Alyssa Goodnight's Blog, page 6

Austensibly Ordinary Launch Party!

I know, I know! I should have posted launch party pics a long time ago.  Sorry that I’m just now getting to it. If you can’t tell from the photos, it was awesome. We did it at Dunn Bros Coffee in Friendswood, outside on the patio, and it was the perfect venue. The evening was chilly but not too cold, so the coffee, cocoa, and chai lattes went perfectly with the cupcakes. We’d intended to have chocolate fountains, but it was so breezy, the chocolate kept getting flung off the fountains, so we switched to chocolate fondue in crockpots.

There were Scrabble games scattered about, but I’m not sure anyone played.  We did have a couple of party games though, which broke the ice and got everyone having fun. We played “Who Am I?” which is basically that Headbanz game, but we slapped stickers on the backs of guests as they came in, each one labeled with the name of a pop culture reference from either AUSTENTATIOUS or AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY. (Think Elvis, Shrek, Darth Vader, and Doris Day) The party-goers were supposed to do their best impression when they figured out who they were–hilarious!

After that we played a game my husband had created for the launch of AUSTENTATIOUS. Drawing his inspiration from the magical journal, he printed out passages from a few well-known novels and told guests to trim them down to craft fortune-cookie style advice a la Jane Austen. Unbeknowst to me, the passages were a tad racy and the advice, a bit X-rated. Jane would have been shocked!  Still, a good time was had by all. I did a brief reading and was told I read too fast. During my reading at the AUSTENTATIOUS launch, everyone discovered that Whitney Houston had died. This year, they discovered that J.J. Watt had been named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. I should probably be pleased fewer people were paying attention. (Readings aren’t really my strong-suit.)

There was an interesting dude roaming around the entire time we were there–through the setup, the party, and the take-down.  He shifted seats constantly, managed to sneak into various pictures, and nabbed a handful of cupcakes.  We jokingly referred to him as “The Stalker.”  It’s probably obvious from the picture that he’s not my target audience.  All in all, a great time, planned by a great group of ladies, my Launch Posse.

 

Book Review Club ~ * Feb 2013 *

Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club is back with another installment of great reviews!

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@Barrie Summy

My own novel AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY came out last week, and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up! But you should really judge it for yourself, so I will be reviewing:

Nikki Loftin’s

THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY

From Amazon:

Lorelei is bowled over by Splendid Academy–Principal Trapp encourages the students to run in the hallways, the classrooms are stocked with candy dishes, and the cafeteria serves lavish meals featuring all Lorelei’s favorite foods. But the more time she spends at school, the more suspicious she becomes. Why are her classmates growing so chubby? And why do the teachers seem so sinister?

It’s up to Lorelei and her new friend Andrew to figure out what secret this supposedly splendid school is hiding. What they discover chills their bones–and might even pick them clean!

Mix one part magic, one part mystery, and just a dash of Grimm, and you’ve got the recipe for a cozy-creepy read that kids will gobble up like candy.

Last Friday, my son’s elementary school had an author visit from Nikki (because I’m the PTA Literacy Chair, and I set it up).  She spoke to the 4th and 5th graders about fairy tales and how she twisted one around to make a totally fun new story.  Then, thirty kids from each grade got to participate in a Writers Workshop with her, where they brainstormed ideas for a totally new story.  (My son was one of the lucky ones.)

THE KIDS LOVED HER!!

She is so personable and engaging that everyone was entertained (and informed, of course). I bought a copy of her book for my son and I, and he finished it on Saturday.  So, in a day and a half.  He loved it, and since I haven’t had time to read it, I asked him if he’d like to do the review for today, and he agreed.  So, I give you, his review of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, by Nikki Loftin:

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy was a fabulous book!! It was always full of suspense and had a few parts where you were frightened for Lorelei. Also, it was true to its cover; (not that I judged it by that of course) it was sinisterly sweet and sweetly sinister. If I had to rate it on a scale of one to five, I would give it a good solid ten!!!  

Alex Goodnight, fifth grader-

There you have it.  Probably the most succinct review ever presented on this site!  I look forward to reading it myself!

Please visit Barrie’s blog (click on the typewriter above) for plenty of other great reviews!

