I’m trying to figure out how often I should blog and what I should blog about. Doesn’t help much that you all don’t comment very often! And the spam comments…shudder.
Doesn’t help that I’m using the word *should* either. Does anyone care about my impressions of what I *should* do? I thought not. So if I can’t be engaging in some way, I shouldn’t bother. Oh, wait. There’s that word again.
ACFW has recently instituted a loop crit group called Scribes. The idea is that a person is allowed to post two pieces for crit per week, max 2500 words each. That is, so long as they crit at least two pieces for every one they post.
This started up in the beginning of June when I didn’t have anything ready to post, but I hopped on the bandwagon and began following several stories, in hopes of making myself some buddies for later. Well, the deal is that they’re expecting smaller groups of compatible writers/critters to form out of the large loop, and then bow out, making room for new entries. Being as I didn’t have anything to offer up, I didn’t get in on the flurry to create new small groups, but new folks are entering now in July so we’ll see what happens.
I’m a believer in keeping my first drafts close to my chest, as it were. I won’t post up brand new writing to a crit group. Why, when I know the story is going to morph and change and I’ll likely think of a better opening scene later? And change some characters around? Seems a waste of a critter or two. And everyone’s time.
So I was waiting for crits to return on the contemporary romance I’d entered in Genesis before I dug into another round of edits on it. One’s back, one’s still to come, but I decided to dig into the first few chapters of Joy Comes in the Morning (aka Chloe’s story) anyway being as I also had the Genesis judges’ comments to go by on those.
I’d like to have this novel prepped for pitching at the conference in September, so it’s time to get this stage rolling. I’ve submitted the first two scenes through the group now and have gotten some decent feedback. Stuff I can use. So all’s well on that front, at least for now.
Then there’s the romance series I’ve been dreaming up for the past couple of months, tentatively called Green Acres. (That’d be the working series name, not book title–I don’t have one of those yet!)
I’ve done a fair bit of research, worldbuilding, character building, and outlining for it, though I know the outline isn’t rock solid. However, because I can see the first few scenes quite clearly, I decided to start writing and just keep it slow so I could figure out where I’m going and how to get there as I go.
Yesterday I wrote the first scene–just over 2K. Because my series involves four gals living together, this scene introduces all of them. Hard to do that without overwhelming the reader, but here’s hoping it’ll work. What I didn’t foresee was their precise tastes in music–and that, when I put them on a field with a bunch of mud, they’d start flinging it. Ah well. Apparently I’m not writing a *clean* novel. (Hey, it’s a joke!)
Other than that, I’m critiquing a novel for a buddy, weeding the garden, walking the dog, admiring my newest great-niece, watching our new honeybees buzz around the farm, cooking, cleaning, going to work every day–you know, the whole normal life thing.
What are you up to these days? Come on, talk to me!
I asked for this historical romance novel because I’d read and quite enjoyed Siri Mitchell’s chick lit, The Cubicle Next Door. Yes, I knew this new one was historical, not usually my genre of choice, but I was amused by her other novel. Besides, my daughter asked me to get this one, so I did.
It shouldn’t surprise me that the author’s voice changed significantly from chick lit to historical. She did a great job of getting into the voice of a young Puritan woman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1640s. Love’s Pursuit follows Susannah Phillips as she struggles with the unwelcome pursuit by one suitor and the slow courtship by the man she desires. But when the threat of savages draws near, the governor sends a captain to train up the local militia, adding one more young man to the mix–and this one not bound by Puritanism. Poor Susannah, trying her best to be good and obedient and pious, finds herself in intolerable circumstances. Who will ask for her hand in marriage, and will she dare to circumvent tradition to follow her heart?
Here are the opening paragraphs:
“Do you never tire of being good, Susannah? Do you never think any rebellious thought?”
I turned my eyes from my sister back to my work in the blueberry canes. “Aye, I do.”
Mary gasped, though I detected laughter in the sound. “‘Tis not possible.”
“‘Tis not only possible. ‘Tis probable. Like this one I think right now, about you.” I threw a blueberry in her direction.
She dodged it. “I shall report this harassment to the selectman. At once!”
I looked up at her tone, for Mary was unpredictable and she might have done it just for spite. But her eyes were dancing despite her labors and the unseasonable heat. Warmth rose to my cheeks as well. But it was not the sun which scorched my flesh. It was my own conscience.
My sister’s question had hit too close to the condition of my soul. To those in Stonybrooke Towne, Susannah Phillips was indeed a fair and obedient girl. But I knew myself to be vastly different than the person they imagined me to be.
If you enjoy this period of history, you’ll appreciate this author’s attention to detail. I don’t think I’d much have enjoyed being a Puritan, but the view through this window felt very authentic. A great addition to the genre.
Here’s something else I’ve heard about, the Espresso Book Machine–a printing press that can be set up anywhere and print and bind a library-quality paperback book in just a few minutes, while the purchaser waits.
If you’re interested in *trying out* a Sony e-reader, you might want to check out the contest over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. They’re offering 30 refurbished Sony Readers for a 60-day trial period, and Harlequin is tossing in a $25 gift certificate to the winners.
On Saturday, June 20, we spent the day at Botanical Beach near the southern terminus of the famous West Coast Trail at Port Renfrew. We’d tried to visit this beach when we were out over Christmas, but the unusually heavy snow made reaching it impossible. Much better beach weather in June!
The tide was starting to come in as we arrived. That’s the Olympic Peninsula (Washington state) in the background, across Juan de Fuca Strait.
Sous-hole at Botanical Beach
One of the cool things at Botanical is the various rock formations, from black layered shale:
Botanical Beach
to rust colored pock-holed rocks:
Botanical Beach
Lots of tidal pools, big and small. It’s always fun seeing what is hiding in them!
