WOW: Last Letter &

I think I am in the mood for romance as the books that really struck me this week were all romance novels in some fashion.  Hmmm!!  Maybe I need to spend some more time with my husband?!?!?!  Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine, is a fun meme whereby we talk about those books we are anxiously awaiting.  Here's a couple I can't wait to read:

The Last Letter from Your Lover
by Jojo Moyes
Release Date: July 12, 2011

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband.


Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

Fair and Tender Ladies
by Lee Smith
Release Date: July 5, 2011

Ivy Rowe, Virginia mountain girl, then wife, mother, and finally "Mawmaw," never strays far from her home-but the letters she writes take her across the country and over the ocean. Writing "to hold onto what's passing," she tells stories that are rich with the life of Appalachia in words that are colloquial, often misspelled, but always beautiful.


From childhood, when teachers encouraged her gift for language, to her rebellious teenage years when she swore against motherhood-only to then become a mother-and on through life, Ivy writes with insight, honesty, and a passion for living that is sure to be infectious.

Guest Post: Character Evolution by Annabel Aidan

Curling Up By The Fire is thrilled to welcome Annabel Aidan as she speaks about character evolution.  With the launch of her new novel, Assumption of Right, on June 6, 2011, Annabel talks to us about her characters, her connection to them, and how they become real to her.

Assumption of Right
Witch and theatre professional Morag D’Anneville is annoyed when she’s assigned to dress the conservative Vice President as he makes a surprise appearance in his favorite Broadway show. Even more irritating, she has to teach Agent Simon Keane, part of the security detail, the backstage ropes in preparation. A strong attraction flares between them which they both recognize is doomed, and Simon must also fight his superior’s prejudice that Morag’s beliefs make her a threat to the Vice President. When Morag is attacked, Simon’s loyalties are torn between protecting the man he’s sworn to protect, and protecting the woman he loves.







Character Evolution

By Annabel Aidan

Writers are constantly asked “deer in the headlights” questions like “where do you get your ideas?” (Everywhere), “would I have heard of you?” (how the heck should I know?), and, of course “are your characters real people?”

Define “real.”

My characters are real to me, or I couldn’t live with them as long as I do, and I think most writers feel that way. We spend hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years with characters. We think we’re done and they come back with more to say.

Lives are from birth to death. Fiction picks pivotal moments in lives that show great change and how the characters handle such change. Sometimes, characters (like people), go through a succession of pivotal moments in different phases of their lives -- and need a series instead of a stand-alone book.

Perhaps it’s my theatre background, but I tend to work from character rather than story. A character introduces herself to me (it might be “himself”, but for ease of phrasing, let’s say “herself”). She starts telling me about herself, her life, her friends, her not-friends, perhaps even her enemies. I start to wonder “what if?” and throw different situations at her. When I start seeing her step into the situation to play out a scene, I know I have the nugget of the story.

Some of my writer friends create extensive character biographies before they sit down to write the book. It works for them, more power to them. If I do it, I lose the character. I’ve learned what I need to know, why I’m interested, so there’s no reason for me to write the book anymore.

I need to spend the first draft getting to know the character the same way I would if it was an actual person in my actual life away from my created worlds. I need to learn how she handles herself in the situations as they unfold. If I try to control too much, it gets flat and stale. The manipulation of events, the layering of images and themes -- all of that happens in later drafts. The first draft is about getting to know my characters and finding out WHY they want me to tell the story right now.

The antagonists have just as much at stake as the protagonists, and have to be just as strong and interesting, or we all might as well spend our time elsewhere.

Most people, of course, want to know if they’d recognize “anyone” in the book -- meaning themselves. It’s hilarious to me that people who never presented a hint of inspiration to any of the characters usually see themselves as central to the book.

If someone gets in my face about something or acts badly to one of my friends, a character inspired by that person is likely to end up meeting a bad end in one of my stories. It’s a great way to blow off steam and not actually cause harm to someone whose personality, shall we say, rubs me the wrong way. I don’t have the right to make life and death decisions about other people’s lives -- except in my fiction.

The interesting thing is, once the individual provides the inspiration, if I do my job properly as a writer, the character evolves away from the original inspiration to become very much its own individual. Once the book or story goes to print, there’s only the faintest trace of the original inspiration, and I’ve become rather fond of even my negative fictional characters in a way I couldn’t if I had to deal with them in real life.

