Lucky Seven

I've been tagged by Janet B. Taylor and Candie Leigh for the "Lucky Seven" meme. Here are lines 7-15 from page 77 of my current manuscript:

Not knowing where to look first, Catherine wandered a bit, pausing to examine the sculpted marble faun on its half-pedestal, the majolica platters and enameled cups on the buffet. When she finally reached the canvas fixed to the wall between the two windows, she fingered the velvet drape as though reluctant to cut short the pleasure of anticipation. The gasp that escaped her as the drape fell away told Anne all she needed to know.

“Leda and the Swan. Michel-Ange. It’s true.” Catherine reached up to trace the curve of Leda’s back, pressed against the scarlet cushions by the weight of the swan in her lap. The girl's cheeks flamed at the undisguised portrayal of the pair’s copulation, but she did not look away.


Anyone else want to play? Leave a comment with a link. Let's see some lines from from your fabulous WIPs!

Page 56 Meme

Cindy Pon tagged me for the "Page 56 Book Meme." I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book, turn to page 56 and post the fifth sentence and a few after that. I have Vanora Bennett's Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper trade paperback edition) at hand. Page 56 falls at the end of a chapter; since there is no fifth sentence, here is the concluding paragraph:

It was only late at night, when I was lying in bed (unable to sleep with excitement, my heart bursting at the memory of all that had happened that day and with all the plans I was making for my future with John), that I heard Elizabeth retching behind the closed door of her room, and the scrape of a chamber pot, and William's nasal whispering. I couldn't hear his words, but his tone was the mix of reassuring and nervous you'd expect from any father-to-be. It began to dawn on me what the reason for her sudden discomfort might have been.

Next, I'm supposed to post from page 56 of my manuscript. I don't have The Measure of Silence on this computer, so I'm going to post from my work in progress. And since I don't have 56 pages yet, here's the opening paragraph of Chapter 2:

Anne d’Heilly de Pisseleu, Madame d’Etampes, perched on the bottom step of the sunken pool. Her flushed skin, still hot to the touch from the steambath she had quit moments before, welcomed the cool caress of the tepid water that closed beneath her chin. Her toes curled in delight as the water buoyed her buttocks and legs off the floor; tipping back her head, she released her arms and floated on the surface of the violet-strewn water. Brightened by weekly applications of honey oil, her hair spread like a sun-spun caul, entangling blossoms and bugs alike in its strands. Except for her youngest attendant Cécile, who strummed the lute with deft fingers in the furthest corner of the room, Anne was alone. Gloriously alone.

Thanks for the chance to play, Cindy! Here are the five people I'm tagging:

Lucy Pick

Sheramy Bundrick

Anita Davison

Elena Maria Vidal

Catherine Delors

Enjoy all the snippets. I hope everyone finds some new books to read!

Still Life with Books

Yes, I'm still alive. Between family visits, sick children, and overflowing laundry baskets, I've not had much time to blog. To jumpstart things, I'm borrowing this reading meme from Lucy at Lucy Pick Books.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I can't remember learning to read--it seems like I always have! One of my first reading memories is buying easy readers at the grocery store when I was about five years old. My mom would take me and my brothers to the store, and if we were good, she would buy us a book at the end of the visit. I still can picture one week's prize: Barney the Beagle, a salmon pink and white hardback I think is still floating around my parents' house somewhere. I loved that book, especially because it was hardback. We always had piles of books around our house; I always read voraciously. One of my favorite memories is going through the monthly Scholastic book flyer and picking out books to order.

What are some of the books you read as a child?

I'll always remember a book a read in fifth or sixth grade--it was the story of two friends who wrote a book together, passing a notebook back and forth each night for the other to add the next installment. I think it was this book that inspired me to be a writer. I would love to read it again, but unfortunately I've forgotten the title and author. If anyone can identify the book for me, I'll love you forever! As a young girl I read all the Little House on the Prairie books and biographies about famous women like Florence Nightingale and Molly Pitcher. One of my favorite books was Elizabeth Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond. As a teen, I read Gone With the Wind umpteen times and all of Victoria Holt's books.

