Elizabeth has always prided herself on her insight and acumen of the people around her, learned from watching and listening to her father, no doubt. Since beginning her hero’s journey to find her other half, in this case a man she can love, she has endured Mr. Darcy’s overheard dismissive rebuff, Mr. Collins’s boastful self-importance ineptly hidden by his mask of humility, Mr. Wickham turning away to court an heiress, Mr. Bingley’s abandonment of Jane, a visit to her former suitor, Mr. Collins, now married to her best friend, and finally, Mr. Darcy’s impassioned but disdainful proposal. Her road of trials has been long. Now, unexpectedly, Mr. Darcy’s unexpected letter gives her the ultimate fortune, truth. She accomplishes this by giving up her own conceits and prejudices and examining her own motives.
A new world emerges from her insight. She begins by seeing both Wickham and Darcy in different lights. Once home in Longbourn, she also sees her family’s failings and is embarrassed by their less than suitable behavior. When the proposed invitation from Mrs. Foster for Lydia to move to Brighton with her, Elizabeth pleads with her father to save Lydia by not permitting her to go. She has seen the disaster that awaits, not only Lydia, but all of her sisters; but her efforts are all to no avail.
Although the prejudice with which she viewed her world has gone, Elizabeth has not finished her journey. While traveling with her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth encounters a much different Mr. Darcy and his home of Pemberly. He is no longer so haughty, withdrawn in his own superiority. However, any hopes of a beginning a friendship with him are dashed by Lydia, for news arrives that she has run off with Mr. Wickham.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Hepatitis Update
After several weeks of worry, I finally saw a specialists. He ordered a liver ultrasound, which I had last week. Whew! Besides my doctor telling me my viral loads were elevated but not alarming, he sent a letter telling me that my liver looks normal. So for now, so good! My body has been managing the disease for thirty years. Hopefully, it will continue to do so for a long while. Thinking healthy!
Thank You!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Mystery and The Hero's Journey
What could they possibly have in common? The setting can be any where and any time period - mysteries cross borders and time zones as easily as any other genre. So it is no surprise when they look to the heroes journey for character types.
For most of my work I do an intensive character sketch - part of that is to pick which hero or heroine (most of my sleuth's are female) best suits the particular story I'm telling.
In Small Town Secrets the sleuth/heroine, Chaneeta Morgan,is a strong independent woman, made strong by her circumstances. While Chaneeta is a strong heroine such as an Amazon Woman heroine, she leans heavily toward being a Madonna.
Amazon women are capable, independent, self-sufficient. But Chaneeta is more then that, she has a soft side a mothering side. She is the chairperson of the small town where she lives - She is the owner of The Golden Kettle Cafe, she is many things to many people. Example:
Someone is bent on burning it down one building at a time. Can Chaneeta and Olga bury their rivalry long enough to use their powers to stop the arsonist before the town is destroyed, or will the skeleton in the Town Chairperson’s closet be her undoing at the hands of Editor in chief of the Daily Nettle Newspaper, Olga Corn?
Chaneeta is vulnerable, but not defenseless. She is not above receiving help, she does not need everyone's approval though she would sincerely like it, because she feels better when people like her. Olga Corn, her rival and most time nemesis is a shape-shifter doing whatever it takes to get what she wants.
Joseph Campbell's Hero's journey elucidates the hero's journey for me. while Christopher Volger illuminates that journey even more, I believe what he says is true that ..."a story is also a metaphor, a model of some aspect of human behavior. It is a thought machine by which we test out our ideas and feelings about some human quality and try to learn more about it."
As readers we find our answers, or confirmation of our beliefs, in the books we gravitate to again and again as our favorite reads. Wise old woman or man, mentors, guides, heroes and heroines are all necessary to tell a story that readers are willing to spend time reading and it is our joy to write. Mystery and suspense are my favorite genres and they benefit greatly by exploring the various aspects of the Heroes journey.
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com
For most of my work I do an intensive character sketch - part of that is to pick which hero or heroine (most of my sleuth's are female) best suits the particular story I'm telling.
In Small Town Secrets the sleuth/heroine, Chaneeta Morgan,is a strong independent woman, made strong by her circumstances. While Chaneeta is a strong heroine such as an Amazon Woman heroine, she leans heavily toward being a Madonna.
