Every Little Thing
We’ve all heard how writing contests are a great way to build name recognition and catch the right person’s attention. With the internet’s proliferation, authors no longer have to predominantly rely on their local writing group chapter for one. More and more, website communities like BlakeSnyder.com are offering free, reader voted contests we all can enter. For example, December 2010, Editor Unleashed offered the “Why I Write” essay contest open to any writer so long as they joined the forum. Entries had a 750 word limit and here is mine:
For The Marginally Insane
By Amber Scott © 2010
Furiously typing away, I am interrupted by my beaming daughter. “Momma, I poop!”
I look down and, sure enough, my babygirl has lost another battle with the mighty clench.
“I catch it!” (As evidenced by the large, brown lump teetering on her dainty palm.)
At four, my son wanted to be white balloon when he grew up, so he could fly high in the sky. Now he’s five and he thinks that’s silly. When I was four, I wanted to be a writer. I vividly remember telling my mother as much “Oh?” she’d said. “What will you write, Amber? Books? Poems?”
That pride still courses through me. I would write books, and just as those I read transported me, I would take others to another place and time to live vicariously. But, I rarely actually wrote. For school assignments, I scribbled away. For a few minor contests, I put pen to paper. For a Father’s Day gift, I penciled and stapled a little book on baseball, a topic I knew nothing about but thought my dad would love. I winged it.
When I was thirteen my dad died. I finished my first historical romance that year, beginning my lifelong affair with the genre. I wrote in my head and let it stay there.
In college, I excelled in my creative writing courses. Post graduation I contributed to my employer’s newsletter. I did not begin writing, though, really and truly writing, until my son was born. He nursed all day long. I had no job outside the home. I learned how to burn bacon. I mastered the quickest vacuum route. I grew a bit isolated and, forced to sit still and be present in my own life, my childhood dream began whispering.
I heard voices. I always had, I realized. Characters I’d thought up here and there during the course of my life had grown tired of sitting around my mental waiting room.
During every nap, I wrote. Terrible, awful passive voiced novels that I couldn’t let anyone read. But each time, I got a little better. I changed diapers and cleaned toilets and fell in love with an outcast knight. I stacked blocks and tended fevers and seduced my ex boyfriend’s best friend.
Don’t worry. My husband knows all about them. He supports me throughout it all and, (surprise, surprise) did a dance when I finally kissed a girl. I am a happier wife, a more attentive and patient mother, when I am writing. Creating gives me purpose and escape. I better understand the people I love and better tolerate those I don’t. The deeper I delve into the human heart through these flawed characters, the clearer I see myself and the world around me.
I write for my dad who never got his baseball book, for my mom who always took my dream seriously. For my son and my daughter who still shout the magic words to open the garage door. I write to control the voices and to face my fears.
“Oh, good girl!” I reply to my cherubic girl. “Let’s take it to the toilet and tell it bye-bye.” And scrub your little hands and pray for the day we can proclaim, we are potty trained! Hey, she’s only two. What else can I do?
Maybe write about it.
***
My entry has been viewed more than eighty times and every new viewing through February counts as a vote. That’s more than eighty fellow writers and readers who may remember ‘Amber Scott’ the next time they see it, who might go to my website, who might purchase one of my books. Putting myself out there, I count as a win. I also win because I joined a forum which is brimming with marketing and writing information for authors. When a girl is trying to make it out here, every little thing helps, don’t you think?
In the spirit of contests, I’d like to offer any Romance Junkie fan a free copy of my ebook Play Fling. At Smashwords, please enter coupon code NQ33L. To view as a vote for my entry, please click here. Thank you so much!
:}Amber Scott, author, screenwriter, mom.
Find me on: 1st Turning Point, Smashwords, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or email me at amberromances@yahoo.com.
Jane Austen’s Persuasion and the Old White Hart Inn
I love all the research involved for a new book especially when a new piece of a jigsaw fits into place. I’ve read Jane Austen’s Persuasion many times, but it was only recently that I read this passage and puzzled over it.
Anne…hastened forward to the White Hart, to see again the friends and companions of the last autumn, with an eagerness of goodwill which many associations contributed to form. They found Mrs. Musgrove and her daughter within, and by themselves, and Anne had the kindest welcome from each. Henrietta was exactly in that state of recently improved views, of fresh-formed happiness, which made her full of regard and interest for everybody she had ever liked before at all; and Mrs. Musgrove’s real affection had been won by her usefulness when they were in distress. It was a heartiness, and a warmth, and a sincerity which Anne delighted in the more, from the sad want of such blessings at home. She was intreated to give them as much of her time as possible, invited for every day and all day long, or rather claimed as a part of the family; and, in return, she naturally fell into all her wonted ways of attention and assistance, and on Charles’s leaving them together, was listening to Mrs. Musgrove’s history of Louisa, and to Henrietta’s of herself, giving opinions on business, and recommendations to shops; with intervals of every help which Mary required, from altering her ribbon to settling her accounts, from finding her keys, and assorting her trinkets, to trying to convince her that she was not ill-used by anybody; which Mary, well amused as she generally was, in her station at a window overlooking the entrance to the Pump Room, could not but have her moments of imagining.
