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Stream Of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS: ‘Peace’
This post is written in response to Linda G. Hill’s prompt on Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Today’s theme is “piece/peace.” Make one or both your theme or just include them somehow in your post. Anyone can join in! Enjoy posting and/or Reading other posts here!
Inner Peace versus World Peace
I used to think about world peace.
When I was young(er), I thought big; the world was my oyster. Ironically, at that time, in the 1970s, Internet, google, smart phone, low-cost travel, etc. were not in our vocabulary. So the information we had about the rest of the world was reduced to documentaries, and occasional news from a few friends and relatives scattered around the globe, but that didn’t matter, I thought very big. Why not?
Anything and everything, such as world peace, was possible, although I never really thought about how it would ever come about, as if just willing it would be enough.
I would talk about it, take part in debates, sometimes even marches. I also wrote letters to newspapers, or my local MP, as if it were possible just by talking and writing about it.
When I started working, in the 80s, I was busy paying my bills and bringing up a family, and in spite of still having the same ideals, I was no longer doing anything towards them, except believing. I still believed world peace was possible. Why not?
I can’t pinpoint exactly when it all started, but as I’m approaching my retirement, I no longer believe in grand issues such as world peace. Don’t get me wrong, I wish it would happen, I just no longer believe it will in my lifetime, and I’m even more convinced that I’ll never have anything to do with it, if it does happen.
It doesn’t mean I don’t have dreams any more, I do. It’s just that in spite of all the technological and digital innovations and massive worldwide communication, my dreams have become more realistic. Despite having friends and acquaintances (some I’ve met, others I never will. I say this knowing it doesn’t matter, or does it?) in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, Canada, as well as Europe, the US and parts of South America, my dreams have become intimate and local. Very local.
Now I dream with my own inner peace, because it’s the only one which is in my hands, and it’s the only one I now value.
I’m aware that ‘peace’ is an arbitrary word, so I feel obliged to clarify what it means to me.
Being at peace with myself and my surroundings means I’m not interested in races or arguments, being right, or being perfect. I just want to be at peace with myself and those I interact with and care about.
I try to do the things that make me happy, and I also make sure I feel happy about the things I do, so I make sure those around me don’t sweat the small stuff, and look at the bigger and nicer picture, as I do.
I’ve found many things which make me feel at peace:
Reading and writing, talking and thinking about reading and writing, meeting other writers and like-minded people, being with my children and grandchildren, going to the cinema, for a walk, or a coffee with my friends, and valuing the routine, wonderful, little things I enjoy as often as posible, such as a walk by the beach, a stroll in the countryside, an interesting conversation, or an occasional glass of wine.
And when I have to do things which are not my choice, I make an effort to enjoy them. I refuse to argue about unimportant things. Fortunately, my job does not involve life and death situations, so very few things are important enough to argue about. I make an effort to see people’s good points, and work at them, overlooking their worse points, and if I really can’t see any good points (I’m still an optimist, so this doesn’t happen often), I make sure I avoid them as much as possible.
I’ve come to believe that if I’m at peace with myself and can transmit that peace to those around me, locally and internationally, by paying in forward and having as my only aim to bring peace to myself and those around me, then the world will be a more peaceful place.
I take part in initiatives such as #Speak1000, which posts on compassion, bullying, etc. and I occasionally cooperate with local volunteer organisations and initiatives, too. I can manage that. Can’t we all?
If we all brought peace to our lives and those around us, world peace might be posible, might it not? So perhaps I do still believe in world peace after all, don’t I?
What gives you peace?
How do you avoid or cope with things or people who take away your peace?
Letter P The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘P’ is for Dominic Piper, author of Kiss Me When I’m Dead
Why do I recommend Kiss Me When I’m Dead?
