tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39877584598060465492024-03-14T17:18:47.331+11:00Cassandra Samuels (Author)Historical Romance set in the Regency PeriodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-74555530330944088382016-01-24T09:33:00.001+11:002016-01-24T09:33:06.505+11:00A Scandalous Wager by Cassandra Samuels - Book Snippets<br />
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I am so excited to share this with you all. A audio snippet of my book read by the fabulous Richard from Book-Snippet.com. I hope you enjoy it!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mF589113lvc" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-32073687510709717292015-11-14T06:00:00.000+11:002015-11-14T09:57:45.072+11:00Historical Hearts Christmas Blog hop - Mistletoe and ShortbreadBy Cassandra Samuels<br />
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Dear readers, your roving reporter Letitia Wellbeloved is coming to you today from Whitely Hall, home of the Lord and Lady Bellamy.<br />
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Those who have been following my progress through the stately homes will know I am visiting these various noble estates to find out their favourite Christmas traditions.<br />
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You will no doubt know all about the Scandalous Wager that brought together Lord Bellamy with the then Lady Blackhurst, better known as the infamous Black Raven. What a to-do there was about these two lovebirds. Now that Lady Bellamy has been cleared of the murder of her previous husband she spends her time tending her garden here at Whitely Hall and enjoying her baby daughter, Petunia.<br />
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The housekeeper, Mrs Rollands tells me that the family especially enjoys their Christmas visitors. Lord Bellamy welcomes his Aunt Petunia and her companion Mrs Grey and Lady Bellamy is happy to have reunited her family with her Grandmother, her sister and her family all joining them too.<br />
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Mrs Rollands tells me that Mistletoe is especially favoured by Lord Bellamy who insists it be put around the house in nearly every doorway and is one of the main decorations in the house at Christmas. He and Lady Bellamy go out and source the sprigs themselves from the orchard where it grows in some of the apple trees.<br />
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Mrs Rollands told us the tradition dates back all the way to the Druids. Apparently, dear readers, in Norse mythology it was a symbol of love and friendship which is where the tradition of kissing under it comes from but it was we British who kept up the tradition. Originally, you had to pick a berry before you could ask for your kiss and when all the berries were gone there was no more kissing. No wonder Lord Bellamy has them all over the house!<br />
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Mrs Bellows, the cook here at Whitely Hall has kindly agreed to share her shortbread recipe. I must say it is jolly good too. I may have indulged in a piece, or two.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1 cup butter, softened<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
2 1/2 cups flour<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
Preheat oven<br />
Cream butter and sugar<br />
add flour and mix<br />
Press dough into ungreased pan (9x13)<br />
prick all over with a fork and then sprinkle over with sugar evenly.<br />
Bake for 40-45 minutes in a moderate oven until light brown<br />
Let it stand for 5 minutes, then cut into squares while warm.<br />
If you want to make shapes you will have to chill the dough and roll it out. <br />
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Well, what a wonderful time I've had getting to know Lord and Lady Bellamy and their servants. I must say Lady Bellamy is nothing like what I expected and we have become firm friends during my stay here. This is Letitia Wellbeloved bidding farewell to Whitely Hall and hoping you will join me at my next stop at...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-66326606158689612242015-11-13T11:16:00.004+11:002015-11-13T11:16:44.715+11:00AusRom Today's Readers Choice - Vote nowI am very proud to say that I have been nominated in three categories this year in the AusRom Today Readers Choice Awards. If you would like to vote for me please click on the links (red headings) below and "like" to vote. As a debut author it is always a thrill to be nominated for such awards.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AusRomToday/photos/ms.c.eJw1zMcNwDAMA8CNAnWK~_y8W2JaeB5ZmppdBosOivh57KxJcCzSFuq66fcEYcvu~_e9jLdc1jZYzbn2XN89~_5pt0~;jR85PSCu.bps.a.895536120484261.1073741840.620418747996001/895536270484246/?type=3&theater">Book of the Year - Cassandra Samuels</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AusRomToday/photos/a.895531797151360.1073741836.620418747996001/895532123817994/?type=3&theater">Best New Author</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AusRomToday/photos/a.895534700484403.1073741838.620418747996001/895534947151045/?type=3&theater">Cover of the Year</a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-75669402739368650992015-11-01T22:04:00.000+11:002015-11-01T22:04:07.662+11:00Year End Splash - Blog hop Excerpt.By Cassandra Samuels<br />
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From <b>A Scandalous Wager (Copyrighted material)</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s320/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+%25281%2529.jpg" width="209" /></a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Q: what is the name of Lisbeth's murdered husband? Check back with the The Romance Reviews to put your answer. <a href="http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php">The Romance Reviews</a></span></b></div>
<b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">London</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">May 5, 1816</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">From the diary of Lisbeth
Carslake, Countess of Blackhurst.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm;">
<br /></div>
</b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I refuse to give in to the curse of the Black
Raven.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will change my destiny, my future.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will re-enter society.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will find my husband’s killer.</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will prove
my innocence. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will reclaim my life.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘This
is my solemn vow,’ Lisbeth bit out between clenched teeth, snapping the nib of
her delicate quill. She slapped her diary shut, disregarding the inky mess it
would leave and for a moment rested her head on its cool leather cover. Every
day her anger grew but she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> not
let it rule her. She <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">would </i>not let it
rule her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She breathed in and out
slowly until her composure returned. Only then could she unfurl her fingers one
at a time. She had lived long enough under the shadow of the Black Raven, it
was time to put her plan into action and use her reputation to her advantage.
It was time to fight back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Lisbeth knew her plan to
re-enter society would take all her strength and determination, all her courage
and conviction. Every smidgen of self-worth she had left which told her she
deserved more than this life as a social pariah.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The clock on the mantle
chimed the quarter hour. She glanced up and frowned. No longer shackled to her
abusive husband, she still found herself a slave to the relentless tick of
time, of which he had made her so dependent. She felt in her pocket, pulled out
a shiny silver pocket watch and flicked it open. Ascertaining the two
timepieces were in accord, she closed the lid, pausing to finger the Blackhurst
crest that adorned the cover. She closed her fingers around her husband’s watch
until her knuckles were white.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘I will never forgive you
for what you have done to me, Nathaniel.’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Lisbeth let out a loud
sigh. Hating someone who had been dead for two years was useless. She needed to
put her energy to better use. As she placed the watch beside the diary on the
desk, her schedule caught her attention. It was only ink on a page, a list of
things to do in a logical time limit, to fill her days from dawn ’til dusk. It
showed all her daily activities in a precise and orderly fashion — even the
length of time it should take to complete. She always completed her tasks in
the allotted time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Oh, how she both loved and
loathed it. She longed to pick it up, scrunch it in her fist and hurl it into
the fire, but she dared not. It gave her purpose and direction when there was
little in her life but misery and uncertainty. Now it protected her from the
melancholy that threatened her every day since her husband had met his demise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A murder for which she had
been blamed. She closed her eyes as the injustice of her situation flowed
through her, like a rapid of bitter, vile poison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A soft knock startled her.
