Finding the emotion -- sculpturing your words

By Julie Eberhart Painter
　
　
Writing is like sculpture. Chip away at it long enough and something’s bound to emerge.
Sculptors agree that what they are seeking is in the stone, they just have to get it out. What we writers seek is in our hearts and memories. We must search feelings and information and make them real to our readers.

Rodin’s sculpture, The Kiss is an excellent example of a love scene expressed in marble. Walk around that a few times and you’ll feel everything the entwined couple must have felt.

We write what we know although the story might not be one we’ve lived. In my Tangled Web, the heroine lives a life I hoped my birth mother lived. I used my imagination/muse, even a little in utero memory, to describe her seduction. In unearthing and presenting the scene, I had to revisit the venues with research for physical details, but the emotions are my own—and perhaps my birth mother’s.

Sculpting this book didn’t require a landslide of adjectives. Writing is still show don’t tell. One of our greatest advantages as "artists" is our power of observation. Look around when you’re in the doctor’s office, the airport, or waiting in line. If you make up a dynamic for each group of people interacting, or if you observe one individual, you’ll likely catch their emotions from their body language. I like to make up their stories. In fact, I told a neighbor that I didn’t pay a lot of attention to local gossip. "Don’t bother to tell me about yourself, I’ll make something up." (Usually juicier than the truth.)

Warning: this is not a recommended listening skill when dealing with friends.

All the emotions you’ve felt: love, fear, rejection, angst, safety … are what your characters feel. Much can be shown in a few words with phrases like: He looked down at his shoes; She turned away so he couldn’t see her tears; He slammed though the front door and headed for the stair well. "Stella!"

This brings up a question: Literary writers, fresh out of college, can write of childhood angst. People like Mona Simpson come to mind. Even Jonathan Franzen is still processing his family. But it is the mature look back that holds depth and understanding. When the emotion is fleshed out, the scene is richer. John Jakes said, "Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait. Most important, make them wait."

After the suspense, the deluge. The reader is weeping with you. Use your marble wisely, find the story inside; bring its soul to light. Your readers will fall in love with you and your characters.


Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and Kill Fee to be released in October. See Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com
Also available are The World, the Flesh and the Devil, American Castles and Tahitian Destiny from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Julie’s nonfiction e-book, From the Inside Out, a volunteer looks at staying motivated, is considered a best seller on the Net.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Sour Grapes

Aesop's The Fox and the Grapes

On a hot summer's day a fox was walking through an orchard when he came upon some tantalizing grapes ripening on a vine overhead. "Just the thing I want," he told himself. Backing a few paces, he ran and leaped to reach the grapes. His snapping jaws just missed the desired fruit. He jumped again and again, but never could gain the grapes. At last he gave up, and walked away saying, "I am sure they are sour."

It is easy to despise what you cannot have.

Such a tale speaks of a denial that often leads to self-deception and delusion. These feelings of deprivation can lead to stronger emotions like jealousy and hatred. Some individuals turn the denied want into an object of evil, and then further convince themselves that those who have what they were denied are evil, too. When the object in question is money, power, or another one's love, it seems the conviction based on misbelief comes easier.

Everyone fails, everyone loses at something, everyone feels jealousy and hatred, but most of us get over these feelings. We all have experience, though, with those who become obsessed with their failures. Humans are strange creatures, and readers never tire of reading about twists on the theme of sour grapes.

Writers take the sour grapes of life and squeeze them into a bitter wine that controls a character's mind and behavior. Such characters become especially scary because every reader can empathize with the emotions behind the evil created. These emotions are universal, and life and legend verify we all have good and evil mixed within our psyche. Everyone has doubts about how he or she would behave under certain conditions, or when faced with certain choices. In those instances, humans can become far more frightening than the scariest monster.

Aesop warned us of our foibles, and writers take his warnings to new heights of frightening behavior. It all makes believable, intriguing characters and stories.

Legend claims Aesop was a slave from Ethiopia, but we don't know if he was real or a name given to a collection of preexisting stories. If he existed, he was a master of short fiction, but perhaps as a slave, all too familiar with the vices of humanity. Yet, for us, the morals gleaned from his stories hold just as true today as they did then. They tell us how little we have changed through the centuries. Each of us still fights the same temptations and self-made demons exemplified in sour grapes.

Stone House Farm

Robin Lee Courtright

Pivotal events

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

For all of us, there are moments in our lives that shape the manner in which we frame the world. These pivot events establish the basis for much of our belief system, sometimes in a good way, sometimes bad. Our political views, fears, internal strength, vulnerabilities; for many they can be tied back to one or more events that eternally set in stone who you are and how you approach your surroundings. It can be a car accident, your first broken heart, some national catastrophe, a person that extended a random act of kindness by changing your tire in the rain; for each person its different.

Last Monday I was watching a movie of a historical event when the emotions and thoughts I experienced at that time flooded back and reminded me of how that week shaped my views. It was the spring of 1969 and I was a seventeen-year-old rutting male. Life was good, I had two part time jobs to buy myself nice clothes so I could impress the ponytail girls in bobby socks and plaited skirts (lord did I love the ladies). My dad gave me a corner of the basement to build my stuff (used to tinker with mechanical things) and one day I was listening to my transistor radio downstairs when they announced the blockade of Cuba to prevent ICBMs in our hemisphere. Prior to that moment, like most teens, I was blind to the world outside our shores in terms of the harboring hate and threat that always exists and is levied against our nation no matter what we do or don’t do.

The events unfolding each day became worse, more frightening, and a topic of discussion everywhere. The hamburger joint, the barber shop, home room in school, the dinner table; everywhere two people made contact the apprehension was obvious in their eyes, their faces. We all became convinced a nuclear exchange was unstoppable. I remember going down into our basement and stuffing foam sealer in every ceiling crack. The family filled water jugs and food supplies in the corner (no Pierre bottled water back then). Everyone in the neighborhood was doing it. Fortunately, the crisis was prevented but even as a strutting teenager, I was affected by that period.

Those emotions governed my support for our military to this day and the recognition that evil will always be a step away from our door. What does that have to do with writing? Well, a good story helps you evolve with the characters as they mature or increase their awareness about themselves, other people, and life in general. In each of my romantic suspense, thrillers, or even my short SFs, I work hard to have the reader share the pivotal moments in the characters life, understand eventually how it shaped their perspectives, and fostered their growth as a perceptive human being in the story.

