Anne Whitfield's Blog, page 7

My first podcast!

They say doing new things is good for you. (the jury is still out on that one) However, I recently taped my first podcast interview with my publisher Dana from Knox Robinson - talking about my new release The House of Women.
Talking about myself isn't easy, but Dana was great and in the end we spoke longer than I thought we would.
If you'd care to have a listen while taking a break and enjoying a coffee, or whatever, you can find the podcast on the Knox Robinson's website. Just click on play in the box.
http://www.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com/

Blogging it!

My blog tour continues...I'm featured at Kylie Griffin's blog today! Come say hello. http://kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com/2011/06/guest-author-anne-whitfield.html?spref=fb Also, there's a new historical fiction blog just started - http://www.royaltyfreefictionary.blogspot.com/

The House of Women book trailer

Irritating Article!

The Romance Novelists Association of the UK held their summer party last week and a journalist was invited. The said journalist's article appeared in the Daily Mail. Sadly it was a stereotypical and lazy mish- up of what people perceive about romance writers and no where near what is actually the case.
So in defiance to the article, the members of the RNA are posting photos of what real romance writers look like.
When will people realise romance is everywhere and not at all smutty, show me a wedding photo, show me an anniversary photo, a baby being born, or a guy proposing and tell me that romance is to be laughed at. The biggest movies in history list will show you romance usually is in it, and can we hear a song that isn't about love, or lost love? Hardly.
So, why should romance novels be lumped into the 'ridiculous, don't take them seriously' category?
Next time you want to diss romance novels, or their writers, remember to look at your own life. Romance and love surrounds us all, and THAT is worth writing about!

No blue rinse in sight!

A little bit of Vintage...

cars, that is!

My town hosted a European and British Vintage car show last weekend and having a love of vintage cars, I had to go see it.
If I ever win the lottery it's one of these I'll buy.

Renault 1908
Essex 1922
Vauxhall 1926
Rolls Royce 1924
The bar and record player in the Rolls Royce. Luxury 1920s style!

Free historical short story

My historical short story, A New Dawn, is now available for FREE on my publisher's website.
http://www.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com/bindex.php?cPath=17
BurbEscaping a brutal father, Briony runs to James, the man she loves.
With his family's blessing, they marry and prepare for a new life in a new country – America.
A wedding gift of two tickets to travel on an ocean liner is a wonderful surprise.
Full of anticipation and hope, they set sail.
Only, fate has sent them a challenge that tests, not just their strength and love, but their very survival.

On Sale!

The Book Depository UK has my next release, The House of Women on pre-order sale!
This includes free world wide postage.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780956790187/The-House-of-Women

blurb
Leeds. 1870. Lonely and brokenhearted, Grace Woodruff fights for her sisters' rights to happiness while sacrificing any chance for her own.

The eldest of seven daughters, Grace is the core of strength around which the unhappy members of the Woodruff family revolve. As her disenchanted mother withdraws to her rooms, Grace must act as a buffer between her violent, ambitious father and the sisters who depend upon her. Rejected by her first love and facing a spinster's future, she struggles to hold the broken family together through her father's infidelity, one sister's alcoholism, and another's out-of-wedlock pregnancy by an unsuitable match.
Caring for an illegitimate half-brother affords Grace an escape, though short-lived. Forced home by illness and burdened with dwindling finances, Grace faces fresh anguish –and murder– when her first love returns to wreck havoc in her life. All is not lost, however. In the midst of tragedy, the fires of her heart are rekindled by another. Will the possibility of true love lead Grace to relinquish her responsibilities in the house of women and embrace her own right to happiness?

A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell

A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this book after years of not wanting to. I put it off because I didn't know how truthful it would be. My timing of reading it and the Royal wedding was bittersweet, as it made me sad that Diana wasn't there to see William get married.

However, I did enjoy the book very much. I think Burrell was candid and truthful in many ways. I liked the background information of his life before starting his career with the Queen. I didn't know he worked for the Queen, or that his wife worked for the Duke of Edinburgh before they moved to the Prince and Princess of Wales' staff.

I found his stories of the time with the Queen extremely interesting, especially her feeding the corgis herself.

Overall, I felt very sorry for Burrell and his utter devotion for Diana, the Princess of Wales, which left a large gap in his life when she died, that even his wife and sons didn't seem to fill. I wasn't surprised to hear that he has since divorced his wife. That is rather tragic.

I think he was lost after the princess's death and the subsequent court case shattered him and his world, which is understandable.

If you like learning about royal life behind closed doors, then this is a good book to read.

<View all my reviews

The Moghul by Thomas Hoover

Blurb
India 1620: India is ruled by the son of the great Akbar, and is about to pass his crown to one of his sons. Brian Hawksworth, ship's captain and emissary of King James, must choose sides, but will he choose correctly? The future of England, and of India, depend on it.

He had come to India to open trade for "barbaric" England and squeeze out the Portuguese, who try to kill him at every opportunity. But once on land, he becomes captivated by the country and the people. The beauty and romance of the exquisite Moghul Empire seduce him from his material goals to a new quest for supreme sensuality in music, mystical visions, and sacred lovemaking.
From pulse-pounding sea battles, to tiger hunts, war elephants, harems and forbidden love--The Moghul takes you on a breath-taking tour of the India that existed before the British Raj.



This is a long book! I have to say I enjoyed the first third of the book, but then, for me, it got bogged down in Indian politics of the time and made the reading a slow progress.


The Moghul is not for the faint-heated and not one that you can easily put down for a few days and pick back up again. I did this and found myself lost. What makes it difficult is not only the foreign names, but the many characters. I am one who loves books that have numerous characters, but this book, with its unfamiliar place names and politics of the rulers of India at the time, was tough going in parts.

The descriptions are wonderful and at the beginning the plot is clear and enjoyable, but sadly the middle to the end of the book lost some of its magic because of the weight of intrigue and I lost interest in those fighting for the kingdom.

If the author had cut back on the politics I would have enjoyed the story much better.
I did learn much about the early times of India though, which was very interesting.

I read The Moghul by Thomas Hoover on my Kindle.

An Autumn Day

Today is a beautiful autumn day in my home town of Bowral, which is in the area called Southern Highlands of N.S.W.  I love the colours of the trees as the seasons change. So I thought I'd share some photos of them. The area has a very English feel to it due to it's history and also because of its cool climate which allows English plants to grow well here, unlike other hot areas of Australia. We are one of the few places in New South Wales that can get snow in winter.


To find out more about the area, you can visit this websites:http://www.bowral.com.au/ http://maps.travelmate.com.au/Places/Featured_Regions.asp?RegionId=33