The part that puzzled me was about the White Hart and the fact that Mary could stand at the window and see the entrance to the Pump Room. The only White Hart I know in Bath is in Widcombe, but nowhere near the Pump Room, certainly not at a distance to be able to see it or the entrance. After a little further investigation I discovered that there had been a White Hart Coaching Inn situated opposite the Pump Room in Stall Street. It was a major coaching inn, a stopping place for new arrivals to the spa town as well as a hotel.
Charles Dickens also makes mention of it in Pickwick Papers.
And at seven o’clock p.m. Mr. Pickwick and his friends, and Mr. Dowler and his wife, respectively retired to their private sitting-rooms at the White Hart Hotel, opposite the Great Pump Room, Bath, the waiters, from their costume, might be mistaken for Westminster boys, only they destroy the illusion by behaving themselves much better.
Not only was this building eventually demolished but the Grand Pump Room Hotel which replaced it was also pulled down in1958/9 to be replaced by shops. I found this really interesting site with lots of images of Bath from the past Click here to see Bath in Time.
Another wonderful site is Bath360 If you click the link you can see what the Pump Rooms look like today – the White Hart and Grand Hotel are shops today, which can be glimpsed through the colonnade.
I can just imagine in its heyday how exciting it must have been for new visitors to Bath to arrive outside the imposing inn with views of the Pump Room and Abbey on the opposite side – I would love a trip back through time just to witness it in all its splendour!
Jane Odiwe
Crystal Cove & Headed to Vegas
Happy Saturday Ocean Dreamers!
Tomorrow morn I will be heading to Vegas with Big Kiddo, so please forgive me for not keeping up with your blogs until next Tuesday. I can’t wait to catch up with all of you then!
For now I wanted to leave you with some pictures of my hiking adventure today with my roommates, one of my roommate’s boyfriend, his daughter, sister, and me at Crystal Cove, near Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
It was beautiful and I found some beautiful sea glass by the caves. I’ll show you pictures of the sea glass when I return from my trip.
So here’s some pictures from our beach combing and hiking adventure…
It all started with this gigantic hill that took us up a mountain over looking the ocean. I felt accomplished when I made it up to the top first due to my training for my run that is coming up, lol.
Here’s a picture of myself that I snapped when I made it to the top. I was a tad bored waiting for them to make it up the hill, ha ha. Not saying they were slow or anything. 
Mission accomplished! Here I am with my picture buddy, Brianna, aka my roommate’s boyfriend’s daughter. Whew- that was a mouth full!
Here are some pictures from the state park, after we went hiking. It’s beautiful here!
Guest blogger Carol Townend – Echoes & Ideas from a Box of Papers
We’re delighted to welcome Carol Townend to the blog. Over to you, Carol!
Thank you, I’m delighted to be here!
Years ago, I was asked to be custodian of a box of letters – some of them are very old. One is a copy of a family will – apparently the original was deposited at Halifax Parish Church in 1520! It would be wonderful to see the original.
Even after such a long passage of time, a glance at the copy shows that certain names are still popular with our family. The 1520 will is that of William Townend. William is my father’s name; it is also one of my brother’s names. The 1520 William was a yeoman farmer and he leaves his ‘best beast’ to the Vicar of Halifax. Several sums of money are bequeathed to various churches as well as for the building of a ‘stone bridge at Sourby’.
William leaves his son John, ‘all my clothes, plough and harrow with all their necessaries’.
And his daughter, Margaret? The will states: ‘Residue of all my goods, my debts paid, I give to my daughter Margaret, whom I ordain my true executrix.’
So William gives his son the means of carrying on his livelihood, and his daughter the household goods. I was struck by the fact that in 1520, Margaret was ordained executrix, which must surely be a reflection of William’s view of his daughter as a competent and efficient person. He knew he could rely on her to deal with his estate, such as it was.
