My brain is fried. Writing a syllabus is not always the easiest (or most fun) task, so, I thought I would share with you my Friday morning funny.
My sis received this email a couple of years ago and I laughed so hard as she read it I had tears streaming down my face and I literally (no seriously, I did) fell off the end of the bed. It was that funny…I just fell right off and continued laughing on the floor…
I received this email again in the last couple of days and it had me laughing all over again.
Of course, the rumors abound as to the origins of this email message or even the veracity of it (see http://www.snopes.com/love/dating/frozen.asp), but every time I see it again, I still laugh. Mostly because it is funny as heck and partly because the romance writer in me sees the perfect scene of this event in a good romance novel. One variation of the story goes:
WORST FIRST DATE EVER
In the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Jay went out into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman had ever had. The winner described her worst date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
She said it was mid-winter….snowing and quite cold..and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight) They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before.
The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should have not had that extra latte.
They were about an hour away from anywhere with a restroom and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested that she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of heavy snow and slow going, here came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her pee beside the road or it would be in the front seat of his car.
They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn’t have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.
Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued to the car’s fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to pump handles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.
Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date’s concerns about “what is taking so long” with a reply that indeed, she was “freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!” He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.
Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal!
Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip is pants and pee her butt off the fender.
As the audience screamed with laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down…or perhaps it should be “pants down”.
…………And you thought your first date was embarrassing. Jay Leno’s comment. “This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off.”
The variation of this I received a few days back includes a line about how the couple married and were sitting in the audience at that Tonight Show taping. Granted, all the possibilities suggested for why this scenario is unlikely may outweigh the likelihood that it did occur. However, what I found in my early days of pondering the possibility of writing romance was that this truly funny situation would make a perfect scene in a romance novel…too bad somebody already beat us to it… 
Funny tales such as this that circulate prove that inspiration can be found anywhere. And I did take away a little inspiration from my jolt of laughter…enough to warm me to the idea of beginning a manuscript…
To my mind, the veracity of the statement is rather inconsequential. If the woman really did make up the story, she probably should try her hand at writing romantic comedy. She certainly has a flair for telling an amusing first date tale! 
Whether you had read this morning’s funny before or not, I hope you got a good chuckle out of it…and maybe some inspiration for your own writing adventures, too!
So, dear readers and writers, what are some of the funnier tales you have heard or seen that have given you some inspiration in your own writing adventures? And for those non-writers in our group, have you ever found any funny anecdote that made you think, “Somebody absolutely must tell this story”?
I’m not much of a TV viewer. I sometimes go weeks at a time without even turning my TV on. I haven’t watched a show on a weekly basis since West Wing went off the air. But I broke my pattern last night when from 8:00-11:00, I watched the 42nd Country Music Association Awards. I watched because I’m an art lover. I loved the art of Martina McBride’s performance of “Ride,” a terrific song delivered superlatively well. I loved the costume art of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” number, dreamy and evocative. I loved the designer art of Carrie Underwood’s gowns. I lost count of how many she wore. The pink was my favorite.
But the art that I found most inspiring, the art that gave me a treasure trove of images for future heroes was the parade of masculine pulchritude. Like Trisha Yearwood, I can truly say, “Cowboys are my weakness. / Gimme some down home, rugged sweetness.”
Since I’m sure some of you missed the show, I thought I would share with you my choice for the best of country art (in alphabetical order since I kept changing my mind when I tried to order them from most to least—ahem—inspiring).
Alan Jackson, for whom 2008 has been a golden year: he turned fifty and celebrated the sale of fifty million albums and fifty singles that reached the Top Forty (almost half of them at #1). An unabashed sentimentalist who recorded a gospel album for his mama and chose his wife and daughters as video co-stars, he proves betas are alive and well and hero material.
Brad Paisley, who excels at witty commentary on popular culture and love songs that melt a woman’s heart: his latest hit “Waiting’ on a Woman” made him the artist with the most consecutive Number One country hits since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990. And he’s got a smile better than any prince charming’s.
George Strait, the fine wine of the group: only Elvis and the Beatles have more hit albums and his fifty-six and counting #1 singles hold the record. King George is still a winner of hearts, and “The Chair” is still the best pick-up-line song ever.
