Laura Roberts's Blog, page 51

Photo of the Day: My Nonfiction November book swap book has arrived!

(via Instagram http://ift.tt/1OJhgoT)

Along with some cute magnetic bookmarks, which I’ve already put to good use (as you can see from the missing slots in the photo). Thanks, Kim!

I’m looking forward to reading this one, but I might have to save it until December since I have a bunch of others to finish up this month. Oh, the book-nerd problem of Too Many Great Books calling your name…

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101 ways to kill someone in a convent

Okay, so I actually only managed to come up with 16 (plus a few I can’t mention, because they’re already in play and I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise), but here are some of the ways I’ve contemplated killing the characters in my NaNo novel, The Case of the Cunning Linguist, which is set in and around Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris:

Choking on communion wafers
Poisoned by communion wine
Stabbed with crucifix
Burned with holy water (only works for vampires or other demons)
Struck by god’s wrath (i.e. lightning) during a storm
Strangled by a rosary
Whipped to death (self flagellation, or as punishment by another)
Falling from a bell tower
Crushed beneath pipe organ pipes
Cleaved in two by stained glass windows breaking out
Drugged by a fellow priest or nun for committing a Deadly Sin
Scorched by the flames of all those votive candles
Bashed over the head with the altar’s ornate gold-encrusted Bible
Drowned in a baptismal fount
Lead poisoning over years of sipping too much wine from the old-school chalices
Nailed to the cross in a disturbingly realistic reenactment of the Stations of the Cross

Got another bright idea for deaths that would be unique to a convent or church? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Photo of the Day: Co-conspirators soaking up some rays

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1M6U284


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#HumpDayReviews: Veni, Vidi, Vici by Eugene Ehrlich

This week’s review is of a nonfiction book I haven’t so much read cover-to-cover as dipped into throughout the past few weeks. And a book I plan to continue dipping into, as I write The Case of the Cunning Linguist.

You see, back in 2013 when I started writing this murder mystery set in a convent, I realized I would need some Latin terminology to set up the double meaning of my book’s title. Not only is The Case of the Cunning Linguist a pun, but it’s also supposed to be a book about legit linguists – or, at least, Latin scholars.

Latin, being a dead language (as far as most people living in 2015 will tell you, though Max Fisher may disagree), it isn’t typically taught in schools… and the Internet’s free translation services are um… scheiße at best – judging by this translation of a German postcard I typed in this morning, which suggested “On time or look good? Time can everyone!”:

My best guess at translation: “Be on time or look good? Everyone can wait!” German scholars, holla if you’ve got a better stab at this!

Anyway, my point is this: I knew I needed to get a book of Latin phrases to spice up my mystery, make me look smart, and otherwise stand in for years – or even decades – of Classicals studies.

Enter Veni, Vidi, Vici by Eugene Ehrlich. This is the review I wrote for his book at Amazon:

This book is currently making me look smart as I attempt to write a murder mystery featuring Latin scholars set in Paris.

WHAT?!

Yes, you read that right: I totally bought this book in order to fake my way through some Latin terms. It’s what we writers call “research.”

Seriously, though, Eugene Ehrlich is kicking ass here. I am conquering enemies, impressing friends (or at least Twitter followers) and invading Rome as we speak!

Maybe not that last one.

If you’ve ever wanted to start sprinkling your everyday conversations, or not-so-everyday writing with Latin phrases, this is the book to acquire. Stealthily. Maybe from a competing bookshop. Perhaps on sale. Or with a five-finger discount. (NOTE: I do not condone theft. I fully paid for this book, but not at Amazon.)

In conclusion, if you still don’t know what “Veni, Vidi, Vici” means, then by all means grab a copy of this book and find out! Suddenly so many classical references will make way more sense to you. And those “Latin terms” they mention in Dangerous Liaisons will also become all the sweeter. Or literal. Or awesome.

