tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103911762024-03-07T01:20:42.037-08:00Thoughts from Lady TessMy ramblings about writing, reviewing fiction and whatever else comes to mind.Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.comBlogger876125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-50085149123376918082016-12-19T10:26:00.001-08:002016-12-19T10:26:37.245-08:00Family history??Interested in learning about your ancestors? I definitely am. In fact, as Sean can attest, it's become a bit of an obsession with me. Finding and recording their stories is rather addictive. In the past couple of years I've discovered so many interesting characters in my various family lines. If you're interested in reading about them, join me over at my family history blog.
TeresaTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-61596230581531751382016-04-16T11:09:00.002-07:002016-12-19T10:23:38.231-08:00My new writing gig...Come visit me at my family history blog. Here's my first post from a February:
My contradictory relationship with WWII ... Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-27524575525284350082013-09-12T21:41:00.004-07:002013-09-12T21:41:42.303-07:00How contest entries improve my writing...before I even enter!In an effort to resume my writing on a more regular basis, I have entered one writing contest and am working on an entry for a second one. In doing so, I've been reminded just how helpful the act of preparing a contest entry can be.Case in point - the contest I want to enter this month has a word count limit, rather than a page limit. This fact has forced me to edit even more closely than before.Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-27227710239761747792013-04-08T21:30:00.001-07:002013-04-08T21:30:13.346-07:00Some progress...I had a rough couple of weeks (nothing really serious, but just not fun), however by Friday I was feeling well enough to tackle some writing. I'd booked the day off more than a month previously so had a good chunk of time, especially as Sean was working a double shift. Rather than messing around with plotting etc, I just opened my ms, read through the previous couple of scenes, then picked up Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-79039033961469713022013-03-21T20:48:00.000-07:002013-03-21T22:19:16.691-07:00Plotting...the bane of my existence...I've had problems lately with my plots. I get so far and the story peters out...so I went looking for help on the internet and found some good advice. A lot of it is stuff I already know, and which, in earlier mss, came naturally to me. Now, however, I'm reading again about Three Act Structure, character goals, theme and resolution and hoping they help jar something free so I can finish at least Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-64690177417102411192013-03-18T22:06:00.001-07:002013-03-18T22:06:02.768-07:00Decisions, decisions...I'm trying to decide whether or not to enter The 6th Annual Alaska Break-Up Contest. I like the sound of it because it's a welcome change from the "First Meet" which always seems to focus on the first 30 pages or so of the manuscript. Not that I have a problem with my first 30 pages, but I've had lots of feedback, having entered them several times, both in local contests and in RWA's Golden HeartTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-74746183711550370002013-03-17T21:24:00.001-07:002013-03-17T21:24:17.379-07:00Revitalizing my neglected blog...I have been terribly neglectful of my blog of late, I cannot deny that. While I was in school, I blamed my workload for my rare posts, but I've been done for almost a year now and still have been uninspired to post. It's odd, really, as I love this blog and have been keeping it up, at one pace or another for over seven years now. Part of the problem, I believe, is not being focussed enough. SinceTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-14600583585775611462012-09-20T22:05:00.002-07:002012-10-04T20:26:30.209-07:00Review: Before Versailles by Karleen KoënThe Sun King, "L'état, c'est moi." Versailles...These are the first three things that come to mind where Louis XIV of France is concerned. But what about before he became the all-powerful monarch? Karleen Koën's fourth novel, Before Versailles, published this month in trade paperback by Sourcebooks, focusses on five months of the young king's life during the spring and summer of 1661, soon after Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-75448373376317857612012-07-05T22:46:00.001-07:002012-07-05T22:46:26.117-07:00Never mind the sagging middle...mine just disappears!Let me make it clear, I'm talking about the middle of my three works-in-progress, not my physical middle! It's just fine :) Anyway, from 2006 - 2008 I started three different novels and found that the story just petered out. I'm not sure why. For the first three of my mss, I had a pretty clear idea where the story was going and for at least one of the aforementioned ones, I thought I did too, butTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-20724060441560617312012-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:002012-06-18T21:45:11.399-07:00Adapting to the non-academic life...It's been fewer than two weeks since my graduation, so hardly surprising that I still feel a little lost without school work to do. Not that I'm unhappy by any means but it still feels very weird not to have something due, something to read or a discussion to join in. I keep feeling as though I should be doing something!
There are definite advantages to having this time free, though - Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-39762779920422795962012-06-12T10:03:00.003-07:002012-06-12T11:37:15.667-07:00I finally graduated!!!Yes, at long, long last, I graduated from Langara College's Library and Information Technology program, so I'm officially a Library Technician.
Graduation day at Langara College
My final term was extremely busy, as it also included two work placements, one at the West Vancouver Memorial Library and another at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. I enjoyed them both immensely, even Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-22078943824073304212012-02-19T13:09:00.000-08:002012-02-19T13:09:45.141-08:00February update...It's been a long time since I've posted, and for that I do apologize. My life has been so busy, but the end of school is now in sight - at long last! If all goes well, I'll graduate during the first week of June :) It's been a long haul - this is the fourth spring term for me and I'm feeling a little burnt out at this point. Fortunately, I've only been taking one course as well as working with a Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-45450156625922176372011-07-17T21:59:00.000-07:002011-07-17T21:59:36.584-07:00Midsummer update...Well, not that it's actually summer here *g*.
