AND WHAT A YEAR 2019 WAS! HARD WORK, DEADLINES, AWARDS, AND ALL! - by Vijaya Schartz

ANGEL FIERCE won the 2019 ARIZONA LITERARY AWARDS
 in FICTION Find it and many other books of mine HERE

2019 was a busy and rewarding year in many ways and many areas of my life. On a personal level, my divorce was finalized, after twenty-five years of marriage. The last five years we were separated. Not a tremendous change, but a symbolic one. I always valued freedom above all. 

As for my writing career, a few surprise awards came at the very beginning. I was a bestseller for 2018 at BWL, and ANGEL MINE (Azura Chronicles Book 1) was voted Best Positive Future Novel of 2018 by Critters Annual Readers Poll.

 

My publication year started with ANGEL FIERCE in February, followed by BLACK DRAGON in June. Then I had to revise and refresh all the books in the CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK (six of them) over the summer for the second publication of this favorite award-winning series by BWL. Then I had to rewrite a short work into a full novel, AKIRA’S CHOICE, Byzantium Book 2, which was released in November. I also contributed to an anthology of essays about genre discrimination and the condition of women, to be released in January to benefit a women’s charity. 

Ten titles in one year. Phew! 

When the stars align, you better be ready for the turmoil. It was grueling work. And a lot of time and effort spent on writing, on promoting the release of each book, not to mention meeting insane deadlines. I had no other choice but to bury myself in my work. 

But the rewards exceeded all my expectations. 

The crowning came on November 2nd, with the 2019 ARIZONA LITERARY AWARDS, where ANGEL FIERCE won first place in fiction, a very large and competitive category.  Here I am in my Phryne Fisher Murder Mysteries costume, cloche hat and all, receiving the award. My book cover is on the big screen. The smile alone tells the story. 

Then, a few weeks later, on November 26, I was selected for the Best of Glendale award in Media and Entertainment, for my achievements as an author, for the year 2019. 

"Each year, this program identifies companies and individuals that we believe have achieved exceptional success in their local community and business category. These exceptional people help make the Glendale area a great place to live, work and play. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners. The Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Glendale Award Program and data provided by third parties. Only one winner is selected in each category." 

It took me twenty years of arduous work and perseverance from my first book release to get to this point, and I have no regrets. After thirty original titles, it was all worth it. I realized my dream of becoming a recognized and celebrated author, respected by my peers, and loved by my readers. Too bad Amazon doesn’t consider quality as its principal standard. 

But where do I go from here? Keep writing. I’m now working on MALAIKA’S SECRET, Book 3 of the Byzantium series, to be released in 2020. Next will be ANGEL BRAVE, Book 3 of the Azura Chronicles, set on the angel planet. Angel Fierce, the award-winning book, was Book 2 of this series, and Book 1, Angel Mine, won a Readers Poll. Each book is a standalone.

I sincerely hope 2020 gives me a little time to breathe. I wouldn’t want to get burned out about writing, like some of my author friends who stopped producing altogether. I wish to retain my joie de vivre an enjoy some kind of personal life… which was missing in 2019. Besides, having a life can also give authors some inspiration for new characters and new stories. 

ANGEL FIERCE - Byzantium Book 2

Winner Arizona Literary Awards, Fiction, 2019

Something’s rotten on the angel planet. When Avenging Angels turn up dead, Urielle, their Legion Commander, suspects the handsome intruder brought unspeakable evil to Azura.

Maksou never met a woman he couldn’t seduce. He came to the forbidden planet to rescue his friends and get rich in the process, but the jungle crawls with lethal life forms… including a gorgeous warrior angel, who saves his life but keeps him prisoner and challenges his irresistible charm.

Urielle, sworn to protect Azura at all costs, has no use for a maverick who ignores the rules and endangers the planet… no matter how attractive. Especially when the Galactic Trade Alliance (GTA) wages a secret war to get their greedy hands on the priceless crystal at Azura’s core.

"full of fascinating elements and a unique spin on Angels... fast pace and strong, vivid characters that draw readers in and keep them glued to the pages... an entertaining and intriguing read." Ind'tale Magazine

Akira's Choice - Byzantium Book 2

When bounty hunter Akira Karyudo accepted her assignment, something didn't add up. Why would the Galactic Trade Alliance want a young kidnapped orphan dead or alive?

She will get to the truth once she finds the boy, and the no-good SOB who snatched him from a psychiatric hospital. With her cheetah, Freckles, a genetically enhanced feline retriever, Akira sets out to flush them out of the bowels of the Byzantium space station. But when she finds her fugitives, the kidnapper is not what she expects.

Kazmo, a decorated Resistance fighter, stole his nephew from the authorities, who performed painful experiments on the boy. Stuck on Byzantium, he protects the child, but how can he shield him from the horribly dangerous conditions in the lawless sublevels of the space station?

