Month: December 2013

I, honestly admit, I have a slight confession,… Part II!

Posted Monday, 30 December, 2013 by jorielov 2 Comments

I, honestly admit, I have a slight confession,… I am hereby addicted to reading challenges, Reading Challenge Addict badge created by Jorie in Canvaread-a-thons, read-a-longs, and other blogsphere community reading events! Yes. I, Jorie, of Jorie Loves A Story, have an addiction to reading! And, of daring myself to tackle one more ‘challenge’, despite already being committed to another already in-progress! I have discovered today, that I am NOT alone. Nor am I the only one PROUD of this affliction. Look for our ‘badge of honour’ to find us! OR, click to join, if you find your afflicted too!

I created a running list of all the particulars of each challenge or reading event that I take on under my *RALs & Challenges* page!! However, for the sake of declaring just how much of an addict I am in this regard, I shall list them in order of participation:

70 Authors Challenge: A Personal Challenge I created for myself to read 70 Authors in 24 months time; focusing on 1-5 books per author! Technically, this won’t count until the 2015 Tally, as it concludes in August 2015! Originally scheduled to be a challenge in 12 months, but I have re-considered this and extended it to two full years!

  1. Sci-Fi Experience: Declaration of Intent;
  2. The Classics Club: Year 1: tCC Master List
  3. Wuthering Heights Readalong: Declaration of Intent
  4. Bout of Books, 9.0: Declaration of Participation; Goals of the Bout; Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Concluding Thoughts
  5. Jane Austen Reading Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  6. 2014 TBR Pile Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  7. Rewind Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  8. William Shakespare Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  9. A Year of Re-Reading: Declaration of Intent
  10. Back to the Classics Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  11. Serious Series Reading Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  12. 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge: Declaration of Intent
  13. War & Peace Book Club: Declaration of Intent
  14. Banned Books Week: late September / early October

Reflections After the Fact: {work in progress!}

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Reading Challenge Addict is hosted by Bev of My Readers Block. Originally inspired into being by Cheryl of CMash Loves to Read & Gina of Hott Books! You have until 30 November 2013 to add your declaration post to count in the tally for the year! The way in which you know your such a reader is by noting the following:

  • Easy as Pie: {1-5 Challenges, entered + completed}
  • On the Roof: {6-10 Challenges, entered + completed}
  • In Flight: {11-15 Challenges, entered + completed}
  • Out of This World: 16+ Challenges, entered + completed}

From August to December 2013, I attempted like mad to achieve “On the Roof” status in this lovely Challenge! However, the hours elapsed far faster than my ability to read & complete the challenges prior to the beginning of 2014! Therefore, I am not only finishing! the previous challenges, but I am starting anew in 2014 with a clean slate as well! :) Follow my crazy-adventure as one girl inspires herself to read and dare to explore the intriguing worlds that each book leaves me in wanton for more! :)

What about you!? Are you addicted and afflicted by reading, too!!??!

{SOURCE: Reading Challenge Addict badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Monday, 30 December, 2013 by jorielov in 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge, A Year of Re-Reading, Back to the Classics, Banned Book Week, Jane Austen Reading Challenge, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Reading Challenge Addict, Reading Challenges, Rewind Challenge, Sci-Fi November, TBR Pile Challenge, The Sci-Fi Experience, William Shakespeare Challenge, Wonderfully Wicked, Wuthering Heights

*Book Cover Reveal*: Jackie Gamber’s “Reclamation” via Leland Dragons!

Posted Friday, 20 December, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

*NEWSFLASH* | *NEWSFLASH*

Jackie Gamber’s Leland Dragons series is about to get a third installment, picking up where Book 2 {Sela} left off! IF you may recall, I had the extreme pleasure of reading Book 1 {Redheart} not too long ago! I was consumed by the visceral imagery Ms. Gamber paints into the breadth of her fantastical world! You drink in the narrative as a traveler would observe his surroundings whilst visiting a foreign land, wholly unknown and unfamiliar. She pulls you into the setting by directly etching your heart into being sympathetic to the plight of the Dragons! I have been dreaming of returning into the Provinces ever since I was pulled back into my own everyday reality!

About the Author | Jackie Gamber

Jackie Gamber

You can read Gamber’s Full Biography, on her website, however, I learnt quite a few things about her whilst I was composing my questions for an interview! For instance, the essence of what she knew of dragons that originated from a dream she had that was the impetus to create “Redheart” shattered the misconceptions and perceptions of dragons, thus known in fantasy! She has a wicked sense for knowing which teas pair nicely with the books your palette is whet to taste! She took up knitting for its meditative qualities. If music is in the background whilst she writes, it has to be instinctively nondescript and ambient in nature, as if she hears a curious lyrical line it could shift her scene whilst its being penned! She is a retired servicewoman, secretary, and beloved Mum! She finds a keen balance between her writing and her family life. She adores the zoo beyond what words can express. She is a prolific short story writer. She runs a multi-verse platform for story-telling entitled: Allotrope Media, alongside her husband. Believing that a story has the freedom to express itself through multiple mediums. Insofar as being an accomplished playright and screenwriter! She excels at genre jumping but her heart is attached to science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

“Reclamation” : Book Three

Reclaimation | Book 3 Leland Dragons by Jackie Gamber
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry

Book Synopsis:

Leland Province remains in danger. The sinister Fordon Blackclaw has returned from the shadows to strike at the heart of neighboring Esra, killing its Venur and making clear his intentions to retake what was once his: Mount Gore, seat of the Leland Dragon Council.

All around, the land grows weaker and weaker. Leland, once thought saved by Kallon Redheart, is without purpose, and within its borders, Murk Forest, a place of mystery and danger, has driven its inhabitants to seek aid. Esra is in flames, and the Rage Desert grows. Dragon and human alike struggle to find their way, and the wizard Orman can sense that there may be more at stake than the affairs of dragons.

Hope remains, yet it is not without obstacles. In Esra, Sela, the daughter of Kallon and Riza, found the well, a source of life, and made herself whole again. But her homecoming is not what she had imagined.

Old wounds buried deep must reopen if life is to continue. Dragons, humans, wizards, and shape shifters are all at risk as the peace between dragon and human has finally been broken.

War is here.

The stakes?

Perhaps the whole world.

I am not sure about you, but as I haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading “Sela”, … I am a bit in the dark on full knowledge of Kallon & Riza’s daughter! Therefore, how do you think a happy-hearted reader reads this lovely wicked news!? She shouts out from the giddy bits of her soul, “EEK! They had a *daughter!* A daughter! Ohh, boy!” I was over the moon in merriment over this smashingly brilliant news because as foresaid, I simply adore this entire world of Leland Province! I didn’t want the narrative to end, nor did I want to exit the world completely once the story drew to a close! I felt akin to the principle leads in a way that I haven’t always felt connected to characters! Especially considering that I am re-discovering my niche in high fantasy and science fiction! Even if I am not able to read “Sela” in time, I have already put my hat into the toss to be included on the blog book tour for “Reclamation!” This book blogger is seriously stoked for its pending release!! And, she hopes you are too!

