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Guest Post & Giveaway: Researching Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

August 17, 2011 by

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey was released earlier this month by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House.  The novel has been on a blog tour through TLC Book Tours this month, so check out some great reviews.  I’ll be reviewing this later in the fall, but I have a treat for my readers today.  Juliet Grey has graciously offered to write about her research process for her novel and what made her fall in love with Marie Antoinette.

Without further ado, please welcome Juliet Grey.

I fell in love with Marie Antoinette (and Louis) while I was researching their marriage for a work of nonfiction; and the more I read about them (at least a dozen biographies by scholars who often present conflicting opinions not only of events but of personalities), the more it became apparent that the monarchs have truly been misrepresented and misinterpreted by historians. They say history is written by the winners, and Marie Antoinette and Louis were the two greatest victims of the French Revolution.

What sparked BECOMING MARIE ANTOINETTE specifically is how little has been told about her childhood years and the incredible makeover she had to endure at the hands of a small army of experts before she was judged acceptable marriage material, while the clock was ticking and a vitally strategic international alliance hung in the balance. The preadolescent Marie Antoinette was worked over by a hairdresser who reconfigured her hairline so that her forehead would not appear to prominent; a dentist who realigned her teeth with orthodontia, a pair of actors who became her dialect coaches for her pronunciation of French; a notable dancing master who taught her the “Versailles Glide,” the walk that was unique to the women of the Bourbon court; and a gentle cleric who came to tutor her in academics. My novel also shows just how much the young Austrian archduchess Maria Antonia was a political pawn, moved about the European chessboard by her mother, the formidable Hapsburg empress Maria Theresa, and King Louis XV of France.

Most of the events depicted in BECOMING MARIE ANTOINETTE and in the next two novels in the trilogy are based on the historical record. I may be one of the few novelists to include a fairly extensive bibliography at the back of her book (which only begins to reflect the scope of my research), but I wanted readers to know that I did my homework, and then some. At times I felt like a literary anthropologist. For example, I went so far as to hunt down the names and backgrounds of the actual figures who aided in Marie Antoinette’s physical metamorphosis, transforming her hairline, her teeth, her gait, and her speech—and then her mind—into a package that the French sovereign Louis XV would deem acceptable dauphine material. In some cases, even the dialogue in the novels (and in particular the correspondence I used in the novels) reflect the actual words that were spoken or written. We are fortunate in that the Eighteenth Century was an age of great letter writers and memoirists. Nearly everyone kept a journal back then.

All that said, although we know that certain things happened historically, as a novelist I have the freedom to imagine what was really going on in the room at the time and in the characters’ heads. We don’t always know how a given thing occurred, just that it did. I have a golden rule of historical fiction writing, which is: that if an incident could have happened, then it’s fair game to include it in a novel. For my own taste, I prefer not to wildly re-imagine historical events in my books. For one thing, fans of historical fiction (and I’m one as well) tend to be well versed in the history of their favorite time period and they get pulled out of the narrative when an author includes a scene that strains credulity or plays too loosey-goosey with the historical record. I’m also a professional actress and part of my training is to be able to get under a character’s skin and inside their head to imagine how they think and feel and what prompts them to act as they do and say the things they say. This sort of emotional analysis stands me in good stead as an author because it’s another way of digging into the psyche of a historical personage to reach a perspective from that taken by scholars and biographers.

I have had a lot of fun letting some of the actual historical figures speak for themselves. Die-hard Marie Antoinette aficionados may recognize some of the quotes, not just from her, but in the mouths of other characters in the books. And in the second novel in the trilogy, DAYS OF SPLENDOR, DAYS OF SORROW, which will be published in 2012, readers will meet some real doozies—the colorful and scandalous players involved in the notorious Affair of the Diamond Necklace. Nearly all of them published their own self-serving memoirs and the records of their trial testimony is extant as well, so there has been a wealth of ore for a novelist to mine.

And something that we just get a glimmer of in BECOMING MARIE ANTOINETTE will glow hotter and brighter as the trilogy progresses—the controversial relationship between the queen and the Swedish mercenary, Count Axel von Fersen. For decades scholars have debated whether their romantic friendship ever became something more; between the scholar’s sleuthing and the artist’s imagining herself inside their heads, hearts, and minds, I believe I have discovered the answer.

Thanks, Juliet, for sharing your love of Marie Antoinette and your research.

To win a copy of Grey’s Becoming Marie Antoinette, you must be a U.S. resident or have a U.S. resident who can accept the package for you.

1. Leave a comment about why you are interested in grey’s book.

2. Spread the word about the giveaway and leave a link to your blog post, Facebook, or Twitter announcement.

3. Follow the blog and let me know for a third entry.

Deadline is Aug. 24, 2011, at 11:59 PM EST.