In short, if you’ve been needing a reference book full of Latin phrases, I highly recommend this one. You can page through at random, or flip through the index until you find a phrase that suits your mood. And even if you never utter a single phrase aloud (although, I should note, there are pronunciation guides for each one), you can definitely impress your friends (or bosses) by sprinkling them into your emails or text messages. It’s way better than using Google Translate. Trust me.

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Nonfiction November: A book pairing for the young at heart

Welcome to Nonfiction November week 2! This week’s host is Leslie of Regular Rumination and our topic is Book Pairings. This week, our mission is to pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title.

So, I had to think about this one for a while, because while I frequently will read everything a single author has written, I don’t usually just run out and buy books that are billed as being similar to others I’ve enjoyed, nor do I usually pay much mind to whether the book I’m reading it fiction or nonfiction – unless it’s for research purposes. Since I don’t tend to read historical fiction, I don’t usually end up reading the history books behind an author’s fictional take, so like I said, this week’s topic was a bit of a challenge!

Ultimately, I’ve come up with a pairing that seems to fit the general tone of my blog: a “Rated E for Everyone” fiction pick that pairs with a racier PG-13 selection more suitable for adults. Or if you prefer, it’s a fictional book you probably remember reading when you were young, paired with a nonfiction book that sheds more light on the adult figure behind those children’s books you loved. One for the kids, and one for the kids at heart!

If you like Shel Silverstein…

Virtually everyone in North America has read Shel Silverstein’s zany poems. Perhaps it was A Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends. Maybe you read The Giving Tree. In any case, I recently bought a 40th anniversary copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends in order to re-read the poems I loved reading again and again as a kid, because my husband had said he wasn’t sure he’d ever read any of Silverstein’s work.

WHAT?!

The 40th anniversary edition even comes with 12 new poems, so I was excited to get a chance to read a few pieces that even I wasn’t familiar with.

Of course, once I started reading the silly verses to my husband, he said, “Oh yeah, I remember now…”

Now, if you’ve ever read anything by Shel Silverstein, you’ve probably wondered, “Who is this guy, and how did he come up with all these crazy poems?”

Before the Internet was a thing, you probably never would have known much about the man, beyond his dust jacket bio, which reads:

Shel Silverstein is the author of The Giving Tree and many other books of prose and poetry. He also wrote songs, drew cartoons, sang, played the guitar, and loved to have a good time.

So who was this guy with the bald head and the piercing stare, holding a guitar, with the oh-so-mysterious bio?

Read his bio!

That’s what inspired me to purchase a copy of A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein by Lisa Rogak.

This is a great book for adult fans of Silverstein, who remember his work from their youth. It details his days in the U.S. Army, where he began his cartooning career, and his unconventional lifestyle, inspired by his friendship with Hugh Hefner and his days crashing at the Playboy Mansion.

Yes, you read that right. A dude most famous for his children’s verses was a good friend of life-long swinger Hugh Hefner!

There are plenty of other surprises in the book as well.

Did you know, for instance, that Silverstein was also an accomplished musician? He wrote the awesome song “A Boy Named Sue,” which Johnny Cash made famous, among many other country hits. (Shel’s model for “Sue” was supposedly his pal, Jean Shepherd, who was teased about having a girl’s name as a kid.)

Along with his children’s books, Silverstein also wrote more than 100 one-act stage plays.

He enjoyed traveling the world, indulging in a vagabond life, always visiting old friends and making new ones along the way.

In short, Shel Silverstein was just as wild and free-spirited a character as some of his creations, and Rogak’s book is a warm and intimate portrait of this intensely private man. Highly recommended for authors, artists, lovers of the bohemian lifestyle, and anyone who’s ever felt the need to rebel against the boredom of an average life.

