I’m done with writing and the initial edits of the three books I was working on at the end of last year. The Imperfect Husband, Shane’s Deal, and Kidnapping the Viscount are all ready for my editing team.
This means that I have an opening now for three new books. I’ve already picked out two that I want to do.
The first one is The Wedding Pact.
It’s a Regency, and it is Book 3 in the Marriage by Fairytale Series. This follows One Enchanted Evening (which will be available this Sunday).
This one is very loosely based off of Little Red Riding Hood, and it will have a gothic undertone with the primary focus, of course, on the romance. Our heroine has been forced to live a secluded existence after her parents’ death. She has a guardian she’s never met, but this guardian has dictated every detail of her life. Through the servants, everything she’s been taught, what she’s been allowed to wear, and what she’s even been allowed to eat has been under his control. She’s never been to London, nor has she had a Season.
The day comes when she turns twenty-one, and this is the day he’s decided to pay her a visit. Long story short, he’s been keeping her under lock and key (so to speak) because he intends to marry her. I don’t know the details of who he is, and I won’t know them until I write the book. But suffice it to say, this guy’s a jerk. She ends up running away, and that’s when she comes across Vicar Julian Roskin. Julian has appeared in The Marriage Contract and One Enchanted Evening.
I don’t really know much more than this at this time except that her guardian will be tracking her down. I have a side plot that is happening during these events, but I don’t want to get bogged down into that in this post.
The second book is Nelly’s Mail-Order Husband.
(I have no cover yet)
This is going to start a new series that features the Larson family. In this case, we’re getting to Tom and Jessica’s daughters. Since they had all girls, I decided to name the series “The Husband List” since these girls all have a mission to find husbands. That is, except for Nelly, who is the oldest daughter. She’s very independent, and she would rather stay single. I introduce her in The Imperfect Husband (which is coming out in March), and I set the stage for who she is. She’s pretty much a tomboy, and she loves working the land. She hates cooking and sewing. And by the time this story begins, she owns her own homestead.
Well, her sisters feel sorry for her because they can’t imagine how she can be happy without a husband. So they get a mail-order husband for her. The man they pick, however, has no idea that a landowner out west isn’t wealthy. He agrees to the marriage thinking that there will be money and servants. His family just lost their money, so he had gone out west to marry Nelly thinking his financial problems are over.
So really, both he and Nelly are going to be in for a surprise because of her scheming (but well-meaning) sisters. This book is going to be a comedy. I don’t know much more than what I just told you, but that’s how things are for me when I write. I only have enough to get a story started. The rest evolves as I write it.
Okay, so that brings me to a third opening, and this is where I need your help.
I have two options that I’m willing to write, but I don’t know which one to go with. I’m going to tally up the answers you leave in the comments, and the book that gets the most mentions will be the one I’ll write.
Option 1: Forever Yours
This will be Dave and Mary’s third and final book. Dave’s going to sustain an injury that will render him unable to do any farm work, and it’ll be up to Mary (and others) to get through the summer. Dave will be the one who’ll deal with insecurities for a change. Usually, it’s Mary, but I thought it’d be fun to switch things around.
Option 2: Not titled yet
This will be a Regency, and it would be Book 4 in the Marriage by Fairytale series. This will be loosely based off of Snow White, but in this case, the step-mother isn’t the villian. Our heroine is a lady who has given up on ever finding a husband. She’ll be in her earlier thirties at the beginning of the story. Her family (younger sisters, perhaps) will come into need for money, and they’ll need it fast. So our heroine agrees to marry a duke who keeps himself holed up from the world. No one has seen him in years. He has a stepdaughter, and he has gone through two wives. Both wives have mysteriously died, which makes our heroine’s venture into this marriage a risky venture and will offer wonderful gothic undertones that I’m eager to explore.
Which one do you want to read more? Option 1 or Option 2?
Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog 
Option 2 — I like the fairytale series! Also am looking forward to Tom and Jessica’s daughter’s stories!!
I’m looking forward to doing the stories featuring Tom and Jessica’s girls, too. I already started Nelly’s book, and already, I think Tom would be such a fun father to have. 🙂
Option 1
Thanks!
Option 2 – is for me. I think this book is more fun, mysterious and lively to read. Im a fun of Dave and Mary’s story too but i think theirs is more on a lonely feeling?? I guess, I just need to ready myself first because in my mind their story is too perfect to have more struggles. I dont want them to be hurtful. I just wish them love for forever, happiness and wellness. Im sorry i think im really attached to this characters. I love them so much.
Anyway, Im looking forward for this book.