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Guest Post: Margaret Dilloway on Her Mother’s Immigration

August 2, 2011 by

Today, Margaret Dilloway’s How to Be an American Housewife (my review) comes out in paperback.  I really enjoyed the novels look at the immigrant experience, as Shoko adapts to her life as an American housewife, but also the differences between her children, Mike and Suiko.  There are three generations in this novel and their interactions ring true.  While the topic is similar to Amy Tan and Lisa See’s work, the style is Dilloway’s own.

In addition to a giveaway for my U.S. readers (Sorry, the publisher is mailing out the books), I have a guest post from Margaret Dilloway about her mother’s own immigration story, which inspired her to write the novel.  Even better, I’ve got some great photos to share with you as well of her mother and herself.

Without further ado, please welcome Margaret Dilloway:

My mother came of age in Japan during the 1950s. The country was wrecked, men were scarce, and traditional opportunities were few for a young woman like her. The U.S. occupation of her country opened up welcome jobs. Her father told her, “America is the way to go,” and they might as well embrace the American way.

Margaret Dilloway's Mother

She began working for Americans after she graduated from high school, sending money home to help her family and her younger brother go through college. She was a housekeeper and worked at a gift shop.

Mom dated both Japanese and American servicemen, but in her mid-20s she decided she ought to marry an American and get out of the country. She took photos of all her suitors and took those home to show her father. He selected my father, who was in the Navy, as the one she ought to take seriously. “He has honest eyes,” my grandfather decided. I don’t know whether those pictures were black and white or color, but my father has very blue, wide round eyes.

My mother liked to tell the story of how she asked my father to marry her. With his ship was due to leave in a matter of months, she decided he was dillydallying, so she asked him point-blank if he planned to marry her. In her story, she said, “So, you gonna marry me or what?” He said okay. They married in 1958.

About 1940s; Margaret's Mother is in the top row, 4th from the right

They lived all over the country, moving for the Navy. They were stationed in Hawaii, Japan, Florida, and on both the West and East coasts. It wasn’t always easy, especially in the early days. My mother reported people staring or outright insulting her. She struggled to learn English, relying on imitating phrases she heard on television or from my father. My oldest brother, born in 1960, also felt the brunt of insults as a “mixed” race child.

Eventually, in the early 70s, they settled in San Diego, choosing it because of its nice weather; also, it was the final place my dad was stationed. Dad had done his early training here and fell in love with the place. My mother said she liked San Diego because it was more culturally diverse than other places she’d lived, and she didn’t feel so out of place here. My middle brother and I were born, and my father retired from Navy life.

Stories of their peripatetic lifestyle, before my middle brother and I showed up, became part of family lore. Stories of how my oldest brother got stared at, whispered about. How so many people didn’t like my parents being married, while others were pleasantly surprised. My mother loved telling these stories, but I didn’t always like listening. They were her version of, “When I was your age, I walked two miles in a snowstorm to school…” stories, the kind parents tell you to remind you how good you have it. So, like most kids, I’d roll my eyes, but I still listened.

Margaret and her mother (1987)

The stories stuck. I remember her telling me about everything from the beloved Shirley Temple doll she had when she was a kid (it melted, made of a flammable pre-plastic material), to how her Japanese fiancé cheated on her, to how hard she tried to become a proper American housewife.

Her stories, floating around in my head for so many years, inspired the novel. A book she had, THE AMERICAN WAY OF HOUSEKEEPING, gave me the structure I needed to hang the story on. I made up the plot during my research, changing the character from my own mother into the fictional heroine Shoko.

Thanks, Margaret, for sharing such an inspirational story from your family.

Giveaway details: 1 copy of How to Be an American Housewife for 1 U.S. reader.

1. Leave a comment about your own immigrant story or one you heard.

2. For a second entry, leave a link with your Facebook, Tweet, or blog post spreading the word about the giveaway.

3. For a third entry, follow this blog and let me know.

Deadline is Aug. 10, 2011, at 11:59PM EST.

Filed Under: giveaway, guest post, Penguin, Publishers/Publicists Tagged With: ,

Guest Post: My Craziest Austen-Related Adventure by Victoria Connelly

July 25, 2011 by

Has anyone else noticed that Sourcebooks has some of the best Austen-related fiction on the market?  I have.  Victoria Connelly’s work, however, is new to me, and since she writes Darcy-related fiction, I figured it was time to give her novel a try.

Today, I’ve got a treat for you as Victoria regales us with her craziest Austen-related adventure and includes a photo for us to share.  Without further ado, let me turn it over to her.

My Craziest Austen-Related Adventure

When I started writing my Austen addicts trilogy, I soon discovered the wonderful website of ‘Pride and Prejudice Tours’. Run by the amazing Helen Porter, these bespoke holidays take you to the locations used in the film adaptations of Austen’s novels. As a fan of the films, this sounded like a dream come true especially as many of the houses used are privately owned and impossible to find.

