Thursday, March 14, 2024

Upcoming Book Releases

Yes, that title is plural for a reason!  I have several new releases and rereleases in the works for 2024, and it is long past time for me to be talking about them here.  Life has been kinda... extra... the last couple of months, and things like blogging have gotten shoved to the back burner a bit.  Part of that mayhem has been that I have a LOT of book projects I'm working on all at once, so let me give you a quick run-down on what is on the horizon for my books!


First off, I'm releasing my Sleeping Beauty retelling, The Man on the Buckskin Horse as an illustrated paperback on April 30!  It will also be available (with the illustrations!) for ebook -- you can pre-order the Kindle edition here already.  The illustrations are all by Skye Hoffert, whom I commissioned to do character art for My Rock and My Refuge.  It was such a joy to work with her again!

This is the novella that won the Rooglewood Press retelling contest and was included in their 2016 anthology Five Magic Spindles.  The publication rights have reverted back to me, and I am excited to be able to finally make this book an official part of my Once Upon a Western series!

Info about book launch goodies and so on will be coming after Easter, so be on the lookout for that.

Okay, that's announcement number one.  Here's the next one:


I will be releasing a collection of ten short stories this summer!  There will be two stories related to each book in my Once Upon a Western series, all either prequels or sequels to those books.  You've been able to read some of those stories before, but three will be brand-new, and several others have only been available to my author newsletter subscribers previously.

Speaking of which, if you haven't signed up for my author newsletter yet, you can do that right here.  It's a much faster way to find out about my book news than waiting for me to have time to post things on my blog ;-)

Okay, piece of news number three:


I have signed a deal with ONE Audiobooks to produce audiobook versions of my entire Once Upon a Western series, including the short stories that I'll be releasing this summer!  This is a dream come true, and I am really excited about this additional way for people to access my books.

(This is the same company that I wrote A Christian Reader's Guide to Jane Eyre for last year, which should be released sometime this spring.)

And now, my fourth and final announcement:


Last fall, I was invited to be part of a multi-author series called the Cornerstone Series which will be a set of sixteen novellas, each retelling a fairy tale, but focusing on a side character from the fairy tale.  So, imagine a Cinderella retelling that's about the fairy godmother, or a Snow White retelling that focuses on the huntsman, that kind of thing.  (Those are examples ONLY -- I don't know if any of the authors are writing anything like that.)  The series will be all non-magical fantasy novellas, which means there may be fairy tale creatures like unicorns or mermaids, or other fantasy elements, but there will be no magicians, witches, wizards, or sorcerers.  

My book, A Noble Companion, is an Ugly Duckling Retelling that focuses not on the ugly duckling himself, but on a childhood friend.  It is set in a fantasy version of Spanish California in the early 1800s where there are talking animals and a dragon.

I'll be revealing more about A Noble Companion in the coming months, and it will be released November 12.  You can already pre-order the ebook on Amazon if you want to.

Okay!  That's all my news!  Are you breathless?  I kind of am. That's a LOT to be working on in one year!!!  Drop a comment below and tell me which of these projects you're the most excited about :-D

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Movie Music: Rachel Portman's "Chocolat" (2000)


Here I am again, ready to discuss more movie music with you. I really enjoy Rachel Portman's movie scores.  Her music for both Chocolat (2000) and Emma (1996) make me happy and are particularly great for listening to when I feel like listening to something sprightly, but with a pang of melancholy here and there.  I reviewed the Emma soundtrack a while ago, so today, I'm going to share my other favorite Portman soundtrack.

Considering the movie's subject matter, I'm sure it's no surprise that I really like to listen to the Chocolat soundtrack while I bake.  It's also great for doing housework or powering through a writing session that needs some upbeat vibes.

I'll start you off with a feel-good song, lots of energy and spring to it. It really conveys the idea of vigorously setting to work, doesn't it? 


Here's a completely different mood. "Caravan" is soft and sensuous, a slow and beautiful simmer. It was first performed by Duke Ellington in the 1930s, but here, the guitar track is laid down by none other than Johnny Depp, who co-stars in the film. 


My favorite track on the whole soundtrack is "Minor Swing," another '30s jazz song which Johnny Depp also plays guitar on. It's joyful and energetic and just plain fun -- it gets my toes tapping and my fingers snapping. 


If you like those selections, you can listen to the whole soundtrack on YouTube right here :-)

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on September 15, 2015.)

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Winners of the Sibling Stories Giveaway + Wrap Up


And now, the post you've all been waiting for, right?  


Prize One:  A set of three Little Women bookmarks -- Summer

Prize Two: One vinyl sticker featuring the Pevensie siblings -- Eva C.

Prize Three:  A paperback copy of Sense and Sensibility -- Lydia H.