Josh Turner, the youngest of the group and the rising star: his rich bass voice and songs about life as he lives it made his first album a platinum seller, and he just gets better. When he sings “Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low. / Put some music on that’s soft and slow. / Baby, we ain’t got no place to go . . . ,” I’m definitely inspired—to write, of course
Keith Urban, the bad boy/tortured soul of the group: the Australian singer and songwriter is also a sessions-level musician who plays acoustic and electric guitar, as well as ganjo, bass guitar, mandolin, piano, and bouzouki. One look should tell you why he’s been named the sexiest man in country music. And for romance writers looking for a soundtrack, I highly recommend his album Golden Road, especially “Raining on Sunday”: “And pray that it’s raining on Sunday, / Stormin’ like crazy, / And we’ll hide under the covers all afternoon.” Sounds like a great idea to me, for my novel, that is.
Tell me, gypsies, do you find my country art inspiring? What’s your art of choice?
I’m an eternal optimist. As proof of that statement, I offer the following as evidence: even though I so disliked Lifetime’s treatment of Angels Fall and Montana Sky (two of my favorite Nora Roberts non-series books ) that I refused to watch Blue Smoke and Carolina Moon, I am looking forward to the new quartet set to air in 2009. The books selected for the next foursome are High Noon, Midnight Bayou, Tribute, and Northern Lights. (I’m disappointed that Carnal Innocence, which along with the four chosen and True Betrayals made up the six books under consideration, lost out. It’s my #1 favorite of the non-series books.) Since part of my problem with the earlier movies was that the actors who played key roles were so far removed from my image of the characters, I have been checking out casting announcements with particular interest.
High Noon will star Emilie de Ravin (Tess Harding, Roswell; Claire Littleton, Lost) as hostage negotiator Lt. Phoebe McNamara and Ivan Sergei (David Jillefsky –“Jill”, Jack and Jill; Dr. Peter Winslow, Crossing Jordan; Henry Mitchell, Charmed) as bar-owner Duncan Swift. Essie, Phoebe’s agoraphobic mother, will be played by multi-award-winning actress Cybill Shepherd (The Last Picture Show; Maddie Hayes, Moonlighting; Cybill Sheridan, Cybill). I did see the short-lived Jack and Jill a few times, and Sergei is certainly appealing, but I know next to nothing about his acting abilities. Cybill Shepherd is the only one with enough creds to make me confident that she will do justice to her role. I understand that Terri Kopp, a writer for Law and Order wrote the teleplay, but since I have never seen L&O, I don’t know how to evaluate the info.
Midnight Bayou will be the second movie. I have some qualms about seeing this one translated into film. I love the gothic quality of Manet Hall with its troubled spirits, and I adore Declan Fitzpatrick, the New England lawyer who falls in love with the Louisiana mansion and with Angelina “Lena” Simone, the lovely and spirited Cajun bar owner, whose own history is entangled with the house Declan is determined to restore. But I wonder if the actual restoration details, which fascinated me in the book, will make their way to the screen. More troubling is how easy it would be for the gender-bending reincarnation theme to become way over the top. Jerry O’Connell (Woody, Crossing Jordan) has been cast as delectable Declan; Lauren Stamile (Nurse Rose, Grey’s Anatomy) will play the strong-willed Lena. Again, both actors are unknown to me. However, Oscar-winner Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Network) should be riveting as Lena’s grandmother, Miss Odette. I’m crossing my fingers and believing in Dunaway.
Casting details are almost non-existent on the other two movies, which we probably will not see before spring. I have heard nothing about Tribute. I did read that country singer LeAnne Rimes will play the role of bush pilot Meg Galloway, heroine of Northern Lights. I think Rimes is a terrifically talented singer, but I’m having a hard time seeing her as Meg, a woman whom one of romance fiction’s best friends in the world of journalism, Lezlie Patterson of McClatchy-Tribune News Service, describes as “a gruff, self-sufficient no-nonsense woman.”