She opened her eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘My lady?’ Rollands, her
butler, stuck his head of grey hair through the doorway. ‘Sorry to disturb,’ he
said as he entered the room. His tall lanky frame always moved at an unhurried,
even pace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She smiled and felt a
little of the tension leave her shoulders. Rollands was always a comfort to
her. ‘What is it, Rollands?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘It is Lord Bellamy.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘He’s refusing to leave, I
suppose? How typical,’ she said. Lord Bellamy had first pounded on her door and
demanded entrance to win the Black Raven Wager over two hours ago. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Her butler came forward
until he stood in front of her desk, hands clasped in front of him like an
apologetic child. ‘I’m sorry, my lady, but he says he will camp out on your
steps until he is let in. I know you are heartily sick of his sort trying to
win that wager. Would you like me to call the Watch on him now?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She was momentarily
distracted by a noise coming from outside, but then turned back to Rollands. ‘It
is freezing outside. He picked a bleak night to carry out his attempt to win
that ridiculous bet… Whatever is he doing down there?’ she asked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Whistling,’ he replied in
a tone that showed he cared little that Lord Bellamy may catch his death of
cold.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Was that the sound she had heard outside?</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Lisbeth raised a brow. ‘Whistling? Well, at least he
isn’t singing. Remember that one?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">‘With horrifying clarity,
my lady.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Lisbeth looked down at her
diary, remembering the words she had only just written within its pages, then
up at Rollands and asked, ‘Do you think Lord Bellamy will do? For my plan, I
mean.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rollands considered her
question for a moment then rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. ‘He
is an Earl. He is well connected. He does have the look of a hell cub and he
seems…determined.’ Rollands took a step closer to the desk. ‘Are you sure you
want to go through with this?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I must reclaim my life</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">, she said to herself. ‘No,’ she answered. Her heart
beating faster at the task she had set herself. ‘But I have to. I can’t keep
living like this. Using someone like him is the only way back into society. And
getting back into society is the only way I will be able to find <b>Nathaniel</b>’s
killer and prove my innocence once and for all.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; tab-stops: 0cm 1.0cm; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rollands nodded. ‘I
understand. The staff is ready to help, my lady. You need only tell us what you
want us to do.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She glanced at her pocket
watch on the desk, her focus blurry. She would not get emotional in front of
Rollands, even though he was her only confidante. Instead, she gathered a
breath, and her courage. ‘I will do this, and Lord Bellamy is going to help me.
He just doesn’t know it yet.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rollands bowed. ‘Very good,
my lady. I’ll fetch him up, then?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Lisbeth nodded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Her butler’s weathered
features softened. ‘Is there anything else you require?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She gave him a weak smile. ‘No,
that will be all, thank you.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rollands bowed and left the
room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She rose from her chair to
search out the warm comfort of the fire. The flames leapt and danced in the
grate but the warmth never quite penetrated her outstretched hands. The coals
seemed to glow with such life, but she knew it was all an illusion. The embers
were nothing but the last warm breath of death. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I am like this fire</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">, she thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I look alive but
inside I feel dead.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She took a deep, painful
breath. Still, tears burned behind her eyelids. Is this what she had become? A
wisp of smoke, a hazy vapour, a ghost of someone who used to be? She longed to
be someone again. To feel wanted. Loved. To prove to them all how wrong they
were about her.</span></div>
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</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-9006390166278727442015-04-29T10:43:00.000+10:002015-04-29T10:43:54.577+10:00Hump Day HunkHi everyone<br />
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Just wanted to let you all know that my hero in A Scandalous Wager is the Hump Day Hunk over on AusRomToday blog.<br />
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Link Here: <a href="http://ausromtoday.com/2015/04/29/hump-day-hunk-cassandra-samuels/">HumpDayHunk</a><br />
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Also for a short time <a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/Scandalous-Wager-Cassandra-Samuels-ebook/dp/B00O41FVC8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1415068790&sr=1-1">A Scandalous Wager by Cassandra Samuels</a> is .99c on Amazon.com.au and for Aussies with an Amazon.com account. So if you have been waiting for this book to go on sale now is the time to grab it. Or gift it to your mother for Mother's Day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-47983627341985651542015-01-06T13:47:00.002+11:002015-01-06T13:47:48.620+11:00Announcement: Australian Romance Reader's Association Award nominations 2014I am very proud to announce that <i><b>A Scandalous Wager</b></i> has been nominated for Best Historical Romance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDom027oBoc1rCZ02bHvrLiPcGx7AYDYMIgQaRg9eEMSwbdAKyqrDQF_MgW_DfCUAWSwy6T4XPO5U_Q6ls0P6ILGVpPs_heKvzpUhbDqNkYL2rReIRY9W9rLeJ10Wpv5KKuTQct7CBmP-y/s1600/2014+ARRA+finalist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDom027oBoc1rCZ02bHvrLiPcGx7AYDYMIgQaRg9eEMSwbdAKyqrDQF_MgW_DfCUAWSwy6T4XPO5U_Q6ls0P6ILGVpPs_heKvzpUhbDqNkYL2rReIRY9W9rLeJ10Wpv5KKuTQct7CBmP-y/s1600/2014+ARRA+finalist.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
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I am also very pleased to announce that I have been nominated as Best New Author for 2014.<br />
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Voting is open now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-37612507388790386082014-12-27T18:07:00.001+11:002015-06-03T18:51:10.811+10:00Kingston Lacy - More than just a house.In a previous post I talked about the amazing Corfe Castle. Corfe Castle is part of the Kingston Lacy Estate. Run for hundreds of years by the Bankes family<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DPKqeg6zwiVc32qLRu-irYtiZGNcNA1ryXbJh5N5TmYTB9h1zNTgj8b8UdQNNBm6_DHdmHMXZpHOZ0FPohoK0RcbHEpiEZdVh_bNlSPOam9HROkwpzsqfZTderSnDg4xvTQ_0lISHXey/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DPKqeg6zwiVc32qLRu-irYtiZGNcNA1ryXbJh5N5TmYTB9h1zNTgj8b8UdQNNBm6_DHdmHMXZpHOZ0FPohoK0RcbHEpiEZdVh_bNlSPOam9HROkwpzsqfZTderSnDg4xvTQ_0lISHXey/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingston Lacy front view - all photographs in this blog post<br />
owned by Cassandra Samuels<br />
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William Bankes was by far the most interesting of the characters who lived in this house. A good friend of the poet Byron (who described him as 'my collegiate pastor, and master, and patron.' who 'Ruled the Roast - or rather the Roasting - and was father of all mischiefs')<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv25Qo9dpLjEuxe_IdLxiNCk6rI7Q6MNH688uDbnIyxUODI_2lgz1p_AEICvxlruG565gzWlHZxnN3JRwngNthUvK9KP0iNSVIpCCy534W_kv_NgXqpHOsxjt5EfpdItewGM8M5ol4UBft/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv25Qo9dpLjEuxe_IdLxiNCk6rI7Q6MNH688uDbnIyxUODI_2lgz1p_AEICvxlruG565gzWlHZxnN3JRwngNthUvK9KP0iNSVIpCCy534W_kv_NgXqpHOsxjt5EfpdItewGM8M5ol4UBft/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(11).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very ornate fireplace.</td></tr>
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He was an avid collector of art and antiquities and Kingston Lacy has a large collection of Egyptian artifacts he acquired during his travels. He spent some time in the peninsular following Byron and William Beckford to Portugal and Spain buying art as he went. He enjoyed the gypsy life and his travels lasted eight years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlObnNBSY9wd3sWYgaQi-6kr4GHsqWBCXs6dp3mi6b5DMw5-7yHUzmF41sFW7LDt3jkgczszhJZiYDhZqKCP1BJlnh-hy8P-dtI0VeT80fGIHiYuj36xoOopKsy9HIhab0sEuh0pIOpWo8/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(33).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlObnNBSY9wd3sWYgaQi-6kr4GHsqWBCXs6dp3mi6b5DMw5-7yHUzmF41sFW7LDt3jkgczszhJZiYDhZqKCP1BJlnh-hy8P-dtI0VeT80fGIHiYuj36xoOopKsy9HIhab0sEuh0pIOpWo8/s1600/Kingston+Lacy+(33).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready for dinner</td></tr>
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About 1820 William returned home and dedicated most of his life to the restoration and re-modelling of Kingston Lacy. He had inherited it after the death of his brother Henry who died in 1834 in a shipwreck en route to Sicily.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bell pull chart so that the servants knew which room was requesting tea.</td></tr>
