Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 60

Reflections on my 2011 Renaissance Festival Book Signing

So I've been reflecting on this year's Renaissance Festival book signing. Out of the many people I saw that day and especially among those who stopped to buy copies of my books, two memories in particular linger.
One group that stopped by consisted of five adults-- two couples, and an older woman in a wheel chair wearing dark glasses. One of the younger women asked me what my books were about. I told her they were historical romances set in the Middle Ages. She asked if they had wizards and witches and magic in them. Inwardly I sighed a bit, knowing how popular fantasy is these days, but told her no, my books were strictly historical. "How about vampires and werewolves? Do your books have those in them?" she asked. Again, I told her no, they were simply set during the reign of King Henry II of England. One of the men who was listening turned to the woman in the wheel chair and said, "Oh, Mother, these are just the kinds of books you like. The author will sign a copy for you and we'll take turns reading the book to you." They bought a copy of Loyalty's Web, then took my picture with their mother. The man said his mother can't see well enough to read anymore, so the four of them (the two couples) take turns reading books to her at night. I can't express how touched I was to meet this sweet family caring so tenderly for their aging mother!
The other experience that lingers with me are the three young girls who stopped (separately) and bought copies of my books. One of the girls I know was 15, because her father told me. The other two looked very much around the same age. Sometimes I've seen parents initially discourage their daughters from my books as soon as they hear the word "romance". I was prepared to reassure the parents that my romances are "clean", but for some reason, this year none of the parents asked. They simply stood by with this great look of trust in their faces as their daughters read the backs of my books and made their own choices. I had the feeling that it never crossed these particular parents' minds to even wonder whether the books were "appropriate" for their 15 year old daughters to be reading. Thankfully, I knew in my own mind that they were. As I autographed copies for each of these girls, I thought about the great weight of responsibility I have to provide wholesome reading material for them, but while thinking about "the weight of responsibility", the actual feelings in my heart were very, very light. I have always been glad of the path I have chosen to write clean romances, but rarely have I felt quite so intensely grateful for the choice I have made. I have had young girls email me to tell me how much they appreciate my books. But actually looking into the sweet, fresh faces of these girls at the festival and knowing I was keeping a silent trust with their parents, a trust their parents didn't even know I was keeping… I felt an approval stronger than I ever have before from my Heavenly Father. I pray I will keep this trust with my readers, young and old, for the rest of my life. 

AZ Renaissance Festival 2011

So here's my old look:

And the familiar....


And here's my 2011 upgrade:



What do you think?(Personally, I wish I'd moved those water bottles before my friend snapped this picture!

