
Today’s prompt asks for shout-outs. Because nobody creates books in a vacuum. There are always first readers and behind-the-scenes encouragers.
Everyone knows about “Inklings” C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Together with fellow writers, they met over beer for years to share works-in-progress. I do the same thing using the Internet. No beer for me (it puts me to sleep), only coffee.
So…hats off to my support team for Darcy By Any Other Name.
- Susan Kaye, who liked the original premise and urged me to begin
- Robin Helm, unstinting cheerleader, who gave praise (or issued threats) when I lost heart or lagged behind
- Gayle Mills, my “cold read” beta enthusiast, who likes l-o-n-g books
- Diana Oaks, JenRed, and the reading crew at Beyond Austen, who hang around every Saturday night to get the next installment
- Tonia, Roslynn, and Debbie, pals from My 500 Words, who are readers outside my genre. They enjoyed the chapters I shared at our meet-up and gave me courage to cast a wider net.

The Tortoise in the Top Hat? Is this the perfect representation for me or what?
Alas, I write too s-l-o-w-l-y. Working to change that, I am. My editing weekend was productive, hooray!
Thanks for stopping by! You can see what the other challenge participants are up to here. Three (3) more days!
Laura, if you’re a tortoise in a top hat, I’m the snail under the leaves. Keep on writing, my friend, keep on writing.
Vivian
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A snail under the leaves is gathering strength. As I say, with a “boomerang” household, it’s a wonder you get anything done. Don’t lose heart–you’ve got a lifetime of stories inside.
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Laura,
Loved this post and the photo! You’re so quick to give thanks. No waiting on this post. That’s just your style–quick to offer praise and deflect. 🙂
Amy
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Amy, my friend, why would you know that I do this? Because you are even quicker to praise and deflect! You leave me in the dust! 🙂
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So proud to be a member of your “support” team. I don’t seem to be able to play, so I’m happy to be able to coach and cheer.
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Retirement brings opportunity. You’ve got an end game in mind for school. Then we’ll see. 🙂
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