That makes sense to me as a person, since for me, all writing, even harsh, sad, frightening writing, is a way to find a better way to handle the world, the better way to tell emotional truths, within the fictional context.

Being a good listener, whether it’s eavesdropping in a coffee shop or listening to your character tell you her life story, is an integral part to being a good writer.

Annabel Aidan writes romantic suspense with a hint of magic. She
publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and nonfiction. She
spent over twenty years working behind the scenes on Broadway, in film and
television, mostly working wardrobe. Her plays are produced in New York,
London, Edinburgh, and Australia. If you run towards her undoing buttons,
she will tear off your clothes and flip you into something else — and then
read your tarot cards. Visit her at: http://www.devonellingtonwork.com/annabelaidan.html.


Excerpt from ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, available from Champagne Books:
http://www.champagnebooks.com/:


Simon’s mouth twitched. “At least you think I’m worthy guardian material.”

“You know I do. You save my life and I—I—” She stopped.

“Yes?” Simon stared at her, interested.

“I can’t talk about this right now.” She stepped back.

“You’re not going alone.”

“The man who tried to kill me is dead.”

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be more.”

Morag shivered suddenly. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

She stared into his eyes and knew he wasn’t trying to scare her.

“Until we know more about him, we won’t know. We won’t know if he’s working with Carl Douglas or if this is connected to the Vice President.”

“Great. Now I have to worry about someone jumping out from behind every tree, parked car, and garbage can.”

Simon pulled her into his arms. “That’s why you’ve got me.”

Contest: Hounds of Heaven (Win a Kindle!)

Hounds of Heaven author Cole Drewes is having a contest on his site, Alter-Ego, to promote the release of his new novel.  Take a look!

Press Release:
Hounds of Heaven is a science fiction novel with urban fantasy/paranormal elements. I would consider it a hybrid novel inspired by the mythology of vampire and werewolves. It’s been compared to Starship Troopers with vampires. This action-packed novel is set in a futuristic dystopian New York City inhabited by vampires and demons.


Werewolf and battle hardened resistance fighter Dom Craddock is sick of losing. Dom is a member of the resistance called HADES, a paramilitary organization made up of humans and werewolves. Hades has been on the losing side of a war that has spanned six hundred years led by the vampire regime known as The Tartarus Corporation.

Dom and his elite recon team, finally find hope while on an otherwise routine mission. What they find might help them win the war against the vampires, save the dying planet, and hopefully what’s left of humanity.

Throughout Dom’s last mission he struggles with the world he once knew, and the world he now suffers in, hoping for one day to see the sun shining on his face again. Dom must first comes to terms with his past-the same past that assisted in the genocide of mankind, and handed the planet over to the vampires. A past he wants to forget and leave behind, but the actions he set in motion all those years ago have come back to destroy the only hope at saving humanity.

Monique Snyman of the book review blog Killeraphrodite, says that Hounds of Heaven “was a rollercoaster of awesome… you won’t have any fingernails left by the time the book ends. Action, romance, treachery, horror, historical references that’s been changed in such a way that it’s somewhat plausible… Damn it, just get the book and read it!”

Below you can buy Hounds of Heaven in the following e-book formats for $0.99:
Amazon.com
Smashwords

You can read 25% of the novel for free through Smashwords.

A paperback version will be available through Amazon around 6/15/2011.

All profits made from my books sales during 5/23/2011-6/23/2011 will be donated to Red Cross to help the victims of Joplin, MO.

http://www.coledrewes.com/
 
Here are the particulars of the contest:
Contest is running from today June 6/09/2011 to 6/16/2011.


(1) 1st place winner, signed copy of book and e-book of book. 1 framed poster of book cover with 2 additional promotional posters. A New Amazon Kindle!

(5) 2nd place winners will get a signed copy of the paperback book.

(10) 3rd place winners will get a e-book copy of the book in any format sent to your email.

Head on over to Cole's blog and enter!!!

Review: The Bronze And the Brimstone by Lory Kaufman

The Bronze and the Brimstone (Verona Trilogy, Book 2)
by Lory Kaufman
Release Date: June 7, 2011
2011 Fiction Studio Books
Softcover Edition; 334 Pages
ISBN: 978-193655808-7
Genre: Young Adult Post-Dystopian
Source:  Review Copy from Pump Up Your Book

4.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention to the rich and powerful.


