Underneath the kimonos

If you have followed my blog, you will know that there is a Japanese bondage scene in The Angel Sees Grey: Pleasure & Punishment for Mr. Darcy. I did wonder if Japanese women wear undies underneath the kimono in ancient time. How about the men?

 

Why did she has blood on her hands?

Headstrong Girls: A bit of mystery, a bit of love, all inspired by Jane Austen is published! It is a collection of short stories and short film script my friends Debra Anne, June and I created together. In the writings, we have all used the words "headstrong girl" there. We've also created a tag-along mystery story called Scream. Here is a teaser:

***

A loud scream pierced the night’s silence. It startled Netherfield’s sleeping occupants, and they scrambled out of their beds to trace the source of the disturbance.

Fitzwilliam Darcy grabbed the nightshirt by the bed and rushed toward the commotion, near Bingley’s family wing.

There, inside one of the chambers, the contorted body of Mrs. Louisa Hurst lay listless on the floor. The screeching poured from her sister, Miss Caroline Bingley. Standing by the window, she shrieked and pointed a finger at another person crouching by the body.

Miss Elizabeth Bennet! 

The mane of chocolate curls was loosened around her shoulders. In her modest muslin nightdress, which hid her lush curves, she looked like a vision from a faraway land, if not for the blood on her hands.

“Louisa!” Bingley exclaimed, and dashed to his injured sister.

“She killed her!” Miss Bingley wailed. “This evil woman murdered Louisa!”

“I came in to check on her!” Elizabeth rose to her defence, standing up to give way to Bingley, “I heard the sounds of a struggle.”

“Do not attempt to deny it!” snapped Miss Bingley as she pulled the cord for the servants. It was a rather futile action, as nearly half the household was already gathered outside the room. “You have blood on your hands.”

Elizabeth shook her head vehemently.

“Cooper,” Darcy stepped in, addressing the butler. “Send for the doctor and the magistrate immediately.”
“Yes, get the magistrate this instant, Mr. Darcy!” Miss Bingley bolted to his side and grasped his arm as she continued to throw allegations at Miss Bennet. “Get this vile woman to the gaol. She should be hanged for killing Louisa.”

“Be calm, Miss Bingley,” Darcy told her firmly. “The magistrate must investigate the matter. I am certain Miss Bennet is not related to Mrs. Hurst’s injury. Mrs. Nicholls, dismiss the servants and take Miss Bingley back to her room. She has suffered a shock, and needs rest. And, where is Hurst?”

Before Mrs. Nicholls, the housekeeper, could reply, Miss Bingley shook away her hand and jumped back from Mr. Darcy.

“I shall not rest until I see the magistrate taking this devil away.” She edged toward the windows and glared at Elizabeth.  “You have cast a spell on Mr. Darcy, witch! His love of your fine eyes dulls his wit.”


***
Oh, oh, why did Lizzy have blood on her hands? You can continue reading with Headstrong Girls. Now available:

Kindle USA
Kindle UK

Smashwords

Mr. Darcy in France

Readers following my wip will know that Darcy and Elizabeth are now in Corsica. Let me post an interesting YouTube clip for you to have a look. The music is quite good too. Imagine your favourite hero and heroine gracing the locations there.

My fascination with Corsica

In my latest work in progress, the Spinster's Vow, I'm bringing my hero and heroine to Corsica. Why? It's because I've visited the lovely island in 2009 and really want to set a story there. Hehe, the power of being an author!

It has taken nearly 70,000 words to bring my main characters there. And yet, when I wanted to describe the beauty and uniqueness of the island, my mind is filled with sub-plots and how take them back to England to solve a mystery.

It's going to be a quick trip to Corsica. How about you? Is there a place you have travelled to that you want a story set in there?

Statue of Napoleon in Ajaccio, Corsica

Useful busy bodies

This is the location in Corsica where my hero and heroine will meet two busy bodies. And from there, my heroine will learn about the fate of her missing father. I know where I want the scene to happen but I need to figure out how the two busy bodies can help. Should I make them as villains?

Split personality?

