Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Hiatus

My original plan when I started this blog was to give my critique group a place to share their writing and their thoughts on writing.  It turned out that I was mainly the only one who had anything to say.  My awesome 16-year-old crit partner Tawnni contributed once in awhile and I'm grateful for her.
Anyway my critique group is going through some changes and while we figure out some things, I'm taking a break from the Literary Girls blog. You can still find me at my personal blog Writer's Butt Does Not Apply To Me.  Thank you so much to you wonderful loyal few who stuck by us and faithfully read and commented on our posts (Juju, Kath) - you ladies are awesome.  I don't know what the future holds for this blog.  It's possible that a guy may become apart of my crit group and then the name of this blog may change.  It's also possible I'll never blog on it again.  It was a fun experiment though.  Thanks again for reading.


Mary

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Merry Christmas Muppet Style

I won't be posting for the rest of the week.

Hope you all have a
Merry Christmas!
or 
Happy Holidays if you prefer.


Monday, December 21, 2009

A First Kiss Scene Sans Tongue

Welcome to Kissing Blogfest Monday



Sweet emblem of returning peace, the heart's full gush and love's release,
Spirits in human fondness flow and greet the pearly mistletoe.
Oh! Happy tricksome time of mirth, giv'n to the stars of sky and earth!
May all the best of feeling know, the custom of the mistletoe.
Married and single, proud and free, yield to the season, trim with glee:
Time will not stay ... he cheats us so ... A kiss? ... 'tis gone ... the mistletoe.


  As a teenager this was my favorite kissing scene

I imagined my first kiss being like this. I was a tomboy like Watts with a chip on my shoulder when it came to guys.  I was the pal - never the girlfriend.  I identified with this scene so much.  Love the passion of his tightening fist and her legs going around his waste - the music is perfect.
Sadly my first kiss was nothing like this.  Barely knew the guy and he was all tongue - intrusive and hyper. Gross!!!

Current Favorite Kissing scene


It has been my experience that first kisses are overrated in real life.  Awkward and strange.  The second kiss is usually better. I doubt there are any teenage boys reading this, but if there are - study this scene boys - look, no tongue - a soft and tender first kiss. That's what a girl wants to experience for their first kiss with any guy - all men could learn from this kiss actually. The tongue comes later. Do you agree with me ladies, or am I in the minority?


This is my first attempt at writing a kissing scene so I just hope it doesn't crash and burn like my first kiss:

He put his arm around my shoulders and drew me closer to him.  His eyes dark and intense frightened me. The entire day felt as if it was building towards this moment. But now I wasn't sure if I wanted it.  Nervous, I needed a distraction.  I brought the forgotten tomato to my lips and bit into it.  Succulent juices exploded into my mouth tantalizing my senses. A piece of the vine still clung to the fruit.  I breathed in its earthen freshness and sighed.   
When our eyes met again, the hunger I saw there no longer frightened me. He'd  moved closer during my reverie and our noses nearly touched.  I could feel his hand tremble as he swept the soft pad of his thumb across my slightly open lips.  The lingering aroma of the tomato vine and his aftershave fuzzed my thoughts, but a tiny spark of doubt still remained.
   "Wait," I said, pressing my hand to his chest.  "I've never done this before."
He buried his face in my hair and when he whispered, "Me either," his hot breath on my ear sent shivers through me. 
His fingers entwined in my hair as he touched his lips to mine. The uneaten fruit dropped from my hand in my growing need to have him closer.

Something tells me this kiss might lead to tongue after all.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Race against the Calender

With my sister getting married in two weeks, give or take, I have given myself a challenge. I want to have the manuscript for my novel finished by the wedding on the 2nd of January. Luckily, I'm in the last chapter and after that I just have the epiloque (should I decide to have one). I am nearing the summit of this mountain and the clock is counting down and faster than it was before. The race is on, I'm breaking into a sprint, wish me luck.

Friday, December 18, 2009

We Have a Winner


Three Winners Actually:

L.T. Host, Catherine Denton and Diana Paz

Congratulations Ladies! E-mail me here and let me know your address and which book you'd like to have.


Why three winners? Well, because Diana won my last book giveaway and she's my super awesome blogging and beta buddy and I was afraid you'd think I played favorites.  I really didn't. Honest. My sons drew the names and they actually drew Diana's name twice.  You deserve to win Diana and I'm glad you did. Since I was considering having three winners anyway, this gave me the chance.

Now for the teaser reveal

The super awesome teaser that belongs to me is:

#1

“I don’t believe you now -- so it really doesn’t matter what you tell me. But I do enjoy hearing a well delivered tale.” 

Congratulations to all of you who guessed correctly.  About half of you guessed it.  It actually makes me feel good that so many of you couldn't tell which one was mine.  

Teaser #2 is from:


"I don't want to sleep. I'm afraid the nightmare will come back. But there's no need for you to stay awake with me."

 Teaser #3 is from:

"No of course not," I lie. "I was only having a bit of fun with you."


    A big thank you to everyone who participated. I had fun. Hope you did too.

