Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 97

Introducing...Illuminations of the Heart

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Yes, I know, I've already introduced you to the first chapter of my new medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart, but now I've received permission to share both my new cover and the back cover blurb with you. No official release date has yet been set, but if you are a fiction reviewer who maintains a professional blog or review site, you may be eligible to receive an advanced reader copy (ARC). All ARC requests must be approved by my publisher, but if you'd like to make a request, contact

Crazy Eights

I’ve been tagged…again! Actually, this tag came before my Superior Scribbler Award, but it’d completely slipped my notice until today. Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen, author of the soon-to-be published suspense novel, Missing, tagged me way back in May. Unfortunately, I became “It” in the middle of a visit by my sister while I hardly had any time to check my email, and hence only discovered this today while I was “weeding old emails”. (Which is certainly more fun…and cooler this time of year…than weeding

Questions and Answers

I've had a request to post the answers to the questions for our daily Summer Treasure Hunt: Dig for Clues and Win! contest. Of course, I can only post the answers to the questions for prizes that have already been won. ;-) But for those of you are are curious to know what the answers are to the questions thus far, click right here. Answers will be added daily as the remainder of our prizes are awarded.

Superior Scribbler Award

How exciting! I've been awarded a "scribbler" award! That's almost as good as a "dabbler" award, which is what I generally call my writing, but being called a "scribbler" is very fun, too! I've been doing more scribbling on this blog than I have on getting a new book kicked off the ground, so I presume that Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen (author of the soon-to-be released suspense novel, Missing), who sent me this award, was inspired to do so in the hopes that it might whisper to me (very strongly): "You

Interview with Regency author Donna Hatch

Today I’m introducing my first author interview at JDP NEWS! While the Middle Ages is my first love as a setting for my novels, I cut my romance reading eye-teeth on the Regency romances of Georgette Heyer and have been a huge Regency romance fan ever since. It’s my hope to conduct interviews with three new Regency authors whom I have recently discovered and enjoyed, beginning with author Donna Hatch. I’m waiting to hear back from the second Regency author about her willingness to be interviewed

Illuminations of the Heart, Chapter 1

My new medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart, will be going to press within the next couple of weeks! No, this is not part of the cover art, but she would make a very pretty version of my heroine, Siri, if she were. While we're all waiting to find out what the new cover is going to look like, I've received permission from my editor to share the first chapter of Illuminations of the Heart with you. I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

CHAPTER 1
POITOU, SUMMER 1179


“Donna Siri, cover your head.”

Sir

Contest at "Why Not? Because I Said So!"

Hey, there's a great new contest going on over at Why Not? Because I Said So! Blogger and book reviewer Sheila is giving away a free copy of Author Annette Lyon's new book: There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd. If you're a writer--fiction, non-fiction, personal journals, letters...even emails!...who occasionally find your head spinning over its vs it's, affect vs effect, etc (fill in your own personal grammar nemesis here), or a reader who simply finds the subjec

Revisiting Old Friends

I've just recently discovered these two quotes and now count them among my favorites:

"Books worth reading are worth re-reading." (Holbrook Jackson)

"We hold if a book be worth reading once, it is worth reading twice, and if it stands a second reading, it may stand a third." (Gilfillan)

I've just recently finished a third re-reading The Convenient Marriage, by Georgette Heyer. I read it once in high school and once in college. My only question as I read it this time was: "What took me so long to re

Hymns for Memorial Day

During the televised memorial services for those who died in the bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000, the Navy band played a tune that struck me as particularly beautiful. When I mentioned it to my mother, she immediately sprang up and pulled out her old “Song and Service Book for Ship and Field” from her days in the Navy WAVES. She flipped to a page in the book and handed it to me. As soon as the memorial services were over, I went over to our piano and played and sang the song that

School Days Comin' to an End

Today I played the piano for our annual 1st Grade Spring Program. The children sang. The Ants went marching, the Speckled Frogs ate their bugs, the Baby Bumblebee "bit me!", the Little White Duck was "doing what he oughtta", we all loved Arizona, and we Heard It for America. (Hip-Hoo-ray!) All was good.

And on we go to summer![image error]