But standing out can get you into unexpected and dangerous situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.

My Thoughts
The Bronze and the Brimstone picks up several months after the events in The Lens and the Looker, and features most of the main characters, along with a few new ones, introduced to us in the first novel.  Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln have settled into their new lives quite comfortably and have resigned themselves to remaining trapped in fourteenth century Verona.  And while at first everything seems homey and good, you can soon pick on the undercurrents and the tensions that existed in the first novel as the characters learn to deal with an environment that is considerably different from the one in which they grew up.

I have always been rather intrigued by the concept of time travel, and have often wondered if it were ever discovered whether we, as a human species, would rather muck up our past because we would never be able to avoid introducing future technology into it.  This is basically what this novel is about as Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln, with the help of their trusty genie, Pan, set out to save themselves politically and socially, introduce technology that would not be seen for hundreds of years.  I was especially intrigued to see how the author would deal with this and how it would all play out, and I was not disappointed as nature has a way of always intruding and fixing up problems.  Personally, I loved the resolution to the mess the three teens created, but I was surprised as well as I was not expecting it to be dealt with in the manner that it was. 

As a history buff, I really enjoyed the particular attention to detail the author demonstrated in the historical facts in this novel.  I loved reading about the daily life of the people of Verona and its outskirts, the palace life, how things were dealt with by the Podesta, and it certainly gives you an insight into why the nobles did some of the things they did or made some of the decisions they made.  Life would definitely not have been easy for anyone, of any class, for different reasons. 

My only disappointment in this novel was the particular attention it paid to Hansum and his doings rather than to Shamira and Lincoln.  While they were featured, I found it to be more to do with Hansum's doings rather than for themselves and I am really hoping this changes in the next novel as I really enjoyed the development in all of their characters.

Verdict
The Bronze and the Brimstone was a worthy sequel to the Lens and the Looker.  It was full of interesting historical tidbits and fascinating characters that twisted around a plot that was for the most part original and fun.  I am looking forward to the further adventures of Hamsum, Shamira, and Lincoln in The Loved and the Lost when it is released.

WOW: Burning Down the Spouse & For The King

Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, is such an interesting meme in which to participate as I adore searching for books that are soon to be published and look forward to their release.  I also look forward to sharing my excitement about their releases, something that everyone who is around me all day experiences to a varying degree.  I, unfortunately, have no willpower and blurt out all of my info to anyone who will listen, often forgetting that not everyone shares my passion and drive for reading.  Such is life!!

Burning Down the Spouse
Dakota Cassidy
Release Date: July 5, 2011

After discovering that her famous chef husband was cheating, Frankie Bennett lost her mind-on live TV. Now Frankie is broke, unemployed, and hiding out in her aunt's retirement village. That is, until Maxine Henderson-Barker-reformed trophy wife and owner of Trophy Jobs Inc. employment agency-arrives to give Frankie a much needed kick in the pants.


Soon, Frankie lands a job as a prep chef at a Greek diner in New Jersey, home to the world's best meatloaf and an owner who resembles an exquisitely chiseled Greek statue. Falling into bed with Nikos isn't the best idea, but after years of living in a man's shadow, this ex- trophy wife is ready to get busy cooking...

For The King
by Catherine Delors
Release Date: July 5, 2011

After First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte survives an assassination attempt, Chief Inspector Roch Miquel, a young man with a bright future and a beautiful mistress, must arrest the assassins before they strike again. But in a city with royalists and revolutionaries alike conspiring to overthrow Bonaparte, Roch's task is near impossible. And when his own father faces the guillotine, Roch has no choice but to trust those most likely to betray him.

TGIF - Hoard or Lend?

I found this interesting, interactive meme that discusses books based on a weekly question.  I've seen a few of these around the blogosphere and I think they are fun as you get to interact with other bloggers and check out their answers.  It's a great way of getting involved and for me, it's a great way to check out some other blogs.

Ginger at GReads is asking this week:   Do you share your books with others? Who was the last person you sent a book to?

