Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 41

Medieval Word of the Day

I began the Medieval Word of the Day blog post series with Illuminations of the Heart , sharing with you some of the medieval words I used in that story. With the release of my new medieval romance,  Dangerous Favor , I have some new medieval words to share with you. Since  a medieval tournament plays a large role in my story, let's begin with some of the armor a knight must don for a tournament:
Coif: A hood made from metal rings (i.e., mail), worn beneath a knight's helmet
Ventail: A piece of mail that protected a knight's throat and chin

Here's an example of a mail coif(from CAS Hanwei)

Here's one example of a ventail in the form of a diagonal flap that tied onto the coif to protect the lower part of the knight's face. This flap could be square as well as diagonal.(from Swords of Might)
That looks pretty uncomfortable, especially if all this hardware is worn underneath a metal helmet! Some drawings of ventails show them only covering the throat and chin, like this:

My hero, Etienne, preferred this style of ventail.(Image from The Montague Millennium)
View some other parts of a medieval knight's armor from this September 16, 2009 Medieval Word of the Day entry.

Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop

The Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop is sponsored by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. This hop is to help us spring clean our bookshelves, which of course means some of you will be adding to your bookshelves, but that's good news for you!

We're supposed to give away one of the following:

A book that we've read but will never read again.A book that we started but just couldn't get through.Or a review copy we've accepted but have never read.
Actually, I'm giving away a book I received for free in my registration bag at a writers conference. I'm sure it's a perfectly good book, but well, it's a contemporary novel and truth to tell, I don't really enjoy contemporary novels, so I haven't felt much interest in reading it. (I read to escape the contemporary world for awhile, in case you're wondering about my reading preferences.) So I decided this was a good opportunity to pass it on to someone who might enjoy it.

The name of the book is Recovering Charles, by Jason F. Wright. Here's the back cover blurb:

Luke Millward is a man who does not know he is lost. His career in Manhattan is going well; he has the love of close friends; and a future that he looks forward to every day.


Only when the past reveals its twisted smile in a phone call and the disconnected voice asks him to come find his estranged father in post-Katrina New Orleans is Luke compelled to find out what kind of man he truly is; and who the man is that his father has become.

If you'd like a chance to win Recovering Charles, please leave a comment with your email address. If I can't contact you, I can't let you know if you win. Deadline for entries is March 25, midnight PST. USA entries only.


OFFICIAL RULES:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARYEntrants must be 18 years or olderGiveaway opens March 20, 2012 and runs through March 25, 2012Entries may be left in a comment or sent via email to jdipastena@yahoo.comPrize: A hardback copy of Recovering Charles, by Jason F. Wright, retail value $21.95.Winners will be selected on March 26. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawardedSponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com or PO Box 673, Kearny, AZ 85137VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAWNow hop along to the next blog and help them spring clean their shelves!

Arizona Renaissance Festival 2012

Here are some pictures I snapped at this year's Arizona Renaissance Festival!
This harlequin was blowing bubbles at the entrance to delight the visiting children

Next I came to the Piccolo Pony. I don't think he's very piccolo ("small"), do you?


I strolled past Storybook Castle...

...and the Dragon Slide...

...and Thistlewood Cottage...

...where I met these two fine cottagers


In addition to a cottage, every Renaissance Festival needs a Renaissance ATM machine

And more importantly, a nice, modern restroom disguised as a Privy!

I watched a show while I ate my lunch (steak on a stake)

~ Dextre Tripp on fire ~

~ Dextre juggling while on fire ~
~ Dextre balancing atop a very TALL unicycle ~
~ Dextre juggling knives atop a very TALL unicyle! ~

I always stop by the Greyhound Pavilion


I went on St. Patrick's Day, so of course, Saint Patrick was there

Here are some random RenFest people


And I finished the day by watching Gypsy Geoff balance all these things on his chin!

Another very nice day at the Renaissance Faire!

Summary Sunday

Here are some sentences from Emilie's story this week.
Monday: Emilie's tongue curled a retreat whenever anyone offered her eel. 
Tuesday: With a sigh, she turned and eased herself back into the crowd, stepping ever so carefully now so as not to splash the wine or allow one of the pasties to tilt off its precarious perch atop her fritter and slide right off the plate.
Wednesday: She had begun a tentative attempt at this strategy when she sensed a looming solidity in front of her and collided straight into it.
Thursday: "I see." 
Friday: "I cannot fathom why anyone should wish to stick something so wiggly into their mouth!"
Saturday: I got home too late from the Arizona Renaissance Festival to get any writing in today. Stay tuned for RenFest pictures, coming up! (As soon as Blogger lets me load them!)

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with "cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I've borrowed it from LDS Women's Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare at least two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from Fires of Jerusalem , by Marilyn Brown:
"They left in the middle of the night," Giddel said. "And I don't know where. No one is supposed to know."
Before he withdrew into the entryway, he smiled. "He gave my family this house."
Lehi had given his house to a slave?
From Fires of Jerusalem , p 173, 174
If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.

What Am I Reading Now?

I finished my first Whitney Award finalist in the historical category... Letters in the Jade Dragon Box , by Gale Sears. It was a pleasantly easy read and I learned a lot about Maoist China. I left a review on Goodreads.


Next up on my Whitney Award reading list... Fires of Jerusalem , by Marilyn Brown. Actually, I'm over half-way through with the book. I'll share a Tuesday Teaser with you tomorrow. Until then, here's the back cover blurb:


What happens when the forces of jealousy and greed break a nation into factions? History proves a broken country weakens, and may come undone. Fires of Jerusalem is a novel that explores the breakdown of Jerusalem, and tells why Urijah, Lehi, Jeremiah--and many more--tried to leave it.

Summary Sunday

It's been a long time since I shared a Summary Sunday with you. I got sidetracked, first with the holidays (how in the world did it get to be March?), then with the the pre-pub, pub, post-pub obligations of Dangerous Favor .

But I'm finally back to new writing again. Here are a few sentences I wrote this week from my novella that at this point in the process I'm simply calling "Emilie's story".

Monday: Indeed, too many idle gazes drifted over the occupants on the dais in the midst of the dozens of casual conversations rolling through the hall. 


Tuesday: Untrue, Emilie thought, you kept a tender memory and if your husband sees you together again, he will know it.


Wednesday: "Yes, aunt," Emilie said in firm reply to the faint question in Noel's voice, "we must."


Thursday: As long as Emilie had known her, Noel had retreated into her dreams to escape the unpleasant realities of her life.


Friday: One leaned forward and spoke something into the queen's ear that brought a sly smile to her face.


Saturday: What an absurd affectation, as silly as Sir Crespin's slashed tunic and pointed shoes.

My first live interview!

I've been interviewed on Blog Talk Radio! Don't go away when the line goes dead. It's only temporary. Canda Mortensen gets me back on line and I babble a little longer about writing, research, and more.



Listen to internet radio with iWriteNetwork on Blog Talk Radio

Illuminations of the Heart Book Trailer

My dear and very talented friend, Rachel Rossano, has made me a book trailer for Illuminations of the Heart . I hope you enjoy it!

Review of "Dangerous Favor"

Thank you to Getting Your Read On for this lovely review of Dangerous Favor !