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Thomas Cundy Jr submitted three schemes for remodeling the interior earlier but they had been rejected by Henry. Now he was dead William was free to work on Kingston Lacy. William belonged to the romantic generation that had been inspired by Fonthill, William Beckford's Fantasy home in Wiltshire. Bankes along with Charles Barry took six years to transform Kingston Hall with the vision inspired by Indigo Jones and to be more modern to live in.<br />
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In 1841 William was accused of indecently exposing himself with a soldier of the Foot Guards in Green Park. In 1833 a similar charge had been dropped only after the intervention of the Duke of Wellington and other influential friends. Now he jumped bail and fled to Italy but still commissioned art to be sent back to Kingston Lacy, asking his sister (Lady Falmouth) to oversea the decoration. Even though he was still exiled there is proof that he did secretly come home to visit his beloved Kingston Lacy in his declining years and it must have been a great comfort to have at last seen his home decorated and remodeled in the theme and way he had planned all those many years ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sarcophagus of Amenomope that sits in the south garden given to William Bankes by Henry Salt in 1822.</td></tr>
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William engaged Giovanni Belzoni (a former strong man) to bring the Philae Obelisk to Kingston Lacy (which took 20years) <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-67305099806973822682014-12-08T11:52:00.001+11:002014-12-08T11:52:13.342+11:00Snippet Time - A Scandalous Wager<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi everyone</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been so busy since A Scandalous Wager came out a month ago today. It has also just been nominated by the Australian Romance Readers Association for Best Historical Romance 2014.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To celebrate I thought I would post a short snippet. Enjoy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set up: Oliver has just drunkenly taken on The Black Raven Wager and is now meeting Lisbeth for the first time. He just wants to leave but Lisbeth has other plans.</span></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She spun to face him, fire poker drawn level with his heart. ‘Do sit down, Bellamy.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time he did laugh. He was in no doubt he could overpower her before she did much harm with that mere stick in her hand — as pointy and well-crafted as it seemed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘I believe you owe me an answer, Lord Bellamy.’ She moved towards him brandishing the poker like a rapier. He couldn’t believe his bloodshot eyes. He laughed louder. He nearly told her to keep the tip up, until he saw where her target was and it was no longer his heart. He stopped laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Fifty pounds,’ he confessed with a slow smile, for there was no longer any reason to conceal his true mission here. Confounded woman had him at a disadvantage though. If only Henry had not been such a blasted fool, leaving him with more debt than he knew how to handle, a doddery old aunt and two entailed estates full of dependents. <i>Oh, and no money.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He saw her glance at the mantel and realised his time was up. Should he start praying now or…? He wanted to laugh again. If only the Frenchies could see him now. Undone by a handsome widow and a fire poker.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Her gaze left the clock and seemed to focus on his cravat. ‘I fail to see what is so amusing to you, Lord Bellamy. I can only assume you know of my reputation. Why else would you be here? Ah, yes, the money. Fifty pounds, was it? How would you like to earn a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px; text-indent: 1cm;">lot more?’</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a twist he had not expected. ‘Excuse me?’</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She glided over to him and pointed the poker at his vitals. ‘Let me explain it for you. These <i>little wagers</i> have been happening for quite some time, Lord Bellamy. You see, you are not the first man to sit on my steps and demand entrance. Some have even tried to break in. I find this whole business <i>very</i> childish and most annoying. Can you understand my frustration, Lord Bellamy?’ The poker came very close to his pride.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Yes, most annoying,’ he replied, his eyes riveted on the poker. She had no idea how easily he could turn this scenario on its, or in this case, her derrière. He was too intrigued, however, by her suggestion to bother demonstrating just now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘However, if you will assist me, I think you will be more than happy with the arrangement I am proposing.’ She stared at him coolly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Arrangement?’ The fire poker remained hovering above his most important asset.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Yes. I find I require an escort. You see, I presume there are a number of…outstanding wagers concerning my reputation as the Black Raven, and I will allow you to collect them on the condition you but play the <i>gentlemanly</i> escort.’ She took the poker away from his crotch. ‘Are we in agreement?’</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RjW051l9FeFrECgg4_FIJZGWg1mOP7x-ZlulAohkW4mhXsF8rN0pTWmp5NyP9QhUUIZpC5kq9YCZYhj97RnFEiPuioC2-IsBiL23A8qmQgbCdArYw8FZPQLhT5w_M8Hp6tcO-TaADMXY/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Scandalous Wager is available for purchase now: </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/product/9780857992017" style="background-color: #f3f9ef; color: rgb(168, 46, 46) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="">Order from Escape Publishing</a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f9ef; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
eISBN: 9780857992017</div>
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-56395286138575141232014-09-19T12:42:00.000+10:002014-09-19T12:46:02.735+10:00A Scandalous Wager - is there any better kind?Huzzah! I have some exciting news. Firstly, my debut novel - A Scandalous Wager is nearly here.<br />
<br />
It will be officially released on the 8th of November, 2014 through Escape Publishing as an e-book. I am very proud to be part of the Escape/Harlequin family.<br />
<br />
And the book should be available for pre-order through Escape and Amazon on the 1st of October, 2014.<br />
<br />
Today I am revealing not only my cover but my blurb as well. I hope you like them both.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOrgaE3o8OFT6daUxmXseHBYdSK6-_Izjrt8GzuM4tWB1skVIpjeXsFsXaurd0t1cmypMYO7rO2IVNy-zb0Lkvr7ozL8t5HcUK8K-C42vUsFcht8_fHAh-FPV3PKRWCRWHsHjGmX7-Whk/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOrgaE3o8OFT6daUxmXseHBYdSK6-_Izjrt8GzuM4tWB1skVIpjeXsFsXaurd0t1cmypMYO7rO2IVNy-zb0Lkvr7ozL8t5HcUK8K-C42vUsFcht8_fHAh-FPV3PKRWCRWHsHjGmX7-Whk/s1600/A+Scandalous+Wager_Final+(1).jpg" height="640" width="417" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Isn't he gorgeous?</div>
<br />
And now for the blurb.<br />
<br />
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<![endif]-->Notorious Widow Lisbeth Carslake, Countess of Blackhurst was acquitted of her husband's murder, but no one believes in her innocence. Known as the Black Raven, bringer of bad luck and death, she is eviscerated by the gossips and mocked in the clubs. She’s also the subject of London’s most scandalous wager. <br />
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Oliver Whitely, Earl of Bellamy, needs money, but it takes more than a few drinks to take on The Black Raven Wager. He finds himself drunk, at her house, and – more surprisingly – inside, and agreeing to a business proposal at the end of a fire poker. She will let him win the wager, and he will help find her husband’s killer before the killer finds her. But business agreements don’t mean trust, and Lisbeth certainly doesn’t trust Oliver, her body’s reaction to him, or her heart. <br />
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Love may be the biggest gamble of their lives, but is it a wager their hearts can afford to lose?<br />
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Stay tuned for more exciting news.<br />
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Until then - only use good words. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-26463799602165409802014-09-01T09:00:00.000+10:002014-09-02T10:42:02.412+10:00Meet My Character Blog TourI’ve been tagged by fellow historical romance author, the lovely <a href="http://amyrosebennett.com/meet-elizabeth-lady-beauchamp-meet-my-character-blog-tour/">Amy Rose Bennet</a>, to take part in this fun blog hop. Each week, an author is tagged. Follow the links and discover more about a character in either a newly released or upcoming title, or a work-in-progress.<br />
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Next week, I tag <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277721.Alyssa_J_Montgomery/blog">Alyssa J Montgomery blog</a> author of both Contemporary and Medieval Romance.<br />
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Let me introduce Lisbeth Carslake, Countess of Blackhurst.</h3>
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Thank you Cassandra, how sweet of you to ask me to join you today. My story begins in London in 1816. This is sometimes known as the year without a Summer because of the dismal weather we have been having due to a volcanic eruption last year (1815) causing bad weather, crop failures and general starvation over most of Europe. It has been a most horrible time for many.<br />
