Book Launch Party!!!

Please join me at Unusual Historicals to celebrate the release of BEWITCHED. You can even win a signed copy of the book if you leave a comment or question. :)

How do you turn your uncle's house blue?
What do Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles have to do with Fox and Amy's story?
What became the soundtrack for BEWITCHED?
And what will the horrid Green Man do to poor Alexandie?

Join the party and find out!

In the wee hours of the morning ...

... I'm still flying high as a kite courtesy of those wonderful reviews and lovely e-mails I received in the past 48 hours. It's truly the best feeling in the world, to hear how much a reader has enjoyed the story you created!

And as I'm still up I can tell you that everybody who urged me to watch the BBC adaptation of NORTH & SOUTH was absolutely right: this mini-series is fantastic! It contains many beautiful and powerful images:

• the contrast between the almost supernaturally bright colours of the South / Margaret's old home in the country VS the dark, bleak city of Milton
• the cotton flying around in the mill that makes it look like it's snowing indoors -- this is later echoed by the snow outside, and due to this doubling it appears as if the cotton is taking over the whole city.

And then there is Richard Armitage, who plays the male lead. He's tall, dark (and dangerous) (and where have we heard that before? *g*), rugged (oh the wonders of beard stubble!), and has a wonderfully deep, raspy voice. And a lovely Northern accent. And a nose like a sword blade. In other words: the perfect, brooding hero of a dark historical!!! Perhaps I ought to use actors and models more often as an inspiration for my characters. Other people do it all the time. Just imagine: I could buy the first season of the new Robin Hood series (in which Armitage play Guy of Gisborne), watch it until my eyes start bleeding, and pretend it's all research! Wow! But ... isn't it somehow wrong to watch a Robin Hood series and root for one of the baddies? On the other hand:

Post # 701: And yet another review!

This time it's from The Good, the Bad and the Unread:

I know a love potion in a romance story is not new ground, but when Sandra Schwab gets hold of a worn-out plot like that, she breathes new life into it. This author never disappoints me. Her books are always innovative and, of course, romantic, and her characters are alive and real. Bewitched is no exception. [...] Once again Ms Schwab has given us a romance filled with joy and strife, characters you fall for right away and root for when things go awry, and a storyline with writing so different from anyone else. It’s the little extras in her books that make you keep turning page after page.

:)

I don't need to tell you how utterly relieved I am that people seem to love this book (and don't drop dead from reading it *g*). *doing the happy dance again*

This is a really good week :-)

AztecLady wrote a lovely review of CASTLE OF THE WOLF on Karen Scott's blog. Here's an exerpt:

I like the novelty of setting the story in Germany, since most romance novels set in this period seem to unfold in Britain, and I definitely like the fact that both protagonists are rather older than the norm for Regencies. By far, though, the part I liked best was the supernatural/mystical side of the story, which is interesting in itself, since it is more tangential than intrinsic to the development of the main story line.

She also posted her review on several message boards, where people then had lovely discussions about the novel. (At this point you may imagine me once again jumping and dancing around the room.)

Then, this morning my author copies for BEWITCHED arrived. It's always such a thrill to finally hold the finished book in your hands. And to feast your eyes on a whole box full of your books!!! (I was so happy to see the package, I nearly hugged the postman. Now the poor guy is probably convinced I'm completely crazy. Ah well ... the sacrifices we make for our art! *g*)

And THEN a few hours later I found the latest issue of the German romance magazine LoveLetter in my mailbox. Wheeee!!!! Tina Dick, who reviewed BEWITCHED, did not drop dead while reading the novel, but instead enjoyed it a great deal. "Hinreißend ist der Historical durchweg, egal ob lustig oder düster." Yay!

And another review

Today Harriet Klausner's review of BEWITCHED went up on the Barnes & Noble website. She gives the novel five stars and concludes:

The story line is lighthearted yet allows the audience to believe in a paranormal early nineteenth century London in which at least in the Schwab universe, magic works though not always for the good. Fans will be BEWITCHED by this enchanting charmer.