I quickly got in touch and started a long conversation with Helen – telling her about my books and swapping stories about our favourite locations and we soon discovered we had a dream in common – of owning a Georgian manor house deep in the heart of the English countryside.

One of the most perfect houses I have ever seen is the house that was used as Barton Cottage in Emma Thompson’s 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. I love the scene where Elinor and Marianne Dashwood arrive at the cottage and both stare at it in wide-eyed horror because they have just left the grand stately home of Norland Park, and Barton Cottage must look like a shack in comparison. This scene always makes me laugh because, to me, Barton Cottage in this film is my idea of perfection and the thought of actually staying there seemed too good to be true.

Without further delay, I booked myself a weekend there with ‘Pride and Prejudice Tours’!

The coach picked me up from Bath where I joined the tour group. They were a lovely bunch mainly from America and Canada, and they were all women bar one solitary man. Leaving Bath, the coach headed south through Somerset and on in to Devon where the roads became so narrow that we almost got stuck at one point!

I’ll never forget my first glimpse of the cottage. Tucked away on a private estate of rolling hills ending in the sea, the three-story stone house rose up from a sloping garden, looking out over a secluded estuary. It was May and cow parsley filled the garden in a lacy froth. There were bluebells in the field beside the cottage and red campion in the wood – all of which appeared in the little bunch of flowers which Willoughby gives to Marianne in the film.

I got up early on my first morning there and walked down the little lane which Willoughby, Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon all the ride along in the film. Of course, it was impossible not to think about handsome heroes on horseback whilst staying at the cottage but, alas, none had made an appearance whilst I was there.

What made the weekend really special for me was meeting the other Austen fans. I think I can safely say that Jane Austen fans are amongst the nicest people in the world and I loved talking to them about their favourite scenes from the books, their favourite heroes and heroines and what it is that makes Jane Austen so special. They all helped to inspire my writing and, although I hated the thought of leaving Barton Cottage, I was excited about getting back home to write my trilogy.

I knew I wanted to use Barton Cottage as a setting for one of my Jane Austen novels and I’m delighted to say that it has a starring role in the third book in the trilogy, Mr Darcy Forever. So, if you can’t visit the house yourself, you can read about my heroine’s adventures there!

Thanks, Victoria, for sharing your adventure with us. Stay tuned for my review of A Weekend with Mr. Darcy tomorrow.

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Guest Post: Confessions of a Pantser by Mary Lydon Simonsen

July 5, 2011 by

I’ve reviewed several variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and enjoyed most of them.  Mary Lydon Simonson is one of my go-to authors for Austen spinoffs and continuations.  I’ve reviewed two of her other novels, Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy and Searching for Pemberley.

Today, I’ve got a special guest post from Mary about her writing routines and habits, or what not to do when writing a novel, as Mary notes.

Confessions of a Pantser

First, I would like to thank you for having me on your blog. It’s always a pleasure, Serena. You asked me to write about my writing routine and habits. Before I begin, I should warn any potential authors that this is probably a post about what not to do when writing a novel.

Unlike many authors, I do not write an outline, and that is because I am a pantser, i.e., someone who writes by the seat of their pants. But… but… no outline, you cry! What about all of those creative writing seminars that state it is a cardinal rule that an author must write an outline? They do have their place; they are just not for me. I’m the person who got in the car in Flagstaff, Arizona for the purpose of going out for breakfast and ended up 175 miles away in Oatman, Arizona near the California border looking at wild donkeys. (This actually happened.) Like a Sunday drive, I just let the story take me wherever it wants to go.

One of the things that works best for me is speaking the dialog out loud. I’ve gotten used to people finding me all alone having a full-blown conversation with myself, usually in a British accent. But when you say things out loud, it is easier to spot your mistakes. It is more obvious that something doesn’t sound right or isn’t nearly as funny as you thought it would be if they are lying quietly in a Word document rather than out there in the atmosphere screaming at you.

Because I have worked out most of the plot bunnies before I sit down to the computer, things really start hopping once I am at my desk. I can easily write three or four chapters in a sitting, that is, if I don’t have any visitors. My visitors happen to be an adorable seven-year old who is missing her two front teeth and her brother, who has no teeth at all, because he’s only six months old. Once I see my daughter’s car pull up in front of the house, I know that my work day has come to an end because my grandchildren have come calling. They will only be little for a short time while, hopefully, I shall be writing stories forever.

On days where I do not hear the patter of little feet, I begin to write as soon as I finish breakfast and go at it until I get bored. I know I’m bored when I click out of my story and start reading the news or some blog (Savvy Verse and Wit for one) or check my sales on Amazon. Considering the number of stories I have written, you might be surprised to learn that this happens a lot. I’m like a dog who sees a squirrel. I’m off and running. But life is a juggling act, and no one wants to watch (or read) a juggler who only has one ball in the air.