Get to Know the Author: Anna Laurene Arnett

If you haven't met Anna Arnett, you've missed out on a treat! I've had the privilege of not only meeting Anna, but of rooming with her at two ANWA writers retreats. She's an amazing lady, and she has amazing stories to tell. And she does just that in her book of memoirs, Lolly's Yarn . I'm excited to interview Anna today so that you can get to know her a little bit, too. (And you can learn even more about her by checking out her book!)
JDP: Welcome, Anna! Did your mother read to you as a child?
Anna: I'm sure she did, though my pre-school memories are rather skimpy.  My mother had trained at Brigham Young Academy in Logan, to be a kindergarten teacher.  She invited neighbor children in to play school with me.  I have snatchy memories of this, but was an adult before I realized what she'd been doing.
I remember my mother and I discussing our separate readings of The Children's Friend as we washed dishes and did other household jobs together. There were always wonderful stories there, and always a continued story in each issue.
Later, we compared thoughts about stories in the Ladies Home Journal, or McCalls, or Woman's Home Companion, or Good Housekeeping. Popular novelists of the day first published their books in installments in these magazines.
JDP: What fun memories! Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?
Anna: Oh, yes I certainly do.  I absolutely loved Tah-Kee, the Boy From Nowhere , by Carl and Grace Moon.  I still remember the first sentence, "Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk," repeated for a couple of lines. The young boy followed a woman on a silent journey to the river, where she gave him a large, waterproof basket, a small supply of food, and bade him go downriver in search of his mother.  His little dog, Yip, joined him in a series of exciting adventures until some three hundred pages later he finally finds his widowed mother and her new husband from a different tribe.
My father, then Superintendent of Schools in Rigby, Idaho, brought home a big box of books sent by a publisher with "Sample, not to be sold" perforated into the hard covers. He wanted Don and me to read them and make our recommendations about buying them for the school library.  I took that assignment very seriously. I was probably in fourth grade at the time.
JDP: What a great way to choose books for a school library. Using children as reviewers! Do you have a favorite author as an adult?
Anna: How can I name just one?  In terms of how many books I've read from a particular author, I'd have to list Louis L'Amour and Barbara Cartland.  But my most-re-read author award has to go to Jane Austen.  I've read and re-read each of her books multiple times, but Pride and Prejudice is my favorite, and I've read it once a year for the last fifty or sixty years.  It still delights me. I rewarded myself with a delightful re-read during this past Christmas season.,
JDP: Share a book you've read multiple times.
Anna: Oh, I just did. I'd like to add books by Joyce DiPastena ( thanks, Anna!), Donna Hatch, Joan Sowards and a few others I read in ms form and again read the published novel.  But the single most read book (other than Jane Austen) has to be—as any author would agree—my own Lolly's Yarn . I've read and reread, edited and read again, agonized over sentences, paragraphs and chapters, read aloud and silently felt both joy and despair, and finally great relief.
JDP: Oh, yes, I think all writers can definitely relate to this experience! Now, next question: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?
Anna: Hard-copy, especially paperback.  I don't own a Kindle or a Nook, but I do have an iPad.
JDP: What's your favorite place to read?
Anna: Up until a couple or so decades ago, I loved to read on my bed, pillows propping up my chest, elbows bent to accommodate holding up my chin and turning pages. knees bent, legs in the air, and a bag of chocolate near at hand. Now I read in my recliner, book held by a lap-desk, and a pillow behind my head to steady my head when I fall asleep.
JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.
Anna: They keep switching places, but I like children's literature, romance, westerns, historical, classical, and my favorites are always the ones I'm reading at the time.
JDP: What's the last book you read?
Anna: Right now?  Pride and Prejudice .  At least that's the last novel I've read.
Since then I thoroughly enjoyed reading and critiquing a small book by Carl Douglas, called The Baltimore Principles .  It traces the origins and development of our bicameral government, with its checks and balances, and points out when and how we lost much of our say in government.
JDP: What are you reading now?
Anna: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis.
JDP: What's next on your reading list?
Anna: Persuasion by Jane Austen
JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)
Anna: Whatever strikes my fancy. I haven't read the Newbury award winners for several years now, though I'd read all of them awarded in the 20th century, and some since. There are many classics I haven't read, and many I'd like to re-read. I'm very interested in reading books published by authors I know personally, or through email and ANWA.  Bottom line? There are too many books and too little time.
JDP: Share a favorite book that you've read in the last 12 months
Anna: That's about as fair a request as to ask me to choose just one of my seven children as a favorite. I simply do not have the time to share (nor you to read about) all the books I've read in the past twelve months, though I must admit there aren't THAT many.  I seldom keep reading if the book is not a favorite at the moment. I thoroughly believe that the only way I can judge a book, or any other piece of writing, is how it grabs me intellectually and emotionally at the time I'm reading it. I also believe this is true with every reader.
JDP: I absolutely agree with you there! Thank you for joining us today, Anna.

More about Anna! : I was born in Rexburg, Idaho, married a man from Duncan, Arizona, but we met in Indianapolis, Indiana. The third time I saw him was on my 19th birthday when I pinned his wings on his new officers uniform at his graduation from cadet training. The next time we saw each other was twenty–one months later—a week after he proposed, and three days before we married.  He'd been shot down on his third bombing mission and been a POW in Germany for nearly a year.
Our marriage lasted almost sixty-three years, twenty-six moves, seven children, twenty-eight grandchildren and about three dozen great grandchildren before he moved on to the next stage of life, where he awaits me.  My book, Lolly's Yarn , tells much of this story, but it will take me at least three more volumes to tell it all.
My children and grandchildren are amazed and pleased.  "You really do know how to write!"  I just hope I can get everyone else to agree.
Lolly's Yarn is my first book-length publication.
Learn more about Anna at http://www.AnnaArnett.com
Summary of Lolly's Yarn (by Rachel Anderson):
Lolly's Yarn by Anna Arnett is a delightful breath of fresh air. Arnett has a way of making the reader feel like you're in her living room visiting with a tall cool glass of lemonade. She highlights her romance and sixty-two-year-plus marriage to Charles, the love of her life. The details of her life and descriptions of the places their family goes are given in humorous detail. I learned a lot about life before I was born from her story.

