Believe it or not

I've posted the covers of my books for you to linger on before reading the clip from a news story. It has nothing to do with romance and love but it shows the stupidity of a jerk who thinks a woman's breasts are playthings for a stranger to maul. Read on.

"Student gets 2 months for kissing woman's breast." The headline of a newspaper story from St. John's, Newfoundland.
An Iranian man studying in Newfoundland has been sentenced to two months in jail for kissing a woman on her breast while the two were sharing an elevator..." His excuse. "Mr. Azarsina said he didn't realize the seriousness of the offence in this country. "You can't expect all males to control themselves when the breasts are out," he said. I doubt if the girl's breasts were "out." Showing a little decolletage is fine in our country but in Iran? The religious police would have hustled her off to jail to undergo - who knows what.

Having got rid of my irritation at the jerk I am now feeling peaceful. There was a picture of Ewan McGregor in one of our papers accompanying an article about him promoting a movie he has made with Woody Allen. McGregor's smile is "vulpine" according to the woman journalist. I tend to agree. His smile is dazzlingly friendly yet there's something else there. A "come into my parlor" invitation. Foxy. He's Scottish with an accent. Can't get enough of those Scots.

And that leads me to a historical romance I'm revising. It's 1820. My Scottish heroine, Ailsa MacDonald and her father are brutally driven from their highland home during the Clearances. Falsely accused of stealing sheep, they escape over the border into England and make their way south far from the long arm of the Scottish authorities. Ailsa's father has a dream of reaching Bristol and taking ship to Canada but ... they never make it to Bristol and my story begins in Wales near the town of Usk.

If any of you know Usk, leave a comment. Roman legions camped there two thousand years ago so the area is a treasure trove of Roman ruins.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Tell me a story about A Very Difficult Man

Children and adults alike enjoy listening to stories. Writing a story means cutting out background information about the characters so as not to distract the reader from the immediate tale. So to-day I'm going to tell you a story about Catherine Thurston, the heroine in A Very Difficult Man. She didn't walk off the street and into her very first job. A lot had happened to Catherine and her family before she answered the advertisement in The Times for a companion.

Her father, George Thurston, was a successful business man. Her mother, the daughter of an earl had married "beneath herself" but the marriage was happy. They had two children a son and daughter. They lived on a large estate near Dorchester and kept a town house in London. Catherine and her brother learned to ride early in their lives and gave lessons to visiting children. It was a life of privilege, taken for granted because that's the way it had always been from the time they were born. On one of their rides around the estate they found a gypsy girl netting trout from the estate pond. The girl, Riena, begged them not to report her instead she led them to the gypsy camp where Catherine and her brother received gifts from Riena's father. Finely carved thin discs of wood etched with mysterious symbols and each had a tiny hole through which he had drawn a leather thong. They were good luck charms meant to wear around the neck.

But luck eluded the family when Catherine was seventeen and her father's health teetered in the balance. A brain tumor probably but at the time it was undiagnosed. He became fractious and angry. He spent days and nights in the gambling hells in London and lost the family fortune
before he died.

The family estate was leased. The stable of fine horses sold. Catherine's brother left for America and Catherine and her mother moved into the London house accompanied by two elderly servants who insisted on staying with them. There would be no "coming out" for Catherine. No balls at Almack's. No parties to meet eligible young men and no dowry to capture their interest.

Lady Thurston, Catherine's mother knew nothing of keeping accounts and paying tradesmen. Afraid to pass by their shops lest she be hailed and handed an account and desperate to retire their debts Catherine answered an advertisement in The Times. Here's the advertisement. Dated February 1855.

"Young lady to live in a country house for three months as companion to an invalid recovering from injuries sustained in a fall from a horse. The young lady must have a pleasing personality and a well-modulated speaking voice. She will read aloud from newspapers, periodicals and selected books. At times, she may be asked to discuss current events. Excellent wages. Impeccable references required. Duties to commence March First. Write to E. Percival Knightley, Solicitor, Grey's Inn, London."

Against her mother's wishes, Catherine accepted the offer. The country house was a two hour train journey from London to Abbeyleigh. When no one met her at the Abbeyleigh station as promised, Catherine walked three miles to the Glenmore estate only to find the great wrought iron gates locked and a storm brewing. And that's when A Very Difficult Man begins.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Catherine before the story began. Let me know.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Now is the time to ...

Now is the time to put up the covers of two of my books, not yet released, but I'm starting the PR ball rolling now.

RING AROUND THE MOON is a time travel romance set in Cornwall, England. It's a magical place where almost anything can happen. Beth Ormond rented Quest Cottage for a month of rest and relaxation to get away from the hassles back home in Portland, Oregon. Within minutes of her midnight arrival a tall dark stranger emerged from a nearby stand of trees and called out to her.
"Elizabeth." Alan Tremaine had time traveled from eighteen hundred to claim Beth as his wife. Ring Around The Moon will be released on March 27, 2008.

TOO YOUNG TO DIE: When Ellie Paxton was hired as a nanny to care for a three month old baby boy and moved into his parents' home in the Cascade Mountains, she imagined herself like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. But instead of singing to the hills, Ellie had a gun pointed at her head by thugs who had invaded the house and was threatened with a slow and unpleasant death if she tried to escape. Too Young To Die, no release date as yet. Watch for it.

www.anitabirt.com

Take my hand and ...

