Sylvain Reynard's Blog, page 42
September 13, 2011
St. Francis, Paperbacks and Road Trips
Dear Everyone,Recently, I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for Miss Tamie of The Book Hookup, on the subject of Muses. You can read the post and see the artwork I included here.
Last week, I mentioned a Book Club that put together a list of refreshments to accompany each chapter of "Gabriel's Inferno."
These week, I want to mention a reader who took her copy of my novel to Assisi. You can see the photographs she shared with me above.
Assisi is a special city to me and to many other people. It was the home of St. Francis and today, it houses the great Basilica, in which he is buried. You can view a short video of the crypt here.
St. Francis was not only a generous and holy man, he was very wise. He had compassion for the sick, generosity for the poor, a respect for nature and an affection for animals. You can read more about his life and what Dante thought about him here. Perhaps one of his best known writings is his prayer of peace:
"Lord make me
an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred,
Let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, Joy.
O Divine Master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled
As to console;
To be understood,
As to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it is in dying that we are
Born to eternal life."
You can listen to a musical version of St. Francis' prayer performed by Sarah McLachlan, here.
If you have a photograph of your copy of "Gabriel's Inferno" (either paperback or e-reader) that you'd like to send to me, you can do so by emailing me through this site, or sending it to me via Twitter or Facebook.
Where would you like to take the Professor? Where do you think he should go? I look forward to your pictures.
All the best and thanks for reading,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
PS. The lovely ladies of KLB Virtual Events are hosting a book blog tour for me from September 19 - October 3. There will be interviews, book reviews and giveaways. I'll be posting more details soon.
September 7, 2011
Book Clubs and Libations
Recently, Professor Emerson sat down with Julie of "A Tale of Many Reviews" for an interview. You'll want to read it and enter the contest.
Those of you who have read "Gabriel's Inferno" know that the Professor is impatient with mediocrity. This impatience is directed at persons, places and things, especially those things having to do with the pleasures of the body. He's extremely fastidious about his choice of alcohol, for example, and how that alcohol is served.
A lovely group of ladies in Texas decided to read "Gabriel's Inferno" for their book club. They put together a drink list for each chapter, which, I'm told, made their meetings even more enjoyable. Here's an excerpt from their letter to me:
http://www.sylvainreynard.com/2011/09...
September 6, 2011
Book Clubs and Libations
Dear Everyone,
Recently, Professor Emerson sat down with Julie of A Tale of Many Reviews for an interview. You'll want to read it and enter the contest.
Those of you who have read "Gabriel's Inferno" know that the Professor is impatient with mediocrity. This impatience is directed at persons, places and things, especially those things having to do with the pleasures of the body. He's extremely fastidious about his choice of alcohol, for example, and how that alcohol is served.
A lovely group of ladies in Texas decided to read "Gabriel's Inferno" for their book club. They put together a drink list for each chapter, which, I'm told, made their meetings even more enjoyable. Here's an excerpt from their letter to me:
"When the book club I'm in, the Winsome Wenches of Windmere Place, a collection of bawdy babes who love to read and dissect good books, chose my recommendation of Sylvain Reynard's book, Gabriel's Inferno, as the next novel for our edification, amazement, and amusement, I was thrilled.
Our club meets in each other's homes on a rotating basis. We share a meal and drinks before we begin our feasting upon the chosen novel. I thought it might be fun to imbibe what the characters in Gabriel's Inferno drink in order to share their mind sets more acutely. Since the book was my recommendation, I also got the honor of creating the following schedule:
Week One
Chapters 1 – 3
pps. 1 – 20
For the less practiced and less refined palate, a Tequila Sunrise.
2 msr Tequila
orange juice
Pour tequila in a highball glass with ice, and top with orange juice. Stir. Add grenadine by tilting glass and pouring grenadine down side by flipping the bottle vertically very quickly. The grenadine should go straight to the bottom and then rise up slowly through the drink. Garnish stirrer straw with a cherry and a wedge of orange.
Week Two
Chapters 4 - 7
pps. 21 – 65
*Julia demonstrates how to properly drink wine.*
*Antonio serves Chianti.*
*Gabriel serves Chianti after letting it come to room temperature.*
Week Three
Chapters 8 - 9
pps. 66 – 109
*The girls drink Cosmopolitans."
