Darlene's Digest

Back in 2007 I wrote this review: "I read a lovely YA romance this weekend, Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. It's a fantasy about a heroine who in the manner of Scheherazade staves off death by telling a tale of a young woman who gets lost in the woods, and meets Lord Death. Death will spare her life if she finds her one true love within the span of a day. It's sweet and sad and romantic and very well written." Now I learn that there's a Kickstarter campaign to make a movie out of Keturah and Lord Death . If you're a fan of this novel, or well-written romantic fantasy for readers of any age, I encourage you to check it out.

I know many of you are Nook users, and I'm a B&N fan myself.  However, they're not always as fast off the mark as some other sites to get my books out for sale.  So, if you're anxious to purchase Castaway Dreams , and I know you are, remember that you can load ePub and PDF files onto your Nook reader.  Those are discounted at this site  and are also available at All Romance eBooks .

The print, ebook and Kindle editions of Castaway Dreams are now available from the usual suspects, or in the queue (Nook, Fictionwise, I'm looking at you! ) With the release of the paper edition I've set up my Goodreads giveaway, where you have a chance to win a signed copy of Castaway Dreams between now and mid-August. Click on the link for the details. In the meantime, I'm hard at work on my next novel and waiting on reviews of Castaway Dreams. Remember to please take a moment to rate the novel if you belong to one of the book social media sites.  It means a great deal to authors when they get reader feed-back, and thanks!

Friday, May 18 I'll be discussing Castaway Dreams on Conner Calling , the phone-in ltalk show about books on WUFT FM, 89.1 .  You can hear it streaming by following the link, and you can email questions if you're not in the local area. Also, Castaway Dreams is now in Kindle edition at Amazon , and the print edition will be out very soon. More on that later.

The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh My rating: 5 of 5 stars I re-read this classic Signet Regency romance last night because it's one of my comfort reads.  The author's use of words is so careful, the mood building done so well, that I like to take it off the shelf every now and then to remind myself of how a small book can be done so beautifully. View all my reviews

Straight: The Surprisingly Short History Of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank My rating: 4 of 5 stars I found this book fascinating, and eye-opening.  The author starts from a unique perspective: her partner is intersex (XXY) and appears androgynous.  Is her partner male, female, or both?  Is the author heterosexual or homosexual? Blank challenges the reader to re-examine his/her/hir attitudes about sexuality and how it's defined, and how we are shaped by cultural and sexual "doxa".   View all my reviews

It's release day for the ebook edition of  Castaway Dreams , with the print and Kindle editions to follow later this month. It's been a long road for me to get this book written, because the heroine, Daphne, is so unlike me.  She's sweet and giggles and thinks everybody is her friend. Me, I'm much more like the curmudgeonly hero, Alexander.  There would be times when I'd be writing Castaway Dreams , Daphne would say something sarcastic, and I'd have to mentally slap myself and say, "No, Darlene's the sarcastic one. Daphne's sweet." I did promise myself my next heroine would be a sarcastic, snarky, annoying person.   Much easier for me to relate to and to write.  You'll meet Lydia Burke, governess to piratical offspring in [working title] The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby .  In the meantime, download Daphne and Alexander (and Pompom's) tale in Castaway Dreams and enjoy a trip to an island paradise.  Here's an excerpt: CASTAWAY D...

I know you're thinking of getting your mom that diamond tiara she deserves for putting up with so much of your crap when you were a teenager. Or perhaps I'm just projecting here. Anyway, if you're not yet prepared to get her that tiara, have you considered getting mom an ereader?  Everyone I know who has one loves the convenience and ease of purchasing books, and for older readers it has the added advantage of an adjustable font. When you get mom that ereader, you might preload it with some award winning romance novels featuring pirates, privateers and smugglers, not to mention a possum or two. Lest you think your mother's too old to appreciate a hot historical romance, my oldest fan (that I know of) is 96, and is eagerly awaiting my next novel, Castaway Dreams .  Mom's cooler than you think, and she loves a good novel as much as you do.  

Sea Change is a finalist in the Regency category of the Golden Quill contest sponsored by the Desert Rose RWA Chapter.  I'm thrilled to be in such good company!

Like most readers I worry obsessively about my vision, so I had to run to the ophthalmologist this morning to have an issue examined that doesn't appear to be severe, yet bears watching (heh).  However, the dilation and poking around at my eyes meant I couldn't put in my contacts, which meant I couldn't see the computer comfortably enough in my glasses to get any work done.  Instead, I used the down-time to finish reading a fantasy novel: Passion Play by Beth Bernobich My rating: 4 of 5 stars Lovely novel with an out-of-the-ordinary love story at the heart. The characters and world building made the story flow, and the heroine's journey was told in a realistic and intelligent fashion. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series! View all my reviews My dilation's nearly worn off, the contacts are back in, and life's more or less normal again.  Whew!

Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked Ms. Brockmann's entry into the universe of dystopian paranormals, featuring kick-ass heroines and superpowered individuals reminiscent of the "X-Men". She's starting a new series with these books, naturally there's a Navy SEAL on-board, and it should appeal to her current fans. One caveat--there are scenes of children being tortured which will be difficult for some readers to handle. View all my reviews

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars Excellent series, and I can see why it's become so popular. I would certainly recommend it, especially to teen girls who deserve to see a YA heroine whose goals are not about getting a sparkly vampire boyfriend, but rather about saving her family, herself, her friends, her community, and ultimately, her world. View all my reviews

I get asked this a lot.  While I try to write my books as stand-alone novels, I can recommend reading them in a particular order. The good news is, it's usually just a two-book link, so you don't miss anything by not reading all of them (though of course, I hope you will). With the upcoming release of Castaway Dreams , I thought I'd update the list: Sea Change -> Castaway Dreams (summer, 2012) The Bride and the Buccaneer -> Captain Sinister's Lady Pirate's Price -> Smuggler's Bride All of them are available from the usual suspects, including BN.Com, Fictionwise, Amazon and directly from the publisher, Amber Quill Press . Stay tuned, because Amber Quill will soon be rolling out a new website that will make purchases easier and more fun for their readers!

My website ( www.darlenemarshall.com ) do-over turned out to be more of a "nip-and-tuck" than a full facelift, but I'm happy with it.  When I re-examined what I liked and didn't like about my website, and compared it others, it prompted me to make some changes (fresher fonts, bigger buttons at top, Goodreads link, wider page) but leave some other things alone (I like the turquoise and parrots!).  Kudos to my webmaster Jerry at jgtechpro.com for working with me beyond my "I don't like pink and it better not make noise" helpful suggestions. What I'm really excited about is the upcoming roll-out of Amber Quill Press 's new website.  It'll make it easier than ever for customers to buy books, and that's good news for readers and AQP authors.  The website should be live late spring, and I'll post a note when that happens.  In the meantime, the current site is very much live, and you can get some great deals on Sea Change and my other no...

April is National Poetry Month.  In honor of the vernal festival celebrating words, I offer some of my favorite poetry (in public domain).  This is particularly apt, because my upcoming summer release, Castaway Dreams , has much of its action set on an island that may be in Bermuda.  I hope your month is also filled with poetry, and good reading: Bermudas Where the remote Bermudas ride In th' Oceans bosome unespy'd, From a small Boat, that row'd along, The listning Winds receiv'd this Song. What should we do but sing his Praise That led us through the watry Maze, Unto an Isle so long unknown, And yet far kinder than our own? Where he the huge Sea-Monsters wracks, That lift the Deep upon their Backs. He lands us on a grassy stage; Safe from the Storms, and Prelat's rage. He gave us this eternal Spring, Which here enamells every thing; And sends the Fowl's to us in care, On daily Visits through the Air, He hangs in shades the Orange bright, L...

Here's the cover for Castaway Dreams , my May release: The publisher has me fill out an AP (art proposal) where I give information about the book, such as a description of the hero and heroine, setting, time period, tone, etc.  I did say my hero, Alexander Murray, is a dour surgeon who never smiles, isn't pretty, and looks scruffy (yet yummy) after being castaway on a desert island. Alexander's outlook is 1. Life is serious business 2. Now that the war with Napoleon is over, it would be convenient to have a wife who's frugal and whose looks won't scare the horses. So naturally, who's stranded on the desert island with him? Daphne Farnham, a dizzy blonde fashionista who believes the key to solving most of life's problems is having the proper accessories.  Oh, and she brought along her little doggy just to make his life more aggravating. I also said on the form how much I liked the cover to Sea Change and the artist stuck with the same motif.  I...

Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I don't always review the books I post at Goodreads, but every now and then one really hits the mark: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I updated some info yesterday for my college alumni magazine (University of Florida Communigator). I freely admit, back in those days I saw myself anchoring NPR's Morning Edition at this point in my life, not writing pirate romance novels.  However, I think I'm having more fun and I don't have to get up at 2 a.m. to go to work. I did spend 10 years in broadcasting, so I used the degree, and the broadcast writing skills I learned have helped me tremendously.  There's nothing like writing for a five minute newscast to teach you how to maximize every single word you put down on paper.