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I've had a hard time lately too. I've been a victim of domestic violence, accused of my husband’s murder, abandoned by my family and friends, called The Black Raven – bringer of bad luck and death and basically became a social pariah.<br />
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Even though I was acquitted of murdering my husband, Nathaniel, it seems that many chose to believe gossip and scandal over truth. Until the day I decided I'd had enough. I made a vow to myself that I would reclaim my life.<br />
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My plan was fairly simple - re-enter society and hunt down my husband’s killer and prove my innocence once and for all. What could go wrong?<br />
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Nothing is ever as simple as it should be as I was soon to find out. I could not just waltz into a ballroom on my own after being out of society for two years, so I had to find someone to escort me back into the vipers pit, otherwise known as the ton. Who would be desperate enough to agree to my proposal?<br />
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This is where the my hero comes in. Oliver Whitely, Earl of Bellamy, handsome, strong and dependable - not that I thought much of him at first. In fact I disliked him immensely and I am sure he did not think much of me either. I do confess to being a little protective of myself and my plan at the time. To be truthful I didn't trust him with a cup of tea, let alone my plan.<br />
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To find out what happens to Lisbeth and Oliver be sure to download A Scandalous Wager when it is released by Escape Publishing on the 8th of November, 2014.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-61215110343200544532014-08-15T21:52:00.003+10:002014-08-26T10:57:01.680+10:00Romance Writers of Australia Conference - Sydney 2014 - Wrap upWell, as always, a great time was had by all at the RWA conference. This year the event was held at the Novotel Homebush.<br />
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For me the festivities started with the Literacy High Tea - a charity event. The guest speaker was Cherry Adair who is a very funny lady and told us of her experience getting her first library card.<br />
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After that I was spoilt rotten by the fabulous team at Harlequin. This was my first Harlequin dinner and there were a few surprises thrown in to keep things interesting. The venue and food was scrumptious. I went to bed tired but totally excited about my author journey.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPuVIYcwBq6JfnYNS4GSXUfe-SEeKN08m_lGIPhmSTqurGS6dFUbLtZCUklTNmCMJnFeX9qTVh8s0b0rW2nwT3BUz5UL8IFPxim4bPJeWPEuh_ePHK140DytfZHMEQa5A5xET41AWbUEd/s1600/IMG_3439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPuVIYcwBq6JfnYNS4GSXUfe-SEeKN08m_lGIPhmSTqurGS6dFUbLtZCUklTNmCMJnFeX9qTVh8s0b0rW2nwT3BUz5UL8IFPxim4bPJeWPEuh_ePHK140DytfZHMEQa5A5xET41AWbUEd/s1600/IMG_3439.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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I didn't attend the Friday workshop but I did attend the cocktail party on the Friday night. The theme: Leather and Lace. I decided, as I am an author or Regency Romance to dress as a Regency lady. My mother Beverley and her friend Sharon kindly decorated my bonnet to match my gown. Didn't they do an awesome job?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne Gracie and I at the cocktail party.</td></tr>
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Saturday and it was down to business. Workshops and guest speakers filled my day and my head. Lots of lovely conversations with newbies and old friends alike. Cherry Adair and James Scott Bell were both terrific. And I got my first sale ribbon which was very exciting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCUVVjV0sRz4Zl83CvO_77fb2tpf4DQ-CMtXEFPiYIYKICWzZBYrcxqOBm8u3bZxwkoG_TI45T0IBBrWnLJo7GZzbYNngscF-OCi6-SDvXSs7BF2LQEemzh62lkB1uPLDbzfpHMU8R4w_/s1600/IMG_3462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCUVVjV0sRz4Zl83CvO_77fb2tpf4DQ-CMtXEFPiYIYKICWzZBYrcxqOBm8u3bZxwkoG_TI45T0IBBrWnLJo7GZzbYNngscF-OCi6-SDvXSs7BF2LQEemzh62lkB1uPLDbzfpHMU8R4w_/s1600/IMG_3462.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first sale ribbon</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKZQuDA7ljcjZO2AqBU-7jQPB2iJd1dvYe47p7e6jjgPbNNBS-dNUSkdKB8GOw56KhUIiJPhqHZIOXBRJSsh1NXPrBXxeEEkIVC_MpuddDgBCsP2NkB7lGP1zJM3TcOPXDcySDleOCD6f/s1600/IMG_3471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKZQuDA7ljcjZO2AqBU-7jQPB2iJd1dvYe47p7e6jjgPbNNBS-dNUSkdKB8GOw56KhUIiJPhqHZIOXBRJSsh1NXPrBXxeEEkIVC_MpuddDgBCsP2NkB7lGP1zJM3TcOPXDcySDleOCD6f/s1600/IMG_3471.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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As Moderator of the RWA- Historical writers e-loop it was my great pleasure to gather all the historical authors I could for our annual Historical Luncheon. What a wonderful bunch of people there are in this group. I am also happy to announce that I have signed up a few more members too.<br />
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Saturday night and the party was on! Awards night is always such a wonderful time. We get to frock up and celebrate great achievements. Emma Darcy gave a lovely speech that made us all laugh and cry when she accepted her Hall of Fame Award.<br />
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Sunday and it was back to work with more fabulous workshops and fun. I love that we always end on a high with Anne Gracie's stand up call. Hopefully, one year we will be able to have everyone standing at the end of her stand up call.<br />
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After everything is over there is always a sense of great inspiration, buoyed by the knowledge that I, as a writer am not alone. That there is an amazing organisation out there, run by volunteers, and filled with Romance writers. Romance Writers of Australia you really do rock! I cannot wait for next year in Melbourne.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-45469831889041716992014-06-20T13:33:00.000+10:002014-08-26T10:56:40.371+10:00Corfe Castle - More than just a ruin.<div style="text-align: center;">
Corfe Castle in Dorset stands proud atop a mighty hill and although it is in ruins it is still one of the most visited castles in England.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All photos owned by Cassandra Samuels</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10pt;"> When I visited Corfe Castle in 2010 with my husband we both felt it was a special place. I spent a lot of my time touching the leaning walls and listening to our guide in fascination. There is a lovely walk from the car park along a path which had a bubbling brook along side. Cheeky squirrels tried to throw nuts and berries down on us as we passed. Then up the hill to the town centre. A further trek up another hill and the ruin envelopes you and takes you back in time. It's walls whisper of a tragic history.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-AU; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">A castle with a dark past</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">
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<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-AU; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">In 978, before Corfe the castle was built, King Edward the Martyr was murdered </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">by his stepmother. She wanted to put her own son, Ethelred ‘the Unready’, on the throne. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">While Edward was hunting in the area he stopped off at Corfe where Elfryda</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> gave him a goblet of wine. It wasn't poisoned as you might think but while he was drinking his wine she </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">treacherously had him stabbed in the back. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 9.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Corfe</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 9.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Castle was built by
William the Conqueror after his arrival in Britain in 1066. It was used by the surrounding towns
as shelter in times of trouble. Much of the Isle of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 9.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Purbeck</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 9.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> was a Royal Forest. Death was assured if you were caught hunting game without royal permission.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">In 1643, and after the death of her husband during the Civil War,
Lady Mary </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Bankes</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> successfully
defended the castle. However, in a second siege in 1646 betrayal by a member of her garrison led to their capture. </span></div>
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deliberately demolished the castle. Leaving the ruin we saw on a lovely English summer day. Much of the missing stone can be found in the houses of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Corfe</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Castle Village.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">There is plenty to do at Corfe and the surrounding areas. I recommend going to Kingston Lacy which was also owned by the Banks family until both were given to the National Trust.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tbEPTSRWxKnJqtyi3XKY7oZ0pWbt0zjcdzFy_IfoAd3BtRuIAgtKGFhT-Hisga8swfoQ9DRPlzG2LepIKLXI4d3uXaMN-sfVETQQyrGTR6G49kt33iZ2LIHZrmQF7Q4UvM1WYqHxu7kx/s1600/Corfe+Castle+%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tbEPTSRWxKnJqtyi3XKY7oZ0pWbt0zjcdzFy_IfoAd3BtRuIAgtKGFhT-Hisga8swfoQ9DRPlzG2LepIKLXI4d3uXaMN-sfVETQQyrGTR6G49kt33iZ2LIHZrmQF7Q4UvM1WYqHxu7kx/s1600/Corfe+Castle+%252818%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Join me soon when I take you through Kingston Lacy House. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-AU; mso-ascii-font-family: "Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 0; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-45704967342425363942014-04-28T09:00:00.000+10:002014-05-06T14:02:00.272+10:00The Year without a summer - 1816<h3>