Is it easy? Sometimes it is depending on how close the event or emotion is to my personal experiences, sometimes it is not, but it all cases it is essential if one is to wrap the reader into your fictional realm and feel as if its not make believe but reality. Even in a 4000 word short, there have to be reflections of character pivotal events so the reader eventually observes, “that’s why she acted that way” or “Is that how I would have reacted?”. To me it is a watermark of more than a good novel, it is elementary to making the reader always want more, to come back and get lost with you as their guide, again and again.

See ya in four weeks.

Big Mike
Michael W. Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008

Blind Consent, “The answers are buried in the secrets of the past.”
Forgotten Children, “Only Sara knows the truth.”
Tainted Hero, “Sometimes good people do bad things.”
The Treasure, “A lonely heart can impair one’s judgment.”
Veil of Deception, “Sometimes the truth cuts deeper than a lie.”

A Character Grows Up

Woo hoo! Found, the next installment in Invisible's world, will be released on February 7th.

Found is Nikolay's story. When Nikolay first appears in Invisible, he is young, brash, immature. He fancies himself in love with the heroine, Maeve, but it is a puppy love. He isn't willing to fight for her. He doesn't put her first. He is more concerned about his grandfather, Sergei, than his love for Maeve.

It has been a few years, and Nik is now older and wiser. He's ready for love, a lasting love. He's confident and secure enough to stand up for what he truly wants, his family be damned.

That is one of the things I love about series. I love watching secondary characters grow and change until they are ready to be the heroes and heroines of their own stories. As readers, we see that they truly deserve their happy endings. They've went through a lot of loneliness and heartbreak to land the love of their lives. They've fought for their happiness and they'll keep fighting for it.

What do you love about writing or reading a series? Do you expect characters to change over a series, or do you prefer that they stay constant?

Kimber Chin writes sexy contemporary romances. To read about her stories, including some short freebies, head over to http://businessromance.com/

Celebrating Robert Burns

It’s great to be writing my first post on The Writers’ Vineyard, with thanks to Donica who is sharing her slot with me. I always enjoy reading what everyone else has to say but I was a little slow at applying for my own slot!

These last six months have been a rollercoaster of excitement, since signing my first book contract with Champagne Books and I can’t wait until my Regency novel, Dangerous Deceit, is published in May. I’ve written short stories and articles for years (published in magazines and online), but nothing compares to having a book accepted. Well maybe when I see the cover!

Anyway, since I’m Scottish and this is our famous Burns Day, commemorating the birthday of Robert Burns on 25^th January, it would be terrible not to mention our farmer poet. I guess he’s also celebrated in lots of other countries, since many Scots emigrated to Canada, the USA and Australia at various times.

Burns was notorious for his womanising, with many a lass left with more than memories, but he was a hard working farmer and exciseman who finally settled down to married life with Jean Armour and their many children, in the 1780s. He was also an educated man and, like us today, he was a writer trying to make his name. His first book of poems, the Kilmarnock Edition, was finally published in July 1786. Just over 600 copies were printed - and were sold out in a month! It was the beginning of his fame, with mainly positive reviews throughout the country.

Robert Burns had a true gift of being able to see to the heart of people and finding the extraordinary in everyday things. That’s probably why his poetry and songs are still remembered. So, to celebrate the Burns Suppers taking place in many parts of Scotland, and the haggis that’s piped in to take pride of place, here’s the first verse of the famous Address to the Haggis. You might not want to know the translation!

“Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm”.

Rosemary Gemmell

Dangerous Deceit, Champagne Books, May 2011

http://romygemmell.blogspot.com

http://www.rosemarygemmell.com

Passion VS Reason

It's been a while since I posted here on the Writer's Vineyard, but for good reason! Well, the second time around was for good reason, at least. The first time, well, I admit, I just didn't have anything to say then. The second time, though, I was sick with pneumonia. Fun, huh?

Well, none of that matters either way. I'm here now and I actually do have something to say! Let me begin!

I've recently come across a few things that have bothered me for one reason or another and thought I'd make some points about them.

I have a friend who has recently been married (congratulations, you two!). He was telling me about how he doesn't see the point in writing anymore, though he had a flippin' cool idea for a story that he started and never finished. I was like, dude, how in the world do you not see a point in it? And even so, does that mean you have to stop? Well, apparently not. Guess what -- he just recently came up with another idea and he's excited about getting started on it. He went back to writing...or so it seems. My thought here? A writer will always be a writer, whether or not there is a point.

Okay, that was one thing. The other thing that's been coming to my attention lately are all the people that put down writers. Seriously, there are a lot of people like that. They don't understand the reason for writing. Then again, these are usually people who've never read a book cover to cover, so their opinions really shouldn't matter but it bugs me, nonetheless. I mean, who is anyone to put down another's passion? I get asked all the time why I write -- on a side note, why I write fantasy is the most often asked question and I'm about ready to wring someone's neck about it -- and I always have the same answer. Because I love it. Because it's my passion. Sure, I'm no Nicholas Sparks or Stephen King, but still. I just love writing. My imagination is never-ending and I sure as heck won't keep it bottled up!

To the putter-downer of writers, the real world, to me, is as empty as your view of writing. You see it as boring. To me, real life is boring. You see it as a waste of time. Uh, to me, sports are a waste of time -- seriously, a bunch of grown men chasing after a ball? That's as immature as it gets, but, you continue to play or watch it as I will continue to write. Because -- as I said before -- a writer will always be a writer.

Passion + Reason ... can they even be put on the same level? What are you thoughts?

Diana Ilinca
Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh'Nehn -- Coming June 2011 from Champagne Books!
http://www.dianailinca.com/

We Can All Use A Little Inspiration

Jennifer's post below made me think of the difficulty of finding inspiration during the winter months.

It's the most depressing time of the year. At least it is for many who reside several degrees north of the 49th Parallel. The days are frigid and dim, and night comes early. It makes us want to bury ourselves under a dozen blankets, close our eyes and conjure up memories of a sun-warmed Muskoka chair on a gently floating dock while loons call softly from the lake.

Then we open our eyes and jerk back to reality. Who can write in this ghastly environment? I mean, c'mon! It's brutal!

In the past, I dismissed New Years resolutions as a bunch of hooey. We make them and break them every year. But since I began writing, I look at a new year in a different way. I now greet each January with a new opportunity, a new manuscript, a new idea.

Still, it's a tough road. My imagination can only go so far. During these small days, I need more.

