Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

March 13, 2010 by Missy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Authors, Book Review, Books 
Social Tagging: • •

Product Details:
ISBN: 978-0824947934
Page Count: 272
Published: February 1, 2010

Relationships are multi-faceted and must be constantly nurtured to be successful. Not just romantic relationships, we should tend to those between parent and child, siblings and friends with equal diligence. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of our own needs because it takes two halves to make a whole.

The loss of Claire Prescott’s job made it easy for her to attend the Jane Austen seminar in place of her sister. It would be easy. Just travel to England, leave behind a boyfriend that may or may not notice she’s gone, present her sister’s paper then figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

Claire never understood the appeal of Mr. Darcy but after she meets James, a fellow seminar attendee, she begins to wonder if the millions of Darcy devotees aren’t on to something. When she’s entrusted with the long lost original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice “she discovers that Austen didn’t always have Darcy in mind for Lizzie Bennett.”

Her boyfriend’s unexpected arrival further complicates her life. Who should she choose as a romantic lead and how should she deal with her knowledge of the coveted manuscript?

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is a splendid read from beginning to end. Beth Pattillo has created interesting characters, took them from their comfort zones and let them muddle things up, much like real life human beings. The story is perfectly paced which makes it hard to put down. One of my favorite aspects is the excerpts of the Austen manuscript. It was fun to see familiar characters in new situations.

This one was even better than its predecessor, Jane Austen Ruined My Life. I highly recommend both books, even to non-Austen fans.

Yup! I bought this one for myself as well. I’ve made great choices recently with my book purchases.

  • Share/Bookmark

Just Write Blog Carnival: March 12, 2010 Edition

March 12, 2010 by Missy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Just Write 
Social Tagging: •

This week’s carnival is sponsored by

Beaded Hope

by Cathy Liggett

You can win a copy of this book simply by leaving a comment. Deadline to enter the drawing is Wednesday, March 17, 2010 5:00 p.m. cst. Winner will be contacted by email and announced in next week’s carnival. A big thank you goes out to Maggie Rowe of Tyndale House Publishers for providing the giveaway copy.

My review of this book can be found here.

Four American women, all with their own challenges, embark on a mission trip to South Africa. Their lives are changed as they encounter a group of South African women who suffer from AIDS yet demonstrate great joy and faith in the face of overwhelming adversity. When the Americans discover the amazing beadwork that has been taught to generations of women in the community, they uncover a way to help these proud people support their families by selling their craft.

Congratulations to last week’s winner, Tara of Kill the Muse. She won a copy of The Y Factor by Liam Roberts.

Welcome to the March 12, 2010 edition of Just Write. We have a near record amount of submissions this week. Our little carnival is growing! You won’t be disappointed with the offerings. Informative, insightful and entertaining articles abound. Remember to show the blog owners we appreciate their efforts by commenting and socially bookmarking. I tweeted, stumbled and shared on Facebook my favorites.

Want to keep up with the Just Write Blog Carnival? Subscribe to the newsletter and receive Calls for Submissions and Notices of Publication. Two messages per week. Subscribe here.

Authors/Poets-Interviews/Bios

A.F. Heart presents Book Giveaway & Interview with Diane Stuckart posted at Mysteries and My Musings, saying, “Diane Stuckart is the author of the Leonardo daVinci Mysteries. She also writes several critically acclaimed historical romances as Alexa Smart and Anna Gerard.”

Bonnie Way presents A Chat with CJ Darlington posted at The Koala Bear Writer.

Books/Book Reviews

Missy Frye presents Book Review: Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “Emma Grant is made aware of Jane Austen letters thought to have been destroyed. Will she use them to save her career or keep them secret as she’s been asked?”

Anne Simone presents 30 Tiny Tips to Remember What You Read posted at AccreditedOnlineColleges.org.

A.F. Heart presents Review: The Night Killer by Beverly Connor posted at Mysteries and My Musings, saying, “#8 in Diane Fallon Forensic Investigation Mysteries – If you have tried Kathy Reichs’ books and they were just too graphic for you but you liked the premise – this is probably more your style.”

Samantha Clark presents Win a copy of Aries Rising « Day By Day Writer posted at Day By Day Writer, saying, “Adult and young adult novel writer Bonnie Hearns Hill will answer DayByDayWriter readers’ questions on March 19, deadline March 12, and the person who submits Bonnie’s favorite question will win a copy of the first book in her Star Crossed series, Aries Rising.”

