What I Read in 2010

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Jenna Jaxon

Taking the suggestion of another blog I follow (see below), today’s post gives you and idea of what I read in 2010.  And until I started pulling books off the shelves (yes, sadly until this Christmas all my books have been paper or hardback) I didn’t realize how much I had read in 2010. 

Granted, a lot are re-reads.  I enjoy re-visiting my favorite characters, becoming immersed in their trials and tribulations once more.  And often I learn more about writing when I read the second time around, because the first time I’m so caught up in the story I just want to know what happens and so do not look at the craft that has me turning pages at a furious rate.

Listing my reads will give you not only an idea of how much I read throughout the year (most are read during three periods–summer, Christmas break, and Spring break) but what my tastes are,  in historical romance at least.  That is all I read last year and it must be the first time in twenty years that I did not read a Stephen King book.  One New Year’s resolution is going to be to widen my reading list, but I’ll leave that for another post.

What I read in 2010: (* denotes particular favorites)

Jo Beverly

Lord Wraybourne’s Bride, The Stanforth Secrets, Chalice of Roses (Anthology of Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, Barbara Samuel), The Secret Duke

Re-Reads

A Lady’s Secret, The Secret Wedding*, St. Raven, The Rogue’s Return, Lady Beware, Winter Fire, An Most Unsuitable Man, To Rescue A Rogue, Hazard, Forbidden, Devilish*, The Demon’s Mistress, The Dragon’s Bride, The Devil’s Heiress*, Dangerous Joy, The Determined Bride* (Novella)

Mary Balogh

New Reads

Slightly Scandalous, Lisghtly Tempted, Slightly Sinful, Slightly Dangerous, Truly, A Precious Jewel, Dark Angel, Lord Carew’s Bride, The Heart of Christmas (Anthology with Nicola Cornick, Courtney Milan), It Happened One Night (Anthology with Stephanie Larens, Jacquie D’Alessandro, Candice Hern)

Re-Reads

At Last Comes Love, Seducing An Angel

Kathleen Woodiwiss (all re-reads)

The Flame and the Flower, Three Weddings and A Kiss (Anthology with Catherine Anderson, Loretta Chase*, Lisa Kleypas*), Married at Midnight (Anthology with Jo Beverly*, Tabya Anne Crosby, Samantha James*) * denotes favorite novellas by these authors that actually made me read their full works

Samantha James – Scandal’s Bride* (Novella)

 Joanna Lindsey

New Reads

A Rogue of My Own, Love Me Forever, A Pirates Love, Captive Bride (absolutely hated this book–her first book I think and the writing is not what it eventually became)

Re-reads

Say You Love Me, No Choice But Seduction, Love Only Once, Gentle Rogue, Tender Rebel, Marriage Most Scandalous

Lisa Kleypas

New Reads

Suddenly You, Lady Sophia’s Lover, Dreaming of You, Worth Any Price,, Married by Morning*, Love in the Afternoon

Re-Reads

Secrets of a Summer Night*, It Happened One Autumn, The Devil In Winter*, Scandal in Spring, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Tempt Me at Twilight, Promises* (Novella)

All the rest of my list are new reads where I was trying out new authors.

Mary Jo Putney (great find)

The Wild Child, Loving a Lost Lord, Never Less Than A Lady, One Perfect Rose***(Winner of the Kept-Me-Up-All-Night-Had-To-Finish Award)

Loretta Chase – Lord of Scoundrels, The Mad Earl’s Bride* (Novella)

Kat Martin – The Bride’s Necklace, The Devil’s Necklace, The Handmaid’s Necklace

Madeline Hunter – The ROmantic, By Arrangement, Secrets of Surrender

Victoria Alexander – Desires of a Perfect Lady

Eloisa James – Desperate Duchesses

Alexandra Hawkins – All Night with a Rogue

Stephanie Laurens – Impetuous Innocent, The Untamed Bride, The Elusive Bride, The Brazen Bride (about 3/4 thru but losing interest)

That’s my list and I’m sticking to it!  So, what did YOU read in 2010?

Check-out what others read:

http://ajandcharli.blogspot.com/

www.MartzBookz.blogspot.com

Posted in On Reading | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

What’s In A Name?

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Jenna Jaxon

Names facinate us. 

From Romeo & Juliet’s famous “What’s in a name?  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,”  to In the Heat of the Night‘s “They call me Mr. Tibbs!” to Cats’ “The naming of cats is a difficult matter/ It isn’t just one of your holiday games/You may think at first I am mad as a hatter/When I tell you a cat must have three different names.”

Does a person’s (or cat’s) or character’s name matter?  I believe most people, writers in particular, would answer with an unqualified “Yes!”  Where would we be  if Rhett Butler had been named Hiram Muddle?  If Elizabeth Bennett had been called Maude Staples?  If Heathcliff had been just Sam?

Names are so personal, so intrinsic a part of a person or character, that the writer must take care to select the one name that will crystallize that character in the reader’s mind.

Not that writers always have a choice.  At least I don’t.  Although most of my characters seem satisfied with the names I give them, there is a Tommy who tried to be an Andrew, but he’s pretty much given that up.  However, in one story outline there is a woman who I wanted to name Celinda but who is adamant that she will be called Pamela.  I have finally conceded to her demands, and given Celinda to a younger, more maleable character in a short story.

I am always interested in other author’s penchant for odd names.  Jo Beverly’s medieval names in her Malloren series, Kathleen Woodiwis’ Aislinn, Synnovea, Cerynise, Wulfgar and a host of others, have delighted me and spurred me on to collect interesting names (or interesting spellings of names) for my own characters.  Many names come from people I have met (Celinda is one, Jauric another) and some I have created on a whim or taken from an unlikely source (Cyntessa, Sistine).

What names to you like?  Do you have a favorite name for a character?  How do you come up with names for your characters?

Stop by and let me know what YOU think is in a name.

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Hello world!

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to Jenna’s Journal! 

I am Jenna Jaxon, an aspiring author of historical romance who is forging ahead with my dream of being published.  I am getting ready to query my second book, Only Scandal Will Do, set in London, 1761 and want to use this blog as a journal of my journey towards publication.  I plan to detail my process, with all of its attendant hopes and heartaches, plus write about the business of writing–romance in particular–as it unfolds for me. 

I will have questions along the way, and I’ll put them out there for anyone to answer or comment.  And if you have questions I will do my best to answer or comment in return. 

In addition to writing on writing, I hope to address a wide variety of topics–I have studied widely, traveled in the US and Europe, and taught for a number of years, so sometimes expect the unexpected.  I have also found that nearly everything can be connected to writing or connected to something connected to writing–we don’t need six degrees of separation to get there.

So Welcome to Jenna’s Journal.  I hope you’ll visit often and comment on my posts to let me know how I’m doing.  This is a wonderful new world for me and in the words of Little Orphan Annie, “I think I’m gonna like it here!”

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