Amazon women are capable, independent, self-sufficient. But Chaneeta is more then that, she has a soft side a mothering side. She is the chairperson of the small town where she lives - She is the owner of The Golden Kettle Cafe, she is many things to many people. Example:
Someone is bent on burning it down one building at a time. Can Chaneeta and Olga bury their rivalry long enough to use their powers to stop the arsonist before the town is destroyed, or will the skeleton in the Town Chairperson’s closet be her undoing at the hands of Editor in chief of the Daily Nettle Newspaper, Olga Corn?
Chaneeta is vulnerable, but not defenseless. She is not above receiving help, she does not need everyone's approval though she would sincerely like it, because she feels better when people like her. Olga Corn, her rival and most time nemesis is a shape-shifter doing whatever it takes to get what she wants.
Joseph Campbell's Hero's journey elucidates the hero's journey for me. while Christopher Volger illuminates that journey even more, I believe what he says is true that ..."a story is also a metaphor, a model of some aspect of human behavior. It is a thought machine by which we test out our ideas and feelings about some human quality and try to learn more about it."
As readers we find our answers, or confirmation of our beliefs, in the books we gravitate to again and again as our favorite reads. Wise old woman or man, mentors, guides, heroes and heroines are all necessary to tell a story that readers are willing to spend time reading and it is our joy to write. Mystery and suspense are my favorite genres and they benefit greatly by exploring the various aspects of the Heroes journey.
Billie A Williams
http://www.billiewilliams.com
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Heronine Wants Love
Elizabeth's quest is to find love within marriage.Women today look for the same thing, but now many women are capable of supporting themselves, so marriage is not a dire necessity. In Regency England, however, women of the upper social classes had two choices: marry well or become a spinster and live in poverty off your relatives. Love didn't often come into consideration when looking for a husband. Neither are ideal choices, as today we know how many marriages break down. Elizabeth is twenty, hardly a spinster, but she lives in a rural area with limited choices, and her dowry is meager. Oddly, in a few months her journey will introduce her to four possible suitors, and she endures three proposals. Luckily, even in this pre-baseball era, Elizabeth need not fear three strikes and you're out. Her third proposal is a homerun.
At first, she finds Mr. Darcy an arrogant man, caught in his pride and uninterested in her. Shortly thereafter, the Trickster-Herald, her cousin, Mr. Collins, arrives at Longbourn with the intention of ending a family dispute and marrying one of Mr. Bennets' daughters as a solution to the entailment of the estate. Since Mrs. Bennet tells him Jane is taken, Mr. Collins sets his sites on Elizabeth. Why is he a Trickster? Because of his comedic effect. You cannot but find his behavior humorously appalling. He toadies up to everyone; while he admits to Mr. Bennet that many of his flattering comments are rehearsed. In his proposal he acts like a Threshold Guardian, taking Elizabeth near the innermost cave and the conundrum found there: financial security while married to a foolish man or an eternity alone. Mr. Collins remains the Trickster with Mrs. Bennet, encouraging her believe in his good intentions, but when Elizabeth thwarts him, proposes to her best friend; another trick, breaking his word.
The horror for Elizabeth is that Charlotte accepts, may have even worked to bring about the proposal. How is Charlotte to live with such an overweening, egotistical man whose abject humility only exposes his overwhelming pride? As a Herald, Mr. Collins calls Elizabeth to the adventure of marriage; but Elizabeth's intelligence tells her how awful a marriage with such a man might become. Her refusal of the call only shows her good innate sense.
She also meets Mr. Wickham, a Shape Shifter Shadow character in his attractive quise. Everyone welcomes handsome Mr. Wickham to Meryton. Elizabeth enjoys his attentions and he seems very gentlemanly, plus he encourages her prejudice against Mr. Darcy. He tells her of Darcy's perfidy to himself. This seeming gentleman turns into the worst type of cad later in the story, his actions bringing evil and disrepute the Bennet family. Wickham never proposes to Elizabeth, but certainly behaves in such a manner that the reader believes he wants to.
When Elizabeth goes to visit her best friend and her rejected suitor, she encounters Mr. Darcy again, visiting his aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins' patron. He brings with him Fitzwilliam Darcy, his cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam also pays attention to Elizabeth, but he is upfront that his desire will not lead to marriage; he cannot afford it. A proposal appears, though, from Mr. Darcy. Again, Elizabeth rejects the proposal when he asks "Could you expect me to rejoice in the in the inferiority of your connections? - to congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?" She answers, "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way than as it spared the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner."