Cosmopolitan
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz cranberry juice
Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.
*Gabriel ordered a double shot of Laphroiag twenty-five year old neat with a small glass of spring water, non sparkling.
Laphroaig
(Pronounced: La-froigk) "
Thank you, Ladies, for preparing this guide and for sharing it with me.
If your Book Club decides to read "Gabriel's Inferno," would you let me know? The ladies of Windmere Place are willing to share their One Sip at a Time guide to the book. And if you need discussion questions, I can provide them.
As always, I welcome your comments. Thank you to everyone who commented on last week's post on Kindness.
All the best,
SR
PS. Through my Twitter account, I've been trying to highlight charities to raise awareness about various causes. If you're on Twitter, would you consider doing the same? Thank you.
August 30, 2011
Kindness is never wasted
Kindles and Kindle applications allow readers to highlight lines in a book that they find particularly meaningful or poetic. Similarly, Goodreads allows readers to add quotes from an author or to favourite those quotations.
There are two quotations from "Gabriel's Inferno" that are mentioned by readers more than any others. First, "Kindness is never wasted." Second, "Sometimes goodness doesn't tell everything it knows. Sometimes goodness waits for the appropriate time and does the best it can with what it has."
I included these ideas intentionally, associating them both with the character of Julia Mitchell. Let me explain why.
Kindness is an underestimated virtue. It's common in our society for people to champion tolerance, and rightly so. It's less common for people to go further and advocate kindness. Toleration puts up with people and their idiosyncrasies, their flaws and imperfections. Kindness welcomes people. It honours a person's humanity and dignity. It says, "You are worthwhile and valuable, just as you are."
Kindness isn't easy. But it is valuable, no matter what. Kindness is the right choice because it's the right thing to do - not because it will win us friends, or fame or money. Thus, kindness is never wasted, even though the recipient of kindness might reject us or our actions or spit in our faces, for one reason or another. Kindness makes the giver vulnerable. It can change the life of the recipient.
Julia Mitchell is not a woman who has experienced much kindness in her life. Yet, she is kind. For all her flaws (and she has many), she chooses to be kind. She chooses, even in difficult circumstances, not to hit back, not to curse, not to be bitter. Readers have had very strong reactions to her, but I think most would admit that her kindness is a virtue to be recognized and praised. As the author, I believe that the contrast between the way she has been treated and the way she treats others shows that she is a praiseworthy character.
I welcome your comments, as always.
All the best everyone and thanks for reading,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
August 24, 2011
Music- Bésame mucho
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm interested in the way music can help an author set a scene. In two scenes in "Gabriel's Inferno," the song Bésame mucho (recorded by Diana Krall), plays an important role. However, the meaning of the song shifts with the narrative.
You can listen to the song on my playlist. Here are the lyrics by Consuelo Velazquez, a Mexican songwriter and pianist who wrote the song at the age of sixteen, before she had been kissed:
“Bésame, bésame mucho
Como si fuera esta noche
La última vez ....
http://www.sylvainreynard.com/2011/08...
August 23, 2011
Music - "Bésame mucho"
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm interested in the way music can help an author set a scene. In two scenes in "Gabriel's Inferno," the song Bésame mucho (recorded by Diana Krall), plays an important role. However, the meaning of the song shifts with the narrative.
You can listen to the song on my playlist. Here are the lyrics by Consuelo Velazquez, a Mexican songwriter and pianist who wrote the song at the age of sixteen, before she had been kissed:
"Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después
Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después
Quiero tenerte muy cerca Mirarme en tus ojos Verte junto a mi Piensa que tal vez mañana Yo ya estaré lejos Muy lejos de ti
Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después
Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después
Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después."
Here is the English translation:
"Kiss me a lot
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, As if tonight was the last time.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, Because I fear to lose you, To lose you later on.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, As if tonight was the last time.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, Because I fear to lose you, To lose you later on.
I want to have you very close To see myself in your eyes, To see you next to me, Think that perhaps tomorrow I already will be far, very far from you.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, As if tonight was the last time.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, Because I fear to lose you, To lose you later on.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot, Because I fear to lose you, To lose you again.
Because I fear to lose you, To lose you later on."
