Books We Love Launches a New Contest

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 EVERY WEEK IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

THREE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE THEIR CHOICE OF ANY EBOOK PICTURED ON OUR NEW RELEASES PAGE

AND ON FEBRUARY 28 WE WILL DRAW FROM THE WINNERS WHO HAVE CLAIMED ONE OF THE BOOK PRIZES AND ONE WINNER WILL RECEIVE THE KINDLE FIRE.  ONE ENTRY PER PERSON ONLY AND ENTRANTS MUST BE SUBSCRIBERS TO OUR NEWSLETTER.  USE THE CONVENIENT FORM BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE.

   Books from our New Releases page are pictured below. 

Great Expectations... by Gail Roughton

It's the start of a new year, with all the hopes and expectations for ourselves each new year brings. And speaking of expectations, especially for ourselves...

I don't normally blog about serious matters, mostly because I tend to see the humor in all but the most devastating and catastrophic of events and if something's that devastating, it's way beyond my capacity to write about it. But something I read recently about "self-actualization" struck a chord with me, something that in fact could be considered a most serious matter. Be warned, now--I'm the person whose chord was struck, which means you can pretty much chunk serious out the window. Still, there might actually be food for thought here for all but the most severely self-delusional, and please let it be herein noted that I think most of us are delusional to a certain extent and further, I think that comes under the heading of survival.  However, when taken to extremes it's, well, downright unhealthy, and it's summed up in these words: "I can be/d0 anything I want." We're speaking of occupations and laudable achievements here, mind you, as opposed to the going out and running wildly amuck, breaking store windows and feasting on caramels and cinnamon buns type of anything I want,  you understand.

We all like to think we can be or do anything we want, don't we?  We were told that growing up, and we tell our children and grandchildren that, but let's be honest. That's not actually true now, is it? No, it is not, and it's not true because no one individual is born with all the talents and attributes necessary for that individual to truly be anything in life they want. It's certainly true that every individual can and should do their very best to utilize their talents and abilities to become whatever it's possible for them to be that makes them happy but that doesn't mean they could be anything they wanted to be. 

Take me, for example. From an early age, I was fascinated--nay, awestruck--by the stars. The very first thing I ever wanted to be was an astronomer. But here's the thing. Take a wild guess what astronomers need.  Strong math and science skills, and by strong math skills, we're not talking about the ability to add two plus two.  We're talking calculus level math skills.  Physics and astrophysics level science skills.  If someone held a gun to my head and told me they'd pull the trigger if I didn't correctly work a calculus problem, I might as well ask if I could go pick my own coffin out, 'cause there's no way in Hades I'd ever be able to work that problem. Not if I stared at it for a hundred years. My brain circuits simply do not work in such a way that I comprehend the logic of higher math. I'm not a math and science gal. So I didn't pursue a math and science career. 

Therefore, it follows that anyone who wants with their whole heart to be a doctor but faints at the sight of blood probably needs to rethink that "I can be anything I want" thing. Likewise, no one's going to be a professional running back if they can't catch a ball with glue on their hands. It's just not going to happen. Anyone who has no musical talent isn't going to play Carnegie Hall.  In other words, there are limits on that "I can be anything I want" mindset. 

Yes, with hard work, patience, and dedication, an individual can do just about anything and I'm certainly not advocating throwing up our hands and wailing "Oh, woe is me!" when the going gets tough because yes, that's when the tough get going. But let's be reasonable about it, people. If we could all do the same things, and do them all equally well, we'd be clones. Or maybe the spawn of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Let's nurture our innate strengths and talents and teach our children and grandchildren to recognize and nurture theirs.  Let's be the best "me" we can be. And sometimes we don't know how good our best can be until life throws us a curve ball we never saw coming. Sometimes we don't even know what hidden talents lie within us until that curve ball hits us in the face. Just ask Ariel Anson...

The Complete Set

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My Love Affair With History by Rosemary Morris

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 Far Beyond Rubies by Rosemary Morris is set in England in 1706, during Queen Anne Stuart’s reign.

When Gervaise, who has returned from India, sees Juliana for the first time, he recognises her, but not from this lifetime…

My love affair with history, reading and writing began at a very early age. I agonised over the story of King Alfred burning the cakes and being scolded by a peasant woman. At about five-years of age I couldn’t come to terms with a king in a humble dwelling. In my opinion, Alfred should have been seated on a throne, dressed in sumptuous clothes, a gold crown studded with jewels on his head.

Aged ten I wept buckets over Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, seated on the stairs outside Traitors’ Gate at the Tower of London for fear she would be executed like her ill-fated mother. Later, I thrilled to Elizabeth’s famous speech which began: I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.

This article is a trip down a proverbial memory lane. I visualise myself in love with, and cheering for the dashing cavaliers, who fought for King Charles I of England, and booing Oliver Cromwell, who sanctioned regicide.

My head filled with the history of old England, I always chose to read historical fiction, first children’s books; later novels which – to name a few - included Jane Eyre, The Four Musketeers, Pride and Prejudice, Georgette Heyer’s historical romances and the Angelique series by Sergeanne Golonne.

Before I could write I made up short stories. As soon as I could I wrote down tales for my own entertainment. Eventually, I composed my first historical romance.

At long last, I studied creative writing. Imagination cannot be taught but the craft of writing can. My ideas for stories were always good but I needed to learn how to present them. As I wrote in my previous article, I completed the Open College of the Art’s writing course, read books on how to write, went on two Writer’s Holidays, joined The Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Historical Novel Society and a local writer’s group.

As well as reading fiction I read historical non-fiction from which I often get an idea for a novel. After I read William Dalyrymple’s book The White Mughals, I imagined a well-born younger son, who was packed off to India to serve the East India Company. Sent many miles up country to establish trade links, all the business was conducted by messenger. During his years at a Hindu court, isolated from Europeans, the hero of the novel, whom I named Gervaise, became a vegetarian and took an interest in Hindu philosophy. I then drew on my knowledge of India and Hinduism to enrich my novel, which I called Far Beyond Rubies.

When Gervaise first saw Juliana, it seemed as though he recognised her from a previous lifetime. After he found out that her half-brother claimed her inheritance and declared she and her young sister are illegitimate, he offered to help her.

By the time Gervaise had returned to England and met Juliana, James II’s younger daughter Anne had succeeded William and Mary. While writing Far Beyond Rubies I wanted the reader to be swept back into Queen Anne’s reign, to visualise the clothes, almost taste the food and understand India’s influence on Gervaise. To judge by reviews of the novel, I achieved not only this but, through the Juliana, revealed the Jacobite threat to the throne, and the clash of Anglican, Huguenot and Roman Catholicism, as well as a romance that touches my readers’ hearts.

https;//www.amazon.co.uk/Far – Beyond – Rubies-ebook/dp/B01MEBL3KX

https;//www.amazon.com/Far – Beyond – Rubies-ebook/dp/B01MEBL3KX

Published by Books We Love.

Available as e-publications and paperbacks.

Early 18^th century novels by Rosemary Morris

Tangled Love

Far Beyond Rubies

The Captain and The Countess

Regency novels

False Pretences

Sunday’s Child   Heroines born on different days of the week. Book 1.

Monday’s Child  Heroines born on different days of the week. Book 2

Tuesday’s Child  Heroines born on different days of the week  Book 3