Review: Captain Wentworth's Diary

Blurb: During his shore leave from the Navy, Frederick Wentworth falls in love with the elegant and intelligent Miss Anne Elliot—only to see his hopes of marrying her dashed by her godmother.

Eight years later, Wentworth has realized his ambitions. A wealthy captain, he has pushed his memories of Anne to the furthest recesses of his mind—until he sees her again. And though Anne's bloom has faded, Wentworth is surprised to find that his regard for her wit and warmth has not.

Review: Alas, there have been a plethora of Austen ‘spin-off’’ novels written in recent years that it really should be its own genre by now. Some of them are great and other’s not so much. When I learned that a new retelling of Persuasion had been written by the same author as Mr. Darcy’s Diary, I was immediately intrigued. You see, Persuasion is my very favorite book and Captain Wentworth, my favorite literary hero of all time. I very much wanted to love this book, yet I worried whether this author would be able to deliver the Captain that I had learned to know and love through the writing of Miss Austen.

I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Ms. Grange presented the Captain just as I had imagined him in my mind. I was completely wrapped up in the story from beginning to end even though I knew exactly how it would conclude. I mean, I had read the original book after all.

The Diary books are all written from the point of view of the heroes from each of Jane Austen’s novels. Since those were primarily written from the heroine’s POV, this gives us insight into the personal thoughts of the hero. In this addition to the series, Wentworth is written just as he should be: good natured and humorous with a bit of an edge at certain moments.

Any fan of Austen and especially Persuasion will love this book. The author allows you more intimacy with the characters and into scenes we never got to see in the original. For instance, the book begins in 1806, the year Wentworth and Anne meet and fall in love. In fact, over a hundred of the first pages of the book are dedicated to this part of the story. It’s wonderful reading Wentworth’s thoughts and following him as he experiences falling in love with all his youthful ardor. In the middle of the book, we switch to the year 1817 which is where J. Austen actually began her story, and we see Wentworth and Anne older and more mature but just as much in love.

I must applaud Ms. Grange for creating such a well-written and researched retelling of a story I love so dearly. Her tone and language compliment the Regency-era original to perfection. This book will entrance and enthrall. I know it held me captive to the very end. This is a bookshelf keeper to be read over and over.

I give it 5 out of 5!

White Rose Contest Continuing

Just a reminder that we are continuing the 'Our Cup Runneth Over' Contest this week at http://whiterosesinbloom.blogspot.com/. Just look for the White Rose Publishing mug here on my blog and that of Sharon Donovan 's this week and send that information to Carol Ann at carolann.erhardt@gmail.com Then you will be entered into a contest to win a copy of a book from Sharon and myself.

Hope you are having a great Monday!
Cindy

Classic Friday: The Interitance by Louisa May Alcott

I loved re-reading this book! I believe I read it for the first time back in 1997 when it first came out. (Yes, an Alcott novel releasing over a hundred years after her death.) The Inheritance was her first novel. She even made a notation on it that it was her first novel written at the age of 17 which she never attempted to get published. Now, it’s not one of those thrilling, sensational stories as Jo March liked to write. Instead, it is a quaint, sweet, English novel about an orphaned girl and her future inheritance. The manuscript was discovered among Miss Alcott’s papers and cataloged along with her other writings. Eventually, it too was brought to print.

It’s interesting because I recently purchased the movie version of the book. It was also made in 1997 and so it had been a long time since I watched it. Something seemed odd about the movie from what I remembered about the book. ‘Wasn’t this supposed to be set in England in the early 19th century?’ I asked myself. The movie set the story near Concord (L.M. Alcott’s home) in the 1870's. And the characters are Americans not English. They added a new dimension to the heroine, Edith. They took away one character and added another while also including a variation on the plot. In many ways, it is a totally different story while still being essentially Miss Alcott’s fond tale. I enjoyed the movie, but the changes do take away from the style and tone that Louisa probably intended for her story.

The writing style of the novel is quite different than say…Little Women. You can sense the naivety of the young woman penning this story. She isn't yet the author she will become. And yet it is lyrical and lovely. In fact, I read many of the passages out loud just to hear how they sounded. It’s a sweet, poignant story and I enjoyed it completely. I only wish I could have written such a splendid novel at that same tender age.

A vignette for your edification. (pg 90)

The heart he studied the most earnestly and that each day grew more beautiful to him was Edith’s. Amid the trials she so silently was bearing still grew the gratitude and love she bore to those around her and still lay the deep, longing wish for tenderness and true affection which none ever guessed and none ever sought to give.

Yet he who was daily near her and who so often found a place within her thoughts now became her friend, seeking by unseen acts of silent kindness to make life more pleasant to her. While thus employed, the friendship and generous pity were fast deepening into the truest reverence and most holy love for one who bore so meekly the sorrows that must try a gentle heart and was so rich in pure and sinless feelings and so beautiful in all woman’s noblest gifts.

For The Sweetest Romance Authors Scavenger Hunt

Hello to everyone on the Scavenger Hunt. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I received a message from one 'sweet' lady to ask if I'd like to be a blog stop on the scavenger hunt. I, of course, said 'yes.' Hope you found the clue and while you're here, I have a great excerpt posted below from my latest release coming in just 2 weeks! Have a great night!

