Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 66

Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop

This is the season of Gratitude, and the wonderful Kathy Habel has dreamed up a spectacular way for some of us to thank our loyal blog followers. She has put together another giveaway blog hop, only this time over 175 blogs will be participating! Yes, you heard me right...over 175 participating blogs, each giving away a book or book-themed prize! You'll have a little over one full week to visit each of the blogs and enter their giveaways, but remember...the goal of each blogger is to express thanks to their followers, sooo you will have to be a follower of each blog to enter the giveaway. Not to worry, though. If you're not a follower now, you can sign up at the time of entry!
So what is JDP NEWS giving away? Just the following. If it looks similar to what I gave away for the Spooktacular Giveaway Blog , you would be wrong. I've reversed many of the giveaways, so that, for example, instead of giving away a copy of my medieval romance, Loyalty's Web , this time I'll be giving away a copy of Illuminations of the Heart . Instead of an Illuminations of the Heart tote bag, I'll be giving away a Loyalty's Web tote bag. Etc.
Okay, so here's my giveaway list:
An autographed copy of Illuminations of the Heart A Loyalty's Web tote bagAn Illuminations of the Heart mugA Loyalty's Web notebookA 14.5 oz Holly Wreath scented candleAnd assorted Christmas candy (because although this is a Thanksgiving giveaway, Thanksgiving will be over by the time you receive your prize!)
Again, this is all included in one giveaway!
How can you enter to win the above? Simple. Become a follower of JDP NEWS via the Google Friend Connect feature in the sidebar. If you're already a follower, you are automatically entered in the contest, but you MUST LEAVE A COMMENT LETTING ME KNOW YOU ARE/HAVE BECOME A FOLLOWER AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
You can win bonus entries by doing any or all of the following:
+1 Bonus: Join my email list via the "subscribe by email" box below the "followers" box. Leave a comment letting me know that you have become a subscriber. If you are already subscribed (via the Feedburner box), leave a comment letting me know and it will count towards a bonus entry.
+1 Bonus: "Like" my Joyce DiPastena book page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joyce-DiPastena/34871759128?ref=ts, then leave me a comment letting me know 
+1 Bonus: Follow JDP NEWS via Networked Blogs in my sidebar, then leave me a comment letting me know
Note: The above entry is for USA entries only. I'll include international entries in a future giveaway.
Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM EST/8:59 PM EST on November 28th.
See below for links to the other 175+ blogs participating in the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop!

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 of teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from The Door in the Wall :
The two heads bent over the parchment together, Brother Luke's tonsured, Robin's dark and thickly thatched.
"Oh," said Robin, "you have made it look like poetry with red capitals!"
"Yes," agreed Brother Luke, "but when it is read to thee, 'twill not sound like poetry, I'll vow. Thou hast not minced words in thy letter."
From The Door in the Wall , by Marguerite de Angeli, p 31
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, too.

What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?

Finished up Perilous , by Tamara Hart Heiner. Watch for my review in December, and in the meantime, check out her blog tour. (See yesterday's post.)

"Old read" time again! I've chosen The Door in the Wall , by Marguerite de Angeli. The Door in the Wall was a Newbery Medal book in 1949. Here's the back cover blurb:

The bells clang above plague-ridden London as Robin lies helpless, cold, and hungry. The great house is empty, his father is fighting the Scots in the north, his mother is traveling with the Queen, and the servants have fled. He calls for help but only the stones hear his cries. Suddenly someone else is in the house, coming towards Robin. It is Brother Luke, a wandering friar, who takes Robin to St. Mark's Monastery, where he will be cared for until his father sends for him.


At last the message comes--Robin is to meet his father at Castle Lindsay. The journey is dangerous, and the castle is located near the hostile Welsh border. Perched high in the hills, the castle appears invincible. But it is not. Under the cover of a thick fog the Welsh attack the castle. And Robin is the only one who can save it...



I will share a Tuesday Teaser from The Door in the Wall on Tuesday.
If you would like to join my 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge, it's not too late (if you're a fast reader)! Click here and here for more information. And remember, there are prizes involved if you join us!

Blog Tour for "Perilous", by Tamara Hart Heiner

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am participating in a blog tour for Perilous , a Young Adult thriller by Tamara Hart Heiner. The blog tour starts tomorrow (Nov 16), although I won't be posting my tour review until December 14th. But you don't want to wait until then to jump on the blog wagon! Tamara is holding TWO incredible giveaways in connection with her book's debut.