In my baseball metaphor, Eliza has bee to bat twice and stuck out, deliberately made a choice not to play. Mr. Darcy , she thought, believed Mr. Darcy the most arrogant, conceited, with a selfish distain over the feelings of other. In his own way he disgusted her as much as Mr. Collins.
Mr. Darcy throughout the story plays several archetypes. In the next pages he becomes a mentor, a wise person who gives the hero a gift to help them on their journey. For all of Elizabeth's poor opinions of him, the very next morning he very civilly approaches her, and hands her a letter.
The letter, the mentor's gift, provides Elizabeth inner vision. In two or three readings, she learns her own blindness, sees her actions and her family's behavior for how it looked to others. She learns truth. The mask of her self-blindness has been ripped off, and from now on, Elizabeth will see.
At first, she finds Mr. Darcy an arrogant man, caught in his pride and uninterested in her. Shortly thereafter, the Trickster-Herald, her cousin, Mr. Collins, arrives at Longbourn with the intention of ending a family dispute and marrying one of Mr. Bennets' daughters as a solution to the entailment of the estate. Since Mrs. Bennet tells him Jane is taken, Mr. Collins sets his sites on Elizabeth. Why is he a Trickster? Because of his comedic effect. You cannot but find his behavior humorously appalling. He toadies up to everyone; while he admits to Mr. Bennet that many of his flattering comments are rehearsed. In his proposal he acts like a Threshold Guardian, taking Elizabeth near the innermost cave and the conundrum found there: financial security while married to a foolish man or an eternity alone. Mr. Collins remains the Trickster with Mrs. Bennet, encouraging her believe in his good intentions, but when Elizabeth thwarts him, proposes to her best friend; another trick, breaking his word.
The horror for Elizabeth is that Charlotte accepts, may have even worked to bring about the proposal. How is Charlotte to live with such an overweening, egotistical man whose abject humility only exposes his overwhelming pride? As a Herald, Mr. Collins calls Elizabeth to the adventure of marriage; but Elizabeth's intelligence tells her how awful a marriage with such a man might become. Her refusal of the call only shows her good innate sense.
She also meets Mr. Wickham, a Shape Shifter Shadow character in his attractive quise. Everyone welcomes handsome Mr. Wickham to Meryton. Elizabeth enjoys his attentions and he seems very gentlemanly, plus he encourages her prejudice against Mr. Darcy. He tells her of Darcy's perfidy to himself. This seeming gentleman turns into the worst type of cad later in the story, his actions bringing evil and disrepute the Bennet family. Wickham never proposes to Elizabeth, but certainly behaves in such a manner that the reader believes he wants to.
When Elizabeth goes to visit her best friend and her rejected suitor, she encounters Mr. Darcy again, visiting his aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins' patron. He brings with him Fitzwilliam Darcy, his cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam also pays attention to Elizabeth, but he is upfront that his desire will not lead to marriage; he cannot afford it. A proposal appears, though, from Mr. Darcy. Again, Elizabeth rejects the proposal when he asks "Could you expect me to rejoice in the in the inferiority of your connections? - to congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?" She answers, "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way than as it spared the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner."
In my baseball metaphor, Eliza has bee to bat twice and stuck out, deliberately made a choice not to play. Mr. Darcy , she thought, believed Mr. Darcy the most arrogant, conceited, with a selfish distain over the feelings of other. In his own way he disgusted her as much as Mr. Collins.
Mr. Darcy throughout the story plays several archetypes. In the next pages he becomes a mentor, a wise person who gives the hero a gift to help them on their journey. For all of Elizabeth's poor opinions of him, the very next morning he very civilly approaches her, and hands her a letter.
The letter, the mentor's gift, provides Elizabeth inner vision. In two or three readings, she learns her own blindness, sees her actions and her family's behavior for how it looked to others. She learns truth. The mask of her self-blindness has been ripped off, and from now on, Elizabeth will see.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sexy Heroes
I want to give a big thanks to Rhobin for letting me be a guest on her blog!! Love ya, girl!
So, what makes a hero sexy? To me, it's his personality. It's the way he treats the heroine. And of course he must have a soft side to him. He MUST be yummy inside and out. (grins) I hope I've made all my heroes yummy, and so far my readers tell me I'm doing a good job. heehee That's good hear!