Below is a scan of a letter dated three centuries later. It was written in the Barton Poor House on April 11th 1819. (Barton in Yorkshire)
The letter is addressed to ‘My Dear Uncle’ and comes from his ‘Affectionate Neice (sic) Ellen’. It poses more questions than it answers. Here is a (rough) copy, I have tried to keep as closely as possible to Ellen’s original rather exenntrik spellygnes and punctuation:
My Dear Uncle
I am extremely unhappy that I have to address you upon such an occurrence which has happened, I left Mrs Berry in thoughts of going to Cleckheaton, as Inform’d her to spend a few days I took inconsiderate step and went forwards to London, my journey to London as I went inside the Coach took all the Money I had I borrowed five pounds of Mrs Turnball to defray my expences home I came by way of Manchester, I stoped all night at Mr Wrights the Palace Inn. I paid five shillings at the Coach Office at the Bridge. water bins the Person who kept the Coach Informed me I would be seven shillings to Halifax from there I thought of going to Mrs Berry’s of Thong but my money being entirely finished I could not proceed any further so I thought to walk so far I am going to relate a very unpleasant circumstance to you I took a sudden and Inconsistent thought into my mind I walked as far as Barton a Village about five miles behind Manchester and went into the river with an Intention of drownding myself when I had been in the water some time I was very fortunately rescued from being drowned by a person who got me out of the river in safety I really believe that the hand of the Almighty who thought proper for me to be restored to life again…they took me to an Inn in the Village the Person who resided there being the Constable he said that I was to go to the Poorhouse in Barton, and they inform me I am to stop their while you come to acknowledge me your Neice, as I shall expect you as soon as you receive this letter my dear Uncle if ever you have any regard to me…
…your Affectionate Neice Ellen
Since the letter was saved, Ellen’s uncle must have been fond of her and he must have gone to fetch her home from the poor house. I certainly like to think so. But this letter raises so many questions! The cool tone is extraordinary given the dramatic nature of the events Ellen describes. What drove her to set out on her ill-fated journey? And what happened to her afterwards?
Whatever the truth behind Ellen’s story, her letter could certainly inspire a novel or two…
Carol’s latest book: Runaway Lady, Conquering Lord is out in paperback with Mills & Boon in December. It is set in England and France shortly after the Norman Conquest, and tells the story of a fallen Saxon lady, and the Norman knight she is forced to appeal to for help.
Carol keeps trying to move on to the twelfth century, but the eleventh century seems to have her firmly in its grasp. She is currently working on a novel set in the Byzantine Empire.
Her website is currently being revamped, but she hopes it will be updated very soon! This is the link to Carol’s website
Thanksgiving Romance?
Thanksgiving is my mother’s favorite holiday. I’m not sure if it’s because of the food, the fact that it’s such an inclusive holiday, or that my grandmother’s birthday often fell on Thanksgiving Day.
But, whatever the reason, I too honor the holiday by hosting family and friends every year at my huge table in the country. I honor my grandmother by placing the two little battered pilgrim candles (never lit) that graced her table in the middle of my centerpiece.
This year, my mom decided to go to Colonial Williamsburg to celebrate in a different sort of way, and in order to join her in spirit I’ve been immersing myself in novels about colonial America. On Friday, I saw THE CRUCIBLE and, over the weekend, I read Brunonia Barry’s amazing book THE LACE READER and Kathleen Kent’s THE HERETIC’S APPRENTICE. Richly textured, both novels are set in Salem. Enough said.
It made me realize that, last year, I read Nathaniel Philbrick’s MAYFLOWER, which I highly recommend and my daughter read one of my all time favorite books: THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare (a great essay about this book is in Lizzie Skurnick’s SHELF DISCOVERY).
However, all these books feature witches and only the children’s book is really a romance novel. This led me to a frightening conclusion–Is THANKSGIVING a horribly unromantic holiday?
Sure we’ve published books with witches, like CHRISTINA DODD’s A WELL FAVORED GENTLEMAN, and we’ve published Christmas books like MRS MIRACLE and Eloisa James’ witty and tear-inducing AN AFFAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS. But is there a Thanksgiving book? Maybe we should challenge one of our writers to create one for next year. What do you all think?
And, to my mom, enjoying an authentic Williamsburg Thanksgiving: watch out for witches!
When Your Step-Family is in Trouble–3 Ways to Resolve A Bad Situation
If there’s one thing that can kill a marriage or committed relationship pretty quickly, it’s trying to blend two families together under one roof–especially when there are children involved.
Here’s one woman’s story about her struggles with her common law husband and our answer…
“My current common law husband doesn’t not like my children. The only time he has any interaction with them, he is disciplining them. He tends to have a very firm approach to discipline and fails to see the good in them. I tried to explain to him that he is always coming across as the bad guy, because this is all the kids see. Also, to make the issue worse, he tends to place his own 18 year daughter (who doesn’t live with us)on a pedestal. She can do no
wrong in his eyes. I constantly feel as though I have to defend my children when he is punishing them for something that should not even be an issue. I am constantly in the middle. I feel as though my feelings are NEVER a consideration to him. I keep myself completely removed from his daughter and any issues that arise. I feel it is not my business. Many times I am tempted to voice my opinion, but out of respect to him I will not. I am then left feeling that he should have the same respect for me. To make things worse, he has (for the past three years) gone to spend Christmas with his ex wife and daughter (over night). I feel it is time that he spends it here with me and my children, since he is a part of our household and daily life. Once again I’m left feeling as though he only wants to be a part of my kids life when they have done something bad (in his eyes), and doesn’t want to share the good times. As much as I want him hear, if I insist he will be miserable thinking I am forcing him to be around when he’d rather not. He knows his daughter is more then welcome also. I don’t believe he even gives her the option, and that he simply choses to be at her house (with her mother, his ex).”