Shh!! I have a sneaking feeling I know what is behind “held on high” in this rather pivotal clue of the story!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Matthew Perry : Shines as Dragon Illustrator

Reclamation by Jackie Gamber | Illustration
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry
Reclamation by Jackie Gamber | Ilustration
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry

I am never fully prepared for what I am going to see included in the illustrative plates by Mr. Perry! He has a way of conveying emotional conviction and heart in each of his illustrations for the Leland Dragon series! The fullness of his designs, allow the reader to proportionate the action of the story against the innocence, joy, and terror of heightened danger! The dragons themselves are humanistic in quality, as you can see exactly what they are thinking, feeling, and conveying by body language and mannerism! A true gem to be inclusive of a series which paints such a hearty portrait of life not so very far away, in a world not entirely different from our own, where survival and the freedom to choose how one is meant to live is always in a constant battle against propriety and the struggle for power. I was enthralled with the first installment of this story, as you were able to absorb the scope of the history of this land without feeling as though you had to read a historical artifact to ascertain the depth of what was at stake. I credit this first to Gamber’s intuitive choices of narrative design and secondly, to Perry who takes her words and uses his palette of illustrative art to construct the realism which aides the reader’s journey!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Contact Information for Author | Illustrator

Official Author Websites: Gamber on Twitter; Personal Site;
Author Page: @ Seventh Star Press
Leland Dragons Official Website
Artist Page: Matthew Perry @ Seventh Star Press; Portfolio

[the Leland Dragons series (#LelandDragons)]

[Book One: Redheart]

[Book Two: Sela]

[Book Three: Reclamation]

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Cover Reveal Blog Hop courtesy of:

Tomorrow Comes Media Tour Host

Be sure to catch previous Gamber lovelies on JLAS:
Jorie reviewed Redheart {Book One}

and interviews Jackie Gamber, author of the Leland Dragon series!
This Book Cover Reveal was made possible by Tomorrow Comes Media. They have my full gratitude! And, Gamber is published by Seventh Star Press!

Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

Seventh Star Press

 Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The Star ChamberIF you want to hang out with authors of Seventh Star Press, book bloggers, authors at large, as well as the serendipitous twist of conversations which erupt out of an internet radio show? You’ll settle into a wicked hour-long podcast full of bookish content to not only entertain you but enlighten you: hop over to The Star Chamber Show main page on BlogTalkRadio! Tune in Wednesdays, at 9p! {including *Christmas DAY!*} Jorie is the unofficial live-tweeting secretary of the Chamber! You can read ‘near-transcripts’ of each podcast whilst digging through her TW Feed: @JLovesAStory !! Her own appearance was in Episode 2!
Haven’t heard of The Star Chamber?
Check out my Bitly Bundle: The Star Chamber Show! Don’t forget to TWEET: @starchambershow
Hopeful to see Gamber make an appearance in an upcoming Chamber podcast!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Jackie Gamber Featured : The Star Chamber Show #21

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with The Star Chamber on BlogTalkRadio

IF you’re a regular reader of Seventh Star Press titles, what draws you into their fantasy selections? What do you appreciate about Gamber’s visual scope of story-telling? Do you seek out other writers of dragon fiction? Which are your favourites? Stay and converse for a spell letting me know what gets you jazzed about stellar fantasy releases such as “Reclamation!”

{SOURCES: Cover art of “Reclamation” and the illustrations therein by Matthew Perry, Jackie Gamber’s photograph, and Book Synopsis were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Seventh Star Press logo badge provided by Seventh Star Press and used with permission. Post dividers were provided by Shabby Blogs, who give bloggers free resources to add personality to their blogs. Cover Reveal badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Podcast of Jackie Gamber on BlogTalkRadio was able to be embedded due to codes provided by The Star Chamber Show’s page on BlogTalkRadio.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Friday, 20 December, 2013 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, BlogTalkRadio, Book Cover Reveal, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Guest Author on the Chamber, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Podcast, Seventh Star Press, The Star Chamber Show, Tomorrow Comes Media, Young Adult Fiction

*Book Review*: Love At First Slight by J. Marie Croft

Posted Monday, 16 December, 2013 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Love At First Slight by J. Marie CroftLove at First Slight by J. Marie Croft 

Author’s Pin(terest) Boards:
Love At First Slight +
Textaisles

Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Historical

| Regency | Jane Austen Sequel

Published by: Meryton Press, 1 November 2013

Available Format: Paperback | Page Count: 270


Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a stop on “Love At First Slight” Virtual Book Tour, hosted by Meryton Press. I received a complimentary copy of “Love At First Slight”  in exchange for an honest review by the publisher Meryton Press. The book released on 1st November 2013. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. This marks my first review for Meryton Press!

My connection to the Author & the Novel:

Originally you might recall, I took part in the Book Cover Reveal for this novel on the 30th of August, 2013. I had received a curious email from the original publisher Rhemalda Press expressing interest of book bloggers who wanted to share the joy of the forthcoming release by J. Marie Croft. Having dipped into the Regency this year through participation of August in August, whereupon I re-read my beloved Pride and Prejudice whilst hinged to September’s Classics Re-Told Reading Challenge! I must confess I was deeply curious about which direction Ms. Croft would spin her tale of Darcy & Elizabeth knowing full well the tides were tipped askew as in this rendition of the story “Darcy” was meant to be a lass named Elizabeth, wherein making the “Bennett” a “William”! A flip on heel after canon seemed rather fitting of a story to follow on the foot heels of having read the original! Or, thus I rather thought would be a rather splendid reading!

With the closure of Rhemalda Press in a rather abrupt motion, I was in the dark as far as the pre-promised stop on the blog book tour which as of mid-September was no longer set to happen! I realised the news whilst opening up the former Press website reading on their behalf the letter they had publicly released. I quickly contacted Ms. Croft, to infer my disheartened heart on her behalf, as although I had wanted to read her story I felt grievously worse for her as her book was now in stasis! At the very same moment, I learnt her book had then been picked up by Meryton Press, which delighted me over the very moon in excitement! I was celebrating whole-heartedly the good fortune of having this novel picked up so quickly!

From that moment forward, I have been in the background waiting to see Love At First Slight grow wings and lift off into reader’s hands! I patiently waited word that the book was being released in print and would be available to receive in exchange for an honest review by those of us who had previously been in contact with Rhemalda were given the option to review for Meryton! Over the course of the months (September through December), the author and I have exchanged a few notes whereupon the seed of friendship had been planted. As she was one of the first who saw the name of my blog and fully understood the cheeky humour which is contained therein! I look forward to watching this book grab hold of readers hearts as much as I look forward to knowing Ms. Croft a bit better in the future! How blessed am I for this experience! And, yes, the book is in my hands at long last!


Synopsis of the story:

“It may not be universally acknowledged,
but the unvarnished truth is that a young widow
in possession of a good fortune is not necessarily in want of another husband.”

In this humorous, topsy-turvy Pride & Prejudice variation, all the gender roles are reversed. It is Mr. Bennet’s greatest wish to see his five sons advantageously married. When the haughty Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield with the Widow Devonport nee Bingley, speculation—and prejudice—runs rampant.

William Bennet, a reluctant and irreverent future reverend, catches Miss Darcy’s eye even though he is beneath her station. However, his opinion of her was fixed when she slighted him at the Meryton Assembly. As her ardour grows, so does his disdain, and when she fully expects to receive an offer of marriage, he gives her something else entirely ….

J. Marie Croft
Photo Credit: Glane Gorveatt
J. Marie Croft lives in Nova Scotia and divides her time among working at a music lesson centre, geocaching (a high-tech treasure hunt) with her husband, and writing. Her stories are lighthearted; and her tag line is Jane Austen’s quote, “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.” A member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Canada), she admits to being excessively attentive to the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Adult twin daughters are the light of her life even though they don’t appreciate Mr. Darcy the way ‘Momzie” does. She can be contacted at her website: J. Marie Croft

A most curiously familiar cast of characters:

For readers who consider themselves Janeites &/or Austenites, the curious familiarity of the cast of characters found in Love At First Slight, will by no means be found as daunting to unravel as someone entering this lovely Regency world for the first time! The players, of whom, you are most apt to want to keep track off from the jump-start will be as follows:  (counterpart characters are next to their names!)

Benjamin & Flora Bennett – parents of five unmarried, unattached singletons (all male heirs!): Martin (Mary) the studious and oppressively observant elder brother who finds himself befit siblings of social reproach!; Charles (Jane) the loveable sibling who chooses to see the world as an optimist; William (Elizabeth) a bit jaded and indifferent to society’s constrictions; and twins! Laurence and Christopher taking up the rear! (clearly of whom reek more of Lydia’s faults than the sense of Kitty) Uniquely in this spin, its Benjamin not Flora who is consumed by ill-fated nerves of seeing his sons married, which puts the weight of their betrothals on a father rather than a mother! She, in turn, takes her cue from the original Mr. Bennett having a preference for solidarity, reading, and staying outside the sphere of the social specter!