I have two more books coming out this year, which brings a grand total of NINE books released in 2009. Whew! I feel exhausted. But I'm still pushing to get more published next year.
Tomorrow will be my next release - Queen Of Hearts will be released with Bookstrand Publishing.
Dr. Cecilia Ashby is forced to disguise herself as a man in order to practice medicine in a small Southern town after the Civil War. When she stumbles across an injured gambler in an alley one night, will her ruse get the better of them both? Especially when she finds herself attracted to him.
Gambler James Lawrence has played his last hand and finally has enough cash to buy back his family’s plantation that the carpetbaggers took from him…until he’s blindsided, robbed and left for dead. After an interesting stay with the town doctor, he finds his stolen earnings in the hands of the young thief and his sister, Cecilia Ashby, now residing on his plantation.
James and Cecilia both want the plantation, but do they want a long lasting love even more? Battling deceit, betrayal, and disguises, the two must confront their biggest challenge yet – themselves.
And in December, my historical - Belong To Me will be released with The Wild Rose Press.
Not only that, but check out my YUMMY book trailer!
Please check out my website for more of my SEXY heroes!!
Now you tell me...what do YOU think makes a hero sexy?
~Phyllis~
So, what makes a hero sexy? To me, it's his personality. It's the way he treats the heroine. And of course he must have a soft side to him. He MUST be yummy inside and out. (grins) I hope I've made all my heroes yummy, and so far my readers tell me I'm doing a good job. heehee That's good hear!
I have two more books coming out this year, which brings a grand total of NINE books released in 2009. Whew! I feel exhausted. But I'm still pushing to get more published next year.
Tomorrow will be my next release - Queen Of Hearts will be released with Bookstrand Publishing.
Dr. Cecilia Ashby is forced to disguise herself as a man in order to practice medicine in a small Southern town after the Civil War. When she stumbles across an injured gambler in an alley one night, will her ruse get the better of them both? Especially when she finds herself attracted to him.
Gambler James Lawrence has played his last hand and finally has enough cash to buy back his family’s plantation that the carpetbaggers took from him…until he’s blindsided, robbed and left for dead. After an interesting stay with the town doctor, he finds his stolen earnings in the hands of the young thief and his sister, Cecilia Ashby, now residing on his plantation.
James and Cecilia both want the plantation, but do they want a long lasting love even more? Battling deceit, betrayal, and disguises, the two must confront their biggest challenge yet – themselves.
And in December, my historical - Belong To Me will be released with The Wild Rose Press.
Not only that, but check out my YUMMY book trailer!
Please check out my website for more of my SEXY heroes!!
Now you tell me...what do YOU think makes a hero sexy?
~Phyllis~
Guest Author Phyllis Marie Campbell
Look for posts from Historical and Contemporary Romance author, Phyllis Marie Campbell, who will be talking about her books. When you read below you'll see this story sounds absolutely scrumptious. If you go to Phyllis's site, you'll see some covers that just beg you to read the story!
Look for BELONG TO ME, coming Dec. 11, 2009 to THE WILD ROSE PRESS……
A masked ball—a night of seduction.
Tired of being without her wayward husband, Charlotte Hamilton travels to New York to find him. She discovers him at a masked ball. Her revenge on him is that he doesn’t know who she is, so she seduces him. He talks her into a bargain—to stay as his wife for a month and then if they don’t suit, he’ll grant her a divorce. What she uncovers about his life is far more than she bargained for. In addition to the disguises in his closet from his investigative business, she stumbles across secrets. Those of which she wished she’s never known.
Swept into a whirlwind of mystery, passion and adventure, Charlotte must discover the truth of her own heart before it’s too late for them both.
Look for BELONG TO ME, coming Dec. 11, 2009 to THE WILD ROSE PRESS……
A masked ball—a night of seduction.
Tired of being without her wayward husband, Charlotte Hamilton travels to New York to find him. She discovers him at a masked ball. Her revenge on him is that he doesn’t know who she is, so she seduces him. He talks her into a bargain—to stay as his wife for a month and then if they don’t suit, he’ll grant her a divorce. What she uncovers about his life is far more than she bargained for. In addition to the disguises in his closet from his investigative business, she stumbles across secrets. Those of which she wished she’s never known.
Swept into a whirlwind of mystery, passion and adventure, Charlotte must discover the truth of her own heart before it’s too late for them both.
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