Patricia Sands

Author

Darlene Jones

Did you know this about Dickens?

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Excusez-moi! First an apology – OMG, this is my FOURTH post this week!!! Holy S***!  I normally only post twice a week so – to you wonderful subscribers – please don’t hate me.  I promise not to bombard you with posts this often ever again … or  … at least hardly ever. You know, sometimes stuff just happens. I really wanted to support Darlene Jones with her exciting novel launch on Monday, and then there was the Queen’s Jubilee stuff happening on Tuesday (how could I ignore that?)  and August McLaughlin’s fabulous Beauty of A Woman BlogFest could not be missed. I hope you had some time to check in on that! You will want to bookmark that blog and return again and again to read some amazing stories – some funny, some painful, all true. Great writing!

Here, does this help you feel better? If I could I would send every one of you on an all-expense paid trip to Paris for putting up with my extreme blogging this week!

This week also celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of  Charles Dickens (Feb. 7th) and the planned festivities rival those for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! Take a look at the official Dickens 2012 website here. It’s quite remarkable … but very fitting for an author who influenced the entire world.

I really wanted to mention a bit about Dickens this week but couldn’t fit him in until today. So then I wondered how I would tie him into something about France.

Bien sur! Of course! A Tale of Two Cities  is one of my favourite novels. How about you? Set in France and England, I thought I would focus on where Dickens visited in Paris while he was gathering his research, right? After all, isn’t that what we all do as writers? We visit the places about which we are writing, n’est-ce pas? Of course today we do it via the internet more often than not.

I was sure there would at least be plaques around Paris saying that Dickens slept, or ate, or cavorted at such and such a location, since Paris has changed considerably since the Revolution! Well, mes amis, I’m shocked to tell you it just isn’t so! At least not that I could discover and I did a ton of googling! I’m going to do some more to make sure I haven’t missed anything but it appears he spent very little time in France. He did travel there a bit to do some readings but he disliked the Continent intensely and didn’t stay long. Apparently everything he wrote about France and Paris in A Tale of Two Cities, he wrote from England. He relied heavily on the writings of his good friend Scotsman Thomas Carlyle for much of the physical detail of the Revolution. Dickens’ brilliance in this novel came from his understanding of the roots of the Revolution and his incredible insight into human nature. However it was really Carlyle who wrote extensively about the actual Revolution. I found all this quite fascinating! If you want to read more click here for an excellent article about it.

A little back history on Dickens – He was born on February 7, 1812, the son of a clerk at the Navy Pay Office. His father, John Dickens, continually living beyond his means, was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea in 1824. 12-year-old Charles was removed from school and sent to work at a boot-blacking factory, earning six shillings a week to help support the family. This dark experience cast a shadow over the clever, sensitive boy that became a defining experience in his life, he would later write that he wondered “how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age.” For a long time he could not forgive his mother who had actually tried to keep him working at this child labour even longer.

This childhood poverty and feelings of abandonment, although unknown to his readers until after his death, were a heavy influence on Dickens’ later views on social reform and the world he created through his words. Don’t you think he might have felt better if he had spent some time researching in Paris and enjoyed some French wine and ladies of the evening  or Can-can dancers?

So I’m feeling badly that Charles .. I don’t think he was ever a Chuck or a Chaz or a Charlie, do you? Charles just sounds so right for him … anyway, I’m feeling badly that he never loved Paris or really even kind of liked it. I’m sure if he were to come back today he might feel differently. He might enjoy strolling the lanes of Montmartre with all the artists working their craft for everyone to get suckered into buying enjoy … well, it is pretty touristy I’ll admit but still fun and there are some very talented artists in the mix.

Sorry it’s a bit drizzly there this day but no one ever minds in Montmartre. 

He would have missed the amazing Sacré Coeur and those delightful carousels the French have even in small towns. No matter how Dickens felt about Paris and how little time he spent there, I’m sure he did visit Notre Dame  (below) which was very much a landmark even then. It was begun in the 10th C  for heaven’s sake, although it was badly damaged during the Revolution.

Too bad the Eiffel Tower wasn’t there for him because that would have won him over for certain! Never mind, for someone who didn’t like France he was still a most amazing writer whose legacy will last forever. I’m sure he would forgive me too for using him as an excuse to put a few of my Paris photos in this post.

Speaking of amazing writers … pardon the segue … for the next two months, the fabulous Wana711 group of writers (graduates of one of Kristen Lamb’s fantastic blogging courses – sign up now if you haven’t taken it!! )has organized a blog tour. I’d like to introduce to you this week’s line-up of awesome budding writers and truly amazing published authors.

First up is Natalie Hartford. This ball of energy will keep you in stitches as she talks about life and just plain fun. This week she’s featuring Elena Aitken an author who writes some amazing stories that touch on emotions most would rather not admit. Check out both of these blogs. If you comment on the interview you could win one of Elena’s books. So hurry on over and have a visit.

