Reading THE LIVES OF OTHERS

I’ve been way behind in my reading of magazines but today I picked up last June’s copy of Harper’s Magazine and read a marvelous essay by Richard Russo titled “THE LIVES OF OTHERS When does imagination become appropriation?” He writes about how writers use elements in stories other writers tell, family, friends, overheard conversations, characteristics–all part of being a writer.

I’ve found that most people don’t recognize anything about themselves and often wrongly identify others. We may choose the eyes of one, the feet of another, the tragedy or period of happiness we knew and give it to a character who may reject it and stubbornly and sometimes, correctly choose something else. My original villain in Scene Stealer refused to stay villainous and my villain changed for the better.

Russo also talks about cultural appropriation; proper or not? He concludes, it depends on the author. I agree. If a book is written accurately, why would it be any different than cultures writing music, singing opera or jazz, adapting dance movements or ballet?

Russo’s essay is one I’ll save and read over again.

Bests,

Elise

Behind in my Blogging

Just getting over the worst cold since childhood. My blog was severly neglected. All my energy went into thinking about my novel to be and a new blog Mystery authors that are published by Carina have begun.

The title of our group is Not Your Usual Suspects because we write cozy, romace, paranormal, suspense and a wide range affiliated with the genre.

We launched yesterday with Julie Moffet opening for the group and today’s post was written by Marcelle Dube who offered a French-Canadian recipe to go with her warm holiday greetings.

I’m set for Sunday, December 19 and I hope all of you will join all of us as we talk about mystery, writing and life.

Our address is http://notyouruusualsuspects.blogspot.com

If you’d like to know more about me, log on to http://www.elisewarner.com

My cozy eBook titled Scene Stealer is available at http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com, http://www.carinapress.com
and wherver eBooks are sold. An audio version has been produced by http://www.audible.com

Introducing Author Jenny Schwartz

Welcome Jenny:
It’s a pleasure having you here. W e look forward to your sharing your thoughts on writing.

“Write what you know” is an oft-repeated piece of writing wisdom. But I don’t believe it. Passion is far more important. If you’re passionate about what you’re writing, it strengthens your commitment to the long, lonely process and it shares the energy of your enthusiasm with your readers.
When I started writing “Angel Thief” I knew my heroine had to be an archivist. I’m passionate about the importance of knowledge. Lost knowledge makes me want to scream. I shudder to think of the ancient Library of Alexandria burning.
Studying sociology probably impacted my reverence for knowledge. I kept hearing the Foucauldian “truth” that knowledge IS power and power, knowledge. When we lose knowledge, we lose something of who we could have been.
So I created Sara, my angel archivist, who sees her role as “the Indiana Jones of data recovery”. At the moment when a document (and its knowledge) will be destroyed and lost forever to the species who created it, she dashes in and rescues it. I’d like to imagine that the lost works of the ancient world exist in a heavenly archive.
That’s the beauty of writing fiction. You can take your passion for an issue, explore it, share it, and finally, give it a happy ending. Because in my fiction (whether reading or writing), I insist on a happy ending.
Thanks]
Angel Thief, published by Carina Press
http://bit.ly/AngThief

She’s breaking the rules. Again.

An archivist in the heavenly library, Sara must follow protocol when it comes to curating the knowledge of the universe. But “liberating” an ancient text from the collection of a human—an Australian drug lord—could save a boy’s life. Sara has no way of knowing that one of the man’s other treasures is a sexy-as-sin djinni, bound by a wish to guard the estate.

He’s only following orders.

Filip is compelled to turn over intruders, even celestial ones, to his master. When he catches Sara in the library, he isn’t above indulging in some sensual kisses with her, or using her to trick the mobster into wasting a wish. It’s what he must do to preserve his facade of freedom and protect his heart.

But the kidnapping of the drug lord’s daughter forces Sara and Filip to work together—bringing out the hero that lurks within the soul of the djinni, and the passion within the angel.

***
You can find Jenny:
at her website http://www.authorjennyschwartz.com/
blogging http://www.acquiring-magic.blogspot.com/
or on Twitter @Jenny_Schwartz http://twitter.com/jenny_schwartz

YOu will also gind Jenny’s eBook at http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com and http://www.borders.com and wherever eBooks are sold

Guest Blogger

Hello everyone:

I’m guest blogging onPatricia Prestion’s blog today.

http://www.patricia-preston.blogspot.com

Blogging about where I found the characters, the sights, sounds and smells of New York that led to my eBook Scene Stealer

Please drop by and say hello.

