Tag: Jude Deveraux

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Christmas Presents to Me

Hello old friend, it’s been a while, I admit, I abandon you when I get busy with life. Tis the season for busyness, shopping, working, taking granddaughter to her dance, shopping.

I love this time of year, I know I say that often, but it’s true.

I went to Denison with a friend of mine, for those of you not in North Texas, Denison is a town in Texas that is very old and has the most delightful shops.

Ok, to back up a little bit, there is a boutique I shop online at that is actually in Denison. My friend Cheryl, shops there as well, she said let’s go to the physical store. I said I’m in!

So to Denison we went, Zelda Rose Boutique is the name of the shop and it is just delightful. It has clothes, accessories and even homemade doggy treats. We shopped until we dropped, then crawled.

There were so many cute shops and I found unique things to give people for Christmas. I can’t wait to give them their presents!

Don’t you love that? Picking out something fun and different and giving it to the person that it reminded you of? I love that so much, finding that one thing that someone might not give them.

One year I was able to find the book my mom was published in and gave each of my children a copy. I hope they cherish it as much as I do.

I always buy myself a Christmas present, this year I bought mine early, it was Dean Cain. Well, not actually him, well, yes, it was actually him, but they didn’t let me take him home with me. I had to leave him there. But I did get to meet him and hold a couple of conversations with him. Best. Christmas. Present. EVER. I don’t know what I will do next year to top it. I am going to have very high expectations of myself from this point forward.

After Christmas I’ll be busy getting ready to meet aliens (I hope!) do they still live in Roswell? And then on to Arizona to meet my new grand-nephew, very excited about that.

But first Christmas, I am so excited, I found the perfect present for my oldest son. I always feel like I miss the mark with him and this year I know I aced it.

This coming Wednesday is the ugly Christmas outfit contest at work. I don’t know why they are doing it on a Wednesday when everyone is at work on Mondays. Doesn’t make sense, oh well, I am not in charge of planning things.

Does anyone have any traditions they have this time of year? I make my mom’s dressing, yes, dressing, I am from the South so it is dressing. It doesn’t go into a turkey’s behind, so it is not stuffing.

I only make it once a year and it is soooooooo good! I’m not a great cook, but there are a few dishes I get very right, and this is one.

I read a book yesterday, by one of my favorite authors, Jude Deveraux, I love her books. I am not a romantic person but I do love romance novels, especially when a murder mystery is thrown in. But I’m sad now, because the book is done and I had to say goodbye to the characters.

Is anyone else like that? After you finish a book it makes you kind of sad, like you are saying goodbye to friends, I wrapped presents and then my gift was getting to read my new book. It was so worth it, I need a new book now, maybe I’ll make a stop at the bookstore on my way home tomorrow.

Well I am going for now, I have things to do before I go to sleep. I hope you all have a wonderful evening and a beautiful Christmas Season!.

As usual any comments, questions or criticisms can be left here or sent to angie@angieworld.com

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Open Letter to Jude Deveraux

So, I was on Facebook, were we know all the best stuff is, sometimes I wonder if my sarcasm comes across in my writing. Anyway, that was sarcasm.
My favorite author, Jude Deveraux, has a fan page on Facebook, she interacts regularly, keeping all of her loyal fans updated on what she is working on and even sharing her travel adventures with us. She is very open on the page about her writing process and even her dealings with her publishing house and editors.
I find it fascinating, that look into the publishing world and how it works and how an editor has the power to just rip into someone’s artistic process and demand changes that are not within the storyline.
Reading her posts, I often wonder why E. L. James didn’t have such an editor, or even a grammar checker. I digress.
Recently Ms. Deveraux shared her frustrations with her new editor, valid frustrations, the new editor is either not familiar with her work, fan base or her status in the romance writing field, but she was way off base with the changes she wanted her to make.
I say this, as I have read every single book this woman has written and the changes would not have made sense, as the book is part of a series, and it would not have been anything that was a fun read.
Well, it seems the internet trolls had to rear their ugly heads and had harsh things to say to my favorite author. Instead of addressing them, I would like to write an open letter to my favorite author.