The Lucases (Sir William & Lady Lucas) – parents of  Marcus & Clarence are the Bennett’s rivals for marriage!

The Gardiners – are still involved in the story, though this time a sad referee of knowledge for the Bennett brothers, knowing that even if their heart’s lie in opposite fields of choice, they are each meant to acquire their own livings based on the lot they were given to achieve. The Gardiners happily are still the winsome supporters of their nephews!

Elizabeth Darcy – in lieu of FitzWilliam, gives her earnest début as a woman with as much of an affront on country society as her affable counterpart! She lends the impression of being stalwart stubborn in both extolling her position whilst interacting with others as much as her own countenance.

Jane (Bingley) Devonport – in lieu of Charles is a widow in this after canon, who is determined to take up residence at Netherfield Hall. She, like him before her, has a delicate heart and an innocence of life which is what draws each to their respective heart’s desire.

Casper & Leonard Bingley – are decidedly worse than their original counterparts as they are oppressively snobbish and prejudicial of their peers!

Miss Olivia Collins, sister of William Collins  – an obtusely droll sister who does her counterpart well in her appearance! Except that she has a streak of humility not afforded Mr. Collins (of Pride), to where she gives a glimpse of her softened repose of a woman most in want of a husband. Her pursuit is more of a natural yearning to be part of a union of a complimentary couple rather than the sole pursuit of many of her age. She is of course prone to tone out propriety and settle for long examinations of ramblings no one else has quite the ear towards hearing!

William Collins – (first Cousin of Mr. Bennett) being the clergy under the coattails of Sir Lewis de Bourgh of Rosings Park, is a necessary inclusion.

Miss Felicity Wickham – the wickedly devious bane of Miss Darcy’s existence, of whom could only bring a blight of misery on the Bennett’s! If parallel worlds were compliant she would be the other Wickham’s evil twin! Thus far as to say, they both had the perfect presence for inserting themselves into people’s lives for the pure exulting measure of advancing their own interests!

One happy coincidence the reader will notice most surely is how clever the choices in names, Ms. Croft bestowed on her characters! For Jane fell in love with Charles Bingley in the original Pride and Prejudice, and here, she is widowed by a ‘Bingley’, or rather a ‘Jane’ is widowed by one such fellow! Ha! Using William as the character to go up against Elizabeth is rather classic, if you consider outfitting this William as a Deacon meant to be a Cleric as more mirth and folly than one could hope be afforded! Charles Bingley’s name is donned by the love of his life Jane’s retold character in this story! Little curious oddities and irrepressible delights start this story off on the right footing!

Gathering my wits and alighting into Netherfield:

I regret that my plans to become acquainted with after canons this year, failed in the regard that I was not able to construct the time needed in either August or September for proper readings! Therefore, I am going in a bit blind with this reading as to know how others’ have handled their variations and versions of Pride and Prejudice. I can attest that the humour wrought through the storyline is a bit out of the reach of Jane Austen, as I think she might have blushed by some of the satire for the bluntly common joviality! However, I find Croft’s cheekily woven humour to light a bit of a punch and edge into a story that is as well-known as this, to effectively change the story to where it’s nearly its own tale altogether!

Having said that, it still remains true to how most of Pride plays out, as it is William who must walk over field and meadow in the mud to seek the condition of his ailing brother Charles (rather than Elizabeth seeking Jane!), only to find as a gobsmacked surprise in having Elizabeth (Darcy!) sympathise with his endearing nature to be with his brother, verse the discontentment of the Bingley brothers who felt most put out! From this timeless exchange of familial respect between the respective families, we find Croft venturing into new territory. Your not expecting to find one character smitten by the other, nor to have each of the characters observed in ways of which were not seen in the original. I like how Croft manages to breathe new life into a story all of us have come to know as our own. It lends itself a bit of a mystery as to where the characters are meant to entreat as much as striving to give the reader a new line of suspense upon the ending chapters! I must admit, whilst reading of Elizabeth’s wanton remarks on reflection of William, I nearly saw her inner voice rather than her outer countenance of an upper-class snob! Methinks perhaps this is a bit of a ploy on the author’s part to see how far a reader is willing to go as far as to suspend their own judgement (à la prejudice) towards Elizabeth, as she in full effect is replacing everyone’s beloved FitzWilliam! As for my own mind (and heart!) I like to travel a bit further into the heart of a story before formulating an opinion one way or the other, as far as knowing the true merit of a person’s character and the conviction of their actions as they are relayed.

If I can be so bold as to say, this version of Netherfield is like walking through a time portal to jaunt yourself into an alternative version of the place you last left your feet! You might look around, noticing bits and bobbles of what is already known, but at the very same time, everything appears to be a bit different, a bit off or left of center from whence you where here previously. In those little grievances of change, you start to realise that you’re seeing the familiar in a whole new dimension that is both invigorating and confusing! It takes a bit to draw your bearings, but once you do, I’d be plumb aghast if another reader hadn’t found herself (or himself) in step with this Netherfield as readily as a viewer could step through the portal known as “Lost in Austen”.

My Review of Love At First Slight:

As you fingers pull open the pages of a beloved story’s after canon, re-envisioned in a wholly new and plausible set of circumstances which start to alight in your mind’s eye as though your only re-entering a dance you had sat out the last set of; you’ll find yourself readily acquainted with the key players, with a lurking suspicion that even as they are familiar, there is a measure of freshness to their embodiment! They might speak in the same language of the age, they might even ring true their incarnated spirits of their originals, but wherein you find the familiar, there is a level of wanton choice to make these characters stand on their own laurels. As the story first reveals itself to you, a nod of a notice is given to the author whose passion for Austen’s style of romance is clearly evident as is her ability to convey her own spin on the previous writer’s incantation of a woman too prejudice and of a man too proud! I oft felt they both exchanged their own vices, and theirs was a story of how pride and prejudice towards those you barely know can lead you in such extraordinary corridors of choice!

Therein lies the departure, as Love At First Slight, stands on its own feet as a story of unpredictable turns at moments when even the reader was the last one to suspect the avenues ventured! There is a craft to willing a reader to circumvent their own perceptions of a story, as your only able to base your stances on what you read as a story is read. In this, lies a territory for jostling with the reader’s heart! Yet, it is artistry to switch the tables on gender-specific roles both in structure of story as much as in dialogue. Subtle changes in who originates which bit of speech, and yet, in lieu of a lady for a gent, the ability to ascertain the intent behind the structure changes in one fluid motion! And, of course, the reverse is equally as true!

Without the worriment over an entail due to a lack of a male heir, Croft had disentangled the one key ingredient Austen had left inside the story to dig deeper into the woe of marriage for five unwed singletons. Seeing the story play out to befit men rather than ladies, I admit proved to be a unique glimpse into another side of living altogether. It’s not only a reversal of gender, but of status, and the perception of status therein. The stage in which the story is set ebbs along with the changes to where even the secondary characters start to act outside of their spheres!

Longbourn was never more appealing of a visitation as it is in this story. There is a key observation made on Mr. Bennett’s behalf in the opening passages of Chapter 1, Volume II. The ingenuity of the comparison Croft gave in this section was as befitting as Mrs. Bennett in the original! How I applaud clever observations by giving examples such as the one I had for Taking Root in Provence, where I used a latte to guide my expression of the narrative therein! Giving a bit of reality to the mannerisms of a character bent towards the extreme is a cheeky way of representing them, I do believe! All the lovely little quirks that befall the Bennett family are still inside this tale of their residence at Longbourn. By the time this section of the novel is reached you nearly suspend all logic that there were a version of filt with females rather than excitable males! Three cheers for Croft for having a seamless transition! I also loved how she inserted a passion for Shakespeare by borrowing key references which befit scenes, dialogue, and character with such alacrity as to be struck as natural!