Take my hand and lead me to the Goddess blog and whack me with a wet noodle. Yes! I was supposed to Blog on January 30, that was yesterday. I am sneaking in to-day to make amends and beg for forgiveness. Whew, I got that off my chest and it suddenly occurs to me that I also blog tomorrow and every Friday there after for the month of February. Am I insane or what?
Where do I go from here? I shall make an announcement. I am doing a workshop in March at http://Paranormalromance.org
The link for the discussion is: www.paranormal_discussion@yahoogroups.com

I will be discussing Magical Places and the effect they had on me. First off I want to take everyone to Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury Tor and Tintagel. There's enough magic in those places to satisfy everyone. But I have more.

Another announcement: my web mistress is in the process of revamping my web site. We're going to put up new information and there'll be a monthly contest etc. I also have to revamp my personal blog. When will I find time to write? I have 32,000 words of my historical romance and it's nudging me to get back to it.

The covers of my three published books are up top for all to see, admire and purchase. I have the cover for Ring Around The Moon and I'll put it up closer to release date, March 27. I also have a cover for Too Young To Die but it's not for show yet. I love those Show and TELL days.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com
www.anitabirtstoryteller.blogspot.com

Isabelle's Story and review

Brenda Talley, a reviewer with The Romance Studio, gave my book FOUR AND HALF HEARTS.
"Ms. Anita Birt has written a beautiful book about true love and how circumstances can change even the best intentions. She delivered some beautiful scenery while telling the story. It made me wish to visit the area of Wales in 1900." The last line of the review. "I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a book with ups and downs and even a very surprise ending. You will be glad to have read it."

I enjoyed writing the two Isabelle books. Isabelle's Diary is the first one but it can be read after Isabelle's Story. Purchase both and enjoy a double read. The books are very different. Isabelle's Diary is a contemporary romance with a paranormal twist. My books are all published by Cerridwen Press where you can purchase and download my books. Check out A Very Difficult Man as well. It's a historical romance.

And now for something completely different. I blogged recently about love songs and love poems and birds. I learned that skylarks are not native to Canada but were brought to Vancouver Island from Britain. Probably by some Brits who were homesick for the skylarks' lilting song. The birds settled on Vancouver Island, the only place in North America for keen birders to see them. But - and there is a but. The meadows were they nest are disappearing and only a handful of breeding pairs remain. Skylarks are under threat in Britain for the same reason. Urbanization is moving in on their meadows.
Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a beautiful poem To A Skylark that begins: Hail to thee blithe spirit! Bird thou never wert, That from heaven, or near it, Pourest thy full heart, In profuse strains of unpremeditated art."
So to-day was a review day and I couldn't be happier. It's a thrill to find a reviewer who enjoyed reading Isabelle's Story.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Food to feed the soul

Those are my books already released. You may purchase one or all three from Cerridwen Press.

That's my promo for today. And now for something completely different.

Food to Feed the Soul. We eat to live and most often pay little attention to the food unless it's unusually delicious. But there are times when a particular meal in a particular place is memorable and the memory lingers on. Several years ago my husband and I were visiting Glastonbury in England. A truly magical place. However, on this visit (we've been back twice!) it was chilly, rainy and miserable. I cashed a traveller's cheque in a bank and my hands were so cold I could hardly hold the pen. Money in hand my husband and I walked up the street and came across a tea room, it's window covered in steam suggesting heat. We ventured in. Talk about a heavenly feeling. I basked in the warmth as we sat at a table. We ordered a pot of tea and bread pudding. The bread pudding was cut in squares and served with a lovely sticky sauce. I will always remember the taste. Every bite was delicious. The tea, nectar of the gods. I had the strangest the feeling of being in the right place at the right time. Magical? Yes. Spiritual? Yes. We were in magical Glastonbury about which I'll be writing in March at www.Paranormal_Discussion@yahoogroups.com

Anita

www.anitabirt.com

Live Life Lovingly

Live Life Lovingly. I saw this on a church message board as I drove past the other day and liked it so much I decided to blog about it. I think Woody Allen said, "life happens when we're not paying attention." A scary thought. The days, weeks and years fly by and suddenly we're at the end of our days and wonder where did it all go?

For me, writing romance novels is an intense experience. My characters have to live their lives according to their values. As I bring them to life on the page I reflect on my own life. What am I doing here? When I finally "shuffle off this mortal coil" will the world be a

better place because I lived my life lovingly? It's what I want for my characters. Like the rest of us they'll make mistakes, say hurtful words, will try and make amends and, hopefully, will find the end of the rainbow. Someone to love and cherish.

In my historical romance, A Very Difficult Man, my hero is traumatized from his experiences in the Crimean War. Wounded physically and emotionally he retreats from society and becomes a recluse in his family mansion. When his family engages a female companion he determines to get rid of her by fair means or foul. Sounds like Beauty and The Beast doesn't it? And like the old fairytale, love heals the heart of a broken man.

I loved writing A Very Difficult Man. I hope you enjoy reading it. It's available to purchase and download from Cerridwen Press. Have a look at my web site for information about my other books, Isabelle's Diary and Isabelle's Story, where you'll find excerpts.

www.anitabirt.com

www.anitabirtstoryteller.blogspot.com