Here’s our answer…
The Christmas Pearl
Hi, everyone, back at work. Well, at least for one day before I start preparing my Thanksgiving Feast. And, you know what comes after Thanksgiving? Leftovers and Black Friday.
One of the things that I really enjoy doing for my daughter is her stocking. I buy her stocking stuffers that are equal to her age. So, this year it’s 13 presents for her. I imagine that since she’s almost 14 I will actually buy all these stocking stuffers at Sephora or CVS. I’m sure she’ll be really excited to have make up and hair ties.
But what about us? What should we buy each other that is small enough to fit into a stocking and yet meaningful? I’d suggest Dorothea Benton Frank’s THE CHRISTMAS PEARL.
Dottie wrote this book a few years ago, and it was first published in hardcover. This year, this slender volume is available in paperback for the first time. Packed with Southern Recipes and black and white pictures of old time Charleston, the most important thing about this book is that it is a heartwarming reminder that family is the heart of all of our winter holidays. In these pages, you will meet a ghost, who is just about the coolest ghost in literary history.
Dottie herself is Southern and warm-hearted, and sitting down with this book is like having a long talk with her out on her porch in Sullivans Island. Just in case you don’t have anyone on your list who deserves this fun book, buy it for yourself.
White On Time
People ask me all the time how I manage to be a full-time wife, mother, and writer. The answer is easy: prioritizing and organizing (thank goodness for my Palm Pilot—the best thing since volumizing shampoo and creamy concealer!). I’ve delegated the things that take too much of my time ie. cleaning and cooking, and I only do laundry once a week. My kids know that if their stuff isn’t in the laundry room by 6:00 am Thursday morning, it doesn’t get washed. Yes, I know, they’re old enough to do their own laundry. This is my one compromise: because I can’t physically be there for every sporting event, or cooking hot meals for them every night, this is what I always do for them. And for my long-suffering husband.
I don’t Twitter, but I do have a Facebook page and email—which I schedule during the day so I’m not tempted to check both all day long or I’ll see my time sucked into the dark vortex! As for grocery shopping—once a week, after church with the whole family so I don’t have to listen to anybody complain that they didn’t get something they wanted. And I TiVo everything so I can watch my favorite shows (Medium, HGTV, Cold Case) without sitting through commercials. I’m also really good at finding time. Three times a week my daughter and I take a Pilates class together. It’s a way of spending time with her as well as keeping in shape (multi-tasking!) and because she can drive now, I can work on a blog or check email on the way there and back. And did I mention I’m now under the heat dryer? I’m guessing this blog will be done by the time I leave—assuming I don’t mind hairs on the keyboard and keep my laptop out during the cutting process. My stylist, Veronica, thinks it’s cool what I do and is very supportive and understanding when I’m not chatty. That’s the other thing to getting things done: surround yourself with supportive and understanding people. Friends send me encouraging texts (instead of calls) and I’ve got all sorts of fun things scheduled with them after my December 1st deadline. So, why do I make my life so complicated? Another easy question to answer—because being a writer isn’t what I do, it’s who I am. I think it’s important for everyone to include in their lives something they’re passionate about. Otherwise, everything else just seems like you’re going through the motions. I love my children, but in a few years they’ll both be in college and I’m so glad that I have my books to fall back on when I’m surrounded by a suddenly empty, quiet (and spotlessly clean!) house. Veronica’s approaching, ready to take me from the dryer and start the shampoo/deep condition process. I will gladly close my laptop for this—there’s nothing nicer in the world than having somebody shampoo and massage your head and I’ve been known to fall asleep during the process. Yes, I make time to enjoy myself, too. Regardless of my to-do list, I make sure to spend time each day doing something fun that requires no brain cells. Yes, that can include napping (of which I’m a big fan). It an also be watching tv with my family or laughing over videos my son finds on the Internet. Which brings me to my point: balance. Decide what’s important, what you’re passionate about and then, just like that Nike commercial says, Just Do It!
By The Time You Read This
If you read and were inspired by THE LAST LECTURE or cried your way through P.S. I LOVE YOU, you might like to try Lola Jaye’s The Daily Mail in August 2009,
was inspired to write BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS while crying her eyes out watching an episode of Oprah in which a dying mother left a collection of keepsakes behind to the daughter she would never see grow up.
