I'm Getting Lost in Austen

I don't know when it happened exactly. Well, maybe I do. In 2005, an amazing adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released. Who knows how many times I went to see it in theaters. I bought it the day it came out on DVD, and watched it every night as I fell asleep. Hello Darcy.

I read the book, expecting to join the masses of women in the Austen craze. Didn't fancy it much. I'll just watch the movie, I said.

Then this past August, I started taking piano lessons (again), and by September I bought the songbook from the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack by Dario Marianelli, and am learning my third song from it. It's challenging, but I'm in love with it.

Then this past October, I read Austenland by Shannon Hale. Have any of you read it? I've seen quite a few bad reviews for it, but I absolutely FLIPPED over this book. I gobbled it up in just a couple of evenings. I never saw the twists coming! (By the way, Hale is writing a sequel!!)

Then around November, my mom introduced me to one of the most creative and hilarious takes on Pride and Prejudice yet. Lost in Austen. Yes, I've discussed this 3 hour BBC mini-series before, but it needs repeating because it's just THAT GOOD. Rent it, buy it, just WATCH IT, so Kristi and I aren't the only ones emailing each other back and forth, quoting it until all hours of the night. (Pictured is Darcy on the left, and Bingley on the right) -- We first meet Amanda Price in modern day London, reading her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. She loves the language, the manners... it's given her standards that simply cannot be filled in her time. One night, she hears a noise in her bathroom of all places, and finds Elizabeth Bennett!! Amanda walks through the door and into Elizabeth's house, and Netherfield has just been let (at last!). She gets to live through the whole thing, but her presence has caused things to change. People start falling in love with the wrong people, marrying the wrong people... Amanda tries to make things follow the book (even though Elizabeth is still stuck in modern day London), but Darcy believes that everyone has become her instruments and that she is "quite possibly the instrument of Satan." This is not for the Jane Austen purist, because they do expand on a few storylines, but it's just that much more interseting. And HILARIOUS. --

Then I watched Colin Firth as Darcy in the 90's BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, and finally understood the scene in Lost in Austen where Darcy takes a dip in the pond. The whole thing seemed to drag a bit until the last segment, but it was good.

Then I watched Persuasion because a good friend of mine made me. I'm tempted to think she watches it almost daily. It was frustrating through most of it, but I enjoyed it by the end. Not sure if I'm interested in tackling the book, which as I understand, was published by Jane Austen's brother after she died. She probably didn't intend for it to get out (along with Northanger Abby).

Then I happened to catch the new Masterpiece version of Emma on PBS last month, and Oh My Gosh. Forget Darcy, bring on the Knightley! At first, I watched this show cringing, because as you all can see on my sidebar, according to the Jane Austen quiz, I am Emma Woodhouse. It's a scary thing, but I totally am. Not that I've gotten into the matchmaking bit, but I have definitely been known to speak out of turn (Badly done, Kristin! Badly done!), and having earned a degree in Sociology, I have this interest in learning about social classes and blocked opportunities and what not. It's fascinating to me. And this Emma, wheeeeew. "A young farmer, whether on horseback or on foot, is the very last sort of person to raise my curiosity. The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do....But a farmer can need none of my help, and is therefore in one sense as much above my notice as in every other he is below it." Ouch! Quite the snob!! Hopefully this was not the trait that pegged me as Emma!! (Though I have been guilty of snobbery in the past, and sometimes may come across as such since I sometimes prefer to be alone as opposed to being social. Misconception, I say! - I should strive to be more like Melanie Hamilton Wilkes from Gone With the Wind... no one ever said "Badly done, Melanie! And yet, I identify with Scarlett so much more... eeeks!)

Last Sunday, Masterpiece played its 2007 version of Northanger Abby, which I'm still a bit miffed about. The ending was so abrupt... I find it hard to say if I liked it or not.

Now I'm reading Emma. The Masterpiece tie-in edition with this lovely cover:


So far, I am following it surprisingly well. I don't read literary type fiction, ever, mostly because I can't understand it. It's too... beyond my abilities. I don't usually like to think too hard when I read. Just give me mainstream fiction please, or young adult paranormals!! But I find Emma much easier to digest than Pride and Prejudice. My next Austen plan is to tackle Sense and Sensibility.

Tune in to Masterpiece on PBS, Sunday nights! I think this Sunday is Persuasion!

What about you? Are you addicted to Austen? Are you out of that phase? Are you avoiding the craze? Any Darcy lovers? Mr. Knightley? Mr. Tilney?