GIVEAWAY #1: Book giveaway 


The winner of this contest will be randomly chosen. Every person who comments on any post during the blog tour will be entered into a random drawing for a book.  The contest begins on Nov. 16 and ends on Dec. 15. Click here to find the blog tour schedule.

GIVEAWAY #2: Kindle giveaway


This contest is point-based and begins Nov. 15 and ends Dec. 15. Whoever has the most points wins the Kindle. There will only be one Kindle given away. Here are the points:

1 point: blog comment (can comment on all the blogs, multiple times, on the tour)
1 point: follow my blog (http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com)
1 point: retweet
2 points: blog about the blog tour
5 points: purchase the book (ebook or paperback, must email me the confirmation email) if they actually buy the book in the store they can mail me a copy of the receipt.
Add up all your points as well as their proof (links, etc) and email it to tamara@tamarahartheiner.com at the end of the blog tour
People can earn an infinite number of points!


Again, click here for the tour schedule.


Good luck, everyone!

Marsha Ward: Author Interview and Book Giveaway

It is with great pleasure today that I share an interview with you with Western author, Marsha Ward. I'll be honest. I don't generally enjoy reading books about the American West (although I love living in the American West!), but for Marsha Ward, I have learned to make an exception. She is a high quality writer and knows how to create an authentic historical world. Need proof? Her most recent novel, Trail of Storms , was recently  named a finalist in the Western Fiction category in the "Best Books of 2010 Awards" this October! Marsha is celebrating by offering not one, but TWO, of her Western titles in e-book format as a giveaway at the end of this interview!
JDP: Trail of Storms is part of your Owen Family Western Saga series. Can you tell us a little bit about this series? 
Marsha: The series I call the "Owen Family Saga" grew sort of organically. The writing of  The Man from Shenandoah  spanned quite a period of years, because I actually started it when I came home after my first year of college. It sat around for years until I got serious about writing commercially in the 1980s. I cut five children from the original family. Then I wrote a story recounting the trials and triumphs of Carl Owen, who got home from the Civil War just in time to join the rest of the family as they relocated to Colorado Territory. When I had finished, I thought that would be all I had to tell about the Owen Family. I was wrong. I'd set up quite a cast of characters, and one story in particular, begged to be told.
Long before I published The Man from Shenandoah , I had already begun to write  Ride to Raton . That book is about another of the Owen sons, who leaves the new family homestead in Colorado and goes off on his own. Due to a circumstance that's too long to tell in this interview, I chose to self-publish The Man from Shenandoah , and readers liked it so well that I did the same with Ride to Raton nearly a year later.
It took a few years and a lot of re-writing, but I finally finished a third novel, Trail of Storms , which continued the saga and got me back in the good graces of my readers. My next book was going to be something totally different, so again, I thought I was finished. Wrong again.
I have begun to label the three published books as a series on my website and on all the book and library sites I participate in on the Internet. I also created new covers for the first two books when I made them into e-books. Ride to Raton carries the subtitle "Book 2: The Owen Family Saga." When Trail of Storms becomes an e-book, it will say "Book 3: The Owen Family Saga" on the cover.
JDP: Marsha was a huge help and inspiration to me when I initially decided to self-publish Loyalty's Web , which Walnut Springs Press later picked up. Thank you, Marsha, for your patient support and guidance! I am so excited to see the success of your Western series. Would you please tell us a little about Trail of Storms specifically. 
Marsha: Trail of Storms goes back to Virginia to pick up the story of the sweetheart James Owen left behind when his family left. Jessie Bingham's heart was broken when James's father refused to let him marry Jessie and bring her west. A year later, an act of brutality drove the Bingham family and a few friends to flee for their lives. Complications ensue when Jessie commits to marry another man, but encounters James Owen at a stop on the trail.
JDP: Trail of Storms is set in the post-Civil War American West. What did you find most fascinating about this time period? 
Marsha: Years ago, I formed a friendship with a famous author, who told me that each writer has their favorite war. His was the French and Indian War. Mine, it turns out, is the Civil War and its aftermath. I can't explain that. I didn't have any ancestors involved in it, so I don't have a "dog in the fight," so to speak. If I had, they would have been on the Union side, but I write about Confederates. The time period just drew me in ever since I studied about the War in elementary school. Maybe the tragedy of the situation attracted me.
JDP: What an interesting statement! I suppose I'd have to say that the American Revolution would be my favorite war, although if one were to judge from my actual writing, you'd think my favorite war should be the civil war between Henry II and his sons in the Middle Ages. Hmm, I'll have to think about that a little more thoroughly. In the meantime, I'm always interested in how authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little about how you researched the historical background for Trail of Storms?  