When I'm feeling uninspired, I watch movies with snappy dialogue. I pluck another book from my TBR pile and experience another author's world. I put on some kick-ass music and dance around in the living room.

Sometimes that doesn't work. But then I think of all the writer friends I've made in the last four years, and marvel at the successes they have had. I root for the ones still to be published. I root for myself!

What inspires you?

Sandra Cormier is the author of Bad Ice, a hockey romance.

Biting Hands That Feed You

I was struggling to figure out what my post would be today, until I read this post over at the Bookends Blog. Not the post, per se, but one of the comments made the remark that authors should make themselves available to do signings for their books, in order to boost sales for the store.

Now, of course, all authors have different experiences, but unfortunately, I've been around long enough to remember the start of the POD migration, where stores were inundated with a new format, and many took it in the shorts stocking books they couldn't sell. So, in response, stores enacted draconian rules about the types of books they'd stock and bring in for signings. Sadly, this shut out a lot of local authors with smaller houses from being stocked on shelves and allowed in for signings. Some stores have even began charging authors money to hold signings if the book doesn't meet certain requirements. Others simply turn the authors away (again, your mileage may vary).

It's always seemed odd to me that stores don't enact a consignment deal with these authors. The store makes 40% without any cost involved with stocking books, the author gets to come in and sell books, the author's friends and family (and anyone else who is interested in the book) peruses the store and may in fact spend money on other items in the store. I'd think this would be a win-win for the store, no matter what.

But back on topic...the thing about most authors is they're avid readers, and will spend a lot of money in a bookstore buying books to read.

However, a funny thing happens when you shun local authors, basically telling them their book (and by extension, the author) is not welcome in your store. They stop going into your store and spending their money (or at least, they cut back considerably). The stores have therefore amputated a major source of their cash flow, and now those same authors are turning to the internet to promote their books. Is it really any wonder that brick-and-mortar bookstores are now losing money and facing bankruptcy?

Personally, I say what goes around comes around...

As always, interested in your thoughts!

***


T. M. Hunter has always had a fascination with interstellar travel and beings from other worlds. Twice a top ten finisher in the P&E Readers Poll for his short stories (2007, 2009), his two books HEROES DIE YOUNG and FRIENDS IN DEED have become fan favorites. His Aston West short story collection DEAD OR ALIVE from ResAliens Press is now available, as well as a brand new Aston e-novella, SEEKER. For more information, including links to his published short stories and novels, please visit AstonWest.com. You can also find T. M. Hunter on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Inspiration

Music and Writing

I've found myself changing music types as I write. It's more than a book or character having a musical genre. Even scenes will demand certain things play in the background. Music also seems to help when I should be writing but can't quite get in the characters' heads. I can put on a particular type of music and I'm there. If I'm writing a creepy scene, the music must follow. I know of a few other authors who use music as inspiration. I will share a few of my favorites musicians.

Poe (A very large part of Liar, Liar)
Apocalyptica
Kerli
Metallica
Evanescence
Godsmack
Bond

So how about you? What inspires you?


www.JLMcCale.com, JenniferCloud.com

Here Comes the Sun

I live in Tucson. In fact, I live in northwest Tucson, not far from Safeway. The now notorious Safeway.

I won’t bore you with facts and scenarios already recited during the last nine days, other than to remind readers that on January 8, 2011, six people were killed and fourteen others wounded while going about their normal routine on a Saturday morning. It can happen anywhere, yes—but it happened here, not only in my town but in my own meet-for-coffee, run-to-the-bank, let’s-go-for-ice cream neighborhood. I was almost there, planning to go speak with my congresswoman about the good job she was doing, but at the last moment decided to stay home to help my son pack for his return flight to college that evening. Shaken to the core, stunned, emotional, shocked—all these words describe the reactions my fellow Tucsonans and I have experienced.

As a writer, trying to capture the overwhelming sense of violation and sorrow with words is difficult at best. Words seem so incredibly inadequate to convey the intensity and depth of hurt. And, after more than a week of this sharply burning pain, should those descriptions be shared? Maybe later, when time has healed the raw edges and logic fully returns.

No, what a writer needs to share at this time more than any other is hope. Words to comfort the frightened and the shaken. Hope lives, rising from stained asphalt on white dove wings. Where the tragedy impacted the community like a boulder slammed down into a puddle, hope quietly expands in concentric circles, widening peacefully and gently, as with a dragonfly’s liftoff from a still pond.

So many stories will be told of this day. Stories of heroes and cowards, watchers and responders, eagles and vultures. I think I can truthfully say that President Barack Obama’s speech started the healing process for many of us, lifting a black cloud to let us see that we did not grieve alone, allowing us to begin to see the sun and turn to life once more.

For me, George Harrison’s lyrics have never been more perfect:

Little darling, the smile’s returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun

And I say

It’s all right.

Approximately 1,000 Tucsonans stood together along Shannon Road to show support for nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green's family at her funeral service on 13 January 2011. Some say there's an angel at the top of this photo...

~Jude Johnson
www.scorchedhawkpress.com

A Juggler, A Moron, and the Serious Writer

It’s not every day that you decide you’re going to write a book — unless of course you’re a professional scribe and belch them out consecutively without blinking twice.  I’ve never considered myself as that.  Even today, that title ‘author’ or ‘writer’ sort of does that sticky thing in the back of the throat, and an uncontrollable giggle erupts out of nowhere.  After people hear that, they most probably look at me and think: “Yeh, right…”

But then, it’s not every day that the book you finally write (yes, actually finish!) gets published and you still don’t know how or why that happened in the first place.  Was it really that worthy enough to be considered sellable?  (We won’t get into the long and tortuous process of queries, and submissions, rejections, and waiting, and eating your nails to a stump part).

I’ve learned now not to question the path fate takes you, and just enjoy the ride!  It’s been a fairly sweet ride so far.

It’s been exactly three years since I made that decision to simply write a story.  I knew what I wanted to write — a tale that would stick in peoples minds with excitement, intrigue, and unforgettable characters.  After all, I love reading stories like that.  Who doesn’t right?

While trying to find my writing-groove, I cussed, I fretted, I ignored my husband (he was quite understanding since he got to watch TV), I ignored work (bad idea), sipped too much scotch in front the computer screen, wasted far too much paper to write notes and thought burps as they came into my head… Did I mention cussing?  Three months later, the rough and rickety bones of The Lancaster Rule had fused together.  But I had more to tell, two more stories to be exact.  Now that I’d done the deed, I knew what it took to complete the others.

