My first drafts tend to be long. Way too long. I've gotten better at trusting readers to know what I mean without hitting them over the head, but my natural inclination is to keep typing.
When I had to write term papers, I was the student fiddling with the margins and font sizes to make it shorter. Professors would look at me and say, "Only 20 pages."
Can we still be friends?
So, it's surprising that I have a short story on pre-sale now, available September 1. Me. A quick read. A novelette. A complete, sweet, short read. Whatever you call it, this romantic and shorter path to a happy ever after is meant to be read in one sitting. If it was a paperback, it would be about four chapters.
The Gentlemen Are Detained takes place primarily at an evening at Longbourn after Elizabeth's trip to Derbyshire. Darcy and Bingley have returned after Lydia's marriage---and Elizabeth knows about Darcy's involvement. Mrs. Bennet invites the Netherfield gentlemen to dinner, and both Elizabeth and Darcy wonder if they'll find the chance to speak alone and if they have reason to hope that the other loves them.
The title comes from chapter 54 of Pride and Prejudice.
“Mrs. Bennet had designed to keep the two Netherfield gentlemen to supper; but their carriage was, unluckily, ordered before any of the others, and she had no opportunity of detaining them.”
Does that sound like the Mrs. Bennet we know and love? I didn't think so, either. Read The Gentlemen Are Detained to find out what she does, and if Darcy and Elizabeth get an opportunity to be alone and find a faster road to their happy ever after.
I'm offering a giveaway of The Gentlemen Are Detained for one reader anywhere in the world. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter before August 31.
If the Rafflecopter form doesn't load properly, here's the link to enter:
The winner will be announced September 2. Good luck!