Angela Martin presents 100 Best Crime Books Ever Written posted at Court Reporter.

Jerry Rogers presents POTUS-Worthy Prose: 100 Favorite Books of Our Presidents posted at Online Degrees.net Blog.

Missy Frye presents Book Review: Scars and Stilettos by Harmony Dust posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “The account of a young woman’s journey into the dark world of exotic dancing and her return to hope and God.”

Kristie Lewis presents 10 Most Valuable Books in the World posted at Online Colleges.net.

Jim Murdoch presents Little Hands Clapping by Dan Rhodes posted at The Truth About Lies, saying, “Little Hands Clapping brings together the Old Man, caretaker of a suicide museum, the respectable Doctor Ernst Frohlicher, his greedy dog Hans and a cast of grotesque and hilarious townsfolk, all of whose lives are thrown together as the town uncovers a crime so outrageous that it will shock the world. From its sinister opening to its explosive denouement, Little Hands Clapping blends lavishly entertaining storytelling with Rhodes’s macabre imagination, entrancing originality and magical touch.”

Contests/Prompts/Projects

Tiffany Colter presents Upcoming writing events and contests posted at Writing Career Coach, saying, “This article is a list of upcoming writing events and contests.”




Encouragement for Writers

Joel Friedlander presents Author Platform: What Are You Waiting For? posted at TheBookDesigner.com, saying, “Information, encouragement and lots of resources to help authors build their Author Platform. Enjoy!”

Tim King presents The 5 Rules of Book Reviews posted at J. Timothy King’s Blog, saying, “A funny-because-it’s-true post on why you should NEVER get upset at a negative review (or puffed up from a positive one): because reviews say much more about the reviewer than they could ever say about you or your book.”

Missy Frye presents Finding Value in Writing and the Writer posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “Janet Grimes shares her insight on what hard work is worth.”

Freelance

L. Shepherd presents What to Write? posted at The Writer’s Journey.

Rowena Hebert presents 37 Lectures Every Writer Should Listen To posted at Online Degree Programs.org: Top Online Degrees.

Love Affair with Words

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Limerick Ode To National Grammar Day posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Poetry/Short Stories

Robert Terrell presents questions unending posted at the existential poet, saying, “haiku.”

Robert Terrell presents swimming posted at the existential poet, saying, “The Existential Poet blog contains original haiku of poet Robert Terrell. I write about many subjects – seasonal, inner states and moon haiku, with an existential attitude.”

Publishing

Peta Jinnath Andersen presents Whitewashing: Where Are The Minority Authors? | *Insert Literary Blog Name Here* posted at *Insert Literary Blog Name Here*, saying, “Where are all the minority authors? I know they’re out there – I’ve seen Bronx Masquerade (Nikki Grimes), Monster (Walter Dean Myers), and Push (Sapphire) in the bookstore. Does My Head Look Big in This (Randa Abdel-Fattah) The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy), and The Kite Fighters (Linda Sue Park) reside on my bookshelf. In mid-January, Kate Harding wrote an article about Bloomsbury USA’s second white washing fiasco wherein the publisher decided, yet again, to put a white model on the cover of a young adult novel about a black character (Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore). But Bloomsbury may be just the top of the iceberg. “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series, a hit for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has sported all-white covers since 2007, despite one character, Sticky Washington, being “described as having light brown skin”.”

Cheryl Pickett presents One of These Things is Not Like the Other posted at The Publishing Answers Blog. “In publishing your novel needs to conform and yet stand out. Confused?”




The Writing Life

Tiffany Colter presents Benefits of writing for other venues posted at Writing Career Coach, saying, “This article is about how writing for other venues benefits you.”

BJ Muntain presents Writer’s block posted at Points on Style, saying, “An assessment of what writer’s block is, and how it can be overcome.”

Writing In the News

Sarah Bolme presents Is Your “Buy” Button in Jeopardy? posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Many of you have heard about the issues with Amazon and the removal of Buy buttons from books they sell. Learn out how to track the Buy buttons for your books on Amazon.”

Writing Mechanics/Tips

Missy Frye presents Why Your Characters Need Weirdness posted at Kill the Muse, saying, “Tara encourages us to give characters unique and slightly odd traits.”