Absolute quiet.

But life always interrupts and gets in the way.  And to me distractions are like water washing over your footprints in the sand, the eraser over the chalkboard…like the last sticky dessert eyeballing you back with a dare.  You get the picture.  It wipes my mind blank and I’m unable to concentrate that I might as well be walking around saying “duhh.”

Now, I’ve read much discussions all over the internet about what you need to do if you want to be a Serious Writer, and that in order to do so, you have to stay the course and focus.  Set deadlines, and keep to them, work at it like it’s your job because you are a Serious Writer!  I’m all for that, I can do that, have done that, but realized that I can’t always do that — and it almost never happens that way but in an idyllic dream filled with muses and bursts of fat, fuzzy inspirational clouds, and dancing harps, and billowing curtains…

Like most writers, and like most who don’t fancy starving from one uncertain day to the next, I have a real job that pays the bills and consumes the better half of the writing day.  Okay, I work for myself, so I have much perks but we won't get into that.  Then the everyday things pop up, like weekends or social engagements that make up your life as you know it, and those persistent things called ‘friends’ that demand your attention because you’ve ignored them far too long.  Then there’s hubby to consider, and there’s nothing like a sulking and neglected man — regardless of how understanding he is — to really snuff out your inspirational spark.

So, I’ve learned the art of juggling now.  Throw the day job just high enough, toss the book stuff over to the other hand and tell everyone to shut up, do a little jig, catch the hubby, toss the book stuff, catch the pets to feed, toss out a few believable lies to your clients, catch some book-promo stuff, toss the bills, remember to do that jig again...  I’m sure many fellow writers have the same juggling act and haven’t missed a beat.  I sure do admire that!  I still tend to drop a few things.  Hey, I’m new at this, okay!  But boy, have I learned lots this past year.  Juggling is getting just a little bit easier.

But wait!  Then, you find out that your firstborn book that’s been written, published, and sent out into the world, is nominated by your publishers for a chance to be Novel of the Year.  And you're surrounded by a super-duper bunch of Fellow Writers and…and…YOU are among them!

Talk about mind-blowing!  Hear the many items go crashing to the ground as the juggler stands stupefied and goes: “Whaaat?”

My mind is now wiped clean from surprise and how I managed to spew out these few lines is beyond me.  Hmm, I must be a Serious Writer indeed, as I’ve overcome my catatonic state through sheer will power and squashed down the random bursts of giggles that have given me a moronic glow.  I'm just kidding, folks, you do know that right?

It's been quite a ride and I look forward to each new speed-induced squeal of excitement as it comes.  Like I said, I’ve learned lots, and hope to continue to learn even more as I hone my skills at being a Serious Writer.  So let me wiggle my bum, dig that groove a little deeper, sit back, and spin some tales.

Okay, I’ll shut up now.

Cheers!

T.K.

http://www.thelancasterrule.blogspot.com

You Can't Make Up The Crazy Things People Will Do

As an author, the world around me is an endless opportunity for writing material. Everything I see, touch, taste, hear, and observe is ripe for the picking. My friend Denny gave me a t-shirt that reads, Be Careful What You Say. You might be a character in my novel.
I find the news to be a great source for storyline ideas. You can’t make up some of the crazy things people do. I wanted to share with you some unusual headlines from reputable newspapers I came across in my research.

*Police Seek Drag-dressing Car Thief
*Man in Superman Cape Stole Truck
*Crash Blamed on Vomiting Dog
*Three Charged in Bridal Shower Brawl
*Murder, Adultery, Witchcraft! Buffalo’s Shocking ‘Scandal of the Century!’
*Teenager Guilty of ‘Vampire’ Murder
*Dead Body Mistaken by Neighbors as a Halloween Display
*US woman found guilty of killing her husband by squashing him

The woman actually sat on her husband and suffocated him! If I wrote that in my novel readers might think the plot line was too far fetched, but it is actual news. I find human behavior fascinating and I am addicted to true crime shows. Feeding into my fascination of studying why people commit crimes, writing Bolt Action was thrilling. Secrets of the past, murder, mystery, revenge, deception, sexual tension, and the “State Quarter Killer”; Bolt Action offers it all.

Come on, share a crazy headline you’ve seen. You can also contact me through my website at www.victoriaroder.com

ON GROWING UP

As authors, we sometimes feel we have never fully grown up. After all, in some ways, through our words and our characters we're still pretending, still living in the world of make believe. So the following are our thoughts on the matter, not so much related to the writing world but to life.

Another’s point:

The artist’s mind can be an amazing thing. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote,
“Every man at age three is half his height.”
Does that not amaze you that a man who dealt with spatial relationships looked at maturation in those terms?

Zi’s point:

The question of maturation has been one that has been asked forever. When am I grown up? What ruler should be used? What are the identifiable markers? I have given this great thought and have concluded, why grow up completely? The greatest times are when the inner child within us is allowed to play in life or has life. I contend that we should mature, though never becoming a complete adult until the day we die.

Angelica's point:

Maturation is inevitable, each of us taking our turn in the various stages of life. We can't get around it, we can't avoid it, age calls to us, beckoning us forth on this infinite string of events. And, when young, we never wish to slow it down. We run freely into the future, gobbling up every glimmer of maturity, seeking adultness. Yet do we ever really let go of our core youth? I don't think so. When I look deep into an elderly person's eyes, I see the boy, the girl that they once were. Our younger selves never quite go away.


I wanta grow up, I wanta be old!
With that I erupt, "Youth is gold!"

My call goes on, "Enjoy every day.
Sing each song. Let the child play."

What about you? Does your inner child still call you to play?



We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at angeliahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS
SNAKE DANCE
CHASING YESTERDAY
angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com
angelicahartandzi.com

BOOKS can be purchased at
Champagne Books
http://www.champagnebooks.com

Keep fanning my muse

Writer's often talk about what motivates them, what keeps them writing even through writer's block. Most will tell you, it's their muse keeping them in line. I agree. Without my muse cheering me on, I wouldn't be able to get through to the end.

But there's another motivator, one that I didn't really consider until just recently. The fan. Yep, fans will spur me on like no other. When someone tells me they enjoy the book, I feel my heart swell and pride reign supreme. And when they ask when my next is coming out, I want to hug them tight.