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Relapse in Paradise: An excerpt + #giveaway from Roxanne Smith

Still stinging from her recent divorce, Emily Buzzly heads to majestic Hawaii to soothe her wounds. But once she arrives on Oahu, Emily discovers that a man she assumes is a beach bum is in fact her personal tour guide, hired by her sister. With his long hair and tattoos, Boston Rondibett is everything Emily detests—despite his sun-kissed surfer body. And with her straight-laced, executive persona, Emily is everything Boston rebels against. But both have a lot to learn about making snap judgments…

As it turns out, Boston’s real job, the one he truly cares about, is running his soup kitchen and homeless shelter. Embarrassed by her assumptions, rather than lazy beach days, Emily soon finds herself feeding the hungry, and even involved in the search for an AWOL soldier. And to Boston’s surprise, she’s loving every minute of it—and he’s loving seeing her loosen her chignon and be the admirable, beautiful woman she is. As each works through the challenges of the past, these two very different people just might find their hearts are on the very same page…

An excerpt from Relapse in Paradise

She’d been small there for a minute. He’d acted like an insane person, and Emily had shrunk beneath it. Now, her back straightened, and she came to herself as if suddenly recalling she wasn’t the type to shrink. “Forget it. But at least we’ve discovered one thing we have in common.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t care, either.”

Boston gritted his teeth. He wished she had the stones to yell it and scream it in his face like a mad woman, like Jordan would have. But not Emily, Miss Poised and Proper. Oh, no. She merely said it, flat and without a trace of inflection or emotion.

She stopped when she reached the door and pulled it open to let herself out. “By the way, your deduction is correct. I was with Ryder last night.” He gaped at her. Everything inside seemed to collapse until the air wasn’t filling his lungs completely. With her next words, she both saved and condemned him. “I paid Kale’s debt. You’ll never see Ryder again, and The Canopy is safe.”

She searched his face while hers remained passive. “Until you find someone else to rescue, anyway.”

Buy Links

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / iTunes

About the Author

A Florida native, Roxanne Smith has called everywhere from Houston to Cheyenne home. Currently residing in Asheville, NC, she’s an avid reader of every genre, a cat lover, pit bull advocate, and semi-geek. She loves video games, Doctor Who, and her dashing husband. Her two kids are the light of her life.

Connect with Roxanne on Facebook, Twitter and her website, RoxanneSmith.net.

Reader Appreciation Giveaway

Roxanne is holding a Reader Appreciation Giveaway on her blog. Click here for full details!

But before you go…

Tour Giveaway

Roxanne will be awarding a $25 Amazon/B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. To enter, please use the widget below. Don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment — the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! For a complete list of all tour stops, click here.

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Rafflecopter giveaway

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Photo of the Day: Hey, isn’t this #NaNoWriMo selfie day?

Where are all the pix?

Okay, I’ll start…

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1klCDQo

P.S. My sign says “Writer at Work, Do Not Disturb” for those who can’t read backwards. ;D

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A Prince of a Guy: An excerpt + #giveaway from Eileen Dreyer

When New Yorker Casey Phillips visits the tiny country of Moritania, she simply wants to see where her ancestors came from. Instead, she’s mistaken for a princess.

The real princess has been kidnapped, and Crown Prince Eric von Lieberhaven insists Casey—a dead ringer for the missing royal—step into the princess’s shoes until she can be freed.

As Casey upends royal tradition, Eric finds himself hoping the cheeky American never returns home. But can a secretary from Brooklyn really find happiness with a prince?

An excerpt from A Prince of a Guy

Somewhere in the Alps, 1987

Twenty minutes later, Casey occupied a chair in the little booth at the edge of Moritania while two officers dressed like the Pope’s Swiss Guards scuttled around trying to find new and different ways to make her more comfortable. She assured them that there was only so much comfort one could find at a border crossing. All she succeeded in doing was making them look more miserable. But when she asked whether the American consul was coming, or even a tow truck, all they did was exchange worried little glances.

“Soon now, my lady,” the spokesman assured her, actually wringing his hands. “He promised.”

Casey shrugged again, thinking that she was doing a lot of that, and crossed her legs, resettling her wide denim skirt around her legs. Not exactly climbing clothes. But then, Julie Andrews had done the Alps in a habit.

“This is real Sound of Music country,” she said, not really expecting an answer by now. “Of course, you guys were probably raised on Wagner and Romberg.”