BJ Muntain presents National Grammar Day (US) posted at Points on Style, saying, “A small difference between Canadian/British and American styles: Sometimes the punctuation goes outside the closing quotation marks!”

Story Weaver presents Showing Not Telling: Setting posted at Writer Sense.

Words2Words presents Good Grammar: Awaiting extinction? posted at What If – Editorials and opinions covering popular culture., saying, “An examination into the nature of social networking today and how it affects grammar. Fears for the future of writing if people continue to write using terrible internet habits.”

Writing Resources

Diane Laine presents Top 50 Twitterers Every Grad Student Should Follow posted at Online PhD in Nursing, saying, “This Twitter list includes a few writing resources with an education slant, ie. dissertations, thesis, etc.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Just Write using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Share |

Technorati tags: , .

  • Share/Bookmark

The Elusive Theme

March 11, 2010 by Missy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: My Writing Life, Writing, Writing Concepts 
Social Tagging: • •

by: Missy Frye

Image © Carlos Paes

When I first started writing short stories, the concept of theme freaked me out. The idea of bashing readers over the head with “the big picture” didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t want to have a message—I wanted to tell an interesting story. What I failed to recognize was a story without a theme is like drinking wine cupped in your hands. You get a taste but more runs through your fingers to be lost than what trickles down your throat to quench your thirst.

Terry Bain wrote a fantastic article in the March issue of The Writer magazine about theme. He said, “You don’t have to create themes that will solve the problems of the world. You just have to shine your flashlight on some aspect of life and let the reader see what’s there.”

In my mind I confused fiction themes with essay themes. Remember writing persuasive and informative essays in school? See, I thought commitment to a theme meant I had to persuade the reader to come around to my way of thinking or make folks aware of something. Reality threatened the fiction.

Jency Dare is one of the most interesting characters I ever created. She sprang from my love of Egyptology. I became aware of stolen ancient artifacts being returned to Egypt and wanted to let others know the problem still exists but can be made right. The story failed. It was good but character motivation was lost in the telling.

Image © Irum Shahid

“The theme is the container for your story,” Bain said. “Theme will attempt to hold all the elements of your story in place. It is like a cup. A vessel. A goblet.” With Jency’s story, all the elements were there but they didn’t have anything to hold them together.

In a later story, I tried persuasion. The main character was unable to get pregnant and her husband divorced her. I wanted to show she was still worthy of love. In the process, I over-clarified to make sure the reader got it. It weakened the plot and ultimately the story.

I went from one extreme to the other and let me assure you, there were several other stories written in the same veins as the two mentioned. Seeing the failings of them all nearly convinced me to quit trying.

Studying the writing of others and re-reading the chapter on theme in Burroway’s Writing Fiction kept me from doing anything drastic. Virginia Smith’s article Avoiding Preachy Fiction, included in the book A Novel Idea, really turned things around for me.

I’ve noticed a change in my writing recently. Sometimes I start with a theme in mind, others it manifests as I write, but it’s getting easier to find a balance.

Of all the great information Terry Bain shared in his article, I found these words to be most helpful: “Theme does not have to instruct; it merely has to connect on some kind of deep level.”

Understanding theme has improved my writing. I just wish Bain’s article had been around years ago when I was struggling with the concept. If you get a chance, pick up the March issue of The Writer magazine and read the seven tips on writing with theme by Terry Bain. Oh, the book A Novel Idea is a real gem too.

  • Share/Bookmark

FIRST: Genoa Bay by Bette Nordberg

March 10, 2010 by Missy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Authors, Books, FIRST 
Social Tagging: • •

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

and the book:

Genoa Bay

Monarch (December 15, 2009)

***Special thanks to Cat Hoort of Kregel Publications for sending me a review copy.***

I’ve had a little trouble getting into this book. The setup is too drawn out. I’ve not read any bad reviews so it’s just a personal quirk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


A professional author, Bette Nordberg has published many books, plays, and articles. Her previous novels have been published by Bethany and Harvest House; this is her sixth. Her best known, Serenity Bay, has sold over 22,000 copies. She lives in Washington and she and her husband, Kim, have four children.

Visit the author’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Monarch (December 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825462967
ISBN-13: 978-0825462962

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Prologue:

February 8th 2004

God talks to me.