The Castle on the Moon

My mother and father, my aunts and uncles, all enjoyed a game of poker. The stakes were low-no one in my family had money-but every other weekend they gathered around the dining room table and played their penny and two poker as if they were in a saloon in the big, bad, lawless West.
Dad, a careful player, played his cards “close to the vest.” My mother would bluff and often won which drove my father a little bit nutty. My uncle often expounded on the finer points of the game-which everyone ignored-and my eldest aunt would ask me to sit by her side to bring her luck, show me her cards and mutter, “Pooh, pooh,” before raising the ante.
My cousins and I would grow restless despite the chance to nibble on candy and nuts that had been placed around the table and would finally escape into the bedroom where we would take turns making up stories. A favorite was The Castle on the Moon.
Whenever the moon ripened and became full, I could see a castle that lived high on a cliff. It towered over the bottomless, sinister ocean that lay far, far below the overhang and sometimes I imagined I could see the princess-cold and friendless-as she wandered through the many rooms and chambers that held her prisoner.
When it was my cousin’s turn to continue the tale, he spoke of rescue. He would find a way to rocket to the moon, take his trusty sword and slither down a rope from the rocket to the castle where he would free the lovely princess we had named Genevieve. His sister, a few years older and a budding feminist turned the princess into a prince who would become King Gene and, being the grateful sort, crown her Queen of the Moon.
Some years later, when man conquered space, I was thrilled but, I must admit, disappointed. No castle was found on the moon. No trace of a princess or prince. No sinister ocean and no rock face. But my imagination still runs wild and I tell stories.
For more about me and my tales, please log on to http://www.elisewarner.com Scene Stealer, my cozy mystery, is available through http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com. http://www.carinapress.com
and wherever eBooks are sold. An audio version is available at http://www.audible.com

A Brighter Day

It’s good to be back working at my computer after a minor eye operation. Not the most frightening operation but for someone with a vivid imagination not the breeze so many imply. When the patch-a plastic oval with tiny holes that fits over the eye – was removed the morning after, bright light charged my now sensitive eye. The white paint on my apartment walls glared at me. A periwinkle shirt became a passionate purple. I could now tell navy blue from black and yellows were as bright as the sun at mid-day. I did receive a bit of a shock when I saw white spots on the windows; luckily before I panicked and called the doctor, I realized the white spots were just spots of dirt on windows that needed to be washed.
Now it’s catch-up time-the next chapter in a new novel, an article that needs to be tweaked, my neglected blog, Twitter and Facebook. Over 200 emails to be answered, submissions to be sent and leads to be followed but…I’m home.
For more information about me, please log on to http://www.elisewarner.com, http://www.twitter.com/elisewarner, http://www.Facebook.om/elisewarnerb
Scene Stealer, my cozy mystery eBook is available at http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com, http://www.carinapress.com

Scene Stealer is available in an audio version produced by http://www.audible.com

Melbourne’s Trams

A complimentary ride on Melbourne’s City Circle will introduce my husband and me to a city famous for its network of trams. Wide streets, tree-lined boulevards, gardens and history await us as we travel along Flinders Street in a colorful burgundy tram with gold and cream trim

The city’s first horse trams began on a suburban line in 1884; cable trams were initiated one year later. In 1889, electric trams took over and the City Circle Line has served tourists and city residents since 1936.

We spot the City Circle logo and board at Treasury Gardens; the oldest in Melbourne. Directly to the rear is Fitzroy Gardens and Captain James Cook’s Cottage commemorating the English navigator, his life and his voyages in the southern hemisphere.

The next stop is the Gold Treasury Museum; we’re interested in its permanent collection Built on Gold. Eight of the vaults that stored the gold bullion now show how Victoria’s precious metal fashioned Melbourne’s destiny – the diggings, bush rangers who attacked the diggers on their journey to Melbourne to sell nuggets or dust, buyers working the fields who offered diggers a lower price than banks and bullion merchants and escort troops who charged one shilling per ounce of gold.

By switching to Tram No.16 at Swanton Street and St. Kilda Road, visitors may travel to the Shrine of Remembrance – a memorial completed in 1934 – dedicated to men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve freedom. A climb to the top of the complex is rewarded with magnificent views of Melbourne’s skyline. Tram No.16 also carries beach lovers to St. Kilda where Melbourne’s citizens walk and cycle along the palm lined shore, sit at outdoor cafés, and gaze at Port Phillip Bay’s panoramic scenes.