Kiss Me When I’m Dead is a contemporary detective novel narrated in the first person, present tense, stream-of-consciousness style, by witty and shrewd Daniel Beckett, in the classic style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
The use of language is so skilled that every single paragraph, page, and chapter moves the story on, or tells us something about Beckett and the array of characters who come to life. Nothing is wasted, every word kept me alert, as I was literally immersed into Beckett’s mind, and rushed around London, encountering an eclectic array of unconventional, and often larger than life, characters. There were times I thought I was living inside a comic, others it was like watching a film by Howard Hawks, except often it was more like Tarantino, with plenty of action and sex, although neither is graphic, which I was grateful for.
Finally, the plot is full of twists and turns, most of which I didn’t even suspect. I didn’t realise how perfect the title of the novel was until I read the last chapter. Kiss Me When I’m Dead is a fun and exciting ride. I loved it!
What kind of reader would like Kiss Me When I’m Dead, Dominic?
Kiss Me When I’m Dead seems to attract the attention and appreciation of people who would never usually read a detective novel of any sort. They are surprised by the wit and particularly the personality of the main character, womanising private detective Daniel Beckett. But Beckett’s womanising is not of the sleazy, alpha-male variety and I think this is why many female readers like the novel and like him. Beckett, as a person, is quite a mystery and reveals nothing about himself. He has a skill set that alludes to an unusual, possibly sinister past. What that past may be is left up to the reader to decide, though there are clues everywhere. One review mentioned that the novel was ‘beautifully written’, which I was pleased to see. I take care over the words I use and try to put interesting pictures in the readers’ minds.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently writing the second novel featuring Daniel Beckett. This doesn’t have a title yet, as that’s usually the last thing I think of. I keep having to check back to the first novel to get various details of Beckett’s life consistent. That was a problem I didn’t face with the first one as it was all new. I’ve drawn a couple of flow charts detailing the plot, but I rarely stick to it. It’s more interesting for me if I don’t really know what’s going to happen. Often, some random event or comment will take the plot in a totally new direction. This is what happened when I was writing Kiss We When I’m Dead. It’s tempting to make a follow-up a kind of ‘part two’ of the first one, particularly when it’s been critically acclaimed, but I hope I’m avoiding that. I’m starting out of the window a lot.
What would you like readers to know about you?
That’s a good question. Whenever I’m reading books, I prefer to know nothing about the author as I don’t think it’s important. I’m aware that many authors write about themselves and their own experiences, but I’m not one of those. There’s been a boom in indie publishing since it became easier to do, and I often notice that a lot of indie writers are writing about personal issues that are often mentioned in their biographies. I don’t think I’d ever do that as I don’t think it exercises the imagination enough. Part of the fun of writing for me is making huge imaginative leaps into worlds that you have no experience of and hopefully those leaps will excite and stimulate the reader.
How can we find out more or contact you?
Dominic Piper on Twitter: @DominicPiper1
Dominic Piper on Facebook: Dominic Piper
Dominic Piper Amazon Author Page:
Kiss Me When I’m Dead on Amazon US and Amazon UK
Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Letter O The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘O’ is for Lara Ormiston, author of Unequal Affections
Why do I recommend Unequal Affections?
When I finished reading Unequal Affections, I felt as if I had been transported through a time-tunnel to Longbourn and Pemberley and into Elizabeth and Darcy’s lives two hundred years ago. I had been an invisible visitor, observing them both throughout their month of courting. I loved the way Lara Ormiston gets inside both their minds equally, something I always miss in Austen. I felt I knew them, and understood their reasons and motivations perfectly.
Unequal Affections is one of the most beautiful, engrossing, and haunting books I’ve read. It’s clever, original and enthralling, and I relished every chapter, every page, and every word, and I’ll no doubt be reading it again, because it’s a book to be savoured slowly and repeatedly. Absorbing reading if you’re in a romantic mood.
By the way, I’m begging for a sequel. I hope Lara S. Ormiston writes one, because I need to go back and see how they coped with the challenges their marriage would no doubt face.
What kind of readers would enjoy Unequal Affections, Lara?
