Cathrina Constantine's Blog, page 18

#CTST

Celebrate the Small Things

If you're looking for a sweet Blog Hop that doesn't have to take a lot of your time, and can post about any little tidbit, then join in #CTST! Go to Lexa Cain's and sign up. 
Lexa's wonderful co-hosts are:L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The EdgeTonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

I'm traveling today to Lancaster, PA for an early Thanksgiving Celebration with my son. We rented a mini-van so we could all drive down together. We'll have a car load with my two daughters and my two grand babies. It should be interesting.

On Sunday, for the drive home, the weatherman is predicting a snow storm coming our way. I pray we make it home safe and sound. 

Have a pleasant weekend!!

Prah, Constantine, and Baryeh Review The Bookshop on Autumn Lane #romance

November is a month were we think about giving thanks. I'm thankful for my fellow review friends, Nana Prah and Empi Baryeh. I'm also thankful for all my friends out there in blogger land.

This month we chose an appropriate book for autumn.
The Bookshop on Autumn Lane is part of the Truhart series by Cynthia Tennent



Big dreams can come true in a small town…
 
While some young women would jump through hoops to claim ownership of a bookshop, 
free-spirited Gertrude “Trudy” Brown wants nothing to do with the rundown store her late Aunt Gertrude left her.  Having suffered from dyslexia all her life, books aren’t exactly her friends. With not much more than a collie dog who’s scared of his own shadow, and a rusty but trusty ’74 Beetle, Trudy arrives in the tiny town of Truhart, determined to sell off her cumbersome inheritance as quickly as possible… 
 
But Trudy is not the only stranger in town. Christopher “Kit” Darlington, a professor of American Studies at Cambridge, is searching for an elusive manuscript—and he secretly thinks Trudy’s ramshackle bookshop might hold the key to its discovery. As these two opposites spend the autumn days together, cleaning out Trudy’s bookshop, they soon find that uncovering both literature and love can be equally mysterious… 
 
 Trudy’s never been  the type to stay in one spot too long, but something about Kit makes her consider starting a new chapter—and maybe even finding there’s a happily-ever-after…

Cathrina's Review:

When I began to read Bookshop On Autumn Lane I wasn't quite enamored with the main character, Trudy. She came off as uncaring and harsh. I did fall for Kit Darlington immediately. He is sincere, sweet, and I love a British accent.

However, as I delved deeper into the books pages I unearthed Trudy's problems. She had latent memories of her childhood and the small town of Truhart where she was a teenager and they weren't good ones. 

As with most children and teenagers, our memories can get skewed. And when Trudy realizes her memories are somewhat false, her character evolves and becomes quite lovely. 

In the end, I liked this sweet read and it's Happily Ever After.

Now let's head over to Nana and Empi's to read their reviews.

And, still open is my Rafflecopter to Win Amazon Gift Cards. Giving thanks for those who've signed up for my Newletter:

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#IWSG

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.htmlJoin Alex J. Cavanaugh and a multitude of writer's in this monthly hop to help support one another!
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Alex's awesome co-hosts are Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton, MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!

Due to more rejections that insecure feeling of doubt has been resurfacing and rearing its ugly head. My thoughts are in a downward spiral. What is wrong with my stories, with my writing. Each day I try to talk myself off the tipsy tightrope. 

If you're a writer than you know the long, long hours of writing and contemplation that goes into a novel, and that's only with the first draft. 

I think about taking a break, a long break. I've pondered this idea many times. But then I continue on~ saying to myself, I'll just finish this one final book. I have a few chapters left on my WIP. 

My intention is to take a sabbatical for the month of December. Whether I'll stick to my plans or dive into a round of edits, I don't know for sure. 

Perhaps this is true?

