Austen Crazed

Jane Austen has been my friend through numerous trying times. She was there when I had my wisdom teeth removed, my divorce, too many break-ups, more surgery... well you get the picture. I love rereading her stories and watching the film adaptions. I also get side-tracked by references to her works. My absolute favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.

I own the UK film version of P&P, and yes, Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy for me. The movie, You've Got Mail featured a full discourse between Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks concerning Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship, while their relationship mirrored the P&P characters.

I wanted to learn more about Darcy and read Pamela Aidan's three book series A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman. Excellent P&P book series that shows P&P through Darcy's eyes. I recently read Jane Austen Ruined My Life. A cute humorous book for Austen fans who can somewhat relate to the character. Warning: I thoroughly enjoyed the book until the last two chapters. My girlfriends are currently reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. I'm sorry, I can not bring myself to read it. One of my all time favorite authors, Mary Balogh, recently had an assembly scene in her book First Comes Marriage that I reviewed stating she could not reach the same caliber as Austen since the scene was very similar to P&P's first meeting of the characters at an assembly.

I saw the Keira Knightley film version and can't state how emphatically I despise this adaption of the book. I can be particularly picky concerning P&P. That's why when my guru, Kay, told me about Lost in Austen and how much she enjoyed it, I wondered. Kay has exacting taste and the story she described seemed interesting, so I gave it a try. I was amazed that I sat through the whole 3 hours late at night.

It is the story of a devotee of P&P who gets transported into the novel and changes the course of the book. It is a very entertaining tale and I enjoyed seeing the characters interact with someone who knows them from the book. Shockingly, Elliot Cowan was an excellent Darcy (2nd to Firth). There are a few very entertaining scenes; such as when Amanda (the devotee) asks Darcy to jump in the water so she can have her Firth version of Darcy, and when Amanda discovers a secret of Miss Bingley, which sheds light on why Amanda could never understand the character in the book.

I highly recommend watching the series and reading some of the books mentioned in the post. Of course, we should all plan to pull out our edition of Pride and Prejudice and read it as well as watching the UK adaption of the book.

My Writing

I keep getting asked how my story is going. To tell you the truth...it's moving. I finished my first 80,000+ word manuscript this past February. In my mind, it was not a good story. I struggled through it. If I found it hard to write, obviously it would be difficult for others to read. Note to self: why did I think I could write a historical? I accepted it was my first try and allowed two people to read it. I truly appreciate their complete honesty. Here are some of their comments (I mixed them up, so no one could determine the reviewer):

- I like the story. It is engaging and I found myself thinking about it when I was not reading it, good sign!
- I liked the main characters and could see why they would appeal to each other.
- Work on your dialogue, it is almost too formal in some places and doesn't flow properly in others.
- Need more background.
- Too much tell, not show.
- The love scenes are well written
- Writing kept me interested - it wasn't a chore to read through and I looked forward to seeing what would happen next.
- Good twist.
- Need to clear up fantasy v. not fantasy.
- Major story concept doesn't work - the villain

In the meantime, I have been working on a contemporary story. Instead of mapping out the course, I have been free-styling. The current story wants to escape from me and I'm letting it. I figure it can be polished up later. Maybe this new one will be the one I feel more comfortable sharing with others and may submit as a query to agents.

Happy 30th Birthday

My baby sis officially turns 30 this weekend. While I was in Florida we celebrated her birthday. Her daughters and I planned a special evening out including dressing her up as Miss America. It was a lot of fun and she looks adorable as well. (Yes, that is me kneeling to the Birthday Princess.)

We took her to Kobe's for dinner. Great place, too much food. Which was followed by a symbol bashing Birthday song and cake delivery for the birthday girl.Then off to HATM where she got in free since she was dressed up. Out of the group, she was the well-behaved one. Though she did get into singing the songs with us.

She is struggling with the getting older thing. I keep reminding her, I will always be older. So as a reminder; you're a great mom to 2 beautiful girls, you're a friend to those in need, a great military wife, a wiz with the finances, beginning a brilliant future in school and a new career, and always my baby sis. Remember, I never allow anyone to pick on my sister, and that includes you. So enjoy you're 30s. They're fabulous!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Florida 2009

My trip to Florida was the best ever. It included time with family, friends, good food, and lots of fun. I have to thank Kelly, Abby, Doug, Dave, Jen, and Cheryl for taking time to visit with me. I had a blast! And of course all my love and thanks to my hosts for this trip who insured I was entertained the whole time, Michelle and Crystal. I have tried to create a synopsis of the trip. Not everyone will understand what I'm talking about. You can ask if you want further explanation.