Get to Know the Author: Carmen Ferreiro Esteban

From biology PhD to romance writer! Today we get to know author Carmen Ferreiro Esteban. Read on to find out more! 
JDP: Carmen, did your mother read to you as a child?
Carmen: I am sure she did, but I don't remember. What I do remember is her telling me stories.
JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?
Carmen: I loved Fairy Tales, especially the ones with princesses. No wonder my first book is called Two Moon Princess .
JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.
Carmen: Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet and dramaturge I fell in love with while researching my paranormal novel Garlic for Breakfast and watching Little Ashes (a superbly rendered portrait of his life as a young man in Madrid). You can listen to one of his poems, translated and sung by Leonard Cohen at my blog post: http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/garlic-for-breakfast-7/ Absolutely beautiful.
JDP: Share a book you've read multiple times.
Carmen: There are so many books I want to read, I never have time to re-read any. I did read twice all the Jane Austen's novels as I first read them in Spanish when I was a teen and wanted to read them in English. In case you wonder, English is my second language. I grew up in Spain.
JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?
Carmen: Hard copy. I love to hold a book in my hands. I don't like audio books either.
JDP: What's your favorite place to read?
Carmen: In bed, at the end of the day.
JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.
Carmen: Fantasy, a love story in any genre, historical fiction.
JDP: What's the last book you read?
Carmen: Federico Garcia Lorca by Felicia Hardison Londré which is a biography, pretty unusual for me. It must be love.
JDP: What are you're reading now?
Carmen: The Girl Who Couldn't Say No , by Tracy Engelbrecht. It's a memoir by a South African young woman about her life as a single mother. It's a honest and realistic portrait of her experience. Highly likable.
JDP: What's next on your reading list?
Carmen: I am a reviewer for MyShelf.com, which means I get books for free in exchange for a review. So my next book to read is: Prospero in Hell by L. Jagi Lamplighter for I must review it this month. If you love to read (which I assume you do if you're reading this interview), I recommend you check their site. They are always in need of reviewers and they have a long list of books to choose from, especially in the Romance category.
JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)
Carmen: Rafael Sabatini. Last year I read Scaramouche for the first time and I'd like to read his other novels. I remember wanting to read his books when I was a child, but couldn't find them in Spain. This, of course, was before Amazon ever existed.
JDP: Share a favorite book that you've read in the last 12 months.
Carmen: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is the first book in a trilogy. The other two being Catching Fi re and Mockingjay . It's a story of survival set in a post apocalyptic United States divided into 12 districts. Every year two children from each district must fight to the death in the ultimate reality TV show. In my opinion, the hype about this series is well deserved. You can read my review at http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/the-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins/
More about Carmen! : Carmen Ferreiro Esteban was born in Galicia (Northern Spain), a land of rolling hills and green valleys lulled by the ocean, that was thought in medieval times to be 'Finisterre,' the place where the world came to an end. After completing her Ph.D. in Biology in Madrid, she lived in California for four years before returning to Spain.Back to the States, this time to PA where she still lives with her daughter, she turned her experiences of coming to the New World into a fantasy novel Two Moon Princess . Its sequel The King in the Stone , has been accepted for publication by Tanglewood Press, the publisher of Two Moon Princess . She's presently querying agents with her third novel, a story of forbidden love in a Medieval world, while weekly posting a paranormal version of her life at her blog Dare to Read . Also visit Carmen at her website. 
Publications by Carmen Ferreiro Esteban:

Nonfiction (YA):
Heroin , Chelsea House (2003) Ritalin , Chelsea House (2004) Mad Cow Disease , Chelsea House (2005)Lung Cancer, Chelsea House (2006)
Fiction:
Two Moon Princess (YA)
Summary of Two Moon Princess , by Carmen Ferreiro Esteban:
A Spanish Princess. An American Boy. A King set on revenge.
An unrequited love and a disturbing family secret bring a World to the brink of War.
In this coming-of-age story set in a medieval kingdom, Andrea is a headstrong princess longing to be a knight who finds her way to modern-day California. Andrea loves California and wants to stay there forever. But when, by mistake, she returns to her kingdom and brings a Californian boy with her, war breaks out. Andrea's brave and, at times, foolish attempts to stop the war and keep the American boy alive will have unforeseen consequences that will change her forever.Readers will love this mix of traditional fantasy elements with unique twists and will identify with Andrea and her difficult choices between duty and desire.
Two Moon Princess was awarded the bronze medal for Juvenile Fiction in the Book of the Year Contest by the Fore Word Magazine.