Are you methodical about your work habits or are you a pantser? I’d like to hear from you. Thanks again.

Thanks again, Mary, for joining us here. We always enjoy your company. Stay tuned for my review of Mary’s novel, A Wife for Mr. Darcy, tomorrow.

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Guest Post & Giveaway: Belinda Roberts’ Writing Routines

June 20, 2011 by

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are two of my favorite classic characters, and I often enjoy reading retellings, sequels, and modern-day versions of the classic story, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Sourcebooks has become my go-to publisher for these types of novels, and they’ve got a slew of upcoming titles in this subgenre, including Belinda Roberts’ Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard.

According to the publisher’s summary:

The balmy seaside resort town of Salcombe boasts the best in bikinis, sandcastle contests, distance swims, and a fiercely competitive squad of buff local lifeguards as Regatta Week approaches.

And if that weren’t enough excitement, Mrs. Bennet hears that the splendid villa of Netherpollock has been rented by a young man of great fortune.  She is determined that he’ll go out with one of her daughters, until Mr. Darcy glides into the harbor on his stunning yacht Pemberley and she decides on the instant that he would be the better catch…

Jane Austen has never been so hilariously recreated as in this modern seaside retelling of Pride and Prejudice, complete with a Mr. Darcy you won’t soon forget!

Don’t take their word for it, though, check out reviews at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Reflections of a Book Addict, and Library of Clean Reads.

Without further ado, here’s Belinda Roberts on writing:

My favourite writing time is late at night and into the early hours. Children in bed, husband in bed … there comes a point when either I go to bed or wonder into my office, start messing around on my Apple Mac and then I’m off. No interuptions. Fantastic. Creep into bed as daylight starts peep through the shutters.

I do of course write in the day. I sit down at my desk. Wonder why there is some lego lurking on my keyboard, a small lonesome sock on the scanner and a school reading book – which – oh dear – should have gone off to school today with the youngest. Check which older children are online on Skype. Try not to call them. Then just type ‘Hi’ to one of them. We fire a little correspondance back and forth, then one of us caves in and rings. Next half an hour is spent chatting. Skype over for now I sigh and really get started. Just check those emails. Lots of sorting out for our youngest – cricket club,  party, lost library book. All sorted. Now I will really get started. Musn’t forget to thank someone for something so write a quick card. (I write cards for thank you letters as I have designed some myself and have got loads of them if anyone wants any!) Now I really will get started. Quick cup of coffee. Now I really, really will get started. Head down, type away on my fantastic iMac and there’s no stopping me until … is that the time already? Got to dash. Pick up youngest from school. That’s it until perhaps tonight!

Thanks, Belinda.

About the Author:

Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard is Belinda Roberts’ first novel, although she has written twelve plays for children’s theater, which have been performed by groups throughout the world. She lives in England.

And now for the giveaway; 1 copy for US/Canada reader:

1. Leave a comment on this post about a Darcy-related or Austen-related retelling or sequel I should be reading.

2.  Spread the word about the giveaway via Twitter, Facebook, etc. and leave a link here for a second entry.

Deadline is June 30, 2011, at 11:59PM EST

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Guest Post: Rich Wallace’s Writing Space

June 14, 2011 by

I read and reviewed Rich Wallace’s War & Watermelon yesterday on the blog. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel and the home front view of how the Vietnam War impacted families in the United States, especially among those with sons nearing draft age.

Today, I’ve got an additional treat for those of you who love a glimpse of writers’ work spaces.  Also, this presents a second chance for you to enter the giveaway if you live in the United States or Canada.  Without further ado, please welcome Rich Wallace:

I’m pretty low-tech. In fact, I just wrote my first blog post earlier this month and I just got speakers for my computer in May. That means I can listen to stuff on YouTube in my office.

My office. That’s what this is supposed to be about.

It turns out I don’t have any photos of my office. Here is one of my wife Sandra in her office, which more or less mirrors mine in the upstairs of our house. That’s Lucy with her. Lucy is the subject of that first blog post I mentioned. You could read that here.

We live in a cool college town in New Hampshire. I get a lot of ideas just walking around. I do most of my writing in my office, which is small, has some baby pictures of my boys—Jonathan and Jeremy–on the walls (they’re both in their twenties now), a painting of a giant shark Jonathan did in third grade, a trophy of Jeremy’s from sixth-grade basketball, an old Rheingold beer can in honor of my father, my grandparents’ wedding photo, a couple of bookcases (with lots of books by John Updike, E.B. White, Annie Proulx and many others), random copies of the New Yorker, a Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel alarm clock, huge clutters of papers of all sorts, a couple of hammers, a flashlight, a small pile of clothes that haven’t been worn quite enough for the laundry, last month’s edition of Rolling Stone that was devoted to Bob Dylan (they listed what they considered to be his 70 greatest songs in honor of his seventieth birthday; I made my own list of 50), my track spikes (I still compete), the massive Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, lined yellow notepads, and a whole lot of other things. You get the picture? (It would be so much easier if I actually had a picture.) My office overlooks the back yard, which has a giant river maple in the center. The yard backs into a wetlands area with a stream. The downtown is only a few minutes away by foot.

