We all have our favorite literary couples. You know the ones … heroes and heroines who make you laugh, cry and wish the story would never end. Who are some of your favorites?
It is a difficult question, isn’t it? There are so many to choose from and my list is lengthy. Of course, my own heroes and heroines characters top my list of personal favorites (yes, I am biased and yes, I love each of them). My top three, after my own, are as follows:
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy - Pride and Prejudice
Where do I begin? This is one of my absolute favorite novels. Well written with so many wonderful characters, including an intelligent, feisty heroine and a cynical hero who is to die for. Love them!
Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester - Jane Eyre
The “plain” Jane and her brooding hero. I love Mr. Rochester! Despite the fact that he’s hiding a psychotic wife throughout the novel and tries to commit polygamy, I still love him which says a great deal, doesn’t it? What a great hero! Probably my favorite hero of all time. The scene between Rochester and Jane after she learns the truth about his wife is just heartbreaking (I cry every time I read it). And the end … could there be a better ending to any novel? Ever? Nope, this is a classic and this couple is timeless.
Whitney Stone and Clayton Westmoreland - Whitney, My Love
Where do I begin? Another feisty heroine and brooding hero, this couple is captivating from the first page to the last. Both are stubborn, each makes their share of mistakes. They are superbly written, with so many layers. This is one of my favorite novels and Whitney and Clayton are, undeniably, one of my favorite couples.
So, there you have it … my top three. Who are some of yours?
Hello, my name is Tracy. And I am a reality TV addict. American Idol … love it. The Bachelor … glued to it. Admittedly, though, only one if those two shows actually has a high success rate. I’ll give you two guesses. Yep, that would be Idol, which produces talent each and every season while The Bachelor has a success rate of, what, 0-50? Seriously, I think it is 0-12 but, still, those aren’t good odds (the only success has been Trista and Ryan during The Bachelorette, a totally different show).
Anyway, Reality Steve predicted that Jason (aka: Bachelor who was dumped last year during The Bachelorette’s finale) would propose to Melissa only to break their engagement on National television immediately after which he would choose the gal he dumped. Sound far-fetched? Well, it happened. Just as Reality Steve predicted. Ugh!
Here is my problem: blindsiding Melissa by breaking their engagement on National TV. True, these Bachelor and Bachelorette shows are about breaking up with people but (and here is the distinction) it is NOT about BREAKING ENGAGEMENTS on National TV. Sure most of these Bachelor and Bachelorette couples fail but we, the viewers, aren’t present when they decide not to marry. We shouldn’t be. It is personal. And should remain so. And part of this show’s allure is the hope of happily-ever-after.
Now, what makes last night’s events even more disgusting is that Jason and Molly (the runner up who “wins“) are rumored to have dated during the six weeks that Jason was engaged to Melissa. Is it true? I think so. Jason answered all of host Chris Harrison’s questions while looking him straight in the eye with one glaring exception: when Chris asked if Jason had spoken with Molly during the time he and Melissa were together. Jason responded by looking away and muttering “No.” It seemed like a blatant lie, especially since he spoke directly to Chris throughout the conversation with that exception.
What truly broke my heart last night was hearing Melissa tell Jason that getting engaged was a once in a lifetime event for her, should have only happened once, and that he ruined it for her. This coupled with the fact that not 10 minutes later, Jason was making out with his other gal, Molly, was just sickening.
So, recapping last night’s events: Reality Steve has a better success rate than The Bachelor. See for yourself:
Exciting news! Dance With Deception placed second in the Anne-Bonney Readers’ Choice Award for the Favorite Hero category and placed third in the Anne-Bonney Readers’ Choice Award for the Most Emotional category. Woo-hoo! Winners will be announced in the RWR, placed on ACRA’s website and receive an Anne-Bonney Award seal to display on their websites … Yeay!
Dance With Deception was up against titles from Harlequin, Berkley Sensation, and Zebra Historical. It was also the only “Debut Novel” nominated in both categories so I am both thrilled and truly grateful. Thank you to all who have supported this novel!
Have you danced with deception? If not, what are you waiting for? Dance With Deception is available through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Biggerbooks.com, Chapters.indigo.ca, LBFbooks.com, and Target.com. Dance With Deception is also availabe in select Barnes and Noble and Borders Book stores nationwide. Dance With Deception is available in eBook at Allromanceebooks.com and Fictionwise.com. You can also follow these links:
LBFbooks.com:
http://www.lbfbooks.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Dance%5Fwith%5FDeception&cat=16
Fictionise.com:
http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mwsearch
Allromanceebooks.com:
http://allromanceebooks.com/product-dancewithdeception-5277-160.html
I just received fabulous news: Dance With Deception is a double finalist in the Anne-Bonney Readers’ Choice Award! Yep, Dance With Deception is a finalist in both the Most Emotional and the Favorite Hero categories. Woo-hoo!