Otherwise known as, where is the sun?</h3>
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My upcoming book (working title The Wager) is set in 1816. It wasn't until after I started researching this year that I realized what a significant year it was. Known as the year without a summer, its strange weather was caused by a volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies (Now known as Indonesia) in 1815.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic000e65CE1GBHtn_eXqyr1hI1OhrbTu6Jw8dTgXf1u6zqMwy8ZDNxSpZF_e0PTsV7K-7QSz208R-UkyrHMMSJ3GUQZPlUBNaueFyNmBGZE1zGSHu7DhY7w0fg4PUkZ0aftIpt2Mq_Cgfn/s1600/Mount+Tambora..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic000e65CE1GBHtn_eXqyr1hI1OhrbTu6Jw8dTgXf1u6zqMwy8ZDNxSpZF_e0PTsV7K-7QSz208R-UkyrHMMSJ3GUQZPlUBNaueFyNmBGZE1zGSHu7DhY7w0fg4PUkZ0aftIpt2Mq_Cgfn/s1600/Mount+Tambora..jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Tambora - picture c/o Mounttambora.com</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What, if any, significance would this have on the people of Europe? On the peasant as well as the aristocrat? It affected most of the Northern hemisphere mucking around with the normal summer temps and lowering them up to 7 degrees C lower than normal. Rain and cloud cover kept the sun out and the ground soggy. Not great for any living thing.<br />
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Predominately, the landed gentry relied on the rents and profits of their lands and estates to survive. The better their estates prospered the better they did. With this kind of weather anomaly it caused the crops to fail in both England and Ireland, not to mention most of Europe and as far as Canada.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigusXWSXSul_We74zkqf8TvJmX5KmcUcMuTi2rs0nx9xdzcpbtVoMEUwPRZJL6i7JOvjwr8j1Ff3gMFPk1XLmfJbgHJhVKajflCpOcWQQJcnSWI_sZUOPc-t7KTiIVIYW6nLsO5pWaHDGQ/s1600/Chichester_canal_jmw_turner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigusXWSXSul_We74zkqf8TvJmX5KmcUcMuTi2rs0nx9xdzcpbtVoMEUwPRZJL6i7JOvjwr8j1Ff3gMFPk1XLmfJbgHJhVKajflCpOcWQQJcnSWI_sZUOPc-t7KTiIVIYW6nLsO5pWaHDGQ/s1600/Chichester_canal_jmw_turner.jpeg" height="153" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chichester canal by JMW Turner- He painted vivid sunsets that were due to the volcanic dust in the atmosphere.</td></tr>
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The people of Wales became refugees traveling long distances to try and find work and food. In Ireland the famine was made worse by the failure of not just the potato crops, but wheat and oats as well.<br />
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The whole of Northern Europe was starving and it lasted way past the summer. It was a miserable time for everyone. When the man working the land suffers it has a flow on affect. Eventually, those that didn't have a care where their food came from suddenly can no longer purchase that food, they often blame the farmer and not the weather. <br />
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As a result of the food shortages there were riots in England and France. As if all this was not bad enough Ireland experienced a Typhus epidemic that significantly reduced its population further.<br />
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Living in Australia it is not the lack of sun that causes the most
damage to our farmers but drought. I have a great admiration for those
that work the land and just how much they depend on the weather to be
successful.<br />
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So, next time you bite into a juicy apple or slice up some potatoes, think about those that provide us with these products and about how lucky we are to have technology that can warn us about weather anomalies. If only all this technology could make it rain where we need it.<br />
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Until next time - only use the good words. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-41370931319333842542014-04-25T08:00:00.000+10:002014-04-25T11:02:04.312+10:00Anzac - what does it really stand for<h3>
Lest we forget</h3>
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ANZAC Day is the 25th of April every year here in Australia. It is a day of commemoration and reflection. For Australians and New Zealanders it is a day to remember those who fought for our freedom and for the troops who still fight today on our behalf. It is a somber morning, starting with a dawn service but after that is is a lively day of drinking, telling stories and playing two-up (more on that later).<br />
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Today I celebrate my grandfather, my great uncles who fought in Papua New Guinea, my best friend's father who is a Vietnam Veteran.<br />
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I've been to the ANZAC parade in Sydney and the atmosphere is something everyone should experience. There is a real pride in the air and a feeling of mateship among those who use this day to find old mates and reminisce about the fallen. It is a day for reconnection not only to those who still live but to our own history as Australians.<br />
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<h3>
ANZAC stands for - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.</h3>
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It all began in 1915. In Egypt when the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) was formed. They fought as a force at Gallipoli under General William Birdwood. The MEF consisted of the First Australian Imperial Force and the 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force but was later renamed ANZAC. The corps was disbanded in 1916 after the evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula but was renamed the ANZAC Corps (under General Birdwood) and II ANZAC Corps (under Lieutenant General Alexander Godley).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC72GtElYgf8HwBC5w0xcsQt2LK1PO4ZD4zCCJ2R8bjWerK3y11Dz17u96ULkHqUM84pdVKsgmn_pNpMVhGOXDnUjInFevLhnvjlpQIDiiXCy6OYxNsXDb36T4YTOGCY6AWcf2c2AmjPFE/s1600/Coloured_illustration_of_Anzac_troops_after_the_fighting_at_Gallipoli_during_World_War_I_(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC72GtElYgf8HwBC5w0xcsQt2LK1PO4ZD4zCCJ2R8bjWerK3y11Dz17u96ULkHqUM84pdVKsgmn_pNpMVhGOXDnUjInFevLhnvjlpQIDiiXCy6OYxNsXDb36T4YTOGCY6AWcf2c2AmjPFE/s1600/Coloured_illustration_of_Anzac_troops_after_the_fighting_at_Gallipoli_during_World_War_I_(1).jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster of the ANZACs </td></tr>
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Sheep skin vests kept our troops warm during the campaign on the western front. Great industry went into providing these vests so our troops could stay warm in the unforgiving winter in a foriegn land.<br />
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In World War II they formed again and were instrumental in the battle of Crete and other skirmishes in that area.<br />
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Nowadays we tend to put all the military under the same banner as ANZACs but Australian military also under another name: Diggers.<br />
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<h3>
Diggers </h3>
Digger Evolved out of WWI, the term has been linked to the concept of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_spirit" title="Anzac spirit">ANZACs</a> but in a wider context, it is linked to the concept of mateship. Originally a digger was an Australian miner, but it goes further back to the days of the Eureka stockade rebellion of 1854.<br />
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Diggers stuck together, dug trenches together, shared cigarettes and care packages. They stuck it out and they dug in for the long haul. They always looked out for their mate and often, tragically, they died together. This was a theme throughout the Australian and New Zealand military and still sticks today. It stands for such things as endurance, good humour, courage and mateship. A digger should be resourceful, hardy but above all be a good mate.<br />
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<h3>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDennis_et_al1995214_1-0">Two-up (the game)</sup> </h3>
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The rules of two-up are easy. The
ringkeeper controls the spinner and they conduct the game. The spinner
places two pennies on the kip and tosses them. The pennies must to spin at least two metres over the head of the spinner and must not come
into contact with anything or body and must land within the
boundaries of the ring to be a valid toss. Players bet on either two
tails or two heads when they land. No other
result is valid.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two-up paddle</td></tr>
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This is a fast paced, frantic game and is traditionally only played on ANZAC day.<br />
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Have a wonderful ANZAC day tomorrow and spare a thought for those who lost their lives while defending our shores here and abroad. And to those Diggers who still fight for us today.<br />
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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:<br />
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.<br />
