Amy Snow--A book Review

I stopped by the library one day last week and checked out 4 books, 3 from the New Books shelf. The first one I started reading was Amy Snow by Welsh author, Tracy Rees. Ms Rees won the "Richard and Judy Search For A Bestseller" competition in the UK with this debut novel.

Historical Romance fiction has always appealed to me and this one definitely did not disappoint. The book is well over 500 pages and I read it in two days, picking it up whenever I had a few free moments, evenings and a Saturday afternoon. I'm a fast reader but more so when a book really intrigues me as this one did.

A newborn baby, left in the snow, is discovered by eight-year-old Aurelia, the only child of wealthy parents. Aurelia convinces her parents to keep the baby and raise her at Hatville, their estate. They reluctantly agree but banish the baby, named Amy Snow by little Aurelia, to the kitchens. Amy grows up as servant, reviled by Aurelia's parents, but loved by Aurelia herself. Amy moves from servant to companion to nursemaid when her beloved friend is dying from a heart problem. Amy has been educated thanks to her mistress and friend's insistence.

She is heartbroken when Aurelia leaves for a short visit which turns into a year. Upon her return home, Aurelia declines over a three year period. After her death, a devastated Amy is turned out by Aurelia's parents. She had been left 10 pounds and a sketchbook of drawings done by her friend. Amy also is given a letter written earlier by Aurelia. It is coded and sends Amy on a treasure hunt in 4 places in England. Aurelia has left another letter in each community with the help of friends. Amy is sent from one unfamiliar town to another as she tries to unravel the mysterious treasure hunt.

She encounters many interesting characters along the way, two men who claim to love her, and more mysteries than answers as she seeks the reason Aurelia has sent her on this quest. Is there really a treasure at the end? Will she ever find out who her parents were? Which one of the men will she end up with? Or with neither? Many questions for the reader to contemplate while turning the pages of this delightful novel.

Beautiful writing makes it a pleasure to read. Historical detail offers the reader a fine view of the early Victorian era, the 1840's-1850's. We are given the story with flashbacks as Amy spends months on the treasure hunt.

A few editorial review comments by others:

"This charming character captured my heart, and her compelling adventure kept me turning the pages. A total delight!" (Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House and Glory over Everything)

"A hugely appealing tale of the endurance of friendship. With the elements of romance, mystery, drama, and history, there's much here to love." (Library Journal, starred review)

"Engrossing...fresh...rife with mysterious clues, intriguing people, and varied settings." (Publishers Weekly)

If you like Historical Romance, do give this one a try. I don't think you will be one bit disappointed.

Thoughts On Handwritten Letters

When is the last time you wrote a personal letter? Or received one delivered by your postman?  It's rapidly become a thing of the past. Stores don't display as much stationery as they once did. I see mostly note cards and thank you cards. Apparently, people do still pen a thank you note or a quick personal note now and then.

Handwritten letters from long ago are sometimes used to show a particular period of history. Love letters written during wartime tell heart wrenching stories of couples separated by miles and circumstances beyond their control. Some people were able to put their feelings in letters when they could not express them aloud. Books have been written using only letters to tell a story. One I particularly liked that used that form was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

A cousin of my husband sent us some letters she'd found. One was written by Ken's mother when he was a very small child. In it, she told her sister something that no one in the immediate family ever knew. Had that letter not been saved, we still would have no knowledge of what Ken's mom had written. The information didn't change anyone's views or hurt the family in any way. Mostly, it was a sliver of information that helped the family know what life was like at a certain time in the parents' lives.

My mother and I wrote to one another once a week during my adult life until she was close to death. In her mind long distance calls were used for relaying bad news, never to just chat like we do today. So, we wrote one another each week with chit-chat. I would tell her of things our children were doing and she'd let me know about other family members. We'd discuss new recipes or old ones. New books or favorite old ones. Current events and more. When I saw her familiar handwriting on the envelope in my mailbox, I was eager to get to the house and read the weekly news. I still miss her letters.

Mom and one of my dad's cousin's daughter had become pen pals, too. When my mother passed away, I started writing to the cousin. I liked her a lot but it also gave me a chance to keep in contact with my father's side of the family.

Perhaps because I am a writer, I have always found writing a letter satisfying and enjoyable. Some people hate to write letters. I'm guessing they don't like to write anything more than a grocery list.

I still write letters to a number of friends and family but the majority of my letters are now email messages. Even so, there are a few people who do not use computers so I still hand write to them.

How do you feel about writing letters and/or receiving a handwritten letter? What about saving letters? I have never saved letters and there are times now when I wish I had. If some of those people in the last century had not saved their letters, we would have missed a lot, especially those written by celebrated figures of the past.