What is your favorite genre?

My favorite genre is historical fiction, although I read contemporary fiction as well. I have high standards for books and have no qualms at all about putting down a book that loses my interest or is poorly written.

Do you have a favorite novel?

My favorite novels are Sigrid Undsett's Kristin Lavransdattir trilogy, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and George Elliot's Middlemarch.

Where do you usually read?

I read wherever and whenever I can, although I find I can't read in bed anymore--I fall asleep too easily!

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at the same time?

I don't have any trouble reading a couple of books at the same time. I usually have one or two novels going, as well as a few research books.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

The only nonfiction I read is research books for my novels and an occasional parenting or spiritual book. Since the books are for research, I skip around and read only the relevant parts, taking notes as I go. When I read fiction, I never skip anything or jump ahead.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

I buy very few books, although I would buy many more if I could afford to. I joke that our family keeps the local library in business. We often have 50 books and movies checked out on my card at a time.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?

I always keep all the books I buy, since I only buy books that are especially meaningful. Even with my small book budget, our house is running out of shelf space. We always hit the library book sales, where we can buy hardbacks for $1. We often wind up bringing in cartons full of them.

If you have children, what are some of the favourite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?

My daughter never liked to read too much--I'd buy her my favorites and they'd sit on the shelf unread. My middle son and I spent many hours reading together. One of our favorites was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, along with Silverstein's books of verse. I read a lot to my toddler, although I must admit I'm getting quite sick of books about trucks and trains.

What are you reading now?

Right now I'm reading After This by Alice McDermott and The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?

I have a lengthy list, as well as several piles of books in my bedroom bookcase.

What's next?

I'm eagerly awaiting Michelle Moran's The Heretic Queen, which comes out in September.

What books would you like to reread?

I don't reread many books--there are so many books I haven't read, I hate to devote the time to revisiting ones I've already seen. I have started reading Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles again--I enjoyed them so much the first time, and they are rich enough to sustain a second reading. I suppose I would reread The Lord of the Rings if I had time, or some of the Thomas Hardy novels I read in college.

Who are your favourite authors?

My favorite authors are Sigrid Undsett, Dorothy Dunnett, George Elliot, and Elizabeth Speare. I know there are more, but I always blank whenever anyone asks me this question. My LibraryThing display to the right of this blog shows many of my favorite authors.

I'd love to read your answers to these questions. Let me know in the comments if you do the meme on your blog.

Ten Writerly Things Meme

Susan at The Writer's Tale tagged her readers with the following meme: 10 Writerly Things about You. Here goes!

1. Your genre(s)?

Historical fiction.

2. How many books have you completed?

One (Two, if you count a 400 page dissertation on Clement Marot!).

3. How many books are you working on now?

One. I'm a one-book-at-a-time-kinda gal.

4. Are you a linear or chunk writer?

Definitely linear! I only wrote one chapter out of sequence for the first book and found it very hard to work in later. I outline the main events of each chapter before I begin writing; I have to know the end of the story, at least in general terms, before I begin. Just like I never leave the house without a map, I'd never start a book without an outline! It's fluid and subject to revision, but completely necessary for me.

5. The POV you're most partial to?

Limited (or close) third person. I think creating an authentic sixteenth-century first person would be quite challenging.

6. The theme that keeps cropping up in your books?

Surprisingly (or not? {g}), motherhood and sacrifice. I never set out to write about mothers, but found that I explore the bond between mothers and children in several different ways in my completed novel.

7. How many days a week do you write?

I try to write or at least research every day, although my success depends on what life has in store for any given week!

8. What time of day do you get your best writing done?

By necessity, I write at night after the baby is in bed. I do often manage to squeeze in some daytime writing during his nap, but fear I won't have that luxury much longer. But then again, preschool is right around the corner...

9. Who are your mentors?

I don't have any mentors, although I do have an inspirational coach in my husband, who has always supported my writing and reminded me that anything worth doing is never easy.

10. Who are your favorite authors to read? (different from mentors)

Dorothy Dunnett, Sigrid Undset, George Eliot.