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,<br />
We will remember them.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-31343102916510371372014-03-26T20:12:00.000+11:002014-03-26T20:12:14.320+11:00Busy, busy, busyHi everyone<br />
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So sorry I haven't done a blog in a while. I know I promised to be more regular but hey I have a good excuse. I have been writing. A lot. I have also been entering some writing contests. This has been going very well for me. So, I thought I would share.<br />
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I won the Gold in the 2012 Historical section of the Marylands Writer's Associations Novel contest.<br />
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I place second in the 2012 Australian Romance Writers Valerie Parv Award.<br />
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I place second in the 2013 Australian Romance Writers Selling Synopsis Contest.<br />
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I placed third in the 2013 Hearts Through History's Romance through the ages contest.<br />
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I also was a finalist in the 2014 Australian Romance Writers Ripping Start contest<br />
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And<br />
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I am currently a finalist in the Australian Romance Writers Emerald (long) for 2014.<br />
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With all this hard work I am hoping to be published soon. Stay tuned.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-65319896915805962772013-05-03T22:15:00.001+10:002013-05-03T22:15:14.999+10:00Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens - LondonIn my book T<i>he Wager</i>, my heroine, Lisbeth and the hero, Oliver plan to watch a balloon ascension at Vauxhall gardens with disastrous consequences. In the Regency period, and later, this kind of spectacular event was a must see attraction. It is such a shame that all that is left of this magnificent garden is a small quarter now called <em>Spring Gardens</em>, which was its original name.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A balloon ascension</td></tr>
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<b>Brief history of the gardens.</b><br />
Vauxhall gardens opened about 1660. With lovely walks, gardens and shrubbery on several acres of land it was a popular place to spend a pleasant few hours. In the early days one approached the gardens from across the river Thames. Once there, it was a place where you could take the whole family and although there were some refreshments available, families often brought their own picnics. It was a place for highborn and low - a place for everyone to enjoy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the gardens</td></tr>
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Later the gardens became a popular place for young women to socialise with more freedom than was normally available to them. Shaded walks lent the perfect atmosphere for a kiss.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tyler family</td></tr>
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In 1790 Johnathan Tyler took over the management of the gardens. He turned the gardens into a cultural experience. He was a land developer, patron of the arts and lover of music. Under his management the gardens grew to be one of the most popular places to go in London. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A token to get into the gardens</td></tr>
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Regular patrons could buy a token which would allow them entrance to the gardens at any time. Tyler was more than just a business man, he was a visionary. He had the gardens lit up at night in a ceremony that must have been awesome to watch. Thousands of lanterns lit at the same time to create an atmosphere all its own.</div>
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Among the many entertainments, were operas, plays, orchestras, jugglers and acrobats. Some singers and actors owed their careers to working in Vauxhall gardens.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedouin acrobats were just some of the many entertainments</td></tr>
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At the height of its popularity, one of the many famous delights was the Vauxhall Ham, cut so thinly you could almost see through it. The supper tents were also a popular place to have supper at dusk. After promenading all over the gardens one might get a tad thirsty and hungry and these tents were a good way to relax and enjoy a light meal. Vauxhall and Mr. Tyler ensured everything a Georgian or Regency man or woman could want in entertainment.</div>
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To read more about Vauxhall Gardens try these sources:<br />
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<a href="http://vauxhallgardens.com/index.html">http://vauxhallgardens.com/index.html</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Gardens">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Gardens</a><br />
<a href="http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/sgdetail.shtml">http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/sgdetail.shtml</a></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-25104658804622551002013-04-11T12:12:00.000+10:002013-04-11T12:12:18.817+10:00Am I really related to Rpatz?Yes, I'm talking Robert Pattinson of the Twilight fame.The answer in short is, I'm not totally sure. Well, that was a short post wasn't it?<br />
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Okay, here's the deal. I am really a princess. What? You don't believe me? I don't blame you. I am however related to royalty. British Royalty. Through Mary Boleyn. You know, the much maligned sister of Anne Boleyn. Anne of the supposedly red hair, apparently 6th finger and unrelenting seductive techniques.Oh, and she had her head lopped off by some guy called King Henry VIII.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Boleyn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne Boleyn</td></tr>
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Back to poor Mary. She married a man called Sir William Carey who was a wealthy courtier. It is to Will I am really related. Not quite so glamorous to be related to a man who was apparently cuckolded by a king, I have to say. So, while it is hotly debated amongst academics whether or not Mary's children were the kings or her husbands rages on I see my grasp on the royal house of Tudor weaken. The thread is there and I am holding on to it for grim death.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir William Carey</td></tr>
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So, what do these historical figures have to do with Robert Pattinson? Good Question. Through this link to royalty, I am related to the Spencer family (as in lady Di) and Robert Pattinson is also related to the Spencer family. Bingo! Strike! Goal! </div>
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I know, it is tenuous at best, but there you go.</div>
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In my next blog I will talk about Vauxhall Gardens where my heroine goes to see a balloon ascension.</div>
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Until then...only use good words.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-35018764222135055112013-03-19T21:03:00.000+11:002013-03-19T21:03:03.964+11:00When the end is nigh.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4WAxYPFLMON4VVZUFaCfv2daR43TbDVgE5tsOEZU_L9nCoXMsyVsH8bpUah_5wtXw3WzMl3pp3m1SGx5zYTg4tLzBomkW3omNku4uKIevWDBQs5WOsnOMPO5FHPu3BVznm2_XvasGmKY/s1600/end.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4WAxYPFLMON4VVZUFaCfv2daR43TbDVgE5tsOEZU_L9nCoXMsyVsH8bpUah_5wtXw3WzMl3pp3m1SGx5zYTg4tLzBomkW3omNku4uKIevWDBQs5WOsnOMPO5FHPu3BVznm2_XvasGmKY/s1600/end.png" /></a></div>
Don't panic! I don't mean the end of the world...just my ms.<br />
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It feels like a long time coming and I have really worked hard on this re-write. I knew it would come to an end eventually. All good things and all that. However, I know there is still work to do.<br />
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After a final read through I will have to decide who to send my baby to for consideration. There is so much choice out there at the moment. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfIdRE9fT-IoAUfxUN-nNXgHNKnQI90x-HDd7Er3HWKwUY0on6s0i_QDalP6R4MBM4laOdpOit7hyDH43-B-tNPlDFx2eUczfLvIOjKkzidUnbRYrAObrg8pCTZLRRXZ_uEy4rKMoxx1T/s1600/once.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfIdRE9fT-IoAUfxUN-nNXgHNKnQI90x-HDd7Er3HWKwUY0on6s0i_QDalP6R4MBM4laOdpOit7hyDH43-B-tNPlDFx2eUczfLvIOjKkzidUnbRYrAObrg8pCTZLRRXZ_uEy4rKMoxx1T/s1600/once.jpg" /></a></div>
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Should I go with traditional publishing or digital? <br />
Which publishers in particular should I aim for? <br />
Do I need an agent?<br />
Self publish?<br />
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These are the questions I will be asking myself over the next few weeks. It all seems so mind boggling at the moment. I don't know which way to turn.<br />
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What I do know is that I will finish this ms. I will send it off. I will start another story. I will love it, hate it and love it again.<br />
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How do you feel about finishing a book, whether it's reading or writing it?<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-75451822225680979502013-03-02T20:12:00.001+11:002013-03-02T20:12:43.733+11:00I'm back!It has been a while since my last post here. I do hope to come back more often and keep you all updated on my progress. I have not been sitting on my hands, however.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The townhouses in Bath.</td></tr>
