A review of my novel by a fellow author, Christoph Fischer–– a pillar in the writing community who has been an inspiration to me from my beginnings as a writer. How good can it get?!
Thanks, Christoph. I honour the goodness in you.
#Canadian literature #fiction #novels #historical fiction #Quebec writing #womens’ writing #family saga
via Review: “The Daughter’s Story” by Murielle Cyr
Moving along… the advanced reading copies are out and heading for those who will read and hopefully review my work. They might like it… or maybe hate it.
Too much back story… characters not credible… pace too slow… weak structure… ending too abrupt… I’ll have a panic attack trying to come up with what I did wrong.
But maybe they’ll connect to the main character, Nadine––fingers crossed––and forgive all the flaws in the story. Nadine is banished to a home for unwed mothers in 1950. She’s 15. Her baby daughter, whose father is shrouded in secrecy, is put up for adoption without her permission. Vowing to reunite one day with her daughter, she cuts all ties with her dysfunctional Irish and French-Canadian Catholic family whose past is cluttered with secrets, betrayals, incest and violence.
As writers, we are dependent on the reader’s reaction to our work. Some will enjoy the book and review––or not. Others will make sure to comment if they don’t like something about the story. Both positive and negative reviews help to make the book visible to others. Without reviews, the book disappears.
It should be released May 1st, but it’s available for pre-orders which will arrive at the end of March.
https://www.barakabooks.com/catalogue/the-daughters-story
#Quebec fiction #Canadian fiction #modern historical fiction #Family saga #womens fiction #adoption #WW1 #WW2 #October Crisis #Amazon #Indigo #Barnes & Noble
Available May 1, 2019 Pre-order now
https://www.barakabooks.com/catalogue/the-daughters-story
Nadine is banished to a home for unwed mothers in 1950. She’s 15. Her baby daughter, whose father is shrouded in secrecy, is put up for adoption without her permission. Vowing to reunite one day with her daughter, she cuts all ties with her dysfunctional Irish and French-Canadian Catholic family whose past is cluttered with secrets, betrayals, incest and violence.
It’s now October 1970 in Montreal. Following two FLQ kidnappings, Ottawa proclaims the War Measures Act and sends the army into Quebec. These staggering events indirectly bring about a reunion between Nadine and her daughter Lisette, now 20 years old and embittered after being bounced from one foster home to another. Eight months pregnant, Lisette and her partner Serge, who is close to the FLQ, need money and see Nadine as a possible source.
A family saga with World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the October crisis as backdrop, The Daughters’ Story tells the unsung, yet intensely passionate, tale of women whose unquenchable need to belong drives them to survive and thrive despite cruel conditions.
My new historical fiction novel— a family saga set in Quebec, spanning two world wars and beyond— will be released in early spring. The cover is to be revealed very soon.
#historical fiction #Canadian fiction #Quebec fiction #October crisis #women fiction
We who are authors and artists are notoriously thin-skinned. When we are young in the profession and still consider our works to be the equivalent of our perfect children, we bleed profusely when you admit you didn’t really enjoy what we wrote (or sang, or painted). Some of us handle this kind of conversation with […]
via Gaining strength through rejection #amwriting — Life in the Realm of Fantasy
Did you know that before Cheez Whiz was sold in jars, it came in Swanky Swigs tumblers you could drink from? That’s the kind of wonderful nonsense I come up with while researching for my latest historical novel. Also learned about blunt-ended seamen’s knives—used for cutting, not stabbing. My characters have a lot to show me.
#historical fiction, #amwriting #Canadian #research
https://retroreclaimations.com/blogs/vintage-glassware-history/vintage-glassware-swanky-swigs …
https://www.etsy.com/listing/600386177/4-sweet-vintage-swanky-swigsjuice
Just finished three weeks of intense proofreading of my new historical novel, Not a Healing Balm,—it’s only a working title since the publisher wasn’t comfortable with the one I first came up with. I didn’t agree with his suggestion at first, but rereading my manuscript after not setting eyes on it for six months warmed me up to it. This being at least my 6th proofreading attempt, I was determined to make the manuscript sparkly clean. I knew the publisher’s own editor would come up with a bunch of grammar mishaps and typos, so I willed myself to find them first. Lost cause, I’m sure, those things become invisible when writers search for them.
His initial request was to change a few verbs around and to ease up on my use of italics, but I ended up revising almost every verb in the novel. I don’t like to use dialogue tags, so I have to resort to a lot of action beats. Most times those action beats only serve the purpose of giving the reader a break from all the dialogue. But you have to vary them once in a while. Try finding creative synonyms for look, turn, pause or smile—daunting to say the least.
But I got the work done—after neglecting everything else, including social media, the whole time. Now I have to work on my biographical notes—ugh, a much hated task. Since I conceded about the title, work on the cover is next, and I can go back to the second historical novel I’m working on. I’ll have to get reacquainted with my characters and get back on track with what they were up to before I last dumped them to do my
#historical fiction #Canadian writing #proofreading #Quebec.
