Canderpdx

Story 2: An Unwise Attachment is now complete.
          	
          	https://www.wattpad.com/story/412659833-an-unwise-attachment

debradaniels7

Phenomenal!
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Lawbrook67

I love your writing, I’ve read both of your stories. Please write more!

Canderpdx

@Lawbrook67 You're very kind — thank you! This second story taught me a lot, and I'm hoping to bring all of it into the next one. Hopefully story 3 will show up in a few months! I like to take a break in between (my family likes this too) but it's hard for me to stay away from charming fictional villages. I like going there and meeting all these fictional characters, too. Thanks for reading these stories - you make it fun to write them.
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wonderbaar77

I have never read a Betty Neels book, would you mind giving me three of your fave books of hers? :)

Canderpdx

@wonderbaar77 Betty Neels books are very soothing, old fashioned little stories. Very tame. No spice, barely any kissing -  which is something I add to my Betty-homage-stories here. My all-time favorite is "Matilda's Wedding", I also like "A Girl to Love", and "A Gentle Awakening" is fun to read. They are not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them. It's worth looking at some reviews to get an idea of this style of book. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1192749.A_Girl_to_Love   
            
            Another author I've been enjoying lately is MA Nichols .I really enjoyed the angst in "An Accidental Courtship." I also enjoyed her Tempest & Sunshine, and Flame&Ember. Again, these are no-spice, but the angst is quite beautiful. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59707349-tempest-and-sunshine
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Runkittymba

I haven’t started your new book yet- but it’s burning a hole in my TBR pile!!!   I know I will love it as much as your first story:)

Runkittymba

@Canderpdx oh yay!  Thanks for circuling back :) i will read it this week - and comment plenty!  Cant wait!  And looking forward to story 3
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Canderpdx

@Runkittymba The story is complete. I wonder what you will think because it's quite different from the first story. The arc sort of plateaus out, but I make no apologies for that. I think it's a total comfort read after chapter 20. I'll be curious what you think when you get to it. Now to think about Story 3.
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mosserah1

Ah great I've been keeping track of the chapters as you've been posting them, but waiting for the whole book to be finished so I can relish the whole story in one go. Glad I have a date for the finish!
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Hollyheist

I am a huge fan of Stella Gibbons and other mid century English comedy of manners writers. Your writing reminds me very much of these little social gems. Delighted to have found your stories. Add in betrayal and grovel and what a winning combination!

Canderpdx

@Hollyheist How interesting - I didn't recognize the name Stella Gibbons, but I knew Cold Comfort Farm! Thanks for the kind words!! I'm glad you're enjoying some vintage style stories with some new grovel thrown in. I'm enjoying the combo, too - thanks for reading and for the nice comments!
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chloe8360359

I really love your writing, the humour and characterization are wonderful! Your stories have everything that I look for in a good grovel romance and I feel like you strike the perfect balance between betrayal and the subsequent repair.

chloe8360359

Well I’ve discovered your stories are exactly my cup of tea! So grateful you’re sharing them!
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Canderpdx

@chloe8360359 Thank you so much! This is so kind of you. I have found I sometimes need a bit of a palate cleanser between the high-angst grovels—which I absolutely love, but if I read too much angst in a row, I can practically give myself a stomachache! So I tried to write a somewhat calmer story that still has all the elements I love about grovel romance: the mistake, the consequences, the realization, and that repairing of the relationship.
            It won't be everyone's cup of tea—and that's all right. I'm not trying to be everyone's cup of anything! I really enjoy writing these stories, so I'm especially happy when they find the readers who enjoy them too. Thank you for reading, and I'm so glad you found it and are enjoying it! Thanks for your comments in the stories, too - I love reading them.
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poisooGloria345

@chloe8360359 same here l'm new on this app just joined this week.
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ceylon_cassia

I created a "Delightful" shelf and all your stories and only your stories are in it. Your writing has a lovely, bright and wonderfully introspective character, and dare I say, is better than many published authors'!
          
          Out of curiosity, what are your favorite Betty Neels and grovel books? (I hope it's okay to ask)

mosserah1

Love Flame and Ember
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ceylon_cassia

(Ears perking up and sitting up tall at mention of rewrite).
            
            Ooh you would rewrite it to perfection, I know!
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Canderpdx

@ceylon_cassia Caroline's Waterloo is the Betty Neels story where he says something mean to her about the donkey she rescues. He is sooooo mean - but she gets him back at the end (sort of )-- it's one I would rewrite with about 10 chapters of grovel if I could. But it is a good Betty.
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Canderpdx

He said. She said. He thought. She thought. 
          
          Dialogue tags are difficult for me.
          
          If you do them well, nobody notices them.
          
          I don’t like leaving them out altogether.
          
          But that means I have to remember not to use the same 5 terms in every chapter.
          
          I need to expand my tag horizons:
          admitted agreed angled assumed crooned confessed cried demanded deadpanned deliberated laughed lied mumbled mouthed muttered murmured queried quipped remembered replied remarked requested spoke stated stammered stuttered sputtered swore whimpered whined whispered wondered yelled
          
          I'd much rather be plotting the next chapter than deciding whether someone said something and if so, how they said it for the thirty-third time.

Holly_Woodlawn

@Canderpdx I’m loving the story, I think you’re capturing the 60s vibe and the relative formality (compared to today) of the times.
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Canderpdx

@Holly_Woodlawn whew. thanks. It is not my favorite. I have 2 chapters to go out today or tomorrow and I clearly have wattpad-stage fright. 
            She whimpered.
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Holly_Woodlawn

@Canderpdx you’re doing beautifully though!
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Canderpdx

I’m barely 30% of the way through Book 2, struggling with some edits that need to happen, and naturally my brain has wandered off to Book 3.
          
          I've been thinking about romances where the heroine doesn't end up with the original hero at all, but instead finds her happily ever after with someone new. (Do we call them H1 and H2? Or is it OM—Other Man? Romance terminology is a minefield.)
          
          The more I think about it, the more I like the idea—but with one condition.
          
          If the first hero loses her, I don't think the second hero should get an express ticket to happily ever after. There can be growth and grovel there, too. Just a different sort. 
          
          So now I'm rather taken with the idea of attempting the writing equivalent of a double cheeseburger: two heroes, two emotional reckonings, and (I hope) twice the grovel.
          
          The only remaining question is whether the otherwise peaceful villages of Shropshire are emotionally equipped to survive such scandal.

j_chrys

@Canderpdx you have the skill, I'm sure. ❤️ however you decide to write book 3 whether HEA for the OG couple, or a new H, I will surely read it!  but for now i am looking forward to how you're going to make Thomas work his butt off to win back Jane! ❤️
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Canderpdx

@j_chrys The more I thought about it the more I realised I was just writing  a more romantic obstacle for the original couple. I don't know if I have the skills for it lol. I too have a thing about the original couple HEA rule.
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j_chrys

@Canderpdx oooh that sounds interesting! I'm usually a fan of the original couple getting back together in the end, but I would read anything you write! (Plus, the idea of two bumbling H grovelling is tempting lol!)
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Hkdyal

Love your writing! I just had to say that again.

Canderpdx

@Hkdyal Thanks for saying this. I was just going through some chapters and making a lot of edits, and I was starting to feel like all I do is try to fix things that sound wrong. Which is my fault to begin with! And then this popped up and I really appreciate it. Thanks!
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