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I've been busy. I've travelled to England which I just, loved, loved, loved. I saw so much and learnt a whole lot about myself, my relationship with my husband (who I love more than ever) and about the world around me.<br />
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I came back invigorated and ready to take the next step. I belong to a critique group that I have been working with for a year or so now who are just fantastic. They have really made me a better writer. I will be forever grateful to them.<br />
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For a while there I was wondering if I could do this, being a writer, but then I got some feedback from an author friend who said they loved my snippet I had posted on an online group I belong to. I started to think it was time to revisit this manuscript (ms) and see if it could be salvaged. It needed a lot of work but I could see the potential now I had had some time away from it. I began to re-write. <br />
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I entered some competitions and it did well. Then I came second in the Valerie Parv last year, then first in the Maryland Writers' Association's Great beginnings contest and then 2nd in the Selling Synopsis comp and suddenly I realised I was perhaps on to something.<br />
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Now I am preparing to polish up my ms and send it off into the big wide world and hope that someone will love it as much as I do and will want to give it a real life as a book.<br />
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<em>The Wager is a Regency Historical. Think Moonlighting the tv show but in a corset</em><br />
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<em>It is an opposites attract story set in 1816 (the year without a summer) at the height of the London season. The hero, Oliver, the Earl of Bellamy has cashed in his commission and returned to London after the death of his brother to find the family fortunes in ruins. Grieving, drunk and desperate for funds he takes on the Black Raven Wager.</em><br />
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<em>Insanely rich, social pariah. Lisbeth, the Countess of Blackhurst is the Black Raven. She needs to re-enter society, hunt down her husband's killer and prove her innocence. She proposes a business agreement with Bellamy. If he agrees to be her gentlemanly escort back into society, in return she will aid him to collect on any outstanding open wagers concerning her reputation as The Black Raven.</em><br />
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<em>He agrees. Passion and desire cross swords with duty and justice. As they draw closer to each other, so too does the danger that surrounds them until they are forced to place their bets on each other.</em><br />
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<em>For if love is a gamble, it's a wager their hearts cannot afford to lose.</em><br />
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If you would like to follow me on Facebook here is the link <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cassandra-Samuels-author/482148011826845">Cassandra-Samuels-author</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-4074253040446593722009-08-23T19:05:00.003+10:002009-08-23T19:39:14.975+10:00post conference highs and lows.Hi everyone<br /><br />I'm back from the Annual Romance Writers of Australia conference held in Brisbane. What a great conference it was. So warm, so inspiring and so lovely to be back amongst talented writers who don't think you are mad.<br /><br />After a rough start - flight cancelled at last minute - and redirected flight hours later, I finally made it to Brisbane airport. I sat next to the most lovely lady from South Africa which made the trip fly (pardon the pun). We talked about all the important subjects - family and books. <br /><br />Then at the airport I had to wait for the shuttle bus and finally, finally made it to the hotel. Had argument with desk clerk about cash bond (I've never had to do that before - usually they just take an impression) and it was already 7pm by then and cocktail party (Arabian Nights) was already on. Luckily two wonderful women from my writing group took me up to my room and dressed me in quick time. Arrived at party dressed as harem girl. Met Mary Jo <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Putney</span> first in the door. She was the most gracious lady. Plenty of belly dancers, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jafar</span> from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Aladdin</span>, and even a Saddam and a snake charmer. Don't forget the sheiks. Wonderful night.<br /><br />Conference time started for me on the Saturday. Workshops and inspirational chats all topped by an all out Awards dinner. I had two special people to clap for this year and I was so proud of both of them for their outstanding efforts. You girls rock!<br /><br />Sunday more workshops, the pink luncheon - we raised something like $10 thousand dollars which is so amazing. The other thing that I had to do on the Sunday was pitch myself and my current manuscript to a literary Agent. I was nervous and for some reason I seem to always get pitch appointments late on a Sunday when the editor or agent is tired of hearing pitches. Lucky me! Well, it was lucky for me as Melissa was just fabulous and I have a request to send her some of my work. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yayeee</span>! Now, to make sure it shines so bright she needs sunnies to read it. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>.<br /><br />All in all a very successful conference.<br /><br />Until next time read only the good words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-36594326276104845172009-07-30T17:46:00.007+10:002009-07-30T21:17:31.763+10:00Heigh Ho Heigh Ho it's off to conference I go<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34ZOPELLXz_HwU4tbpGY9NqIbtRqhMEhx-a41Ag6SmWJ535apmpdOPJnv9eMdoZDgOBW0Tsja5H8wMU8sLKIII86UCCYYN50fhrFq7tM0vXg6Kw4l4XKm80gIqzmv58gP3HfoS92y9I2C/s1600-h/sevendwarfs.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 141px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364196910011791426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34ZOPELLXz_HwU4tbpGY9NqIbtRqhMEhx-a41Ag6SmWJ535apmpdOPJnv9eMdoZDgOBW0Tsja5H8wMU8sLKIII86UCCYYN50fhrFq7tM0vXg6Kw4l4XKm80gIqzmv58gP3HfoS92y9I2C/s320/sevendwarfs.jpg" /></a><br />This is one of my favourite times of the year. Maybe I'm mad but I love winter. I love to get in a cuddly jumper and sit in my favourite sunny spot and read a good book. I love to get into bed and snuggle deep into the blankets. I love winter comfort food, especially pumpkin soup with crusty bread.<br /><br />What has this got to do with the title of this post? It is also the time of year that I get on a plane and travel off to the Romance Writers of Australia conference (this year held in Brissy). I love it because I get to hang out with my fellow romance writers and meet new friends who "get" me and what I do. It is also a chance to hear the latest trends in Romance writing and meet my favourite authors.<br /><br />This year I am pitching to a literary agent. I am very excited and nervous but I know I have to go out of my comfort zone in order to make my dreams come true. To have and agent would make that dream a little bit closer to reality.<br /><br />Despite what most people think getting a book from your imagination to the page and then to a publisher and then on the shelf is a long and drawn out process. It could be up to 2 years between signing a contract and seeing that book on the shelf depending on your publisher. So one must have patience and then some. The longest wait is usually getting that first sale. Some sell their first book quite quickly, others could spend a decade or more before selling. I'd be happy for somewhere in between. I have only completed two and a half manuscripts and really they were/are all learning experiences for me. I am perfecting my craft. So yes, I'm afraid, it's off to work I go.<br /><br />Wish me luck with the agent pitch.<br /><br />Until next time keep using only the good wordsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-2321849003664340462009-06-29T19:23:00.002+10:002009-06-29T19:58:18.102+10:00Time flys<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysmjgve2vJhYUffCNQbhfLegq6SZuSB09cEvcZ6wdb61VJU75ogQZQGYBihQeuEbNfDeEDqfcAXSmroj2uA5FGsdQC_MLnOQtQbxzMyik97t0wetqetWPFfIpF0gosUF19EfjFgPRVWQx/s1600-h/1269_catogaries-2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysmjgve2vJhYUffCNQbhfLegq6SZuSB09cEvcZ6wdb61VJU75ogQZQGYBihQeuEbNfDeEDqfcAXSmroj2uA5FGsdQC_MLnOQtQbxzMyik97t0wetqetWPFfIpF0gosUF19EfjFgPRVWQx/s320/1269_catogaries-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352686613550795730" /></a><br />Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while. I've been busy writing. I can't believe we are half way through the year. There is one good thing about it though. Yes, I'm half way through my work in progress (WIP) now. This is where it starts to get hard. Not so much in terms of story but momentum. The beginning is always so exciting and so you tend to write more and faster. As you get more into the story it becomes hard to keep that excitement going. It is easier to get...distracted.<br /><br />Procrastination becomes a temptation almost too hard to resist. I've joined a few online groups this year and joined a book club. Now I HAVE to read two books a month, keep up with all my online friends, emails, my writing group commitments and my own writing. Not to mention that I still have a family and a home to maintain. Life gets tough but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.