She was immediately awash in all sorts of “what if” scenarios in her own mind. What if there were no computers, DVDs, MP3s, or video cameras? What if a parent had only six months to live and a little girl he loved more than life–what would he leave behind? Jaye’s solution was “THE MANUAL”–filled with the very advice Jaye, now thirty-five, wishes she had received as a teen and twenty-something.
If you pick it up, I encourage you to read the novel with Will Smith in mind as Kevin, for that’s how Smith fan Lola wrote every page, imagining Will as Kevin Bates. In a fabulous coincidence, after using him as inspiration, Lola met Smith at the London hotel where her book party was held (he was feting Nelson Mandela), a sign perhaps that he’ll one day be part of a book-to-screen adaptation with Willow (who turns nine on October 31)? We shall see. But I don’t doubt that anything Lola imagines won’t come true.
Meanwhile, what do you think of our jacket? Do you think Mandi Norwood would say that it has Michelle Style?
And, don’t miss Lola Jaye’s blog on the Huffington Post for her own take on Michelle Obama’s hair styles.
Plus, she’s on Facebook and Twitter, and would love to meet you.
Senior Editor Jennifer Pooley
Love Tests In Cloud 9 – Would You Take Your Last Chance For Romance?
If you were in a stale marriage at 70 and given the chance for a passionate yet adulterous affair, would you take or pass up your last chance for romance?
There are many provocative Love Tests presented without judgment in a new German film – Cloud 9. It’s directed and co-written by Andreas Dresen and stars two actors who appear to be comfortable in their 70-ish skin.
In her New York Times Review, Jeanette Catsoulis hints that Cloud 9 celebrates a last-ditch affair between a married seamstress, almost 70, and her cheery customer, almost 80.
Breaking the cinematic taboo against senior nudity, their love scenes are portrayed with visual clarity and vulnerability, without gloss or glamor.
What happens when the seamstress confesses her affair to her married daughter?
“Just enjoy it,” her daughter says.
The affair is the catalyst for a subtle transformation in the seamstress’s marriage, revealing a union that is real and rare in modern movies.
Ms. Catsoulis’ review concludes, “The film’s unbiased tone lets us make our own moral judgments, teasing us with the possibility that occasionally the scarlet woman can escape unbranded. I, for one, am rooting for her.”
If you live outside of New York or LA where Cloud 9 is showing in theaters, you may not get a chance to see this new love story about late-life passion.
But how do you feel about these late-life Love Tests? How can you apply them to your love life?
Would you betray your mate after many decades in a passionless marriage?
Would you savor or pass up your last chance for romance?
Would you stay in a passionless marriage?
Or would you take all possible steps to spark up your relationship with sexual passion and lasting love?
What if your partner rejected your efforts to revive the spark?
Would you remain faithful or not?
Your answers will be influenced by your moral code, relationship history, and how you value monogamy and sexual fulfillment with your romantic partner.
What if you feel stuck in a stale relationship after 30 or 3 years together?
You may want to revive the qualities that attracted you and your love match before you reach the point that your only prospect for intimacy and fulfillment is in an affair.
And if you’re single and seeking your great love match, I invite you to claim a free months trial membership in the Singles Club in Tribe Of Blondes.
Not a hair color, it’s a resilient optimism that unites us and fuels our passionate choices and personal triumphs.
No more blind dates, since you meet the savvy Tribe Of Singles in video chats, special events and travel vacations. It’s the only dating site that doesn’t publish your age, so you can meet your love match at any age. You must be at least 21 to join.
Ready to claim your free months trial membership? Simply click on SINGLES CLUB in the menu bar and sign up now. Enjoy!
Dedicated to your dating and relationship happiness,
Hadley Finch
Happy Saturday Ocean Dreamers!
Guest blogger Carol Townend – Echoes & Ideas from a Box of Papers
We’re delighted to welcome Carol Townend to the blog. Over to you, Carol!
Thank you, I’m delighted to be here!
Years ago, I was asked to be custodian of a box of letters – some of them are very old. One is a copy of a family will – apparently the original was deposited at Halifax Parish Church in 1520! It would be wonderful to see the original.
Even after such a long passage of time, a glance at the copy shows that certain names are still popular with our family. The 1520 will is that of William Townend. William is my father’s name; it is also one of my brother’s names. The 1520 William was a yeoman farmer and he leaves his ‘best beast’ to the Vicar of Halifax. Several sums of money are bequeathed to various churches as well as for the building of a ‘stone bridge at Sourby’.
William leaves his son John, ‘all my clothes, plough and harrow with all their necessaries’.