Getting caught up in the everyday jovial notions of Regency life is quite easier when a writer abides the time to include them in their narrative! Croft excels at giving out little bobbles of the Regency, as she doesn’t flout over trivialities but rather revels in them! Your taken abreast of everything you would see, smell, hear, taste, and bear in Regency society! To where I find this exploit of Austenesque literature to be on every Janeite’s shelf of pleasure!

A Special Note on Darcy & William:

One of the attractions for me whilst reading the original Pride and Prejudice is the vexation of having two people who feel transfixed by their oppositional personalities, come to terms with their attraction for one another. In this story, we see the underpinnings of attraction alighting through new circumstances and interjections of dialogue not yielded into view in the original. In this, we can celebrate that at the very heart and nature of a Darcy | Bennett connection there are the under-threadings of wickedly decisive and independently strong individuals who are not used to bending as a willow to give someone the proper chance to fall in love with them. Compromise to them is as devastating as becoming an invalid through illness! The sparring between them in this narrative is as delightful as the first square-off I saw them in when their roles were in reverse! I think it’s always a champion idea to pit would-be couples at odds with each other in a story where your attempting to focus on not only the strong of will but the strength of individual character. Not everyone is always prepared to enter into a betrothal if they feel they have to yield past the point of what they are willing give as concession to another in the relationship. When two strong-minded souls first start to butt heads, I do believe, its in that chance happenstance of a moment they are either going to end up parting company OR they are going become married with the knowledge their relationship will be full of fire and smouldering affections thereafter!

What I most appreciated was the sincerity of William’s appreciation for the natural world around him! Like Lizzy before him, he was as determined to remember where he walked and where he lived as much as she had! They each were attune to the natural environs in ways where their peers would readily forsake the realm for Town! Earthly in sport and of a belief where finding a balance between work and play is a necessity rather than an off-handed foray of play, I found William to be boldly different from FitzWilliam! As I find William a Lord of the Manor, of whom would toil more in the grit of the soil and in the caring of the fields moreso than FitzWilliam, of whom I always felt would delegate the everyday work load. William is ruggedly attached to the land and to preserving the history of how the land has been maintained. In direct comparison, FitzWilliam was more apt to be a caretaker-in-arms, standing guard and overseeing the management of the estate from an executive position. Herein lies the appeal of both characters and the point of perspectives they bring to their roles!

Elizabeth on the other hand is decidedly trickier to get a feel for as she is curious kept cleverly from the reader’s view. Little humanistic qualities peek out in-between the sequences of her interactions, but the true heart of her mind and being are as much of a mystery for the reader as they are for William!

An affection for words, this writer gives to all of thee:

Croft chooses to take the reader to higher grounds of literary enlightenment by her carefully selected words and turns of phrase contained within the pages of Love At First Slight. The entitlement of her novel is a clever twist on the original, but it’s how she chooses to infuse her character’s mannerisms, quirky natures, and expressions of personality that sets her a bit apart from other authors. She’s one of the true wordsmiths who is as giddy about lesser known verbs, adjectives, and nouns as I am! I can see she must have amassed quite the library of dictionaries and thesauruses too! The words may not easily tip-off the tongue but they endeavour even the causal reader to sit up and take stock of what the writer is entreating to teach them! Let the language of the novel inspire a bit of wordplay in all of us, celebrating the depth of the English language and the heart of a Regency romance!

This blog book tour stop was courtesy of Meryton Press,

due check out my upcoming bookish events!

Cross-listed to be included in:

Classics Re-Told badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Cas Cornelissen (Public Domain : Unsplash).

Thank you for your patience in awaiting this review. Illness forestalled its presence!

I am thus far intrigued with Croft’s prose in the world of Pride and Prejudice,

that I took it upon myself to ILL “Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge”!

Love at First Slight
by J. Marie Croft
Source: Direct from Publisher

Genres: Romance Fiction, After Canons, Historical Romance



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Meryton Press

Format: Paperback

Pages: 270

{SOURCES: Author photograph of J. Marie Croft & Book Synopsis given originally by Rhemalda Press, used again with permission of author in this review as both are still current for press purposes. Book Cover for Meryton Press edition of Love At First Slight given by author and used by permission. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee Designs to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Classics Re-Told badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Cas Cornelissen (Public Domain : Unsplash).}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Love At First Slight – J. Marie Croft: The Love At First Slight Book Club – (thesecretunderstandingofthehearts.blogspot.com)

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Posted Monday, 16 December, 2013 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, After the Canon, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Classics Re-Told: 19th Century & Gothic Classics, England, Historical Fiction, Jane Austen Sequel, Meryton Press, Pride & Prejudice Re-telling, Re-Told Tales, Reading Challenges, Regency Era, Romance Fiction, Sequel Authors

*Literary Journal Review*: China Grove, Premier Issue!

Posted Monday, 16 December, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , 2 Comments

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China Grove Press

Two doctors in Mississippi bring their love of literature to life in their new independent literary journal, “China Grove,” debuting August 28.

Edited by R. Scott Anderson MD and Lucius M. “Luke” Lampton MD, the first issue features an exclusive interview with National Book Award winner Ellen Gilchrist and a new short story from her latest book “Acts of God.” Also inside readers will find a previously unseen letter from Mark Twain about an unpublished work called “The Great Republic’s Peanut Stand,” a love letter from Pulitzer Prize winner Eudora Welty to crime-fiction writer Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald) with an insight into the entire collection of Welty-Millar correspondence unsealed for the first time just this year, and of course original submissions from fresh writers across the country.

Lampton grew up in the thick of southern literature. He lived among the likes of Willie Morris, Shelby Foote, Walker Percy, and Welty herself. He publishes a community newspaper called The Magnolia Gazette. As an author of monthly columns, screenplays and three books, Anderson experienced first hand the up-hill battle new writers have in getting attention for their work. So with their combined knowledge and interests, “China Grove” was born.

“Our goal is to give talented newcomers a chance to be published next to legends, and to see the history of what it is they’ve chosen to pursue as a vocation,” Anderson said.

Going forward, the lit-loving doctors plan to publish two issues in 2014 and go quarterly in subsequent years. They accept unpublished short fiction, poetry and essays for consideration. Every issue will feature a cornerstone interview with a famous Mississippi author. Among their next targets is Gulfport’s Natasha Trethewey, the current United States Poet Laureate.

The journal will also award two new literary prizes: The Gilchrist Prize in Short Fiction given biannually starting Fall 2014 with a monetary gift of $2,000, and The China Grove Prize in Poetry starting in 2015.

Submissions should be sent in through the “China Grove” website. The deadline for the February 2014 issue is October 1, 2013, and for the August 2014 issue is April 1, 2014. Single copy issues in print or online are $18. Subscriptions are $45 for the first three issues.

www.ChinaGrovePress.com

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Acquired Journal By: I work with JKS Communications Literary Publicity Firm on blog book tours as well as other press releases that I feel fit in with Jorie Loves A Story. (example: James River Writers Conference) When I received word they were seeking bloggers to read & review the new Southern Literary Journal I have been hearing a lot of wicked sweet compliments about, I knew that I had to toss my hat in to see if I could be one of the lucky participants! One such place was Southern Belle View Daily! I was selected to receive the first-ever issue of China Grove in exchange for an honest review by the publisher China Grove Press; I received a complimentary copy of the journal directly by JKS Communications Literary Publicity Firm. The journal originally published in August 2013. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. This marks my first review of a literary journal!

Piqued Curiosity of Literary Journals: You may have noticed in my right sidebar are a causal mentioning of literary journals I am currently seeking out. I have long since wanted to read literary journals, ever since I first learnt that many a writer received their start in one! I have fond memories of scouring the bookishly bent journals at big box bookshoppes over the past years, seeing if I could find copies in person of the journals I had read about online! The one I heard the most about is The American Scholar but it also happens to be one of the ones not carried locally! I sought out pulp fiction journals, science fiction & fantasy journals, as well as journals whose literary merit would push me in and out of what I am used to reading. I like to cultivate a diverse array of literary wanderings (smiles), which I am sure to the ready reader of JLAS this will not come as a surprise! Thus, imagine my excitement when Ms. Curnutte told me I would be receiving a copy to drink in and share my thoughts about on Jorie Loves A Story?!