Now, hear me out. Before you put me in the same category as the loony folks who hear voices just before they go on a shooting rampage at the local shopping mall, remember: In general, I don’t have visions. I don’t hear voices, either—at least not audible ones.

Still, sometimes, even in the most mundane of moments, I hear the voice of God.

Most recently, it happened down at Waterfront Park at Navy Point, right here in Pensacola. I’d taken Gabby, my seven-year-old and Liz our golden-doodle for a walk. Gabby rode her new bike, a fluorescent pink Speed Demon complete with training wheels, and Liz trotted along on a leash. By the time we began the final loop toward the car, my daughter had begun a serious meltdown.

“I don’t want to ride anymore,” she said, climbing off the silver seat. “It’s too hard. The wheels get stuck.”

She had me there. It seemed her bike’s only demon resided in the five inch balancing wheels that wobbled and froze in every quarter-sized pothole along the trail. Her short legs had powered their way through nearly two miles of these freeze-ups; she’d had enough. Who could blame her?

If Timothy were still alive, he’d have figured out a way to fix the wheels. Me? I’m no tool man. Instead of fixing the bike, I hoped that Mags would out grow the need for wheels.

“We’re almost to the van,” I said. “You can make it that far, can’t you?”
Gabby shook her head as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Crossing stubby arms across her chest, she said, “Go get the car!”

Wanting to avoid yet another battle, I resigned myself to pushing the bike back to the parking area. I wrapped the dog’s leash around my wrist, threw my purse strap across my back, and bent over to push the bike down the pavement. Glancing over my shoulder, I discovered that Gabby and the dog had chosen not to follow. Instead, Gabby—with both arms around the dog’s neck—was enjoying a face washing of sloppy dog kisses.

“Come on you two,” I called. “We don’t have all day.”

By the time we reached the van, my back ached, and sweat rolled down the space between my shoulder blades. I unlocked the car, started the engine and turned up the air conditioning. After settling Gabby in her safety seat, I loaded the little bike inside the passenger compartment. At last, holding the dog’s leash, I opened the back hatch and called for Liz. “Come on Liz,” I called. “Jump!”

The dog circled around behind me, as if to gain speed for the leap into the cargo space. But, just as her front paws touched the bumper, she balked, as if to change her mind. Liz jumped back to the ground, and sat down, whining. “Come on,” I pleaded. “Just get in the dumb car. We’re already late!”

Once again the dog circled. This time, instead of leaping for the cargo area, she stopped dead and circled back the other way. Apparently changing your mind is not a prerogative saved only for women. “Please, just get inside,” I begged, losing what little patience I had. After two more false starts, I began to exert my position as leader of the pack. This time, as Liz approached the car, I dragged her forward by the leash. Why wouldn’t the stupid dog just get into the car? How hard could it be?

That’s when I heard God speak. “Don’t be so critical,” his voice clearly said. “You’re not all that different from the dog.”

The problem with hearing from God, I’ve discovered, is that sometimes, he gives you an answer before you are even aware of the question. Such was the case that day at waterfront park. From the day Liz refused to enter the van, until I clearly understand his meaning, nearly four months passed. And until I put the pieces together, I felt as clueless as a blind man at the bottom of a deep well.

  • Share/Bookmark

The Beauty of Language is Simplicity

March 10, 2010 by Missy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Authors, Quotes 
Social Tagging: •

“I don’t want to sit around and have my language just be beautiful. … When I rework things I try to get it as simple as I can”

~ Jhumpa Lahiri

Image © Janet Burgess

  • Share/Bookmark

Finding Value in Writing and the Writer

March 9, 2010 by Missy · 4 Comments
Filed under: Freelance, IDW Contributor, Writing 
Social Tagging: • • •

I realized the other day that it is mid February, and I have made about $300 this year.  Ironically, I have worked harder for that amount than I ever have for anything my entire life.  I wrote three book reviews on investment books, which required reading over 900 pages worth of words I could barely pronounce. I turned in my outline and chapter summaries for my book on Decluttering, which took a couple of weeks and a ton of research.  

My latest venture was to transcribe video tapes from the old Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Not just word for word transcriptions, but sound for sound, even when they talk over each other, and in perfect grammar and spacing. Do you know how many words they spoke during a one hour show?  Those comedians defined humor, but I struggled to spell Tim Allen’s grunting noises or Johnny Carson’s expressions. After hours and hours of those tapes, my hands are numb and my brain cells are echoing each episode after scrutinizing the same show all day long. It is like a marathon, but with only one episode showing for eight hours at a time, and you can never turn it off.