I don’t watch enough TV to have my own perfect cast for any of these movies. I tend to prefer the images my imagination conjures as I read the books anyway. I do hope the new films are as popular as the first ones. According to Lifetime, the four previous Nora Roberts’ movies reached over 34 million viewers total and Angels Fall was the highest rated Lifetime Original Movie of 2007. But I want more than popularity. I’m a fan of Nora Roberts, of these books, and of romance fiction. I want the teleplays to be as well-written as the novels, as well-acted as the work that has made the reputation of actors like Shepherd and Dunaway, and as well-respected as movies that are not dismissed as “women’s movies.” I want these movies to be a slap in the face to know-nothings like Neal Meron, producer of Living Proof, Lifetime’s mid-October true story of Dr. Dennis Slamon (played by Harry Connick Jr.) and his quest to develop a drug for treating breast cancer. I like Harry Connick, Jr., and I’m sure Dr. Slamon’s story was inspirational, but I am offended by comments like the one that Meron made in USA Today: “The Lifetime movie became such a cliché that they were even being parodied on Saturday Night Live. It was women in jeopardy and extreme melodramatic titles. It was kind of the romance novel of the TV movie.” I want movies that force him to rethink his insult to movies for women and romance novels.
Lifetime, you can count on me in 2009. I’ll be watching with my glass half-full.
So, gypsies, did you watch the first batch of Nora Roberts’ Lifetime Movies? Will you watch the new ones? What NR books do you dream of seeing on the small screen? What do you think of the new casting? Who would you like to see as favorite characters?
It’s Friday and I’m on fall break from school (4-day weekend) and to celebrate this period of fun and frivolity (okay, well as frivolous as I can get with homework assignments to grade for my students by Monday ), I thought I’d post a little Friday funny.
Plus, this made me laugh so hard because I actually have done the first one to my own dog…
So, dear Vagabondettes, any Friday Funnies you want to share?
So, I entered my kitten Tiny last week in Galley Cat’s Summer Cat contest and with a lot of help from my online friends, he won! And I’ve got to admit, he is pretty darn cute. Thanks to everybody who voted! And just in case you’re interested, here’s the winning, pic. As you can see, Tiny has excellent taste in literature!
Is there a special pet in your life? Don’t you just want to pinch their ears off? Or is that just me? Let’s talk about those sweet animals that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning…And if you’ve got a pic, show us!
Desert Island Keeper. It’s our shorthand term for a book so great you would want it with you if you were stranded on a desert island – because it would be worth reading over and over again. All About Romance has a whole category for them (apparently AAR expects the island to have a large library – or travels with a lot of luggage).
But let’s face it. If you’re stranded on a deserted island, is a book what you really want? It’ll get wet. And sandy. You may have to use it as kindling. And if I’m going to have something with me that’ll end up wet & sandy and can be used to keep me warm, it’s not going to be a book.
It’s going to be a hero.
So as long as we’re dealing with a fantasy situation, let’s at least pretend we’ve packed something worthwhile. You’re about to be stranded on a deserted island for an indefinite period of time. With one hero of your choice. His heroine? Dead. So he’ll need comforting. Your significant other? Well, maybe you have amnesia. Whatever you need to make the scenario work. But if you could escape this cold & dreary winter Monday…
Who’s your real Desert Island Keeper?
Okay, so Terrio has hit the winner I think for Sam Brody: AARON ECKHART.
Sam if he ever grew a beard (and knowing Sam, the apocalypse would have to happen to ever let that happen):
Terrio, e-mail me HERE with your snail mail addy… I’m giving you a “secret” prize.
Okay, so I love movies–especially romantic comedies. Growing up — and okay still now — I love, love, love Molly Ringwald movies… Pretty in Pink was always my favorite. I mean, what’s not to love about the movie? Eccentric girl who nabs the rich boy’s interest. Even though I still think Andie (Molly Ringwald) should have ended up with her best friend, Ducky (Jon Cryer), instead of the rich boy at the end.
So, lately, one of my secret dreams is to have Take A Chance On Me be made into a movie. When I write, I’m a visual person, so often I think of what actors “fit” or would play my characters. Besides being an area of “research”, it has also provided me my favorite means of activity… procrastination.
But like the typical Virgo I am, I can’t make decisions. And for Take A Chance On Me, I’m stuck with certain people for the roles. I have a couple of choices and will show you my reasons why I think these people could play these parts, but I need help. Plus, well… this is a fun exercise to do with your own story or even when you’re reading. I often try to match up actors with books that I read. For example when I read An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James, I kept picturing Daniel Day Lewis as Fletcher.