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About the Editors of China Grove:

R. SCOTT ANDERSON MD is a radiation oncologist who serves as the Medical Director of Anderson Cancer Center in Meridian, Mississippi.

A dyslexic kid in early 1960’s Kentucky, the written word was indecipherable to him, until the art classes his mother signed him up for gave him a way to see the world so that it made more sense.

He later served as a Navy diver working in operations in the Middle East, Central America, and in support of the Navy’s EOD community, SEALS, the U.S. Army’s Green Berets, the Secret Service, and the New York Police Department at various times during his time in the service.

The father of seven has written a family oriented literary column in the JOURNAL of the Mississippi State Medical Association for the past six years and repurposed some of those into his latest book “The Uncommon Thread.” His debut novel “Time Donors Wanted” released in 2011, and his newest book “The Hard Times” comes out this year.

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LUCIUS M. “LUKE” LAMPTON MD is a family physician in Magnolia also serving as chairman of the Mississippi State Board of Health.

He’s been the editor of the JOURNAL of the Mississippi State Medical Association and editor and publisher of the Magnolia Gazette (in continuous publication since 1872), which in recent years branched into book publishing as well. He edited the student newspaper at Rhodes College, and later as a medical student won the William Carlos Williams Poetry Award for his poem “witchdoctor.”

Now a teacher himself at three universities, Lampton grew up learning at the knee of and becoming friends with famed writers like Eudora Welty, Shelby Foote, Walker Percy, Willie Morris and Barry Hannah. He hasn’t so much studied the history of Southern Literature as he’s lived it. His insights are up close and first hand, making for a unique perspective to the literary journal.

Lampton authored several entries and the appendix for the Mark Twain Encyclopedia, eleven entries for the upcoming Mississippi Encyclopedia, and contributed numerous other pieces to other publications.

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You might have noticed one of the Editors and I share a learning difficulty in common, which I go into detail about under “My Bookish Life“. Being dyslexic is a unique perspective whilst growing up, and I can attest that art has a way of opening up dimensions of understanding where traditional learning can fall a bit short! I studied art whilst I was younger myself! In fact, I was always supplementing my education with both art and science, as I practically ‘lived at the local science center!’ during the Summers, as much as I was always up to my knuckles in oil pastels, oil paint, and pencils! The curious notation to make is that many dyslexics like Dr. Anderson and I, end up creating a niche as creative economists who share their passion for literature and the written word! I say, “Rock on, Dr. Anderson!” your a bright beacon of light for children who were not as readily encouraged to pursue our passions and seek out alternative learning outlets! I am even happier to showcase a spotlight on this literary journal knowing that I am not the only one who forged ahead despite having to fight to understand the written word!

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A Q & A with the Editors:

Why “China Grove” for the title?           

Anderson:  China Grove was the site for Welty’s short story, “Why I Live at the P. O.”  Sister was the Postmistress of “the second smallest post office in Mississippi.”  I love the conundrum of the unreliable narrator that the story posed.  Luke incidentally owns a good bit of what’s left of it (China Grove), covered in pines on a small corner of southern Mississippi.

Lampton:  Scott is right. Welty and the real China Grove, my ancestral homeplace, are the inspiration for it.  I do own much of this historic ghost town. All that remains, outside of gullies of old roads and a few old abandoned shacks, is a slave-built clapboard Methodist Church and its adjoining cemetery. It was the earliest village on Magee’s Creek, with its post office established in 1827. By 1921, the post office was closed, and the once thriving town soon was considered “extinct.”  Scott refers to Welty’s China Grove, and our China Grove is likewise a haven for literature. Like Eudora’s narrator/postmistress, we can find refuge at home, at China Grove, among our relatives and friends.  But “China Grove” is even more than that, speaking to elemental qualities in the American South.  Chinaberry trees (Melia azedarch), which were planted in a grove shading the original church in the 1820s, were a foreign species, native to Asia, introduced in this near-tropical climate.  Somehow they survived and even thrived.  They were ornamental trees with sweet smelling lavender blossoms and yellow poisonous berries.  Like the original settlers, soon to become “Southerners,” they were foreign born and exotic, but became as native as any natives.  Such is the South, and such is America.

How is “China Grove” unique to other literary journals?

Anderson:  Perhaps that it is run by two people that are so different in terms of taste and temperament, who both still love writing. It’s easy to allow yourself to get boxed in, in terms of how you define yourself, “Oh yes we are going to be a southern Paris Review.”  “No, no, we should be the reincarnation of the Mississippi Oxford American.” I have no ambitions to be either thing and neither does Luke.  We are, Scott and Luke and each and every one of us involved in its production’s version of what a literary journal can be, a place to see both the past and the future, the tried and the experimental, authors of every stripe and level giving you something important that they want you to see. And they are things you need to see, perspectives you need to explore. For your own sake.

Lampton:  By the way, I miss every deadline and drive my more manic partner crazy.  But we are perfect partners, brothers and enemies, all in one.  There is tension and love. What binds us, besides my great admiration of Scott as a gifted and unique artist, is that we both seek to promote good and ambitious literature and art.  Ford Maddox Ford, forgive us for the comparison, calls himself in his prelude to The March of Literature “an old man mad about writing.”  Scott and I, with grey hair increasing daily, certainly define ourselves as Ford did. This is a magazine mad about writing.  The community of letters and art needs cheerleaders and champions.  Perhaps China Grove can make its contribution.

Anderson: What’s a guy with such an illustrious background as yours outside of literature doing publishing a literary journal? 

Anderson:  I don’t know about illustrious, but I have had a great life, I think I’ve actually had two or three so far.  I’ve had the chance to do things I love. I love medicine, but my love of literature came first.  Maybe because I was dyslexic.  I couldn’t read. I couldn’t write.  Then through painting I learned a new way to see the world in three dimensions, suddenly the letters and numbers floated free in my mind unencumbered by the lines of my Big Chief tablet or the pages of a book.  They came together to form words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, and books.  And now I could paint them all and they made sense.  It was truly like a dam had burst.  I was filled with a need to read, a need to fill a sense of the emptiness of years deprived.  That love has never died.  It is a gift to be able to read our submissions. Sure, not everybody can get chosen.  Sure, some of the submitters don’t fit my sensibilities.  But I am still filled with what a gift I’ve been given to have the chance to read them.  I am still a child in this, albeit a child with a journal to fill, but a child nonetheless.

Do you only take Southern submissions?

Anderson:  Writers who submit need to understand that getting selected won’t be easy, and selections won’t be regionally restrictive.  We are what we publish, and while our editors and content readers are southern, it’s my opinion that Southern Literature as an idiom is not broad enough to showcase the best new writers in the current literary environment. So the short answer is, no, we take the best we’re given.

Lampton:  Hell no.  I am a great fan of Russian literature, and we are seeking the descendants of Chekhov, Pasternak, and Tolstoy.  Do you know any?

Lampton: What did you learn from your personal connections with Southern literary greats such as Shelby Foote (who taught you in college) and Willie Morris (who you knew and also acted as an editor of your paper)? 

Lampton:  Shelby told me to keep my day job.  I think his exact words were “hang out your shingle first,” then pursue literature.  Good advice, and I thank him for it.  He had struggled not only for his art but also to feed his family.  He understood that for most artists and writers, it’s a struggle, especially financially, and especially if you are true to your art.  I think Shelby taught me that writing is worth a grown man’s time and a very serious matter.  What about Willie? He lacked Shelby’s discipline and drank too much.  But he was an artist who conquered New York City.  And he also gave me my first literary hero close to home (how I worshipped him in junior high school), and my every encounter endeared him to me.  He wasted much of his enormous talent, I’m afraid.  But what a brilliant, noble, and beautiful spirit.

