The Beauty Of Language

At my wedding my Dad said in his speech that wherever I went, books went to. He told stories of my love of books dating from before I could walk, and bet Josh that I had a stack of books sitting by my bed to take on my honeymoon.

He was wrong.

There were so many they were stacked beside my bed and on the floor.

I took the opportunity over the last few weeks to read a lot of books I never would have ordinarily picked up. Sure there were a couple of chicklitty beach reads, but the majority were books that I chose from the Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009 list. I wanted to see what it was that it took for a book to rise above all the others and make this list.

The answer, across all the genres and all the lengths and all the different POVs and styles was a no-brainer. The beauty of their language. These authors had an ability to twist words and create pictures in ways that had you mesmerised. In ways that made you read paragraphs, and then reread them again and again, because the mastery of their craft was something that demanded adoration.

In fact, in one particular book the beauty of the language was so overwhelming that I was three quarters of the way through and compeltely riveted before I realised very little was actually happening. One character was stuck in the back of Nebraska, another was on a long car journey and another was in an abandoned cabin, and pretty much everything was either backstory, or flashbacks or the characters thoughts on the situation they were in and/or the relationships that surrounded their situation.

In fact I could probably list in about eight bullet points, all of the key plot points, and you'd pretty much get a good overview of the story. But it would do absolutely no justice to the immensity of the talent it took to craft it.

It was kind of like being a varsity level runner and thinking that you weren't bad, not great, but okay in the grand scheme of things, and then suddenly watching the Olympics for the very first time.

And they were all like that, book after book after book. Sure maybe some themes I didn't really like, or some were darker than I would chose to read, and some styles resonated with me more than others, but every single one of them made me gape in wonder at their mastery of language.
If I could craft one paragraph the way these authors could I would be thrilled, and somehow they managed to do it for page after page for hundreds of pages.

For me there was one standout last year. Bonnie Grove's Talking To the Dead. We had the privilege of interviewing Bonnie on this blog a few weeks ago and all I can say is that, if you haven't read her debut novel then you absolutely must get your hands on it.

So tell me. What is one book that you read last year knocked you sideways with the magic of its words?

Kara is a bit distracted at the moment with her own fairytale romance to be writing much, but she figures that's okay since it's all technically research! She can be found chatting about writing, love, life and the trials of trying to buy a house at http://www.downundermusings.blogspot.com/

Jo-Anne Berthelsen--WINNER!

Jo-Anne Berthelsen is the winner of Bonnie Grove's novel, Talking to the Dead. Jo-Anne, I've sent you an email with instructions. I hope you enjoy the read! :)

Interview with Bonnie Grove -- Book Giveaway!

Today please welcome Canadian author Bonnie Grove. She is trained in Christian counseling and secular psychology, and is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Talking to the Dead, as well as Your Best You: Discovering and Developing the Strengths God Gave You. She and her pastor husband, Steve, have two children and live in Saskatchewan.

Valerie Comer here. I got to thinking about Bonnie and her writing. I've heard a lot about American publishers preferring books set in the USA, and I was curious about Bonnie's experiences in this regard. So I caught up with her and snagged a short interview.

VC: Both your fiction and your non-fiction have been published by American presses. Was this always your intention?

BG: I didn't go into writing with any intentions - I wanted to see if I could write, if my ideas could turn into books and if those books could make it to the marketplace somehow.

When I started I knew nothing. It was me in my basement clacking away. I completed my non-fiction, Your Best You, and turned to my first choice publisher - Beacon Hill Press. They are part of the Nazarene Publishing House - my denominational publisher. They said yes! So it had nothing to do with whether or not they were US based or not.

My fiction, Talking to the Dead, was different. I didn't know where to start or how the world of fiction publishing worked. I sent it in to a site called The Writer's Edge. Over time, several publishers asked for the full manuscript. I had no idea how to handle so much interest. What are the rules? How do you communicate with a publisher? I didn't know. I asked a Canadian colleague what she would do in my position, and she said I needed an agent (she was right!).

She sent a letter of introduction to an American agent who signed me the next day.

It wasn't intention that landed me with two US publishers and an American agent. It was, I believe, God's blessing and favor. You could have knocked me over with a feather when all this was happening!

VC: Where is your novel set?

BG: The novel is set in a small town called Greenfield. And in a city called.....The City.

I found when I tried to plunk the story down in any particular city, the city became too much of a character - it detracted from the story, which could take place anywhere. I chose to highlight the universality of the story by keeping the setting neutral.

VC: I have a hard time doing that. I guess I 'like' my settings to interact with my characters and influence them. Even when I try to remain neutral, I often find myself choosing between an American or Canadian custom.

This thought process didn't come up for you at any point? Maybe I should take lessons from you!

BG: No - there were some very small language differences my US editor and I noticed - and enjoyed talking about.

I'm guided by the story - and it's the story that dictates to me where it will be set.

Each novel I write will be different and I work out settings and other important points on a case by case basis. I'm not worried about the so called rules. I'm concerned with telling the story in an authentic manner.

Will I write a novel set in Canada? I may very well. Will I write one set in an American local? I may very well do that too. My focus is on telling the best story I can.

VC: What is your favorite travel destination? Does it ever beg to have a story situated there?

BG: I'm no world traveler - I've stuck close to home for the most part. I love exploring Canada. Three places come to mind:

The Canadian Rockies - especially Kananaskis country (south of Banff). There are spots tucked away in there that have soothed me and reminded me of to live the larger, well examined life.

A second place I love is Vancouver Island. Again, the tucked away places - My uncle helped design and build the park trails on the island, so he showed me and my family some wonderful out of the way spots. The ocean is healing to me, and it calms my sometime too-busy mind.



The third place is a wish - a hope to soon visit the Canadian maritime provinces - I spent time on islands off the coast of Maine many years ago, and I long to return to those cliffs and rocks and waters on the east coast. And yes, this hopeful trip figures into future projects. :)

Interested in a copy of Talking to the Dead? Bonnie will choose one winner (anywhere on the planet!) from the comments posted on this entry before Sunday, January 29. Please leave your email address so Bonnie can contact you for your snail mail address.

Disclaimer: Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/ international laws.