And his daughter, Margaret? The will states: ‘Residue of all my goods, my debts paid, I give to my daughter Margaret, whom I ordain my true executrix.’
So William gives his son the means of carrying on his livelihood, and his daughter the household goods. I was struck by the fact that in 1520, Margaret was ordained executrix, which must surely be a reflection of William’s view of his daughter as a competent and efficient person. He knew he could rely on her to deal with his estate, such as it was.
Below is a scan of a letter dated three centuries later. It was written in the Barton Poor House on April 11th 1819. (Barton in Yorkshire)
The letter is addressed to ‘My Dear Uncle’ and comes from his ‘Affectionate Neice (sic) Ellen’. It poses more questions than it answers. Here is a (rough) copy, I have tried to keep as closely as possible to Ellen’s original rather exenntrik spellygnes and punctuation:
My Dear Uncle
I am extremely unhappy that I have to address you upon such an occurrence which has happened, I left Mrs Berry in thoughts of going to Cleckheaton, as Inform’d her to spend a few days I took inconsiderate step and went forwards to London, my journey to London as I went inside the Coach took all the Money I had I borrowed five pounds of Mrs Turnball to defray my expences home I came by way of Manchester, I stoped all night at Mr Wrights the Palace Inn. I paid five shillings at the Coach Office at the Bridge. water bins the Person who kept the Coach Informed me I would be seven shillings to Halifax from there I thought of going to Mrs Berry’s of Thong but my money being entirely finished I could not proceed any further so I thought to walk so far I am going to relate a very unpleasant circumstance to you I took a sudden and Inconsistent thought into my mind I walked as far as Barton a Village about five miles behind Manchester and went into the river with an Intention of drownding myself when I had been in the water some time I was very fortunately rescued from being drowned by a person who got me out of the river in safety I really believe that the hand of the Almighty who thought proper for me to be restored to life again…they took me to an Inn in the Village the Person who resided there being the Constable he said that I was to go to the Poorhouse in Barton, and they inform me I am to stop their while you come to acknowledge me your Neice, as I shall expect you as soon as you receive this letter my dear Uncle if ever you have any regard to me…
…your Affectionate Neice Ellen
Since the letter was saved, Ellen’s uncle must have been fond of her and he must have gone to fetch her home from the poor house. I certainly like to think so. But this letter raises so many questions! The cool tone is extraordinary given the dramatic nature of the events Ellen describes. What drove her to set out on her ill-fated journey? And what happened to her afterwards?
Whatever the truth behind Ellen’s story, her letter could certainly inspire a novel or two…
Carol’s latest book: Runaway Lady, Conquering Lord is out in paperback with Mills & Boon in December. It is set in England and France shortly after the Norman Conquest, and tells the story of a fallen Saxon lady, and the Norman knight she is forced to appeal to for help.
Carol keeps trying to move on to the twelfth century, but the eleventh century seems to have her firmly in its grasp. She is currently working on a novel set in the Byzantine Empire.
Her website is currently being revamped, but she hopes it will be updated very soon! This is the link to Carol’s website
Thanksgiving Romance?
Thanksgiving is my mother’s favorite holiday. I’m not sure if it’s because of the food, the fact that it’s such an inclusive holiday, or that my grandmother’s birthday often fell on Thanksgiving Day.
But, whatever the reason, I too honor the holiday by hosting family and friends every year at my huge table in the country. I honor my grandmother by placing the two little battered pilgrim candles (never lit) that graced her table in the middle of my centerpiece.
This year, my mom decided to go to Colonial Williamsburg to celebrate in a different sort of way, and in order to join her in spirit I’ve been immersing myself in novels about colonial America. On Friday, I saw THE CRUCIBLE and, over the weekend, I read Brunonia Barry’s amazing book THE LACE READER and Kathleen Kent’s THE HERETIC’S APPRENTICE. Richly textured, both novels are set in Salem. Enough said.
It made me realize that, last year, I read Nathaniel Philbrick’s MAYFLOWER, which I highly recommend and my daughter read one of my all time favorite books: THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare (a great essay about this book is in Lizzie Skurnick’s SHELF DISCOVERY).
However, all these books feature witches and only the children’s book is really a romance novel. This led me to a frightening conclusion–Is THANKSGIVING a horribly unromantic holiday?
Sure we’ve published books with witches, like CHRISTINA DODD’s A WELL FAVORED GENTLEMAN, and we’ve published Christmas books like MRS MIRACLE and Eloisa James’ witty and tear-inducing AN AFFAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS. But is there a Thanksgiving book? Maybe we should challenge one of our writers to create one for next year. What do you all think?
And, to my mom, enjoying an authentic Williamsburg Thanksgiving: watch out for witches!
When Your Step-Family is in Trouble–3 Ways to Resolve A Bad Situation
If there’s one thing that can kill a marriage or committed relationship pretty quickly, it’s trying to blend two families together under one roof–especially when there are children involved.
Here’s one woman’s story about her struggles with her common law husband and our answer…
“My current common law husband doesn’t not like my children. The only time he has any interaction with them, he is disciplining them. He tends to have a very firm approach to discipline and fails to see the good in them. I tried to explain to him that he is always coming across as the bad guy, because this is all the kids see. Also, to make the issue worse, he tends to place his own 18 year daughter (who doesn’t live with us)on a pedestal. She can do no
wrong in his eyes. I constantly feel as though I have to defend my children when he is punishing them for something that should not even be an issue. I am constantly in the middle. I feel as though my feelings are NEVER a consideration to him. I keep myself completely removed from his daughter and any issues that arise. I feel it is not my business. Many times I am tempted to voice my opinion, but out of respect to him I will not. I am then left feeling that he should have the same respect for me. To make things worse, he has (for the past three years) gone to spend Christmas with his ex wife and daughter (over night). I feel it is time that he spends it here with me and my children, since he is a part of our household and daily life. Once again I’m left feeling as though he only wants to be a part of my kids life when they have done something bad (in his eyes), and doesn’t want to share the good times. As much as I want him hear, if I insist he will be miserable thinking I am forcing him to be around when he’d rather not. He knows his daughter is more then welcome also. I don’t believe he even gives her the option, and that he simply choses to be at her house (with her mother, his ex).”
Here’s our answer…
The Christmas Pearl
Hi, everyone, back at work. Well, at least for one day before I start preparing my Thanksgiving Feast. And, you know what comes after Thanksgiving? Leftovers and Black Friday.
One of the things that I really enjoy doing for my daughter is her stocking. I buy her stocking stuffers that are equal to her age. So, this year it’s 13 presents for her. I imagine that since she’s almost 14 I will actually buy all these stocking stuffers at Sephora or CVS. I’m sure she’ll be really excited to have make up and hair ties.
But what about us? What should we buy each other that is small enough to fit into a stocking and yet meaningful? I’d suggest Dorothea Benton Frank’s THE CHRISTMAS PEARL.
Dottie wrote this book a few years ago, and it was first published in hardcover. This year, this slender volume is available in paperback for the first time. Packed with Southern Recipes and black and white pictures of old time Charleston, the most important thing about this book is that it is a heartwarming reminder that family is the heart of all of our winter holidays. In these pages, you will meet a ghost, who is just about the coolest ghost in literary history.
Dottie herself is Southern and warm-hearted, and sitting down with this book is like having a long talk with her out on her porch in Sullivans Island. Just in case you don’t have anyone on your list who deserves this fun book, buy it for yourself.
White On Time
People ask me all the time how I manage to be a full-time wife, mother, and writer. The answer is easy: prioritizing and organizing (thank goodness for my Palm Pilot—the best thing since volumizing shampoo and creamy concealer!). I’ve delegated the things that take too much of my time ie. cleaning and cooking, and I only do laundry once a week. My kids know that if their stuff isn’t in the laundry room by 6:00 am Thursday morning, it doesn’t get washed. Yes, I know, they’re old enough to do their own laundry. This is my one compromise: because I can’t physically be there for every sporting event, or cooking hot meals for them every night, this is what I always do for them. And for my long-suffering husband.
I don’t Twitter, but I do have a Facebook page and email—which I schedule during the day so I’m not tempted to check both all day long or I’ll see my time sucked into the dark vortex! As for grocery shopping—once a week, after church with the whole family so I don’t have to listen to anybody complain that they didn’t get something they wanted. And I TiVo everything so I can watch my favorite shows (Medium, HGTV, Cold Case) without sitting through commercials. I’m also really good at finding time. Three times a week my daughter and I take a Pilates class together. It’s a way of spending time with her as well as keeping in shape (multi-tasking!) and because she can drive now, I can work on a blog or check email on the way there and back. And did I mention I’m now under the heat dryer? I’m guessing this blog will be done by the time I leave—assuming I don’t mind hairs on the keyboard and keep my laptop out during the cutting process. My stylist, Veronica, thinks it’s cool what I do and is very supportive and understanding when I’m not chatty. That’s the other thing to getting things done: surround yourself with supportive and understanding people. Friends send me encouraging texts (instead of calls) and I’ve got all sorts of fun things scheduled with them after my December 1st deadline. So, why do I make my life so complicated? Another easy question to answer—because being a writer isn’t what I do, it’s who I am. I think it’s important for everyone to include in their lives something they’re passionate about. Otherwise, everything else just seems like you’re going through the motions. I love my children, but in a few years they’ll both be in college and I’m so glad that I have my books to fall back on when I’m surrounded by a suddenly empty, quiet (and spotlessly clean!) house. Veronica’s approaching, ready to take me from the dryer and start the shampoo/deep condition process. I will gladly close my laptop for this—there’s nothing nicer in the world than having somebody shampoo and massage your head and I’ve been known to fall asleep during the process. Yes, I make time to enjoy myself, too. Regardless of my to-do list, I make sure to spend time each day doing something fun that requires no brain cells. Yes, that can include napping (of which I’m a big fan). It an also be watching tv with my family or laughing over videos my son finds on the Internet. Which brings me to my point: balance. Decide what’s important, what you’re passionate about and then, just like that Nike commercial says, Just Do It!