So without further ado, here’s my choices:
SAM BRODY: Sam is an arrogant, pompous Brit who’s a makeover guru. He says things that are mean and hurtful. He also regrets those things he says, and well, he’s got an ego to boot. Plus, he’s definitely a metrosexual but Alpha at the same time… he loves his suits and definitely is into images.
One actor that I keep going back to for Sam is JUDE LAW.
I mean… it’s Jude Law. He’s British. He’s got the blonde hair. The deep blue eyes. He’s British. Plus, he has that charm and that hint of ruthlessness about him that is so Sam. Plus, look at these photos. He’s just… Sam.
Also, Jude was the sexiest man alive… a title that my Sam has also gotten in Take A Chance On Me.
But then I’ve also thought that VIGGO MORTENSEN can make a great Sam. Besides being an actor, Viggo is an artist — something that my Sam also does. So there could be some potential for Viggo getting Sam on that level. However, there’s one glaring thing that makes me think “No” when it comes to finally casting Viggo as Sam. Viggo’s 50 or nearing it. Sam is 33.
But I mean… there’s something sexy about Viggo that well… just makes you want to spend all day in bed with him. Kind of like how Kate wants to spend all day in bed with Sam.
Now moving along…
KATE TEMPLAR: Kate is the complete antithesis to Sam. She doesn’t care about fashion… she’s flawed and she’s “real”. Meaning that what you see is what you get with her. She’s sassy, funny, and well, she calls Sam on his bullshit–a lot.
So, one actress that I’ve always thought can make a great Kate is ELIZA DUSHKU. You may remember Eliza from Buffy as Faith. But, Eliza has this toughness yet vulnerability about her and this girl-next-door quality about her that’s just Kate. 
But then there’s LAURA MARGOLIS who’s on the TV show Dirty Sexy Money who has this wide-eyed, really natural look that Kate often has.
Of course… who can play MURPHY? Murphy is Kate’s troublesome Golden Retriever/Golden Shepherd dog that terrorizes Sam at every turn. This dog to me looks innocent but at the same time, you just know he’s trouble. Something that is so true about Murphy.
But then there’s also the main setting of the novel, in Sam’s malibu mansion.
And well, Sam is flithy rich and this mansion is absolutely beautiful as are the surrounding grounds. It’s very Sam. 
Then there’s LIAM BRODY, Sam’s estranged brother who comes into the story later on and is pretty pivotal. And Liam is dark-haired, British, and blue-eyed. There was no doubt in my mind who could play such a character… RICHARD ARMITAGE.
Then there’s Sam, Liam, and Simone’s grandmother or otherwise known as LA GRANDE DAME. She’s cold, she’s ruthless, and she doesn’t care about anyone or anything. And well, I would love, love, love to have BETTY WHITE to play her because no one would ever expect Betty White to play such a cold-hearted character. And well, Betty White can act. 
And she lives in what’s referred to as the ”castle” and Castle Kashan would have been perfect, if it hadn’t been burnt down in the recent Malibu fires last year.
And lastly, here’s some photos that I thought would be of Sam and Kate together… it’s Jude Law with Norah Jones at a movie premiere… but it’s something that struck me as being my characters.
So… now that I’ve shared my inspirations behind TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, I want to know what actors/actresses do you see playing your characters? And also help me decide who would make a perfect Kate and Sam, too.
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HA! HAhahahahahahhhaaaaaa! It’s Azalea! I’m here to hijack Ely’s blog and add in my own little casting call (evil grin)
Some of you may remember my contemporary story, Wit and Will, starring Conn the firefighter and Maggie the artist. Well, here are my pics:
Luke Wilson as Conn:
Megan Follows as Maggie (I’m not so picky as Ely on age, I can pretend) LOL
And what story would be complete without a villain? Introducing Cillian Murphy as Ryan, the no-good, controlling ex boyfriend:
I have another story in the works… okay, I have about a hundred stories “in the works” but these are the only two I’m working on at the moment It’s a fantasy/paranormal called Dryad.
