*The images in this specific piece are
granted copyright privilege by: Public Domain, CCSAL, GNU Free
Documentation Licenses, Fair Use Under The United States Copyright Law, or
given copyright privilege by the copyright holder which is identified beneath
the individual photo.
**Some of the links will have to be
copied and then posted in your search engine in order to pull up properly
***The CRC Blog welcomes submissions from published and unpublished fiction genre writers for INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION. Contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7
****Janice Cole Hopkins’s It All Started At the
Masquerade is #92 in a never-ending
series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF
FICTION where the Chris Rice
Cooper Blog (CRC) focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre
and how that fiction writer wrote that specific excerpt. All INSIDE
THE EMOTION OF FICTION links are at the end of this piece.
Has It All Started At the Masquarade been
published? If yes, what publisher and what publication date? Flawed People Press. December 2017
What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? Began writing March 2017; finished rough draft May 2017; did my last edit before sending it to the editor July 2017; editor finished September 2017
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I did most of my writing for this novel in my small home office in Eastern North Carolina, but I have since moved. The office had a workstation with desk and shelves, a file cabinet, a low cabinet, and a small worktable in it. It was compact but allowed me to work in private.
What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? Began writing March 2017; finished rough draft May 2017; did my last edit before sending it to the editor July 2017; editor finished September 2017
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I did most of my writing for this novel in my small home office in Eastern North Carolina, but I have since moved. The office had a workstation with desk and shelves, a file cabinet, a low cabinet, and a small worktable in it. It was compact but allowed me to work in private.
What were your writing
habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to
music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I normally wake up early and can’t get back to sleep, so I
get up and write. I like to have it quiet, so I can get lost in the story with
no interruptions. I drink lots of coffee (decaf after the first two cups) while
I write. I write on and off all day long. It is not unusual for me to spend 8
-12 hours writing. I treat it as a career and not a hobby. I do most of my
writing on my desktop computer and use my laptop if I’m traveling.
What is the summary of this specific fiction work? When Melanie Carter’s older brother decides she’s to marry Lott Jenkins, a wealthy man who has the reputation of being harsh and unbearable, she knows her life has just started on a downward spiral. However, she’s determined to trust that God wouldn’t want her with such a man and try to make the best of the awful situation. At a masquerade ball in Edenton, she meets a rather mysterious man dressed as a knight, and she can’t forget him.
What is the summary of this specific fiction work? When Melanie Carter’s older brother decides she’s to marry Lott Jenkins, a wealthy man who has the reputation of being harsh and unbearable, she knows her life has just started on a downward spiral. However, she’s determined to trust that God wouldn’t want her with such a man and try to make the best of the awful situation. At a masquerade ball in Edenton, she meets a rather mysterious man dressed as a knight, and she can’t forget him.
Lucas Hall can’t
forget Melanie either, but he might as well. Once she sees the hideously
scarred side of his face, she’d be repulsed like everyone else. That’s why he
wears a mask whenever he goes out, which isn’t often. He wouldn’t have gone to
the masquerade ball if his housekeeper hadn’t tricked him into it. Now he’s
haunted by a scene he saw between Lott Jenkins and Melanie. No woman should
ever be treated with such disregard, but what can he do? If he tried to help,
they’d take one look at him, and he’d be no help at all.
Can you give the reader just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt? Lott Jenkins has been courting Melanie at her brother’s insistence. Each time she sees him, she’s grown warier because he gets more demanding and controlling. Even for 1795, he’s unusually harsh.
Please include the
excerpt and include page numbers as reference. The excerpt can be as short or
as long as you prefer.
Lott’s body had stiffened and his face hardened by the time they
drew close enough to talk. Melanie put out her hand to tell Jericho to stop the
wagon, but she didn’t take her eyes off Lott.
His eyes swept the wagon and landed back on her. “What are you
doing out here dressed like a vagabond?”
“We went fishing this morning.” Surely he could see the poles and
tackle in the back.
“Ladies of quality do not go fishing.” He emphasized each word.
“I used to go often as a child, and William approved of my
excursion this morning.” She looked down at her hands, hoping to give the
impression of being humbled and thus placating his disapproval to some degree.
“Well, I do not. It’s unseemly. I hope you didn’t bait your own
hook.” He looked at Jericho and back at her hands.
She met his gaze, sat up straighter, and stuck out her chin. “I
did, and I took the fish off as well.”
“Are you nothing but a common wench?” His fists clenched. “Perhaps
I should have forgone courting you and taken you for a tumble in the hay.”