A Celebration For A Granddaughter

Alexis at 11

Me at 10

Our oldest granddaughter, Alexis, is celebrating her 21st birthday today. Quite a milestone; it's the birthday many of us remember well. She has brought great joy to her parents and to us as she moved through the stages of childhood. Now, she is a junior at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas where she is pursuing a degree to teach high school English. She is also a writer which pleases me, of course. I thought it might be fun to post pictures of both of us near the same age as there is definitely a family resemblance.

I could write an entire post on this young woman but, instead, I want to urge you to write about a grandchild or a grandparent. Don't just record their physical traits; tell about the kind of person he/she is, what kind of feelings you have for this person, and the influence they may have had on you. It's a perfect addition to your Family Stories book.

A story like this can also be submitted to markets like the following:

• Chicken Soup for the Soul
• Reminisce
• Good Old Days

There are others that you might find through a search engine.

We reminisce about grandchildren and grandparents when special events come about, like a birthday, a wedding, a funeral or some other family gathering. Write the good things but, if there are tragedies or things that angered you, include them. They are, after all, a part of your family history.

 

Is Grammar Important?

I admit that I am a stickler for grammar. It's also apparent to me that not everyone feels the same way. If you are a writer, however, you should be on top of the game with grammar and punctuation.

The chart above shows the most common grammatical errors. I remember doing pages and pages of grammar exercises in English class in grade school, junior high and even some in senior high. By senior high, we were expected to know the differences in the spelling and meaning of the words shown here. Occasionally, we'd have a short review or a shouting lesson when too many of the incorrect spellings were used in an essay paper. I remember my Freshman English teacher lecturing on same with fire in her eyes and smoke ready to pour from nose and ears. My, oh, my--she was irate about what she termed 'careless' errors.

Perhaps her word--careless--is right. We can be so intent on the gist of what we are writing that the grammar/punctuation part slides by us. That's the reason we write a first draft, then go back and edit more than once. It's a good reason to put your work up for a critique by one other person or an actual critique group. Others will find these small errors quicker than he/she who wrote the words.

I have seen news flashed across the tv screen that uses words like your and you're incorrectly. When that happens, I actually cringe. The one thing I need to remind myself of is that half the people who see that error will not even be aware of it because they do the same thing themselves. Am I try to put people down by saying that? Not at all. It's merely reality.

As writers, we need to learn to care about the grammar and punctuation quotient in our stories, articles and poetry. We should set the example for our readers and, yes, other writers. As important as what we are saying is, it's also of relevance that we say it in the proper way.

Ever Try Writing About Love?

Valentine's Day brings a flurry of stories that involve love and romance. Romance novels are high on the list of kinds of books read most often. Authors of romance novels are sometimes scoffed at by other writers. Formula stories. Sex sells. Sappy stuff. We've all heard these comments or similar.

But--have you ever tried writing a romantic story, or a full romance novel? Woman's World magazine runs a romance story in every issue and they pay $800 for an 800 word story. This blog post will give you guidelines. 800 words sounds like a piece of cake for decent payment. Try it before you say that. It's not easy to write a full story in so short a word count. Read several back issues to get a feel for the type of story the editors want. Another call for submissions on stories about love has guidelines here.

You might say that you wouldn't try to write in the romance genre because you would never, ever be able to write a sex scene. Relax! Lots of love stories have no sex in them at all. It all depends on the market you're aiming for and how you feel about adding explicit sex to your stories. There's a lot more to true love than the physical side.

Want to write a romantic story for teens. Teens love to read about love. Even so, you'd need to be very up to date on what is going on in the teen world, the slang and more before you would be successful. Don't write about love in your teen years. They'd consider it archaic! Even if you're only 30 yourself.

It's difficult to write a romance that is fresh and new, not clichéd or done a thousand times before. Come up with a fresh angle and you're likely to find success in being published in this genre. Use all the techniques of writing quality fiction in these kinds of stories, too.

I once sent a story to Woman's World that I felt sure was a different approach. I knew they received around 2000 submissions each month but I submitted and waited. If you haven't heard from them in 4 months, you'll know you've been rejected. I did hear from the editor with a note saying that he liked the angle I'd written from and other things about the story. Ended his note by telling me it still wasn't quite right for them. I'd gotten close but not close enough.

If you've never written a love story, give it a try. Base your story on your personal experiences or dream up something entirely different. Most of all, have fun with it.

What Libraries Have Meant To Me

Not only the doors of learning are open but a library user is guaranteed hours and hours of pure joy reading fiction, too. Today, I'm reposting a personal essay I wrote about my feelings about libraries. If you haven't visited your local library recently, put it on your To-Do List for this week.