Dipping into THE NEWCOMES

I'm currently reading THE NEWCOMES by Thackeray in preparation for the seminar I'm going to teach this summer. I've found that reading and writing Regency-set historicals is a great help when it comes to reading Thackeray: THE NEWCOMES start in the 1820s and there are four-in-hand races, gentlemen's clubs with bay windows, boxing, and other such lovely things. Indeed, I felt at home straight away! *g*

Thackeray's writing, his subtle wit and irony, are simply delicious. Let me give you an example:

Julia says, that she had but that moment read in the Brighton papers the arrival of the Earl of Kew and the Honourable J. Belsize at the Albion.

"I am sure they are here for some mischief," cries the old lady [i.e. Lady Kew, Kew's grandmother], delighted. "Whenever George and John Belsize are together, I know there is some wickedness planning. What do you know, Doctor? I see by your face you know something. Do tell it me, that I may write it to his odious psalm-singing mother."

Doctor H.'s face does indeed wear a knowing look. He simpers and says, "I did see Lord Kew driving this morning, first with the Honourable Mr. Belsize, and afterwards"--here he glances towards Lady Julia, as if to say, "Before an unmarried lady, I do not like to tell your ladyship with whom I saw Lord Kew driving, after he had left the Honourable Mr. Belsize, who went to play a match with Captain Huxtable at tennis."

"Are you afraid to speak before Julia?" cries the elder lady. "Why, bless my soul, she is forty years old, and has heard everything that can beheard. Tell me about Kew this instant, Doctor H."

The Doctor blandly acknowledges that Lord Kew had been driving Madame Pozzoprofondo [= "deep well"], the famous contralto of the Italian Opera, in his phaeton, for two hours, in the face of all Brighton.

"Yes, Doctor," interposes Lady Julia, blushing; "but Signor Pozzoprofondo was in the carriage too--a-a-sitting behind with the groom. He was indeed, mamma."

"Julia, vous n'etes qu'une panache," says Lady Kew, shrugging her shoulders, and looking at her daughter from under her bushy black eyebrows. Her ladyship, a sister of the late lamented Marquis of Steyne, possessed no small share of the wit and intelligence, and a considerable resemblance to the features, of that distinguished nobleman.

Lady Kew bids her daughter take a pen and write:--"Monsieur le Mauvais Sujet,--Gentlemen who wish to take the sea air in private, or to avoid their relations, had best go to other places than Brighton, where their names are printed in the newspapers. If you are not drowned in a pozzo--"

"Mamma!" interposes the secretary.

"--in a pozzo-profondo, you will please come to dine with two old women, at half-past seven. You may bring Mr. Belsize, and must tell us a hundred stories.--Yours,
etc., L. Kew."

Julia wrote all the letter as her mother dictated it, save only one sentence, and the note was sealed and despatched to my Lord Kew, who came to dinner with Jack Belsize. Jack Belsize liked to dine with Lady Kew. He said, "she was an old dear, and the wickedest old woman in all England;" and he liked to dine with Lady Julia, who was "a poor suffering dear, and the best woman in all England." Jack Belsize liked every one, and every one liked him.

Tee-hee!

And as I've enjoyed the TV adaptation of CRANFORD so much and as everybody keeps telling me how lovely NORTH & SOUTH is (I've only watched the first episode so far -- but my, John Thornton is delicious indeed. And that voice! Yum!), I've decided to teach a seminar on Elizabeth Gaskell's novels next winter. :-)

Happy Easter!

MySpace Comments

I hope you've all had a lovely day!

First Episode of Books, Cats & Me Online!!!

I've just uploaded and published the first episode of Books, Cats & Me (though for some reason my libsyn blogpage doesn't seem to be aware of the fact). It launches the British History series which is meant to accompany my Culture Studies 1 course, and this first episode deals with the geography, the languages as well as the flags and saints of the British Isles. You can find show notes here or, if you're of the impatient sort, jump straight to the podcast episode. Enjoy!

Discovering Neil Gaiman

Well, not Gaiman himself. (Though that would certainly make a nice story: One morning, I opened my wardrobe, and there he was! A stranger sitting among my summer clothes! "What are you doing in my wardrobe!" I shrieked, because as you can imagine, finding a stranger sitting among my summer clothes in my wardrobe had come as a bit of a shock. -- "I don't know," he said, clearly as puzzled as I was.) No, what I mean, of course, is that I've discovered his books. And I blame it all on play.com.

Why?

Because there I stumbled across the trailer for the film adaptation of STARDUST.

