To all my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Lies & Promises by Joanna Lambert
Love, Lies & Promises is the second novel in Joanna Lambert’s Behind Blue Eyes trilogy. Like the first (When Tomorrow Comes), it did not disappoint. The characters are well rounded and believable. The scenery is expertly painted.
While Ella is the main character in the novel, the people of Abbotsbridge and the more serene village of Meridian Cross are brought to life. One of those characters is Ella’s mother who doesn’t think that Matt Benedict is the right man for her daughter and sets out to find a more suitable husband for her. Working in her favour is the fact that Matt’s band is successful and is kept out on tour not giving him and Ella don’t get the opportunity to express their feelings for each other.
But is Ella’s mother’s choice of husband for her daughter right?
Can’t wait to read book 3 (The Ghost of You and Me).
Finished reading…
After getting sidetracked by my own writing, I was able to get back to Love, Lies & Promises by Joanna Lambert.
Now to get back to reading the other book I had on the go at the same time… Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney. It, too, is a very good read and set in the Canadian Maritimes.
Friendly Blogger Award
I received a Tweet yesterday afternoon from Sharon Goodwin, author of the Jera’s Jamboree blog.
I met Sharon after I joined the innovative website loveahappyending.com. Sharon has a great blog Jera’s Jamboree. Sharon is also on Twitter @shazjera where she tweets and re-tweets all of the loveahappyending.com news as well as sharing it on Facebook. She’s a great supporter of the authors and Associate Readers at loveahappyending.com
So in keeping with the friendly, supportive nature of this award, I’m passing the torch on to these lovely ladies
Janice Horton
Chris Longmuir
Maggie Jagger
Dorothy Bush
Kathyrn Brown blogging as Crystal Jigsaw
Audrey Hawkins writing as Joanna Lambert
Linn B Halton
And these gentleman
Christopher D Hanna
Richard F Holmes
I have other folks to regularly visit and comment on my blog, but sadly they don’t have blogs. However, I would still like to recognize their support and encouragement.
Grace
Mary-Jane
Thanks so much to all of you for support and encouragement! I love reading your comments on my blog. Special thanks to Sharon for presenting me with this award.
Into the hands of my beta-reader(s)…
This latest revision is finished. What a relief! For a while, I didn’t think I would ever see the day come. I had actually set a goal for the end of August but that was totally unrealistic. So being off by one month isn’t too bad. One copy has been printed and is with my beta-reader who will read for grammar, punctuation etc. I delivered it to her last night.
My other beta-reader is going to read for the actual content. Some time ago, fellow Writers’ Ink member Dorothy Bush and I compiled a list of questions (we think they’re rather good) that we want our reader(s) to watch for. It’s been expanded, questions combined, questions deleted… in other words, it’s undergone almost as many revisions as my manuscript. (well maybe not quite)
This is the list we came up with.
Does it grab your attention on the first page and hold it for the first five?
Does it start at the right place?
Do the names fit the characters?
Can you picture them as you are reading?
Do you get a feel for who the characters are?
Do you relate and care about what they do or what happens?
Do descriptions make sense, and not change – description bunnies?
Are there holes in the plot – plot bunnies?
Is it boring, or are there boring parts where you wanted to put it down?
Is there enough excitement and/or conflict?
Is there enough romance?
Are there any words or terms over-used?
Is there any stupid stuff – where you said “No way that would happen!”?
Is there something missing that would make it better?
Are there any scenes that can be shortened? (ie. come in later and/or leave sooner).
Are there places where there is too much explanation?
Plot continuity, poor grammar, and iffy punctuation
Are there scenes that would be better expressed in the other character’s POV?
Do some of the scenes have too many characters?
Do too many scenes end the same way?
Is there too much sitting and thinking?
Is there too much dialogue?
Well there you have it. I think between the two of us, we’ve covered all contingencies.
I’ll be seeing my other beta-reader Monday evening so will pass the torch and the “infamous” question list off to her then.
