The Sweet Escape

Rainwater by Sandra Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m a huge fan of period pieces, especially if the author does a superb job of transporting the reader back to a simpler time. I’m not really a thriller reader, so I had never even thought to read Sandra Brown before. It was a recommended novel on a Kindle list so I picked it up one day a few weeks ago.

From page one, I was engrossed in the story. We follow Ella through her everyday life as the owner of a boarding house, preparing breakfast and daily meals, cleaning, being a general companion to her boarders, her maid and right hand woman Margaret and her son, Solly. Solly is a special needs child, living in a time when doctors were just beginning to discover autism and not treat it like a mental illness. Ella rails against putting Solly in an Institution, away from her, where he’ll be locked up like a criminal. He’d live a much better life, albeit limited, by her side.

Enter one David Rainwater, a relative of the local Physician. He needs a room and Ella has one. He’s calm and disarming, polite and charming, especially to the two old ladies -sisters- who also board at Ella’s. Something about him both sets Ella off guard and intrigues her. The comfort she feels around him makes her uncomfortable, and his almost immediate rapport with Sully is both heartwarming and embarrassing. Mr Rainwater is able to accomplish so much in such a short time, more than Ella had tried or had time to accomplish in the entire time he was alive. (more…)

Just found this excellent post that I’m planning to put to good use in 2010. Thought I’d share it!

It’s from Year Zero Writers

As writers and creators of content, more and more we’re finding it necessary to turn to the Internet to showcase our work. While we cannot be in several places at the same time, it’s possible for our material to exist in numerous corners of the Internet, all at once. In an age where Literary Agents and Publishers are holding back on marketing their authors’ books we simply have to turn to each other to propel our material to different audiences, something one person can’t possibly do on their own.

This is where you come in. Make a new year’s resolutions to help promote your writer colleagues fromyour little corner of our huge office we call the web.

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What’s up blog people! Just saying hi and things, doing my monthly “I’m alive!” wave. Things are good, for me. Living and such, so that’s good. I have been trying to get out of the house more, so I haven’t been around much. I’d apologize but…. I don’t think that’s a bad thing!

So, I’ve been telling myself that I’m going to to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) … and I started a project earlier this year not knowing you couldn’t pick up something you’d already started for NaNo. Booo. Because. I kind of want to dedicate November to that project and try to get it off the ground. I’ve had my head in so much… other stuff… sometimes I just need a break from it. So I may not do the official NaNo thing this year. I don’t have any other ideas, really. I guess if I come up with one, I’m on board!

I blogged last month that I wasn’t doing much reading, and vowed to fix that. So, I bought some books! Let me just say that I bought one that I really regret buying. UGH. I just do not like it. I’m not going to finish it. And I want to banish it from my bookcase. Ech. I DID buy two books I’m kind of into:

Push, by Sapphire– reading this for a book club I joined (yay, me). It’s a really compelling story… because of my own personal history, stories of abuse really intrigue me. Kind of helps me feel less alone. Anyway, Push has been developed into a movie that I kind of can’t wait to see and am kind of dreading seeing. You know that feeling? I just think it’s going to be a very well done, thought provoking film.

The Associate, by John Grisham- anyone who knows me knows I’m a big fan of legal thrillers, specifically Grisham and Lescroart. I’ve pretty much read everything they’ve put out in this genre. I feel like Grisham is, lately in his career, one step up and two steps back. He started off firehot from The Firm, but some of his more recent releases were a little ‘meh’. I mean, I still read them. The Appeal was really hard to get through, for some reason. The Associate seems to be traveling along, fine though. Really suspenseful story line, a bit nail bitingly awesome, really draws you in. It’s a little ‘The Firm’ ish, so I hope the level of suspense stays the same throughout. And then it gets made into a movie, because YES. :-)

*Note to self, you have read ‘An Innocent Man!’ GET ON THAT!*

Okay, since I am blogging at work, I’d better do some! Just saw the site in my bookmarks and thought I should post up a time or two!

I hope everyone is doing a-ok!

I mean, I don’t have to go anywhere. But I have ‘things’ to do:

1. I am two lessons behind on my Advanced Fiction Writing. Don’t want to let Mr Alcorn, my professor, down. Now that he knows where my blog is, I’ll just assume he’s reading it. :\ I’m also in the class with Becky and I sure can’t fall behind her. We’re in this together!

2. Chapter 19 is a hurking two parter to “All I Wanna Do” the longest story in the history of stories. Not really. It’s just long. I need to edit part one and post it for the “grabbyhands” at the Fiction Archive to read and enjoy and tell me how much they love me and adore my writing. *shrug* A girl can dream.

3. I already wrote my review for The Chosen One. I finished it last night, and didn’t want to take weeks to review it like I did with Dark Places. By the time I reviewed it I almost had to read it again. I couldn’t remember important things like NAMES. So that’s done. Score one for ME!

4. I have to write more of The Nanny, my ode to the Lifetime Movie. Hopefully will get to that later today.

5. Woven between my literary achievements will be the conquer of Mt St Laundry. Because, OMG. Okay it’s not bad, just… I hate laundry.

I think five is a good round number of tasks. And considering I only average finishing about 3 of 5 tasks, that’s a good place to stop.

On with the day!

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Carol Lynch Williams presents a heart pounding, engaging novel about a girl growing up in a Polygamist community, under the watchful eye and controlling thumb of a God-like figure, The Prophet. The Chosen One seems ripped from recent headlines about the infiltration of these communities and rescues of children ordered to marry men more than twice their ages, bear children, and become one of several wives.

Kyra is 13, impressionable and yet keenly aware that the way her family lives isn’t usual or normal or maybe not even right. She dares to do things she is not supposed to do– like read, speak to boys, sneak off and be alone with them under cover of darkness. The story begins with a visit from the most respected and revered man in the community– The Prophet.

The entire family is anticipating good news, especially Kyra’s father. It is not good news when it is decreed that 13 yr old Kyra will marry her 60 year old uncle, and become his seventh wife! Instantly Kyra is rebellious and obstinate. Not only does she not want to marry an old man, she doesn’t even like her uncle. The Prophet, however, has spoken. He says that God had decided who she will marry. She is to obey.
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… when I hear this song.

Will Smith, Summertime

Here it is the groove slightly transformed,  just a bit of a break from the norm. Just a little somethin to break the monotony…

Every year at the beginning of June, radio stations start BLASTING this song. There is nothing like cruising (or crawling) down the road with your windows or top down, your arms hanging over the side of the car, this song blaring from the speakers. Get a little head bob, a nod and a grin at the car next to you.. Ahhhhhh. SUMMER.

Summer is my season. I just… love it. Anywhere, as long as it’s sunny. I live in the South and summer in Atlanta means HEAT. Last summer was a SCORCHER, temps over 105. I… I kind of liked it? Sort of? Yeah I know I’m crazy.

Summer also traditionally marks three long months of doing nothing, followed by fall, when I look back on my summer and go “man, I didn’t do anything all summer.” Well. Not this summer.

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