To continue the scavenger hunt, return to the sweetest romance chat room: http://sweetestromancechat.blogspot.com/

Excerpt from New Release: Snow Kissed

I'm getting excited! My next release--Snow Kissed--will be available November 6th which will be here before we know it. I thought I'd drop a little bit of an excerpt today.

Blurb:

Today is one of those days Logan Reilly wished he’d stayed in bed. Not only does he have to deal with the annoying Winter Wonderland Carnival but his close friend, that whimsical lover of snow, Holly Armstrong, is leaving town forever. The question is why didn’t she tell him and why today, of all days, does he realize she might be more than a friend?

Holly can no longer stay in town knowing the man she loves only sees her as a friend. It’s time to move on; besides she has other career prospects.

As the carnival unfolds, watch God work in amazing ways. Can He change Holly’s mind and make her stay? Can He help Logan see beyond the friendship? Only time can tell.

Excerpt:

“Yes, Logan.” Holly tried to smile, but it was futile by the way he stared at her.

“I—I…would you like to dance?” He broke eye contact and pointed over at the activity above them.

His offer to dance couldn’t have been more surprising if he had expounded upon Bach’s harmonic chord analysis. Logan didn’t dance. Holly wasn’t even sure he could dance. The music playing was slow and romantic with the words sung in Italian by an awe-inspiring baritone. To dance in the muted light to such a song was way too romantic a gesture for Logan.

“You hate to dance.”

“Yeah, I know.” The smile he gave her was subtle as always, yet so darn adorable. Her legs went a little weak at the sight. Lord, help me. Seriously, Lord. Help! The last thing I need is to go head over heels—figuratively and literally.

****

How infuriating was this? Not only was he flubbing up all this with Holly, but now he’d roped himself into dancing. Not just dancing, but dancing in the gazebo at a major town function. Logan could just imagine the look on Muriel Potter’s face if she spotted them. He grabbed Holly’s hand and raced up the steps. No use in prolonging the inevitable.

It didn’t take long before they were face-to-face in one corner of the dance floor. He stepped closer, her profound blue eyes staring him down. She didn’t think he could do this. Her smile was almost a dare; it was definitely playful. He pulled her into his arms and began swaying in time to the music. Holly followed his lead without question as if they had been made for this moment in time, each movement fluid and together.

“You’re good,” she said, with a laugh.

“Surprised?” He gave her a slow spin.

“Yes!” she replied with energy when she faced him again.

“For that I just might make you dance again.”

“Threatening me now?”

“Is it a threat?” He tightened his hold around her waist and she pulled her perfect, sweet lips up into a radiant smile.

As they continued the slow dance, she rested her head on his chest and his heart began to thump rapidly. He lowered his head near her ear. “Why didn’t you tell me, Holly?”

She raised her head abruptly, an expression of surprise and remorse mingled in her features. It made him feel a little better to see the emotion on her face. To watch her breathing come in fast gulps and her eyes grow large as they stared back at him. She started to back out of his grasp, but he held her firmly in place, continuing their dance.

“I’m sorry, Logan, I should have told you. I—I wanted to…”

“Yes, you should have. Who do you think you are to leave without letting me know?” He tried to smile convincingly, as if he was only playing with her, but he had to admit to the sting he felt in his heart knowing she hadn’t told him when she had evidently told others.

Snow Kissed, will release with White Rose Publishing (the new imprint of The Wild Rose Press) November 6^th.

Synopsis (Part 2):Style

Here is part II of my synopsis study. Look back for the blog on content of the synopsis.

Now that you know what to put in the synopsis, we now come to the problem of how to write it. Here a few things to think about before starting the synopsis.

Tense—our books are written in past tense, more than likely. However, the synopsis (like the blurb) should be written in present tense. It gives it more immediacy and excitement—like a sale’s pitch.

Viewpoint—it doesn’t matter if the novel is written in 1^st or 3^rd point of view. The synopsis is the Author’s summary. Use the author-as-narrator viewpoint. This is something we avoid when writing our books but is necessary when putting together the synopsis.

Nouns and Verbs—Make your nouns concrete and your verbs vivid. Not unlike in your novel—but even more so. Get rid of to-be verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) and limit passive verbs. Give the synopsis a sense of action, excitement, and movement.

Length—a paragraph or two synopsis within a query is adequate. Only one to two pages when included with the query (single spaced with double spaces between paragraphs). If a synopsis is requested with a partial or full manuscript, then the standard length is five pages (double spaced). This is the length sent by agents to acquiring editors. Boil the story down to its essence.

Story Chronology—time can be complex when explaining your novel in a synopsis. Backstory and such. No need to capture the shifts in time exactly as they occur in the novel. Use turning points to show the chronology.

Variations—adjust the standard style of the synopsis writing to fit your unique story and style. There are a couple extreme variations that can be utilized when incorporated skillfully.

Short Summary when followed by a longer summary—this is for the longer synopsis—usually five or more pages. The short summary is like the hook or blurb. It starts with a one line hook—like a tv guide description.

Narrative Hook—using the tense and pov of your book. It isn’t the actual opening of your

book. It is used to entice agents or editors to read your book. After the opening narrative hook, you go into summary synopsis format.

Short story hook—this is a variation of high risk. The first several pages of the synopsis read like a short story. For example it could be written in 3^rd person, past tense, and include dialogue. The last page shifts to synopsis summary.

*Most of the information I’ve put together on writing the synopsis comes from The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit by Elizabeth Lyon. It’s a great resource and I recommended it highly.