=)
I hadn’t thought of Dave and Mary’s stories having a lonely feeling to them, but you’re right. When I think about it, they do have that feeling to them. What great insight you have!
I’m going to end up working on both 1 and 2 because the vote ended in a tie when I tallied everything up on here and on Facebook.
Definitely option 2, love the theme especially the twist in it, love you regencies!!!!
Thanks! I’ve been wanting to do this theme for years, and I was excited when I finally got the right characters for the plots. Option 2 is an idea I’ve had since 2012. It’s crazy how long it can take some ideas to finally work their way into a story I can write.
Option 2 please! 🙂 Love your books!
Thank you! 🙂
Both sound interesting, but I’m going to go with the Gothic one and pick Option 2.
I’m finding it fun to write with Gothic undertones. It’s helping me grow as a writer to broaden my horizons within a genre I already love.
And let’s face it, the Gothic genre has remained popular for a reason.
I love it. I’ve just had trouble finding the kind of books I wanted to read in that division. Hence why I finally decided to dip my toes into the genre.
Write what you want to read, after all.
Both, but you know how much I love your Western series! So I vote #1.
I put you down for 1. 🙂 It turned into a tie between here and Facebook. So I’m going to end up with both.
Well, You Know I Love Dave and Mary! If it doesn’t become your next book, I’d like it to be written eventually. I agree with a previous writer- there has to be conflict in every good story, but Dave and Mary should have only small troubles for the rest of their lives! Too many Gorgeous children, and… well, I don’t know what I’d wish on them. Your premise seems good because I know it will work out at the end of the story. So, Unbelievably, I’m voting for Option 2. It sounds fantastic already! I love ALL your books, Ruth- I’m a forever fan!
I looked back at when I started Forever Yours, and that was in 2014. I didn’t realize I the idea for this story went that far back until I was looking through the folder. I had decided to put the story aside for a while because I felt like I needed more time to think about it.
As it turns out, the vote ended in a tie between here and Facebook. So my decision is to cut out most of my social media time and focus more on writing. I love writing more than social media, so it’s an easy compromise to make.
Thank you! 🙂
Option 2
Thanks!
Dear Ruth, I’ll go with Option 2 – the fairytale romance. P.S. I’m starting on my next novella. This one will be a time-travel paranormal romance. Looking forward to your next book, whichever you decide, I know will be a winner. ❤
Oh, a time travel paranormal romance will be fun! I’m looking forward to that book!
I know you’ve already decided (I think), but you know I would go for the Regency. I think it’s interesting that on your blog, the Regency won by a big margin. On FB, it was closer.
I was going to do the Regency, but then more votes came in over the weekend, and it’s a tie. So I’m doing both. I’m going cut out some social media time in order to make room for the fourth book. If I can work according to time limits (instead of word counts), I can do it.
Dave and Mary, please! I’ve been waiting forever for their third book.
I didn’t realize it, but I had started their book back in 2014. I saw that when I opened the document. 😀
Option 1 please. Mary and Dave’s stories are my Favorites of all your books!
Thanks! I love the Larson family the most, but Dave and Mary are the ones who got me hooked on writing historical western romances. So they have a special place in my heart.
I would vote for option 2. I love your regency series. Also with the new Larson series, Shane’s deal, and the imperfect husband, it will be nice to have a gothic one
I love the variety, too. It’s why I can’t stick with just one genre. The gothic romances are turning out to be a lot of fun to write. One Enchanted Evening, The Wedding Pact, and Option 2 (which I have decided to name Fairest of Them All) are all gothic. 🙂 I’m having a lot of fun! 🙂
Option 2
I just adore your Regency stories
Thanks!
Option 1! I love Dave and Mary, and want to see their romantic story come to an end. I think it’ll be nice for Dave to have some insecurities for a change. It’ll be interesting to see how he relies on Mary and his family to recouperate.
I’m glad so many people want to read another Dave and Mary story! This is the last one, but I do feel that Dave and Mary have this story to add to the other two I wrote about them. In my gut, I always felt they were going to have three books. I just wasn’t sure many people were interested in reading all three. I’m currently 10,000 words into their third book. On average, I write between 50,000 – 70,000 words for a book. I still have a good ways to go to finish it, but so far, everything is going great. 🙂
Option 1 Forever yours
Sent from my iPad
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I already wrote it. 🙂 It’s on pre-order if you’re interested in checking it out. 😀 https://ruthannnordinauthorblog.com/chronological-order-of-my-books/my-historical-westerns/nebraska-romance-collection/forever-yours/