May 6

Birthdays: Sigmund Freud (1856), Gaston Leroux (1868), Harry Golden (1902), Harry Martinson (1904), Leo Lionni (1910), Randall Jarrell (1914), Theodore White (1915), Orson Welles (1915), Ted Lewin (1935), Barbara McClintock (1955), Jeffrey Deaver (1950),

Gaston Leroux, a French author, is most well known for his novel “The Phantom of the Opera”

Harry Martinson won the 1974 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Leo Lionni was a four-time Caldecott Award winner.

Randall Jarrell was the US Poet Laureate from 1956-1958.

Ted Lewin won the Caldecott Honor in 1994 for “Peppe the Lamplighter”

Quote: “The library, I believe, is the last of our public institutions to which you can go without credentials. You don’t even need the sticker on your windshield that you need to get into the public beach. All you need is the willingness to read.” – Harry Golden

“Outlining is the most efficient way to structure a novel to achieve the greatest emotional impact. The most breathtaking prose and brilliantly drawn characters are wasted if the plot meanders and digresses. Outlining lets you create a framework that compels your audience to keep reading from the first page to the last…Best of all, once the outline is finished, you can write the book very quickly and in any order.” – Jeffrey Deaver

Tip: Don’t forget to get up and move every thirty minutes or so. It refreshes your brain and gets the blood flowing in your body.

Jumpstart: You’re at a large, unfamiliar hotel and get off the elevator on the wrong floor. Just as the doors close behind you, you see something you shouldn’t. What do you see? What happens next?

May 5

Birthdays: Soren Kierkegaard (1813), Karl Marx (1818), Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846), Nellie Bly (1864), James Beard (1903), Leo Lionni (1910), Michael Palin (1943), Linda Fairstein (1947), Deborah Wiles (1953), Kaye Gibbons (1960), Scott Westerfeld (1963), Tom Reiss (1964), Catherynne M. Valente (1979), Robyn Schneider (1986)

Henryk Sienkiewicz won the 1905 Pulitzer in Literature.

Quote: “Sometimes tossing out vast quantities of words is better than letting a whole book bleed slowly to death. Don’t give up, just start over.” – Scott Westerfeld

Tip: Disconnect from the internet when you’re working. No looking more than once an hour, less is better

Jumpstart: What is one thing from your character’s life that would completely embarrass him/her in the eyes of his/her friends and/or family? What was it? Why is it an embarrassment? Does s/he keep it a secret? Who else knows?

In History:

In 1888 Nellie Bly suggested to her editor at the New York World that she take a trip around the world, attempting to turn the fictional “Around the World in Eighty Days” into fact. A year later, at 9:40 a.m. on November 14, 1889, and with two days’ notice, she boarded a ship and began her journey.

She took with her the dress she was wearing, a sturdy overcoat, several changes of underwear, and a small travel bag carrying her toiletry essentials. She carried most of her money in a bag tied around her neck.

The “Cosmopolitan” sponsored its own reporter, Elizabeth Bisland, to beat the time of both Phileas Fogg and Bly. Bisland would travel the opposite way around the world, starting on the same day as Bly took off. Bly, however, did not learn of Bisland’s journey until reaching Hong Kong. She dismissed the cheap competition. “I would not race,” she said. “If someone else wants to do the trip in less time, that is their concern.”

To sustain interest in the story, the World organized a “Nellie Bly Guessing Match” in which readers were asked to estimate Bly’s arrival time to the second, with the Grand Prize consisting at first of a free trip to Europe and, later on, spending money for the trip.

During her travels around the world, Bly went through England, France, Brindisi, the Suez Canal, Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. Bly traveled using steamships and the existing railroad systems, which caused occasional setbacks, particularly on the Asian leg of her race.

As a result of rough weather on her Pacific crossing, she arrived in San Francisco on January 21, two days behind schedule. However, after the newspaper owner Pulitzer hired a private train to bring her home, she arrived back in New Jersey on January 25, 1890, at 3:51 pm.

Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. She had circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone for almost the entire journey. Bisland was, at the time, still crossing the Atlantic, only to arrive in New York four and a half days later.

May 4

Island Heat

by Debby Grahl

Category: Romance / Suspense

Series: The Carolina Series

When bookstore owner Suzanna Shay and writer Austen Kincade meet on a Who Done It mystery cruise, their instant attraction has them more interested in romance than searching for clues. But when the leading actress in the shipboard murder skit, Austen’s publisher’s wife, throws herself at Austen, she’s furious when he rejects her advances and vows to have Austen no matter what it takes.After the ship docks, with plans for a future together, Suzanna and Austen part, unaware vindictive lies will soon test their newfound love and entangle them in a real mystery that proves deadly.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248728 ISBN: (print) 9781509248711

Available through these fine retailers…

May 3

Guided Hearts

by C. Ellen Culverwell

Category: Fantasy / Paranormal

Series: Guided Hearts

Laurel Quincy’s respectable life is suddenly shattered by the betrayal of her husband. Everything she thought she knew about him, and their life together was destroyed the day the FBI raided the bank where she was its president. A web of lies and deceit had cost her everything she holds dear: job, home, and financial security. Looking for clarity and solace she seeks her parents grave in historic Pioneer Cemetery. Her deliverance suddenly appears when she meets Maggie, an eccentric old woman fond of wearing pink fuzzy slippers and tattered bathrobe. She proves to be a good friend and advisor, guiding Laurel in rebuilding her life and again trusting in love.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248124 ISBN: (print) 9781509248117