Last Day To Enter Book Giveaway Challenge

Today is your last chance to win these books. To enter the challenge go here.



                   




                           

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Teaser Tuesday Challenge and Book Give Away

For today's Teaser, I'm going to do something a little different and a little bit scary.

Below are three teasers.  Two are from published YA novels.  The other is from my own WIP. I challenge you to guess which one is mine and which is from the published novels.

Teaser #1:  “I don’t believe you now -- so it really doesn’t matter what you tell me. But I do enjoy hearing a well delivered tale.”

Teaser #2:  "I don't want to sleep. I'm afraid the nightmare will come back. But there's no need for you to stay awake with me."

Teaser #3:  "No of course not," I lie. "I was only having a bit of fun with you."


If you make a guess your name will automatically go into a drawing with +1 point. 
If you guess correctly which teaser is mine you get +4 extra points.
If you are already a follower you get +2 points.
Become a follower you get +1 point.
Please indicate in the comments if you are already a follower or a new follower.
Contest Ends Friday at 10pm MST
Sorry - U.S. and Canadian residents only.

Two people will win their choice out of 2 books:
                                







OR





BTW - none of the teasers come from these two books.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Love it and It's On Sale - The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection


I love all three of these movies and I just bought it.  So excited!  Found it on sale at Amazon and I felt compelled to let all of you know about it, so that you could buy it too.  I've been wanting to buy it for awhile, but it was more than I wanted to spend.  If you haven't seen any of these movies, you're missing out.  I love, love, love these movies.  Oh did I mention I love them?  I even got free shipping.  Merry Christmas to me!



When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill-workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.



 I haven't read the book yet.  Someone told me the ending is different than the movie and I haven't felt like reading it since.
Have you read it? What's your opinion?



 The love scene alone is enough to make me want to watch this movie again and again.



An enchanting tale of romance, scandal, and intrigue in the gossipy English town of Hollingford around the 1830s, Wives and Daughters tells the story of Molly Gibson, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a widowed country doctor. When her father remarries, she forms a close friendship with her new stepsister—the beautiful and worldly Cynthia—until they become love rivals for the affections of Squire Hamley’s sons, Osbourne and Roger. When sudden illness and death reveal some secrets while shrouding others in even deeper mystery, Molly feels that the world is out of joint and it is up to her—trusted by all but listened to by none—to set it right.


I enjoyed this book more than the movie.  I loved the details of village life and Molly is charming.  The interaction between the women is intiguing and the love story is satisfying.

Cranford is a humorous account of a nineteenth-century English village dominated by a group of genteel but modestly circumstanced women. By eschewing the conventional marriage plot with its nubile heroines and focusing instead on a group of middle-aged and elderly spinsters, Elizabeth Gaskell did something highly unusual within the novel genre. Through her masterful management of the novel's tone, she underscores the value and dignity of single women's lives even as she causes us to laugh at her characters' foibles. Charles Dickens was the first of many readers to extol its wit and charm, and it has consistently been Gaskell's most popular work.


I had a hard time getting into this book.  The movie was absolutely charming though.  I think I need to go back and give this book another try.  Have you read it? Any thoughts?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst - Versus - Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George



Synopsis:

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station,  determined to become a scientist, she has no time for make-believe.
Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride. - Goodreads



Synopsis: 

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servants. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess. - Goodreads.

My Thoughts:  I enjoyed both versions.  Both books are re-tellings of the fairytale - East of the Sun and West of the Moon. If you would like to read a version of the original fairytale go here.

Ice is a contemporary retelling set in the frozen Arctic and the Canadian boreal forest. The descriptions of the ice floes and the scenery are vivid and beautiful. I like that Cassie is a modern girl and a strong female lead.  She's intelligent and determined to accomplish all of her goals and dreams.  It is this determination - bordering on obstinacy(in my opinion) that drives her to seek out the Polar Bear King who she is forced to marry.   After she has fallen in love with him and is carrying his child the Bear is taken from her when she breaks a promise.  As she searches for her husband East of the Sun and West of the Moon, she encounters many obstacles, but she never gives up on finding him.  Durst's version of trolls is fascinating.  I love the whole concept of rescuing the one you love at all costs, but I wonder if this book took it too far.  In her quest for the bear, Cassie gave very little thought to the growing fetus inside of her and put herself and the baby at great risk almost killing herself and the baby. I didn't really care for this aspect of the book.  Other than that it is a fun, fanciful retelling and I recommend it to anyone 12 and older.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a more traditional re-telling set in the Nordic with the sweet and brave Lass as the lead. I really liked the mystery aspect of this book as Lass searches for the truth behind the trolls and their hold on the Polar Bear King. This version has a fun, lighter tone than Ice, but it is still full of adventure and love.  I really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the Nordic culture and scenery.  George artfully weaves Nordic myths and language which helped me to fully immerse myself in the world.  I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book and I recommend it to anyone 12 and older.

For Jessica Day George's thoughts on her own book and Ice - along with a fun interview with Ice's author Sarah Beth Durst - click here.