My Second Home

In addition to my regular residence, I have a second home. My mother
introduced this special dwelling to me when I was only six years old.  She held my hand, and we walked several blocks in warm autumn sunshine, stopping only when we approached a square brick building. Graced by trees and shrubs and a patio-like courtyard, it had a certain elegance and air of importance that I recognized, even at so young an age.

We entered the building and stepped into a cool, quiet atmosphere. The first thing to meet the eye was a large, wrap-around desk that extended across the entryway. A stout woman stood behind the desk, gray hair severely drawn back and caught in a small bun. No make-up adorned her face, and there wasn't a smile there either. I moved instinctively closer to my mother, my hand nestled in hers, until I looked up into the woman's eyes. What I saw made me smile at her. Blue eyes, the shade of cornflowers, sparkled with a smile of their own, softening her otherwise stern appearance. Soon, the smile in her eyes spread to her wide mouth.
 
"We've come to get a library card," my mother announced. The woman had the application card ready in a flash and passed it over to me to sign my name. I proudly printed it for her and slid the card back across the desk. Not only could I sign my name, I could read, as well. Dick and Jane and their dog, Spot had shown me the way.

"Alright, Nancy," the woman said as she read from the form, "come with me."

She came around the desk and offered her hand, saying, “I am Miss Maze.” I grasped the hand this corseted woman in the black dress offered. My expectations were great, and I was not to be disappointed, for this kind woman led me to the Children's Department and patiently showed me all the books that stood on shelves like soldiers at attention. She spoke with wonder and awe as she explained the kinds of books that rested before us, making me eager to read every one.

It was a land of enchantment, a ticket to exotic places.  My mother and Miss Maze introduced me that day to the fascinating world of books and libraries, and thus began a love affair that continues to this day. I became a voracious reader and still am.

I was the child whose nose was always in a book. When old enough, I walked to the library alone at least weekly, sometimes more than that. I strolled past the conservatory that was home to a tropical rain forest, then on by a city park, across the railroad tracks and down a cinder path that ran behind the train platform. By the time I reached that cinder path, my pace increased, even though I carried a stack of books. I was in a hurry to reach the riches awaiting me at the library.

The grade school I attended had a separate library, which we could use when we reached fourth grade. I visited it regularly but also continued going to the public library. I felt at home in both places and felt much the same when I moved on to the high school library, then one on my college campus.  The libraries provided necessary information for all the papers I wrote during those years, as well as hours and hours of entertainment, as I read book upon book. The building I had frequented near my home during my growing up years was renamed when my old friend, the librarian, died.  The South Branch became the Adele Maze Branch Library, and every time I saw the plaque bearing her name, I thought of those cornflower blue, smiling eyes, and her kindness to me and other children through the years.  How I wish I could thank her for what she gave to so many.

During the years since I left my home community, I have made a habit of making a visit to the library one of the top priorities whenever moving to a new place. Within the first week, I have fled the packing boxes and sought out what has become a second home to me. Over 50 years of marriage, we have lived in five different towns, and, in all of them, the library has been a sanctuary and a haven.

Now, when I open the big glass door to my local library and walk through the atrium to the book-lined shelves, I feel just like I did when Miss Maze took my hand and led me to the children's books. I am happy and contented, as though loving arms have surrounded me with a great big hug. Best of all, I still feel an exciting anticipation of the unknown treasure waiting for me amongst the volumes that line the shelves in my second home.

I am so grateful that I had a mother who led me to one of the greatest treasures in my life, the public library.


 

We're Each A Committee of One

What would you change in your writing life past? What chances did you have that you passed up? How many decisions did you let hang so long that they were no longer relevant? How many story ideas did you never work on?

It's probable that most of us would have a story to illustrate one of the situations I mentioned. Revisiting those times is not going to change it but perhaps it will help you address future decisions.

I know that one thing I would change in my writing life is that I would have started writing far sooner than I did. Time and again, I have chastised myself for letting life get in the way and never writing all the things swirling in my mind until I was in my mid-fifties. What I did earlier was important, too, but in retrospect, I should have tried to fit in some writing around my other responsibilities.

We all have regrets. Bigger than having them is that we should learn from our bad choices, missed chances and overlong decision making. Instead of dwelling on what might have been, ask yourself how you can make better choices. How can you pursue better relationships within your writing world? How will you conquer the fear that sometimes holds you back?

We'd love to run to the Great Writing Guru and purchase a dose of this or that to help us with these problems. I've never found him and I doubt you have either. Instead, we must rely on our own actions. We're each a committee of one. It's up to us to change the past into a brighter future in our writing world.

Can we consult one another for some guidance? Certainly. But ultimately, it is up to us as individuals to learn from our past and move steadily on into the future in our writing journey.