This has always been a touchy subject for me as I tend to hoard books in the way that some people collect spoons or cow figurines or fancy designer dolls.  I have a few prized books that are out of print and would be very difficult to replace; these are hidden away so even my friends and family don't know I possess them and therefore, are completely out of temptation's reach for anybody.  While I'm not such a purist anymore, I also have a problem when books are returned in a different condition from the way they were when I lent them out.  I had a friend, in particular, who didn't care about the treatment of her books, and continuously returned my books with the front cover half missing, pages ripped, corners bent, and so on.  I drove me absolutely crazy and I ended up not lending her any more books.  For one thing, I paid good money for them so I figured people should at least take care of somebody else's possession, but it seems that books don't always fall in this category for many people. 

Speaking of hoarding, I have gotten a lot better in the past few years, and don't have as much of a problem giving books away as I used to.  There are certain ones that I will keep for myself because I enjoyed them so much, and I usually tend to keep those that are signed by the author.   Lately, I've been sharing some of them with students in my classes and they seem to be enjoying them.  I've also been thinking of donating some of them to my school library as they can always use a few extra fiction novels and would appreciate it.  I still have an issue with books being returned in a bad state, but only because I feel people should take care of other people's possessions, not because of the treatment of the book itself.  If it belongs to you, do what you want with it, except please don't treat first editions and other rare books as if they can be replaced.  Take care of those ones!!

I'm off to go for a walk with my family and enjoy this absolutely beautiful spring evening.  Cheers, everyone!

Review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Haunting Violet
by Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: June 21, 2011
2011 Walker Publishing Company Inc.
Harcover Edition; 352 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9839-8
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal
Source: Review Copy from Penguin Canada

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.


Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

My Thoughts
Haunting Violet was a fun, entertaining read with a dash of romance, action, supernatural suspense, and mystery.  As an historical fiction fan, I have always been interested with the great interest in all things occult displayed by our ancestors and the means they would go to in order to procure seances and other such evenings for their guests.  Such evenings were often highlights to get-togethers by the wealthy and famous mediums, whether they were 'gifted' or not, could make quite a living at their jobs if they could entertain and captivate an audience and make them believers.  It was certainly questionable how many of these so-called 'gifted' mediums were actually 'gifted' themselves or were rather clever entertainers. 

Violet finds herself in the midst of such doings as her mother has become a famous 'medium' and is wanted at many of society's soirees and get togethers to perform seances or others forms of entertainment for the guests.  Violet, unsure of her place in society, and with a tendency to believe she is second in beauty and intelligence to her mother, follows her every demand even though she is disturbed by the lies she has told people.  Violet is one of those characters with whom you can't help but identify and empathize as she deals with an uptight mother and learns to navigate the difficult paths of society.  You feel every slight and every rejection along with her, and really want her to succeed in everything she does.  She just kind of creeps under you skin and before you know it, you want her to have everything.  I really enjoyed her character and loved her strength and her courage to do what she had to do despite her living conditions and her mother.  She had an uncanny eye to pick out people who would help her and knew who would be trouble in her life.  Her closest friend, Elizabeth, is also someone I adored, and the two of them created a lot of trouble.  Through their eyes, you got a very good glimpse of both sides of society and could compare both lives. 

I liked the supernatural side to the story as it didn't overpower the other events in the story.  There were a lot of interesting 'ghost' moments that I rather enjoyed and found pretty funny.  The ghost dog yapping at people's heels and trying to bite them was pretty hilarious.  There was a comment made in the novel that it often took a devastating event in order for such a talent to appear, and I wasn't really sure why Violet's talent suddenly appeared after all these years and it wasn't really explained.  I felt like some thing were brushed off rather easily and I would have liked a little more explanation.

The mystery itself followed along predictable lines, and I will admit I did figure out who did the crime.  That being said, I found the events to be enjoyable, so I wasn't overly concerned with the fact that I figured it out, and kind of enjoyed the ride.  I may be a little biased as I love ghost stories and when you throw in a little romance, some action, and some suspense, along with mysterious characters, you have all the material needed to suck me right in.  Throw in a nice big house in the middle of nowhere and now you have the perfect setting to make it gothic seeming.  Can you say throw her a bone, too?