Some of the Vanettes have heard about Aidan, but I don’t think anyone really knows what the story is about. A fifteen hundred year old man is a celtic demi-god and The Green Man. You’ve seen his image in all the Gothic and Baroque Catholic Churches…why is that? Why is there such a pagan image in a Christian gathering place? Well, this story explores that. Aidan is The Green Man, who has been imprisoned in a tree for three hundred years after a paranormal battle against his demonic sister, Mairan. Becca is the contemporary heroine who frees him…from many things. ;D How does this connect? Well, Aidan is the “emissary”, if you will, for faerie, and desperately bids to save his mother goddess from extinction by making a pact with the catholic church to “save” her as the image of the Virgin Mary. I know, I know, it’s kinda heretical, but it’s also theorhetical and I’m not demonizing the church, just twisting about the mystery of paganism folding into catholicism and how we came about to have so many pagan holidays transformed into Christian holidays. (whew, that’s a mouthful!)
Gabriel Byrne as Aidan:
Emily Proctor (of West Wing and CSI fame) as Becca:
Sophie Marceau as the evil Mairan:
Okay, so that’s me, and that’s it for my little hijacking. Now! Answer Ely’s Question from Above. Right…NOW!
or I’ll sic Mairan on you. btw, she’s reeeeeeeeally evil…
As promised, I’m doing “All Christmas Song Parodies/All the Time” for the month of Saturdays I’m scheduled to blog. (Be real. I know you guys will have been shopping all day, and be too tired to think about writer’s voice or the best editors to pitch to. So I’m going to attempt to be cute instead to gather comments. It’ s my Christmas wish, it is.)
Because I’m apparently on an Adam Sandler kick; and also Chanukah starts this Wednesday, I thought it was time to test the limits of Mr. Sandler’s lawyer’s* patience and parody his Chanukah Song. So here goes. *clearing throat, sitting on a bar stool and strumming a guitar*
Okay, this is a song that uhhh…
There’s a lot of Christmas songs, but uh,
Not any I can find about Sexy Rakes.
So, well, I wrote a song for all those nice little romance readers who don’t get to hear any Sexy Rake songs.
Here we go.
Get ready your booty shake
Here comes the Sexy Rakes
All those hotties on the make—
A sinful grin is all it takes.
Sexy Rakes are what make this Season worth livin’
Nothin’ like the proposition: Drop the linen and start to sinnin’!
(*anyone else hear David Spade with that last remark? He’s a short, scrawny rake, but he’s cute*)
When you feel like there’s a dearth of the sexy heroic rake—
Here’s a list of men who are rakish, with charm you just can’t fake:
Jeremy Northam fires many a Rake-Lover’s core,
As do Gerard, Ewan, and Colin—if they’d consent, I’d be such a whore.
Guess who rakes around the London bars—oh, I bet you can’t—
None other than sweet-eyed Jude Law and flirty Hugh Grant.
Richard Armitage is half-rakish; Joe Fiennes is half-rakish too—
Put them both together, what a fine looking Rogue!
You don’t need Mr. Straight & Narrow, or Dr. Beta in the room,
When you can be seduced by pirates like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom!
Whip out your booty shake, it’s time to celebrate the Sexy Rakes;
Josh Lucas and his sexy accent, one of my all-time favorite Rakes!
Comedian Jack Black—NOT a Rake,
But guess who is: James Purefoy, he so has what it takes!
We got Brad Pitt and his gorgeous friend George Clooney;
Tom Cruise used to be quite rakish, before he went all looney!
Some people think Alan Rickman, an older distinguished rake—
Perhaps he was his sexiest, as bad boy villain Snape!
So many Sexy Rakes are in the show biz,
Adam Sandler isn’t but I hear Vince Vaughn is!
(*I know, I’m just begging to be sued, aren’t I?*)
Tell your friend, that Beta Flake, it’s time to celebrate The Sexy Rakes!
I love Mr. Darcy by the lake, but not as much as those sexy, sexy Rakes.
So eat up your chocolate cake, after a dinner of potatoes and steak,
If you have what it really takes, seduce and beguile your own sexy, sexy Rake.
Happy Sexy Rake Day, guys!!!
*Adam Sandler’s lawyer by no means endorses this cheap and clearly tawdry bit of song parodying. Ms. Hellion sincerely needs to get a life away and separate from songs that Adam Sandler produces.
Tags: adam sandler's lawyer, christmas, rakes, song parodies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are only a handful of things in this world that are truly irresistible: Colin Firth in a cravat; a love story gone awry but with the promising outcome of a happily ever after; and a deliciously witty comedic scene a la Jane Austen.
Over the summer, a number of Austen-themed novels hit the store shelves: ever delightful and easily devoured in an afternoon or two by any real Pride & Prejudice fan who decided to harm her complexion by a day at the beach.