Here’s a picture of me outside our house.

My wife is also a novelist, so we spend much of every day just a few yards apart but in our own separate worlds as we write. Lucy comes up frequently to remind us that it’s time for a walk or a snack. I go out to run when I need a break. Or we walk into town and stroll the wide main street, getting a tea at one of the cool coffee shops or checking the marquee at the old theater to see what independent films are coming up. Sandra and I make our living as freelancers, which is wonderful. We work hard but have control over our schedules. The boys are launched. I have no complaints, and lots to be grateful for.

Thanks, Rich, for sharing your writing space with us.

If you would like to win a copy of War & Watermelon and live in the United States or Canada, please leave a comment on this post. For additional entries, visit my review. Deadline to enter is June 22, 2011, 11:59 PM EST.

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Guest Post: Is It Like Listening to You Talk? by Graham Parke

June 10, 2011 by

Today’s guest post is from Graham Parke, author of No Hope for Gomez! published by self-publisher Outskirts Press, about publishing, check it out:

As you probably know, to become an internationally best-selling author, you need to sell three books. This is not an easy task, but once you’ve managed to rack up these three sales, the rest is more or less a done deal.

Now, these sales themselves will not put you on the best-seller lists. They won’t even put you within a million spots of the bottom of the lists, but what they will do, and what they do every time, is spark a slowly growing buying frenzy that will get you there.

These three people will love your book, they will tell another five people, who in turn tell another seven. Within roughly four-and-a-half weeks, you finally make your first million.
That’s how it happens. Every single time.

But, how does an author tackle this monumental task? Where does he find these three readers?

I myself was quite lucky. When my novel appeared on Amazon I already knew over five people! What’s more, some of these people even liked me… somewhat. So I set out to become an internationally best-selling author by convincing at least three of these five people to buy my novel.

I started with my mother. Of all the five people I knew, I probably knew her the longest. I showed her my Amazon page and she nodded approvingly. She did not, however, make any attempts to buy a copy. So I logged on for her, navigated back to my novel’s page, and left the mouse pointer conveniently positioned over the BUY button.

She read the novel description again, searched-inside-this-book, and nodded some more. When I asked her if she’d like to buy a copy, she scrunched up her nose and said, ‘But what if I don’t like it?’
I told her not to worry. ‘It’s a really good book,’ I said. ‘I should know. I’ve re-written it like 50 times. It’s really funny and interesting.’
My mother wasn’t convinced. ‘I’m not really into comedy writing, though,’ she said.
‘It’s not just a comedy,’ I pointed out. ‘It has a real story; it’s a mystery. And it has twists and turns and believable characters.’
My mother hesitated. ‘Maybe I should just play it safe and buy another Stephen King novel…’

I ended up having to offer a personal money-back guarantee, and purchase a copy using my own credit card for the time being, but she finally cracked. I’d made my first sale!

Next, I prodded my wife. Although she did like words in general, she wasn’t sure she was up for reading and entire book full of them. ‘Is this like your usual stuff?’ she wanted to know.
‘What usual stuff?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Is it like listening to you talk?’
‘What’s wrong with they way I talk?’
‘Nothing. It’s just, well, sometimes you talk a lot of nonsense.’
I waved it away. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘I am much more interesting and ‘telligible’ on paper.’

Long story short; my second sale is almost in the bag. Now I just need to find one more person to buy my novel, and I’ll be set for life!

Check out the Summer of Gomez!

Get free books and win a Kindle or iPod.

As reviewers have been calling “No Hope for Gomez!” the perfect summer read – light, fast, fun – I decided to give this summer’s Gomez readers some exclusive content and the chance to win prizes.

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Guest Post & Giveaway: Bruce Littlefield’s Writing Space

June 3, 2011 by

Normally, I’m not a children’s book reviewer, but there are those occasions when a kid’s book will grab my attention, especially if it has a good message and includes dogs.  I’m a sucker for a good dog book; must be the dog owner in me.

I recently read and reviewed Bruce Littlefield’s The Bedtime Book for Dogs, which he wasn’t kidding when he titled it because dogs do understand the book and will often beg for treats or a trip outside if you are reading it to your little one.  Wiggles and I have read this book a number of times, and she loves the colorful illustrations by Paul S. Heath.  Check out my review if you missed it.