Why I Write by Terry Tempest Williams

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Why I Write by TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS
It is just after 4:00 A.M. I was dreaming about Moab, Brooke and I walking around the block just before dawn. I threw a red silk scarf around my shoulders and then I began reciting in my sleep why I write:
I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create fabric in a world that often appears black and white. I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts. I write to begin a dialogue. I write to imagine things differently and in imagining things differently perhaps the world will change. I write to honor beauty. I write to correspond with my friends. I write as a daily act of improvisation  I write because it creates my composure. I write against power and for democracy. I write myself out of my nightmares and into my dreams. I write in a solitude born out of community. I write to the questions that shatter my sleep. I write to the answers that keep me complacent. I write to remember. I write to forget. I write to the music that opens my heart. I write to quell the pain. I write to migrating birds with the hubris of language. I write as a form of translation. I write with the patience of melancholy in winter. I write because it allows me to confront that which I do not know. I write as an act of faith. I write as an act of slowness. I write to record what I love in the face of loss. I write because it makes me less fearful of death. I write as an exercise in pure joy. I write as one who walks on the surface of a frozen river beginning to melt. I write out of my anger and into my passion. I write from the stillness of night anticipating-always anticipating. I write to listen. I write out of silence. I write to soothe the voices shouting inside me, outside me, all around. I write because of the humor of our condition as humans. I write because I believe in words. I write because I do not believe in words. I write because it is a dance with paradox. I write because you can play on the page like a child left alone in sand. I write because it belongs to the force of the moon: high tide, low tide. I write because it is the way I take longwalks. I write as a bow to wilderness. I write because I believe it can create a path in darkness. I write because as a child I spoke a different language. I write with a knife carving each word through the generos­ ity of trees. I write as ritual. I write because I am not employable. I write out of my inconsistencies. I write because then I do not have to speak. I write with the colors of memory. I write as a witness to what I have seen. I write as a witness to what I imagine. I write by grace and grit. I write out of indigestion. I write when I am starving. I write when I am full. I write to the dead. I write out of the body. I write to put food on the table. I write on the other side of procrastination. I write for the children we never had. I write for the love of ideas. I write for the surprise of a sentence. I write with the belief of alchemists. I write knowing I will always fail. I write knowing words always fall short. I write knowing I can be killed by my own words, stabbed by syntax, crucified by both understanding and misunderstanding. I write out of ignorance. I write by accident. I write past the embarrassment of exposure. I keep writing and suddenly, I am overcome by the sheer indulgence, (the madness,) the meaninglessness, the ridiculousness of this list. I trust nothing especially myself and slide head first into the familiar abyss of doubt and humiliation and threaten to push the delete button on my way down, or madly erase each line, pick up the paper and rip it into shreds-and then I realize, it doesn't matter, words are always a gamble, words are splinters from cut glass. I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like love, to form the words, to say the words, to touch the source, to be touched, to reveal how vulnerable we are, how transient.
I write as though I am whispering in the ear of the one I love. 

Taken from Wiki:
Terry Tempest Williams (born 8 September 1955), is an American author, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of her native Utah and its Mormon culture. Her work ranges from issues of ecology and wilderness preservation, to women's health, to exploring our relationship to culture and nature.Williams has testified before Congress on women's health, committed acts of civil disobedience in the years 1987–1992 in protest against nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert, and again, in March 2003 in Washington, D.C., with Code Pink, against the Iraq War. She has been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of the Utah and Alaskawildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.
Why Do You Write? I've been asking myself this question lately. This article by Terry Tempest Williams certainly has taken some of the words out of my mouth.  

Pages of Fear Blog Hop

Welcome to the first ever Pages of Fear blog hop. It’s a pre-Halloween event celebrating authors who like to fright and delight with their writing. As you progress through the twenty-eight blogs/websites you’ll learn about authors you may already know and be introduced to some new ones.Everyone loves the opportunity to get something free. All of the authors have gathered together to give ONE lucky winner signed copies of their books (one per author). You may even find other types of giveaways on their sites so, keep your eyes open. While you’re looking you want to locate the secret word on each site. Make a list of the words in the proper order. When you reach the final destination (Authorsfbenson.com), you’ll find an email address. Send your list to it. The winner will be selected courtesy of random.org.I'm so glad you REMEMBERED to return to my party for some spooky fun and entertainment!
The story begins on Lily Luchesi's blog, but I've added here for your convenience...Once there was a very special _______ doll. She had been well-______ for ________. Kept on a _______ when there weren’t any young girls to play with her. And brought out and cherished when young ________ were in the __________. Eventually, the toy was forgotten and relegated to a _______ in the attic. The house was eventually ________ and all of its belongings were either sold, given away, or ________ into a ________ at the curb.But the doll… she __________.Shortly before the ________ collectors arrived, a young couple comes upon the _________. Immediately, the doll’s _______ face and _________ clothes catches the woman’s _________.“Rebecca, you can’t be serious. That’s a piece of ________,” the man points out.She reaches into the jumbled ______ and pulls the ______ out. “This is an _______. I can _______ she’ll go for top dollar. She just needs a little love and care.”The young ______ just shakes his head and continues walking down the _________. His wife was good for finding trash and turning it into a ___________.Rebecca took the hem of her ________ and wiped some of the dirt off the doll’s face. “You have a _______ now.”She _________ the _______ in the doll’s eye.
Ready?Get on your marks.Get set.
GO!To continue the Pages of Fear Blog Hop go to Kristy Tate's blog!! She's waiting for you...

