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Sunday, July 2, 2017
Books We Love Newsletter and Newest Contest to Win A Kindle
Thursday, June 29, 2017
SHAKESPEARE ON THE PATIO
1967--Wearing Aunt Juliet's 1950's Dress which she sewed for an Ohio State dance
My mother’s parents had a beautiful backyard in the small
Ohio town of Yellow Springs. Their house and backyard are the very first I
remember. I was a war-time baby, and because of the housing shortage, my mother
lived with her folks for some years while my father was serving over-seas.
Grandpa had made his yard special by that time, but when
they first came to town, in 1927, the “yard” was barren. The only tree was a
young sugar maple which provided afternoon shade. Grandpa Liddle was an English Professor, but
he’d been raised on a farm, so he knew how to grow things. By the time I’d
reached consciousness—say, 1947—his backyard had become a lovely place, now
hidden from the neighbors by a living wall of cedars.
Inside this, twenty years on, was a flower garden, where
colorful Dutch bulbs bloomed in spring—daffodils, tulips, anemones, narcissus—followed
by all kinds of lilies and roses in summer, as well as Canterbury bells,
bachelor buttons and a host of other familiar plants. There was also a pear
tree, a stand of raspberries, a grape arbor and rhubarb. All the surplus was
either turned into jelly or canned for winter use. In summer fresh fruit was
always on the menu—my cornflakes always had raspberries; our lunches were
accompanied by pears or grapes.
Celandine, brought from the NY family farm to Grandpa's Ohio yard, to mine
In the
shadiest part of the yard, by a small stable which sheltered the ponies that
belonged to his daughters, he had a wildwood area. This contained a variety of ferns,
trillium, phlox, wild violets, and bleeding heart. Dutchman’s Breeches, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Dutchman’s Pipe were two of the oddest denizens
of this garden.
Dutchman's Breeches
Under the big maple, on the brick patio, in good spring weather, he’d occasionally host a small senior
literature class in Milton, Chaucer, or Shakespeare. This was not a problem for
the students generally, as the house was only two blocks from the college and
bicycles, in those days, were part of campus life. If I arrived in the middle
of one of these classes, I knew to quietly head into the house. Here, I’d find
Grandma in the kitchen, getting a proper English tea ready to serve. Of course,
there was always some for me.
Professor A.W. Liddle, a.k.a. "Grandpa"
Grandpa also had a little pond for goldfish. Nearby, he
planted two sweet cherry trees, one for me and one for my cousin, Michael. Pies
made from the fruit are another happily remembered treat, fresh ones in summer,
followed by winter’s, made with Grandpa’s canned cherries. The pond was my
favorite spot to sit, where I waited to glimpse furtive tail-flicks of orange.
I fed the fish whenever I visited. As soon as they spied me, peering down at
them from my dimension of air, they would obligingly rise to the surface to
take whatever I’d brought. ( I suppose, however, that, ordinarily, the resident
mosquito larva was sufficient.) In the autumn, Grandpa would dip out the
pond and put the fish into a tank on a side table in the sunlit breakfast room.
Mostly, the goldies survived to return to the pond again in the spring. Some of
these wintered-over fish grew quite large.
There were two weddings held in this garden, first that of
my parents, and later, post-Korean war, of my
Aunt Juliet. I was the flower girl and my Cousin Michael, still in
diapers, was the ring bearer. Later on, I nursed my first son sitting in that
same utterly private backyard, while my grandparents told my husband and me
stories about their 1927 arrival in this small middle-western town.
Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH
~~Juliet Waldron
http://www.julietwaldron.com
See all my historical novels @
https://www.facebook.com/jwhistfic/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Also available at Smashwords, Kobo, B&N...
Coming Soon: Fly Away Snow Goose, in the Canadian Historical Brides series
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I am in the grandma zone, a long time writer and poet, posting at Crone Henge and BWL these days just because. Wish I could travel, and last year I was lucky enough to get back to the UK, specifically to Avebury to reconnect with the ancient temple. Hiking, camping, lover of solitude, cats, moons and gardens.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
How Do You Go About Developing Your Characters? by Connie Vines
How do you go about developing your characters for a story?
How much time do you spend or does it just happen in the writing process ? What inspires you?
Thank you Rhobin, once again, for a great writing topic.
I believe development of my characters has a great deal to do with the type of novel/story that I am writing at the time. Obviously, my novellas, for lack of work count, are not superficial by any means, but my information is given via dialogue or internal thoughts with visual clues. My romantic suspense will have a lesser degree of character development, unless it relates to the 'suspense element' that say, my traditional romance novels.
