Alisa M. Libby's Blog, page 27
June 26, 2009
okay, please bear with me…
I grew up in a pretty whitebread suburban town. There was actually a Wonderbread factory nearby, but that’s not even what I mean. Anyhow, when I was six years old, every day I would come home from school and put a well-worn video tape into the VCR. And this is what I watched:
Thank goodness I had a little Motown in my life.
June 24, 2009
Long live the King…
On June 24th 1509 – 500 years ago – King Henry VIII was officially crowned King of England in a glorious coronation ceremony, alongside his new bride, Catherine of Aragon. Not that the crown did her much good years later, but that’s a different story.
Do I feel odd “celebrating” this day in history, considering my obvious sympathies for Catherine Howard and how Henry was really quite integral to the girl’s downfall? Not really…though I remember experiencing a strange moment of pause in the gift s
June 19, 2009
hobbits…my kind of people
First off, reviews!
Tanzanite’s Shelf and Stuff (this blog is historical fiction heaven): http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/2009/06/kings-rose-by-alisa-libby.html
And a great review on Insert Book Title Here: http://insertbooktitle.blogspot.com/2009/06/kings-rose-by-alisa-libby.html
In other news, I’m still working on my reading list, which seems to be expanding by the second. I finished The Hobbit this week. It occurs to me that I have my own hobbit-like tendencies: I always like to know where my
June 15, 2009
writer’s retreat
Writers out there know that there are some really fancy writers retreats out there, where (for a fee) you can take a little vacation at a nice place where all you have to do is write, and all your meals are brought to you. Sort of like camp…but the goal is to get a lot of writing done. For a more low-cost twist, my friends Anne and Anna and I had a writer’s retreat, hosted by Anna at her house. This was my first retreat – a one-day affair. I brought molasses cinnamon cookies, which I had baked t
June 11, 2009
the wedding of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
Today is the wedding anniversary of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon – 500 years ago, King Henry’s illustrious (not to mention deadly) marital career began. It seemed an auspicious enough beginning. Poor Catherine of Aragon. I read some quote about how the people of England were so in love with her, she was simply everything they could want in a Princess.
I would LOVE to be able to go back to England this month, as there having all sorts of celebrations for the historically-minded (read: do
June 8, 2009
no, I don’t drink blood or bathe in it, really…
Someone commented recently about the irony of my inherent shyness (which I have mentioned on this blog) considering I chose the point of view of a shameless, knife-wielding murderer for my first book. It begs the question: why do we, as writers, write what we do? What is it that draws us to tell the stories of particular characters, regardless of how (un)pleasant these people may be? As I’m sure I’ve said before, Erzebet was fascinating to write about – but I wouldn’t want to have tea with her.
June 4, 2009
an ode to poetry
A real live teenage girl reviewed The King’s Rose for the SLJ Teen supplement – ACES!
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6662385.html?nid=4302&source=link&rid=1640648756
In further awesomeness, my beautiful friend Lesley’s book of poetry is now on Amazon.com and available for purchase:
I have yet to read this collection, but her last one was full of marvelously detailed poetry d
June 1, 2009
romanticizing writing
When I’m in a phase like this where I’m not writing (it’s valuable to have time away from a project to get a fresh perspective) it’s all to easy for me to romanticize the whole process of writing. My friend Lauren, whose debut novel Nothing Like You will be out this October, is working on a draft of a new project. I keep hounding her with emails: “how is it going? What part are you working on? Tell me about it!” I’m about one crazed email away from asking her what she’s eating while writing.
Writ
May 28, 2009
what I do when I’m not writing
At present I am not a “write at least 30 minute a day” type of writer. I say that with a caveat because something that doesn’t work for me now may prove useful down the road. Writing is fluid, I think, and the practice of it is subject to change.
So what do I do if I’m not writing at the moment (aside from fretting about my current work-in-progress, as I’ve already mentioned)? I’ve been reading. Scribbling in my little red notebook. Then reading some more. This morning on the train I finished M.T
May 25, 2009
as promised – the Historical Novel Review
THE KING’S ROSE
Alisa M. Libby, Dutton, 2009, $17.99, hb, 304pp, 9780525479703
As The King’s Rose opens, fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard has a new suitor—Henry VIII, who soon plans to make her his queen. It is a role Catherine’s fiercely ambitious Howard relations have been grooming her to fill, her dubious past notwithstanding. Dutifully, Catherine follows their lead, despite her own misgivings and the haunting example of her doomed, glamorous cousin, Anne Boleyn.
In this novel, narrated by Cat
