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Diane Whiteside, Inveterate Romantic

Archive for January, 2008

The Liar’s Diary Blog Day

January 28, 2008 | News

I too am honored to be blogging today with hundreds of other writers on behalf of Patry Francis and her fabulous book, The Liar’s Diary.

Here’s LitPark’s eloquent account:

Today, over 300 bloggers, including bestsellers, Emmy winners, movie makers, and publishing houses have come together to talk about THE LIAR’S DIARY by Patry Francis. Why? To give the book the attention it deserves on its release day while Patry takes the time she needs to heal from cancer.

Before I talk about this book, I’d like to tell you a story about how this extraordinary day happened.

Patry Francis Blog Day on LitPark

First, you need to know something about Patry Francis.

What if you worked for years as a waitress and then went home at the end of the day to your husband and four kids, and in those rare minutes of free time, you dared to dream that one day you might write a book? This is the story of my friend, Patry – a story that leaves out years of false starts, revisions, and rejection slips. It’s a story that writers know intimately, though the details are different. Every one of us is well acquainted with the struggle of getting a story on paper, of honing it and believing in it enough to send it out, only to receive rejection, or worse, silence for our efforts.

Imagine, after many years, you beat the odds. You finish that book. You find that agent who sells your manuscript. Your dream is about to become a reality. But just as your book is due to be released, you discover you have an aggressive form of cancer.

Patry’s story struck such a deep chord with many of us, not just because she is our friend, but because those of us who know her or read her blog have relied on her company through the ups and mostly downs of trying to write and sell a book. She is our buoy. She has shown us time and again her great gift for shedding light in the dark. Even her blog post about her cancer showed this – in her greatest time of need, she was still somehow comforting all of us and showing us glimpses of joy.

What began as a personal gesture of caring for a friend became an astonishing show of community – writers helping writers; strangers helping strangers; and most surprising of all, editors, agents and publishers, who have no stake in this book, crossing “party lines” to blog, to make phone calls, and to send out press releases.

This effort has made visible a community that is, and has been, alive and kicking – a community that understands the struggle artists go through and rejoices in each other’s successes. It’s a community made up of many small voices, but – guess what? – those many small voices can create some noise. So while today is for Patry, it’s also a symbolic gesture for all of you who work so very hard for little or no recognition, for all of you who keep going despite the rejections, and for all of you who have had illness or other outside factors force your art or your dreams aside. We are in this together.

Time to talk about THE LIAR’S DIARY.

Whether you like text, audio, or video, I have a taste of the book for you. Let’s start with an audio clip of THE LIAR’S DIARY. This audio clip comes courtesy of Eileen Hutton at Brilliance Audio.

This video for THE LIAR’S DIARY was created by Sheila Clover English, C.E.O. of Circle of Seven Productions, who was moved by Patry’s story and volunteered her lightning-speed creativity!

Here are the publishe’s words:

Answering the question of what is more powerful—family or friendship? this debut novel unforgettably shows how far one woman would go to protect either.

They couldn’t be more different, but they form a friendship that will alter both their fates. When Ali Mather blows into town, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts (despite the fact that she is pushing forty), she also makes a mark on an unlikely family. Almost against her will, Jeanne Cross feels drawn to this strangely vibrant woman, a fascination that begins to infect Jeanne’s “perfect” husband as well as their teenaged son.

At the heart of the friendship between Ali and Jeanne are deep-seated emotional needs, vulnerabilities they have each been recording in their diaries. Ali also senses another kind of vulnerability; she believes someone has been entering her house when she is not at home—and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali’s soul.

When a murderer strikes and Jeanne’s son is arrested, we learn that the key to the crime lies in the diaries of two very different women . . . but only one of them is telling the truth. A chilling tour of troubled minds, The Liar’s Diary signals the launch of an immensely talented new novelist who knows just how to keep her readers guessing.

And now, here are Patry’s words, which I lifted off her blog: “Though my novel deals with murder, betrayal, and the even more lethal crimes of the heart, the real subjects of THE LIAR’S DIARY are music, love, friendship, self-sacrifice and courage. The darkness is only there for contrast; it’s only there to make us realize how bright the light can be. I’m sure that most writers whose work does not flinch from the exploration of evil feel the same.”

Ready to buy the book? Why not buy one for yourself and one for a friend? And if you like it, tell people!

