Several of you have asked me about my ''AU of AU style" and the characters. I hope this helps. I am a new writer of fiction. I have written non-fiction and blogged for years. I started reading it during quarantine and attempted Bermuda a year later in 2021.

It happened by accident after Bermuda. I had the 50 chapters of Bermuda and Bermuda Roses in my mind for months before I wrote it. Several people asked for a sequel and I struggled with that idea. So I tried the idea out with New Orleans and my readers responded positively. Since then, I have written Monterey and then recently Québéc.

Your positive comments and likes have encouraged me beyond measure. I feel a kindred spirit with the dwellers of the Valley even to the point of naming my oldest son, Jarrod.

I got some good input that in my last story, I assumed knowledge of past writings and that was hard for a new reader to understand. I will give more backstory in my future stories of Sacramento and Barbary Coast for a new reader. I will make them more stand-alone stories.

I have kept the Barkley's intact and I have especially loved writing more about Eugene. As with many writers, I view Rimfire and Beth's death as a pivotal point in Jarrod's life. I have added an extra component of the Randalls blaming Jarrod for Beth's death quite publicly when they arrived in Stockton. I also think Julia Saxon and Barbara Redden hold clues to what intrigues Jarrod. I view Jarrod as a man of his age going into the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. I use the Stantons, Vanderbilts, JP Morgan and Astors in several stories.

I loved Eire Rose's character of Katarina for Nick, a beautiful Russian princess from an arranged marriage he fell powerfully in love with. The Land Grant, Lily in the Valley, and The English Visitor inspired me to write sagas. She has gracefully allowed me to use Katarina and the names of their children in my writings.

The Beaufort-Jackson families are British and French shipping magnates based in LeHavre France, San Francisco, and Bermuda. BlackJack and Admiral Jean Beaufort show up in different stories as fathers, uncles, and cousins. Cousin Charles is the classic villain cousin along with Melanie DeLand his paramour.

Marie DeBeaufort is the mother of Elizabeth and her many daughters. John is a brother who served with Jarrod in military intelligence in the war.

I wrote in several stories that Barkley men need to be challenged and detest boredom. I believe the strong women in my stories led by Victoria herself would captivate the Barkley men.

Elizabeth Beaufort is the love interest of Jarrod in all my stories. She is a strong and yet vulnerable woman of her time. Her signature auburn ringlets and green eyes are indicative of their strong family traits. I bring them together in many cities, in many ways and scenarios. You know her as Jo, Lis, Elle, Bess and soon to be Liz and then Ellie. All common nicknames of the age-old beautiful classic name. I have a list of Elizabeth's nicknames hidden away. There will never be a Beth of course for obvious reasons.

There is always a tie-in to Jarrod's war experiences/political aspirations and references to the episodes whenever I can find them a spot. I wish the show had done more with the railroad storyline so I attempt to continue the struggle that killed Tom Barkley. I love Carl Wheeler and Nat Springer along with Tom Lightfoot. They show up as well.

Adrienne, the youngest, finds her way to Eugene and Isabella to Heath. ModocGal kindly taught me about Isabella horses which is a perfect endeavor for the couple; she gets a foal in each story. Sisters Julienne, Lily, and Nathalie have roles in some of the stories. Harris Kirk, the young purser turned manager of Beaufort shipping will return as many of you liked the young Scot.

You will see the jeweler Abraham and Riva Issacson as Jarrod's Jewish friends; gemstones and cameos are also topics in each AU. Their nephew Ben is Jarrod's legal protégée.

The next stories will continue with Jarrod's other love interest Amy showing up in different roles too. She got lots of comments in Québéc and I have decided to give her more depth. She got more discussion than poor Miriam of New Orleans.

Servants that become family members include Bettina, Rosa, Cosima, Charles, Rafe, and Valeria. Eire and Fiona, Irish immigrant twins will be introduced soon.

Rose-growing, the French Salon of art, music, and baking have prominent roles in each story along with the Victorian fondness for the language of flowers and daughters with floral names. I also have reached the specific names for colors, like bottle green and cerulean blue. Victorian society was the start of the great design houses and I introduced Calixte in that reference. Charles Worth, the first true designer who sewed his name into his creations, came out of this Bella Epoque period of high fashion. And to be transparent, Elizabeth always hates shopping and sewing as I do, Ha!

I also like to involve historical figures and authors of the time period; it comes from my years as a reader and English teacher. I love Jarrod's fondness for reading and poetry in particular.

Every story has a medical procedure or common ailment in them. I have been fascinated with medical treatments over the years. Also, the anthrax program of Eugene at Berkeley and the development of vaccines by Pasteur fall well in the timeline of my stories.

The roles and rights of women in society are also a common theme in my stories, along with illegitimacy. The Barkleys were an anomaly in Victorian society allowing the women to inherit, choose their husbands, and have input on family decisions. The divisions between classes of society were extremely limited during the Victorian era and the Barkley family's ability to see people in the same light is extraordinary. I think we have all been drawn to them in one way or another in their progressive thinking of the age. The show broke so much ground in television history.

Hope this helps and thank you all for the support and to JTBGirl and BlueEyes BamaFan and VolLady for your input and letting me bounce ideas off you and becoming friends.

Sacramento: A Cottage Garden and Barbary Coast: Le Jardin coming soon in August.