Traveling
The girl in the tight white shorts and neon blue heels (seriously, you looked in the mirror and thought that looked good); Cleveland does not rock; wheezing, can't breathe

My Family
Lunch with Dad at the Green Iguana; watching the girls play; lil sis imitating big sis
Baby Sis 30th Birthday
Jo being a good sport wearing that outfit; Kobe's; the symbol banging birthday celebration; HATM; Johnnie (best waiter in town); all our requests being played; jello shots; trash can (it's a drink); Crystal's phenomonal performance of Gin 'n Juice; Shane and his Copa performance

Disney/ City Walk
Chat with Kelly in Tommorowland; laughing so hard I cried on Thunder Mountain; perfect weather; Philharmagic (my favorite ride); Margaritaville; 20 oz. margarita; Michelle dancing to Volcano Blows; Woman to Blame; Pat O'Briens; beignets and bad coffee; awsome band playing outdoors

Sunday
Nephew's excitement over his birthday gift; Beef's with the in-laws; Craig channeling James; fantastic chat over dinner; Baby Christopher; seeing old friends (Abby and Jen, we've been friends 8 years); StarGate Pilot (great tv)

Thanks for all the fun!

Lost Fanatic

I can't stress how much I am loving this season of Lost. Becky and I have Lost night every week, which is followed by late night discussion and her posting theories to her blog. We have a Lost group who e-mails theories to each other on Thursday discussing the different angles and situations on the show. This season has been up and down, but it has kept me engrossed. Knowing that next season is the final season is hard since the recent two episodes have been so great. Crystal told me of a new site to try as a Lost fan. I found the site pretty funny. It doesn't dive into the theories, but it's hilarious for after viewing. So for all the Lost fans out there, give Lost Diary a try.

100th Post

I am excited to announce the 100th posting of mrssnowqueen. It's very exciting for me to have written so much. I started the blog as a practice session for work and it has grown from that initial concept into a more personal arena.

As with everything in my life, it has evolved and expanded. And for personal reasons, I have decided to no longer write as mrssnowqueen. I am off on another adventure. If you still want to hear my stories, please let me know. Otherwise, it has been a joy to test my hand and share the journey with you.

Lent Season

Most of you know I am a very religious person, so I take Lent season very seriously. Last year, I gave up my addiction to coffee. It was difficult to do. Painful in many ways, but it was nothing in comparison to this year. I tried my hand at avoiding caffeinated sodas. This sounds like it's no big deal because I can drink soda, just not caffeinated ones. If you know me, Pepsi and Coke are daily staples in my life. I can chug one down easily. Sprite and 7Up are not the same.

This year I discovered that it can be hard to find restaurants that serve Sprite or sweet iced tea. I know, it's shocking! I've had to come prepared to gatherings with friends to insure I had a drink. I also learned I can smell Pepsi from across the table. It is a cruel world when you can smell it, but can't have it. I have craved it from day one. Certain people, who I won't name, have flaunted their sodas in front of me. They owe me a soda next week.

Which leads to my point. Lent ends on Sunday. I can finally have my first glorious taste of Pepsi again. It will be a wonderful moment. I just hope it doesn't upset my tummy the way the coffee did last year.

Spring?

On St Patrick's Day it was 70 degrees. My hubby and I enjoyed a slightly nippy walk on the trails around our house on Saturday. This morning, I woke up to this picture outside. It's blurry because the snow was blowing directly at me. I should have known. It snowed last April, but this year we've had less snow, so I presumed we were moving on to spring. Apparently mother nature has other ideas because it will snow the next 2 days. Too bad its slushy snow otherwise I would go out and play with the dog.

Some may question why the snowqueen would be upset about snow. Spring is my least favorite time of the year because of all the rain. I prefer the snow to the rain. I have an irrational fear of flying in ice and snow. Since I am flying out in a week and a half now, I would really appreciate it if the weather returned to spring like conditions.

Goals Review

My countdown to my Florida trip has begun. I will be in Florida in 2 weeks. I'm excited and a little disappointed. I planned this as a quick trip because of all the extenuating circumstances involved in the last vacation. With the downturn in the economy, it will most likely be my only trip to Florida this year. Unfortunately, with the time allotted, I will not be able to see everyone I want to visit. It's a bit frustrating, but there are not enough hours in the day. I feel compelled to state I'm sorry to those who I won't see.

This trip will be my second this year. I'm getting a little stingy with my sightseeing, so I'll claim my speaking engagement in Michigan as a trip. I had never been to Michigan before that visit with the exception of the airport. I had the joy of viewing Michigan through a blizzard and spent 8.5 hours on the road, so it was an interesting way to travel. As for my goal this year, I am halfway to completing my travel goal.

As for my work out routine, I am averaging 3 times a week. I am maintaining but not making strides in getting toned. Thanks to my giving up caffeinated sodas for Lent, I've lost a few extra pounds, so I'll claim mid-completion of this goal.

As for my writing goal, my second reviewer has my book in hand. I appreciated the first review and feel some relief, yet added pressure to clean up the manuscript. I have started to work on the second book. I'm trying to set aside time to complete a chapter per week. I am about to begin my 4th chapter. I had hoped to have all reviews and corrections concerning my first story and query letters ready to be mailed by April, so I'm far behind in this goal, yet proud that I've had the gumption to trust others to read my work.

I said I would not join any lineage societies this year, but "pressure" I have placed on myself to help others has inclined me to apply. As a southern lady living in the north and since my research focus is the south, I am working on my application for the UDC. It's slow going, but I hope to have it done in the next month or so. We'll see how well I do on completing it.

How are your New Year's Goals going?