That simple question has the power to make my fingers fly over the keyboard. My most recent book, The Keeper of Moon Haven is the beginning of what I hope will be a long running series, but I had no intention of seriously working on the sequel until this summer when I could really dig my teeth into the story. But this story has generated three fan letters so far, letters that make me seriously want to finish the sequel quicker than my intended target date. To that end I've been writing every night. No - I'm not making large strides, but I am progressing and with each word, I get closer to the end. Will I finish before summer? Doubtful, but I do think I'll move faster on this one that I first suspected and all because someone asked me how soon the sequel would be released.

A writer writes mostly for the love of writing, but without readers to appreciate their efforts, a writer will never become a beloved author. So - thank you to all the readers in the world.

The ups and downs of reviews

Book reviews. They can be an evil detriment to your promotional efforts or the key marketing piece to make your story a bestseller. One person can love your masterpiece. Another can hate it.

In fact, for one of my stories, one reviewer wrote, “…it picked up towards the end and became rather sweet and romantic…” while another bemoaned, “…by the ending portion of the story, she sadly offers less in the way of evocative detail…”

Subjective much? Definitely.

I’ve learned to take it all with a grain of salt (at least, I hope I have). But even so...seriously, how can a person not just squeal in excitement when she receives a five-star review and prevent herself from sharing it with everyone she knows?

I have no idea. And that’s why I’m very proud to share not just one, but TWO five-star reviews I received for my story, Hot Commodity, given by CataNetwork Reviews and Joyfully Reviewed.

Thank you! Thank you very much.

Link : Single Titles

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewer: Emily

“Olivia Donovan has only sought one thing from her mother, her love and acceptance, which she has never received. When Olivia’s mother brings her to Vegas wanting her to seduce and marry Cameron Banks, she has had enough and decides to find a man, any man, to marry her on the Vegas strip in retaliation. Olivia finds a man who is attractive, drunk, and willing to marry her the only problem is that when she wakes up in the morning to her new husband she finds out it is Cameron Banks himself.

Cameron Banks barely remembers the events of the night before when he wakes up to the stunning blond next to him. When Olivia confesses who she is, both agree on an annulment. Some things are easier said than done and when Cameron comes to Olivia’s rescue the annulment doesn’t become such a high priority for them.

Another fantastic story from Linda Kage, Hot Commodity is wonderful story that touches you when you learn the past of both Cameron and Olivia. I loved the way that Cameron, ever proving the bad boy, sweet talks Olivia. A treasure of a read.”

Link : Joyfully Reviewed

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewer: Vanessa

“Olivia Donovan's mother puts evil in "Evila"! She is willing to sell her daughter to the highest bidder to get whatever she thinks she needs or wants no matter who gets hurt. Olivia is tired of cow towing to her mother and her demands. She has finally realized that she can't make her mother love her by doing everything she wants or demands of her. Now her mother wants her to trap an "elderly, widowed, alcoholic" into marriage so that her mother can benefit businesswise. As her one and only act of rebellion, Olivia has decided that she will go out of her way to find a "young, alcoholic" to marry and send mommy dearest's plans out the window. Only Olivia discovers that she truly screwed that up!

Cameron Banks is the president of his own company and he has some harsh demons to fight. He is sitting at a bar when the hottest woman he has seen in a long time comes strutting in. Cameron is thrown for a loop when the beauty asks him to marry her, but being under the influence of alcohol seems to have diminished his capacity for thought, and he agrees to the marriage.

Hot Commodity was a delightful surprise! I wasn't sure if I was going to like the whole premise of the story but I found myself enjoying the ride. I liked the dynamics of Cameron and Olivia and the way they dealt with each other as well as healed the wounds that were deeply engraved within one another. The whole realism of the characters problems weren't glossed over and pushed to the side. They began the healing with one another but when they realized it couldn't be completed with each other - outside help was found. Hot Commodity was truly an engrossing book which had you rooting for the characters.”

What About the Book Cover?

Last week I received the cover for my February book. I was thrilled with what the cover artist had done. Not only because it was beautiful, but because it catches the essence of my book.


Which led me to think about book covers, some of the great covers and terrible covers I've seen. In fact there have been surveys done repeatedly about what draws the reader to a book first. The answer is always the cover. But I think a survey of readers would also say a book cover ought to give a hint as to the genre of the book. I'll admit to exceptions, because there is always an exception. If the author is well known for writing a specific kind of book, the cover only needs to display the author's name in large letters. An example - If you pick up a book today with Steven King's name on it, you know you're going to be reading a thriller. Kathleen Woodiwiss wrote romance, so her name on a book, meant the book was a historical romance. But originally, the covers needed to say, this is a romance, or for King's books, a thriller.

But what if a particular author writes in a totally different genre? The cover ought to hint this is not the kind of book the author usually writes. Today, with the thousands of electronic books available on internet, I think covers are even more important. Back in the 'old' days, when you had to go to the bookstore, or library to select a book to read, you could pick up a novel, read a couple of pages and decide if you wanted to read the book or not. The cover might not even matter. Today, it's a little more difficult. An author has to depend on the cover to first entice a reader into taking another look. The cover displayed on the 'net' has to draw the reader in, so the cover artist has a critical job to do for the author. Take a look at the books for sale at Champagne Books. The covers give you a great indication of what kind of book you will be reading because Champagne Books has superior artists. You know by the cover that it's a comedy, a thriller, science fiction, or romance.

So, to my talented cover artist, Trisha, thank you! My cover does a perfect job.

So Happy to Be Here!

Hi everybody! I'm the newest addition to the bunch here at the Vineyard, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone! I'm eagerly anticipating the release of my first novel, Proof of Love, a Georgian-era romance from Champagne books. And boy, the gorgeousness of the recent covers for Champagne's books has got me all excited! There is serious talent there -- everyone from the authors to the editors to the artists. What an honor to be part of such a group!


I want to get my time in the Vineyard off to a good start, so I'm going to lead off with a give-away. One lucky commenter will get a $15.00 gift certificate for the Champagne Books Online Bookstore. And since my book isn't out yet, you're not obliged to buy it - just pick any of the great books Champagne has out right now. (But I hope you'll come back next Fall for mine!) The rules are the standard kind of thing -- a comment will be chosen at random and announced in my post next month. Don't forget to check back and find out if it's you!


So, with the bribe to get you here out of the way, let me introduce myself: to begin with, I'm a voracious and eclectic reader - if it involves words in a row, I'm all over it. I started reading, according to my mother, when I was three. I'm not sure about that - I can't ever remember not reading. My mom, bless her sweet Baptist heart, thought that anything you read in a book was good for you, so she got special permission to get me a library card years before I was officially eligible. And then she'd send me to the bookmobile every other week, with complete carte blanche on my choices. She had to call the librarian a few times to tell them I was not to be censored or directed to the "Little Folks Corner." Yes, I read Peyton Place when I was ten. I didn't really get what all of it was about, but I knew it was scandalous. I ate it up with a spoon!


