many Wordsworth quotes scattered through the book.
This book o’ mine had a long, strange, and winding journey to publication but it’s HERE.
Long time readers of this blog first encountered it as a story about a little girl going to the Bahamas called Sand and Bones. Then I re-wrote it to be Clara’s story, and it became Escaping Andronicus. And then I let my Beta readers (thank you Dover and Thena!) at it (again) and it was finally titled The Cultist’s Wife.
Then it sat in my To Be Edited folder while I worked on The Vitruvian Mask because I had people asking me for a sequel to The Archimedean Heart and I am nothing if not responsive to my readers. <grin>
But finally, I returned to this book and polished it up to a shine. I had my developmental editor give it another pass. A sensitivity reader took a look at it from a Black Bahamian perspective. I hired a proofreader (thanks, Alison!) and got a great cover designer (Kelley York at Sleepy Fox Studios). I think it’s the story I wanted to tell now.
I have had some lovely people look at the ARCs and wanted to share snippets of their reviews:
The book took my breath away…
It had everything that I was looking for…
I was so enthralled in this story I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I couldn’t be reading it.
This was a quick read and it sucked me in right away!
Read this in 2 days. Very readable!
Awww, you folks are so sweet! <BLUSH> I was so pleased to read these reviews!
If you want your own copy, The Cultist’s Wife is on sale through the month of May.
It’s part of a promo package with a ton of other horror, mystery, and suspense books here or by itself here.
BJ Sikes, author 