No answer.

“Romberg,” she repeated. “You know, Student Prince?”

“Cassandra, what on earth are you up to now?”

Casey lifted her head with a start at the sound of the new voice. Then her mouth dropped open and her brain stalled. Now how had he snuck up on her?

The guards were saluting now, and a new man stood in the doorway. Man? More like a miracle. He was breathtaking, the kind of man she was sure she had never in her life run into on the streets of Brooklyn. Clad in precisely pressed gray flannel slacks, a hunter’s jacket of tweed and leather and a wool sweater over a snow-white shirt and navy blue tie, he looked more like an English lord gone to tour his estate.

Tall, maybe six feet, and slim. Athletic. Casey could imagine him on a polo pony or a yacht, the wind sweeping through his golden-brown hair. He had a face that would have made Cary Grant cry: long, with an aquiline nose, a strong chin and a well-bred brow. It was a cultured face with eyes the color of a summer sky, although right now that summer sky seemed a bit chilly. And it went with an actual English accent. In the Alps.

A most practical child, Casey had never been able to figure how Cinderella could have been swept off her feet within the space of one dance. If this guy had been the one wearing the tights, it would have made perfect sense. She was in love before she even knew his name.

He turned briefly and dispatched the guards with a gentle word. The relief on their features was palpable as they straightened and departed.

“How did you do that?” Casey asked, getting to her feet. “No matter what I did they kept checking out their toes. It’s kind of unnerving after awhile, ya know?”

Her guest considered her with evident frustration. “When are you going to stop? You’re not going to make them better subjects by playing games with them. And you’re certainly playing havoc with my schedule.”

“Thanks for the interest,” Casey said, smiling dryly. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“And where in heaven’s name did you pick up that atrocious accent?”

Casey was bristling now. “From my mother. She has one just like it. Listen, my car broke down and I need a tow. And I forgot my passport back at the hotel. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had you paged. Are you with the American embassy?”

He straightened a little, his head tilted at an angle of inspection. “Cassandra…”

“Nobody’s called me Cassandra since the nuns. Actually, they called me Mary Cassandra, but…” She blinked, taken aback. “Wait. How did you know my name?” She shook her head, the confusion mounting. “Listen, I’ll tell you what. If you’re not with the embassy, just call me a tow or whatever. If this is an example of Moritanian hospitality, I don’t think I want to visit after all. I’d have more fun in the Bronx on a Saturday night.”

Casey had more to say. Something about rudeness and insanity and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. She never quite got it out. As she was speaking, the gentleman’s eyes widened with an incredulity that gave her pause. His mouth opened and he stepped up to her. When he laid a hand under her chin and lifted it, she fell mute.

His eyes caught hers and held them. His hand, graceful and strong, stilled her. With just that contact, Casey found herself suffused with a sweet hesitation she’d never known. A languid heat, as if his eyes were stealing her strength. She looked up at him and forgot what she’d been about to say and why it had been important. Hell, given a minute more and she’d forget her name and birthday.

“Bloody hell,” he breathed, his gaze suddenly sharpening. His eyes swept her features, her attire, and then came back to rest on her face. “You’re not like her at all, are you? Not at all.”

Casey couldn’t seem to drag her eyes away. “I… wouldn’t know. Who?”

“Who are you?”

“Casey Phillips. Who are you?”

He actually opened his mouth and closed it once before answering. “Eric von Lieberhaven.”

Their voices had grown soft somehow, intimate in the little room. It was Mr. Von Lieberhaven who broke the spell first, pulling his hand away as if he’d been scalded. Casey saw him rub it against his leg in what she was sure was an uncharacteristic gesture. She wasn’t sure how she knew. She just did.

“But why did they call you?” she asked when he moved far enough away that she could breathe again. “You never told me. Do you work for the American embassy? Or the English embassy?”

The smile he gave her was a bright one, rueful and wry. He had beautiful white teeth and a pattern of crow’s-feet from the sun and wind that imbued his smiles with an endearing warmth. Casey smiled back without knowing why.

