I have finally finished the linked short story to 'The Cameo Brooch'. It is an historical one set in the late 19th century, a period I am not used to writing about, and it showed from the comments I got from my editor. I now know that in the era, single women couldn't entertain men alone, they had to have someone with them, or it would be deemed inappropriate. I had put this in my story. So I asked for help from the good people in the RNA via their Yahoo email group. One member, Liz Bailey whom I know writes historical ebooks, replied. She has helped me immensely to make the story more authentic. I have now given my heroine, Beatrice, an eccentric aunt with a maid and a man about the house so she didn't entertain her betrothed alone. Having done this, I thought, hey this aunt and her staff can have a story of their own. I also decided to give Bea's younger sister a weak heart so she has to live with her older sister, Constance. Then I thought, there could be another story there about how she comes out of her shell and moves away from Constance, finding her own path.
So, one story leads to three more stories. Seems I could be addicted to writing. I have become interested in the 19th century after watching an episode of the TV series, 24 hours in the past. I have been researching that era on my iPad as I write the story. It is interesting. So, watch out for more historical short stories from me.
