Marilyn Brant's Blog, page 26

First and foremost, names for Laura Moore's book giveaway have been drawn! Two lucky commenters just won an autographed copy of her latest release, Remember Me. And those two people are...Edie Ramer and Heather Marshall!!

Congrats, Ladies!

Please email me (MarilynBrant AT Gmail DOT Com) with your street address so I can pass it along to Laura and she can get the books out to you :-).

Also, in a bit of fun news, I'm a guest of Jill Dearman's on B&N.com's "Unabashedly Bookish" blog today! PLEASE v...

Happy February!!

I have long awaited the day I could celebrate the release of the first book in The Rosewood Trilogy with my dear friend and fabulous critique partner, Laura Moore. She's crafted a beautifully written romance in Remember Me (Ballantine, January 26, 2010)--a novel with characters who linger with the reader long after the book is closed. And I know this for a fact since I had the privilege of reading this story a couple of years ago, while in draft form, and I still find myself ...

...Pamala Knight--Congrats! Susan McBride drew your name to win her new women's fiction release, The Cougar Club!! Please email me (MarilynBrant AT Gmail DOT Com) with your mailing address so I can forward it to Susan ;).

By the way, this is a fun thing, too! Here is the video link to the segment Susan did on "Great Day St. Louis"--LOVE those animal prints! (Pamela Cayne does too, as I recall--hee!) And to the left is a photo from Susan's book launch/Komen fundraiser. Looks like an awesome tur...

I've been hearing great buzz about The Cougar Club for months and seeing its cute cover pop up in unexpected but delightful places. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy and find out more about its author. And then--because the writing world is so small and full of fabulous surprises--I ended up having a wonderful email conversation with the super-cool chica in question and my sneaky plan to lure Susan McBride here as my blog guest was realized!!

Here's the official premise of the novel. ...

It's the start of a new week and, while there's much to be done today (and even more to clean) after the weekend, I did just want to pop in with one bit of exciting news: According to Jane was reviewed this weekend in the Chicago Tribune! My Chicago-North chaptermates have already been subjected to my squeal of delight (albeit virtually ;), but I didn't want to be accused of being withholding on the blog. (LOL--as if!) So, it's here, for those interested, alongside a lovely review for another...

Happy Friday, All!!

First and foremost, the winning name for Nancy Parra's drawing has been chosen. And that person is (drumroll)...Terry!! Congrats! Please email me with your mailing address (MarilynBrant AT Gmail DOT Com) and I'll pass it along to Nancy so she can send you her cool prize.

In far less pleasant news, I was incredibly saddened to hear of Erick Segal's death this week. I first read Love Story in high school (and then again several times in later years), laughed then sobbed throug...

I have the great pleasure of hosting a friend, Chicago-North chaptermate and all-around marvelous person on Brant Flakes today--Nancy J. Parra!! Her latest novel, Dream Man (The Wild Rose Press), just came out in December and is a wonderfully intriguing story. Take a peek at the blurb:

A NO NONSENSE WOMAN...Dr. Eva Stanford only wants to help her patient sleep through the night. Little does she know that the old woman holds the secret to a thirty-year-old mystery that threatened the political ...

...a thousand words, would you write a thousand words (or, say, 100K words) the same way you'd paint a picture?

For me, it turns out I would.

I'm no skilled artist, but I have painted a few things--in watercolor, acrylics, even oils--and I tend to approach that art form in much the same way that I prefer to approach the writing of a novel: I first do a quick pencil sketch on the canvas (like a plot outline or, my fave, Blake Snyder's 15-point beat sheet). Then, in broad but fairly careful stro...

Just came across this essay by Michael Thomas Ford, author of JANE BITES BACK (Ballantine, 12-29-09) in The Huffington Post, and it made me laugh, so I had to share! Also, for a well-written review of the book, Laurel Ann at Austenprose has up a terrific one. Here's the beginning of Laurel Ann's review so you can get a sense of the story's premise:

"Jane Austen's novels brim with irony, witticism, and in the end, a gentle reprove or two. It is why I love her writing. Few authors can deliver...

The year 2009 has been an interesting one, and I use the word "interesting" deliberately and in exactly the evasive manner with which it's often intended...

For me, this was a year of a lot of ups and downs and, while I mostly talked about the ups on this blog (the book! the book!), there were plenty of other things that created challenges. It was a tough and stressful year for so many people I know and care about, and I couldn't help but think this week what a blessing it is when, in the mids...