A FUN BLOGHOP GIVEAWAY!!!

Join me and 26 other authors for a paranormal 3-Day Blog Hop on October 19!Meet writers of paranormal and horror fiction and enter for a chance to win a SIGNED PAPERBACK from all of us!

TO ENTER:Start the hop with Lily Luchesi’s website: lilyluchesibooks.wix.com/lilyluchesi
Look for the Secret Word on the blog post for the hop. Each author has been given a word and it’s in BOLD on their site. Make note of each Secret Word. Each one fills in the blanks for a flash fiction story. You’ll turn in your entry to Author SF Benson. ONE winner will be chosen via Random.org and will receive SIGNED paperbacks from all participating authors. (Contest is restricted to winners in the U.S. and Canada.).

Return on October 19th to begin the Hop!!!

Prah, Constantine, Baryeh Reviews: The Afterlife Coach by Susan E. Paul #magicalrealism

Imagine waking up to find Napoleon Bonaparte, Janis Joplin and Count Dracula in your kitchen eating Froot Loops. For Claire Anderson, this crosses the line.
To make matters worse, they’re on the lam and can’t be returned to sender until In Between, the afterlife way station, can arrange transportation to pick them up. In the meantime, Claire tries to contain this motley crew, hoping to stave off an international incident. How do they manage to walk among us? Will Claire succeed in repatriating them? And at what cost?The Afterlife Coach is a humorous tale of second chances, self-awareness and, for those among us who make bad choices, demonstrates just how hard it is to die happily ever after. 

Cathrina's Review:
At the beginning, I didn't know what was happening, but then I quickly fell into step with this very unique story of what happens after you die. 
It's zany, verbose, and wildly filled with humor. Claire Anderson is having a life battle after losing her husband and trying to keep it together while raising her teenage children, then add these three deceased infamous people into the mix and all hell breaks loose. 
It's one debacle after another which kind of made my head spin. This made me chuckle: Claire says to Count Dracula, "So you're saying that because of you and your hickies, scarves were invented?"
Dracula: "I prefer the less vulgar term of love bites. But yes, I do believe that this is the case. Although, at the time, they were referred to as 'cervical collars.'"
Claire: "Somewhere out there is a straitjacket with my name on it."
I wonder what it would be like to be able to redeem yourself after you die?
Now head on over to Nana Prah and Empi Baryeh to read their reviews.

#IWSG

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.htmlJoin Alex J. Cavanaugh and a multitude of writer's in this monthly hop to help support one another!
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Alex's awesome co-hosts are Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan!

Question for October 4th:
Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?


I definitely slipped information and a few facts about myself in my latest novel, Incense and Peppermints. I'd written that story quite a while ago and put it on the back burner, mainly due to the family and social issues. After reflecting on the problems of that time period in 1969, and after considerable editing, I felt the book was right on. 
Also, in my novel, Wickedly They Come, which is a Christian Supernatural Thriller, I sprinkled not only beliefs of the church, but mine as well.  
In all of my books, I've put some of myself in them. And for fun, I use names and addresses of friends for small part characters. They get a big kick out of it. 

I can't see how a writer can't slip some of themselves into their writing. Like a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears!





Here is my insecurity Picture. This is how I feel when I reread my stories.

#CTST

Celebrate the Small Things

If you're looking for a sweet Blog Hop that doesn't have to take a lot of your time, and can post about any little tidbit, then join in #CTST! Go to Lexa Cain's and sign up. 
Lexa's wonderful co-hosts are:L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The EdgeTonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

I'm celebrating my wedding anniversary which just happens to be today!

If rain stays out of the forecast, tomorrow the family is going to Mumford. It's a wonderful little town set in colonial times. I haven't been there since the kids were small, and it's always interesting. 

Last weekend we went to my son's for my grand baby's christening. Here's a picture of my son and Charlotte wearing a slip from the gown that her great-great grandmother made. It's 100 years old and traditionally every baby has been baptized in it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.