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| Stepping into China Grove |

The table of contents is quickly followed by a lovely section of biographies of each of the contributors whose pieces are spilt into the following categories: Historical Perspectives, Interviews, Fiction, Essays / Non-fiction, and Poetry. What I appreciated is that they included a prelude to the journal by explaining a bit more about the appealment and inspiration behind the name China Grove, which was contributed by Dr. Lampton. The name infers not only the location of a specific towne in Mississippi but rather a Chinaberry tree drawing a measure of rooted connectivity. Eudora Welty shares in the Presses namesake as having alighted China Grove the towne in one of her stories. They make becoming acquainted with a literary journal an easy assimilation for the novice! Each of the sections of the journal are clearly writ out and accessible. You do not have to follow in step with the order at hand, if you’d prefer to jump around rather than go straight-through! They bespoke of the tradition of carrying forward the tradition of seeking out ordinary writers who will one day become well-known names in literature as much as shining a spotlight on writers who are established. In this vein, they are ingeniously endearing themselves not only to their growing readership but at the heart, of what every writer would hope to seek in a literary journal!

| Illuminating Mark Twain |

I hadn’t realised until the journal was in my hands to read, that Mr. Twain had suffered through devastating loss at a time in his life where I believe he would have been considered of ‘retired age’ by modern standards. This is curious to me, as although I have oft heard of stories of Twain whilst growing up, and of course, in knowing of his contributions to literature being widely receptive in my own generation, I never knew of his struggles in later life! Nor did I realise he became ever writer’s champion for securing copyright for their individual works! I find this most curious because one of the earliest lessons a writer learns is how to protect their creative works and seek the protection of their writings. I hadn’t realised the beginning of this gift we each are given stemmed out of the hard work and dedication of a writer I have always been most curious to investigate further, ever since having learnt of his Autobiographies being released in separate volumes. To me, if a man can measure his contribution by the mark of a project whose depth and breadth cannot even be contained into a single volume tome, then this is a man who is worth the attention of all men, not only those who are literary inclined. Any further insight into his character and of his beliefs is a happenstance discovery!

| Eudora Welty: An unexpected letter writer |

As someone who can attest to the joys of exchanging letters with those who live in far-off places from where we reside, I can see how she found the wings to become close to a man she exchanged correspondence. In that, whilst we write our lives down in the context of paper and pen, taking flight tucked inside envelopes on the mercy of delivery by those who deliver the Post, we find the ability to give a truer picture of who we are. Letters are rather magical in this regard as we lay bear our confidences alongside our dreams, and take into our hearts the conversations which etch into time as they alight. What took me by surprise is knowing the full scope of Welty & Millar’s relationship was bounded inside the confines of their exchanges! Neither was free to pursue the other in a relationship past paper and pen! I find this tragic as it sounds to me as they were two souls who found inside each other their true compliments . I appreciated this spectrum of disclosure, as although Welty has been known to me in ‘name and persona’, her works are amongst those I have not yet read. Seeing her frailties as a woman in love gives her a warm glow of how strong of a writer she truly was if only to extend past her own hurdles to give back a legacy of words to others.

| Ellen Gilchrist: An Interview |

A writer of poems and novels, of whom I had not yet become acquainted with until this reading. A woman who I admired as soon as I read where she didn’t appreciate the pigeon-holed side effect of being a self-declared writer ‘in school’ to where your teachers will always try to assert their own beliefs of where your own writing is meant to take you! I felt a moment of pride reading that she, like me, stood her ground and decided to be the sole person to define who she is as a writer. Even if that meant that being considered a ‘poet’ and a ‘novelist’ might not be the sum of the entire picture, it lends a mirror into the part of her of whom most will readily see. I had to smile whilst being questioned to explain herself as a writer to the Editors of whom were interviewing her. She smirked her answers conveying in a way only another writer would recognise as to dodge to be narrowed into a particular vein if one plans to keep the discovery of how we write a bit of a mystery to those who read our stories. How can you not smile reading that she’s receiving permission to write stories in which real names are revealed whilst conveying her intentions through Facebook? Ms. Gilchrist is a writer who gives new meaning and perspective on how lit with fire a creative can be at any age.

| Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Ellen Gilchrist |

Apparently not a writer to shy away from a hard-edge opening scene, as this short story opens in the setting of Heathrow Airport during a potential threat of an attack! I am not sure what I was expecting to read (given the title!), however, this proved to be a provocative opening as it lends a certain visceral level of intensity!  The characters are ruminating about how absurdly trivial it would be to cast characters into Tuscany as a life-evolving excursion of discovery, as its been done far to often at the time they are conversing. From there this short extends into each women’s personal views and how their lives are intersecting at point of departure. As their delay grows into a parlay of extorted virtues of drinks, they start to take stock of their plight with uncanny irony! In true round-robin fashion, each of the key characters starts to relate their own life’s story in such a fullness of mirth to give the reader a hearty chucklement! Its a perfect compliment of a short for anyone who needs good jolt of satire to lift their spirits! As well with just a touch of suspense to keep you hanging for the conclusion! I loved the serendipitous nature of how the story unfolded and how the reader felt as the tale progressed! I cannot wait to seek out more of her writings!

| Going the Back Way … a Southernism by Dwalia South |

A reflective essay on extolling the virtues of taking the longer way to your destination if it yields the serenity of scenery across your view. I can relate to this reflection, as I have oft suggested that if anyone wanted to trek to Micanopy, stopping for a day of walking underneath billowing oak trees, ducking into antique stores, and sipping on piping hot coffee, they best take Old 301 in order to seek out the ‘true image of the back-roads of Florida’ whilst gaining ground on their destination. Like most Southern states, Florida has its own niche of hidden treasures. For me, taking the long way around to where your headed is a delight for the senses as much as for your eyes, because you can drink in the natural variety of Floridian treasure as your car ambles its way down a winding road few cars now traverse! As time etched forward you notice little differences in your route, little memories of people you’ve met, places you’ve passed, and the intersection of time carrying through the modern age. This is a story of one person’s reflection of what was gained by taking a route others might have felt held no value, but then, can any value be put on the quality of how we spend our time?

*NOTE: Through an advert for China Grove Books, I learnt that Ms. South is actually “Dr. South!” and is an MD akin to the Editors! Quirky coincidence!?

| Spotlight on Poems |

There are a plethora of poems contained within this inaugural edition of the journal, however, a few stood out to me to mention:

  • River Lust by Kate Dwiggins, whose poetry is a soft caress for the senses
  • Horn Island by Kendall Dunkelberg, a poet with a lushness of imagery and philosophy
  • A Taste of Poison by Dr. Scott Anderson, MD (Editor), on the merit of taking risks and daring to live free

| The Storyteller by Michelle Herold |

A turn-table of introspective images of seeing your family through an outside lens, of how each of your loved ones will be seen from the outside. As one family decides who needs to become the next story-teller, of whom will be a keeper of the living histories of her lineage. The weight of the duties of the story-teller is generally given to a child, of whom has to live suspended from their parents in order to inhabit the full effect of the stories needed to be passed down. One family’s grandmother must make the choice of whom will take the serious aspects of this undertaking into consideration when she chooses her protegé. A story which crosses into self-identity across ethnic lines of inheritance. As the story took a turn in direction, I was a bit blindsided in knowing what would happen. I felt this was a story of passing on the inheritance of history, rather than the outpouring of a memory which was knitted tightly into emotional bonds.

| Gratitude for Reviewing the 1st Edition |

I chose to highlight pieces of my reading which spoke to me in a way that I felt should be mentioned in my review. There are many more options of where a reader might find themselves headed as they pick up this first edition of China Grove. Perhaps the stories I chose to mention were ones that they felt were sought in deference of another they felt deserved a mentioning too! One of the blessings of reading a literary journal, I have soon found out, is that we each have the ability to read through the offerings, pulling out the words and stories each writer contributed and finding where our heart is willing to take us next. Some of the pieces will strike a strong resonance in us whereas others might be only a passing fancy for the time we were reading them. The best bits are finding the sparks of words which illuminate in our minds as being a grateful blessing of discovery. Writers and poets we might not have endeavoured to seek out on our own yearnings, are stitched into the fabric of this journal, awaiting the reader to alight upon its pages with an open mind and with a heart a sea of gladness for the journey!