Review of "Dearly Departed", by Tristi Pinkston

Back cover blurb for Dearly Departed , by Tristi Pinkston:

Ida Mae Babbitt has done her community service and is a reformed woman - no more law-breaking for her. But when Arlette's granddaughter Eden discovers a mystery in a fancy nursing home, Ida Mae - with the perfect excuse of a broken wrist and a broken ankle - checks herself into the place. After all, it is for the greater good. Soon she's buzzing around in her motorized wheelchair, questioning the residents and swiping files from the office. She's bound and determined to get to the bottom of this case. But can she solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston is a delightfully breezy mystery, definitely on the "cozy" side, filled with highly likable characters and a wonderful sense of humor. Although the characters are LDS, this aspect is done with a very light touch, keeping the story highly accessible to non-LDS readers as well. Ida Mae Babbitt is an adorable handful, though I admit, my favorite parts were the scenes between obituary writer Eden and her crime reporter cubicle neighbor, Kevin. But that's probably the romantic in me. (Not that Ida Mae doesn't get a bit of romance of her own in the end. Oops! Was that a spoiler? I hope not!) I haven't read Tristi's first Ida Mae Babbitt mystery, Secret Sisters , but I gather from the context of Dearly Departed that there was a bit of a romance going on in that volume between Eden and Ida Mae's grandson, Ren. If so, then I'm putting myself down for Team Kevin. (Sorry, Ren, but I don't know you, and I do know Kevin, and I just liked the heck out of him!) I suppose to be fair, though, I should give Ren a chance and read Secret Sisters . Putting it down on my TBR list!
My favorite line from the book? "Please don't throw me in the briar patch!" What does it mean? Ah, you'll have to read the book to solve that mystery, as well!
Walnut Springs Press is giving away THREE copies of Dearly Departed and a grand prize scrap booking pack as part of Tristi's blog tour. To enter, do the following:
1. Leave a comment on this review letting us know why you're excited to read Dearly Departed, then visit the other blog tour reviews and leave comments there for additional entries. Remember to include your email address. (Click here for a list of all the blog tour stops.)
2. For an additional entry become a follower of Walnut Springs Press, Tristi's blog, or any of the fabulous reviews blog. Leave a comment letting us know who's blog you now follow.
3. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or Facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an additional entry for each post.
Deadline for entries is midnight MST March 6. Good luck!
For the FTC: I received this book free from the publisher. This has in no way influenced my review.

Are you a Creator or a Discoverer?