I think my book would appeal to anyone who enjoys character-driven romances, and in particular anyone who loves period stories—and of course, Jane Austin fans! It’s a character study, really, that focuses on attitudes toward love and marriage, in the early 19th century but now too. People were more practical about marriage then, but questions of physical and emotional intimacy are just as complicated as they are now. Among other things, it asks: how far will the desire to love someone take you? What does it mean to truly love? How can you begin to build a life and relationship with someone you don’t really know?
What are you working on now?
I am working on way too many books! I have a hard time focusing on just one project, with the result that I can write a lot and still not get much of anything finished. I’ve never been a very quick writer, either. I think a lot and write a little most of the time. The next thing I hope to publish is a volume of humorous short stories and novellas featuring the cast of Pride and Prejudice. I’m very fond of writing comedy, and Austin’s characters provide all sorts of possibilities for the inventive writer. The stories in question range from a few thousand words to almost 40,000, and all of them are very funny.
What would you like readers to know about you?
That I’m a Christian. While I don’t always write directly about faith or religion, the things I believe definitely form the philosophical basis for all the ideas that permeate my writing. Someday I hope I will be able to write a truly Christian novel, but in the meantime, I enjoy writing about both some of wonderful things that God created and put in human hearts, such as love, laughter, imagination, courage, honor and beauty.
How can we find out more or contact you?
My Blog (not very active, but has lots of my shorter stories):
Find me on Goodreads
Unequal Affections on Amazon.com
Unequal Affections on Amazon UK
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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Letter N The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘N’ is for Noelle Granger author of Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail
Why do I recommend Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail?
Death on a Red Canvas Chair is book one of the Rhe Brewster Mysteries. I was drawn into the novel immediately, from scene one when the body is unexpectedly found on the playing fields, and it was a pleasure to read, due to the well-written, vivid, and flowing language. Rhe is an unlikely and loveable heroine. She’s a hard-working nurse, police consultant, loving mother, supportive wife, and good friend. She’s the best friend or neighbour we’d all love to have. Sounds like a boring heroine, well, Rhe is anything but boring! Although she is highly regarded professionally, on a personal level, she struggles with important issues, and there are plenty of exciting moments to keep you on the edge of your seat, in a plot which is carefully woven with plenty of twists and turns!
Our heroine has first-hand knowledge of forensics, so at times, reading is like watching an episode of CSI, but Rhe is also prepared to work outside the lab, and put her life at risk confronting the bad guys, in action-packed scenes.
The second book in the series, Death in a Dacron Sail, is even better. Rhe is all set to solve another complex mystery, yet I was hooked by Rhe’s character and her personal conflicts.
You’ll love them both if you enjoy cosy, yet exciting, crime mystery, with masterful plots and great character development.
What is Death in a Dacron Sail about, Noelle?
On an icy February morning, Rhe Brewster, an emergency room nurse with a nose for investigation, is called to a dock in the harbor of the small coastal town of Pequod, Maine. A consultant to the Pequod Police Department, Rhe is responding to a discovery by one of the local lobstermen: a finger caught in one of his traps. Thus starts the second book in the Rhe Brewster Mystery series.
The subsequent finding of the body of a young girl, wrapped in a sail and without a finger, sends the investigation into high gear and reveals the existence of three other missing girls of the same age, plus a childhood friend of Rhe’s. Battered by increasingly vitriolic objections from her husband, the pregnant Rhe continues her search, dealing with unexpected obstacles and ultimately facing the challenge of crossing an enormous frozen bog to save herself. Will she survive? Is the kidnapper someone she knows? In Death in a Dacron Sail, Rhe’s nerves and endurance are put to the test as the kidnapper’s action hits closer to home.
Rhe Brewster is a different kind of sleuth – a wife, mother, and emergency room nurse, juggling all of her roles, this time while pregnant. She’s snarky and tends to leap before she looks, which makes for a lot of excitement. While this book is mainly a cozy – set in a defined locale, with no sex and little gore – it should appeal to women from 18-90, mystery readers, and believe it or not, men. I’ve had a number of men read my first book and report they enjoyed it!
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on my third book in this series, Death by Pumpkin. I promise even more excitement and interesting things. The research for this book has involved cranes, small planes, firearms training and large pumpkins. You’ll have to wait to see how I weave all this together.