I love that on one side of Corsica, it's all lush and green and on the other side, it's dry and rugged, like Mars.

I think it's quite human, having some conflicting characteristics. One minute, we can feel joy while the next we can feel anger. In the Spinster's Vow, the heroine was torn by the disappearance of her father for 6 years. Her mood and temper vary a lot and that is getting on the nerves of the readers.

Do you know any friends or fictional characters that seem to possess a split personality? How do you cope with them?

The in-laws

Read a post over at Naked with Socks On about a woman complaining about money issues with her mother-in-law.

What do you think?

Put in your spin

Here is a strange looking building in Shanghai. I think a kind of tower for television station. It looks stranger by putting it in another angle. What does it remind you of? Can you spin a story from this lopside view?

Serial photos

BF's camera has the function to take serial photos. You can set it for 10 or 15 shots and just put it down somewhere and act up in front of the camera. The result tends to be quick funny.

Here are two photos, not using this function. Can you make a story out of them?

For me? They could be Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst. They are forced to wear less than elegant bikinis because of a loss in luggage.

How to charm a woman?

Here is another good photo story: a guitarist playing love songs on the beach. I can't imagine broody Mr. Darcy doing that. Perhaps charming baddie Wickham uses this "art and allurement" to tempt the heart of women.

I think his tan naked torso is more interesting!

She comes to the rescue

A picture tells a story. I can't agree more. Here is a photo of a railway track with raging river flowing through. As North Queensland has fields after fields of sugar cane, you can see a lot of sugar railways. I immediately think of Lizzy playing in this area when she's a teenager. Perhaps one day, an uptight Mr. Darcy visits the area and falls into the river. I'll have Lizzy to rescue him. Hehe, not a traditional romance story, where the hero saves the damsel in distress.

From plot to story

A fan asked me to write a story about spam emails awhile ago. You know emails that said they could help you increase your inches, make you more powerful etc.

Her suggestion was nine inches. I thought about how it could relate to Pride and Prejudice and remembered Charles Bingley had horrible penmanship.

An idea then came into mind. What if someone wrote that Mr. Darcy had 9 inches? But the writing was so bad that Elizabeth read it as 3 inches?

That was how the short story Three Inches came about. You can read an excerpt here.

Seating arrangement for dinner party

I'm planning a dinner party, not in real life, but for a Regency novel I'm writing. I'm not sure how to make the seating arrangement and here are some good tips from Annette who searches for more Regency information for me:

guests were not assigned seats, but it was by chance

it was bad manners for a woman to help herself so unless the servants were serving, there had to be at least one man per two women

Jane Austen for Dummies said there was an order of entry into the dining room.

Aristocracy (titled first, non titled second)

Titled commoners and their offspring

Married women before Single women

Most distinguished woman to the right of the host and most distinguished man to the right of the hostess

Checkmate!

I love board games. But what about this one? How to link it to steamy stories?

German Sausage

Get your mind back from the gutter. The photo is about real sausage! Do you have a story about it?

Photo week

I'm in the mood of featuring some photos this week. This is the first one. What kind of steamy stories can it inspire?

Regency inspiration

Searching for some Regency related inspiration and this Period trailer with dances, flirtation, murder etc is quite interesting.

Do you have some movie or tv inspiration to share?

I am not drunk

I'm editing my new novel Really Angelic. There was a scene where Mr. Darcy was drunk and almost made love to Elizabeth Bennet.

I heard some men said they couldn't do anything when they were drunk. But some said they were quite capable of amorous gestures when they were drunk. I wonder why such a difference...

Sexy inspiration

Christmas means a lot of parties.

When I was browsing for a costume online, I came across a lot of steamy ones which fuel my imagination for spicy stories.

Here are a few to wet your appetite.

Photo from 3wishes.com

Spare me the blood please!

My sister loves to watch crime stories on tv. CSI, Bones, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Miss Marple, Midsummer Murder, the Bills, you name it, she watches it.

But I hate to see blood, skeletons, dismembered corpses. Why are horrible crime scenes needed? Can a good crime story go without the crime scene?