By The Time You Read This
If you read and were inspired by THE LAST LECTURE or cried your way through P.S. I LOVE YOU, you might like to try Lola Jaye’s The Daily Mail in August 2009,
was inspired to write BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS while crying her eyes out watching an episode of Oprah in which a dying mother left a collection of keepsakes behind to the daughter she would never see grow up.
She was immediately awash in all sorts of “what if” scenarios in her own mind. What if there were no computers, DVDs, MP3s, or video cameras? What if a parent had only six months to live and a little girl he loved more than life–what would he leave behind? Jaye’s solution was “THE MANUAL”–filled with the very advice Jaye, now thirty-five, wishes she had received as a teen and twenty-something.
If you pick it up, I encourage you to read the novel with Will Smith in mind as Kevin, for that’s how Smith fan Lola wrote every page, imagining Will as Kevin Bates. In a fabulous coincidence, after using him as inspiration, Lola met Smith at the London hotel where her book party was held (he was feting Nelson Mandela), a sign perhaps that he’ll one day be part of a book-to-screen adaptation with Willow (who turns nine on October 31)? We shall see. But I don’t doubt that anything Lola imagines won’t come true.
Meanwhile, what do you think of our jacket? Do you think Mandi Norwood would say that it has Michelle Style?
And, don’t miss Lola Jaye’s blog on the Huffington Post for her own take on Michelle Obama’s hair styles.
Plus, she’s on Facebook and Twitter, and would love to meet you.
Senior Editor Jennifer Pooley
Love Tests In Cloud 9 – Would You Take Your Last Chance For Romance?
If you were in a stale marriage at 70 and given the chance for a passionate yet adulterous affair, would you take or pass up your last chance for romance?
There are many provocative Love Tests presented without judgment in a new German film – Cloud 9. It’s directed and co-written by Andreas Dresen and stars two actors who appear to be comfortable in their 70-ish skin.
In her New York Times Review, Jeanette Catsoulis hints that Cloud 9 celebrates a last-ditch affair between a married seamstress, almost 70, and her cheery customer, almost 80.
Breaking the cinematic taboo against senior nudity, their love scenes are portrayed with visual clarity and vulnerability, without gloss or glamor.
What happens when the seamstress confesses her affair to her married daughter?
“Just enjoy it,” her daughter says.
The affair is the catalyst for a subtle transformation in the seamstress’s marriage, revealing a union that is real and rare in modern movies.
Ms. Catsoulis’ review concludes, “The film’s unbiased tone lets us make our own moral judgments, teasing us with the possibility that occasionally the scarlet woman can escape unbranded. I, for one, am rooting for her.”
If you live outside of New York or LA where Cloud 9 is showing in theaters, you may not get a chance to see this new love story about late-life passion.
But how do you feel about these late-life Love Tests? How can you apply them to your love life?
Would you betray your mate after many decades in a passionless marriage?
Would you savor or pass up your last chance for romance?
Would you stay in a passionless marriage?
Or would you take all possible steps to spark up your relationship with sexual passion and lasting love?
What if your partner rejected your efforts to revive the spark?
Would you remain faithful or not?
Your answers will be influenced by your moral code, relationship history, and how you value monogamy and sexual fulfillment with your romantic partner.
What if you feel stuck in a stale relationship after 30 or 3 years together?
You may want to revive the qualities that attracted you and your love match before you reach the point that your only prospect for intimacy and fulfillment is in an affair.
And if you’re single and seeking your great love match, I invite you to claim a free months trial membership in the Singles Club in Tribe Of Blondes.
Not a hair color, it’s a resilient optimism that unites us and fuels our passionate choices and personal triumphs.
No more blind dates, since you meet the savvy Tribe Of Singles in video chats, special events and travel vacations. It’s the only dating site that doesn’t publish your age, so you can meet your love match at any age. You must be at least 21 to join.
Ready to claim your free months trial membership? Simply click on SINGLES CLUB in the menu bar and sign up now. Enjoy!
Dedicated to your dating and relationship happiness,
Hadley Finch