Diverse Reader is happy to have author Rebecca Cohen here on the blog today talking about The Crofton Chronicles! If you haven't checked these out or are a fan than sit back and enjoy.
The
Crofton Chronicles Ride Again!
Back
in 2012 when I was still living in Switzerland, my son had not yet been born
(but was on his way), I published a novel called The Actor and the Earl.
It went on to be the first in a series, called The Crofton Chronicles,
the last of which was published in 2015. And that’s pretty much where I thought
the story would end, but if you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll tell you the tale
of why I’m back harping on again about Sebastian Hewel, an Elizabethan actor, and
Anthony Redbourn, the roguish Earl of Crofton.
Now, I have been writing in the
Crofton universe since then, I’ve started two other series (the first: the
earls through the eras and Anthony, Earl of Crofton came out earlier
this year, with the next James, Earl of Crofton in editing; the second: contemporary featuring the current earl, Ben,
which was Saving Crofton Hall and is currently out of print but I plan
to re-publish). So I had been thinking that when the Chronicles came to the end
of their contracts I would think about doing something with them. Fast forward
to this summer, and with various other things going on, I decided to request
the rights back meaning from July to Oct 2019 The Crofton Chronicles went
out of print…
I was in two minds what to do, almost
paralysed and very upset that they were weren’t available. Did I just push them
back out or give them some TLC? I didn’t own the covers and as I mentioned the
first one was written back in 2012. Also if I did give them a polish I could swop
in my British spellings (the publisher was American but I’m a Brit and so are
my boys in these books). After much dilly-dallying, I decided to hand them over
to my editor to given them a good dusting and approached the cover artist Anne
Cain about the covers.
Anne was lovely and offered the use
of my old covers at very low price but she also asked if I would be interested
in a revamp – again after seven years was it time to give this series a new
lease of life? I bit the bullet can said yes, because as much as I loved the
old covers I did want to give the book a fresh start.
I was a little bit teary when the new
cover came back – Anne had worked her magic a second time!
The edits were another thing I didn’t
expect – I found myself falling back in love with Sebastian, the actor who is naïve
and good natured, putting up with the enigmatic Anthony (who on occasion could
do with a slap). Where my creativity had hit a slump I was suddenly revived, I
was enjoying reading my own writing and the ideas began to flow (there’s a few
new stories on my WIP pile including a 4th Crofton Chronicle!). I even
jazzed up the blurbs and brushed up my Canva skills to make pretty promos.
Here’s the new blurb for The Actor
and the Earl to wet your whistle:
Elizabethan actor Sebastian Hewel is
about to embark on the role of a lifetime. When his twin sister, Bronwyn,
reneges on the arrangement to marry Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton,
Sebastian reluctantly takes her place. At nineteen, Sebastian knows he is
getting too old for the female leads, and the male ones are hard to come by. He
might feel like he’s in one of Master Shakespeare’s plays, but with his
performance as Lady Crofton, he hopes to pay off his late father’s debts. Never
mind the danger of losing his head should he be discovered.
Sebastian didn’t expect Anthony to be
so attractive and alluring—not to mention shrewd. Anthony sees through the
ruse, but not being the type of man to care if his lovers wear a gown or a
doublet, he is charmed by Sebastian, and offers a mutually beneficial alternative.
Fool Anthony’s fellow nobles and court in an extravagant wedding, then retire
to Crofton Hall to play Anthony’s beloved wife for a year or two, after which
the young, but sickly, Lady Crofton will succumb to a fever, and Sebastian can
return to his normal life.
Sebastian will need every drop of his
acting talents to survive with both his head and his heart intact.
At the end of October The Actor
and the Earl was released back out into the world, followed by Duty to
the Crown and Forever Hold His Peace. If you’ve read the originals
you don’t need to buy the new editions, if you’ve not read them, they are now
cheaper than before and in KU for the first time.
The right reversions for all of my books
with my old publisher was no longer the great worry I had built it up to be, I
could do this! Get my boys back, and then build on their stories – I feel like
a real writer again.
Watch out over the coming months for
new stories from me and the re-release of my older ones. Next up will be my am
dram novella series Treading the Boards which has stunning new covers
from Garrett Leigh, and a new one in the series is planned for Q1 2020… again
another wave of creativity I didn’t expect.
To other writers in a similar
position, it’s okay you can do this! And to readers, new and old, thank you as
ever for your support!
Links:
The Actor and the Earl: https://smarturl.it/TheActorandtheEarl
Duty to the Crown: https://smarturl.it/DutytotheCrown
Forever Hold His Peace: https://smarturl.it/ForeverHoldHisPeace
Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes
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