The Aftermath

While the celebration is still going on, I wanted to go ahead and pick the winner of the sassy red Penguin Drop-Caps edition of Pride and Prejudice.

The winner is Christa, who left the following comment:

“I love this idea. I am making my self some notes already about what to post. I do not have a blog (guess I should consider that) but excited to participate and will share with my local JASA here in the Tampa area. Can’t wait to read the new book. This will be great.”

Enjoy!

While we didn’t end up with 200 participants signing up on this blog, there were, most certainly, well over two hundred individuals who expressed their love for Jane’s most well-loved classic across the web.  And that’s perfectly wonderful.

I have been slowly working my way through all of your tributes and letters to Jane, and they are truly lovely, funny, witty, heartfelt, and worthy of attention, so if you have a chance, visit as many as you can!

May the celebrations continue, with read-alongs, like the one at Austenprose, and rediscoveries.  Enjoy!

Somewhat ironically, I am guest-posting today over at Anna Horner’s blog, Diary of an Eccentric on why Emma is my favorite Austen novel.  Please swing by if you get a chance!

There are also various places around the web to win a copy of Austensibly Ordinary, but not for very much longer.  Try Free Book Friday, Chick Lit is Not Dead, Austen Authors, Austenprose, and Diary of an Eccentric.

AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY is out TODAY!

Yep, today’s the day. Yay!  And below is my attempt to share a Wordle I created for the book.  (Couldn’t do better than a screen shot…)

I’ve had some really great bloggers review Austensibly Ordinary and say nice things.  Here are some of my favorites:

 

“You’ll love getting tangled up in this delicious novel.”

— SheKnows.com Read the entire review!

“From the author ofAustentatious comes a charming and inventive new novel in which a magic journal imbued with the spirit of Jane Austen ensures the path of true love runs a little more smoothly.”

— USA Today Happy Ever After blog

“An utter delight from start to finish… I deem Austensibly Ordinary to be a delightful romance, with Austen-y goodness and a bit of fantastical silliness.”

 — A Reader of Fictions Read the entire review!

“A fun mash-up of elements, and a fantastically fun voice. And the healthy dose of supah-sexah doesn’t hurt, either… Highly recommended for fans of Austen adaptations, fun contemporary romance, or those in need of a good funk-breaker book.

— The Book Rat Read the entire review!

“Alyssa Goodnight has a light-hearted grasp of human nature that is akin to Jane Austen, and she is easily adept at sharing the hearts of her characters. Reading one of her books is up-lifting. It makes you smile!”

— A Bookish Librarian Read the entire review!

 

If you read it, let me know what you think!

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Happy 200th, Pride and Prejudice!

It’s here, finally! The 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice! Welcome to the hop! Please be sure to click through to read the posts from each of our participating bloggers. Thank you so much to Courtney Webb at Stiletto Storytime for co-hosting this hop with me! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful time celebrating Jane and P&P!

January 28th, 2013

Dear Jane,

I admit, it feels slightly odd not to be writing this note on pretty stationery, with an elegant fountain pen, but some things have changed.  Handwritten letters have become almost obsolete, and in their place we have emails.  There are those who believe capital letters and punctuation are no longer necessary either—would you believe that punctuation marks are now used to create sideways smiley faces called emoticons.  I much prefer punctuation as it was originally intended, but the smiley faces do help to set the mood for an abrupt three word email.

Anyway, I digress.  We are celebrating 200 years of Pride and Prejudice goodness!  Think of all the romantic souls you’ve touched, all the Darcy crushes you’ve inspired, all the fan fiction you’ve prompted, and the cottage industry you’ve launched!  Simply magnificent!  I wonder if you knew when you conjured the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy that he would become the brooding hero that launched a thousand spin-offs?  Or that we’d all aspire to be Elizabeth Bennet in online quizzes…   (No, of course you didn’t.)  I hope you’re impressed with yourself!

I first read THE GREAT BRITISH NOVEL in high school British Literature.  I then read it again in college for one of a token few required liberal arts classes.  I adored it both times.  It wasn’t until just last year, however, that I had the pleasure of seeing Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth lead a truly stellar adaptation of the novel.  I now feel, officially, in the fan club.  Great to be here!