Next is Angela Orlowski-Peart. Born in Europe and living in the United States gives her blog an international feel. This week she introduced author and friend Traci Bell who writes adult paranormal and fantasy. If you answer this week’s question you could also win a free copy of Traci’s book.

You only have today and tomorrow to get in on the two contests, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience of these wonderful women.

Are you a fan of Charles Dickens? Which book is your favourite? Can you believe he didn’t spend time in Paris researching?  I know,  it’s shocking isn’t it? Ohhh sorry, it’s been a very long week of writing. I think I should go to bed now.

Celebrating a launch day!

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I often speak about the amazing online community of writers, editors, reviewers and readers of which I’m proud to be a part. Some of you may recall, back in the day, how there were opportunities to  have pen pals and when a letter arrived from another part of your country or … gasp … another country, it was such a thrill! Today we communicate with  people all over the world on a daily basis via the internet and think nothing of it.
One of the groups to which I belong is loveahappyending.com which was begun by the talented Linn B.Halton who lives in the U.K.  The majority of members are from the U.K. but there are also Canadians and Americans among the ranks. Taking on charity projects is part of our mandate as well as sharing information and support and a good deal of laughter.
As writers, telling stories is what we do. I must admit I’m always equally intrigued by the story about the writer.  It’s my pleasure to feature the talented  Canadian author Darlene Jones who is launching her novel, EMBATTLED, this very day.  She chatted with me from Mexico.

PS – Welcome, Darlene. I’m delighted to have a chat with you on this exciting day! Let’s clear the air first. I’m in Toronto right now. You are in Mexico. I’m not complaining  … well, perhaps just a little …  I know you are enjoying lovely days at the beach and I’m not. Tell me about it.
 DJ – We used to live in the frozen north of Edmonton when we started coming here for the winters. We’re on the west coast of Mexico, north of Puerto Vallarta in a town called Guayabitos. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of the major tourist areas; weather is always great, restaurants and little taco stands galore, and great beaches for body boarding. Over the years we’ve made many friends, both Mexicans and fellow Canadians, so each fall when we get here, it’s like coming home.

PS – It was a surprise to discover you spend your summers on Vancouver Island. I also know that you lived in Mali for a time.Can you tell us a bit about your experiences in both of those locations? Have there been any other longterm stops along the way? 

DJ – We moved from Edmonton, which was a wonderful city for careers and rasing children (but such long cold winters!) to Vancouver Island five years ago and love it. The weather is soft and mild and never really too hot, although the winters can have some terrible winds and lots of rain. A big bonus is the views of the ocean and mountains from my desk. How cool is that? A little Canadian humor for you. Question: How do you define an Albertan? Answer: Someone who was born in Saskatchewan and retires to BC. That’s me!

Mali was many years ago and a whole other world. Rather a time travel type of adventure. I was a Canadian University Service Overseas volunteer teaching English in Bamako. I’ve written bits about Mali on my blog.http://emandyves.wordpress.com At that time it was the 5th poorest country in the world. It is impossible to describe that kind of poverty. Beggars, victims of leprosy with missing limbs, malnourished children with distended bellies; the list goes on and on. It’s also impossible to describe the heat. Step off the airplane and you feel the force of the heat pressing you down. It saps your energy.
PS – In my opinion, travel is such an important experience that helps shape us as individuals and as writers since we are able to observe other cultures firsthand. How have your experiences impacted your writing?
DJ – For sure! In fact, my experiences in Mali were, in part, the inspiration for my books.

PS – Would you tell us about your journey to becoming a published author? When did you begin writing? What have you published?
DJ – Inspired by reading and the authors I admire, I began playing with writing some time ago, but it was the opportunity to spend a week long workshop at the Banff School of Arts with Robert J. Sawyer, that really convinced me I could do it. I’ve attended conferences and other workshops along the way and learned so much that contributed to improving my writing.

PS – Tell me about “Embattled”, which you describe as sci-fi with a bit of magic. Intriguing! I haven’t yet read it although it is on my TBR list! How did this particular story idea come to you and were there any surprises for you as the story unfolded?
DJ – The big issue I focus on with my heroine is war and stopping it. My stories allow my heroine to “wave a magic wand” so to speak and do all the things one would wish to do to improve living conditions for people. The biggest surprise was the ending. I had no idea when it started that it would lead to that particular ending which then demanded that I continue the story.

PS – What are your launch plans and where can readers order your book?
DJ – My formal launch, with the wonderful assistance of all the Love A Happy Ending gang, is Feb 6. My book is on Amazon and Smashwords. You can read more about EMBATTLED here. www.emandyves.com
Thanks so much for chatting here today. We all wish you a wonderful launch day. I understand this book is the first in a series so we will be eagerly watching for the next release.
So dear readers, if you are a sci-fi fan, hop on over to the link at amazon.com or visit Darlene’s website listed above or her entertaining blog and order your copy today!