I am also doing the groundwork for a book of historical fiction, based on the life of Mary Allerton, the longest surviving Pilgrim who made the trip to the New World on the Mayflower. I’ll be back in my hometown of Plymouth, MA, to do more this summer.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Rhe and I have a lot of things in common. We both like to sail, work at cooking, and enjoy a lot of day to day interpersonal contacts. This latter took a hit when I retired, but I’ve conquered the solitary activity of writing with blogging, critique groups and interviews for my research. I’d like to think that teaching anatomy for 40 years and earning my EMT license has given me enough knowledge to make Rhe’s career real and to provide a basis for some of the forensics in my books.
Other than that, I am not happy unless I’m in or on the water (swimming and sailing), the beach is my happiest place in the world, pizza is my favorite food, and I love to travel. My husband and I go to Maine in August each year because Maine in August is spectacular. Of course we love lobsters and Maine blueberries, but there is a lot to explore there and I’ve used information garnered there in my books and this year for the A-Z Blog Challenge. We did hit Maine in February last year for more research, and I’m not sure I’ll repeat the adventure. Brrrr….
How can we find out more or contact you?
My Face book
Twitter account: @rhebrewster
Amazon US for Death in a Red Canvas Chair
Amazon UK for Death in a Red Canvas Chair
Amazon US for Death in a Dacron Sail
Amazon UK for Death in a Dacron Sail
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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Letter M The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘M’ is for Matt Cairns author of Cold Blooded
Why do I recommend Cold Blooded?
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to follow the absorbing plot of this exciting, action-packed, surprising, and thrilling read. I was impressed by the plausible, supernatural element, which is associated with scientific experiments related to genetic engineering in a paramilitary organization. I loved the idyllic setting, in a small rural and remote location in New Zealand, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, which adds to the tension and atmosphere.
All the characters are well-developed so that I cared about what happened to the ‘good’ ones and felt terrified of the ‘evil’ ones. There are some violent scenes, but not more than are necessary to push the plot forward. I liked the way I was challenged to consider that violence could be the only option when ‘good’ and ‘evil’ come face to face.
The novel is very well-written, while the plot is well-woven, and most importantly, well-unravelled and concluded; the ending is unexpected, partly poignant, and wholly satisfactory. I’m impatiently looking forward to more novels by Matt Cairns.
Tell me about Cold Blooded, Matt.
With Cold Blooded I wanted a no-holds-barred action novel that hooked readers from the start and kept them turning the pages ‘til the end, at which point they’d sit back and take a deep breath and say something like: Damn—how cool was that? Wonder when the next one’s due out…
I took all my favorite authors—Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Wilbur Smith, Jack Higgins, Terry Brooks, and a handful of others—and rolled them into one.
A modern-day thriller-slash-horror with elements of the unreal (sci-fi or fantasy or supernatural/paranormal—you decide which genre fits best), with as much dark (or sick, or twisted, or disturbing…again, you decide) humor I could muster.
…a cross between X-Men and Jack Reacher…
…move over Quentin Taratino…
…this novel kicks ass…
I’m not sure which comment I like best. Kicks ass sounds pretty good.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the next Tom Jade novel—Tom Jade being the main character in Cold Blooded.
It’s a follow on of sorts, in that Jade (and a few other originals) will feature, and it will expand a bit more on the events of the previous story. But it will also go in entirely new directions as far as plotlines are concerned. And there will be more characters, more action, and all going to plan, a bit more blood.
And because I like humor, especially the dark (or was it sick?) kind, there’ll be more of that too. As much as my agent and publisher will allow, of course, bless their li’ll white cotton socks.
What would you like readers to know about you?
In a perfect world…nothing!
I’d prefer to have people imagine for themselves: Me in a cold dark castle (or cave), hidden away from the world, hunched over an antique typewriter the size of a massive church organ (with pipes rising from it—don’t ask me why), candles burning, music playing (Phantom of the Opera seems to fit), nodding and grinning while I slam away at the keys…
But we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a social media world. Where everyone wants (bless their li’ll white cotton socks) to know everything.