However, I do write character sketches for all of my 'people'. I may sprinkle the info in the story, or simply keep in in the back of my mind for character motivation.
How much time do you spend or does it just happen in the writing process ? What inspires you?
Thank you Rhobin, once again, for a great writing topic.
I believe development of my characters has a great deal to do with the type of novel/story that I am writing at the time. Obviously, my novellas, for lack of work count, are not superficial by any means, but my information is given via dialogue or internal thoughts with visual clues. My romantic suspense will have a lesser degree of character development, unless it relates to the 'suspense element' that say, my traditional romance novels.
However, I do write character sketches for all of my 'people'. I may sprinkle the info in the story, or simply keep in in the back of my mind for character motivation.
- I often use astrological signs to help develop my characters and create conflict. Rodeo Romance, Book 1, (LYNX). Lynx Maddox is a Leo and Rachel Scott is an Aquarius. Opposites attract but they also create great romantic conflict.
- Birth Order is another way to develop your character(s) actions and outlook on life. Pairing a 1st born woman with the 'baby' of the family or vise-a-versa, will create writing inspiration.
- Ethnic background is also to be considered. If one character is from a large immigrate family is dating a person who is an only child (4th generation) with have all types of expected things popping into picture.
- If I am writing a historical novel, I often make a composite of historical people/clues in diaries and letters (WHISPER UPON THE WATER)
- At other times, with all of my careful planning, the writing process flips my character into a secondary character or he/she evolves and I go back and edit/change several scenes.
- Also physical attributes/challenges. We all have them. Did those dimples work in her favor?
What inspires me? Life. People's hopes and dream. Honor. Justice. And sometimes, just the need for a good laugh.
Happy Reading!
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Connie Vines is married with two grown sons. When Connie isn't writing. . .
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Finding the truth buried in the legends
Find all the books of the Curse of the Lost Isle series and other books by Vijaya Schartz from BWL HERE |
Myths and legends are often cautionary tales, but each of them relates
to specific events and periods of the faraway past, and contains a kernel of truth. Even these immortal ladies were modeled on existing heroines of old, who influenced society in times of turmoil.
Beside the persecution of Pagans during the dark ages, many important historical events punctuate the lives of these immortal ladies. The Viking invasions in Scotland are front and center in books one and two. Then the foundation of Luxembourg in books three and four. Feudal life and religious struggles in France come to life in book five. The greatest adventure of all times, the Crusades with their different facets are depicted in books six and seven, and the best known legend of Melusine the Fae in Aquitaine, the cradle of many royal lines, comes to light in book eight.
But who were these strong women who fought to survive against all odds, in a world ruled by men, in a violent society where life had little value?
They were Celtic and Pagan. They did not abide by the rules of the new religion Charlemagne had imposed by the sword. They believed in equality and refused to bow to the will of the men who would tame and control them. They practiced kindness toward all and worked for the common good. Early on, they symbolized hope and freedom for many, especially the oppressed.
The ruins of the castles they built still stand. Here, Melusine's tower in Vouvant, Aquitaine. |
These ladies were smart and astute politicians and influenced the rulers and the historical events of their day. They had the welfare of their community at heart. They fought for what was right in a world where the powerful held sway with ruthless violence, and often with impunity.
These ladies were not perfect. Far from it. Each of them made grave mistakes in their youth, using their powers for purposes other than the common good. For these mistakes, they were cursed, and spent their entire lives dealing with horrible woes... all the time struggling to hide their Pagan origins and avoid discovery by the Church... which would lead to burning at the stake. They also sought redemption in the eyes of their Pagan Goddess.
Melusine in her cursed shape still graces the walls of the castle of Lusignan |
Even in today's society, these ladies of old stand as a shining example. I loved writing about them. Their names are rarely mentioned in the history books, although they appear in many legends. But their famous and infamous descendants blazed new trails throughout history.
I hope when you learn more about them, you will like them as much as I do.
Vijaya Schartz
Romance with a Kick
Monday, June 26, 2017
The magical world of Time-Travel as seen by Tricia McGill
Find all my books on my Books We Love Author page |
I am not sure where my fascination for Time-Travel evolved
from. Perhaps it stems from one of Enid Blyton’s series of books that I read many
years ago. The children didn’t exactly time travel in the land of “The Faraway
Tree”, but they did journey to many extraordinary imaginary places when they
entered the Enchanted Wood. http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/faraway-tree.php I spent many ecstatic hours with them as I
did also with Enid Blyton’s “Famous Five” on their adventures.