“No,” he assured her. “I am not with the embassy.”

That fancy British accent again. Not the kind you heard on BBC. The real posh one, just a bit nasally. If he hadn’t been standing right in front of her, Casey would have tried to mimic it. It was the closest she’d been to traveling to other countries before this.

What she really wanted, she realized, was to get to know Eric von Whatever better. Fat chance, from the looks of him. He looked as if he’d been afforded more in life than a flat and a high school education.

Outside the phone jangled, and one of the guards went to answer it.

“Your Highness?”

Eric turned to him.

Casey gaped. “Your what?”

Buy Link

Amazon

About the Author

New York Times bestselling, RWA Hall of Fame author Eileen Dreyer has published 31 romance novels in most genres, 8 medical/­forensic suspenses, and 10 short stories.

2015 sees Eileen enjoying critical acclaim for her foray into historical romance, the Drake’s Rakes series, which Eileen labels as Regency Romantic Adventure that follows a group of Regency aristocrats who are willing to sacrifice everything to keep their country safe. She is also working on her first non­fiction book, TRAVELS WITH DAVE, about a journey she’s been taking with a friend’s ashes.

A retired trauma nurse, Eileen lives in her native St. Louis with her husband, children, and large and noisy Irish family, of which she is the reluctant matriarch. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.

Connect with Eileen on Facebook, Twitter and her website, EileenDreyer.com.

Giveaway

Eileen will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. To enter, use the widget below — and don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! A full list of tour stops can be found here.

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Rafflecopter giveaway

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Read America Read: Free your books Nov 7!

Tomorrow (November 7th) I’m going to be giving away free books somewhere in San Diego, as part of this month’s Read America Read event.

What’s Read America Read? So glad you asked!

Read America Read distributes free books throughout North America. Founded by Gloria Mindock, Editor and Publisher of Cervena Barva Press, to get America reading again, the first event was held on October 10, 2015.

Events are held monthly, throughout the US, to help share books with all those who enjoy them.

Read America Read is an organization that makes reading popular again, with the help of editors, publishers, writers, and lovers of books.

Want to get involved?

Leave a book in your hometown on the train, subway car, bus, cafe or anywhere that is a good place. Let’s get America reading again!

Contact Gloria at gloria@Read-America-Read.org to be added as a participant and receive a free bookmark to add to the books you’re planning to give away.

San Diego fun!

Find my free books somewhere in San Diego on November 7th. I’ll be armed with the following books:

Murder with Reservations by Elaine Viets
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Scent of Danger: The Nancy Drew Files, Case #44 by Carolyn Keene
The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson, and
We Are Glass by u.v. ray

Since most of these books are mysteries, I’m planning to plant them somewhere “mysterious” in San Diego. See if you can uncover the location of my books, based on clues posted on Twitter, Facebook and this blog. Snap a photo of any of the book(s) you find, and win a copy of one of my books, too!

Ready to play? Check back on November 7th for my first clues!

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Friday Night Liberty: San Diego local authors event, Nov 6

On the first Friday of every month, San Diego’s Liberty Station hosts an open-house event called Friday Night Liberty. Museums, galleries, dance and artist studios all open their doors to visitors, offering free food and live music, as well as a chance for locals to chat with the artists that call Liberty Station home.

Joining the festivities, San Diego Writers Ink also holds an open house from 5 to 8 PM on the first Friday of every month. You can see the artwork on the Ink Spot’s walls, talk to fellow writers, snack on treats, and hang out in the writing center.

This month, on November 6, SDWI is also holding a special Author Showcase. Along with a few other local writers, I’ll be there selling copies of my books and chatting with visitors.

If you’re in the San Diego area, stop by to support local authors and see what we’re up to during NaNoWriMo!

You can find San Diego Writers Ink (the Ink Spot) in the Point Loma neighborhood at:

2730 Historic Decatur Dr, Barracks 16, Suite #202

San Diego, CA 92106

I look forward to seeing you there!

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