So what the hell: ‘When in Rome…’ and all that jazz…
Click on the links and come visit the cave. (Cue organ music…) Or castle. Or house. Or whatever hovel I’m living in.
You’ll probably find out one day, if you’re lucky.
When I figure out how to use Instagram…
How can we find out more or contact you?
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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Letter L The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘L’ is for Geoff Le Pard author of Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle
Why do I recommend Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle?
I’ve been waiting to read a book like Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle for almost twenty years, or perhaps longer. How to describe Geoff Le Pard’s sense of humour is not an easy task. It reminds me of Townsend’s Adrian Mole, and yet it’s more sophisticated and complex, more like Greene’s Travels With My Aunt, but more bawdy, although certain moments, especially the slapstick final scenes remind me of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, ‘Free Brian’, Dear God, I cried, ‘Free Harold!’ Unique.
Harold Spittle’s first person narration of his unforgettable summer holidays is hilarious. I’m still in stitches after reading about his eccentric family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, and vicious cat, causing havoc throughout the chaotic weeks, while he inadvertently and naively barges into a hazardous world. It all takes place in an unsuspecting and quiet village in the English countryside, whose inhabitants have seemingly turned crazy (perhaps due to the unusual heat-wave?!?) and become inexplicably teeming with drugs, crooks, rapists, voyeurs, adulterers, adolescent pregnancies, pumpkin thieves, family feuds and secrets.
Warning: Don’t read it on the bus or train, people will stare as you burst out laughing.
What is Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle about, Geoff?
Dead Flies is funny and poignant. It is the sort of book where you know the people, know their dilemmas, even if you wouldn’t quite end up in the same scrapes as the characters. It is set in 1976 so for some it will be a memory jogger and for other’s a glimpse into the world recently passed. The story moves quickly with lots of twists and turns and is an easy read. Deep philosophy? Nah, but belly laughs for sure. I think it will appeal to anyone prepared to have a laugh as well as enjoy a well-told story, so long as they are happy with a bit of recent history. I know they are biased but both my 20 something kids enjoyed it as have a number of their friends.
What are you working on now?
I have a second book with my editor. Provisionally called ‘My Father and Other Liars’ (please ignore the title on the cover below – that’s out of date). It is a different genre and style to Dead Flies. While it retains the same pacey story telling this one takes the reader across three continents as Maurice (British journalist) and Lori Ann (American Geneticist) seek to discover something about their respective family histories. They tangle with Federal agencies, ex-CIA operatives and, as the title suggests their fathers as they try and put to bed some of the duplicities passed down to them by the previous generation. While that is being edited I’m working on two other projects (a novel that is ready for its final edit before going to my editor (which will follow My Father…) and the completion of the first draft of the Dead Flies Sequel (I nanoed 75,000 words of it last year but it needs another 40-50,000 to finish it)
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m a busy blogger (geofflepard.com) who is a passionate proselytizer for London, long walks, messy cooking and his grown and not quite flown family. My perfect day would involve a long walk with Dog, a leisurely stop for good coffee and even better cake, some creative if random cooking for the family, a sweaty hour in the garden digging another important hole and plenty of time to write both my blog, read others and then continue my books.
How can we find out more or contact you?
My twitter: @geofflepard
Kobo
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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge 8th April
This 99-word Flash Fiction was written in response to this week’s Prompt: Life’s Semicolons
The Letter
‘It’s arrived.” He said grimly.
My unsteady fingers ripped the envelope. I held the folded letter in my hands and looked up at his furrowed brow, ‘I want to stay with you.’
He nodded and forced a smile, ‘It’s your decision, but your mother wants you to know the truth. He may be your father.’
‘The truth is that you will always be my father, whatever it says.’
‘Aren’t you going to read it?’
‘She chose to leave us for him, but I want to stay with you, dad.’
‘We’ll have to move away, new school, friends…’
‘We’ll manage.’