So I've bee wondering, lately. Is writing really an act of creation, or is it actually an act of discovery? My hero and heroine, Rob and Marguerite, in The Lady and the Minstrel caused me to ponder this as I struggled to write their second kissing scene last week. I have a sparse draft of the scene from the original novel. All I thought I needed to do was to punch it up a bit. Easy, right? So this was my original, punched up version.
He lowered his head very slowly and saw her eyes drift shut just before his own did the same. The trap did not slam around him until his mouth found hers. This time her arms did not creep, but flung about his neck. She kissed him back with a desperate fierceness and he sank helplessly into the swirling tempest of pleasure that stormed through his veins. One kiss. Just one. But he could not keep this vow any better than he'd kept his first. Again and again their lips snatched together until she finally pulled away with a gasp. He darted a quick kiss to her forehead before she hid her face against his shoulder.
Her voice came muffled against the cloth of his homespun. "So this is what it is like, then."
He moved a hand to stroke her dark curls. "What, my heart?"
"Love." And her arms tightened around him.
I wrote the rest of the scene that followed and went to bed convinced that all was well and that I would be ready to move on with their story the next day. But when I sat down to write again and reviewed the above paragraph, a strong feeling came to me: "No, that's now how the kiss happened."
Now, there was nothing really wrong with the paragraph. It didn't make what followed any more or less effective. Why did I need to rewrite it? Nevertheless, my characters were stubborn in their insistence that I do so. So after some wrestling, I came up with this instead:
Her smile was the final nudge he needed. He saw her eyes drift shut just before his own did the same. He did not hesitate as he had in her chamber, but settled his mouth warmly and firmly over hers. Her arms slid around his waist and her body leaning into his reminded him how small she was. Just once more? How had he ever thought one kiss could be enough? He had lied all these weeks to himself. It had not been enough that night in her chamber, and it was not now, not when she met his lips again and again with this snaring fervor. Because Robert had chosen to tamp down his passion with the many women who had tried to entrap him through the years did not mean his hot nature was immune to temptation, and this little ball of fury tempted him as no other ever had.
How long he would have stood there drinking from her nectared lips like a man parched he did not know. When she finally pulled her mouth away, gasping, he continued to press kisses to her cheeks and brow until she hid her face against his shoulder.
Her voice came muffled against the cloth of his homespun. "So this is what it is like, then."
He moved a hand to stroke her dark curls. "What, my heart?"
"Love." And her arms tightened around him.
Again, there was really nothing wrong with this. The rest of the scene would have worked just fine with this scenario. And yet this time, even before I shut down my computer for the night, again I heard Rob and Marguerite say, "That was not our kiss." And I knew I'd have to tackle it again yet a third day.
After more mental and emotional gyrations, the next day I came up with this:
He cupped her face in his hands and lowered his head very slowly. Her eyes drifted shut and she leaned her body into his, leaving him no doubt of her anticipation. The hesitation that had checked him in her chamber, the fear of how she might react to his kiss felt like a distant, illogical dream. His mouth settled now over hers with warm confidence and found an eager welcome. He felt her arms weave around his waist, reminding him how small she was as she nestled still closer against him. Small, but surprisingly vigorous, for her mouth quivered swiftly from candid acceptance to a clinging fierceness. His blood surged and his kiss deepened. All the careful caution that had guided him o'er the last five years swirled away as he sank hopelessly into the eddy of pleasure.
How long he would have stood there drinking from her nectared lips like a man parched he did not know. She pulled away at last with a tiny gasp. He caught one more snaring kiss before she hid her face against his shoulder. Deprived of her lips, he took what comfort he could in pressing his mouth into the soft cloud of hair atop her head.
Her voice came muffled against the cloth of his homespun. "So this is what it is like, then."
He moved a hand to stroke her dark curls. "What, my heart?"
"Love." And her arms tightened around him.
"Ah, yes," Rob and Marguerite said with beaming smiles. "Now you have it."
Again, what amazed me was that technically, any of these versions should have "worked". And yet, my characters insisted that only one of them was "right." As fanciful as it sounds, it was as though somewhere out there in the ether, their "true" kiss existed. My challenge, after all, was not to "create it", but to "find it" as it had already occurred.
So I'm curious. Am I the only one who has experienced this with their characters? I would love to hear from you! When you write, do you feel like you are creating a story out of thin air? Or like you are "discovering" a story that somehow already exists and you only have to find it? 

Get to Know the Reviewer: Sheila Staley of LDS Women's Book Review and Why Not? Because I Said So!

