Robin Bridges's Blog, page 3
October 12, 2011
The Class of 2k12 Launches Today!
It's finally here! The Class of 2k12 is a group of twenty middle-grade and young adult debut novelists working in concert to promote our books and reading, and we're ready to begin.
In honor of our friends debuting this year, we're giving away a huge prize pack of all seventeen Class of 2k11 titles for a deserving class, school, or public library. If you'd like to nominate your favorite library, stop by our Facebook page and tell us about it. The winner will be announced November 12.
Be sure to visit our links to find out about 2k12 books, authors, and events: 
October 4, 2011
The Night Circus!
Me with Erin Morgenstern at Lemuria Books!
The Night Circus opens at nightfall …and closes at dawn.
The circus is here!
Nine of Cups!
September 7, 2011
random acts of publicity
This week is the 3rd Annual Random Acts of Publicity (September 6-8, 2011) hosted by Darcy Pattinson. It's a week to celebrate our favorite books. All you have to do is commit a Random Act of Publicity. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? 
Vicky Alvear Shecter is another Southern writer who likes to write books about long ago and far away.Her first YA novel, CLEOPATRA'S MOON, is about the only surviving daughter of Cleopatra.
Here's the description from Goodreads:
"The Luxe" meets the ancient world in the extraordinary story of Cleopatra's daughter.
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony—the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies—until she reaches out to claim her own.
This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.
Want to participate in Random Acts of Publicity? BLLuRT (Blog, Link, Like, Review, Talk) this week for one of your favorite books!
BLLuRT's for CLEOPATRA'S MOON:
Visit Vicky's blog, where you can follow the adventures of DQC (aka Drag Queen Cleo)!
Follow Vicky on Twitter
Add CLEOPATRA'S MOON to your Goodreads
Become a fan of Vicky Alvear Shecter on Goodreads
Buy CLEOPATRA'S MOON at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite indie!
September 5, 2011
September 1, 2011
The Winter Palace
Here are a few paintings of the garden rooms in the Winter Palace by Russian architect and painter Konstantin Ukhtomsky. (A very important scene takes place in this first room in THE GATHERING STORM!) For more Katerina-inspiring pictures, please visit my website.
The Winter Garden
By Konstantin Ukhtomsky, c. 1860's
by Konstantin Ukhtomksy
by Konstantin Ukhtomsky
August 3, 2011
Tsar Alexander the Third
I've started a section on my website where I post old photographs and paintings that I've come across while researching Imperial Russia for the Katerina Trilogy. Today I added several featuring Tsar Alexander III. If you'd like to see more, please visit www.robinbridges.com.
(Painting by Ivan Kramskoi, 1886)
Maria and Alexander in Denmark, 1893
The Imperial Family, 1888
Back: Maria, Nicholas, Xenia
Middle: Michael, Tsar Alexander, George
Front: Olga
July 17, 2011
Braaaaains! part two
Bad Robin. I was supposed to pick the winner of the signed copy of BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris on Friday.
But without further ado, the winner is
Congratulations, Tasnim!!!
And just in case you're wondering, here are a few of my favorite undead characters:
July 12, 2011
braaaaaaaains!!!
I have to admit to a certain partiality for the walking dead. So I've been eager to read fellow Delacorte author Carrie Harris' zombie debut, BAD TASTE IN BOYS. And I'm excited about supporting Carrie's auction to raise money for the Giving Library at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Michigan. To check out how you can help provide books for sick kids and win amazing prizes, check out Carrie's
To help celebrate BAD TASTE IN BOYS' debut, I'm giving away a signed copy! The winner will be chosen randomly from comments posted before midnight Friday (CST). Tell me who your favorite zombie is (from books, movies, songs, etc.) or tell me which historical figure you think would make a cool zombie.
June 18, 2011
THE LOST CROWN giveaway results!
Anastasia seems to be the most popular Romanov!
I have to thank Sarah Miller for her lovely interview and also a thank you to Pooh's Corner: A Children's Bookstore in Michigan for the signed copy of THE LOST CROWN.
And the winner is…
Congratulations! Please email me at robin at robinbridges dot com with your mailing address!
Finally, thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented!
June 14, 2011
Sarah Miller's THE LOST CROWN!!!
If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m rather fond of books about Romanov history. Today is the launch day for Sarah Miller’s novel THE LOST CROWN, about the four daughters of the last tsar. Knowing Sarah from both Verla Kay’s Blue Boards and the Alexander Palace Time Machine, I was delighted when she agreed to answer a few questions about the Romanovs, THE LOST CROWN, and writing in general.
Happy book birthday, Sarah!
THE LOST CROWN
by Sarah Miller
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Like the fingers on a hand - first headstrong Olga, then Tatiana the tallest, Anastasia the smallest, and Maria most hopeful for a ring. These are the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II, Russian grand duchesses living a life steeped in tradition and privilege. For these young women each on the brink of beginning their own lives at the mercy of royal matchmakers, summer 1914 promises to be a precious last wink of time to be sisters together - sisters that still link arms and laugh, sisters that share their dreams and worries, and flirt with the officers of their imperial yacht.
But in a gunshot the future changes - for them, and for Russia.
As World War I ignites across Europe, political unrest sweeps Russia. First dissent, then disorder, mutiny - and revolution. For Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, the end of their girlhood together is colliding with the end of more than they ever imagined.
At the same time hopeful and hopeless, naive and wise, the voices of these sisters become a chorus singing the final song of Imperial Russia. Impeccably researched and utterly fascinating, acclaimed author Sarah Miller recounts the final days of Imperial Russia with lyricism, criticism and true compassion.