But I think my first foray into the likelihood of actual
time-travel was brought about by the 1960 movie adaptation of H. G. Wells “The
Time Machine” with Rod Tayler, Yvette Mimieux, and who can forget The Morlocks.
If you never saw the movie you should wander over to this site where you can
watch some of the scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKP-WkcDT5s
I have to agree that some of it was so far-fetched and seems
corny by today’s standards, but it was a movie ahead of its time. It was remade
in 2002 with Guy Pearce in the lead role, but this adaptation was far removed
from the original that inspired me. I have an extensive list of my favorite
movies including, The Terminator, Back to The Future, The Time-Traveler's Wife, Kate and Leopold, and Interstellar. The fact that so many movies have
been made using the TT plot proves that I am not the only one fascinated by the
subject. Put Time-Travel movies into the search bar and see what it brings up.
Whoops! Nearly left out my favorite time-traveler of all. Who doesn't love The Doctor. I've been watching Dr Who from almost the first time it appeared on our TV screens in England when the deadly Daleks used sink plungers for weapons. What a success story and what a premise. He not only travels back and forth through time but also goes inter-galactic in his police box, the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). And what a brilliant idea to have him regenerate periodically when a different actor needs to take over the role instead of dying.
Whoops! Nearly left out my favorite time-traveler of all. Who doesn't love The Doctor. I've been watching Dr Who from almost the first time it appeared on our TV screens in England when the deadly Daleks used sink plungers for weapons. What a success story and what a premise. He not only travels back and forth through time but also goes inter-galactic in his police box, the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). And what a brilliant idea to have him regenerate periodically when a different actor needs to take over the role instead of dying.
I sincerely hope I live long enough to see someone make that
leap into another time by using some means or other. Apart from the fascination
with the theory of time-travel there is also the other factor that stirs my
interest and that is how great it would be to see first-hand how people lived,
loved and worked in times gone by. My time-travel stories to date have taken me
back to Scotland of 1050 (Wild Heather Series—The Laird Book 1 and Travis Book
2), Jorvik (York) when it was a Viking settlement in 879AD (Maddie and The
Norseman), and to the Ancient Britain of 450AD not long after the Romans left
in my latest release A Call Through Time.
A large part of the intrigue attached to writing this genre
stems from my love of research. It’s rewarding and satisfying to start out on
the journey with an idea and to build upon that idea when you set a period in
time and then go about researching time lines, costumes of the period, the food
the folk eat, and how they prepare it etc. etc.
When it boils down to it, much as I would love to take this
journey back to a time and place when sanitation was non-existent, where life
was basic with no washing machines, toilet paper, no cars, no planes or trains,
I would always want to return to the present day of clean bed linen and sanitary
products, of skilled doctors and surgeons. Imagine what it would have been like
without the necessities we take for granted. But, that said, I would still love
to know if life was really like it is portrayed in the movies. Apparently Cleopatra
was no raving beauty like Elizabeth Taylor, but she did get some mighty influential
men to fall for her:
The Elizabethans were
a pretty grubby lot with perhaps one bath a year in dirty water at that:
And what about the Vikings, I doubt they ever cleaned their
teeth or brushed their hair:
We romanticize a lot (or I do) about these times, but I can’t
really see myself falling for someone whose mouth smells like rotten food and
whose body must stink after months at sea on a diet of fish. But there you go,
it’s a writer’s privilege to fantasize, even if it means turning fact into
fiction to suit our needs.
Visit my web page for excerpts and reviews |
Labels:
romance novels,
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time travel romance,
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Tricia McGill
I was born in London but moved to Australia with my husband many moons ago. I always had the urge to write full time but wasn't able to fulfill this dream until I retired early from the fashion industry. Most of my contemporary romances are set in Victoria where I live or Tasmania my second favourite state. I have always loved to read Time Travels so it was obvious that I would like to write them. I love the research entailed in writing them and also historicals. All my books are with publisher Books We Love, and I am proud to boast that I was no 1 on the BWL best sellers list 2015/2016 and in the top 10 best selling authors in 2017. My greatest achievement was winning the Australian Romance Writers Book of the Year award with my Traces of Dreams that is now re-titled Remnants of Dreams. I am a fervent animal lover and support various charities that do their best to help animals in need around the world. I also volunteer for a local community group helping disabled people with their computers.
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