Today, however, we have a special treat . . . a glimpse into the writing space of Bruce Littlefield:

My summer writing perch is on my front porch swing with the Esopus Creek running behind me.  Growing up in South Carolina, my grandparents had a huge southern porch.  I’d sit out there with my notebook and sip her sweet ice tea and dream up my stories. Edgewater Farm, my house in the Catskills of NY, used to be a bungalow colony (think Dirty Dancing) and I like to write here.  It’s got a lot of creative vibe.

Thanks, Bruce, for sharing your writing space with us and let’s hope it continues to inspire you.

Now for the giveaway:  I have 1 copy of the book for a US/Canada winner.

1.  Leave a comment on this post about your favorite children’s book you remember reading or that you’ve read to your child.

2.  Spread the word about the giveaway via Twitter, Facebook, etc., and leave a link for a second entry.

Deadline is June 20, 2011, 11:59PM EST

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Guest Post: Inside the Writer’s Studio by Jean Kwok

May 3, 2011 by

Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation comes out in paperback today.  The novel chronicles the immigrant story of Kimberly Chang who comes to America from Hong Kong, China.  She must navigate between her culture and the new world she finds herself in and the struggles that occur.  If you haven’t seen this book or read this book yet, you’ll be even more swayed to do so when you read Booking Mama‘s review and if you visit Jean Kwok’s Website, you’ll find that much of the story comes from her own life.

Today, we’re going to get a glimpse of Jean’s writing space and her three cats, who seem to be her constant writing companions . . . distractions.  Without further ado, here’s a peek at her writing space:

I have a tiny pink laptop on which I do my easy, practical writing – email, Facebook posts and the like – but when the going gets tough, I bring out the big guns. Up in my writer’s studio in the attic of my house, I do all of my novel-writing on a double quad-core Mac Pro, complete with 24-inch screen and an ergonomic, split-style Kinesis keyboard.

I know, you’re thinking, “How much power do you need to run Word?” It’s true. I guess I don’t actually need an octo-core computer, but facing the blank page is intimidating. When I turn on my Mactopus, as I call her, I know I have sheer power backing me up. Then, for more holistic support, I keep a bottle of lavender room spray on my desk, which I always use to keep me focused and calm. To my left is a statue of Kuan Yin, peeking over my shoulder to help guide my process. All around the walls of my attic are bookcases, filled with books by wonderful authors like Margaret Atwood and Maxine Hong Kingston.

I have all sorts of inspirational notes stuck to the edges of my computer screen. They say things like, “I sat down here and I turned my life around.” I’d heard some author say that in an interview long ago and when I was struggling to finish my first novel, I returned to those words again and again. It’s hard for any writer to know if they’re on the right path or not. For me, it was especially difficult because I’d worked in a sweatshop as a child and lived in an unheated apartment that was not only bitterly cold in the winter but also overrun with cockroaches and rats. I wondered often if I’d made the right decision or not, choosing a profession as financially risky as being a writer.

The notes also have more practical reminders, like, “Don’t check email!” and “Do the big stuff first!” The rest of my enormous desk is piled high with books, papers and items that have to do with my next book. Right now, I’m looking at a pair of professional Latin ballroom dance shoes because my next novel is set in the ballroom dance world. Next to them is a stack of baby naming books, which I used to choose names for my characters. By the way, if you ever want to give the person you’re dating a heart attack, just start leafing through your baby name books.

Then I’ve also got a stack of photos of Chinatown factories and apartments, research for the heroine of my next book as well. I’ve also got a tape measure here because sometimes I’ll start wondering things like, “How big is a person’s head anyway and could you possibly get it stuck inside a goldfish bowl?” and then I’ll whip out my tape measure and wrap it around my head.

The entire right side of my desk is taken up by a folder system for all of my foreign book contracts and correspondence. My debut novel, Girl in Translation, is being published in 15 countries so at a glance, I can see the Italian promotional pamphlet lying on top of the Swedish book, a set of Dutch tissues with the cover of the book printed on top, a lovely note from my UK publisher sticking out from in between a few very official letters about accounting from my German publisher that I don’t understand at all. Oh, and I have three extremely furry cats who all think it’s the funniest thing in the world to lie across my keyboard while I’m trying to type.

In other words, my desk is an unholy mess, which is why I’m not submitting a photo of it for this article. However, it’s a creative mess. It has everything I need to keep writing, which is what this is all about.

Thanks, Jean, for sharing your writing space with us. Now aren’t you all wondering what the new book is about? I know I am.

Stay tuned for my review of Girl in Translation tomorrow.

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Gatekeeper Interviews Dr. Laurence B. Brown, Author of The Eighth Scroll

April 20, 2011 by

Today’s guest interview is from The Gatekeeper Post.  They’ve kindly interviewed Dr. Laurence B. Brown, author of The Eighth Scroll.