"Oh gosh," I thought, "this looks like fun!" I was rather surprised because looking at the covers of his books in the Hugendubel (big German bookstore chain) (or is it chain bookstore? *scratching my head*), I assumed his novels were sort of dark. With no fun included. I mean, look at that:


It definitely looks sort of dark and ... well ... strange. I mean, would you assume a book with such a cover includes unicorns, pirates, witches, and the like???

This looks so much better, doesn't it?

But as I said, it was that trailer for the movie STARDUST which first caught my attention. After I'd seen it, I went directly to Fictionwise and bought the e-versions of both STARDUST and NEVERWHERE. And, of course, eventually I also bought the aforementioned movie:


I've just finished watching it, and I have to tell you, it was such great fun!! Gaiman piles all of these wonderful, wild ideas on top of each other and creates a lovely tongue-in-cheek adventure / Sword & Sorcery / romance story: shopboy Tristan lives in a village called Wall as it is situated near a wall. And it's not just any old wall, it's a magical wall: nobody is allowed the cross to the other side, and a sort of "gatekeeper" keeps vigil at the only hole in the wall.

Tristan is courting the beautiful (but shallow) Victoria, who, however, is much enamoured by the dashing Humphrey. Yet one night, as Tristan and Victoria watch a falling star dash across the sky, she promises him to marry him if he brings her the fallen star. Unfortunately, though, the star has touched earth on the "wrong" side of the wall, in the magical kingdom of Stronghold. And there the star turns into a beautiful (occasionally glowing) girl.

Tristan crosses the Wall into Stronghold, yet he is not the only one in search of the Star: there's also the wicked witch (who plans to cut out the girl's heart, eat it and thus gain her youth and beauty back) and the black-hearted prince (who wants the jewel the girl is wearing as this would make him the new king of Stronghold).

STARDUST is an exhilarating and exciting story, full of unexpected twist and turns, wonderful humour as well as a dash of romance.

The cast of the movie is brilliant, too: Claire Danes as Yvaine, the Star; Michelle Pfeiffer as the wicked witch; Robert de Niro as Captain Shakespeare (the wardrobe scene! oooooh, the wardrobe scene!!!); and Rupert Everett (with squashed face and stormblown hair) as one of the (dead) princes.

Apparently, the novel was first published as a graphic novel:

Looks rather lovely, too, doesn' it?

The idea of the Star turning into a beautiful young girl (in flowing grey gown) reminded me of the Lady Amalthea in the film THE LAST UNICORN. And that girl on the cover of the graphic novel bears a faint resemblance to the humanized unicorn, too, imo.

Maladies and Treatments on Unusual Historicals

Knowledge is power, as we all know. There something invigorating about standing in front of a room full of eager (haha!) young people, teaching; something powerfully moving about standing in a lecture hall facing hundreds of these eager young people and feeding them with knowledge. Yet, as I came to suspect early on in my studies as a folklore minor, there is another kind of power folklore professors delight in even more – and that is icking out their students (the larger the class, the better!). For years, a guest lecturer's descriptions of how fish soup was made in ancient times (apparently it didn't only involve fishheads, but also leaving the pot with the soup standing in the sun for several days ...) were legendary among the students of the folklore department in Mainz. And – oh! – how my own professor relished telling us all about the different medical uses of (still living) earthworms in his lecture on folk medicine. Seven years ago, I myself got a taste of this very special power when I gave a paper on healing with urine in one of my folklore classes. *g*



Today I'm exercising this very special power again: on Unusual Historicals you'll find a post about Healing with Urine by yours truly. Enjoy! (And I wish I could see your faces when you're reading it! *ggg*)

DONE!!!!

No more CS1 exams! No more CS1 exams! No more Synod of Whitby! No more Magna Carta! No more History of Ireland! No more Rise & Fall of British Empire! No more Tudor mindmaps! No more tears! (Really, the Tay is not a mountain range; the Severn is not a lake; naming three Prime Ministers of the 20th century shouldn't be an impossible deed; Thomas Beckett was not killed during the reign of Henry VIII; and the Synod of Whitby was most definitely NOT about choosing between the pagan Celtic religion - complete with druids - and Catholicism. No. No. No.)

Naturally, by now I feel as if my brain were complete empty... (Se CS1 exams haz suckd my heads dri -- oh no!)


see more crazy cat pics

Unfortunately, more corrections will follow on Monday. *sigh* (But at least these won't contain 70-something versions of the Synod of Whitby!)

