Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 98
May 19, 2009
Welcome to Our “Summer Treasure Hunt: Dig for Clues and Win” Contest!
Some friends and I have put together an exciting contest to kick off your summer! Beginning June 1st, we will be giving away a prize a day. That’s right: 30 days, 30 treasures! There should be something for everyone: romance, mystery, historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction; children’s picture books; a variety of non-fiction; and just to liven things up even more, we’ve included a few exciting non-book prizes: a free 30 page manuscript edit, for you aspiring authors out there; an e-bay
May 15, 2009
Review of “Messiah: The Little-known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio”, by Tim Slover
Book Description:
This account presents the remarkable story of the creation of the world-famous Messiah by George Frideric Handel. Revealing that the work was composed during a tumultuous period of Handel’s life and molded through many unlikely circumstances, this chronicle tells of how this musical masterpiece was crafted and how it became a glorious production that is now performed around the world every Christmas season. Images of significant sites and artifacts of note, including the church
May 6, 2009
Why Am I Green?
Why is my background green for May? Not because it's spring. Because it's my birthday month, and this is as close as I could get to my birthstone (emerald) and still (hopefully) be readable. Happy birthday to me![image error]
Twittering Away
Yes, you can follow me on Twitter now...if you really want to! Scroll down the left side of my blog to read my Twitters here, or sign up to follow me.[image error]
May 3, 2009
As the Eyes Go Rolling Along
What’s up with the “rolling of eyes” phenomenon in practically every other work of fiction I read these days?
I first noticed it in a medieval romance. The book started out well enough. A likable heroine I was happy to follow along on her quest to find “true love”. But then, half-way through, she rolled her eyes. No problem. Everyone rolls their eyes sometimes. But then she did it again. And again. And again. Until I found myself groaning with each repeated “roll” and a hair’s breadth away from
I first noticed it in a medieval romance. The book started out well enough. A likable heroine I was happy to follow along on her quest to find “true love”. But then, half-way through, she rolled her eyes. No problem. Everyone rolls their eyes sometimes. But then she did it again. And again. And again. Until I found myself groaning with each repeated “roll” and a hair’s breadth away from
April 13, 2009
He Remembereth Every Creature of His Creating*
Yes, this is another blog about pets! I wrote it many, many years ago now, but the Easter season brought it to my memory, and so I share it with you today.
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Echo was such a cat. That's what I always told him. He was built like an athlete. Long legs, long body, long tail. Everything about him was long. And sleek, with muscles that were sculpted for leaping tall bookshelves in a single bound. Which is exactly what he did, whenever he had an a
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Echo was such a cat. That's what I always told him. He was built like an athlete. Long legs, long body, long tail. Everything about him was long. And sleek, with muscles that were sculpted for leaping tall bookshelves in a single bound. Which is exactly what he did, whenever he had an a
April 9, 2009
Win a Medieval Banner!
Have you ever wanted a medieval banner of your very own? C’mon, let’s be honest. Who hasn’t?
Well, here’s your opportunity to win such a banner! This time round, I’m holding a drawing especially for those who have read my medieval novel, Loyalty’s Web. The heraldic emblem of my heroine Heléne’s family is the double-headed phoenix. During the course of the story, Heléne uses a banner bearing this insignia to escape from a man who has her cornered in a room in her father’s castle.
The prize for this
April 6, 2009
Loyalty's Web in the News
Hey All!
Loyalty's Web has enjoyed a small whirlwind of publicity on the internet lately. If you haven't already seen them, you can read two author interviews, one with C.S. Bezas and another with MyFavoriteAuthor.
MyFavoriteAuthor also reviewed my medieval romance, Loyalty's Web, last week.
And finally, I posted a guest blog on MyFavoriteAuthor today on my experience with originally self-publishing Loyalty's Web and some of the things I learned along the way.
Hope you'll check out the links above![image error]
April 4, 2009
To Twitter or Not To Twitter...
That is the question!
So, should I give Twitter a try? Would anyone seriously be interested in anything I might have to Twitter about? Please help me out by voting in my Twitter poll! You'll find it just under all my links on the left side of the page, and just above my Shelfari shelf. I'm leaving the voting open for one month, at the end of which time the majority will rule!
And since I'm new to the whole concept of Twittering, if you vote "Yes", I'd love you to leave a comment on this post and t
So, should I give Twitter a try? Would anyone seriously be interested in anything I might have to Twitter about? Please help me out by voting in my Twitter poll! You'll find it just under all my links on the left side of the page, and just above my Shelfari shelf. I'm leaving the voting open for one month, at the end of which time the majority will rule!
And since I'm new to the whole concept of Twittering, if you vote "Yes", I'd love you to leave a comment on this post and t
They Bring Joy To My Life Every Day
I have a link on my Yahoo homepage called “The Daily Kitten”, where they post a “new kitten every day…at 3:07 pm”. Being a cat lover, I’ve been following this daily link for several years. People from all over the world post pictures of their kittens (always adorable, of course…is there any other kind?), along with a short commentary that shares how the kitten became part of their family or something unique about their kitten. They may look identical on the outside at times, but like snowflakes,
