I Love a Good Series

A few years ago Jerrica Knight-Catania sent me a book that I must read.  I was on the fence because at the time the only romances I read were historical and this one started off contemporary.  But, I read it anyway because she insisted.  The book was The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.  It didn't take long before I could not put this book down and went searching for others in the series.  I had never read anything like this with the story jumping from present to the Napoleonic Era and back again.  Usually those jumps occurred a crucial part in the story that is both irritating (because I didn't want to wait until she went back to the past) and exciting (because the author had left me hanging in the present portion of the story).  Plus, they have spies and France - two of my favorite things. Not all of the stories have a French setting, but the first one did and I was hooked.

This is one series that I find myself anxiously awaiting the next release and last night I downloaded The Garden Intrigue, which is book 9 in the series.  I cannot wait to start listening to it on the way to work this morning and it will probably be the first book completed for the 2013 Audio Book Challenge.

Have you discovered a series that you absolutely love and anxiously await the next book?

Finally

I've been working on getting a website up - an official website (not a blog) for over a year. Every time I started the process I would hit a snag and put it off - for months.  But, enough was enough.  I did all that I could on my own and I was pretty happy with it, but there were still issues and I wasn't completely happy with how it looked.  Thank goodness for Ava Stone! She worked her magic and helped put everything into place.

Even though I loved how it looked, there were still issues with links not working, etc.  So, my second hero would be Roger.  He doesn't have a webpage or much of an online presence.  You see, Roger is my son's best friend and was able to fix the issues in a blink of an eye.  Yep, another example of a kid coming to the rescue of a computer, hyperlink challenged adult.

But, it is finally done and launched and I am very happy with the result.  Hope you can stop by My Website when you get a chance.

A Challenge I Can Embrace

I've seen all kinds of different reading challenges through the years and on different blogs. I've never participated because I didn't think I could ever reach the goal I set for myself.  But this one is perfect for me. I would said 90% of my "reading" is by way of audio book.  I love audio books and the first thing I do after starting the car is making sure the Kindle is plugged in and ready to go.  There are have also been those times, after a long day, I relax in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and listen to a great story.  I am also that person who has sat in a running car after I've reached my destination listing to a story because I can't turn it off at that moment.

So, when I read about the 2013 Audio Book Challenge at Teresa's Reading Corner I knew this is something I wanted to participate in.  My goal is 25 books.

By the way, there are several bloggers and readers participating in this challenge. I've listed most of them alone the right-hand side of the page under "2013 Audio Book Challenge".  Check them out if you want to find out what everyone is reading.

What is it About Scrooge

I love the works of Charles Dickens. Always have and always will.  The man did not have an easy life, especially childhood and perhaps that is why his characters are so memorable, or his writings because he could draw on so many experiences. 

He was born in 1812 and sent to school at the age of nine. However, his father and (I think) the family was imprisoned for debt while Charles was sent to work in Warren’s blacking factory.  A few years later he was able to return to school.  He began is writing career as a journalist from which fame would soon follow.  Dickens is known for many wonderful stories such as Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, along with others that first appeared as monthly installments in various papers and magazines publish from 1836 to 1861.   I sometimes wonder what he would think of his books still being so popular this day in age, and that in some schools they are even required reading.    

There could be arguments made as to which is the most popular of Dickens’ work, but at this time of year none seem as famous as A Christmas Carol.  There are a number of movie versions but these are probably the more popular ones: 

Scrooge (1970) with Albert Finney

A Christmas Carol (1984) with George C. Scott

Scrooged (1988) with Bill Murray

A Christmas Carol (1999) with Patrick Stewart

But, we can’t stop there, other famous characters have also embraced Dickens:

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)

The Jetsons Christmas Carol (1985)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)

I’ve also seen various renditions of this classic on different family networks, one being my favorite channel this time of year—Hallmark! (yes, I love the sappy Christmas movies and have this channel on practically 24/7) .  Some have even put a female in the roll of Scrooge, and others are a modern take.

