Glitter - Abbi Glines
Acknowledgments
Never has a book taken me six months to write… until this one. There are those who work with me and those who support me that I could not do this without.
Britt is the numero uno for those who need to be acknowledged. He went above and beyond with taking up the slack while I researched, wrote, researched more, wrote, got Covid, wrote some more… He will also hate that I said all this. Hopefully he doesn’t read it.
Ava and Emerson had to hear “Mom is working. I can’t right now.” For the most part they didn’t complain. Emerson had her moments. Ava was a trooper though… although she’s been on this ride since 2011 and knows the score.
My older children who live in other states were great about me not being able to answer their calls most of the time and they had to wait until I could get back to them. They still love me and understand this part of mom’s world.
My foreign rights agent, Lauren Abramo , who was already making publishing deals on this book in other countries before it was even finished.
My editor Becky Barney at Fairest Reviews Proofreading Services. She worked with me to make the story something I can be proud of and I am so thankful for her help.
My formatter Melissa Stevens at The Illustrated Author. Her work always blows me away. It’s hands down the best formatting I’ve ever had in my books.
Damonza for my book cover. They nailed it. I told them what I was looking for and they gave me something above and beyond my expectations.
The Next Step PR for handling the release day promotions.
Abbi’s Army ALWAYS. Y’all are what keeps me sane when I release a new book. Thanks for always supporting me.
My readers - without you there would be no one to read my stories. I get to write because y’all read. I love you all!
A note from Abbi…
Just as the title isn’t your typical Regency Romance title, neither is this story. When I decided to write a historical romance, I had a lot of questions. However, three things I knew without a doubt:
This would be set in Regency London. I have a love/obsession with England and its history. I have for as long as I can remember. Did this help me with my writing? Not really. I found that I averaged at least an hour of research a day while writing this. Simple things like “When were mirrors invented?” or better yet “What year did England start having afternoon tea?” and then there was “Did they have ice in London in the early 1800’s” possibly my favorite “When was glitter invented?”
I would write it in first person. I have been reading historical romance novels since I was fifteen years old and picked up “Whitney, My Love” by Judith McNaught in the library. I could not read enough of them after that book. So, I know full well they are written in third person. At least every historical romance novel I have ever read has been third person. I am a first person writer so I knew that I would write this book in first person. I wouldn’t change that.
The writing would still sound like me. I never went into this intending to sound as eloquent as Jane Austen. I knew no amount of research was going to keep me from making mistakes in my dialect. It was just going to happen y’all. Facts remain- I’m from Alabama no matter how badly I wish I had been born British. This is a new world for me as far as writing goes. However, I will tell you, I enjoyed the hell out of it! I fell in love with the characters and I hope you do too.
With each movement, be it a full turn or slight move of hand, Miriam knew she was being watched closely. The smile she kept on her lips wasn’t easy and she had no doubt that her dance partner noticed the less than genuine expression she was trying hard to keep in place. This was it, tonight would be the last night she attended a ball as simply Miss Miriam Bathurst. There was no more time to decide. Her decision had been made.
Miriam felt her body stiffen as she moved in the arms of the man she had agreed to marry this morning in her aunt’s rose garden. He, however, wasn’t who she loved, and she wished desperately that he was. She did not