Book Lover's Giveaway!!!!

Hi, everyone!

Just so you all know, you need to go to Jessica Greyson's blog and check out the details of a Valentine's day Book Lover's Giveaway.  In case anyone's interested, Christmas at the Tittletons is one of the books being featured in the giveaway!

So, hop on over there and take a peek!  It's sure to be enjoyable!

Thanks for reading, and God bless,

Writing without Romance

Hello, Fellow Bloggers and Friends,

This is a post about writing without romance.

Yes, it can be done.  I have nothing against well-written romance in books, but sometimes it is refreshing to read a story that is plain adventure or plain mystery.  We all need a story like that sometimes.  Some people, though, don't like to recognize this.

For those of you who have read CatT, you know that it is a romance-free novel.  One of my friends practically had cardiac arrest when I told her that there was no romance in the book.  She couldn't imagine a story without romance in it.  It's not that hard, though.

Just because there are two people in the story that are different genders and close to the same age doesn't mean that they have to fall in love.  Jessamine Warbling and Jeremy Marchmont are my prime example.  They are really good friends and have been for quite a while, as you discover in The Fey Castle.  Unfortunately, their mothers are trying to make a match of the two of them.  The result is some humor but no romance.  Yes!!!!  Seriously, though, we all know people of our own age in the other gender that we are not in love with.  It's simply not realistic to have it happen every time in stories.

Do I have a problem with writing romance?  Certainly not!  Lonish the Swordmaster has a nice love story in it.  My big problem is the huge premium that is placed on romance in modern stories.  Why does every story have to have that mushy-gushy stuff in it?  Romance is such a small part of normal life for most people, and that is why I believe that it should take a corresponding place in books.  It's nice in small amounts, but please, spare us the details!

One of the reasons that writing without romance is so nice is that you can avoid the many cliches that are popping up in just about every romance story today.  I'm thinking in terms of love triangles, tough girls, overly sweet boys, and trite troubles that plague the relationship.  If you're going to write a romantic element into your story, for goodness' sake make it original!  But if you have a story that is absolutely dependent on romance, then chances are it has been written before.

Give your readers a little respect.  Don't insult their intelligence by giving them warmed-over leftovers from a story that was published four years ago.  If you want to reach the intelligent readers, then write up to them.  Give them plots that abound with excellent themes and complex characters.  Don't subject them to another love triangle, please!  Your readers are too smart for that.

Please leave your thoughts in a comment.  I want to know what you guys think about romance in writing.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all those who entered the giveaway!  It ended at midnight last night, and I happen to know that at least one person entered last-minute.  But, I know that you are all eager to hear who the winner is, so without further ado . . .

The winner of one FREE signed copy of Christmas at the Tittletons by Joan Bassington-French is . . .

SARAH MUTH!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Sarah!  I am very happy for you.

And to all the rest of you, thanks SO MUCH for entering.  I enjoyed hosting this giveaway, and hopefully I'll be able to do another one in the future.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Pinterest link for giveaway

So, I forgot to include my Pinterest link for the giveaway.  Clumsy me.

http://pinterest.com/daurenta/boards/

Sorry to all who were inconvenienced!

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Kathryn

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tomorrow I am starting the Giveaway of one free copy of Christmas at the Tittletons.  Rather than bore you with a lot of dull details that you would rather not hear, I will keep this post short so that you can enter right away.

Don't forget to be honest.  I will be checking up on all the entries.

As you can see, the giveaway widget is located on the sidebar.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Release of Christmas at the Tittletons!!!!!

For all of you who have waited patiently, a thousand thanks!  I am announcing the publication of my debut novel, Christmas at the Tittletons.  If you want to buy it, go here.

In honor of this great and exciting event, I am going to make two different blog posts.  The first will feature a tag where you will talk about your favorite historical mysteries and where people can find out about CatT.

The second will be a giveaway!  Those who participate in the tag will have five chances in the giveaway, plus there will be more ways for you to get chances.  The prize will be one free copy of my book!

Now, for the tag!

1.  What is your favorite Historical Mystery book?

Definitely The Moonstone by Wilke Collins.  The story is absolutely fascinating, and the solution is jaw-dropping.  If you have never read it, I definitely recommend it!

2.  Would you rather read a Classic or a Mystery?

I would usually pick a good murder mystery over a classic.  Mysteries are so intriguing, and they are like puzzles in book form.

3.  How do you think Christmas at the Tittletons will compare to your favorite Mystery?

Well, I'm the author, so I think that it is hardly fair for me to answer this question.  I'll let you people do it!

4.  How do you think Christmas at the Tittletons will compare to your favorite Classic?

See above!

5.  Do you think you would like to write a Historical Mystery sometime?

Well, I already did, but I plan on writing more HMs in the future!

See!  Only five questions, and you get five points for the giveaway.  Now for the rules!

1.  Please post ALL the rules.

2. Please answer ALL the questions.

3. Comment on this post when you have completed the tag and include a link to your tag post.

4. Tag five other people.

5. Let the people know that you tagged them.

6. Include a link back to this post.

And now for the five people:

1. Kiri Liz of Lianne Taimenlore

2. Jack at However Improbable

3. Kendra at Knitted by God's Plan

4. Anne-girl at Scribblings of My Pen and Tappings of My Keyboard

5. Nessima Tavariel at Arda Nessimava

Again, if you want to purchase the book or even just check it out, go to this link.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Novel Post

Well, I am still editing CatT, but hopefully it will be published soon.  Meanwhile, I will use questions from the Next Big Thing tag to tell you a little about it.  Hopefully it will get you excited about Christmas at the Tittletons.

1.  What is the working title of your book?

Christmas at the Tittletons

2.  Where did the idea come from for the book?

I originally wrote the story as a play for my family and my CBC's family to act out together.  Afterwards, I turned it into a novel.  The original idea probably came from a mixture of my favorite Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens stories.

3.  What genre does your book fall under?

Historical Mystery

4.  Which actors would you chose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Yikes!  I have never actually thought of this before.  Hmmmm . . .

I guess David Suchet would make a really good Mr. Jarbour.   I can sort of see Romola Garai as Judith Tittleton, but that seems really silly, because I know the Real Judith is Kiri Liz!  And Judi Dench could probably pull off Mrs. Purdle, while Denis Lawson would make a good Sir John Tittleton.  Miss Hatchet could be played by Ruth Wilson.  For the others, I really cannot think of any actors who would be able to pull off the parts, but then, I am the author!

5.  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jessamine Warbling, a charming Victorian socialite, tells the truth behind the scandalous murder at Tittleton House on Christmas in 1850.

6.  Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am self-publishing this book for now.  Hopefully I can get an agency to publish it later.

7.  How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About one summer!

8.  What other books would you compare to this story within your genre?

Well, seeing as I am using both Agatha Christi and Charles Dickens as my "models" for this story, I guess that this story is comparable to a mixture of Murder on the Orient Express, A Christmas Carol, and sort-of Oliver Twist.

Anne-girl made up the jist of this last question, and since the book is completed, I am slightly modifying it.

9.  Which scenes are your favorite and least favorite?

My favorite scene is probably the reveal scene, just because it was so much fun to write.  My least favorite scene is definitely the part where Bob Able tells his story because I had to write in a Cockney accent, which is horrendously difficult!

I hope you enjoyed hearing a little more about CatT.  Please look out for it "soon!"

Thanks for reading and God bless,