I was the youngest, and only girl, in a huge tribe of cousins living out in the wilds of North Florida. Think the Kennedy compound, but with Southern accents and no money. I spent a lot of time alone, and I amused myself by making up exciting little scenarios involving handsome princes, mad-eyed pirates, the Monkees, and me. It was the late 60's, after all. I never lost the habit of creating fantasy worlds even when grown-up responsibilities closed in. If I got bored writing a brief or sitting in a ballet school car pool line, I would act out conversations and incidents in my head. Sometimes I wrote them down just for my own amusement. But gee, I wasn't a writer -- it was just a weird thing I did. Writers are, you know, important. Famous. Not to mention wealthy. Right?


Because of my career as a family and criminal law attorney, I gravitated more and more toward romance. Lots of lawyers develop substance abuse issues; happy-ever-afters became my drug of choice. After spending my days dealing with crisis and despair, every evening found me at a rout or a foxhunt, flirting with a rakish nobleman with a mysterious secret. Oh, yes, Victoria Holt taught me everything I know about life! Lucky for me, I managed to find a guy who, while not exactly Lord of the Far Island, is a darn good Lord of the Junior College Library. I wouldn't trade him for anything, not even Colin Firth in a hot tub. (Well, not permanently. I'd send Colin home after a while.)


A series of odd coincidences convinced me that the little bits and pieces I had stashed in stacks of old journals and legal pads might be the beginning of an actual story. Then, having heard me throw a book aside and mutter, “I could write something better than that,” my husband bought me a laptop and said, “Do it.” Actually, I think the exact quote was, “Do it or shut up about it,” but anyway, the result was the same. And now I stand here, a soon-to-be-published author. That means important, famous and wealthy are due any day now. Right?


So now the Lord of the Junior College Library and I live on NW Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast with our two teenage daughters, who are mortified by the stuff mom writes. (I figure that being mortified by your mother is a rite of passage, and writing just makes it easy for them to find something to be upset about.) I work as general counsel for a local government agency, and I do all the normal middle-class mom stuff. When I’m grocery shopping in my crocs and sweat pants, you’d never know the lurid scenes I’m plotting in my mind. But at night, alone with a scented candle and a cold glass of pinot, Arabella, my wild, bodice-ripping alter ego comes out. I hope y’all like her.


(And if anyone noticed the odd attempts to get this posted, please forgive me. I am technologically a bit backward, but I can be trained. Will do better with future posts.)

The Worst Anyone Can Say

I promised Ashley Barnard I would write about print book promotion.

First off, unless your contract allows you to get author copies at 50% off retail price or less, you are not - repeat, not - going to clear a profit on print books sold through bookstores. That is fact. So you have to ask yourself what is the most important reason you wrote your book and signed your contract - to make money, or get your work out to the public?

If it's the first: unless you are Stephanie Meyer or Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon, etc; published with a major publisher; or wealthy and savvy about independent publishing -  adios muchacho, you ain't gonna like what I have to say. When you have to pay 70% of the retail price to buy print copies of your book and the best you can get from a bookstore willing to sell your book is 60%, um, even someone as totally number-phobic as I am can see the math will not work out in your favor.

So let's go with the alternative: You want to see your book in print and have signings at bookstores.  How, you ask? Ask, I say.

Yes, it is that simple. And the trick is to adopt this mantra: (say it with me now)
The worst anyone can say is no.   

Independent bookstores are your friends. Whenever possible, buy from them. Recommend them to your friends. Get to know the managers and owners. The longer these people stay in business, the better chance you will have a place to sell your work. The downside to this is that you are only going to get 60% of the retail price for each copy sold. Sorry, that's the way it works. And if they want you to pay them to carry copies or hold a signing - Run away, run away! Can you say scam? I knew you could!

However...You can sell your book yourself at events.  Check out Church Craft Fairs, Festivals, conferences, Red Hat meetings, Rotary Club meetings... depends on what YOU are comfortable with. Look for other authors in your area who may be willing to share tables/costs at conferences or Book Fairs.

Any book clubs in your area? Oh definitely get into those if you can - tell the group to order directly from Champagne; you won't have that 70% initial outlay and you'll still be paid royalties.

And here's a fun fact: When you sell copies yourself, you can offer your book at a "discount" off the retail price and still clear your cost. Anything 15 -20% off is attractive, and still gives you a little bit of profit.

Reviews in the local paper help but be aware that some of them demand a free copy of your book that will not be returned. Ask if they can do reviews from the ebook format and you'll be happy to send them any version they need for free. (PDFs usually work best.)

Donate a copy to the local library and offer to hold a discussion about your research or subject matter. Look for sci-fi cons or local fantasy clubs, maybe even Renaissance Fairs. Tea shops, coffee shops, hospital gift shops...some of them allow their managers some leeway in purchasing from locals. Again, that might pay only 60% of retail, but it possibly gets your book bought in places others' aren't.

Does someone get murdered in your tale? How about talking to mystery buffs and mystery shops/bookstores?  Do you know anyone at the local community radio station? Offer to talk about your subject matter or how you came to sit down and write. They have hours of airtime to fill, and trust me, they want anyone new and different. Wherever you speak, have copies on hand or postcards that say how to order the ebook formats. I've been stunned that sometimes the staff wants to purchase books!

Yes, your internet presence is marketing that translates into print book sales, so keep those blog posts and guest bloggings and all that going. Post events of where you'll be to speak and sign. You'll be amazed that people actually make an effort to come and meet you!

Why did you write your story? What passion compelled you? Use that passion, share what made you work so hard to tell that tale the best way you could. So many people have a story to tell but they are too afraid of failure to even start. You can honestly inspire someone to read your work just by telling what got you off the couch and over to the keyboard.

I won't lie to you. This is a lot - A HELLUVA LOT - of work. Personal pounding the pavement type work. Swallowing your shyness and walking up to the manager of a bookstore isn't easy at best and at times is terribly frustrating. Rejection can lead to dejection pretty darn fast. I absolutely abhor obnoxious sales pitches and refuse to constantly stand there yelling, "Buy my book!" But I have forced myself to mention it when I've heard people talking about a subject I've researched. If they seem genuinely interested, I give them my card and tell them they can read excerpts on my website. I've been stunned at friends of friends of friends who come up to me with a beaten-up business card and tell me they've been wanting to meet me. Me? Yeah, ain't that a kick?