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Families break up for different reasons, and often this leads to a change of home, school, friends, and the incorporation of new members into the family. This is often a traumatic situation, especially for the children who are innocent bystanders. Children, after a certain age, can choose which parent they want to live with. In my flash, the child wants to stay with his father, which will mean starting a new life far away from his mother, biological father, friends and family. It’s never an easy decision, but after the family has broken up, there is no going back, they must all move forward and start a new life.
April 8, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a renewal story that proclaims, “This isn’t the end; I will go on.” Think of the mythical phoenix that rises up from the ashes; of Cinderella after midnight on the night of the ball; of a hero that faces certain death; of love after tragedy; of renewing life’s lemonade transitions. Go where the prompt leads and own your story; the ones you’ve lived and the ones you imagine for fiction. Stand in solidarity with others to find the semicolons in life that chooses to nurture and not succumb.
Respond by April 14, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Please read some of the other entries.
Letter K The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘K’ is for June Kearns author of The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz
Why do I recommend The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz?
I really enjoyed this wonderful novel. It draws you in from page one with the settings, writing style, love story, and hint of humour. It’s set in the emotionally and financially challenging post WWI years, and you will experience the fertile, green and rainy English countryside, with its polite and quaint inhabitants, as well as a hot and dry, Texan ranch, with its rough cowboys!
I loved the unusual romance, with its drawn-out courtship, ups and downs, transatlantic twists and turns, and of course, the ghost who is cleverly, and convincingly, wound into the story from the beginning. I was so worried about loveable Gerry, who was almost compelled to marry the wrong person out of desperation, and so in love with Coop, the unforgettable Texan hero, who is as mysterious, moody, undecipherable, intense, rich, and magnanimous as any Byronic hero ever was!
It’s a delightful novel that will make you laugh, and fret, and believe in mischievous ghosts, and of course, love.
Who would enjoy The 20s Girl, the Ghost, and all that Jazz? books, June?
Well if like me, you’re a sucker for romance, threaded through with history and humour – plus a splash of drama and angst – my books might appeal! They’re probably best described as historical romantic comedy. Why the 20’s Girl? Even before the remake of Gatsby and advent of Downton, there was just something in the air about the 1920s – the music, style and fashion.
The story was also partly inspired by a 1920s newspaper headline: ‘A million women too many! 1920 husband hunt!’ – about that generation of surplus women in England after the First World War, who were left with little hope of love or marriage. They were given advice: ‘If you’re hoping for a husband – be warned. Nice young men have no time for jazzing flappers.’ And: ‘Cheer up, dears. Cupid’s arrows aren’t waiting for everyone. Why not concentrate on good works.’
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m writing another novel, my third, set in London in the 1960s – based (loosely!) on my experiences as a young photographer at that time. My main memories of the era are the fashion (shopping at Biba and Mary Quant! Why didn’t I keep all those clothes!), ironing my hair, (this was well before straighteners and I’ve always had serious frizz!), and my beautiful best friend, (she looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor, sigh – a serious drawback for me when meeting men.) 
What would you like readers to know about you?
My star sign is Cancer, and it’s probably telling that my favourite position has always been behind the shell, peeping out. I’ve fond memories from childhood of sitting under the kitchen table, hidden by fringes of the chenille cloth and hearing teaspoons clink as my mum and her sisters, whispered and laughed at gossip. The onlooker, the observer. The writer in training?
How can we find out more or contact you?
My Twitter: @june_kearns
My Facebook
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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Letter J The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge
April Author Spotlight 2015
Letter ‘J’ is for Regina Jeffers author of Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion
Why do I recommend Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion?