His novel has been compared to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.  In 68 CE, precious scrolls are hidden during an uprising of Essene Jews against the Romans, and 19 centuries later, archaeologist Frank Tones comes across the diary of their librarian, Jacob.  One of the scrolls described in the diary, “The Gospel of the Teacher of Righteousness,” could be the lost gospel of James or Jesus himself.  However, before the truth is discovered, Tones finds his friend and colleague dead.  The mysteries they unravel will shake religious foundations.

Without further ado, here’s the interview with Dr. Laurence Brown.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up as a swaying sea sponge in a sparkling tide pool on the rocky coast of Waikiki. But then I budded off and seeded the ocean’s currents with my creative genius and . . .seriously, I grew up in San Francisco – the liberal capital of America – a few locks away from the infamous ‘tune in, turn on, drop out’ Haight-Ashbury district during the sixties and seventies, in the middle of the hippies’ rock-and-roll, anti-establishment, free love and drug culture revolution. But that culture never touched me, as you can probably tell from the first sentence of my answer to this question, which is completely lucid, copacetic and . . . and . . . and where was I? Oh, yeah. San Francisco. Led Zeppelin, the rock operas Hair and Jesus Christ, Superstar, flowers in the hair and cold Corn Flakes in the morning in Golden Gate Park. Missed it all, as you can tell.

Somehow, I survived, clean. Headed off to Cornell University in 1977, on to Brown Medical School, dot, dot, dot, and here I am!

You’re a doctor, so what lead you to your passion of writing?

The pay. I mean, doctors are starving and writers are just raking in the dough, aren’t they? What? They’re not? Oh. Well, too late now. The problem is, once you catch the writing bug, you’re hooked. I plain and simply love it. I love seeing the characters come alive in my imagination and then on the page. There is a point where everything just begins to flow, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world when the plot begins to carry itself and the characters expand beyond the parameters you originally constructed for them. As the story develops, it’s like watching the greatest movie in the world, in your mind’s eye, because most things happen precisely the way you want them to.

Are you concerned that people will call The Eighth Scroll another Da Vinci Code knock-off?

Sure. Unfortunately, it’s all a matter of timing. Living overseas, I didn’t know I was writing The Eighth Scroll at the same time that Dan Brown was rising in popularity in America. As you see from the book reviews, many critics compare The Eighth Scroll favorably to The DaVinci Code. Some even consider The Eighth Scroll to be the better of the two books. But since Dan Brown’s book came out first, my work may always be seen as having been written in his shadow. Had the timing been different, it might have been the other way around. Such is life.

Where can we get a copy of your book?

You can find The Eighth Scroll for sale on Amazon.

About the Author:

A graduate of Cornell University, Brown University Medical School and George Washington University Hospital residency program, Laurence B. Brown is an ophthalmic surgeon, a retired Air Force officer, the medical
director and chief ophthalmologist of a major eye center in the Middle East. The author of four books of comparative religion, he is also an
ordained interfaith minister. His most recently discovered passion is writing fiction, of which The Eighth Scroll is the first of three completed novels.

For the past two decades, he has divided his time between America, England, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Dr. Brown’s immediate family consists of his wife, three daughters and an ever changing assortment of hamsters and parrots.

Don’t forget to stop by Read Handed for today’s poet spotlight.

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Guest Post: Inside the Writer’s Studio

April 18, 2011 by

Today’s guest is author Midge Raymond, whose collection of short stories Forgetting English was recently released in an expanded edition.  Her stories received the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, were nominated for three Pushcart Prizes, and received an Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship.  She graciously agreed to write up a guest post about her writing space.  Please give her a warm welcome.

 

This is the first photo I took of my current writing space, taken on the day I moved into my house.

I took this photo because I wanted to remember what my writing studio looked like before I really got settled in. I loved the way this clean, empty space looked—yet somehow I knew it wouldn’t last.

Of course, the room didn’t have much personality before the unpacking began, but at the same time, this photo above represents my dream desk: no clutter, no bills, no cat sleeping on the keyboard. Nothing but the blank screen and an empty chair. I don’t even have books in the shelves to distract me. While this setup was a little too spare for the long term, I still hoped to keep my writing studio somewhat de-cluttered—as if it might become a mirror image of my brain: open and ready for the muse to do her work.

Here is my desk today:

The writing studio is more homey, certainly—and at least the cat is staying off my keyboard (for the moment). I have my creativity crystal, my water and my coffee, all the books and journals I could possibly need should I get writer’s block. And, as I’d envisioned, the writing studio is indeed a reflection of what’s going on in my brain, i.e., a cluttered mess, in which million things are spinning all at once. (What you may not be able to see in the photo is my to-do list, stuck underneath the coffee mug, with frantically scrawled items in various stages of completion.)

At the same time, I love my desk, and most days, I even prefer it to the lovely spare one I used to dream of. It’s the desk of a person blessed with a full life, and I can’t complain about that. The trick is to put on my writing blinders, to mentally nudge all the other stuff out of the way in order to focus on writing new work, or revising old work, or jotting down ideas that may be brought to fruition in yet another writing space somewhere else.

