Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 53
September 4, 2011
"To a Soldier in Hospital," Winifred M. Letts
To a Soldier in Hospital
Courage came to you with your boyhood's grace
Of ardent life and limb.
Each day new dangers steeled you to the test,
To ride, to climb, to swim.
Your hot blood taught you carelessness of death
With every breath.
So when you went to play another game
You could not but be brave:
An Empire's team, a rougher football field,
The end—perhaps your grave.
What matter? On the winning of a goal
You staked your soul.
Yes, you wore courage...
September 2, 2011
The Jane Hotel
On my recent overnight trip to New York City, it turned out that one of my tourist desires matched up with the places I needed to go, so I stayed at The Jane Hotel.
"Completed in 1908, the American Seaman's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute was designed by William A. Boring, the architect renowned for Ellis Island's immigrant station. Originally built as a hotel for sailors with cabin-like rooms, the landmarked hotel was lovingly restored on its centennial in 2008.
In 1912...
September 1, 2011
A serial killer in WWII Paris
I have a new post up at The Criminal Element on a nonfiction book about a serial killer in WWII Paris, David King's Death in the City of Light.
August 31, 2011
SF Does Austen: A Civil Campaign
I recently re-read Lois McMaster Bujold's A Civil Campaign, which is dedicated to "Charlotte, Jane, Georgette, and Dorothy," who are of course Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy Dunnett. There are elements of all those authors in the story, but this time around I particularly noticed the Austen moments. Please note, there are spoilers ahead (but neither of these books is new!).
In particular, I was struck by many references to Pride and Prejudice. A Civil...
August 30, 2011
Vorkosigans in Love
I was offline this weekend when my post on romance in the Vorkosigan novels went live at Heroes and Heartbreakers, but it looks like it's getting plenty of comments.
August 29, 2011
I got bookclubbed!
Last Wednesday night was the book club meeting I attended, for The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover. I made a special trip to New York City for the event; later on, I'll post photos of the nifty hotel where I stayed.
I knew ahead of time that August was the club's "trashy book" month. What I didn't know was that their definition of "trashy book" was a bit more classic than mine! Previous year's August readings had included Lady Chatterly's Lover ("full of social...
August 28, 2011
"A Whispered Tale," Siegfried Sassoon
A Whispered Tale
I'd heard fool-heroes brag of where they'd been,
With stories of the glories that they'd seen.
But you, good simple soldier, seasoned well
In woods and posts and crater-lines of hell,
Who dodge remembered 'crumps' with wry grimace,
Endured experience in your queer, kind face,
Fatigues and vigils haunting nerve-strained eyes,
And both your brothers killed to make you wise;
You had no babbling phrases; what you said
Was like a message from the maimed and dead.
But memory brought the ...
August 26, 2011
Writing in a Vacuum is Better
This is a repost of something I wrote for the Novelists, Inc. blog last week.
I'm on deadline at the moment, writing something that's due September 1. Sometimes, being on deadline leads to procrastination (shocking, I know!), even though I've learned that keeping my head down and plunging in is the best way to get things done. I should probably invest in a sensory-deprivation chamber.
Sometimes, when I am on deadline, I find myself Googling my name, looking for reviews, commentary, any k...
August 24, 2011
August 22, 2011
The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance – US Release
The American edition of The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance is available tomorrow!
My story in the anthology is called "Crimean Fairy Tale," and I had some fun with naughty Victorian slang when writing it.
For your amusement, here is an excerpt, with some of the more colorful language included:
The whores lived on the edges of the camp, most of them in shabby tents they'd made over from army discards. Few had made any attempt to cheer up their muddy surroundings with gardens; the most...