Here are links to THE LIAR’S DIARY at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell‘s. You can also buy directly from Penguin to save 15% (after you add the book to your cart, just enter the word PATRY in the coupon code field and click ‘update cart’ to activate the discount).

For a list of the other authors taking part, see LitPark. It’s a privilege being in your company.

Diane

11:39 pm | 1 Comment  

Brava Novella Contest – Vote Now!

January 22, 2008 | News

Voting starts today for your favorites among the Brava Novella contest finalists, all by would-be Brava authors.

There’s some great writing over there!

Diane

5:20 pm | Comments are off  

Hot Fun in the Wintertime

January 18, 2008 | News,Quirky notions

Hullo, friends!

I’m blogging today over at Brava Authors about how to find hot fun in the wintertime. Please stop by, if you want to hear some good suggestions!

Diane

12:00 am | Comments are off  

Update: January 19th North Carolina Booksigning Cancelled

January 17, 2008 | News

Unfortunately, due to circumstances far beyond my control, this Saturday’s booksigning at Waldenbooks in Hendersonville must be cancelled. I am truly, truly sorry about this and wish I could see you in person. However, if you send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Binnie Syril Braunstein, my publicist, at the address below, I’d be glad to send you an autographed bookplate – or two or three, if you’d prefer – as your personal, long-distance booksigning.

Binnie Syril Braunstein
7504 Labyrinth Road
Baltimore, MD 21208-4517

Please keep checking my website for information about future personal appearances. I’ll be joining six other authors at Barnes & Noble in Bethesda on Sunday, Feburary 10th for a pre-Valentine’s Day booksigning. I’ll also be in Pittsburgh on April 17th-19th for the Romantic Times convention, Cleveland on June 6th-8th with Lori Foster’s readers’ group, and Olive Hill, Kentucky on September 18th-21st for Lora Leigh’s RAW 2008. Of course, I’ll visit San Francisco in July for RWA’s literacy booksigning.

All the best to you and yours –

Diane

11:45 pm | Comments are off  

Lyrical Delights

January 14, 2008 | Quirky notions

Three authors’ prose made me purr with pleasure over the past week – Anna Campbell, Joanna Bourne, and Jet Mykles.

Anna Campbell’s Untouched rolled into my hand from the top of my TBR pile one night, as if it was eager to be discovered. I do most of my writing after work in the evening and often grab a novel to look at before I go to bed. This one kept me up late. Yes, I enjoyed the characters and the plot but the sheer, tumbling beauty of her prose brought their emotions to vivid life. I’m already looking forward to her next book.

I admit I was desperate to read Joanna Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Lady, since she’s a fellow member of The Beau Monde, RWA’s Regency special interest chapter. I preordered it from Amazon and ripped open the box as soon as it entered the house. Good Lord, how her dialogue’s crystalline perfection brings her characters into focus! Wow, just wow. I am in total awe and wondering how many times I’m going to read this book.

Jet Mykles is an autobuy for me. The minute she announces an ebook is available, I rush off and buy it. If it can be had in print, I’ll buy that, too. Nothing like a backup copy, right? Jet mostly writes m/m romances and I’m always fascinated by how incredibly well she can express those guys’ emotions. Dialogue, body language, introspection – you name, she can put it down on paper using language which sounds like men, not women with a Y-chromosome. Frankly, she does this better than any other female writer I know.

If you get a chance, you might want to check them out.

Diane

4:09 pm | Comments are off  

A Moment of Silence, Please

January 11, 2008 | Quirky notions

Andrew Olmsted, a major in the Army who blogged for the Rocky Mountain News, was killed this week in Iraq. Olmsted’s final post, written in case he was killed in action and titled “Final Post,” was posted by a friend.

“His voice was a voice of reason, and was a voice of logic,” Olmsted’s father, Wesley, told the Boston Globe. “He would discuss issues only to make people think.”

My deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends – and to the rest of us, for losing somebody like him.

Diane

1:12 pm | 1 Comment  

A French Hero

January 4, 2008 | News,The stories

Hey, I’m blogging today at The Idea Boutique about Jean-Marie St. Just, master spy, assassin and faithful lover, who’s the hero of BOND OF FIRE.

Please stop by and check it out if you get a chance!

Diane

10:19 am | Comments are off  

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