It’s interesting to me that Pride and Prejudice began as an epistolary novel, originally titled First Impressions.  Imagine if you were to write this novel now, in the age of emails and acronyms and emoticons.  Not to mention texts and Twitter.  I wonder how different it would be.

Instead of:

“She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.”


we might have something like this exchange of texts:

 

Bingley:  Her? Behind you.  Pretty.  Seems nice enough.

Darcy:  If she were pretty, she’d be dancing.

Bingley:  Stuff it—ask her!

Darcy:  I will not!  Playing WWF with Caroline.

 

Perhaps instead of overhearing Darcy’s unflattering remarks at the Meryton Assembly, Elizabeth gets the entire conversation “accidentally” forwarded to her when Caroline hijacks her brother’s phone.  (Darcy would naturally not stoop to emoticons. And WWF is Words With Friends, not World Wrestling Federation, although that might be humorous…)

 The literary landscape simply wouldn’t be the same… Pride and Prejudice remains a beloved classic even amid today’s technological bustle—for countless worthy reasons far too numerous to list here.  So today we celebrate you and your magnificent accomplishment, Jane!  If your spirit is lingering—and I truly hope it is—I hope you have found a Mr. Darcy of your very own.

 

Very sincerely,

Alyssa Goodnight

**Please see the post below for the list of participating bloggers. I couldn’t get the list to repost…

Pride and Prejudice Anniversary Party Blog Hop

A BIG anniversary is coming up, in the not-so-distant future.  And it’s not mine (although, at the end of December I celebrated 18 awesome years of marriage)!

On January 28th, 2013, it will be the 200th anniversary of the original publication date of Pride and Prejudice!  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  

Certainly there are older classics, but are there older classics that are not only still being read, but still inspiring an insane amount of fan fiction, not to mention screenplays?  Are there older classics that have a Bollywood version or an online diary?  Older classics with the allure of Mr. Darcy and the face of Colin Firth?

I think not.

So I would like to do something special.  To make this anniversary Austentatious, if you will.  Because this anniversary is special to me for a secondary reason as well.  I have a Jane Austen-inspired book coming out the very next day!

If you’ve read Austentatious, you know that it’s not intended as a retelling, or spin-off, but simply an homage.  Having a magical journal that channels the literary darling–the patron saint of happily-ever-afters–nearly two hundred years after her death lets us believe for a few happy moments that she’s not quite finished with match-making.  That makes me very happy indeed.

Austensibly Ordinary (another homage with some bits and pieces of Emma thrown in) will be released on January 29th, 2013, and although it’s only a sequel to Austentatious in the most limited way, the magical journal ties the two books together.  So, in a sense, Jane is back!  Just in time for our little anniversary party!

So let’s get down to details.  I would like–I would very graciously appreciate–your help.  I’ve enlisted the help of Courtney Webb of Stiletto Storytime.  She and I are co-hosting the Pride and Prejudice 200th Anniversary Party Blog Hop!

My intention–my hope–is to get 200 people to join the party and celebrate Pride and Prejudice.  Maybe that’s crazy, but I’m optimistic!!  If you have a blog, post about your first time reading the novel, your first time seeing the 1995 A&E/BBC production, your love of Colin Firth as Fitzwilliam Darcy, your obsession with the spin-offs, or the little birthday party you throw Jane every year.  Let this be your fan letter to Jane.  Enjoy your time remembering…or revisiting.  If you don’t have a blog, post your fan letter in the comments–it’s all good!

If you’d like to participate (and why wouldn’t you??), please sign-up with the Linky below, grab the button above, and plan to post your fan letter on the big day: Monday, January 28th, 2013.  I am going to give away the gorgeous Penguin Drop Caps edition of Pride and Prejudice to one participant.  Your post or comment is your entry.  Feel free to add to the fun with a giveaway of your own!

Please encourage others to join us.  I think this will be a blast!

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Book Review Club ~ * Jan 2013 *

Happy New Year!  We are a week and a half into my kids’ two-week holiday break and time is flying!  Only a few more days till they go back to school and things go back to normal and I start making some serious progress on my current work-in-progress.  At least that’s what I’m hoping…

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@Barrie Summy

I almost decided not to participate in this month’s meeting of Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club, but then I rallied!  I love participating and it was high time for a blog post from me.  My biggest deterrent to participating was the fact that I’ve read very little over the last month or so–I suppose I’ve been too wound up–too many things to do.  I never felt like I had a good chunk of time to read.  I hope to start the new year out on a more relaxing note.