Back on the City Circle Tram the following day, we arrive at Melbourne’s Aquarium where Giant Sharks and Sting Rays reside in a 2.2 million litre oceanarium then onward to La Trobe Street where Flagstaff Gardens is located on the highest sector of land in the city. A shiver of fear attacks when we stop at the Old Melbourne Gaol, the site of 135 hangings between 1842 and 1929 including that of infamous bush ranger Ned Kelly.

The tram turns on Spring Street where the Princess Theatre home welcomes generations of theatre goers, luminaries and ghosts. Notably, the ghost of the baritone “Frederici,” who died of a heart attack while performing Mephistopheles in Gounod’s opera Faust; another shiver when I learn he returned to take his bow.

We wait for Tram No. 55 on Elizabeth Street; the tram will deposit us at the Queen Victoria Market. More than 1000 stalls offer meat, fish, bakery products, fruit, vegetables and an abundance of general merchandise and knick-knacks. Cafes are close to the Queen Victoria and Sundays a wine market is in residence.

This is the second century of electric trams in Melbourne; providing a delightful and inexpensive overview of Melbourne and the inner suburbs.
For more information about me-log on to http://www.elisewarner.com My cozy mystery eBook is available at http://www.bn.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com, http://www.carinapress.com
and wherever eBooks are sold. Scene Stealer is also procued as an audio book by http://www.audible.com

A Link to Audio

Now Scene Stealer is available on audio. Produced by audible.com
My cozy mystery is now available not only as an eBook but in android an iPod. Exciting for me. My amateur detective Augusta Weidenmaier would be pleased. The young kidnapped boy, Kevin Corcoran would take it for granted. He’s grown up with all the marvels of the internet, Facebook and Twitter, iPhones and iPads and the wonders of tomorrow. To learn more about me, please log on to http://www.elisewarner.com, twitter.com/elisewarner and facebook.com/elisewarnerb Te eBook version of Scene Stealer is available at http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com and http://www.carinapress.com

The Ghost of David Belasco

Went to see a preview at the Belasco Theatre yesterday of a new Lincoln Center Theatre Production. The musical is based on Pedro Amodovar’s film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. David Belasco, a colorful dramatist, producer, actor, director and scenic designer who excelled in amazing and brilliant stage designs, originally opened the theatre known as the Stuyvesant in 1907. Designed by George Keister an architect who also designed the Astor, Earl Carrol, George M. Cohen and Selwyn Theatres, it was considered a hi-tech sensation-the light board had sixty-five dimmers, a stage set that worked on an elevator, studios and a private elevator to Belasco’s private apartment The theatre was renamed the Belasco by Belasco in 1910.
Known as “The Bishop of Broadway,” because of the clerical attire he habitually wore despite having a reputation as a “Ladies Man,” Belasco died in 1931. He left a legacy of hit plays and musicals; producers such as Katherine Cornell and the Group Theatre who leased the theatre continued to produce shows he would proudly have prresented in his theatre. Plays appearing on his stage have won the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Award and many an actor has won the prestigious Tony,
Many actors and members of stage crews believe Belasco’s ghost haunts the theatre. On opening nights, he is sometimes seen sitting in a box seat. Though the private elevator hasn’t been in service for years, the creak of chains in often heard.
The theatre was refurbished before the run of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and it is a fabulous sight to behold. The ceiling is bejeweled with a mosaic of lights, the walls gleam with polished wood. It’s a fitting home for the musical with its superb multi-talented cast and spectacular scenic effects. I have no trouble believing that Belasco will be in his box seat on opening night and I’m sure the “Bishop” will approve.
For more info about me, please log on to http://www.elisewarner.com Scene Stealer, my mystery is avaialbe as an eBook from http://www.carinaprress.com,
http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.borders.com and wherever eBooks are sold. An audio version is available at http://www.audible.com

Scene Stealer Audio Version

Today is a red letter day for me. October 15-the day that Scene Stealer is released in an audio version by http://www.audible.com I look forward to hearing the book read. I’m sure my characters are looking forward to it too. Scene Stealer is available (eBook version) is available at carinapress.com
barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, borders.com and wherever eBooks are sold