Although the translation might help, it's probably unnecessary. The music speaks for itself and that's exactly the kind of song I was looking for in these scenes.
Thanks for reading (and listening).
All the best,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
PS. I mentioned author Heather Huffman and her support of WorldVision in a previous post. She has moved her books to Booktrope.com. You can read "Throwaway" for free on that site. Please consider donating to WorldVision if you read one of her books. I highlight a charity every day on my Twitter account. Today's charity is WorldVision.
I was fortunate to be interviewed by Miss Tamie of The Book Hookup yesterday. You can read the interview here. In it, I mentioned a book club that has compiled a drinks list for each chapter of "Gabriel's Inferno." I'll be sharing part of that list with you soon.
Thank you to Didimarble for more information on Consuelo!
August 19, 2011
Announcement
I'm afraid if you're reading this you probably received an email update earlier today, stating there would be an announcement of the release date of my book.
I apologize for the confusion and the - ah - premature release. It's most embarrassing, I assure you, even if it's rather common.
Somehow, there was a technological glitch that re-sent the announcement from the release of "Gabriel's Inferno." I'm afraid the release date for its sequel hasn't been set.
However, the sequel is progressing nicely. Thank you kindly for asking about it and offering your enthusiasm and encouragement. I appreciate it greatly.
Enjoy your day and your weekend.
All best,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
PS. In the meantime, if you haven't seen the post on Dante, Sex and God you can read it here. Several readers weighed in with comments. I welcome more.
Also, if you'd like me to autograph your Kindle, you can do this through Kindlegraph.
August 16, 2011
Dante, Sex and God
Dear Everyone,
There is a scene in "Gabriel's Inferno" in which the main character gives a lecture at the University of Toronto on the topic of Lust in Dante's Inferno. Professor Emerson is very familiar with lust and its various forms and some of his expertise emerges during his presentation.
In an interview that I did recently with Tigris Eden, (which will be posted soon), I identified Gabriel as a sensualist. He's obsessed with the pleasures of the body – taste, touch, sound, smell, sight. You can see this in his choice of Scotch, food, sex, art, music, fine clothing and writing instruments, etc.
Julia is very different from Gabriel. She is a product of her upbringing and circumstances, but also of her choices. Rather than focusing on the pleasures of the body, she has favoured the pleasures of the soul – education, friendship, and love.
Throughout the course of the novel, the topic of sex is raised by different characters who espouse different views of it. Last week's post was a glimpse into the music and ideas associated with Julia and her past. Several readers commented on the music and lyrics of the song. I enjoyed reading their reactions and so this week I welcomed readers to contact me via Twitter, Facebook or email to share their ideas about the connection between sex and God.
The response was overwhelming.
Many readers emphasized the connection between partners that emerges through sex – a connection of knowledge, intimacy, and giving. Some readers emphasized the transcendence or the sublime as it's experienced in sex.
Readers identified themselves as coming from various different perspectives – some religious, some not. In all, I was surprised at the similarity among the comments and how reader's reflections overlapped with my own views.
Over the course of writing a story that presents the redemption of sex as much as the redemption of a man, I've wondered about the relationship between sex, love and God. I'll never be able to do justice to these connections in this short post, but I'll present some of my reflections so far.
My suspicion is that sex offers human beings a glimpse of the transcendent in the way nature or human creations caused the Romantic poets to think of the sublime, or what Wordsworth termed "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings."
If a Grecian urn, frost, or the ruins of an old abbey can inspire such reactions, how much more can sex? And if the powerful feelings elicited by nature or artifacts provoke us to think about our place in the world, how much more can sex provoke us to think of similar things and beyond?
What I have in mind here is the way that sex is all-consuming during the act and especially, during orgasm. Sex focuses all attention on the attainment of its goal – satisfaction. But one can also think of sex as a symbol of something else. The greatest of bodily pleasures could be seen as a foretaste of Dante's Paradise,where one is known and loved intimately by the Divine and all one's desires are satisfied, not just for moments but for eternity.
When Dante visits Paradise, he meets St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). In description of the meeting Dante writes, "Though he had been absorbed in his delight, that contemplator freely undertook the task of teaching." [Canto 32.1]
He goes on to describe Paradise this way,
"The King through whom this kingdom finds content
in so much love and so much joyousness
that no desire would dare to ask for more." [Canto 32.61]
I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what heaven is like, if they believe in heaven. I have a fondness for Dante's vision - that heaven is a place of absorbing delight, where everyone is content, loved and joyous, and one's deepest and best desires are satisfied to the point where there is no more desire.