Today's interview is with a reviewer so talented that she needs not one, but two review sites to keep up with all the books she reads! Sheila Staley is one of the four reviewers behind LDS Women's Book Review (click here to read my interview with LDSWBR reviewer, Mindy Holt). She also has her own review site, Why Not? Because I Said So! More about both blogs below.
JDP: Thank you for joining us today, Sheila. Did your mother read to you as a child?
Sheila: Oh Yes! My Mom would read chapter books out loud to all of us, my 1 sister and 2 brothers. She also read plenty of picture books. All of us are avid readers today. Our children are also avid readers. This is a great tradition in our family.
JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?
Sheila: I loved the Little House In The Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My favorite Christmas present was getting the whole series for Christmas when I was nine years old. I also loved reading Rebecca From Sunnybrook Farm, The Little Women Series , and The Hobbit.
JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.
Sheila: Besides you (Joyce blushes here)...Jessica Day George, Jeff Savage, Rebecca Talley, Suzanne Collins and Brandon Mull and....I go on forever!!
JDP: Share a book you've read multiple times.
Sheila: The Harry Potter Books (several times),  Fablehaven and The Work And the Glory Series.
JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?
Sheila: I am a die-hard for old hard copies. I am not sure if and when I will break down and get a Kindle/Nook. I love the feel of a book in my hands, flipping the pages of a book and going to the library and walking down row, after row of books.
JDP: I'm still adjusting to my new Kindle. I like it very much for some things, but I don't feel myself giving up my love of hard copies anytime soon. (Just ordered 3 more from Amazon.) What's your favorite place to read?
Sheila: In bed, on the couch, in the car, at school while eating my lunch, while brushing my teeth etc. I just love to read!!
JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.
Sheila: Fantasy (YA or adult), Romance, Speculative.
JDP: What's the last book you read?
Sheila: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
JDP: What are you're reading now?
Sheila: Cold As Ice by Stephanie Black
JDP: What's next on your reading list?
Sheila: Matched by Ally Condie and Meg's Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)
Sheila: I always read a little of everything. I am waiting to read your next book, Joyce. (Joyce: Uh oh. Now the pressure's on!) I can't wait to read Brandon Mull's new book, Beyonder's #1 A World Without Heroes . I also am very excited to read Robinson Wells new book coming out this Fall called Variant . 
JDP: Share a favorite book that you've read in the last 12 months
Sheila: Two come to mind #1 Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card and #2 The Cross Gardner by Jason Wright
More about Sheila! : I am a very busy, single Mom to my two great kids; a 12 (almost 13) year old girl and an 8 year old boy. I work full time teaching 2nd grade. I love to read and met my goal of reading 100+ books last year. I love to write and enjoy attending writing conferences. I am seriously working on a romance novel. I have a YA fantasy and a mystery suspense in the beginning stages. I have been a member of LDS Women's Book Review for five years. I love podcasting with the ladies of LDSWBR. I also love to do book reviews on my own personal book review blog and at the LDSWBR site. For fun, besides reading, I love to play games with my kids (especially Harry Potter Scene-It), go camping, scrapbook, and play the piano and sing.
Please come and visit my blog Why Not Because I Said So where I review all genres of books. I do "Tuesday's Teaching Moments" sharing something I hope is helpful to my readers.  I also do "What Do You Think About...Wednesday" where I invite guests to come to my blog and answer a variety of questions that I pose to them having to do with reading and writing. I also am starting to have guest bloggers. My first guest blogger was my daughter and she did a very awesome job!! I would love to have people come visit me at my blog and become a follower and participate by commenting. I also hope that people will come and visit all of us at the LDSWBR site. We have great things going on there.
Note from Joyce: Sheila interviewed me for her "What Do You Think About...Wednesday" post on the subject of romance novels. Ack! If you'd like to read a few of my thoughts on the matter, click here.

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 page
BE 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 The Chariot of Israel :

It was a question asked, but it was not charged with any real degree of urgency, and that disappointed me. For a moment I had actually begun to feel some sympathy for the King, but now I realized that he was simply a man to be pitied for having become entangled in a web of his own weaving.
From  The Chariot of Israel , by James S. Sangster, p 33
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 

What Am I Reading Now?

I recently had the wonderful opportunity of going to a performance of Handel's oratorio, Elijah . The story of Elijah has always been one of my very favorite Bible stories, and this oratorio about his life and mission touched me so deeply that I literally wept. And coming away from that experience, I immediately knew what I wanted my next read to be. I had to wait a little bit while I finished Dearly Departed , by Tristi Pinkston (which I'll be reviewing for Tristi's blog tour on March 1, so check back then), but I finished it Friday night and immediately picked up The Chariot of Israel , by James S. Sangster. This book is so out of print, it doesn't even show up on Goodreads! But my mother bought a used copy for 10 cents when I was in junior high, and this book immediately fired my imagination. Partly because I had never pictured Elijah as an old gray haired prophet when I heard his story. For some reason, I'd always, always pictured him in my mind as a much younger man with long black hair. So imagine my excitement when I opened the pages of The Chariot of Israel and read a description of Elijah with...yes! long black hair!
But beyond this coincidence, The Chariot of Israel turned out to simply be a wonderfully written retelling of the story of Elijah. Several scenes from this book, including the falling of Elijah's mantle to the shoulders of his successor, Elisha, when the chariot of Israel takes him up at the end, have remained vivid memories through the years and linger with me even today whenever I read the story directly from the Bible.