About the contest:
“Some call her a feminist who chose piracy as way of rebelling against a male-dominated world; others portray her as a tomboy who never grew up. Whatever her motives, in deed and daring Anne Bonney, history’s most infamous woman pirate, was a plunderer, cutthroat, sailor, ransomer, raider, and general menace to maritime commerce in the Caribbean. In short, most pirates probably would have considered her an asset to their trade.
That is the reason we’ve named our contest after her. We’re looking for the best books the industry has to offer, books that stand out, books that are an asset to our trade.”
I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am about this! Thank you to the wonderful Anne-Bonney contest coordinators for their time and efforts. I am truly honored to be a finalist.
Winners will be announced at the end of February … keep your fingers crossed.
Well, I am working on finishing my next two and have been trying to figure out why I’ve had so much difficulty remaining focused. I mean, sure life can derail us. But still, I wrote Dance With Deception in less than a year. It should be easy to complete the next two, right? Well, no, not really.
Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I am writing my next two, Enticing Eve and The Skilled Seduction, simultaneously. Both are sequels to Dance With Deception and it just made sense that I would flesh out the characters through both novels, jumping back and forth between the books as inspiration strikes. There in lies my problem, you see. When I’ve planned on working on my second novel, the third starts calling to me. The hero and heroine from my third are truly tenacious and they just will not be silenced. So, Colin and Eve’s story has taken longer than I anticipated.
Last night, I worked on Tristan and Victoria’s story. Tonight, I am working on Colin and Eve’s tale. No phones, no TV, interruptions. Just me, sitting in my office, clacking away on my keyboard while my eldest feline prince snores on the floor (yes, all three of our kitty sons snore).
With about 80,000+ words completed on each so far, I’m optimistic that at my present pace, I will finish soon. Especially with the help of and motivation from my husband and from my critique partner, fellow Author Emma Sanders. It is the first time I’ve had a critique partner and it is fabulous! She’s such a strong support system for me, especially when I’m in my edit mode (aka: my “everything I’ve written is !*&^” and “no one will like this” mode).
I am focused on finishing my next two (along with reading Emma’s work in progress which I am loving, BTW). Through it all, I vow to remember that I write because of my love for the craft and my characters. I write because of the stories that move me. I also vow not to let life derail me. Easier said than done sometimes but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
So, what do you love to do? What do you want to make time to focus upon? I want to hear all then I want you to make time to do what you love. You can do it. You deserve to do it!
Now, I’m going back to writing …
2009 has arrived. And with it, comes so much promise. And some TV shows I have truly missed. One such show is One Tree Hill. I am so excited it is back! Last night’s episode didn’t disappoint, instead delivering more of the Brooke/Julian storyline and a kick a$$ scene between Brooke and her attacker. Welcome back, One Tree Hill … you’re better than ever!
Two other returns I’m looking forward to are Lost and American Idol. The commercials for Lost look fantastic and, as for Idol, I’m still addicted. How can I not be with my favorite from last year, David Cook, winning the prize and delivering a great CD?
So, what are you looking forward to on the small screen?
Well, it is Monday. And I love Mondays! Why? Because I am addicted to One Tree Hill. Yep, this year I discovered One Tree Hill (a little late, I know, since it has been on air since 2003) and I have been hooked ever since. One Tree Hill on the CW, One Tree Hill on SoapNet. I am a One Tree Hill addict and, because of it, my DVR is getting quite a work out.
Why do I love One Tree Hill? Let’s see … great cast, witty dialogue, wicked plots. Yep, that about sums it up. Oh, and then we have the talented Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols, who play Brooke and Julian. Both are LOL funny, share tons of chemistry and seem to be heading towards an on-screen relationship this season.
Oh, yeah, I love One Tree Hill! It is my #1 guilty pleasure. So, what is a girl to do on Monday nights until One Tree Hill returns with new episodes in January? Watch re-runs on Soapnet. Check. And continue to watch Gossip Girl. Check, check!
Okay, so there are my top two guilty pleasures: One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. Now, it is your turn. What are your guilty pleasures, Television version?
Dance With Deception has received four hearts from Love Romances & More Reviews! Here’s what Dawn had to say:
Sebastian Montgomery is determined to never be like his father and in that regards he vows to never fall in love or marry. Well, that is until he finds himself knee deep in lust with Gwendolyn MacAlistair. She is all he can think about and he will have her one way or another regardless of what the lady thinks. But there is trouble looming as Gwen has to make a choice: Sebastian and the passion she finds with him or a loveless marriage to the one man who destroyed her family. Can Sebastian give Gwen her ultimate desire: his heart?