Available through these fine retailers…

May 2

Birthdays: Novalis (1772), Jerome K. Jerome (1859), E.E. Smith (1890), Benjamin Spock (1903), Martha Grimes (1931), Esther Freud (1963),

Dr. Benjamin Spock was best known for his “Baby and Child Care” book

Quote: “It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen.” ― Jerome K. Jerome

Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” ― Benjamin Spock

“You can’t be blocked if you just keep on writing words. Any words. People who get ‘blocked’ make the mistake of thinking they have to write good words.” – Martha Grimes

Tip: Learn to use “track changes” in your processing program. It’s what most editors and publishers rely on when editing your work.

Jumpstart: Look at a scenic picture. What is happening just out of sight?

Review: Embracing Amelia

EMBRACING AMELIA by Elaine Violette

Fiction, Regency Historical Romance, 193 pages

5*****

Blurb: Lady Amelia Pierce has a forbidden dream: riding in equestrian competitions. When she loses a family ring in the stable, her brother finds her foraging for it in the hay with Lucas Grey, a duke’s bastard son. Amelia’s outraged father sends her to London to salvage her reputation and find a suitable match. Despite his ignoble birth and rakish reputation, Lucas is much admired for his management of Winston Equestrian Stables. He and Amelia are fascinated by each other. But the missing emerald ring and a viscount’s greed lead to disaster and imprisonment for Lucas. Will scandal and secrets keep him from Amelia forever?

Thoughts: This is definitely not my normal genre to read, and I realize I am missing something. All the rules and social strictures lead to trouble for the heroine—and the hero—of the story.

What I liked: The characters, especially Amelia. She rails against not being able to do as she wants—ride in jumping matches, be unheard and unseen unless enticing a husband. Lucas Grey has a lot of rage built up – with good reason. The duke (Lucas’ father) is another good character. The characters carry this story with a few details thrown in so we know where and when we are.

What I didn’t like: There were a few editorial issues that jarred me but not enough to pull me away from the story. The story is actually quite good and there’s a HEA ending that satisfies.

Recommendation: If you love Regency romances, pick this one up. And if you’ve never tried one before, try this one. You won’t be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

4/28/23

April 30

Loving Whiskey

by Gracie Cooper

Category: Romance / Contemporary

Tired of dating, Willow Lawson gives up on love and focuses on the expansion of Martini Girl Bar. She is officially on a man-strike – until she meets Colt. Colton Royce has his hands full raising his four-year-old niece and seventy-two-year-old grandmother. But when a chance encounter to play music again knocks on his door, he takes it. Lightning strikes when Willow and Colt are around, proving love enters when they least expect it.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509247677 ISBN: (print) 9781509247660

Available through these fine retailers…

April 29

Starry Starry Night

by Larry Farmer

Category: Romance / Clean & Wholesome

Ex-Marine Nathan, too restless for college and everyday life at home, craves the adventure of backpacking around the world. Michaela, daughter of a Holocaust survivor, shares his love of backpacking and moving on. As they leave a kibbutz in Israel, they join forces to explore Europe before returning to their studies. Is it a match made in heaven? Whether they will ever settle down, as the love they share demands, is the question. Could it be that the only adventure that really matters after all is the rest of their lives together?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248278 ISBN: (print) 9781509248261

Available through these fine retailers…

April 28

Birthdays: Antonio Frasconi (1919), Harper Lee (1926), Lois Duncan (1934), Diane Johnson (1934), Alice Waters (1944), Kit Williams (1946), Christian Jacq (1947), Terry Pratchett (1948), Carolyn Forché (1950), Amy Hest (1950), Roberto Bolano (1953), Ian Rankin (1960)

Antonio Frasconi won Caldecott Honors for his artwork.

Harper Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Literature for her book “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

Quote: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Tip: If you’re writing a series, set up a consistency spreadsheet with character names, attributes, cars, house, etc., settings, anything that you might need to keep straight. Do this with your first book and all following ones so you know who’s who and what’s what.

Jumpstart: Today is your character’s birthday. What’s the best gift they’ve gotten? The worst? From whom? Why was it the best or worst?

April 27 New Books

Viscount in Hiding

by Caitlyn Callery

Category: Romance / Historical / Regency

Amelia Bell attends a gathering at Viscount Frantham’s nearby estate, on her best behavior to persuade her father she is worthy of a London Season. When she interrupts mysterious Josh Winter in the viscount’s library rifling through private papers, the temptation to help him evade capture is far too great. Intrigued, she joins him in pursuing leads. Josh Summersby has returned from India and finds an imposter in his place. Convinced there’s more to the plot than stolen identity, he takes an assumed name and investigates, determined to win back his name and discover the villains’ purpose. As Amelia and Josh draw closer to the truth, they realize stakes are higher than imagined. Failure to jinx the evil plan may cost not only their hearts but their very lives.