My Recent Comments

Yes, please do stop by the writers at Play website today. I'm giving away a copy each of my Aug. single title regency, The Making of a Gentleman and my Oct. LIH, A Man Most Worthy.

Have a good day!

Ruth

Vicki,

Let's see, which did I enjoy more, chatting with a marquis or sipping espresso at a sidewalk cafe? Tough one....

Seriously, it was all fun, especially taking my 14 yr. old daughter and walking the streets of Paris till we were both exhausted. We stopped by Shakespeare & Co., the famous English bookstore that was around in Hemingway's day, ate crepes made right on the spot at street stands, and she climbed the Eiffel Tower (I passed, been there, done that).

Ruth

Hi,

Just popping in to check posts. Haven't been on in a while. If anyone is interested in seeing me sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Paris (research trip! research trip!), just pop on over to my blog: http://ruthaxtellmorren.blogspot.com. I went down for a few days with my daughter to visit my old college roommate from my junior year abroad way back when...

I have a story idea set in the post-Napoleonic era in Paris, so thought a little research trip was in order. After all, Paris is only 6-7 hours away from where I live in Holland.

I took a tour of a chateau and even got to talk with the marquis owner and ask him questions about French royalty. Is that cool or what?

 For those interested in the link to the May 1 blog with Melissa Endlich, here it is. If it doesn't work, just cut and paste it into your browser.

Ruth 

http://www.writersatplay.com

Crystal,

I just finished Marcia Schuyler!

Vicki: Wow, you're almost all caught up on the LIHs. They sound good.

I see it hasn't been posted here, so I'll go ahead. For those interested,:

Nike,

Yeah, that's great about posting a review on the non-fiction WWII book for the book challenge. Any book you read is eligible. I just posted Jade, by SH author Marilynn Griffith. Unfortunately, this is a Revell book. I need to read some H/S or SH books again so I can even up my 50-50 balance.

Re submitting 2 manuscripts to SH. I don't think that's a problem. It's more a question of how ready are these manuscripts to be submitted. It sounds like only one is, so in the meantime, you can submit that one, and when the other's ready, you can submit that one (at least send a query and see if you get any bites). Publishing has such a sloooooow turnaround time, that the more things you have out there, the faster you'll eventually hear something.

Ruth 

Hi Trice, Welcome if you're new here!

I also grew up on Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, et. al. I never really got into Barbara Cartland, don't remember why...

I also read all the Grace Livingston Hill and Emily Loring I could get my hands on in my public library. I'm rediscovering Grace L Hill now; I think her stories are great.

I'm glad to hear that about contests and one's voice. I must also have a strong/distinct voice then LOL.

Ruth 

Hi Anita,

  I'm sorry your Genesis scores weren't more what you expected, but I'm happy for you about the 2 above avg. scores and the positive comments. It does show you're on the right track.

  When I submitted my first book, Winter Is Past, before it was published in the FHL contest, I felt about the way you do with the results: some good scores, some below avg/so-so. But some of the comments were very constructive and I had already come to the conclusion about others (like one judge said I should open my chapter one scene later, and I'd already decided to do so, so that was a nice confirmation).

  I revamped the 3 chapters and submitted them a few months later in another local RWA contest (can't remember if it was Outreach or another). This time it placed 2nd, and Melissa Endlich was the final round judge. She liked my entry so much, she requested the full manuscript, and the rest, as they say, is history...

So, get back to work on your authentic-sounding western and do some tweaking!

Ruth 

Hi Ila,

Yes, wasn't Walking Drum great? I gave it to my 12 yr. old to read before I'd even finished it, b/c he had run out of books to read, and he really got into it also. It's really  a good way to get some medieval European history into him. So much info.into the Arab/Muslim world at that time, and how much more advanced they were than the Christians at that time.

I even learned some craft from it. L'Amour was the master at cliff hangar endings and always raising the stakes!

That's wonderful that the LIH's seem to be appearing in stores everywhere. Thanks for those who're reporting on sitings!

Ila,

Go ahead and post reviews on any books you've read this year. The rule is that 50% of the books need to be published by Harlequin, but that gives us a wide margin. I just posted a Louis L'Amour. His one and only medieval, I think, The Walking Drum. Great research book, btw, for medievals.

Ruth