Kit Donner’s Susan Boyle Effect

In the bedroom of a spy. . .

Ever since the horrible day her brother was accused of treason, Patience Mandeley hasn’t recognized her own behavior. Under normal circumstances she would never be disguised as a maid, skulking around a earl’s estate for secrets she isn’t meant to find. But now the situation is desperate, and Patience will do whatever it takes to spare her beloved brother the noose, even if it means finding the true spy herself.

To do that, she’ll have to gain access to the estate of Lord Londringham, the most desired bachelor in all of England—without him knowing who she really is. But even in her maid’s uniform, she can’t miss the looks of unsuppressed desire she receives from her employer, and she finds to her dismay that the attraction is quite mutual. Though she knows she must ignore her feelings for this dark-haired rogue to save her family and escape ruin, his close proximity is making all reason impossible. . .and Patience may find that the real traitor is her own body.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I’m a late bloomer.  I mean, really.  Even in college, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I loved English literature, but did I want to teach it?  Yes and no.  I took three years of German because my German teacher was great, but I wasn’t going to teach German or go into international business.  I took several drama classes but I wasn’t going to be an actress.

I knew everything I wasn’t going to be, but I didn’t know what I was going to be.  What choices would I make (right or wrong) that would put me on the path to my destiny?  Apparently, a lot of wrong ones, and a few right ones.

Have you been there?  When you came to a split in the road, did you take the high road when you were meant to take the left?  It seems as if we’re only given a map after we’ve taken the wrong direction and seen where we’ve been and where we could have gone.  So, is my blog about regrets?  About do-overs?  About second chances?

Nope.  It’s about finding out who you are and what you want, no matter your age.  Although you may have some control over your destiny, life happens, and you don’t always get what you want.  Or what you thought you wanted.  Or what you get, wasn’t what you wanted.  Phew.

Earlier this year, Susan Boyle took the world by storm because of her beautiful voice and her age.  She had finally blossomed at forty-eight.  Wasn’t that wonderful?  It’s never too late.  And I realized Susan and I had something in common.

I happened on my purpose in life only recently.  Remember, I’m only good at figuring out what I’m not good at… In my career as a Logistics Planner, which I found a few years out of college, it was up and down, a very demanding career, with a lot of traveling, and little time for hobbies other than reading on a plane.  It also came with a high burn-out rate.  After twenty years in my career, which had seen its highs and lows, my road turned in a new direction.  I had an opportunity to finish an old manuscript of a historical romance from about seventeen years ago.

Out of the blue, my sister-in-law asked to read said manuscript.  After much dawdling, I pulled it out, dusted it off, and revised it.  Long story short, Kensington published my first manuscript, “The Notorious Bridegroom,” in August.  The second time around in revising my work was a challenge, but a delightful one.  I enjoyed revisiting my impulsive Patience, out to save her brother from the French spy, Bryce, who’s actually an English spy, and a good guy- well, you’ll just have to read it, to see what happens.

Yes, it was great- it is great, but what is even better, is that through the writing process, I found my voice.  I found out who I am.  I found something I was good at.  And it gets better.  I’m working on my Masters degree in education, so that I might teach secondary language arts.  I think I’m finally ready to teach.  To share my love and passion for the written word.

What about you?  Have you found your calling?  Like me, you’ll find out, it’s not too late to discover who you are.  Because of this wonderful experience, I learned, sometimes your dreams find you.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks to Kit for being our guest today. Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of THE NOTORIOUS BRIDEGROOM. For more info on Kit and her books, check out her website here.

Read Full Post »