And Today I Shall Pretend I'm a Full-time Writer

I have great plans for today! Although I see it's already 10:45am and I have yet to actually write anything.... I've got serious revisions to do! The house is clean (mostly) so the only distractions I'll be fighting today are the blogs, my boxers (one is laying at my feet - momma's boy - and the girl is outside in the sunshine), and yes, the sunshine will also be taunting me today. I'm sure I'll take a break at some point and do a little bit of reading out on the deck! Oh and I just remembered I have my piano lesson tomorrow... so practicing for that must be done as well!

I've been watching a bit of the Olympics - recording it and just watching my favorite bits. Watching the pairs figure skating has been a tad hard for me, and I know watching the women's events next week will be even harder. Skating used to be such a huge part of my life, and I haven't been on the ice in probably 3 years. Of course, my mind tells me I can just go right out there and pick up where I left off, but my legs aren't what they used to be (the knee problem is, in fact, skating's fault to begin with), but I can't help thinking that if I could just GET ON THE ICE, I could have my axel back in a few weeks. My brain is that dumb. lol. And it's not even really the jumping I miss, it's the gliding, the spins, the ice dancing... (Now, I didn't get to be some great competitive queen - I was only just working on doubles when I moved off to school and there was no ice rink in town.) When I watch skating now, it zips me back to my life ten years ago, and I am just in shock at how quickly it has gone. How much everything has changed. I just... don't understand when it happened.

Anyway! Today is not a day for packing up the skates and driving 40 minutes to the old rink (though maybe next week???). It's a day for writing! I am armed with my movie scores (I have to listen to instrumentals beacuse if I hear songs with words, I will sing and do nothing else - music was my first love, you see), and I'm READY!

Does anyone else listen to movie musical scores while writing? My current favorites are Pride and Prejudice by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by Nicholas Hooper, and Twilight by Carter Burwell. Which ones are your favorites? I'm always up for adding more to the list!

Something To Look at Sunday

Buon San Valentino!

In Italy, there is a seaside path that connects the five (cinque) towns of the Cinque Terre (five lands). The section between Riomaggiore and Manarola is called the Via dell'Amore (Lover's Street, or Pathway of Love).

Via dell'Amore was developed over the last century, originally during the contruction of the railway line. But it was quickly seen as a shortcut for villagers to walk between the towns, and for lovers to meet. Lovers would meet along the path, often painting amorous graffiti on the stone and tunnel walls. Some tourists are put off by it, but it's really all part of the history, and some of it is actually quite good.


The padlocks fastened onto cables and railings are symbols of eternal love. They are absolutely everywhere on the Manarola side of the trail. A hardware store in Riomaggiore sells the locks with this kissing symbol on it.
Hubs and I just happened to have an extra little lock in our backback to join in the festivities.


Here are some photos from the Cinque Terre and Via dell'Amore! Enjoy!

Locks, locks, and more locks!

A view of the main tunnel section of Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore (where we stayed) and Manarola.

Manarola, where we ate:

The most amazing seafood and pesto ravioli EVER.

Vineyards.

Sunset over the Ligurian Sea.


Happy Valentine's Day!
Buon San Valentino!

*All photographs are property of Kristin Rae and may not be used or duplicated without written permission.

Things Are Already Looking Up

So, y'all know how down I've been feeling, and let me tell you, the outpouring of support has helped tremendously. I'm sticking to my diet (which means no guilt which means I can be proud which means ONE DAY in the FUTURE - however far away that may be - I will be able to buy SMALLER pants), I'm successfully revising one chapter a day of Between the Letters and am already getting GREAT useful feedback from my super fab online Kritique Group (not to be confused with my other Critique Group), AND to top it all off, I won my first blog contest!

Liz at Cleverly Inked hosted a fantastic 100 followers contest, giving away two signed books of Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore, and a $20 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. I won a signed book and the gift card!! SO excited! Seriously lifted my spirits... lots. If you want your spirits lifted (and want to win FREE stuff), check out my sidebar section under CONTESTS! for some current opportunities! People really do win those things!

Another great thing: THREE DAY WEEKENDS! President's day is Monday, and while I could save that day and use it elsewhere this year, methinks I need it now. I plan to be glued to my computer, revising and typing furiously (maybe I should disconnect the internet??). I may also want to enlist the hubby to help me clean the house between today and tomorrow so I won't be tempted to on Monday. Although, the forecast is Sunny, high of 52 low of 29... I do believe I'll have to do some vitamin soaking/reading out on the back deck for at least a couple of hours.