Too shocked to speak, Melanie felt violated by his words. How dare
he speak to her in such a vulgar way! “And you are no gentleman.”
She felt sure he would have hit her if Jericho had not been
present. The slave’s robustness couldn’t be hidden as it pushed at his
clothing.
“Mr. William won’t take kindly to you disparaging Miss Melanie
that way.” Gemona shouldn’t sound so educated in front of Lott. Thankfully, he
ignored the slave.
Lott looked at Melanie with contempt. “We’ll just see about what
he thinks.” Lott motioned for them to continue on, and he turned to follow.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? I hate the actions of cruel, bullying people, and Lott makes me cringe. The world would be so much better if we would treat each other with kindness.
There are other excerpts that I like better because they are emotional in a good way, but they contain spoilers for anyone going to read the book. As many of my main characters do, Lucas and Melanie stole my heart. And Glenna, Lucas’s housekeeper, is a delight, telling it like it is with wisdom and wit.
Were there any
deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please
include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. No, it pretty much stayed the way I first wrote it. I can see the scenes
playing out in my mind as I write, and I rarely have to change much.
Other works you have published?
Other works you have published?
The Appalachian Roots series
Cleared for Planting – book one
Sown in Dark Soil – book two
Uprooted by War – book three
Transplanted to Red Clay – book four
(Slight connection but not a series or sequel)
When Winter Is Past
With Summer’s Songs
The Farmers trilogy
Promise – book one
Peace – book two
Pardon – book three
Standalones
Mountain Mishap
Deceitful Matters
On the Road to Jericho (Christian non-fiction)
Through the Wilderness (set on the Oregon Trail)
Roslyn’s Rescue (Medieval setting on Kindle only)
Anything you would like
to add? I’ve always had
a vivid imagination, and, like many writers, my characters become real to me. I
live with them as I share their stories. I’ve even been known to shed more than
a few tears when their hearts break. I experience their joys and cheer them on,
too. We encourage each other as I write, and I’ve had some secondary characters
insist that I tell their stories, so another book is born.
At any given
time, I have five or more books rolling around my mind. Some of them fade in
time, and I don’t bother to write them. The ones that stay, no matter how long
it takes me to get to them, are the ones I write. Writing is a critical part of
who I am, and I love it.
Janice Cole Hopkins grew up in
Wilkes County, North Carolina, with an Appalachian heritage. She received her
Bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s in teaching reading from
Appalachian State University and is also certified to teach English. She wrote
for magazines for years, but her new career is writing inspirational books. She
has a wide area of interests, including things like travel, history, folk
culture, arts and crafts, photography, and drama. She says she can use them all
in her writing. All her profits for her books go to a scholarship for
missionary children.
It All Started at the Masquerade - https://www.amazon.com/All-Started-at-Masquerade-ebook/dp/B078FQ38JK
INSIDE THE EMOTION OF
FICTION links
001 11 15 2018 Nathaniel
Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John
Hunter – The Veteran
002 11 18 2018 Ed
Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The
Antiquities Dealer
003 11 23 2018 Janice
Seagraves’s
Science
Fiction Romance
Exodus
Arcon
004 11 29 2018
Christian Fennell’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
The Fiddler
in the Night
005 12 02 2018 Jessica
Mathews’s
Adult
Paranormal Romance
Death
Adjacent
006 12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Ruby the
Indomitable
007 12 12 2018 Adair Valerez’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Scrim
008 12 17 218
Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy
009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road
of a Thousand Tigers
010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary
Romantic Fiction
The Other
Twin
011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To
Death
012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second
Story Man
013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full
Attention
014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED: AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA
015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced
016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal
Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy
Lost
017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult
ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest
Begins
018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream
Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel
Moscow
019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional
Fiction
Alligator
Alley
020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul
Collectors
021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist
Novel
The
Nowhere Man
022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream
Novel
Silk And
Ashes
023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story
Collection
There Is
No Other Way to Worship Them
024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story
Collection
Pasture
Art
025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical
Fiction
Beloved
Mother
026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical
Mistletoe
027 03 25 2019 Faith
Gibson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Rafael
028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The
Bones
029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal
Romance
Veiled
Visions of Love
