Welcome! Today’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour is for The Vanished Bride of Northfield House by Phyllis M. Newman.  Ms. Newman was gracious enough to provide a guest post for my blog today. I’ll provide information about the book and the rafflecopter giveaway after the guest post! Enjoy!

WRITING – ONE STEP AT A TIME

It’s a bad day when the only thing I’ve written is a grocery list!

Most authors have been warned not to wait until ‘the mood strikes’ to create. The general consensus in the writing community is that waiting is a surefire way to never get anything accomplished. To avoid this, I follow the practice of writing every day, even if it is only for twenty minutes. (Truthfully, I have sometimes done my most interesting work during these short spurts!)

I sit at the computer and compose daily, even if I have no clear ideas or goals about my project. I might start with penning interesting scenes, unusual characters and their interaction with others, or descriptions of places. I love to create mood, intrigue, or romantic interludes. When I do this, it leads me to an idea for the plot, then another. This is always fun for me, to see where just fooling around takes me.

But once I have started a project, I find myself thinking of my story and my characters all the time. I keep a small notebook with me to jot down ideas, words, and phrases that I will want to use. Younger writers will no doubt use their phones or other electronic devices for this purpose (I have never gotten beyond the pure pleasure of writing cursive, pen in hand, on paper.)

And I also go to group …

If you want to develop your very best work, you do it with the help of a group! Creditable writing that resonates with the reader is done best with the assistance of a dedicated writing group.

I belong to a merry little band of colleagues called Company of Writers, who go well beyond grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure in making corrections and recommendations. They communicate what they see (or, often, don’t see) in the mood, arc of the story, conflict, plot and character development.

I don’t always see it their way, or take all of their advice, but they encourage me and spur me on to thinking through trouble spots I don’t even notice. I work harder and better with their advice and support. They take my rough stones and polish them into real gems.

My reward for my daily effort and the assistance of Company of Writers is a finished manuscript, THE VANISHED BRIDE OF NORTHFIELD HOUSE.  And you can bet that sometime today I will sit down and see where my minimum of 20 minutes takes me next!

The Vanished Bride of Northfield House

Gothic Mystery
1st in Series
Date of Release January 26, 2018
Cup of Tea Books
Paperback: 346 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1939403452
Digital ASIN: B0791MQVBM
Purchase Link: Amazon

Rafflecopter Giveaway

England, 1922  Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret—she can see spirits.

Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not. He has two handsome sons, the wry and dashing Thomas and the dark and somber Owen.

Anne feels sure her prayers have been heard. Until the terrifying night, she stumbles upon a tortured spirit roaming the dark halls of Northfield, a spirit that only she can see.

In a search for answers, she finds herself drawn to Owen as they unearth a tragic story from the Wellington family’s past—a beautiful young bride gone missing on her wedding day.

Then tragedy strikes again on the night of a glittering masquerade ball…

Phyllis M Newman turned to writing mysteries after a career in finance and human resources. She lives in Columbus, Ohio in a big house with a weed-filled yard, three strong-willed cats, and a husband that’s easy on the eyes.

Author webpage www.readphyllismnewman.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReadPhyllisMNewman/

Thanks for joining me today! If you wish to visit other stops on the tour, please click on the banner below to get to the main tour page!