Or, I’ll just move everything onto the floor, out of sight, and that works even better.

Thanks, Midge, for sharing your writing space.  Please check out her Website, blog, and the Press 53 site.

About the Author:

Midge Raymond’s short-story collection, Forgetting English, received the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction. Her award-winning stories have appeared in TriQuarterly, American Literary Review, Indiana Review, North American Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. Her work has been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes and received an Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, along with her husband and an opinionated orange cat.

Giveaway Details:  US/Canada residents only.

1.  Leave a comment here about why you enjoy short stories.

2.  Tweet, Facebook, blog the giveaway for a second entry.

Deadline April 25, 2011, 11:59 PM EST

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Guest Post: The Passion for Poetry: the Writer and the Reader

April 15, 2011 by

Today, we have an excellent guest post from Lu at Regular Rumination about generating a passion for poetry among readers from her perspective as a reader and writer of poetry.  I can’t wait for all of us to share our methods for reading and/or writing poetry.  Without further ado, here’s Lu:

“You can’t be a good reader if you don’t have the experience of writing,” is the essential philosophy of one of my literature professors. He has said on a few occasions now that he prefers reading and discussing poetry only with poets. Keep in mind he said this to a classroom full of students who are decidedly not poets, but rather Spanish-language literature students. Now, I’m not always the most attentive student, but this made me stop and really pay attention to what he was saying. This is exactly the kind of alienating idea that I try to work against, constantly. Poetry should be for everyone, not just those who are devoted to studying or writing it. Poetry is a sensual, literary experience for the masses, not for the few.

But what if he has a point? As someone who has studied writing poetry, not just reading it, do I have an advantage or some kind of insight that those who are “just” readers do not?

Don’t worry, I don’t actually think I am better at reading poetry than you are, but I do think there are some differences. I think the best metaphor to describe it is that reading poetry as a poet is like listening to music as a musician. I am no musician, even though I’m currently taking piano lessons again after 10 years, so when I listen to a complex piece of music (read: music with two or more instruments), I generally can’t tell the instruments apart or even what instruments are being played. I can’t tell you why I like the music. There are some things I’m more familiar with, like the piano, and that I can recognize and explain, but everything else? I just listen and enjoy.

When I am reading a poem for the first time, I am often more interested in what the poem sounds like than what it says. So, since I have been taking piano, when I first get a new piece to play, I always play my right hand first, then my left. Finally, after practicing those over and over again, I put them together and practice some more. With a poem, the first thing I “read”  is the sound. Only after I have gotten a grasp on what the author is trying to do with the rhythm, meter, rhyme and other aspects of sound in poetry can the meaning make its way through. Then I put the two together and read it again. That’s why people often say you can’t read a poem only once.

When I write poetry, what I pay more attention to really depends on the poem. Sometimes form comes first, others meaning. But for me, when I am reading and when I am writing, the two often begin as separate things and then come together to form the complete poem. However, I hope that when someone reads the poetry I have written, the two work together seamlessly. My poetry mentor once said to me, “We do all of this hard work as poets just so our readers won’t notice it.”

So how can we apply this to our daily poetry lives? How about getting people passionate about reading and writing poetry? If you are reading this post, you probably already are. I believe that the way we teach poetry makes it seem hard. I don’t think poetry should be hard. It should make you think, it should make you passionate, it should make you happy. Of course, not every poem can do all of those things for you, but introducing people to the wonders of poetry at an early age could get people passionate about poetry again.

Maybe you saw this coming, but I think the best way to get kids passionate about poetry is to get them writing it. There were plenty of things that I didn’t understand about poetry until I actually spent time writing it. Meter, for instance. I have a horrible ear, to this day I still have trouble hearing the meter in poetry. But writing in form, something I never thought I’d be able to do (and trust me, the first time, I did it kicking and screaming), really helped clarify what I was supposed to be hearing and writing.

Of course I disagree with my professor. Not everyone has to be a poet to understand, love or talk about poetry. Not everyone has to have a talent for poetry or writing to enjoy reading it. But there are advantages to studying the process of writing poetry when it comes to reading it, at least there were for me. In the end though, all that really matters, is that people are reading poetry and falling in love with it.

I don’t think everyone has the same reading or writing process that I do, so here’s my parting question to you: what is your poetry reading process like? If you write poetry, how do you incorporate form and meaning? Do you focus on one and then the other? I’m fascinated by both the reading and the writing process, so please, answer away!

Thanks, Lu, for participating in the National Poetry Month Blog Tour! I can’t wait to see what everyone has to say about their reading process.

***Also, don’t forget to check out today’s tour stop at Haiku Love Songs and Read Handed.

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