I know now that I am going to be excited to continue my exploration of literary journals, as each one will enter a new world of possibility for me to explore a different context of the written word. Whilst nestled into the fictional realms of novellas and novels, one tends to exclude other aspects of the writing culture, as we are always stalwartly eager to see what is awaiting us around the next bend in the publishing road! Here is a prime example of taking a bit of time to seek out the unexpected and to give a lay of pause on one of the purist exploits of writing, where veteran writers used to become worth their salt!

I am thankful to JKS Communications, for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to continuing my showcase of China Grove, where I submit a query of Questions for the Editors to respond to. Giving us further insight the men behind the journal! If this is your first literary journal you’ve picked up or if you are a regular reader of journals of this kind, I’d be happy to hear your reflections in the comments section! What do you seek out when picking up a literary journal!? What holds your attention whilst you’re rooting inside to find a voice that attached to your heart!?

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comThis marks my first review of a Literary Journal courtesy of:

JKS Communications Literary Publicity Firm

Be sure to check out my Bookish Events to see when I host again for JKS!

{SOURCES: Journal Cover, Editor Biographies, Editor Q & A, and the JKS Badge provided by JKS Communications Literary Publicity Firm and used with permission. Blog tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Related Articles:

Two Mississippi Doctors Start Literary Journal – (thedmonline.com)

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Posted Monday, 16 December, 2013 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Essays, Historical Perspectives, Interviews of Authors, JKS Communications: Literary Publicity Firm, Literary Journals, Photography, Poetry, Short Fiction, Southern Writers

*Blog Book Tour*: The Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson

Posted Tuesday, 10 December, 2013 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

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The Consolations of the Forest byThe Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson, Translated by Linda Coverdale
Published By: Rizzoli Ex Libris (imprint of Rizzoli Publications, Inc.),
17  September 2013
Official Author Websites: Page sur l’auteur (in French);
Tesson @GoodReads
(in French)
Available Formats: Hardcover
Page Count: 256

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a stop on the blog book tour for “The Consolations of the Forest” hosted by France Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of “The Consolations of the Forest” in exchange for an honest review by the publisher: Rizzoli Ex Libris.  As I stated on a previous non-fiction tour stop, I am being rather active in seeking out non-fiction titles to read! I am naturally drawn into the natural world, which is why this felt like a good fit at the time I requested a stop! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inquisitively Curious to Read: I must say, I have always been intrigued by Siberia, and I started to watch his interview on the link you provided but all I truly understand from it, is the beautiful and sweeping vistas he’s sharing through the photographs he took whilst he was there! Oh, my dear heavens!! The landscape and ‘sense of place’ is evoking a stir in me to read this book! I am very attached to the natural world, and I am finding myself drawn into non-fiction books such as these that explore a connection and a sense of wonder which exhumes reverence &/or ruminative contemplation!

Sylvain Tesson

Author’s Biography:

Sylvain Tesson is a writer, journalist, and celebrated traveler.
He has been exploring Central Asia—on foot, bicycle, and horse—since 1997.
A best-seller in his native France, he is published all over the world—and now in the United States. 

Interview with Sylvain Tesson via Le Figaro (Magazine) (also in French)

On his six months spent in the Siberian Forest

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BOOK SYNOPSIS:

The Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson

 A meditation on escaping the chaos of modern life and rediscovering the luxury of solitude.

 Winner of the Prix Médicis for non-fiction, THE CONSOLATIONS OF THE FOREST is a Thoreau-esque quest to find solace, taken to the extreme. No stranger to inhospitable places, Sylvain Tesson exiles himself to a wooden cabin on Siberia’s Lake Baikal—a full day’s hike from any “neighbor”— with his thoughts, books, a couple of dogs, and many bottles of vodka for company. Writing from February to July, he shares his deep appreciation for the harsh but beautiful land, the resilient men and women who populate it, and the bizarre and tragic history that has given Siberia an almost mythological place in the imagination.

 Rich with observation, introspection, and the good humor necessary to laugh at his own folly, Tesson’s memoir is about the ultimate freedom of owning your own time. Only in the hands of a gifted storyteller can an experiment in isolation become an exceptional adventure accessible to all. By recording his impressions in the face of silence, his struggles in a hostile environment, his hopes, doubts, and moments of pure joy in communion with nature, Tesson makes a decidedly out-of-the-ordinary experience relatable to the reader who may be struggling with his or her own search for peace and balance in life. The awe and joy are contagious, and one comes away with the comforting knowledge that “as long as there is a cabin deep in the woods, nothing is completely lost.”

Reader’s Note: If you look at the cover art on Tesson’s book you will find slightly raised lettering for the title & subtitle section as well as the author’s name. The essence of the book cover for me is the painting of the isolated and extreme disconnection which Tesson experienced whilst on his six-month sojourn into the wild! I love the ruggedness of the design, as if the book itself was kept in his knapsack as he lived and traveled whilst jotting down his ruminations and observations! The book as well as the man returned back to society a bit weathered and all-knowing of mysterious truths not yet revealed to the wider audience. In this vein of thought, I felt it was best to view the cover in its fullness of glory if only to impart the richness of design! Let me know what it evokes inside your own mind’s eye in the comments section below!

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Taming the Wild Thoughts of Man

I can relate to Tesson’s ambition to pull back from the chaotic swirling of our everyday lives to the brink of where we lose sight of the honest truths about why we are here in the first place. We can become so muddled and clogged by our modern lives, where the natural environment which always lives just a finger touch away from us — dissolves as though it were never there at all. The act of living through the paces brings all of humanity a further step backward to acknowledging the larger picture of ‘where’ we are whilst we walk our journey ‘on Earth’ due to the limited sense of space. The natural world is a wonderful place to walk and abide in a cleansing of our inner life’s turmoil of spirit. Nature has a way of enveloping us in such a warm embrace as to allow time itself to stand suspended. If we are mindful of our surroundings, realising that we are entering into a habitat for which we are only the causal visitor, the experience of what our eyes can drink in and our heart can eclipse through sensory perceptions has an intoxicating allure!

Releasing ourselves into the mercy of nature is what I think any person might at first struggle with coming to terms with as by our very internal nature, we as humans, want to control all the possible outcomes of our actions. In which full effect goes to reason, if we can control our own probabilities how do we learn to suspend logic, reason, and a time-locked certainty of events?

I had a feathering of a chuckling whilst observing Tesson as he first embarked on his journey towards the Taiga itself, whereupon he had to pick up his provisions for his six-month exodus! The bugs I had barely begun to even wonder about even if I have a true-to-life impression of what kinds of bugs one might find out in the wilds of a forest! No, it was the irony of sorting out what to purchase and what to take that struck my fancy the most! As if you were to think back on your last extended stay travel plans, don’t you find that no matter how well-prepared you were in theory, there was always a measure of error in never realising what you should have included instead!? I was pensively lying in wait to see if any of what he proposed to take was not limiting of what he needed to take! Although I must say, I think if everyone took a bit of time to declutter their lives of unessential extravagance if only for a short-term experiment, we all might find the joy in the unexpected simplicity which grows our hearts the closest towards empathy and understanding.

When you start to pull back the layers of your outer world as it merges with your inner world, you start to see the pieces of the tapestry unravel as the stitchings are given new markers. We can effectively change our stars if we are willing to forsake one way of living to embrace a new path of towards enlightenment. In which we are truly living a more humble truth of existence compared to one which is hinged to the cyclic chaos that all to often becomes the norm. Tesson prompts the reader to contemplate their own choices in what they have chosen to forego in their own lives in place of a way of living that is set to a different standard than modern society. Each of us can transcend ourselves onto a path of living in the fullness of a moment and in the realness of a community which extolls the virtues of community spirit which by extension our lives are enriched in greater joy.