It sounds similar to sex, doesn't it?
In the closing lines of the end of his Paradiso, Dante pens the following:
"But then my mind was struck by light that flashed
and, with this light, received what it had asked.
Here force failed my high fantasy; but my
desire and will were moved already—like
a wheel revolving uniformly—by
the Love that moves the sun and the other stars." [Canto 33]
Through his visit to Paradise, Dante is given insight into the workings of the universe. Everything is governed by love. From a Dantean perspective, then, it doesn't seem to be too great a leap to suggest that sex within the context of love is a picture or an image of Paradise.
Once again, I welcome your thoughts below. Thanks for reading,
SR
PS. If you have friends who are interested in reading "Gabriel's Inferno," please let them know about two contests in which they can enter to win a copy.
Also, you can read reviews of my book in languages other than English here.
August 9, 2011
Music - Nine Inch Nails
The musical reference in "Gabriel's Inferno" that has generated the most discussion is the mention of Nine Inch Nails. Some readers enjoy Trent Reznor, (the creative force behind the band), and his music. Some readers don't.
Within the context of the story, Professor Emerson explains that he listens to Nine Inch Nails only when he is in a particular mood. In contrast, Julia never listens to them because she associates a particular song with a bad experience. (Warning: Some people might find the song disturbing and/or offensive)
A character's musical tastes can shed light on what he or she finds beautiful or meaningful. The music a character avoids can be similarly illuminating, by drawing attention to lyrics or ideas that he or she finds distasteful.
In my conversations with readers, I've encountered varying musical tastes (as one might expect). As I pointed out in these discussions, not all my references to Nine Inch Nails are negative. For example, there is a scene in which Gabriel confesses that he has spent a lot of time listening to Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, which was composed by Trent Reznor. Julia admits that Hurt resonates with her, as well. There is also a scene in which Paul claims to like a song that Trent Reznor recorded with Tori Amos.
In the comments section, I invite your remarks on musical taste in general and on Nine Inch Nails specifically. (I only ask that you don't post spoilers for the story!)
I enjoy interacting with readers. It's been a great pleasure to meet many of you through email, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
All the best and thanks for reading,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
PS. If you've read "Gabriel's Inferno," would you consider writing a review on Goodreads or Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de?
August 4, 2011
Autographs, etc.
Since "Gabriel's Inferno" was released in April, I've had the privilege of connecting with a number of you through email, Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter. (If you haven't found me through one of these interfaces yet, please drop me a line to say hello.)
Several of you mailed your paperback copies of the novel to the publisher for me to autograph, and even more of you requested personalized bookplates. (Click here for more information on how to do this.)
Up to this point, Kindle and Nook readers have been left out ... unless they wanted to stick a bookplate to the back of their e-reader. (Although this would be flattering, I wouldn't recommend it)
But Kindlegraph of Seattle, WA has come up with a creative way for Kindle owners (and Nook owners) to request autographs from their favourite authors.
Here's how it works: You sign in to your Twitter account (or create one and sign in, if you don't have one), you go to the Author's Page, then you request an autograph. The author receives an alert showing that you've requested an autograph, and they electronically sign a document that is then sent back to your Kindle. The name shown to the author is the name associated with your Twitter account. You can watch a screencast of this procedure here.
For Nook owners, Kindlegraph put together a slightly different process. They can sign up with a regular email address and receive their autograph as a PDF. (Since this works for Nook, I'm hoping it will work for KOBO owners, too).
I should mention that the people who manage Kindlegraph are very nice and if you have a problem you can contact them directly. They're very helpful.
I welcome your comments below. And if you're supporting one of the charities I'm supporting, would you please let me know?
In other news, the sequel is progressing nicely and I've been grateful for your words of support and encouragement as it's prepared for publication. Thanks again.
All the best everyone and thanks for reading,
SR
www.sylvainreynard.com
PS. As I mentioned on Twitter this week, you can read excerpts of a number of reviews of "Gabriel's Inferno" here, with links to the full articles.