<br /><br />I love being busy, I love creating my stories, reading great books, meeting smart, funny women who love what I love and doing the mad family stuff that sometimes makes my head spin. <br /><br />I don't watch much TV these days and what I do watch is especially slotted into my busy schedule. Some of my non writing friends wonder how I could choose sitting alone at my desk tapping away at a keyboard instead of watching the box. To be honest, I like the alone time. I don't ostracise myself from the family or ignore the washing (if only I could). I wait until everyone is in bed and then I travel to my special place in my imagination, meet my characters and get back to work. I am finding that I am having increasingly late nights and early mornings but although I am often tired I do not regret it. One day when I am published I will see all this as time well spent. Good practice for deadlines.<br /><br />I'm off to do more writing now, that is after I have stacked the dishwasher, folded and put away some clothes and picked up Iron man and Bumble Bee off the floor and turned off all the lights. My regency world awaits me and I can't wait to get there.<br /><br />Til then, read only the good words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-82426471578880658912009-02-14T23:13:00.004+11:002009-05-04T20:10:03.868+10:00Pantsing, plotting and passing on the joy of reading<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcuWtkmBTgzzUtBgoODwEf70yAvjFUhg8ssLauN3bxj16lDRfhZ_ShRnvjpo5qILuNkoxUusLvv3oNI4Z7SVmrOBltvrLdBhcLa6_lECKgSfrd_ILd8Vyid6PAnpjKJSziLrIngoTICS8/s1600-h/CullenCrest-PINK1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331908751651633442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 262px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcuWtkmBTgzzUtBgoODwEf70yAvjFUhg8ssLauN3bxj16lDRfhZ_ShRnvjpo5qILuNkoxUusLvv3oNI4Z7SVmrOBltvrLdBhcLa6_lECKgSfrd_ILd8Vyid6PAnpjKJSziLrIngoTICS8/s320/CullenCrest-PINK1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Wow, is it February already? Time is just flying by. I must admit I am glad that January is over and the children are back at school and routines are back in place. I quite like structure in my life. I like knowing when things are happening and at what time. I like to know how much things cost ahead of time and I like to plan - except when it comes to my writing. I'm not sure why that is.<br /><br />I'm a self-confessed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pantser</span> when it comes to writing. I've tried to plot in the past, getting down all the details first, having a direction for each chapter etc etc but by the time it came to actually writing it I was already over the whole thing. I know I'm not alone, which always makes one feel less like a freak. I also know there are those who live by the plot and are very successful doing it. This makes me mad because all indications show I <em>should</em> like plotting. I should be on that plotting train, baby! Alas, it seems I am bound for life to being a fly by the seat of my pants type of writer. Hey, I'm okay with it, really I am. What ever works I say. So far <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pantsing</span> is working for me so I'm sticking like glue. Have you ever had one aspect of your life contradict another?<br /><br />Enough about that for now. I want to talk books. For a while I thought my two daughters were not going to be readers. I knew they <em>could </em>read I just never saw them read for pleasure. As a writer this disturbed me but I should not have worried. They were just waiting for a book to come along that would ignite the spark of reading in them. It seems that book was <strong>Twilight.</strong> Anyone with a teenage daughter, or son for that matter, will know about this book.<br /><br />I don't care what the critics think, I don't care how good/bad the movie was. I will love this book til the end of my days because it opened the gates to reading for my girls. It brought us closer and gave them a new understanding of their mother. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hallelujah</span>! I could not have asked for more than that - unless the book had been Pride and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Prejudice</span> that is. Never the less they are devouring books and now seek out other books to read. I'm confident that P& P will have it's day.<br /><br />I may be spending far more on books than I ever anticipated but you know what? I don't care. I see their eyes light up anticipating the first page of a new book and I sigh in contentment even if that means I will not see them for several hours. Already I see their vocabulary widening, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">their</span> minds expanding and their love of words growing. They ask me questions about their books and we discuss the nature of people and the world we live in. Books do this for people. Books open our eyes and allow us to see the world around us in more than just shades of grey. So, whether you like reading Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Biographies, Paranormal, Romance or Science Fiction I say go forth and read.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-48314348051633078522009-01-07T10:40:00.002+11:002009-01-07T11:03:43.152+11:00New Year New BeginningsWelcome to a new year. It's amazing what a new year does to ones priorities. Yes, of course I'm talking of New Years Resolutions and goals.<br /><br />I met with my critique partner on the weekend and we spent a very constructive morning setting goals for ourselves. Goals are important. More important is making them realistic. There is nothing worse than failing goals. It's upsetting, at least to me.<br /><br />So what goals did I set for myself this year? Well, now that I have finished my MS I need to consider my next project. I brainstormed with my friend and we decided that my next project will be a light, humorous Regency Historical. It's working title is Educating Elliot and it is a fish out of water story about a rakehell who gets sent to the country to run one of his father's estates for a year. He has to prove his worth or his father is threatening disinheritance. Nasty. Problem is he has no idea what he is doing and when he turns up at Featherscombe there is no one there except for the mysterious Mr Owens. No staff, no furniture, no food, no nothing and the only thing Mr Owens knows how to cook is boiled eggs. Hmm my hero is in for a rough ride, isn't he? LOL. Luckily, my heroine is most capable in that area. Of course, I haven't written it yet so it is all subject to change but I think I am going to have a lot of fun writing it.<br /><br />My New Years resolution is to do more exercise. I suffer from Sero Negative Athritis which prevents me from being as active as I would like but I am determined to walk the dog or have a go on the walking machine in the garage.<br /><br />Other goals are to try and enjoy my family more. Hubby and I have set in motion a new financial system, which we hope will give us less stress and let us reward ourselves a little more. The tin lids (kids) are all excited about school - not. My middle child is going to High School this year and is uncertain about it all, but I am certain she will love it. She's creative like me so I can see her enjoying music, language, art etc. My baby is still in pre-school and won't be going to "big" school until next year. My eldest is in year 9 and is going to pull her socks up this year, or at least she better. No, really, she is a good kid. Not as outgoing as her sister but she keeps herself out of trouble and has nice friends. Can't ask for more than that really can you?<br /><br />Oh, yeah, back to goals. I am going to write 500 words a day. It doesn't sound much and I am capable of writing much more in a day but as I work and have a young family I don't want to overstreach my limits. As I said above I hate not reaching goals.<br /><br />So, what are your goals for this year? Do you ever keep your New Years resolutions?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3987758459806046549.post-28319232570758557462008-11-16T20:35:00.002+11:002008-11-16T20:49:39.933+11:00Haven't I met you before?I am updating my synopsis right now. It sucks. There is a reason they call it the 'dreaded' synopsis. For me I think part of the problem is that I just want to move on. I don't want to do it. I want to stamp my foot. Throw a tantrum. As I am a mature adult I will not do either, although it is tempting.<br /><br />Instead, I am going to push on. I will make myself do it. This is because for me this is part of being a writer. I have to pretend that an editor is tapping their fingers against their desk waiting for my synopsis. That the synopsis is clear and concise and tells them everything they need to know about my story. It sounds simple, but it isn't. How do you condense a 100,000 word manuscript into 5 pages (sometimes they only want 2) and have it give them everything they need? They want it to reflect your voice, it must include the romantic journey as well as the main plot. It must show the turning points in the story. Including the first meeting, the first kiss, the love scene, the black moment and of course the resolution. Don't forget to cover each main characters goal, motivation and conflict. starting to get the picture? It must be in present tense, you should not name minor characters... the list goes on.<br /><br />It sounds like hell and it is, but there is a good reason for all this mental torture. It is a selling tool. An agent or editor do not want to have to wade through 400 pages of manuscript before deciding whether or not they like the over all story line. They are busy people (aren't we all!) and so a short overview of your story is what they want and if that sounds interesting enough they will want to see more and that is what the writer wants. Okay, that is what I want.<br /><br />However, one must first write the damn thing. So, I'm back to it. Wish me luck.<br /><br />May all your words be good ones.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1