A full embrace of the Natural World’s Rhythmic Cycle

As he started to sink into the natural world’s rhythmic cycle, Tesson was allowing his mind to jettison into the realm between where man’s world ends and nature’s begins. I love his unique perspective of describing nature as it inhibits itself from progressing forward and/or makes radical adjustments to proceed with its ancient murmurings of Wintry ablations. Each step forward for the forest, gives him a curious eye towards how microscopic we truly are out where the rules of man are out-ruled by the natural order of life itself.

Not one to shy away from imparting his somewhat cheeky and viscerally stimulating images on the reader who picks up his journal of lamentations, Tesson finds a clear path towards the reader’s imagination being stimulated by the mere thought of what his eyes are taking in off the page! The sheer force of raw nature bubbling to life and etching itself closer to where his tiny cabin lay squat and square by the shore of a massive lake! The brutal truth of how far by foot he would have to travel if he were in need of another human’s presence! I was even whet with curiosity over the close proximity of neighbours of whom might not be as companionable nor as conversative but rather would be more keenly focused on invading or scrimaging with his host country!

I could relate to his intriguing fascination with each wonderment he betook before him, because anyone who has stood still, reflectively pensive and a mind lit open to pure joy will understand the addiction of ‘seeing’ what the natural environment will next reveal to you! There is an aching of belonging to those who tread into the natural depths of where nature resides. The longer you walk alongside our wild inhabitants, noting their routines and nodding at their ordinary moments, the more your apt to find yourself at internal peace. It guides you back, beckoning you to resume where you left off, as though you had only placed a bookmark on a page where you could return back to the story in progress. In some ways, this is a true observation, but the hitching in your chest as you wonder how the animals are fairing in your absence, or how many deep sighs of woe the trees are billowing out of their upper boughs until you drop by again for a visit? This is something that only those who have become awakened can understand and fully respect.

As a turtle who ambles along the forest floor gathering moss and algae on its shell, so too, do humans leave an illuminant trace of their wanderings. Niches of our footprints carving into the order of things, ringing in our presence as each new day we visit gleams into view. The interconnected web of our lives are forever stitched together with the fowl, mammal, and amphibian who takes a measure of a mirth out of their day to stare into our eyes as our paths cross their own. Strangers and foe, yield to acquaintance and friend. Companions outside of their own species whose respect for the other knows no bounds.

To Philosophise, Elucidate, or Elidiate? Is this a Question?

Whilst he continues to go about his ‘new normal routine’ of surviving in mind-bending low temperatures, Tesson takes on a bit of an outer dialogue of his state of place. There are moments where you are curious if the questions he is proposing are to a common explanation of what all men might have considered from one era or another. OR, if his murmurings were the tiny envelopes of discovery he was knitting together whilst being away from every piece of modernism he could escape. He gives short spurts of adjective stylings of his observations, glimpses of what is going on ‘right then’ as he were to leave his journal and pen, in order to stoke the fire or denote the severity of the conditions outside. A man in pause of his new living reality. Therein, we start to see the freshness of his eyes, how keen his observations are becoming and how heart-warming it is that he took the courage to share them with all of us in the form of a book!

I think whilst he was living through this journey towards a deeper self-acceptance and self-transcribed inner record of growth, he was stumbling into writing down key insights that some of us might not notice even if we had half of a proper lifetime to curate the experiences! He has a clever way only a man would find interesting to give us a full sense of his reasonings, and in this, I smile. He isn’t one to be bashful, but he isn’t one to not notice the eloquence of seeing what can be seen yet is not always given the freedom of acceptance.

His ruminative nature of sensing the expanse of time and its ability to be slowed down by certain actions which suspend its power to contract is the mark of someone who sees the beauty of walking. Walking is man’s one way of stilling the passage of time, simply by refusing to allow time to speed past what man is willing to walk against. It very well may be the one singular power we have that few of us attempt to use to our own advantage. The ages have always enquired the elasticity of time and its errant mannerisms for first alighting at a slower speed before kicking into high gear past the speed of light. What causes the shift in perception of time? Is it our actions and our living patterns? Or is it the perception of ‘place’ and ‘setting’ and ‘of being’ that alters how the clock counts its seconds? What if time could blink still and resume at the very same moment your thoughts were centered at a fixed point in nature? As the patterns of time out-of-doors is run against a hidden pattern of synchronicity it is plausible that we effectively could forestall a bit of time whilst inhabiting a well-worn path for foot traffic.

My Review of The Consolations of the Forest:

I have always known that the particular pace of our individual lives was set to a rather high extreme of inefficiency as far as the quality of life being extracted at too high of a cost. I was most likely clued into this at a young age due to the insanity of my own father’s 24/7  time-clock of profession. You start to see the little fragmented ripples in the sphere of life. Where as you intersect with time, it is time itself that becomes your greatest lesson and teacher. You nourish the hidden moments which are blind to your eyes as you live, but are unearthed out of necessity and/or through a determined mother’s insistence of having the family kept together even if the father’s hours were mad-crazy bent against it! In those quiet and sombering hours, you start to see the little ripples of what sets your family apart from others’ who are in the same professional grid.

Where one family might have taken the same course as those before them, mine started to breakaway and create a new path forged out of a desire to create a better life which would sustain themselves long after the work day ended. A curious attachment to a slower pace of acknowledging the rhythms of life was only the beginning. Seeking out a full circle change of season, and community interconnectedness took a much longer quest to uncover! Where the locality of place led to a local excursion of food sources, community-spun events, a natural nod and wink to seasonal joys, and an inertia of earthen artistianal crafts.

In Tesson’s journal of solitude in Siberia, I see reflections of my own heart’s desire to unlock a path towards withdrawing from the regular pace of my own life and world. To where I am not forever hinged to the clock but rather, am the one who winds the cogs to match my own rhythm. To live around others who take extreme pleasure in walking through fog-lit streets and forest passageways which led to a quiet dawn. To feel the dirt fall off the fruit and veg at a farmer’s market held in all tentacles of weather and climate. Conversations boiled to life over exchangements of literature, art, cultural co-mingling events, and the passages of nature’s graceful hand in front of us. There is a heart-rhythm to living and a soul’s earthly quest to re-align itself with a pace which exhumes the internal truths of from whence we came and thus will once again return.

A Curious Footnote:

I thought it was rather smashing of a coincidence that some of the very same books I am including on my classical literature reading list for when I join “The Classics Club” in January 2014 were listed as part of the books Tesson hauled into the Taiga! Books such as: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Twelfth Night or What You Will by William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare, The Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) by Unknown, The Complete Novels by Ernest Hemingway, Tao Te Ching bt Lao Tzu, The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain,… his surprising choice was of the book I chose to abandon in fourth grade out of sheer boredom: “Robinson Crusoe” by William Defoe. I would have presumed he would have taken Jack London!?

I must also lay a bit of gratitude to the translator, Ms. Coverdale who turnt French into English in such a drinkable way as to soften the words into a walkable feast!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comThe “Consolations of the Forest” Virtual Book Tour Roadmap:

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The Consolations of the Forest (Alone in a Cabin on the Siberian Taiga) by Sylvain Tesson
Published by Rizzoli Ex Libris on 17th September, 2013

Public LibraryAdd to RiffleFormat: Hardcover
Source: Publisher via France Book Tours
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Pages: 256

on my Bookish Events Featured on JLAS

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Continuing my discovery of Baikal, the Lake in Siberia by which this book enchanted my mind:

{SOURCES: Cover art and book synopsis of “The Consolations of the Forest”,  Sylvain Tesson’s photograph and the blog tour badge were all provided by France Book Tours and used with permission. Blog tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. An excerpt was originally meant to be included but was not ready at time of posting my review. Tweets were able to be embedded due to embed codes taken directly from each tweet on Twitter for sharing purposes. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. France Book Tours badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Tuesday, 10 December, 2013 by jorielov in Author Interview, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Films, Debut in United States, France Book Tours, Journal, Life in Another Country, Nature - Essays, Non-Fiction, Seclusion in the Natural World, Travel Narrative | Memoir, Vignettes of Real Life, Vulgarity in Literature