Anyways, I figured it was time to take a deep breath and raise my head from the school work to drop by and update this blog.
Starting in January I've been nose to the grindstone at school. In spring term I took three courses and since May I've been doing a course on Business in Canada (a required support course for my diploma). As in-depth financialTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-10682533660389283802011-04-12T21:45:00.001-07:002011-04-12T21:47:15.340-07:00Review: Staying at Daisy's by Jill MansellOne of the reasons I love Jill Mansell's book so much is her characters. She really makes you care about them and Daisy MacLean is no exception in Mansell's latest Sourcebooks release, Staying at Daisy's. A young widow who runs a hotel owned by her father, Daisy fights her attraction to a guest at a recent wedding reception, the charming rugby star, Dev Tyzack. The development of their Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-51650903801940835502011-03-20T22:49:00.008-07:002011-08-26T13:39:43.152-07:00Review: To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick...Each and every time I read a book by Elizabeth Chadwick I am certain she has written the perfect book that cannot be topped. And each and every time I read her next book, I find I am wrong. Such is the case, once again, with To Defy a King, published this month by Sourcebooks Landmark. Twenty years ago, Ms. Chadwick won the Betty Trask award and launched her historical fiction career. Since then Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-74389391180494647072011-02-17T10:58:00.001-08:002011-02-17T10:58:32.662-08:00Update...Yes, it's been a while. What's been going on with me lately, you ask? Well, first, from Octobert through early December of last year, I was working at the library almost full-time, involved in a project to convert our library to RFID technology. What that means is I spent two + months sticking RFID tags in the majority of our library's collection. Fortunately I was working with someone I liked...Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-9859824488165945902010-11-30T20:21:00.001-08:002012-10-04T20:18:24.722-07:00Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
For years, Ms. Kearsley has enthralled readers with her tales of love set in the past and the present, in which her characters experience time travel through a variety of means. Her most recent book, The Winter Sea, published in the US by Sourcebooks in December, first appeared in the UK two years ago under the title Sophia's Secret. It is another fine example of her talent for transporting her Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-91972735807323973992010-10-10T12:27:00.005-07:002012-10-04T20:20:55.899-07:00Review - The Making of a Gentleman by Shana Galen
The Making of a Gentleman is the second in Shana Galen's Sons of the Revolution series and picks up the story a few months after Book One, The Making of a Duchess (which I reviewed in June) concluded. Readers of Book One will remember that Julien needed to rescue his brother Armand, who'd been locked away in a French prison for twelve years. As a result of his imprisonment, he has lost the Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-72382396530317593602010-10-10T08:02:00.027-07:002010-10-13T20:49:08.640-07:00Where I write...Melissa over at Writing with Style asked her readers to post about where they write - here's my response:
To the left you can see my office. It's where I write when I can find the time these days. The lamp is a very recent addition and I love it!
My office is very cozy and has everything I need, including a bookcase with loads of research books and binders with information on my characters, a Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-19971121572685442542010-10-05T22:26:00.000-07:002010-10-05T22:26:16.780-07:0030 Day Book Meme is on hiatus...I've been assigned to a special project at work which will take up lots of my time...any spare time goes to my husband and my studies...I'll return with the Book Meme once the project is complete.
Watch for a book review of Shana Galen's upcoming release from Sourcebooks later this week...
TeresaTesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-71406896301167550552010-09-28T22:25:00.000-07:002010-09-28T22:25:59.774-07:0030 Day Book Meme - Day 10Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. Normally it's not my kind of thing at all, but after seeing the movie, I decided to give it a try and Wow! Did I love it! The way Wells captured the period and locale, her characters and their complicated relationships just sucked me right in. I couldn't put it down and had Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-81464043515734619102010-09-26T11:33:00.000-07:002010-09-26T11:33:26.486-07:0030 Day Book Meme - Day 09Day 09 - Best scene ever: The reunion scene in Sharon Kay Penman's Here be Dragons.
Please be advised - there are spoilers in this blog post, so if you still haven't read Here Be Dragons and intend to do so, you might not want to read any further. Ok - that said, my favourite scene ever in a book is the reunion between Llewelyn and Joanna, close to the end. Though their marriage was for the most Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-57052093517312610162010-09-24T11:51:00.000-07:002010-09-24T11:51:01.763-07:0030 Day Book Meme - Day 08Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I think it's really an important book for everyone to read - to understand one of the most heinous crimes of the 20th Century. As we get further and further into the 21st Century and the war fades from memory, I truly believe that everyone should read this book during their teens - or even later, to help Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-31807642971429108372010-09-23T09:09:00.000-07:002010-09-23T09:09:30.798-07:0030 Day Book Meme - Day 07Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
The Big Misunderstanding...I hate when writers include a misunderstanding that can be cleared up easily if two characters just talk to each other. I literally cringe when I read the scene and hope against hope that the author will clear it up quickly. Some do, but most don't, preferring to use that Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10391176.post-83436540987941533342010-09-22T15:00:00.000-07:002010-09-22T15:00:01.613-07:0030 Day Book Meme - Day -06Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
The Chalet School in Exile is my favourite book in the entire Chalet School series. It touches on so many important things - the war, the horrid prejudices that drove it and most especially, the fact that so many people from both sides were stuck on opposing sides, people who had been friends. As war approaches, the Tesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636189059910920978noreply@blogger.com0