Ute Carbone's Blog, page 19

A Giveaway for the Cold Days of January

I don't know how the weather is where you are, but here in New England it is bitterly cold. So cold I've decided to stay inside rather than go walking in the woods. The best cure for the too-cold-to-be-outside blues is a hot cup of coffee or chocolate or tea and a good book.
Dancing in the White Room is all about winter and skiing. So, in honor of the season, I'm running a contest on Good Reads. You can enter it here. And you don't need to go out into the cold to do it! .goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; } Goodreads Book Giveaway Dancing in the White Room by Ute Carbone

Giveaway ends February 01, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

A Baker's Dozen--My Top Reads for 2014

There is little I like better than sitting down with a good book and being immersed in the story. Good books can transport you to other places, let you walk in the shoes of other people, live in a different time. They can open you to new ideas and help you to see the world in a whole new way. 
The end of the year is often a time for taking stock and, in that spirit, I give you the best books I read last year. My list is entirely subjective, based on nothing more than my own enjoyment. I think, though, you might enjoy reading these as well.

My Top Three :

Tell The Wolves I'm Home
Carol Rifka Brunt
I read my top pick early in the year--last January--and nothing surpassed this wonderful emotional read. I fell in love with fifteen year old June, who is just trying to figure out the world and deal with the loss of her beloved uncle to AIDS. The bitter sweet ending had me in tears.


The Invention of Wings
Sue Monk Kidd
I've been a big fan of Sue Monk Kidd's books since I read The Secret Life of Bees some years ago, so it's no wonder I loved this one. Set in pre-civil war Charleston, the book follows the lives of Sarah Grimke and Handful, the slave she is given for her eleventh birthday.  The book is an unflinching account of slavery and women's rights in the 19th century. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good historical


Benediction
Kent Haruf
Like Haruf's other books, Benediction is filled with spare prose that echoes the spare high plains he wrote about. It's a simple story--a man with terminal cancer goes home to die-- and yet within these pages are characters that got under my skin and lingered there long after I'd read the last words. 
Kent Haruf passed away at the end of November.  His books will be long remembered..


Ten More I'd Recommend--


The Lost Garden
Helen Humphreys
A novella set in Devon during World War II, this is a book to linger over. The prose is delicate and wonderful.


What Alice Forgot
Liane Moriarty
Part laughter, part heartbreak, the story of Alice, who loses ten years of her life when she hits her head in spinning class, will warm your heart on a cold day.


Everyone is Beautiful
Katherine Center
The chaos of having young children is wonderfully portrayed in this funny and heartwarming read.


Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter
I loved the gentle humor in this book. The almost love affair between Pasquale and Dee is written with such tenderness that I had to include this book on my best list.


The Cinderella Deal
Jennifer Cruise
This is vintage Cruise. Not a deep read or a surprising plot, but just good old fashioned funny light romance.


The Alchemist's Daughter
Katherine McMahon
While it isn't a page-turner, this book is both thoughtful and provocative. It reminded me of the Gothic novels written by the Bronte sisters.


Tiny Acts of Love
Lucy Lawrie
A bit of a disclaimer here-- Lucy Lawrie is a writer I've 'known' online for a while and I read an early draft of this book. It is a wonderful story and well worth the read for the way in which new motherhood is so honestly (and humorously) portrayed.


Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
If you liked Gone Girl, you should read this one as well. Flynn has a knack for creating dysfunctional characters. A riveting read.


Saving Gracie
Nancy DeMarco
I met Nancy, who lives near me, at a local book event over the summer. Her book, a mix of mystery, romance, heartbreak and humor, is well worth the read.


Secrets Lies and Homicide
Patricia Dusenbury
The second Claire Marshall mysteries captures the soul of New Orleans. If you love a good mystery with a strong sense of place, this one's  for you.  




 

Write A Thin

As 2015 begins, I'm ready to take the plunge with the WFWA Write-A-Thin again. The idea? Set a goal for the month of January and then set to. I did the write-a-thin last year and loved all the support from my fellow Women's Fiction writers. There was lots of fun and encouragement. My goal then was to take a good chunk out of "Sweet Auralie (which I was calling "Willow at the time), the final part of the Sweet Lenora Series. I had hoped to get it to 20,000 words and I didn't quite make it that far. But I did finish the entire draft last November. Getting a good start with WFWA really helped it along. 
This year, I plan to work on my ski novel, The Fall Line. The draft is about two-thirds (or so) done at 50K as of this writing. I hope to get it to about 64K by the end of January, which will get me to the home stretch with the book. Wish me luck! 

Happy Holidays!

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

The little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
 
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
 
The woods are lovely dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

A Brand New Romantic Comedy

I love starting new things. And, over the past week or so, I've been playing with a new romantic comedy. It's just a seedling right now, the wee little start of a story that I hope will blossom and grow into a book. I'm calling it "Second Hand Love" at the moment though the title may change if I can think of something more suitable. It's set in New York and the main character is twenty three year old Zoe Markham,  a young woman with her first real job in journalism, who hopes to make a splash with a new blog called 'uncoupled' in which she writes about broken romances.
So far, I'm having fun with it!

Here's a little peek at the beginning, such that it is:

"I'm going to call it 'Uncoupled'."

Bella, who was carefully painting her finger and toenails fire engine red, shook her head. "You're kidding, right?"

This stung. I hadn't been kidding. Ever since Morgan Fenton, the executive editor at New York Today, the e-zine where I worked, mentioned he was toying with the idea of featuring a new blog, I'd been wracking my brain to come up with a theme. The idea hit me as I was lathering shampoo through my hair in the shower. It rose out of nowhere, as though the flowing water had finally freed my mind and I'd been so excited I shouted "eureka!" under the spray..