In my past life, I was never one to make much money, but I could rest in the fact that the harder I worked, the more money I brought in. I knew how to be a good employee. I made a practice of going above and beyond the call of duty, and let the paycheck take care of itself.

Life is very different now. In some ways, I feel as if I have been promoted, but without a pay plan.

God has a plan and it involves me writing. I fully believe that. But it goes deeper than that. His plan requires me to trust in him. His plan knocks me over with unexpected success on some days, while making sure I am prepared to be ignored and overlooked for long periods at a time on most of the others. His plan humbles me daily, causing me to question whether or not I am doing this right. His plan calls for me to show up every day and give Him my best effort, even when it feels like I am accomplishing nothing at all.

More than anything, His plan forces me to find my value in Him.

Because I have made about $300 so far this year, and am exhausted.

The truth is that I am no longer worth what I was before. I realize that.

Or, perhaps, the truth is that I am more valuable than ever before.  I guess it depends on where I find my value.

About the Author

Janet is a writer, wife and mother of three who recently relocated to Canton, MI from Nashville, TN through her husband’s job transfer. After finding herself unemployed for the first time since she was fifteen years old, she admits that her dreams of writing finally wrestled her to the ground to the point of surrender. She is currently working on her first book project for Atlantic Publishing, and has several more projects on the horizon. For more information on Janet, visit her Writing for the Pursuit of Sappiness blog at www.janetmorrisgrimes.com.

  • Share/Bookmark

IDW Humbly Accepts Awards

March 8, 2010 by Missy · 3 Comments
Filed under: Off Topic / Non-Writing 
Social Tagging: • •

As owner of Incurable Disease of Writing, I made a conscious decision to put more effort into improving this blog. At the end of 2009 I brainstormed and came up with a few ideas that I hoped would increase traffic and keep visitors around longer. With a bit of promotion, the Just Write Blog Carnival has really grown. The recruitment of some excellent guest bloggers has definitely helped the complexion of IDW. That’s the long way of telling you that I’ve put a lot of thought and hard work into making this a place to which writers will often return.

I’m humbled by the recent awards other bloggers have bestowed upon me and want to share them.

One Lovely Blog

Ami Hendrickson of Muse Ink has awarded IDW with the One Lovely Blog award. I love Muse Ink and Ami is a very talented, honest and downright sweet gal. I thank her for the recognition.

Accepting the award comes with certain responsibilities. One must:

1.) Post it on your blog and include the name of the person (and a link to his or her blog) who bestowed it upon you.

2.) Pass the award on to 15 other blogs you have recently enjoyed. [This one changes, depending upon the blog you check. Some say "10 other blogs." Some say "another blog." It's a sort of chain-letter approach to alerting the world to blogs you like.]

3.) Contact the awarded bloggers and let them know that you have awarded their work.

Now, I choose to pass this award on to one other blogger. I won’t go into my reasoning except to say it is not because there aren’t more that deserve it.

I’m giving this award to:

Sandy Ackers of Strangling My Muse. I’ve found so many creative and interesting posts on Sandy’s blog. It’s been a resource and diversion for me and I appreciate that greatly.

Prolific Blogger Award

A.F. Heart of Mysteries and My Musings thinks I’m a prolific blogger. Someone has noticed my hard work. ;) Seriously, I’m flattered and grateful for the award.

-  A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.

-  Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

-  Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

-  Every Prolific Blogger must link back to this post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

-  Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name by leaving a comment so that we all can get to know the other winners.

As with the One Lovely Blog, I’m only passing this on to one other. If I had the time to give my reasoning for doing so, I’d be able to choose seven or more to pass it along to.

I’m awarding the Prolific Blogger Award to:

Heather Archuletta of Pillow Astronaut. It’s not a writing blog but I like keeping up with NASA and space exploration in general. Heather helps me in that department. If you haven’t read her blog, I encourage you to check it out.

Again, thanks to Ami Hendrickson and A.F. Heart for bestowing these awards upon me. And congratulations to Sandy Ackers and Heather Archuletta.

  • Share/Bookmark
« Older Entries