My Blog

#6 It’s Here!

There’s no end to the dilemmas facing Avery, Lord Hammond as he stubbornly insists on waiting to propose to his beloved in my latest romance, The Duke’s Dilemma.

I want us to have the blessing associated with the ring, Linney, and I want my father’s blessing as well, but both are at Terra Bella.

Silly man. Don’t you know what can happen while you’re off fetching the family betrothal ring?

Easton engagement ringI had such a fun time writing Linney and Avery’s story. And because the Easton family betrothal ring played such an important part (it was almost a character by itself), I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the ring and sketching what I thought it might look like—I even found a picture of a real ring that was similar. Do you like it?

In my mind, the center stone is the rose quartz found on Easton lands by the first duke and the two large side stones are the diamonds that represent the engaged couple. Well, here—Avery describes it better:

It’s a beautiful ring—the center stone is rose quartz, a stone that stands for never-ending love and happiness. On both sides of the center stone are two diamonds representing the engaged couple. The larger stones are surrounded by smaller, perfectly matched diamonds that represent each generation. After our first son is born, I will add another diamond to the ring so it will be ready for him to give to his bride.

I hope you enjoy the duke and his dilemma.

#5 Buy Hyacinth

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

Purple hyacinth
Buy hyacinth to feed your soul.

Shelley’s words, along with the forced bulbs currently popping up in the grocery stores, have reminded me that, even in this year of uncertainty, spring will come again. And so, as the evergreens, Christmas cacti, and amaryllises (I swear, I looked it up) fade, they are replaced with crocus, tulips, tiny daffodils, and, my favorite, hyacinths.

I have never been able to find any perfume, lotion, or other scent-laden item that offers the true fragrance of a hyacinth. Those I have tried were too cloying or too sweet or just too much. The hyacinth fragrance (I think the pink ones smell the best) is light, but not too timid. You notice it when you walk into a room, but it’s not so overbearing that you want to walk out again. Continue reading “#5 Buy Hyacinth”

#4: Save Your Novel!

I’ve been writing for a very long time, but only recently was I introduced to a wonderful book about writing called Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody.

For anyone who doesn’t know (I assumed I was the last one), this guide is based on screenwriter Blake Snyder’s popular 2005 book called Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. In a nutshell, Snyder’s book became an instant classic when it was used by screenwriters, directors, producers—pretty much everyone involved in developing a film—to create a story that was tighter, more compelling, and, importantly, successful. Continue reading “#4: Save Your Novel!”

#3: Colors of the Day

Like many readers of romance, I love fashion. I enjoy a good runway show—no matter when or where it is—and have been known to spend hours leafing through pages of fashion dos and don’ts or scrolling through hundreds of of red-carpet favorites and flops.

When I write historical romance, I always include a bit of fashion for my like-minded readers. Of course, I want the wardrobes of characters to be historically accurate (with only a little writer’s license from time to time), but I also want them to be fabulous. Or not. Continue reading “#3: Colors of the Day”

#2: Puzzling

For the past several months I’ve been up to my eyes in research—okay, maybe only up to my neck. The point is that I’ve been doing a lot of research. And I love it.

One of the most fun things about writing fiction is that you get to make things happen any way you want. But sometimes it’s overwhelming to have the sky as the limit, which is why I enjoy writing historical romance.

Regency valentine rebus
A regency valentine to Anna.

With historicals, I’m still in control (as much as any writer ever is) of the characters and the plot, but the setting and the world my characters inhabit are constrained by history. So, for example, while my regency romance can have a heroine who talks back to a duke, she won’t be texting her comments to her adversary and she won’t be meeting him at Starbucks wearing a vinyl mini-skirt. The historical aspects of the setting provide the boundaries and guidelines that—at least for me—make the writing easier. Continue reading “#2: Puzzling”

#1: Hello World!

It’s a familiar way to start, so we’ll just go with it:

Hello world! Welcome to the website of Carolina Prescott, a writer of historical romance.

I’m really excited about my blog here. (I should be—I’ve been thinking about it for a really long time.) There are so many things I want to write about: things I’ve learned while doing research for my books, things I’ve learned about the writing for the romance market, and things I’ve learned about being a writer. Along the way, I expect I’ll tangent (and yes, I do use it as a verb) Continue reading “#1: Hello World!”