Undoubtedly, Mr. Darcy has captured the heart of every red-blooded wanna-be Elizabeth who dares calls herself a romantic (see: Colin Firth in a cravat), but where are those books for those fans of Mr. Knightley or Colonel Branden? Where are they to find their passionate read?
Look no further. Syrie James has satisfied us on every score…except that perhaps of a happily ever after. After all, anything titled: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, comes with the ready knowledge that this romp does not end with a wedding. At least not Jane’s wedding.
But whereas we know Romeo & Juliet doesn’t end happily, it isn’t any less a great love story—and Syrie weaves for us a very credible tale about a witty, budding authoress who upon touring with her brother, Henry, in Lyme, finds herself in a similar predicament as one of the heroines of her stories: that of being in danger of falling love with a captivating young man.
Mr. Ashford has all the dash of Colin Firth in a cravat with none of the awkward, introverted behavior. He is charming, friendly, trustworthy, and kind. Not only that, he is a mentor. He encourages Jane to pursue her dreams of becoming a published novelist—but he doesn’t mince words about what it truly takes to do so. During their discussion about it, his questions if she’s written anything lately makes Jane feel defensive. She turns all prickly:
“Writing is not an occupation which is easily picked up and accomplished on a whim.”
He went quiet for a moment, and then said, “I am not a writer, I admit. But in my experience, I have found that there is never a perfect time or place for anything. We can always find a reason to put off that which we aspire to do, or fear to do, until tomorrow, next week, next month, next year—until, in the end, we never accomplish any thing at all.” (127.)
Instantly shamed, she realizes he is right; that she has been allowing her fear to keep her from writing. She then confides her next fear to him: what if she can’t find a publisher? He has an answer for that as well.
“What does that matter? In the end, talent will win out. Do you want to be a published novelist?”
“It is all I have ever wanted.”
His eyes locked with mine, as a sudden breeze stirred the branches of the trees above us.
“Then a published novelist is what you shall be, Miss Jane Austen.” (128.)
Yes, that’s where I swooned as well.
But the hallmark of a wonderful novel isn’t just all the passages with the cravat-wearing, dishy-accented hero. Oh, no. There are moments of pure comic timing and hilarity that unravel before our eyes like scenes in a movie. And granted, much of these scenes are endearingly familiar. Clearly Syrie offers us the suggestion that perhaps Jane did indeed pull moments of her real life and put them into the stories we know and love.
It was delightful to find the similarities between Jane’s story and that funny and wryly true novel, Sense & Sensibility, but maybe that’s a prejudice of my own, being I find bits and pieces of my own novel uncomfortably familiar. I’m sure if any of my Mr. Ashfords ever read my novel (of which I have no fear: I’m pretty sure they can’t read), they too would be able to pick themselves out of the pages—and question me, wondering if the anger and passion displayed in print had any truth. It does. Why let all the melancholy and angst go to waste? Apparently Jane is as much a recycler like me.
In the end, I think this novel is about writing…and writers. The nature of how our secret selves are transformed into printed word; how all our experiences brought together are truly what makes great books. We should not live our lives in a turret, weaving from a mirror of life we’ve never tasted. Our voice and interpretation of these experiences everyone has had—these are what give something as universal, as repeatedly done as a love story a fresh and new understanding. It is a book of hope for writers–the last line says it all–but I can’t tell you because you really should read the book for yourself.
Syrie James captures all that is best and true about Jane Austen. You will find yourself caught and enchanted and praying for an ending that will not come. For die-hard Austenites, this is the book you’ve been waiting for; for those of you who do not mind a bittersweet ending, this one is sure to entrance; and for those of you wishing for knowledge of how to be a writer like Austen, well, you can find that, too.
Speak up, fair Austenites: have you had a chance to read Syrie’s lost tome of Jane’s most intimate thoughts? Have you been swept up in the hubbub of this season’s crop of Austen-like fare? Any favorites (or any that should be left behind)? Colin or Matthew–which one is the definitive Mr. Darcy? (I think we can tell who my vote will be for.)
Be sure to stop by Syrie’s website (www.SyrieJames.com) and say hello. I know she’d appreciate it!
Tags: Colin Firth, HEAs, Jane Austen, writers