Whine, whine, whiiiiiiiine!

(LOL Cat from Icanhascheezburger.com)

Correcting exams isn't much fun. No, no.

Books, Cats, & Me -- all set up!

As you know I've been thinking about creating an academic podcast to accompany my courses at university. Well, to get me going, I've set up a new account at libsyn today as well as an additional blog. Thus, on www.BooksCatsandMe.libsyn.com you will find the "pure" podcast, while www.BooksCatsandMe.blogspot.com will feature more detailed show notes with additional information, like sources, pictures, etc.

Books, Cats, & Me will be a mostly unedited podcast, meaning you'll get to hear all the funny sounds (like "um", "er", "oh", "duh") I normally cut out after recording a podcast episode. But as I use scripts for my lessons, I hope there won't be too many "um"s.

I don't really know yet when I'll launch Books, Cats, & Me properly, by uploading the first episode. However, I can already tell you what's going to be the topic of the first 10 episodes: British History! :) We'll start with the last ice age and end with the Bloody Sunday of 1972.

I hope you will enjoy Books, Cats & Me! For me, it's certainly going to be an exciting experiment testing new methods of teaching and learning.

Sometimes Research Is Not Easy

... and sometimes even the experts are wrong. When you look at histories of gardening, most will tell you that glasshouses only spread after the lifting of the window tax of 1845. However, as I've already found out during my last-minute research for BEWITCHED back in March 2007, greenhouses already existed in the early decades of the 19th-century. THE LONDON ENCYCLOPEDIA, published in 1829, provided further evidence:



The London Encyclopaedia, Or, Universal Dictionary of Science, Art, Literature, and Practical Mechanics By Thomas Tegg
The entry on "Horticulture" also proves that forcing beds and frames (which were usually covered by glass panes) were already in use as well:


The London Encyclopaedia, Or, Universal Dictionary of Science, Art, Literature, and Practical Mechanics By Thomas Tegg

So it seems that at least in regard to the gardening, I didn't make any horrible blunder in BEWITCHED. :)

So, so happy!!!

Today we took Jago to the vet for an ultrasound. Ever since he had those nasty giardia back in May last year, has had problems with his digestion, and we feared things would worsen as they did for poor Lady (the giardia and the medication eventually destroyed her intestine, and she had to be put to sleep). Therefore, I was really, really afraid of the results of this ultrasound.

But -- hooray! They didn't find anything serious! Wheee!!!!!!! He only suffers from an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, but that can be treated with cortisone. I'm so, so relieved and so very happy! (So relieved, in fact, that I nearly cried at the vet's. *g*)

Website Update - Let Yourself Be BEWITCHED!

I've just updated my website and put some new excerpts online: on the regular pages you can now find the Prologue and Chapter 1, and in the Members' Section you now won't find only the first three chapters, but also Chapter 4 -- accompany Amy and Fox to the British Museum, let your sensibilities be shocked by nude marbles, and find out all about the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary! Enjoy!

To access the Members' Section, simply subscribe to my newsletter and you'll be sent the password. :)

Random Observations

• The University of Mainz is slowly turning into a madhouse. (But what's new?)
• Jago is still sort of ill. The vet is going to do an ultrasound on Monday afternoon. *sigh* I'm really afraid they're going to find something horrible. :-/
• Emotional stress is not at all good for the Weight Watchers programme. Or rather, the other way around. I mean, eating kohlrabi doesn't quite make you as happy as eating chocolate, does it?
• Fictionwise is eeeevuhl! This weekend they're offering a 29% rebate on all e-books... Who could resist such an offer, I ask you?
• I've finally bought the BBC adaptation of Gaskell's NORTH & SOUTH. Will it be really as good as everybody says?
• As I've enjoyed WIVES & DAUGHTERS and CRANFORD (and hopefully NORTH & SOUTH as well), I'm thinking about doing a seminar on Gaskell in winter.
• Today it occured to me that, if I get a permanent full-time position at uni, I'll be able to teach a seminar each and every semester. How cool is that? I've already started to make plans for next summer when our focus will be on the 20th century: "Women Writing History"; texts would definitely include Dorothy Dunnett's GAME OF KINGS (wheee!!), Rosemary Sutcliff's THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH, something by Joan Aiken, and, of course, a romance novel. :)