And yes indeed, you'll have times when you sit there and nobody buys. Have a card or bookmark ready with how to buy the ebook version and hand those out. Don't let non-sales get you too down; after all, Miz Scarlett, tomorrow is another day.

Remember, your book doesn't have an expiration date. It's not going to rot and smell bad in a few months. It takes time to build a market, build interest, build demand. Hang out with people who recharge your batteries, be positive and engaging, and just remember:
The worst anyone can say is no.

Hope this helps...

~Jude Johnson
Author of DRAGON & HAWK due April 2011 from Champagne Books: www.champagnebooks.com
My website:  www.scorchedhawkpress.com

Resolutions, Promises, and Living Forward

It’s a new year. I pretty much decided I am not making resolutions for the coming year. I rarely keep any of them and then end up feeling like a weak failure. Why set myself up like that? I’ve yet to talk to anyone who has made a New Year’s resolution and followed it through to year’s end.

But I’m not entirely the New Year’s Scrooge. As a matter of fact, I’m determined to make this a very Happy New Year. I’m taking lessons from a few of the characters in my books. Emmie Steele (Next Time I’m Gonna Dance) would tell me to take time to dance, to not live with regrets. Rylee Morgan (Shooting Into the Sun) would say, “Don’t let fear and sadness shape your life. Don’t be afraid of change.” And Trish Garrity (Love, Sam) would tell me to own who I am and let the love of others propel me forward into life.

Wise advice, I think. Instead of resolutions I won’t keep, I’ve made New Year’s promises. I promise to always look for the positive, to relish in the small victories—no matter how seemingly insignificant. I promise to allow myself to do absolutely nothing for at least a few hours a week. I promise to believe in my writing, even in those times when it seems no one else does. I promise to not forget those who gave me a hand up in this business, and to do the same for others. I promise to take not one single breath for granted.

What promises have you made yourself for the coming year?

~*~

Linda Rettstatt is a multi-published author of women's fiction and contemporary romance. Her novel, Next Time I'm Gonna Dance, has finaled for a 2011 EPIC e-Book Award. In addition, Linda is one of six authors who have been nominated for Author of the Year for 2010 at Champagne Books. Read excerpts and reviews at http://www.lindarettstatt.com/

The High Cost of Print Promotion

On January 1, 2011, I received an email from the Champagne administration announcing that my debut novel, Shadow Fox, was in print. So I did what any professional, mature writer would do, and ran around the house screaming. While seeing my book release in ebook form was incredible, I've been holding out until the day I actually hold a copy of the book in print. For a gal who has been dreaming of that moment since she was 11 or 12, no other experience can really trump it.

I've also been eager to see the book in print so I could do signings. Phoenix has a number of fantasy conventions where I think a book like Shadow Fox could do well, and I also had my eye on an independent bookstore called Changing Hands. For any of you die-hard Twilight fans, Changing Hands was Stephenie Meyer's hangout before she went big. They tout themselves as being very supportive of their local authors, and I couldn't wait to book a signing.

I knew Shadow Fox's print release was scheduled for January or February, which would coincide perfectly with the annual Highland Games, a celebration of Scottish culture in Phoenix. And before you ask, Shadow Fox has nothing to do with Scotland, and Diana Gabaldon, a frequent vendor, would probably spit on me if I had a table too close. Still, fantasy lovers would be there and it would be a great starting point. I was planning on ordering at least 20 copies of Shadow Fox just to be safe; any remaining copies could be used at a local bookstore signing. And then reality set in.

On New Year's Day, I ordered a whole five copies of Shadow Fox, and even that made me cringe so soon after Christmas. And you can bet that until I get more, I'll be like a dragon hoarding treasure -- these are mine. I was relieved when my mom told me she'd ordered a few for herself. Well, the Highland Games, being right around the corner, was now out of the question. But I went to their website anyway, just to see how much it would cost me. And then I researched more venues.

For the smallest area available, 10 x 10, it costs $200 just to rent the space at the Highland Games. The table and one chair would be another $20. And that, friends, is cheap compared to everything else. Phoenix ComicCon charges $500 for a table. And the little family-owned bookstore that supports its local authors? $300 to do a signing. Leprecon, scheduled for March, doesn't have much information up yet, but I'm not very optimistic at this point. And I haven't even added in the cost yet of buying enough books.

I suppose it would be an understatement to say I've been naive. But for a family that lives paycheck to paycheck, I'm not seeing how getting exposure out in person is going to be very feasible. I could share a table and therefore the cost, but my closest Champagne buddy that also writes fantasy lives in Tucson *waves at Jude Johnson* and probably won't see her print release until July. I don't really know anyone else who is local.

For you seasoned authors out there, how do you do it? I've heard talk that expecting any kind of profit at conventions is unrealistic, but at this point, taking a loss is the least of my concern. How do you afford it at all? I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice.

I guess for now I'll be content with asking libraries and other bookstores (no thanks, Changing Hands -- you can stuff it) to host me. But I don't think I'll be making a trek out to the San Diego ComicCon anytime soon.

http://www.ashleyjbarnard.com/

Shadow Fox, a dark fantasy with a contemporary twist, is available in ebook and now in print at http://www.champagnebooks.com/

Contest - A Way Back

A Way Back, my time travel set in the 1930s Texas oil fields is now out. I' love for you to buy a copy and enter my contest to win a rhinestone airplane pin. To enter the drawing, go to my blog or website and complete the form to sign up for my newsletter. If you'd prefer, you can email me at linda@lindalaroque.com and put A Way Back Contest/Newsletter in the subject line. The drawing will be held January 31, 2011 at midnight. The winner will be announced on my blog on February 1, 2011.

This rhinestone airplane pin resembles the one Wellman Hathaway gave Amber Mathis as a memento of her barn storming experience. The pin in the story is diamonds. Alas, I could only afford rhinestones, but it's a cute pin and would look nice on a ladies lapel or hat.

Blurb:

In the 1930s oil fields of Texas, a woman from the future finds new purpose as she helps a banker rebuild his financial empire.

Amber Mathis, a Wall Street investment banker, returns to her office after burying her mother. Distraught, tired of the rat race, she's determined to make a career change. In the elevator she falls and rises to find herself in a vintage lift. The date is February 25, 1930, and a man stands on the window ledge in her office ready to jump.