Leave it to my roommate to knock the wind, or water, or enthusiasm, right out of my idea with a simple wave of a nail polish brush. "It's too depressing, Zoe. I mean, do you think people will really want to read about breaking up?"

"Of course they will. You love hearing about my bad dates and crazy exes." I raised my eyebrows in triumph, because it was true, Bella would listen to all my stories as long as I provided the chardonnay.

"That's because I'm trying to help you," she answered without an ounce of irony. "By the way, what happened with Ryan?"

Case in point, just yesterday Bella had fixed me up with a friend of her fiancés, a stock broker who made the Wolves of Wall Street look like a puppy pack. I groaned. "He took me to the Palm, ordered up a fifty dollar steak and then spent the whole night with his ear glued to his cell phone. I think he should have asked the phone out to dinner."

An Update on The Whisper of Time

The Whisper of Time Okay, I think I've got my t's crossed and my i's dotted. I've got my fingers crossed to! The Whisper of Time is newly uploaded and will release on Dec 18th!  It's available for pre-order at Smashwords and should be available for pre-order at Amazon tomorrow. 
Order at Smashwords

The Whisper of Time Playlist

As I gear up to republish The Whisper of Time, I've created a playlist of some of the music I listened to while writing. Enjoy! More on The Whisper of Time Whisper of Time Playlist
(click song to play on you tube)

You and I Will Meet Again
Tom Petty

All That Heaven Will Allow
Bruce Springsteen

If There's a Rocket Tie Me To It
Snow Patrol

Happy
Secrets in Stereo


Just Breathe
Pearl Jam

A Peek at Whisper of Time

I gave Whisper another polish before getting it ready for publication, so it's coming along! I hope to have it up and running very soon.
The novella is the story of Gwynn Powell, who gets much more than she bargained for when she buys a farmhouse sight unseen in Vermont. 



Here's a short  excerpt:


The Jack trotted reluctantly over to his owner’s side. And I knew where I’d seen them before.

“You’re truck guy.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re the guy with the ancient truck. The one that tried to run me off the road today.”

I could see the dint of recognition light in the guy’s eyes. “I did not try to run you off the road.”

“You did too. I nearly ended up in a ditch.”

“You drive like my grandmother.”

“You have a truck old enough to be my grandmother’s.”

“It’s not that old. And at least I don’t drive it as though it were a horse and buggy.”

 Tardis started barking again, which got Tyrone going and made the cows to low out a complaint. “See, they all agree that you are an impatient lout.”

“Impatient lout? You don’t even know me.”

“You’re right. Why are you in my barn?”

“It’s my barn too, Sweetheart.” He crossed his arms.

“I’m not your sweetheart.” I bit the words out.

“Shut up, all of you.” Truck guy could be pretty imposing when he wanted to be. He stood there, tall, tan muscled forearms crossed one over the other looking like an imitation of a Norse god. Tardis stopped barking, so Tyrone stopped. Then the cows stopped. “Half this place belongs to me.”

“You’re Slate?” Stupid question number three. I don’t know why this hadn’t dawned on me yet, but I hadn’t considered a Norse god goatherd. Guess sometimes I can be a little thick.

“What did you think? That I’d broken into the barn so I could milk the cows?”

“No. I didn’t. Wait a minute. What do you mean half belongs to you?”

“I own half the farm.”

Bringing Back Whisper of Time

The Whisper of Time, a time travel romance novella, was published by Whisper's Publishing a few years ago. Unfortunately, the company went out of business, leaving the book without a home. I've gotten the rights back and, thanks to the generosity of the publisher and the  cover artist,  also have the rights to the original cover. 
I'm going to self-publish the novella. This is my first venture into do-it-yourself and I'm a little nervous about it. Though this novella, as a re-release from my back list, seems a great opportunity to try it out.
I'll keep you updated as I move forward. With luck, I'll have the novella up and running before too long.

Sweet Auralie is Done and Doner #amwriting

Yes! I've finished the draft of Sweet Auralie. It's a full length novel that completes Anton and Lenora's story in the Sweet Lenora series. Though, of course, it will be a good long time until it actually gets out to readers, but for moment, I'm feeling pretty darn good about this part of the story. It's always good to be able to say 'hey, this is okay' at the end of draft you've been wrestling with for a while. It's also a bitter sweet moment, because I've gotten very close to these characters and I think I'll miss spending time with them everyday in the garret. 

Here, still unedited, is  an excerpt from the beginning of the story--

The sun shone bright the morning of the hanging as though it were a perfect day for a picnic.. When I had ridden past the public square with Lenora’s brother, Edward, the day earlier, there were already booths being hammered together by local merchants making ready to sell wares at the spectacle.

“Will you attend?” Edward asked.

“I would not like to put Lenora through such an ordeal,” I answered. I should myself have liked to see Cyrus Abercrombie receive the justice he so richly deserved, but I did not hold with turning sober occasions into celebration.

“Aye. We shall stay home as well.” I wondered if Edward might have gone  if not for his wife, Meifeng. “You are quite right, ladies should not be subjected to such things. Perhaps no one should.”

Lenora’s countenance on that bright lit morn let me know I made the right decision. We stood in the garden of our little cottage and though we were far from the affair at the square, Lenora’s skin was pale as milk and I wondered if the ordeal—both the memory of what had happened and what was about to transpire-- made her ill.

“You should not trouble yourself so.” I took her by the hand and hoped she could feel the sincerity of my words.

“I wish there were some other way to bring him to justice.” She looked out over the bay. The view always brought solace to my heart and I trusted it would do the same for her. She was a daughter of the sea, the daughter of a ship builder. We held a love of the sea in common, Lenora and I.




The first three installments of Anton and Lenora's story are novellas that are currently available as the Sweet Lenora Series. You can find out more about the series by clicking the  button The Sweet Lenora Series