 But right now, one if my favorites is A Christmas Carol: The Musical staring Kelsey Grammer.  The story is the same, but it has some great music.  This is probably my favorite from the show:

This month at one of the theatres were I volunteer they performed A Christmas Carol: The Musical, and my main task was making Jacob Marley a ghost as well as about 10 other young actors for their rendition of Link by Link.  I also had fun with the Spirit of Christmas Past, who is a "blind old hag" in the opening scenes of the show.  I had to make one of her eyes disappear and make her as old as possible. I knew I had been successful when people did a double take and almost didn't recognize her.  I love being given the opportunity to be creative in the theatre.

Which is your favorite version of A Christmas Carol and why do you think this story remains so popular?  If you are not a fan of A Christmas Carol what is your favorite Dickens story?

Have You Ever Been to London?

Have you ever visited London?  I am going this summer and need help planning. Stop by LadyScribes to give me your tips on what to do, see and the best way to go about it.

A Lass for Christmas

Lady Madeline Trent had grand plans for her future until she learned her family’s awful secret. When a fall through an icy lake lands her in the arms of a handsome Scot, her future is more unsure than ever.

Lachlan Grant, the Marquess of Brachton, may hold an English title, but he's a Scot through and through. He's bound and determined to marry a lass just as Scottish as he is, at least until his fate is altered one snowy night.

A Lass for Christmas is a novella of approximately 27,000 words and the fourth story in the Tenacious Trents series.

The Tenacious Trent Series is comprised of:

Compromised for Christmas which is found in A Summons from His Grace (published Nov. 2011) 

A Misguided Lord (published May 2012);and 

A Perfect Gentleman (published Nov. 2012)

New Release! Scots, Spies & Salacious Lies

Scots, Spies and Salacious Lies are three Regency set Novellas. The first, Compromised at Christmas is the beginning of the Tenacious Trents Series

Compromised at Christmas…

Miss Elizabeth Whitton craved excitement and adventure. Unwilling to endure one boring Season after another, she convinces her uncle in the Home Office to let her work for him. * John Phillip Trent has been spying for the Home Office in the stables of Tuileries as Jean Pierre Bouvier for more than two years, his only English contact – Lisette Renard a servant girl inside the palace. * When a summons from the Duke of Danby slips through the proper channels, both Elizabeth and John’s covers are compromised. To escape the palace and France with their lives, they’ll have to depend on each other and the miracle of Christmas. (Compromised at Christmas was original published in A Summons from His Grace) 

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Landing a Laird…
Heiress Lady Moira Kirkwood will do anything it takes to marry a laird to take her north - far, far away from London and her domineering mother. Unfortunately, a pair of gentlemen overhear her jest about Scotland and compromising a fellow if she has to. Before the sun has risen the next day, Moira’s name and a scandalous wager have found themselves inside the infamous betting book at White’s.

One penniless gentleman after another begs Gideon Baxter, Viscount Ainsely, for his assistance in wooing Lady Moira. Unfortunately, Gideon would like to woo the charming lady himself. If only she cared more for him than for the location of his estate, he’d could be assured of where her true feelings lie.

(Landing a Laird was originally published in The Betting Season)

~ * ~

Devil in My Dreams...
Devlin Bartlett was never meant to be Viscount Marston, yet he has inherited not only the title but three younger sisters, all of marriageable ages. He soon learns that thwarting the French was much easier than playing guardian to three young ladies, and decides the simplest solution is to marry them off. * Louisa Whitton needs to find a husband of her own choosing before Christmas. At her sister’s house party, she meets the perfect gentleman—thus foiling her grandfather’s plans. However, Marston refuses to even think about courting her until his sisters are wed, and he has the audacity to ask her to wait. Louisa’s grandfather will never agree, so she sets out to find the perfect substitute for Marston, forcing him to choose between his sisters’ future and his own.

(Devil in My Dreams was originally published in A Season to Remember)