I did manage to finish a couple of books, both by authors I’ve featured over the years in my Book Review Club posts, and I started a third, rather dark one that I couldn’t get into over the holidays, so I’m just doing a medley.

First off: The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen.  I reviewed a Royal Spyness Mystery back in Nov 2010.  Georgie Rannoch is now 35th in line to the throne of England, still poor and at the mercy of relatives, still in love with her mysterious Darcy, and still tripping over murders.  In this book, she takes a job as a social planner for young guests at a country house.  The owners have decided to accept paying guests at an “Old English Christmas,” with all the trimmings and traditions.  Someone else has decided to start killing villagers…

This book was a fun read, particularly in the days leading up to Christmas.  The regular characters were fun to “meet” again, and the new ones were full of personality. I will admit, I didn’t see the ending coming, but then…I’m not one to puzzle most mysteries out.  I prefer the enjoyment of letting them unfold on their own.  The inclusion of traditional English Christmas recipes was a nice touch!



The second book I finished was The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne.  I reviewed Hester Browne’s The Finishing Touches at the Aug 2009 meeting of the Book Review Club.  I adore Hester Browne, and The Runaway Princess did not disappoint, although it was a colossal 420 pages!!  True to form, this book (like the others before it) made me want to move to London and indulge in a little romance. Browne’s heroines are feisty and best friend material, and her heroes are swoony and perfect boyfriend material. I love the wit, the humor, the unexpected twists, the pop culture references, and the ROMANCE! The Runaway Princess had the bonus features of handsome royalty and a modern-day fairy tale plot , and I was utterly charmed the whole way through. The ending was absolutely perfect!

The book I had to put down (temporarily!)  in favor of something a little lighter, was Blackwood by Gwenda Bond.  It’s set on modern-day Roanoke Island, and the storyline revolves around the disappearance of 114 settlers from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago.  Well, that and the fact that 114 people have suddenly disappeared again!  So far, a teenage girl has seen a mysterious ghost ship no one else noticed, and a teenage boy, who left the island because hearing the voices of the dead was simply too overwhelming (go figure…), has come back to team up with her to solve the mystery.  I’m ready to get going on it again!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday, and I wish you the best in 2013!!

Most Anticipated Books of 2013

Naturally I have a list of books I simply can’t wait to read (don’t we all??)  The list of those I have to wait to actually be published is growing ever longer.  Here are a few I am eagerly anticipating in 2013…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which ones are on your list??

Christmas with Jane!

I am at the Book Review Club blog today (I was yesterday too!)  There’s a guest post, an interview, and a chance to win an ARC of AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY.  So get over there!

The Pumpkin Pie Travesty

So today is the Thanksgiving Holiday Lunch at my younger son’s elementary school. What this entails is a Thanksgiving-inspired menu and an invitation to parents to join the ‘feast.’  Typically, parents are served the exact same lunch as the kids, with slightly bigger portions, and  a choice of iced tea to drink.  This year, in their infinite wisdom (consider the sarcasm dripping), the School Board–or possible a state agency, I have no idea whose bright idea this was–has decided that the Thanksgiving meal, with its turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, and roll–and a carton of milk–has too many calories to allow the kids to have the customary sliver of pumpkin pie.  This year, the parents are being served a piece of pie, but the kids are not.  Here’s my two cents on that:

What the heck is the point of a Thanksgiving meal without the pumpkin pie???

The principal has said that, of course, parents can give  their pumpkin pie to their kids, but what about kids whose parents couldn’t come???  Ridiculous!  It makes me want to head up there with a stack of pumpkin pies and slice ‘em up and hand ‘em around–with a big ole dollop of Cool Whip!!

My son isn’t having the Thanksgiving meal–the pumpkin pie and roll would have been the only things he wanted on the whole tray–and I’m not attending.  I’m just ranting from home, imagining all those sad little faces that aren’t getting pumpkin pie.

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