I have long since lost the dust cover from my copy, so I don't even have a blurb to share with you. But look what I found on Amazon! A review of The Chariot of Israel ...by me! (Posted the last time I read it in 2008.) For what it's worth, this is what I wrote:

One of my favorite retellings of the story of Elijah in the Bible. Elijah is no grey-bearded, elderly prophet here, but a dark-haired wild man uniquely in tune and obedient to the commands of Jehovah, yet completely human in his occasional struggles with his faith. Good luck finding a copy to buy, but you'll be rewarded if you do.


I'll share a Tuesday Teaser with you on Tuesday, just in case you're able to track this book down on interlibrary loan or something!


PS The Chariot of Israel now appears on Goodreads, because I just created a profile for it there!

Get to Know the Author: Donna Hatch

Today's Getting to Know You interview is with Regency and fantasy romance author, Donna Hatch. Donna has previously been interviewed at JDP NEWS to share with us her love of the Regency period and some of her favorite research sources.
JDP: Donna, did your mother read to you as a child?
Donna: Yes, every night until I was about 8.
JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?
Donna: I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and also A Little Princess
JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.
Donna: I have many, but Georgetter Heyer is near the top of the list.
JDP: She's at the top of my lists, too. :-) Share a book you've read multiple times.
Donna: The More I See You by Lynn Kurland
JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?
Donna: I don't own an ebook reader. Yet. But I plan to -- not to replace hard copy, but to have in addition.
JDP: What's your favorite place to read?
Donna: A comfy old arm chair in the corner of my bedroom.
JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.
Donna: Romance. Historical. Fantasy.
JDP: What's the last book you read?
Donna: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Funny, quirky read.
JDP: What are you're reading now?
Donna: The Conquerer by Georgette Heyer
JDP: Oooo, that's not an easy book. I re-read it a year or so ago. But worth the effort, I think! (This from someone who celebrates Norman Conquest Day every year, of course.) What's next on your reading list?
Donna: Spellweaver by Lynn Kurland
JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)
Donna: Sweet or traditional historical romance
JDP: Share a favorite book that you've read in the last 12 months
Donna: The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel.
Thank you for joining us again today, Donna!
More about Donna: Donna Hatch's passion for writing began at age 8 when she wrote her first short story. During her sophomore year in high school, she wrote her first full-length novel. Her writing has won or been nominated as a finalist in many writing awards including Golden Quill and SARA Merrit. In between caring for six children, (7 counting her husband), her day job, and her many volunteer positions, she manages to carve out time to indulge in her writing obsession. A native of Arizona, she writes Regency Romance and Fantasy. And yes, all of her heroes are patterned after her husband of over 20 years, who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after. You can learn more about Donna by visiting her website at http://www.donnahatch.com and blog at http://donnahatch.blogspot.com
Books by Donna Hatch:
The Stranger She Married The Guise of a Gentleman Troubled Hearts Queen in Exile
Summary of Queen in Exile :
Rumors of war hang over Princess Jeniah's peaceful country of Arden, a land that shuns both magic and warfare. Following a lifelong dream, Jeniah forms a telpathic bond with a revered creature called a chayim, who is prophesied to save her kingdom. But when a Darborian knight comes upon Jeniah with her chayim, he sees only a vicious monster about to devour a maiden, and he slays the beast.
Devastated by the loss of her chayim, and fearing that her own magic is evil, Jeniah doubts her destiny. When an enemy invades Arden City, they slaughter the people, storm the castle, and execute the entire royal family except the princess. Rescued by the knight who slew her chayim, Jeniah is now heir to the throne of Arden and the only hope for freeing her people from tyranny.
On the run and hunted by enemy soldiers, Jeniah must place her life and the fate of her kingdom in the hands of this trained killer. Torn between embracing her destiny as queen of Arden, and her love for a mere knight, she must ultimately rely on her magic to save herself and her people from death and tyranny.