Comments on HISTORICAL BOYS: Historical Fiction for Men and Women: ARC Giveaway!!

Great wee tip that. Came on to it a bit late, that...

2008-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Great wee tip that. Came on to it a bit late, that'll teach me for not keeping on top of my RSS subscriptions. :)

Congrats to Daphne for winning the book.

Great to know. I'm sure I'll pick your brain at so...

2008-07-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Great to know. I'm sure I'll pick your brain at some point. :-)

I have started one historical-mystery novel that I've put aside at the moment. It's mostly done, but I got the urge to work on some short stories so I've been doing those all summer (it's helped honed my a skills a little bit more, I think)

I have a few people that I let look at my work after a first draft-- one being my girlfriend since she was a history major and will pick apart the smallest detail (a huge help), the other being my dad, and then my boss at work. I'm getting better at self-editing but it's still a skill to work on. I try to let a story sit for a while before I got back with the red pen and let it have its way. Seems to help a bit.

I love fencing. It's a blast. I did a few years of foil while in college and have started doing some rapier fencing recently. I've been scrapped for time, too, and haven't gone to practice in a while. Oops!

Justin, I know what's it like to write and how har...

2008-07-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Justin, I know what's it like to write and how hard the road can be (though I sincerely hope yours will be far easier) so I'm here to help, if I can. Your novels sound very interesting; of course, "The Black Nightshade" definitely catches my fancy. Cutting your work is tough but a skill worth having; what I do is have someone I really trust read my ms. and tell me where it lags, then I axe away. I get inspired by all sorts of things: period portraits, a good film, a book, and, yes, a doublet and rapier. I've always wanted to learn to fence; I took classes ages ago and would like to pick it up again, when I have some extra time :)

Daphne, congratulations!! I'm so pleased someone I know won one. That's just great. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!

I'm so excited - I won one!!

2008-07-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited - I won one!!

Twelve years well spent! :-)Stories I've written a...

2008-07-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Twelve years well spent! :-)

Stories I've written are anywhere from the late 16th century to the early-mid-1800s, though the 17th century tends to be my favorite time to write about-- I blame Dumas and Arturo.

As for what I'm working on now. The historical-mystery is currently entitled "The Black Nightshade" and takes place in Spain during the 1600s (this sucker needs a lot of cutting-- it's too long); the historical-romance ("The Vicomte's Champion") is in France during 1814, before the Hundred Days. The story I sent out to 'Solander' is a good ol' fashion swashbuckler ("Ye be Oak; True as Oak")-- about a young man who joins Blackbeard's crew in search of revenge. It's a long shot that 'Solander' will pick it up, but definitely worth a shot. And I have a historical-"mystery" dealing with King Henry III's assassination floating about somewhere, too.

I'm a big fan of swordplay and fencing which is one of the main reasons I was drawn to historical fiction in the first place. Even if it's use in the story is minimal, inspiration for me usually comes from someone wearing a rapier at their side. How about you?

I'll definitely keep you updated on the stories and if anything else gets published. Thanks for showing interest!

Hey, Justin: Fingers crossed for sure! The waiting...

2008-07-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, Justin:
Fingers crossed for sure! The waiting can be hard; I know it all too well. I waited twelve years :)I'm hoping Solander picks your story; the exposure would be great, plus the readership appreciates the genre.

Your historical romance sounds interesting, as does the mystery. What period (s) of history are you writing about? Editing is tough but I also find it can be quite rewarding. Be bold; and be brave. Best of luck and please keep us posted!

To everyone: the contest at Bookreporter.com closed with 399 entries! I had no idea it would be so many; my publicist tells me that's great news. Winners have been announced and are posted at BookReporter.com in the promotional area of THE LAST QUEEN. Just go to Bookreporter.com and scroll down till you see my mug :)

It's going great; thanks for asking! Basically any...

2008-07-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

It's going great; thanks for asking! Basically any and all of my short-stories and poems I've deemed print ready are out and about, being considered by different magazines (even took a shot by sending a story to 'Solander'). Now I get to play the fun waiting game while I work on new stuff... a game not unfamiliar to you, I'm sure. :-)

At the moment I'm working on a historical-romance with a little swashbuckling thrown in for good measure. Once a draft of that is done I'll go back and edit a historical-mystery I recently finished.

Hopefully I'll have good news about what's been submitted in the coming months. *fingers crossed*

Hi Lezlie, Yes, it is on its way. I just heard fro...

2008-07-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Lezlie,
Yes, it is on its way. I just heard from my publicist that review copies were sent out today.

Hope one of you wins an ARC! I really appreciate your support, Amy. And Justin, how's the writing going?

Thanks for the heads-up!

2008-07-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the heads-up!

I just posted about this giveaway on my blog, too....

2008-07-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

I just posted about this giveaway on my blog, too. I can't wait to get my copy!! Rumor has it, it's coming soon. Yay! :-)

Lezlie
Books 'N Border Collies

I entered! Thank you for posting that - I am very...

2008-07-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

I entered! Thank you for posting that - I am very much looking forward to when your book comes out. It's been on my "future releases" list for a long time!