Marsha: I had done a lot of study when I initially researched the time period for The Man from Shenandoah . I read over 150 research books during that time. This time, I had the benefit of the Internet. I still used many different books to research a vast variety of topics, including the Mormon Battalion Trail; songs of the Civil War period; the interaction between Anglos, former Mexican citizens, and Indians; and the topography of New Mexico and other Western states. I bought plenty of books, including one published during the Great Depression, when writers were put to work by the government to write the history of each state.
JDP: Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or other resources?
New Mexico, a Guide to the Colorful State , and other books of the series, which came out of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration; The Writers Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West, by Candy Moulton; Cowboy Lingo , by Ramon F. Adams; and several volumes of first-hand accounts of women traveling on various western trails in that era. I know. That's more than three.
JDP: I have The Writers Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages . Mine was by Sherrilyn Kenyon. That was a good series from Writers Digest!
Are there any historical figures from the era of Trail of Storms  who particularly intrigue you? 
Marsha: The everyday, unsung, unnamed men and women who settled the West through a lot of back-breaking work and ceaseless toil are my heroes and heroines.
JDP: What inspired you to write Trail of Storms ? 
Marsha: A lot of restless fans. Seriously. It took a long time to write the book, unfortunately, during which I moved from the home I'd lived in for more than 20 years and settled in a new community. I also took a detour into retail sales for a year. Once the business failed and I had sufficient time to write, the initial output was disappointing, and I had to step back and take a fresh look at the story. I changed the main viewpoint character, added a new cast, then put the first output into its proper place in the middle of the plot. Even so, the completed first draft wasn't satisfactory. I ended up revising the first two-thirds of the book, cutting off the last third, and re-writing the ending from scratch. That must have worked. Trail of Storms was named the Finalist in the Western Fiction category of the "Best Books 2010" Awards in October. There was only one finalist named, so I think  Trail of Storms stacked up pretty well against the competition.
JDP: What a thrilling and well-deserved recognition for you Marsha! Are you working on any new projects? 
Marsha: Yes. I'm writing an unnamed fourth novel in the Owen Family Saga. I had an idea for a non-fiction book, but I'm trying hard to keep it in its place on the back burner until the novel is finished.
JDP: Where can readers obtain copies of your books? 
Marsha: All of my novels are available in print at BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, iUniverse.com, and many more online booksellers, including those in Great Britain and the European Union, South Africa, Australia, and India. The first two novels, The Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton , are available as e-books in many formats at Smashwords.com. The ibookstore, kobobooks.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other retail partners of Smashwords carry the version for their e-reader.  Trail of Storms may be purchased as an e-book at iUniverse.com. I also sell autographed copies of all my novels from my website, http://marshaward.com.
JDP: Thank you so much for joining us today, Marsha!
Marsha: Thank you for interviewing me, Joyce. It was a pleasure.
Giveaway time! Marsha is offering a free e-book download from Smashwords.com for each of the following Marsha Ward titles: Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton . Since they're e-books, we'll open this giveaway to both USA and International entries.
For a chance to win either Man from Shenandoah or Ride to Raton , do one, two, or all three of the following. Each will count as a separate entry, so please do not combine your answers into one email, or you'll only be counted once.
(1) Leave a comment on this blog telling me why you'd like to win one of Marsha's books, then email me at jdipastena@yahoo.com WITH YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS (don't need mailing address this time) and type: #1: I love Westerns!" into the subject line.
(2) Visit Marsha's blog, The Characters in Marsha's Head, read her post on "A passel of pain", and tell me what Marie's last exchange with James was. Email me the answer WITH YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS to jdipastena@yahoo.com, and type "#2: I love Westerns!" into the subject line.
(3) Visit Marsha's website, click on the "Background & Awards" tab in the left hand sidebar, and tell me what writers group Marsha founded in 1986. Then email me the answer WITH YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS to jdipastena@yahoo.com, and type: "#3: I love Westerns!" into the subject line.
Deadline for entries is November 19, midnight PST. Winners will be drawn on November 20 by Random.org. The first name drawn will win an e-copy of The Man from Shenandoah , the second name drawn will win Ride to Raton . Have fun and good luck!