I loved every minute I spent reading this novel. The author retells, explains and moves Jane Austen’s Persuasion on to the next stage, in a way the original author never did. Regina Jeffers masterfully uncovers the fears, prejudice, and immaturity which led to Anne and Frederick’s first separation, as we are at last able to look inside the characters’ minds, and understand the misery and turmoil they went through during their first separation and second meeting years later. There is plenty of conversation and telling instead of showing, as the tension builds and their relationship slowly unfolds. All the diverse characters also come to life; Wentworth’s crew and his loving family, are portrayed in stark contrast to Anne’s arrogant and conceited sisters and their families. You needn’t have read Jane Austen’s novel to enjoy reading this wonderfully written historical romance, with a compelling plot, and impeccably drawn characters. A masterpiece.
What is your novel about, Regina?
Have you ever read a book and thought, “I wonder what happened when the main characters are apart? Did they think of each other? What kept them apart?” That is what the reader discovers in Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion. This book takes Jane Austen’s classic “Persuasion” and retells it from Captain Wentworth’s point of view. Wentworth and Anne Elliot were apart for eight years. We know Anne’s tale, but what of the gentleman? How did Wentworth go about forgetting the greatest love of his life? How did his pride get in the way when he encounters Anne again? What happens AFTER the “happily ever after”?
What are you working on now?
It is rare when I am not writing. I carry a notebook with me to doctor’s appointments, book events, etc. Otherwise, the stories claim my restorative sleep, and I am NOT a good person without my sleep. I have 5 stories coming out in 2015. The first is the conclusion to my “Realm” series. “A Touch of Emerald” will bring readers the answer to the missing emerald, as well as showing the Realm members in a new light.
I recently signed a contract with Black Opal Books for my next Regency romance, which will be called “Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep.” It is a sweet Regency. As soon as I finish reworking the ending of “A Touch of Emerald,” then I plan to start a sequel to “Angel,” which I am tentatively calling “The Earl Finds His Comfort.” I hope that happens soon for the idea for this one is bouncing around in my head and driving me a bit batty.
In addition to the Regency titles, I also write Austenesque novels, which is what Luccia is featuring today. As such, last week, I signed a contract with Pegasus Books for “The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin,” a Pride and Prejudice cozy mystery. This is my fourth such mystery, and they are widely popular in the JAFF community. Luccia will be happy to know that Captain Wentworth makes an appearance at the end of this new novel, and there are plans for a sequel to CFWP.
Finally, I am venturing into the Austen variation model, something I have not attempted before. For those who do not understand the “variation” format, the author changes one event in the original Austen story line, which changes everything. Even so, I still like my Austen characters to act as close to the original as possible and attempt to keep Darcy and Elizabeth “real.”
In “Mr. Darcy’s Fault,” Elizabeth has an accident will walking through Rosings Park after receiving Mr Darcy’s letter. She loses the letter Darcy pressed into her hand, and Mr. Wickham finds it. What will Wickham do with the letter to take more revenge on Darcy?
In “Elizabeth Bennet’s Deception,” Darcy does not approach Elizabeth and the Gardiners at Pemberley when he arrives home early to find them touring his home. Later, when Elizabeth calls a second time asking for Darcy’s assistance in locating Wickham and Lydia, Darcy makes the assumption that Elizabeth’s fondness for Mr. Wickham led Elizabeth into a compromised situation. Can Darcy deliver Elizabeth into Mr. Wickham’s hands or is there another solution?
Question 3. What would you like readers to know about you?
Regina Jeffers is an award-winning author of Jane-Austen inspired novels/mysteries, as well as Regency romances. A master teacher, for thirty-nine years, Regina passionately taught thousands of students English in the public schools of West Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. Yet, “teacher” does not define her as a person. Ask any of her students or her family, and they will tell you Regina is passionate about so many things: her son, children in need, truth, responsibility, veterans, history, the value of a good education, words, music, dance, the theatre, pro football, classic movies, the BBC, track and field, books, books, and more books. Regina is an Anglophile who is equally at home with those saying, “Let this be so, and doubt not but success will fashion the event in better shape,” as well as with those who say, “kin’t carry a tune in a bucket” or “Jist because ye find them in the oven, don’t make them biscuits.”
How can we find out more or contact you?
“English Historical Fiction Authors”
Twitter @reginajeffers
Also join Regina on Google+, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.
Rereading Jane Eyre 