Akira faces the worst moral dilemma of her career. Law or justice, duty or love. She can't have it both ways.

"Wow! If readers want to see and feel and believe they are in deep space, then ‘Akira's Choice’ is the perfect choice! With a touch of romance, the vivid descriptions and beautifully developed characters masterfully presented by Schartz create a virtual world that invite the reader not merely to observe, but to walk amongst them and participate... This is a delicate art, and Schartz wields her weapons with precision and skill. Banzai!" 5 stars - exceptional - recommended read - Ind'tale Magazine

"A captivating story with interesting, appealing characters. Being a cat lover, I found the relationship, with its psychic element, between Freckles and Shane absolutely captivating. As always, Ms. Schartz’s solid plot and crisply-written prose incorporates a good blend of action and intrigue... This story can easily stand alone... but I believe you’ll enjoy this exciting Sci-Fi series much more if you start reading it from the beginning... a must read for all fans of Sci-Fi romance. Go pick them up and settle into your favorite armchair for some entertaining reading. 4.5 stars - Manic Readers

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, safe travels, and a fantastic year in 2020.

Vijaya Schartz, author

 Strong heroines, brave heroes, cats, romance with a kick
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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The origins of pantomime—Tricia McGill

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The earliest form of pantomime developed in the street markets and fairgrounds of Italy in the 16^th century. The Commedia del’arte had its comedy, stock characters and always stories of the old man, Pantalone, the clown Pierrot and Columbine, a girl in love with the servant Arlecchino (Harlequin). In the late 1700s an actor named Joseph Grimaldi took Harlequin to new heights, as the sets became more elaborate. 

By the Victorian era, the pantomime was typical Christmas fare and

saw the demise of the traditional Harlequinade. It became pure variety, plus comedy and music.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2JZ6TSqnd480n90dzN77r1Q/where-does-pantomime-really-come-from

I knew none of this when my mother took me along during the festive season to the local church hall or perhaps later on to the nearest music hall, where we would join in the fun. I think my mother probably enjoyed the show as much as me as it was likely she had little time or money earlier when bringing up the other nine children to enjoy the pleasure of a night out. How I loved those shows. It never occurred to me to question why a girl always played Aladdin or Cinderella’s ugly sisters were always a couple of middle aged male comedians. Audience participation was and still is a vital part of the pantomime.

 

One of my favourites was Dick Whittington, perhaps because I liked his cat who accompanied him on his search for the city paved with gold. I can still see him on that stage, sitting on the milestone outside London with his cat alongside him. Of course, I had no idea back then that this panto story is based on the life of a real Richard Whittington who went on to become a four times Lord Mayor of London. He was famous for financing projects such as drainage systems in the poorer areas of Medieval London. Folklore has it that he made a fortune by selling his cat to an Eastern gent who sent the cat back to his rat-infested empire, but that is one of those believe it or not stories probably with little truth in it.

Perhaps my love of panto stemmed from my love of reading. To see the characters I knew well come to life on the stage was magical.

It is believed that the British panto and the role reversal of principal boy and the Dame may have evolved from the Feast of Fools; a Tudor tradition presided over by the Lord of Misrule. Apparently, this feast was just an excuse for drinking to excess and the consequential revelry. Or, this festival may have originated from the Roman times where the master would allow his servants to take over his role as master throughout the festival.

Whatever or wherever it originated, pantomime is still alive and doing well. I guarantee that the settings and characters have improved a thousand-fold since those far off days, where my mother probably paid about sixpence or a shilling entrance fee, and we sat on hard benches in the draughty church hall and shouted along with the crowd, “Look behind you,” to a character on the stage who appeared oblivious to all that was going on at his rear.

I do hope that most of you have experienced a panto and have taken your children or grandchildren along to see at least one.

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Christmas Chuckles by A.M.Westerling

If you’re reading this post on the 25th it means you’ve found a few minutes to yourself to put your feet up and take a small break from the busyness of the day. I’ll be taking it easy and recovering today as we have our Christmas meal and gift opening on Christmas Eve. I’m hosting the family this year so we’ll have twelve around the table. On the menu? Turkey with stuffing, pork loin roast, red cabbage, carrots with chives, festive mushrooms, potatoes and gravy, followed by rice pudding and cherry sauce. The rice pudding is a Danish tradition – if you find the whole almond in your pudding, you win the prized marzipan pig! One year both my daughters in law won. That's my brother, disappointed he was oh so close...

I thought I might share a few of my favourite Christmas chuckles and if you follow my FB fan page, you know I’m a sucker for a good pun. On that note, I’ll sign off. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2020!



Just a comment on the first one – you might have to be a certain age to appreciate it. As a young girl, I remember my father sitting with the string of lights in his lap, unscrewing each bulb and checking them out on his volt meter.

And I absolutely love this one (not sure what it says about my sense of humour...!):