The story was beautifully written, and while it was supposed to be historical, it didn't really feel overly historical to me.  There were an awful lot of modern elements to the speaking and to the behaviour, and if I were to criticize the novel solely on its historical context, there would be some concerns.  I definitely would have liked to have seen a lot more of Violet's world mentioned in the novel, especially the social pitfalls and the disgraces that come about of doing something wrong;  I don't think the novel did that part justice, and it certainly would not be so easy to redeem yourself during this time period as it was in the novel.  If you look at the novel as a whole, it was entertaining, and I certainly loved the combination of the fake readings, the seances, with the real ghosts appearing, and all of the other social scenes that were overlapped with the ghosts. 

Verdict
Haunting Violet was an interesting and lighthearted read.  If you are looking for a more indepth, serious look at the Spiritualist Movement during this time period (Victorian Ghosts in the Noontide, Affinity by Sarah Waters, A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz), this you will not get.  You will however, find main characters that are quite likeable, with an ending that gives me hope that there will be a sequel to explain some of the things that were left hanging, and to continue Violet's training.  Hopefully she will also find herself in many more adventures and mysteries that will be in need of her unique talents. 

Some Bookish Questions & More About Me!!

I really enjoy doing this on Thursdays as it's such a nice way to open up a little bit and have a little fun.  I finally got my new ereader yesterday, and I am thrilled to have one again.  If you are a regular follower of my blog, you will know that my other one literally went "kaput" several weeks ago for no reason other than to send me into hysterics, especially with review deadlines approaching.  I had to return it in order for it to be replaced, but now I have to download all of the books onto it again.  At least I have a working ereader again.  You know, I never thought I would be so attached to the thing as I was originally opposed to them, but now I would rather leave the house without my cellphone than leave the house without my ereader.  Go figure!!

The weather has been fantastic this week, and I am now counting the days down until my holidays.  It's getting tough to focus and with exams still to go, and a ton of marking still to do, it's hard to want to concentrate on that stuff when the sun is shining and the heat is finally here.  I love the rain, but I definitely don't want to see it again for a few days.  I really feel sorry for those folks who have it tough right now with all of the flooding and the terrible thunderstorms and tornadoes that have hit so many parts of Canada and the United States.  My heart goes out to all of you who are affected!!!

Reading has been going great these past few weeks.  I feel rejuvenated and want to get my hands on every book out there.  The only problem being that work is getting in the way so I can't read as much as I would like.  I've been sent some pretty interesting books too, and I've now got a book going in almost every room in my house and at my trailer.  I also have one sitting on my desk at work, but so far have resisted the temptation to touch it as that would be very bad, very very bad.  I have to say though, even I am pretty impressed by my willpower. 

http://bttw.wordpress.com/

Question:  Do you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

I do actually read book reviews, but I make it a point of never reading a book review on a book I am going to review.  Otherwise, I am happy to read reviews and points of view as I find them fascinating.  I love to discuss and debate books, so if someone has a different opinion than mine, I like nothing more than to discuss the why and wherefore of their reasoning and thoughts.  Such fun!  I have a specialist in literature, so I really enjoy analyzing books in all contexts, although I really have to watch when I am writing reviews that I don't go too literary.  I would love to have a feature on my blog where I take a text from a novel and analyze it; I just don't have the time right now to do it.  Later, perhaps. 

Reading book reviews doesn't usually affect my reading habits as I usually tend to prefer making my own judgments on what I read.  It will stop me from buying a book once in a while, and borrow from the library first however.  But I was never one to run out and buy just any book anyway as I was a selective buyer and always made use of the library.  If I hadn't, I would never have been able to buy my house.  Buying books = no money. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and there will always be books that other people like that I don't and vice versa.  The Twilight saga is a perfect example of this; while I didn't mind the first book in the series, I am definitely not a big fan of the other books in this series, while others simply feel they are their all-time favourite books.  I would never read them again and would never purchase them and am glad I borrowed them from the library.   There are some authors however, I will buy no matter what, like Jean Auel.  And there are some reviewers whom I love to read their blog posts and highly respect their opinion. 

On to another weekend, and hopefully a sunny one.  My children are off because of a PA Day and I am incredibly jealous and will probably grumble tomorrow morning when everyone gets to sleep in and I have to haul my tired carcass out of bed at 5:30, otherwise known as "o-dark and ugly".  Grumble, grumble!!