Does anyone else find it easy to get distracted when you sit down to write? What sort of things pull you away? And why exactly do we get distracted from writing in the first place? We LOVE writing! Is it a fear? Is it belief that when we sit down to write, we are ignoring too many other things (like the ring in the toilet) that should be tended to first? What is it that pulls you away most?

New Goals and Funky Moods

I apologize to the handful of you who enjoy the usual Fanged Friday edition to this blog, but I'm just not feeling it today. I enjoyed the episode (I enjoy any episode where Damon shows intense emotion and I am just WAITING for the day when he grabs Elena and kisses her and she LIKES it! lol.), but I'm just in one of those FUNKS.

This funk has been going on for several days - and I'm not sure if it's related to the things I've cut out of my diet (cheese, most chips, excess breads, tortillas, excess sweets, etc.), just being frustrated with my lack of progress in the weight-loss department in general, my writing anxieties, or all the rain we've been getting. Maybe it's a combo.

I'm kickin it up a few more notches, and setting more goals. Goals with no expiration dates.

In the weight loss world: I really need to be more positive. I've had a crappy attitude recently, very negative. A lot of people who are overweight struggle to get that last 10-15 pounds off, right? Well, what happens for those of us who are starting at that last 10-15 pounds? We can't get it off either!!! If any of you have any miracle solutions (cutting certain things out, eating certain other things, hours of exercise per week, etc) that worked for this, please share. I've gotten a personal trainer, I've cut down my calories, cut out certain foods as listed above... And I've lost 2 pounds. TWO POUNDS in two months. Can I tell? No. Did I recently just purchase the largest pants I've ever purchased in my life? Yes. Was I dangerously close to having a meltdown in the dressing room? Yes. I need help.

In the writing world: I've been ignoring my completed novel, Between the Letters, and I am feeling it. We've all heard about how many novels authors write before they get one published, and since this is my first - it took me four years, and I pretty much learned to write while writing it - I've convinced myself it wasn't going anywhere, and I ingored it. This is no way to be. It's a good story. I've been told it's a GREAT story. I owe it to my hard work to see it through to the agent rejections. And here is my plan:
It's roughly 30 chapters, most of them between 5-10 pages long. Each day, I am focusing on one chapter at a time, revising, making sure the verbs are ACTIVE, editing, giving my MC more personality, filling in gaps, deleting the crap.... I finished the prologue and chapter 1 lastnight, and I'm once again falling for my story. I think the 1 chapter a day pacing will keep me sane, and within a month, it should get to where it needs to be to submit. I'm starting to perk up already.

Anyway... sorry for the rant. I'm open to suggestions in the weight loss dept. Funny that once upon a time, I saw myself as the motivator for this. Yeah, that didn't last very long. lol!

*Please don't misunderstand - I'm a very thankful person. Thankful for general health, family and friends... freedom. I do understand that I am blessed at this time in my life, so please don't take offense to this post of a funky mood.

Happy Olympics and Valentine's Weekend!

The Hunger Games 3 - Title, Release Date and Cover!

I can't even begin to tell y'all how anxious I am for this book to come out!

August 24, 2010

OOOO so purty!

What depresses me though, is the teeeeeny tiny writing on the very top that says:

THE FINAL BOOK OF THE HUNGER GAMES

For all that we're excited to know how it will end, it will be a sad day when we can't look forward to it anymore.

Is there another series that got you thirsting for more quite like this one? If there is, please share, because I'm on the hunt. I think we'll all need something to focus on, post-Hunger Games.

Review of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Last week, I finished reading this much-buzzed about debut, and I was not disappointed.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Description from Goodreads:
Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

My Thoughts:
What a fantastic debut! First of all, kudos to the cover designer. Incredible. I'll admit, that was the first thing that caught my attention about this book when I first spotted it in the Goodreads Giveaways.
Well done Despain! The writing pulls you in, the characters are fully developed, the mythology and religion are perfectly incorporated. This is one interesting story.
Daniel is exactly the bad boy every girl loves to be attracted to - the way he is introduced to the story... well, you just have to read it for yourself. Grace, the main character, is completely believable. The reader really sympathizes with the decisions she's faced with - should she side with her brother, or her love? Who can she believe? Why is her father, a much-loved pastor and aid to the community, acting so strangely? Half the time, the reader doesn't even know what to believe or who to trust, and that kept me turning the pages pretty quickly.

I did not see the twist toward the end coming. At all. Didn't suspect it one bit. And I love a book that can surprise. It's clean, it's exciting, it's heart-pounding and sweetly romantic at times.

I think The Dark Divine is a stand-out in it's paranormal young adult category, and I highly recommend it for anyone who's thinking about adding it to their list.

5/5 - Amazing