Tidal Pool at Botanical Beach
Here’s the sunset over Oak Bay Marina in Victoria on our last evening there.
Oak Bay Marina
I always hate leaving the Island, and this time was no exception. We had a wonderful week and lots of terrific memories. And photos! I’ll be posting up a bunch more of those at Facebook shortly.
Thursday morning we left Campbell River for Hornby Island. This little side-trip runs a short ferry from Buckley Bay (south of the Comox Valley) across to Denman Island. You drive across Denman (about 30 minutes) and catch another ferry to Hornby. Both these islands have some agriculture and a thriving arts community.
I’ll be posting up more detail on this excursion over at the other blog, Scratch, later today, but I need to show you the gorgeous view they have!
View from Middle Mountain Mead
We camped at Tribune Bay, which has one of the nicest sandy beaches anywhere in the Gulf Islands. I hear the sea water is at its warmest here also, but we didn’t put that to the test.
Beach at Tribune Bay, Hornby Island
Friday morning we headed off the islands back to Vancouver Island, stopped out at Cowichan Lake to pick up beekeeping supplies, and back to our kids’ place.
On Tuesday it rained quite a lot, making it the perfect day to go to museums. We enjoyed the Museum at Campbell River and the Maritime Heritage Centre. Both were cool, but we particularly enjoyed the second one as it is much more hands on. An image of the seiner BCP 45 once adorned the back of the Canadian five-dollar bill. The vessel has been restored here.
Seiner
Five-Dollar Bill
Jim loved being able to climb all over the boat and discuss the details of the engines with the tour leader:
BCP 45 Engine Room
The city of Campbell River has many miles of walking/cycling trails along the ocean. It was rather blustery so we didn’t use these a whole lot this trip. Something I definitely want to take more advantage of next time!
Ocean-side Trails
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Wednesday the weather cleared up quite nicely and we went for a hike to see the Elk Falls. The falls were nice enough, but the hike was great!
Elk Falls
For Father’s Day, Jim bought himself a pair of chest waders and fished the Quinsam River just as Roderick Haig-Brown used to do:
Fishing the Quinsam
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Campbell River and would love to go back. It’s a beautiful community and has so many more draws that we didn’t have time to explore.
Friday, June 12th, we hit the road at 4am in order to shoot for a ferry reservation clear across the province of BC. We know it takes *about* 10 hours to get there, needed to be at the landing 40 minutes before sailing or lose our reservation (what’s up with that???), and needed to allow for road construction or other reasons that 10 hours wouldn’t be enough. If we missed that 4:05 ferry, the next one would be at 8:30. Too long to wait! Well, we made it on time, and caught the inter-island ferry to Galiano Island. Our son and daughter-in-law, students at UVic in Victoria, had arrived about half an hour before we did. They’d walked on a ferry from the Vancouver Island side.
Joel and Jen
We pitched our tents at Montague Harbour Provincial Park where the rocks have eroded into the coolest shapes ever:
Rocks at Montague Harbour
We enjoyed a great hike along a ridge on Saturday afternoon.
Bodega Ridge
Also got cool shots of a great blue heron in the harbor:
Great Blue Heron
That same harbor also provided an awesome backdrop for a peaceful sunset:
Sunset at Montague Harbour
Sunday afternoon we caught the ferry to Victoria. J&J needed to be back to work Monday morning, and we did a bit of laundry before heading out on the next leg of our vacation.
Hanna here again. I said I’d post yesterday but I am apparently a liar. Do not fear, I haven’t forgotten you guys. Here’s what I think of A Bride in the Bargain by Deanne Gist.
To start with, I don’t read Christian Historical Romance. Just thinking about the genre makes me a bit sleepy. I can’t remember why I started reading Deanne Gist’s books. Maybe my mom told me to. Maybe I was distracted by the pretty covers (because all her books have beautiful covers, and this one is no exception). Anyway, I’m so glad I did. Her books are so amusing, the characters are great, the romance has good tension and makes you happy by the end. Oh and she writes Christian books, with well thought out little messages in them that are never preachy or contrived.
The Measure of a Lady might still be my favourite but A Bride in the Bargain is a close second. Her descriptions are great. The setting (1860’s Seattle) is interesting and I felt like I could really see the damp redwood forests that our lumberjack hero lives in. I love how she works in as many true historical events and people as possible. I really feel like I understand the time period better after reading the book.
Greetings all! This is not Valerie. She’s off having adventures this week out at the coast. I’m sure she’ll fill you in later. Hopefully there will be pictures. Nope, this blog has been hijacked for the day by me, Hanna. If you don’t know me, I’m her daughter. Also, I am Deanne Gists biggest fan. Biggest (not saying I’m fat here). So when I found out that Mom had gotten an Advanced Reader Copy of her new novel A Bride in the Bargain I set about harrassing her until she let me take it home. However, as she hadn’t read it yet, I had to promise to post for the blog tour. And here we are. I’ll be back to post a more specific review tomorrow, but in the meantime here’s a bit about the book:
Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called “I Did It!® Productions” and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.
Since the debut of those novels, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Wedding Is All Planned… Someone Just Needs to Tell the Bride In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.
Joe Denton doesn’t have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride–one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.
Anna Ivey’s journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook–not a bride. When she’s handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?
He’s posted several videos to walk folks through the process of getting started. Here’s the first one–if you want more info, click the link above.
You’ll notice I have an RSS link at the bottom of my sidebar. I will (reluctantly, I might add) start using an RSS feed myself when we get back from vacation and I have time to set it up. Author Tech’s reasoning makes a lot of sense, but I’ll miss seeing the *pretty* on so many of the blogs!
