Every Graceful Fancy, Volume V of the Dickens Inn Series

Every Graceful Fancy, Volume V of the Dickens Inn Series


By the time I got to the fifth volume, I had trouble finding phrases from Dickens’ work that would make a suitable title. It’s not like I have time to sit around and read his luscious novels, looking for pretty words, and if you google Dickens quotes, you’ll be overwhelmed with a tsunami of words, but not necessarily suitable for a book title. When I found the quote with this phrase in, it just felt so beautiful, and I was glad to see it on the cover when the book came out. It’s just so DICKENSIAN! Such lovely words!


I actually wanted this series to go on longer than five volumes, and I had some plans for different scenarios of people coming to stay at the inn, and how Chas and Jackson would help them in their challenges, etc. etc. If you’ve read the books, you know what I’m talking about. I set it up perfectly for that to happen, but then my publisher said that they preferred keeping the set at five volumes. Apparently sales go down a little with each volume in a series and they pick up when a new series starts. Who am I to argue with marketing? And I do have bills to pay!


In looking at how I wanted to finish off the series, I realized I DID want to bring in new characters and show the impact that staying at the inn could have on people’s lives. I had a great time with this story, bringing two people together with that delightful kind of fate that precedes the kind of romantic sigh you get after reading a great story. When it came to the final dialogue of the book, I remember stopping for a minute and wondering, “What should they say to each other right here to make the perfect ending?” And then it hit me! Of course! They should talk about Dickens, and they did, and it WAS perfect, in my opinion. Romantic sigh.