Ms. Goodwin introduces her first book in her newest trilogy, DANCE WITH DECEPTION as a wild and rocking time set in Victorian England. Full of intriguing characters, a fast paced storyline and a love not to be denied; Ms. Goodwin delivers a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat as the many twists and turns keep the reader entertained until the very end. I found DANCE WITH DECEPTION to be very intriguing as the author delves deep into the character’s heart and soul. This author is brand new to me and she is a delight as she captures her characters perfectly.
Meet Sebastian Montgomery, Ninth Duke of Davenport. He is determined to never marry or fall in love and he meets those goals admirably until he meets his match in a beauty that sets his passions boiling. He is determined to have her, at any cost. Strong, vulnerable at times and the perfect foil to Gwen, Ms. Goodwin captivates her readers’ with a strong alpha male hero who is determined to never fall in love. Well fate has another plan for him and when Gwendolyn MacAlistair comes into the picture, you literally feel the sparks fly and sexual tension blooms between these two. Strong multi-faceted characters help keep the plot moving and they interact well with the secondary characters. I was quite pleased to see how well some of the secondary characters step off the pages and wonder if they will be in the next two books planned for the series.
DANCE WITH DECEPTION is an exceptional blend of romance, mystery and explosive passion that leaves the reader breathless from start to finish. I found Ms. Goodwin’s writing to be fast and tight. She delivers a story that is worth reading again on those cold winter nights. If you enjoy a tale set in a time long gone, with characters that steal into your heart and simmering passion that explodes, than grab DANCE WITH DECEPTION and see what happens when a Duke finds his heart’s desire even though he is determined to not be snared by love’s delight. Get ready for a charming new historical romance author to add to your auto-buy list. Ms. Goodwin delivers a heart felt story that will leave you wanting more. I can not wait for the next in the series to come out.
Thank you so much to Dawn for such a fabulous review — I’m so glad she enjoyed reading Dance With Deception!
“An exceptional blend of romance, mystery and explosive passion that leaves the reader breathless from start to finish …” have you danced with deception? If not, what are you waiting for? It is available at select Borders Book Stores nationwide and is on sale at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, and LBFBooks.com. In addition, Dance With Deception is available in eBook at fictionwise.com and allromanceebooks.com.
Greg and I saw The Duchess last weekend and Wow! The Duchess is a fabulous movie with exquisite costumes, breath-taking sets and a stellar cast. Honestly, it was the most stunning movie I’ve seen since The Phantom of the Opera was released on the silver screen in 2004.
The Duchess stars Keira Knightley (who, with this performance, proves she is the perfect actress for period roles), Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, and Charlotte Rampling. Based upon the biography by Amanda Foreman, it is the story of Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, who was the first wife of William Cavendish, the fifth Duke of Devonshire. Married just before her seventeenth birthday, Georgiana soon discovers that her husband isn’t the man she thought him to be when she witnesses his affairs with the help and discovers that her husband has an illegitimate daughter, one whom she is expected to raise as her own (which Georgiana does).
Ralph Fiennes plays the cold, heartless Duke so well that, at times, he disgusted me. Truly. He played the controlling man too well, in fact. The Duke allows himself his mistresses, all the while flaunting them in his wife’s face. To add insult to injury, the Duke has a lasting affair with Georgiana’s closest friend, Bess, who lived with the couple after her messy divorce. The tag line “There were three people in her marriage” refers to just that … Georgiana, the Duke and Bess living under the same roof until Georgiana’s death, when Bess then became the second wife of the Duke of Devonshire.
Georgiana herself has an affair and falls madly in love with Charles Grey who will later become Prime Minister. The Duke won’t accept his wife’s affair (hypocrite, anyone?) and Georgiana must sacrifice both her illegitimate daughter with Charles and her love himself for the sake of her children with the Duke. Heartbreaking … bring tissues! I needed mine.
Georgiana was a feisty woman, known for her beauty and sense of style (often imitated), her political views and campaigning, and her love of gambling. Keira Knightlely’s performance is strong, subtly blending Georgiana’s innocence and naïveté with her heartbreak, disappointment and commitment to her children and her duty.
Interesting tidbits: among Georgiana’s descendants are Diana, Princess of Wales (through Georgiana’s granddaughter) and Sarah, Duchess of York (through her illegitimate daughter with Prime Minister Charles Grey).
If you’re looking for a movie that is beautiful, heartbreaking and totally worth the high price of movie tickets, I cannot recommend The Duchess enough. Fabulous! Absolutely fabulous!
I have a confession … I am so glad that October is here! So glad! Why? Well, September brought a great deal of challenges for my husband and I, including hurricane Ike.
Ike … the good news is that my family is safe. Thank God, for that. My prayers are with the families who lost loved ones during Ike, as well as those families who lost their homes. The damage to our home (although a structural nightmare) is minimal compared to those who lost so much.
God bless everyone affected by Ike …