030 04 05 2019 Marianne
Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go
see
031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream
Fiction
The Exile
032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative
Fiction
Rabid Dogs
033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical
Novel
The
Baker’s Secret
034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis:
Prophecy Book
035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance
036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary
Fiction
Watch Me
Go
037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science
Fiction/Horror
The
Whispering House
038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical
Fiction
Murder By
Any Name
039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The
Woodstock Paradox
040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies
In Wait
041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical
Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo
At The Palace: An Annie Oakley Mystery
042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel
Romance
Follow Me
043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational
Christian Romance
Rosa &
Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles
044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial
Romance
On The
Edge
045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul
of Cole
046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last
Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli
and
Coco
Chanel
047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The
Graceland Conspiracy
048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic
Suspense
The House
on Fire
049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic
Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No
One
050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/
Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River
051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical
Fiction
The
Fourteenth of September
052 06 20 2019 Nona
Caspers’s
Literary
Novel/Collage
The Fifth
Woman
053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Shadows in
the Mist
054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s
Horror
The
Devil’s Woods
055 06 29 2019
Epic Fantasy
Wings
Unseen
056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s
Mystery Novel
Criminal
Misdeeds
057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s
Mystery Novel
Murder In
The One Percent
#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s
Domestic Suspense
Her Secret
Son
#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s
Contemporary
Women’s Literature
The
Allspice Bath
#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s
Romance
Suspense Serial
Blind Luck
#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s
Literary
Fiction
Winter
Kept Us Warm
#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
Literary
Fiction-Short Stories
I Love You
I’m Leaving
#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s
Dark
Paranormal Urban Fantasy
THE ORPHANS
BOOK ONE: THE LOST RACE
TRILOGY
#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s
Historical
Fiction
NECESSARY
SINS
#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s
Literary Novel
BITTER
WATER
#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
Historical
Novel
THE
CORPSMAN’S WIFE
#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s
Historical Biographical
Fiction
BEAUTIFUL
INVENTION: A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR
#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s
Suspense
THE MURDER
LIST
069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s
Literary
Mainstream Fiction
THINGS
UNSAID
070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s
Women’s
Historical Fiction
BIRDIE
& JUDE
071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s
Historical
Fiction
TINSMITH 1865
072 08 19 2019 Carolyn
Breckinridge’s
Short Story
Collection
KALIEDESCOPE
& OTHER STORIES
073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s
Emotional Women’s
Fiction
THE ART OF
REMEMBERING
074 08 22 2019 Lee
Matthew Goldberg’s
Suspense
Thriller
THE DESIRE
CARD
075 08 23 2019 Jonathan Brown’s
Mystery/Amateur
P.I.
THE BIG
CRESCENDO
076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s
Literary
Fiction w/ suspense, concern with animals & land management
Monarchs
of the Northeast Kingdom
077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s
Literary
Mystery
The Theoretics of Love
078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s
Romantic Suspense
Secret of the Island
079 09 19 2019 Max Elliot Anderson’s
Middle Grade Adventure/Mystery
Snake Island
080 09 22 2019 Danny Adams’s
Science Fiction
Dayworld: A Hole In Wednesday
081 09 24 2019 Arianna Dagnino’s
Social/Historical/Adventure
The Afrikaner
082 09 29 2019 Lawrence Verigin’s
Thriller/Suspense
Seed of Control
083 10 05 2019 Emma Khoury’s
Fantasy
The Sword And Shield
#084 10 07 2019 Steve McManus’s
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
SEVEN DEVILS
#085 10 08 2019 Sheila Lowe’s
Mystery/Psychological/Suspense
with Scientific Bent
PROOF OF LIVE
#086 10 10 2019 Jess Neal Woods’s
Historical Fiction
THE PROCESS OF FRAYING
#087 10 11 2019 Karen Odden’s
Historical
Suspense
A TRACE OF DECEIT
#88 10 14 2019 Kate Maruyama’s
Love, Loss
& Supernatural
“HARROWGATE”
#89 10 17 2019 Sherry Harris’s
Mystery
“LET’S FAKE A
DEAL”
#90 10 18 2019 Linda Mooney’s
Science
Fiction Apocalyptic/ Post Apocalyptic
“THE TRUNK”
#91 10 19 2019 Jayne Martin’s
Flash Fiction Short Story Collection
“TENDER CUTS”
#92 10 22 2019 Janice Cole Hopkins’s
Inspirational
Romance
“IT ALL STARTED AT THE MASQUERADE”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/10/92-inside-emotion-of-fiction-it-all.html
“IT ALL STARTED AT THE MASQUERADE”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/10/92-inside-emotion-of-fiction-it-all.html