Wellman Hathaway, owner and CEO of Hathaway Bank in New York struggles to pay his depositors half their losses. A woman claiming to be from 2011 appears in his office and involves him in a scheme that forces them into marriage. With Amber's knowledge of the financial history of the 1930s, they travel to the oil fields of Texas to recoup Wellman's funds.

Two people from different centuries are thrown together to survive a difficult time. Will they find more than A Way Back to prosperity?

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com

Branding, we’re not talking cows here

By Julie Eberhart Painter
　
Branding? What is it? I wanted to know more about the term and its use since it apparently applies to us and our writing, not just large corporations.

Definition: Voice? Plot? Values? Reliability: that I will wind up the details of my twists and turns in the plot.

Ah-ha. Branding is me. My integrity combined with my interests and values create my brand, because who I am contributes to and is incorporated into what I write, whether it’s a travel essay, a blog or flash fiction.

But how does my brand apply to my three Champagne novels?

In the contemporary Mortal Coil, a widow with a ten-year old daughter tries to save her nursing home residents from the Ponytail Perp. The cop assigned to the case and she become allies friends, lovers, and more. Brand: sweet romance, family values, sense of responsibility and altruism. Trust the author to wrap up the details.

In Tangled Web, an innocent woman is seduced by what we would now call a player, but in 1935, was a user, a selfish rogue or a philanderer who takes no responsibility for their child. She rebuilds her life and moves from his influence to become a nationally known… Brand: Romance, grit, suspense and eventually sweet romance and the reliability that the author will not only wrap up the details but will not commit any anachronisms.

Coming in 2011: Kill Fee is so named because it involves an environmentally sensitive article that strays into a murder plot and cover-up. Editors want it pulled, thus requiring that they pay the author a kill fee—in more ways than one. No one is innocent. The all too possible story reflects back on the writer and her entire life. By her side is her attorney, with no agenda but to be her helpmate. Sweet romance, loyalty, family values, humor and whimsy wrapped up neatly and logically.

All my writing has commonalties. People have told me, "I found myself agreeing with your article before I saw your name at the end." Or, "I thought that might be yours."

Ellen Smith, our Champagne Books publisher pointed out to me that although the term Branding has been around for several years, newer writers are becoming more aware of it. This is why your Web site must reflect your brand, not just your latest or your favorite book. As Ellen said, "That way, when someone says (your name) they know exactly who they are talking about.
"Branding is especially important when building an author’s platform. It’s what brings your readers to you," she stated.

This makes perfect sense when you consider how we wait to experience the next book by Nora Roberts, John Grisham, Clive Cussler, Dean Koonz or Stephen King, to mention only a few. They are reliable brands in their own genres.

Build your reliable brand and display it on your Web site. You don’t own it; you are it.
　
Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, in which she practices both medicine and law without licenses, and Tangled Web, a story close to her heart. See Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com The World, the Flesh and the Devil, American Castles and Tahitian Destiny are available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her nonfiction e-book, From the Inside Out, a volunteer looks at staying motivated, is considered a best seller on the Net. Watch for Kill Fee, Coming in October 2011.

*Queue Tom Petty music*

Yes, Tom. The waiting truly is the hardest part. If anyone told me when I started writing that I was going to spend my days…weeks…months waiting in line in true theme park fashion, I’m not sure I would have done it. Oh, who am I kidding! Of course I would! We’re writers. Torturing ourselves is what we do!

There’s the wait to hear back on your query. The wait to hear back on your partial then the wait to hear back on the full. Now if you are among the few lucky percent, the wait for the contracts. You eagerly await the edits…then the 2nd round of edits….sometimes a third. YOUR COVER ART!!! Squee!!! Then e-release then finally, if your novel is long enough - PRINT!

I just got to this stage and I have to say there is nothing like holding your book in your hands and having people ask you to sign it. But wait… there more...

Now there’s the quest to find places to host signings. Watch your e-mail waiting to hear back to see when and if someone will allow you to sit at their store. Then there’s scheduling long weekends away from work. And if you’re nuts like me, booking flights.

Complaining? Not. On. Your. Life. Every step has been a journey and I’ve learned a little with each step. All the torture that the waiting brings – it also comes with a great reward. Like waiting to open up that Christmas gift! It’s worth it and then some in the end.

I just like to shout out to my publisher once again for the chance she gave me and making “the waiting” a sweet agony!

June Kramin
Author Paranormal Romance – Dustin Time
www.junekramin.com

A Champagne Toast

Here it is the first day of January 2011, the beginning of the New Year for those who follow the Gregorian calendar. It is our traditional day of celebrating life and time, and those of us who didn’t have a toast of Champagne last night will probably do so today. While raising our glasses we will be recalling past years and voicing hope for the future. That means that today we celebrate hindsight, cheer foresight, and hopefully seek insight. We will inventory and ponder our past while vowing to improve ourselves and our situations through goals and resolutions.

January, of course, is named after the two-headed Roman god Janus, the gatekeeper, who nostalgically looks back into what is known with one head while contemplatively gazing the unforeseen future with his other. He is a god of the moment, forever balanced on the cusp of time.

The Romans also introduced grape culture into northern France sometime before the 5^th century. Growing grapes is difficult in the area that became the Champagne region as it is a little colder and the season shorter, but as wine making developed, the local vintners created a process to ferment the wine a second time in the bottle, creating carbon dioxide that made bubbles when the cork was popped from the bottle. This began the art of producing sparkling wine. Vintner’s bottled the first Champagne at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Of course, the process also produces pressure inside the bottle, which caused bottles to explode unexpectedly, and led to Champagne’s other name, the devil wine. This darker characteristic aside, Champagne soon became the wine used in celebrating the anointment of French kings, and thereafter, of all triumphal celebrations, including the launching of ships and other adventures.

So as the year changes, chill your bottle of bubbly and carefully pour a glass for you and your company. May you toast to the past without sadness or regret and future with hope and cheer. For my part, with my glass raised, I salute all books published by Champagne Books last year, and in all previous years, and greet with anticipation and pleasure all those books due to launch in 2011. I give thanks for publication of my romantic suspense, Stone House Farm, and look forward to finishing my next story with the hope of publication. Are not grapes and vineyards wonderful metaphors for goals and dreams? Happy New Year!

Stone House Farm, romantic suspense from Champagne Books

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My blog Rhobin’s Rambles