In the meantime, I’ll catch up on some other things.
Loveahappyending.com on You Tube
loveahappyending.com’s featured author Janet Beasley has put together a fantastic video to promote loveahappyending.com where authors and readers meet. Readers are paramount to any author’s success and that’s what our site is about.
You can view Janet’s video at the link above or here.
After the Sabrina Jeffries workshop…
I think everything I learned at the all-day Sabrina Jeffries workshop last weekend has finally been totally digested and assimilated. Afterwards, everyone said they felt the light go on for them and their writing. For me it was more like light flashbulbs going off and I was on the red carpet amidst all the brilliant bursts of light. WOW!
I came away knowing that I’m going to split my first manuscript into two, where it will be split, how it will end – and best off all I’m feeling confident that my decision is the right one.
Things are moving in the right direction.
Thank you Sabrina!
In loving memory…
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since my mum passed away. I still kick myself for not stopping by the hospital after I did a presentation at the local genealogical society on Home Children but at the time I was certain it would wait until the next night when I would be visiting. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
When my mum turned 75, my cousin, Patsy, wrote a poem for her. It was read aloud by the nieces and nephews at the surprise birthday bash I’d arranged at one of our local restaurants. At the end of each verse, the kids all pumped their arms in the air and hollered “Hey, Aunt Ruthie!”
I presided over my mum’s funeral and Patsy, along with her two younger sisters and me, spoke about our memories. At the end of our service, I suggested we give my mum one last “Hey Aunt Ruthie” and everyone in attendance obliged.
The day of the internment, we sent my mum off with a ‘slightly revised’ version of the Tribute to Aunt Ruthie, popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly and played Go Rest High on that Mountain by her favourite country singer, Vince Gill.
This is the revised version of the poem…
When Aunt Ruthie turned 75,
We wrote this little ditty
It’s shorter than “The Highwayman”
But we think it’s kind of pretty.
Our Aunt Ruthie, she’s the best,
Uses you good when you’re her guest
She’s classier than all the rest!
Our Aunt Ruthie, she’s the one,
Has an annual garage sale that’s second to none,
We sell some stuff and have some fun!
She loves all the little creatures,
That can’t fend for themselves.
But George and Laura and the Queen
Can all go straight to hell.
She always has a nice big car
And man this babe can drive.
Just don’t blow your horn behind her
If you want to stay alive.
She keeps her houses sparkly clean,
She’s always on the job.
She likes her tea and bubbly,
And she likes her men called Bob.
Mother, sister, sweetheart, friend,
She’s all of these and more,
And she’s our Aunt Ruthie,
The one we all adore.
Well, Aunt Ruthie, the time has come,
For our little ditty to end.
We wanted you to know what you mean to us,
You really are a Godsend.
So let’s raise a glass to Aunt Ruthie,
Who has shown love and tenderness,
One thing is true and always will be
She’s definitely a Goddess!!!!
If I could be anyone, I’d be…
In keeping with Talli Roland’s launch day for Watching Willow Watts, I would have to say that I would love to be Barbara Stanwyck. I first saw her in the movie The Night Walker as a young girl and immediately fell in love with her and her acting. One of the movies I have to watch on Christmas Day is the is the version of Christmas in Connecticut that she stars in.
Today is the official launch day of Watching Willow Watts. Talli has lots of fun stuff happening on her blog today, including prizes. Drop by here for your chance to win!
You can buy Watching Willow Watts at Amazon.com for $2.99 US or at Amazon.co.uk for £1.71
Sabrina Jeffries All Day Workshop
The Ottawa Chapter of Romance Writers of America is presenting an all-day workshop today led by Sabrina Jeffries. Registration for the event has closed but I thought I would share this tidbit with my followers on Facebook and Twitter.
You can read about the workshop here and I’ll be blogging about what I learned in the days to come.
It promised to be a great day and since I have to be in Ottawa by 10:00 am, I best get off the computer and start getting ready to go.