I’d written yesterday’s post in the morning, then went on an errand and remembered a few more things to add, but promptly forgot until after I’d read over it one last time and posted it. (Because nothing is ever simple with me.) So, I’ll post a few other facts about Intentions of the Earl and give a few other updates.
- When I was done writing it and ready for someone else to read it, I printed out a copy for my husband to read while we went on vacation in the summer of 2010–which he did. However, in all the chaos to print the book, I’d someone printed a full and partial copy. I put the full copy in a binder for my husband and let my kids draw/write on the other pages (they were 3 and 4, no big deal). Bob was reading it by the fire one night while we were camping and suddenly he flips the page, then the next then flips it back and jumps up, saying, “Where’s the missing page?!” Apparently, when I’d put the book in the binder, I’d somehow got one page separated. As luck would have it, it was the page that stopped mid-sentence when John rushes into the library confront Andrew after they’ve been caught in the bushes. I think he got as far as, “You’re nothing but a no-good–” then the page turned but the rest of the sentence wasn’t there! I then had to go to the car and search the floor to see if I could find a copy of the missing page. Fortunately, I found it!
- My oldest son wrote a note to a little girl in his Kindergarten class on the back of one of my print out copies during the scene of the ruination. Blessedly, I was able to avoid any uncomfortable telephone calls from other parents because I found it in his backpack before he got to school. And that marked the end of me allowing my kids to write, color, draw or do origami with my recycled papers.
- As you’ve probably noticed, I have an abbreviated name for each of my books, this one we just call Earl. Around our house for a while we talked about Earl (and sometimes Brooke) so much that I got a call from my son’s teacher to ask if we had a relative named Earl. Apparently, my kids talked about Earl, too.
- This is my only book that doesn’t have an epilogue, but not for lack of trying. Originally, I started to write one. It was to be a simple two-scene affair: Andrew walking Brooke and Madison back to Watson Townhouse where he dropped Madison off and informed John and Carolina he was reclaiming his wife and there was naught they could do about it. Simple, right? Not at all. There wasn’t a lot I could say in the epilogue because the burning question was: what were Gateway’s motives. I wasn’t ready to reveal that yet, but neither did I want the characters to start digging into it so I decided the less said the better and ended the book. Also, because of spoilers involving the next books in the series, I wasn’t keen on flashing forward any amount of time, so just left it. I do have a file on my computer titled “Epilogue for Intentions of the Earl” where I’ve made three different attempts to write one, but it always comes down to: I just can’t.
- I didn’t know who’d gone to visit Andrew in disguise until book three. All FOUR of those Banks ladies were possibilities (yes, even Brooke) at first. But, Brooke wouldn’t have been so calm, or kept her identity hidden after they’d spoken and she knew he loved her, so that threw her out after only a few moments of thinking. Madison made sense because she really didn’t want to see her sister leave–she also knew what it was like to lose happiness and didn’t want her sister hurt. Liberty was a possibility, because well, yeah, Liberty likes to live by the rules, but she also likes to break them whenever it suits her (see the second chapter of her book). But, I just didn’t see that as a compelling option. Which left Carolina. Now, that I could see. She wanted to see her daughter happy. So for a while, I was torn: was it Carolina or Madison. I did know that this favor would be “called in” in book three and with Carolina not able to be an active part of the book at the time to use it to plead for her daughter’s freedom, it became apparent that it had to be Madison. Honestly, it’s ridiculous that I didn’t have that settled right at first, because everything about that visit screamed Madison: she could be quiet and reserved, yet be very forthcoming about what she wanted; she was also timid, yet brave when needed. A stranger who dressed in disguise to go see a gentleman in the dead of night needed to have all of those qualities.
Now for the updates!
Keeping in line with my beating all of you over the head with facts from Intentions of the Earl I should post a fun update about the book! A while back I had the front cover updated and now…
In other updates…
Traveler has had no change since yesterday, but the untitled book I’m working on (and praying I don’t write all three in the series before coming up with a title) is moving along very well. Thursday, I hit the 2/3rds mark of my approximate word count and since I started the book back in 2011, at this pace, I should finish in late 2014! Only teasing. I’m hoping to be done by mid-December! Which means I’d better start thinking of a name right quick!
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and tomorrow I’ll post another scene!
Rose Unscripted 
more fun…in my case, my cat would be the one clawing up the printed pages and sometimes he tries to get them out of the printer…lol
That’s funny about how you decided it was Madison who went to Andrew’s, because when I was reading it I knew for a fact it was her. It was exactly what she would have done!
Exactly, it’s easy to see it stepping back, but at the time, I wasn’t sure if maybe, just maybe. But you’re right, there really only one person it could have been because that IS how she is. (It was also why she insisted Brooke go by his townhouse before going to the gardens–she wanted to make sure he’d be there.)