Songs for a Navy WAVE

While doing more sorting today, I came across a little booklet of songs my mother received when she served as a Navy WAVE in the 1940s. I thought I'd share some of them with you just for fun. Sing along with me if you'd like!

(Warning: What follows may not be entirely politically correct!)

WAVES Go Marching On(Tune: "Battle Hymn of the Republic")
(Okay, I can't figure out how this first verse fits the song, but the last verses do)
We're WAVES in the Navy.We are sailors dressed in skirts.Our lives are run on schedule[I THINK THERE'S A LINE MISSING HERE!]And we spend our nightly quiet hourWashing out our shirts,The WAVES go marching on.
They teach us how to make a bunkAnd how to wear our hatsAnd shine our shoes and clean our roomsIn almost nothing flat.They put us all in girdlesIf we're thin or if we're fatThe WAVES go marching on.
Well fun is fun but now we're done, We're kidding on the square,We didn't join the NavyFor the uniforms we wear;We joined to help our loved onesWho are fighting over there.The WAVES go marching on.
CHORUS:
GLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVYGLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVYGLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVYTHE WAVES GO MARCHING ON.
Navy Boots (Tune: "The Caissons Go Rolling Along")
Navy Boots, new recruitsDon your hats and don your bootsJoin the sailors a-swinging along.Column right, left oblique, square your corners, do it rightAs the Navy goes singing along.
For it's one, two, three,Guide right there CompanyCall out the cadence loud and strong.Make them proud of you,Girl in Navy Blue.Join the sailors and fight right along.Join the sailors and fight right along.
Boots of the Navy(Tune: "Hinky Dinky Parley Voo")
We are the girls they call recruits--Parley VooWe are the girls they call recruits--Parley VooWe are the girls they call recruitsAll we have are our hats and boots,Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.
They gave us our hats, they gave us our boots--Parley VooThey gave us our hats, they gave us our boots--Parley VooThey gave us our hats, they gave us our bootsBut when are we going to get our suits?Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.
We are the girls of 612--Parley VooWe are the girls of 612--Parley VooWe are the girls of 612We never know just what to do,Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.
Navy Spirit(Tune: "You've Got to Be a Football Hero")
We're proud to be a part of Navy.And stand to colors with the red, white and blue.We'll back our men in all that they're fighting forWe'll do our share to shorten this war.You know we're going to miss you, Hunter,But we're off to help them win.We may not go to seeBut we'll try to beA credit to the USN. [US Navy]
[Hunter referred to the training center for Navy WAVES located at Hunter College in New York]
WAVES in Navy Blue(Tune: George M. Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Dandy")
We are WAVES of dear old Navy,Navy hearts beat in us too.One for all and all for Uncle SamAnd for the red, white and blue.We've a lot of work before usAnd we're going to see it through.Navy WAVES all march together,To defend the nation;We are the WAVES in Navy Blue.
There are many more songs in this booklet, but they're all to songs I've never heard of, such as: "Bell Bottom Skirts", sung to the tune of "Bell Bottom Trousers"; "Salute to the WACS", sung to the tune of "Skinna-Ma-Rink"; "Don't Make My Girl a Sailor", sung to the tune "Don't Send My Boy to Harvard", and "Ginny, the Ninny of the First Platoon", sung to the tune of "The Strip Polka". (Yes, I know, amazing that songs with such titles ever went out of fashion!)

And of course, no book of Navy songs would be complete without the following:

Anchors aweigh, my boys, Anchors aweigh.Farewell to college joys we sail at break of day-day-day-day!Through our last night ashore,Drink to the foam,Until we meet once more here's wishing you a happy voyage home.
The preface to this little booklet reads:

"The spontaneous singing of WAVES as they march is the best indication of their spirit. Original songs submitted at Song Fests, supplemented by other Navy songs in this book, set a precedent for you who follow. Carry the book with you, sing and add your own songs; for a singing crew is a happy crew and a happy crew is a good one." W.F. Amsden, Captain, USN

And here's the Dedication:

Singing as they march and work, thousands of American women have upheld the morale at the United States Navy Training School. To them, for their fine spirit, this book is dedicated. In the following words that spirit is expressed.

