Wednesday 21 May 2014

Adverbs

I am searching for ways in which to improve the sequel to Sunday's Child, Monday's Child, which I am writing.

One of the things I check when I read through each chapter is my use of adverbs. A strong verb is more effective than a weak verb plus and adverb. For example I wrote: the colonel walked quickly and replaced it with the colonel marched.

When I write the first draft of a chapter I'm in a hurry to get on with the story. Afterwards I fine tune it several times. Another example is: he held her hand tightly which I replaced with he gripped her hand.

Sunday 18 May 2014

Historical Novel Society's Review of Far Beyond Rubies


FAR BEYOND RUBIES published by MuseItUp Publishing has been reviewed in the Historical Novel Society's magazine "Historical Novels Review."

"Inside Riverside House in England in 1706 the seventh baron, William Kemp is heard shouting at his 18-year old attractive half-sister: "Bastards, Juliana! You and your sister are bastards." He plans to banish them from Riverside. William has not only inherited the title but is claiming the estate as well. Juliana knows that under her grandpere's will she was the rightful heir. Juliana has to prove her legitimacy and her claim.

Juliana and her sister flee Riverside to seek legal counsel in London. With William in pursuit, Juliana meets a suave gentleman named Gervaise. He has recently returned from India, having amassed a fortune and a dark complexion to boot. He offers to help Juliana in her quest as he is immediately besotted by her, for she reminds him of his late Indian wife. His proposal leads to more than a helping hand.

Rosemary Morris has penned a magnificent historical romance with superb, intimate descriptions and politico-religious conflicts of the era which immerse us into an elite society. The inclusion of snippets about Indian customs, religion and cuisine give the story a unique flavour. While the ending is predictable, the plot twists in Juliana's and Gervaise's quest and the evocative narration of the sexual tension between them keeps us turning the pages. Highly recommended.

Waheed Rabbani

(Far Beyond Rubies is available as a paper book and an e-book from the publisher, Amazon and elsewhere.)

Thursday 15 May 2014

Massage, Masseur, Runner Beans

My runner bean plants survived a night out of the greenhouse. So, on this sunny day I transplanted them and also potted up my sweet potato plants.

This afternoon I went for a full body massage. It was very intense, and I swear there's not a bit of my body that does not hurt a lot when touched. The masseur thinks I need fiver treatments before the massages will become more enjoyable. I shall persevere. So far, this week's reaction is not as bad as last week's.

I had dinner with my daughter and grandchildren. Afterward, when I reached home and went out into the garden to examine my runner beans I noticed some of them look very unhappy. After all the trouble I've gone to, not to mention forking out for an expensive packet of self fertile seeds, I hope they will perk up.

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Reading and Organic Gardening

Yesterday, - unusually - I didn't have time to post anything. In the evening I stayed up until after midnight reading Stolen, Escape from Syria - A mother's terrifying journey to rescue her kidnapped child - by Louise Monaghan, who fell in love with a Syrian with terrible consequences. After he kidnapped their daughter, May, I was hoping against hope that Louise and May would escape.

I woke late and  gave up on writing my novel for today. Instead, I put up the bean poles for my runner beans.

The garden has been productive throughout the winter, and now there are plenty of herbs and the first spring vegetables, some of which I use to make a salad for lunch - the first broad beans dressed with homemade egg free mayonnaise and a little finely chopped sage, tender baby salad leaves with homemade salad dressing, and crisp radishes, delicious.

This evening I must go to bed early and get up earlier than usual to catch up with my writing.

Monday 12 May 2014

Flash Fiction

No time to blog yesterday, after a busy weekend, and, yesterday, lunch at an Indonesian restaurant to celebrate my daughter's birthday, followed by this that and the other in the house and garden in the afternoon before going to Watford Writers in the evening.

Watford Writers had chosen the theme Shadows for a 300 word flash fiction competition. I wrote one that began: Only one thing in this material world is certain, we come into it and we leave it. To be honest, I don't have the time to devote to this difficult form of writing, but writing outside my usual box is challenging so I participated.

The authors of the winning stories deserved their prizes but I should imagine the marks awarded to the 16 stories were close.

I am very impressed by the varied plots, themes and originality in each short piece of flash fiction.

Saturday 10 May 2014

Writing, Gardening, Cooking

Very successful writing session this morning. I wrote a thousand words and solved the problem of how to reveal the heroine's dilemma.

The weather forecast was bad but this morning it was mild and the rain held off. I'm growing first early new potatoes and second early potatoes in large containers. As I added covered them with more compost I remembered an incident with my late husband,  who knew nothing about growing fruit and vegetables.

I was chitting new potatoes i.e. waiting for them to sprout before I planted them. "Strange," I thought, "where are they?" So I asked my husband. He shifted from one foot to the other like a guilty schoolboy. He had cooked them for lunch.

Anyway, today I put my runner beans outside to harden off during the day before I return them to the   greenhouse for the night, re-planted my bay tree and stood the pot on the doorstep, I also planted
out a new hosta and put organic slug pellets around each of my hostas. Next I did some weeding and picked flowers for the house as well as  picking the first broad beans of the season and Swiss chard,
which has cropped since last year in the early summer.

I steamed the baby broad beans in their pods, and when the were ready cut them as I would cut French beans, and I steamed the Swiss Chard. I also cut the stalks into 3 quarter inch pieces, cooked them quickly and served them in a white sauce flavoured with parsley from the garden, salt, pepper and English mustard. Yummy.

Friday 9 May 2014

Special Offer. Free Copy of Tangled Love by Rosemary Morris

If you would like to please visit my publisher: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore
and click onto Mother's Day Super Specials.
 
Amongst the special offers is my novel Tangled Love set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart - 1702 - 1714
T
he offer ends at midnight Sunday, May 11, 2014

In my publisher's words: "perfect time to stock up or give as a gift to that special someone in your life."
 
If any of you take advantage of this and like Tangled Love please review it on http://www.amazon.co.uk/ , www.amzon.com, and Facebook if you have an account.
 
All the best,
Rosemary
 
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk