Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 69
September 16, 2010
Winners of my Giveaway Game!
Congratulations to Colleen Conklin and Carla Parsons! Colleen and Carla have each won a $5 Amazon gift certificate for playing my JDP NEWS Giveaway Game!
Happy reading, ladies!
Happy reading, ladies!
Published on September 16, 2010 12:46
September 14, 2010
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 my first teaser from The Black Moth :
"I fail to understand. You informed me that the Earl left all to Richard?"
"He changed his will, Tracy!"
"He--changed--his--will! Then, my dear, must you have played your cards very badly!"
From The Black Moth , by Georgette Heyer, p 49
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.
The Black Moth

Published on September 14, 2010 09:00
September 13, 2010
What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?
I just finished
The Scarlet Pimpernel
. What a rollicking fun read! Thank you, all, who recommended it to me.
The Scarlet Pimpernel was a "new" read for me, so now it's time for another "old" read. A friend asked me if I thought Georgette Heyer's The Black Moth had been influenced by The Scarlet Pimpernel . Since, at the time, I hadn't read The Scarlet Pimpernel and it has been years and years (and years) since I read The Black Moth , I couldn't answer her question. Now that I'm a few pages into ...
The Scarlet Pimpernel was a "new" read for me, so now it's time for another "old" read. A friend asked me if I thought Georgette Heyer's The Black Moth had been influenced by The Scarlet Pimpernel . Since, at the time, I hadn't read The Scarlet Pimpernel and it has been years and years (and years) since I read The Black Moth , I couldn't answer her question. Now that I'm a few pages into ...
Published on September 13, 2010 13:27
September 11, 2010
September 7, 2010
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!
Oh, my! I'm half-way through The Scarlet Pimpernel , (yes, past page 66) and there are so many quotes I could share! But I simply could not live with myself if I finished this book before next Tuesday and failed to share this immortalized bon mot (if it's not immortalized to you because you've never read the book or seen the movie/s, well then, you need to do something about that!):
Even the Prince had asked her, with a little laugh, whether she appreciated her husband's latest poetic efforts.
"All done in the tying of a cravat," Sir Percy had declared to his clique of admirers.
"We seek him here, we seek him there,Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.Is he in heaven?--Is he in hell?That demmed, elusive Pimpernel."
From The Scarlet Pimpernel , by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, p 66
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.
Search Amazon.com for The Scarlet Pimpernel

Published on September 07, 2010 08:00
September 3, 2010
What Am I Reading for My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge?
Okay, so I finished
A Pride of Kings
, by Juliet Dymoke and decided it's a keeper. Maybe it wasn't the absolutely most riveting book I've ever read, but it was nevertheless an interesting take on the life of William Marshal. Plus, it was tremendous fun to see how many historical quotes the author managed to slip into the novel! I used one of the same quotes in
Illuminations of the Heart
, though in a different context and by a different character. Don't worry, the original speaker (assuming he...
Published on September 03, 2010 08:00
September 1, 2010
Giveaway Game
Let's have a little contest! It's been awhile since I've held a contest and I can only afford a little one right now. But maybe we can have fun anyway.
How about this? I'll throw two $5 Amazon gift certificates up for grabs. All you have to do is visit my new Quill to Quill blogs and answer the following questions:
(1) What are two subjects Perrin would learn if he attended the University of Paris? Read Siri's September 21, 1179 letter to Heléne at Quill to Quill (click on the corresponding lin...
How about this? I'll throw two $5 Amazon gift certificates up for grabs. All you have to do is visit my new Quill to Quill blogs and answer the following questions:
(1) What are two subjects Perrin would learn if he attended the University of Paris? Read Siri's September 21, 1179 letter to Heléne at Quill to Quill (click on the corresponding lin...
Published on September 01, 2010 08:00
August 30, 2010
Giveaway and Guest Blog by Linda Weaver Clarke
In celebration of the release of the second installment in her "Adventures of John and Julia Evans" series, Linda Weaver Clarke is holding a giveaway for
Mayan Intrigue
during the week of August 30th. Linda is guest blogging on
JDP NEWS
today with a post about her move from writing historical romance to the mystery. Welcome, Linda!Romance VS Mystery!by Linda Weaver Clarke
I always enjoy putting a little history in each of my novels to educate my readers. In historical romance, it's a must and...
Published on August 30, 2010 07:00
August 28, 2010
GiveawayScout.com
Do you love giveaways? Or do you hold a lot of giveaways on your blog? Then you might be interested in GiveawayScout.com.
GiveawayScout.com's tag line is: All blog giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes in one place. Their pledge:
We automatically scan thousands of blogs to bring you the latest blog giveaways, sweepstakes and contests.Never miss out on a giveaway!Our lists update every hour.You can even subscribe to be notified every time a new giveaway is posted on their site.
With a giveaway...
GiveawayScout.com's tag line is: All blog giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes in one place. Their pledge:
We automatically scan thousands of blogs to bring you the latest blog giveaways, sweepstakes and contests.Never miss out on a giveaway!Our lists update every hour.You can even subscribe to be notified every time a new giveaway is posted on their site.
With a giveaway...
Published on August 28, 2010 13:59
August 27, 2010
The Novel and I
I picked up a good half-dozen intriguing-looking historical novels at Target today, opened each one to the first page, closed each one and put it back on the shelf. Why? Because each and every one began with the word "I".
I've always had a "thing" about first person novels. I don't know why. It goes back to long before I ever dreamed of becoming a writer. Even when young, as soon as I saw the first person "I" on a page, I wanted to put the book down. It's pretty much a given that "I" is...
Published on August 27, 2010 22:06