We are singing WAVES of the USA,We sing as we march along;We sing, we sing, we sing,Our hearts are filled with song;For we are singing seamenOf the land of the brave and the free,We are singing WAVES for Uncle SamAnd we sing for victory.
We are working WAVES of the USA,We work from dawn 'til night;We do a job to free a gobSo he can join the fight.And when the war is overAnd our men are home to stayWe can proudly shout we did our partFor the good old USA.
(May be sung to the tune: "Georgia Tech")
To all our service men and women, now and then, WE SALUTE YOU!

Winner of "Redemption"

Kathleen Brebes has won a copy of Redemption: The Story of Jonah , by Susan Dayley! Congratulations, Kathleen!


Thank you to everyone who read Susan's interview and entered my giveaway. Stay tuned: I have another author interview and giveaway coming up on Friday!

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 of teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from Perilous :

Jaci beckoned to Sara and together they helped her up. Water ran down Jaci's nose, and she stuck out her tongue, welcoming the cool liquid. She and Sara dragged Amanda between them, Jaci's arms burning from the effort. The ridiculous duffel bag kept banging against her calf. She wanted to leave it behind but knew they'd need it.

From Perilous , by Tamara Hart Heiner, p 87
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, too.

What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?

Okay, I finished my latest "old read": Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , by J.K. Rowling, and I'm all freshened up and ready for the movie! 


Now for a "new read". I'll be reviewing Perilous , a Young Adult Thriller by Tamara Hart Heiner, in December, so I decided to get a jump on the book by reading it now. Here's the back cover blurb:


Jaci Rivera has plans for her sophomore year: go to regionals with the track team, make the honor roll, and eat too much pizza with her best friends, Callie and Sara. Her biggest concern is Amanda, the pushy girl who moved in a few months ago. 

What she doesn't plan for is catching a robber red-handed, or being kidnapped. The desperate thief drags her and her friends 2,000 miles across the Canadian border. They escape from his lair, only to find that he has spies and agents watching their path home, waiting to intercept them and take them back. 

Then Jaci finds something out about her family. Something which irrevocably connects her to their kidnapper, and makes her question their chances of escape.



I will share a Tuesday Teaser from Perilous on Tuesday.
If you would like to join my 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge, it's not too late (if you're a fast reader)! Click here and here for more information. And remember, there are prizes involved if you join us!

New historical novel by L.C. Lewis

The bicentennial of the War of 1812 is less than two years away, and America is gearing up to host spectacular celebrations of the 200th anniversary of her second war of independence. LDS author, L.C. Lewis, saw the event fast-approaching and began writing a historical fiction series to commemorate this often overlooked moment and generation. Along the way, Free Men and Dreamers has garnered an impressive array of reviews, endorsements, and awards. Though each book continues the overall story, each volume is written as a stand-alone read as well, and Lewis thinks volume four, "Oh, Say Can You See?" which weaves her characters through the events surrounding the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, may be the most timely of all the volumes.
This week author L.C. Lewis is prepping for the national launch of "Oh, Say Can You See?"
From the backliner of the book:
Although the British raids have left Washington a devastated, blackened city, the battered Constitution has held and the presidency has survived!
But the struggling government has no home. The British saw to that. Gone is the Capitol and her magnificent library, the chambers of the Supreme Court, the President's House, and every relic and document not secreted out of the city.
Next on the list of British prizes—the rebellious port city of Baltimore! A victory here would assure the Americans' defeat, but a loss would dilute the importance of the destruction of Washington.
But has the raid on Washington stiffened the backs of the Americans? This is the question gnawing at the leaders on both sides.
The Willows women are mourning their absent men—gone to war, or wounded, or captured—as they await the birth of a blessed child.
Mere miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that a pen can be more powerful than a sword, Key records his fears and hopes—the fears and hopes of his embattled people—as he watches the bombardment of Baltimore while detained in the midst of the British fleet.
What changed in this noble man's pacifist heart, empowering him to pen the powerful anthem, known today as "The Star Spangled Banner," an epic poem that rallied a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of "one nation under God?"
Experience the personal sacrifice of five families placed in the firestorm of the War of 1812, citizen heirs of the sacrifice of the Founding Fathers.
You can read my March 2010 interview with L.C. Lewis by clicking here.
You can see the book trailer for "Oh Say, Can You See?" on YouTube. 
L.C. Lewis is beginning pre-release promotional activities readers can participate in by visiting her web site and blog at www.laurielclewis.com, and www.laurielclewis.blogspot.com.