Dear Ms. Deveraux,

I want to tell you how much I love your writing, your books have transported me to the 1600’s and back again to modern times. I have time traveled, I have experienced opera singing in the 1800’s, I have gotten a glimpse into the rough and tumble world of gangster life in the 1920’s. I have lived vicariously through your writings for years.
I often wonder what has happened to the characters after the book ends, the mark of a truly good writer I might add. However, you have given us a look at certain characters and what happens to them, in Sweet Liar we saw Dougless from A Knight in Shining Armor was pregnant with her first child. In your latest book, The Girl from Summer Hill, we get to see more of Kit Montgomery, he’s one of my favorites and has made appearances in several of your books.
I love the interactions of the Taggert’s and Montgomery’s, the way the families intertwine and how it all started in The Raider.
I want to travel to Warbrooke, Maine to Chandler, Colorado and Lanconia, I want to go to all of the fictional homes, cities and countries where the characters are from that you write about.
Your works have gotten me through a divorce, the death of my father, my mother and through countless other happenings in my life.
I hope the thoughtless, rude words of a few will not outweigh the many who thoroughly enjoy your writings, your words, your characters.
As soon as one of your books hit the market I have to have it, I want it in hardback, I cannot wait for paperback and I do not enjoy an e-reader. I want to hold the book in my hand and turn the pages. When I first started reading you there was no Amazon or even a Barnes and Noble. I went to the local bookstore where I live and I would pre-order you. It got to the point to where the owner of the store would call me as soon as they got word of your drop date. And they would save my copy for me to come and pick it up. Alas that bookstore is no more, but I still have my fond memories of it.
There are only four authors that I buy in hard back, you are my number one.

Sincerely,

Angie (a major fan)

As usual, if anyone has any thoughts or comments they do not want to say on my site you can email me at angie@angieworld.com

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Jude Deveraux

I read, a lot, as a matter of fact I can’t remember a time I didn’t love words, I used to beg my grandpa to read to me. I asked so much that when I was four years old he taught me to read, after that we read together, me with my book, him with his. His was mostly the bible and study books on the bible. Have I ever mentioned how smart my grandpa was? He was so smart, kind, funny and present, I know I have said it before, but he really was my first hero, father figure and love of my life. I believe the term love of my life gets bandied about too much in the romantic realm. He was very literally my everything from birth till the day he died, he was my protector, my mentor and someone that told me daily I could be anything I wanted to be in this world.

Back to the reading thing, one of my favorite authors, Jude Deveraux, released a new book, one in a series, it is the Nantucket Bride series, this one is Ever After. Now, I know what you are all thinking, seriously, she loves a romance novel writer? Why yes I do, I have loved her for a long time, her books have gotten me through some of the roughest times in my life. They have provided a well needed escape when I felt I could not handle one more thing, I could lose myself in a world where my issues weren’t prevalent. I would come back, refreshed and ready to go, none of this takes away from reliance on God during these times. I feel I must add that, He gave this woman a gift with words and I took advantage of that gift and have read everything she has written over the years. I will continue to read everything she writes in the future.

The latest book, the last in this series, was particularly good, overall I highly enjoyed it, however, one sentence threw me for a loop. The main male character is asked by his father how he feels about the heroine of the story; he says “the first time I saw her I was dizzy with lust’. An honest answer, it wasn’t love at first sight, it was lust at first sight. Which is, if we are honest with ourselves, what comes first. Love is getting to know someone, accepting their strength along with their flaws.

The thing that threw me, was I have never had anyone feel that way about me, and it depressed me, for a day, then I was ok. But it was the day that I took a hard look at myself, physically, and looked back at myself over the years. There were times I know for a fact NO human would have looked at me like that. I gained so much weight it wasn’t even funny. But when I was younger I was pretty and physically fit. I find I am taken aback by the fact that I missed my opportunity to have someone look at me in that way.

At the age of 51 no man is ever going to look at me and become dizzy with lust, maybe when I was 19 and looked good, but now I am way too old. The thought saddens me in a way I cannot begin to explain, I wish I could go back and have a conversation with 19-year-old Angie and tell her to enjoy her youth. She was so pretty, funny, smart and, well mouthy, she spoke before she thought, but that was part of her charm and her curse. Sometimes I miss her, her boldness, her ability to rush forward without thinking of the consequences.

If you are young and reading this, enjoy your youth, be aware of your power, trust that God is going to put you on the path you should be on and enjoy that path. Take chances, try new things, take care of your body, exercise and eat well. Because let me tell you, all of the junk eating catches up to you, in one form or another.

I will still be sad that no one has ever looked at me the way the character in the book looked at the heroine. Nothing can change that, but I will do my best to enjoy my life right now, to take care of my body and try and undo some of the damage I have done to it over the years. Not with drugs, alcohol or tobacco, but with inactivity and poor eating choices.