Prize Four:  A paperback copy of The Outsiders -- Chloe the MovieCritic

Prize Five:  A "novel journal" with a Peter Pan theme -- Breann M.

Prize Six:  A DVD copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) -- Naomi M.

Prize Seven:  A DVD copy of Little Women (1994) -- Roxann R.


Congratulations to the winners!  I will be contacting you at the email addresses you provided to the giveaway widget to find out where to mail your prizes, so please be on the lookout for that message!

Thank you to everyone who joined the party this week!  I'm still working on reading everyone's posts, but I love what a variety you have all provided :-)  If you have any posts you still want to contribute, I'm not shutting down the widget!  In fact, here it is again, to make it easier for people to access without having to scroll and scroll down my blog page.


Answers to the Sibling Movie Poster Game


Here are the answers to the second game :-)  Scores are below!  

Interestingly, absolutely no one guessed the Defiance (2008) poster (#10), which makes me a little sad because that is an amazing movie based on such an inspiring true story.  If you're curious about it and want to learn more, I reviewed it here a couple years ago.

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Scores

Jenni Sauer -- 11
Chloe the MovieCritic -- 10
Beth -- 9
Carissa (Regency Woman) -- 9
Debra She Who Seeks -- 9
Heather Barnes -- 9
Lizzie Hexam -- 9
Sarah Seele -- 7
Roxann -- 4

Answers to the Missing Sibling Names Quiz


Here are the answers to the first game!  Scores are below.


1. Eomer and Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings)

2.  Adam, Hoss/Eric, and Little Joe (Bonanza)

3.  John, Wendy, and Michael Darling (Peter Pan)

4.  Isa, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Lacey Vanderbeeker (The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street)

5.  Bofur and Bombur (The Hobbit) [Bifur is their cousin, actually.]

6.  John-Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Elizabeth Walton (The Waltons)

7.  Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March (Little Women)

8.  Judah and Tirzah (Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ)

9.  Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

10.  Bret, Bart, and Brent Maverick (Maverick)

11.  Darry/Darrel, Sodapop, and Ponyboy Curtis (The Outsiders)

12.  Laertes and Ophelia (Hamlet)

13.  DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle Tanner (Full House)

14.  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden (The Boxcar Children)

15. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)


Scores

Ivy Miranda -- 12
Carissa (Regency Woman) -- 9
Sarah Seele -- 9
Chloe the Movie Critic -- 8
Debra She Who Seeks -- 7
Charlotte (Mother Owl) -- 6
Roxann -- 6

Thursday, February 22, 2024

The Sibling Stories Tag -- My Answers

Time to answer my own tag :-)  If you haven't done it yourself yet, you can get a clean copy of the questions on the party kickoff post.



1. Do you have any siblings?  Yes, I have one brother who is five years younger and four inches taller than I am.  We were very close when we were growing up, once he got to be about 7 years old and interesting enough for me to want to play with him.  I'm afraid I was a fairly negligent older sister until then.  But from then on, we were extremely close friends, and we're still close now.

2. Who are some of your favorite fictional siblings?  The Curtis brothers in The Outsiders, Boromir and Faramir in The Lord of the Rings, all the Barkleys in The Big Valley, Sigrid and Tilda and Bain from The Hobbit movies, and all the Weasleys from Harry Potter.

3. Are there any fictional families you wish you could belong to yourself?  I would love to join the Barkley clan!  Victoria is such an amazing mother.



4. Have you ever watched or read a book that reminded you of your own family?  Hmm.  Speaking ONLY about the siblings, I think maybe Boromir and Faramir might be the closest match to my brother and I.  We're actually both quite bookish, but my brother is rather less smash-and-bash by nature than I am.  Plus, I'm older than he is, and my hair is more reddish, while his is blond.  He actually dressed as Faramir for Halloween last year!  (But I didn't go as Boromir, alas.  I totally would sometime, though!)



5. What fictional sibling would you NOT want for your own sibling?  John Thorpe from Northanger Abbey.  I don't want any John Thorpes anywhere near me, ever, thank you very much.

6. Are you more drawn to stories about brothers or sisters?  I'm much more drawn to stories about brothers, but I enjoy many about sisters too.



7. What makes a story involving siblings interesting to you?  The sibling dynamic is so varied!  It's a bond that can be close or loose.  You can have siblings who are super protective of each other, siblings who cause problems for each other, or siblings who are indifferent to each other.  You can explore so many human emotions and difficulties and strengths and weaknesses with sibling relationships.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Sibling Movie Poster Game


Let's get the second party game started :-)  This time, I've given you 12 posters from movies about siblings.  But I have removed their titles!  Your job?  Supply the titles, of course.  Put your guesses in a comment, and I'll post the answers and your scores at the end of the week.

And, of course, googling for things is kinda cheating, so... try to restrain yourself ;-)

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