For the brave world is given to us
For all the brave in heart to keep,
Lest wicked hands should sow the thorne
That bleeding generations weep.
Julia Ward Howe, “From Newport to Rome” (1854)
Here’s the conclusion of the poem in a review of Howe’s collection Passion-Flowers in Graham’s Magazine.
So Pamela from the lovely Badass Romance blog has nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is less an award than a way to connect with other small and medium-sized blogs (fewer than 200 followers) and to share random things about yourself.
As a recipient, I must:
It’s sort of like one of those chain emails from the late 90s, but without the gloom-and-doom “if you don’t pass this on” stuff. Without further ado, follow me below the fold.
So I had some terribly exciting news yesterday, but in typical fashion, you’re going to have to wait for it. Believe me, it’s good.
In the meantime, in honor of Memorial Day, my fine romance Friday recommendation is A Very Long Engagement, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2004 drama about World War I, starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, and Marion Cotillard. It’s a really lovely movie — Jeunet and Tautou’s follow-up to the better-known Amelie — about a group of soldiers who shoot themselves during the Battle of the Somme in an attempt to get sent home from the front. They’re caught and face court martial. Tautou’s character, who suffered polio as a child, spends the movie attempting to figure out what happened to the men, one of whom is her fiance.
As you’d expect if you’ve seen Amelie, the film looks amazing. The cinematography, the costumes, the use of the French countryside, etc. are all gorgeous and do an excellent job setting the tone. The film is a triumph of mood, really, using color and music to create shifting atmospheres. It’s also oh so romantic as you wonder how precisely the central couple — Tautou and Ulliel — will get back to one another.
I’d recommend pairing it with a nice beaujolais and Adam Hochchild’s haunting non-fiction account of World War I, To End All Wars.
I have heard lots of authors say that their imminent publication started to seem real only when they saw the cover for their first book. Well, add me to that list.
Up to this moment, the thought of being published had a hazy, surreal, day-dreamy quality. The process just didn’t seem that different from what I’d already been doing. I’d been getting feedback on and revising Brave in Heart since last year, so it wasn’t like that was new. I’d been thinking about marketing the book for a long while, so actually starting to do so was sort of dream-like but not all that unusual.
But looking at the cover leaves me a little speechless. My manuscript is a book, a real, live book. How odd. How delightful.
Enough preamble! Do you want to see it? Well, follow me below the fold.
When I look at about my Fine Romance Friday posts, a pattern emerges: most of what I’ve recommended so far are older films, foreign films, or indies. What the heck has happened to the genre? Can Hollywood make a good romantic comedy anymore?
Jezebel had a nifty chart yesterday showing the decline of receipts for rom-coms compared to the meteoric rise in box office for super-hero movies. It’s sort of a random and not terribly enlightening comparison; critically, super-hero movies are experiencing a bit of a renaissance and rom-coms are in a rut, but that doesn’t mean the two are related.
But as someone who reads (and writes!) romance, it’s clear that there’s been stagnation in contemporary romance on film and I find that depressing. I think it’s related to a few trends: the focus on impossibly beautiful people, the forced quirkiness, the humiliation of the female protagonist, and the overall predictability.
Within, say, the best contemporary romance novels being written today, the characters are often more likable and more relatable than in the last five rom-coms I saw. Even keeping in mind that there will be a happily ever after, contemporary romance novels surprise me. I am rarely surprised by the mainstream romantic comedies of the past decade.
So, am I wrong? What am I missing? Or should I stick with the older films and those produced outside of the Hollywood machine?
I don’t know about where you’re at, but here, it’s hot. We’d been enjoying a nice spring and suddenly this week, summer arrived with heat and humidity leading the way. In honor of the shift in season, this week’s fine romance is Summertime, an underrated 1955 romanced directed by David Lean starring Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi.
It’s the story of an American secretary who has been saving her entire life for a big European tour. She stops in Venice for a few weeks, meets a silver fox Italian and, well, sparks fly.
I’m making it sound cliched, however, and Summertime is anything but. While the step up is predictable enough, nothing about the movie is quite what you expect. The cinematography is gorgeous — Lean was clearly getting ready for Lawrence of Arabia; the acting terrific; and the score haunting. And seriously, Brazzi can brood like no one’s business. While summer is still a novelty, slurp this one down with a bellini tonight.
In the wee small hours of the morning, I sent my final edits of Brave in Heart to the folks at Crimson. There’s one more copyedit stage, but that’s only for egregious, but minor, problems — typos, spelling errors, and so on.
Once I hit “send,” I sighed and smiled. I recognized that the feeling flooding my limbs had a name. Relief. And I enjoyed it for about twenty seconds before gasping panic expelled it from my body.
You mean this book I started writing a year ago doesn’t get to change again…ever? You mean that I’m stuck with these words in this order for the rest of time?
Historically, editors marked texts for revision with blue pencils. Hardscrabble publishing and journalist characters in nineteenth-century literature are often seen with those writing instruments tucked behind their ears or littering their desks. I once spent several long days in special collections at the Library of Congress reading the letters of an elderly writer written entirely in a large, scrawling hand in blue pencil.
Today, I think the words “red pen” conjure fear in the hearts of many — if we think of editing as happening on paper at all. But there’s something about the revision process that I actually like. It’s so wonderfully absorbing. So fabulously obtuse.
At present, I’m working through a paper copy of Brave in Heart trying to finalize my changes. After this, there is only copyediting to go. So expect posting and Tweeting to be light this week. Lots of exciting teasers and posts are in the pipeline, however, and in a little less than two months, you’ll finally be able to read the book!
Now I’ve officially stressed myself out, back to my black pen…
There are moments in life — like when you’re trying to finish writing your dissertation, revising a novel, getting your two-year-old to stop biting his sister, and figuring out what you’re going to do with the rest of your life — when you need Bette Davis.
“What would Bette do?” is a question that I have actually asked myself. The woman was always a tower of strength on screen. Sometimes she’s not at the beginning, but by the end, she’s found her way in a hostile world and she’s found her man too and she absolutely won’t apologize.
Everyone knows All About Eve — and I adore the central relationship in that film — but Now, Voyager is more focused on the romance. So this week’s fine romance recommendation is Irving Rapper’s 1942 weepie with Davis and Paul Henreid.
It’s the story of a frumpy, introverted Boston Brahman spinster who gets some new clothes, goes on a cruise to South America, and falls in love with Paul Henreid. As one does. Warning: it doesn’t feature a traditional happily ever after, but I don’t think you’ll care because Bette Davis will teach you how to live.
In a few short weeks, I should have the electronic advanced reader copies (eARCs) of Brave in Heart. We’ll pause here for a second while I squee. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, if you write for a site that reviews romance or historical fiction (and has previously reviewed romance), I would love to hear from you.
Brave in Heart is a short novel set in Connecticut in the first half of the American Civil War. It’s sensual but not erotic. The release date is July 1, 2013. For more information about the book, look here.
If you’re still on board, please email me at author.emma.barry (at) gmail.com with a link to your blog and your preferred format (.epub, .mobi, PDF). I will email them out by the third week in May. All that I ask in return is for an honest review. Please keep in mind that I’m limiting how many I give away and I can’t give one to everybody.
Emma Barry 