How are you planning to celebrate the launch of THE LOST CROWN?
The library is hosting a launch party in June. One of the reference librarians claims she's on the lookout for a samovar.
What's your writing process like? Are you an everyday writer or do you binge-write?
I aspire to be an everyday writer. I'm much more likely to spend most of the day not-writing, until I can't stand myself any longer. And the longer I avoid it, the more intimidated I get. It's something I fight nearly every day. (*Ahem* Right now I am using this interview as procrastination.)
What inspired you to write THE LOST CROWN?
I have a low-level aversion to the concept of "inspiration." It sounds magical -- like it's something that strikes at a moment's notice and fuels the entire process. Although my interest in a person or a story has indeed been sparked that quickly and burned at a furious rate (see this page about the evolution of MISS SPITFIRE), years can pass between the initial strike and the moment I sit down to begin writing a book. The Romanovs are a case in point: I've been interested in the last tsar's family for at least 15 years, but it wasn't until 2005 or 2006 that I began to think seriously about writing about them.
What books did you enjoy reading as a teenager?
I've always favored stories with historical settings, but that didn't keep me from plowing through most of the stuff everyone else my age was reading in the late 80s and early 90s: Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine, The Baby-sitter's Club, etc. It wan't until high school that I fell head over heels for Donna Jo Napoli's retellings of fairy tales.
What are you reading right now?
Mostly non-fiction. It's very strange -- I have read precisely ONE novel this year. (True Grit) I used to read 3-5 a week.
Tell me something about your revision process.
It's my saving grace. For me, drafting is like painting an entire wall, then stepping back to realize it's...not quite the right shade. It's close, and it's fixable, but your heart just sinks thinking about all the time you've spent on something that doesn't measure up to the picture in your mind. That's why I revise as I go -- I would end up mired in discouragement if I tried to draft straight through without looking back.
When the creative well is sapped dry, what gets you writing again?
I'm suspicious that the well never actually runs dry -- it's more likely a case of neglecting to lower my bucket.
Do you have a favorite dessert recipe? Or favorite writing munchie?
Nope. I munch whatever's handy.
Did you have a playlist of songs while you were writing this book?
I do have a small playlist labeled "OTMA" but I didn't use it very much while actually writing. (According to iTunes, it was last played on March 15, 2010.) It's mostly lifted from soundtracks, because film composers excel at telling stories and/or evoking emotion without the distraction of lyrics:
· The Letter That Never Came (Thomas Newman, A Series of Unfortunate Events)
· Opus 17 (Dustin O'Halloran, Marie Antoinette)
· Opus 23 (Dustin O'Halloran, Marie Antoinette)
· Opus 36 (Dustin O'Halloran, Marie Antoinette)
· Buon Giorno Principessa (Nicola Piovani, Life Is Beautiful [La Vita È Bella])
· Neverland - Minor Piano Variation (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Finding Neverland)
· The Last Spring (Edvard Grieg)
· L'évocation (Bruno Coulais, Les Choristes)
And every once in a while I cranked up God Save the Tsar for good measure.
What are you working on next?
Something I refuse to talk about. I learned from THE LOST CROWN that telling people what I'm working on isn't much different from inviting them to read over my shoulder while I type. My head gets too crowded if I try to let anyone but myself and my characters in.
How did you get interested in Romanov history?
I have no idea. I mentioned in an interview on Frozentears.org that my first awareness of the Romanovs came from an Unsolved Mysteries segment about Anna Anderson, but I really don't remember when or how I became captivated by the story of the real Romanovs.
Do you have a favorite grand duchess?
I've recently been informed that my favorite grand duchess is Maria, and I have not felt compelled to argue with that proclamation.
Do you have a favorite tsar?
No contest: Nicholas II.
My interest in Russia and the Romanovs is about as narrow as it gets. I'll pay marginal attention to Alexander II and Alexander III, but only because of their influence on Nicholas II. After the murder of the last tsar, my interest in Russian history completely dissolves.
Do you have a favorite Romanov movie?
I have been crazy about Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny since high school, but it's hard for me to watch now without sniping at the historical liberties. Probably the best feature film is Romanovy: Ventsenosnaya Semya. And even though it's pure baloney, I can't resist watching Ingrid Bergman and Helen Hayes in Anastasia once in a while.
What were some of your favorite non-fiction books about the Romanovs?
For pure enjoyment, I'd have to say:
Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra, by Peter Kurth
Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert Massie
The Last Tsar, by Edvard Radzinsky
But in terms of usefulness, my loyalties lie with books that reproduce the imperial family's own letters and diaries. In English, those titles include:
The Complete Wartime Correspondence of Emperor Nicholas II and The Empress Alexandra, edited by Joseph Fuhrmann
The Diary of Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna - 1913, edited by Raegan Baker and translated by Marina Petrovna
The Fall of the Romanovs, edited by Mark D. Steinberg & Vladimir Krustalev
The Last Diary of Tsarista Alexandra, edited by Vladimir Kozlov & Vladimir Krustalev
Have you been to Russia?
Nope. Most of the places that were relevant to THE LOST CROWN have either fallen into disrepair or are entirely gone. Restoration of the Alexander Palace has only recently begun in earnest, and the Ipatiev house was demolished in the 1970’s. That only left the Tobolsk governor’s mansion — in Siberia. As much as I’d like to see the places Nicholas II and his family called home, I just couldn’t justify the expense under those circumstances.
Th
ank you, Sarah! Readers, would you like to win a signed copy of THE LOST CROWN? Just leave a comment, and I’ll pick a winner randomly on Saturday. (International entries are welcome!) So tell me, who is your favorite Romanov?
