Bookish Tuesday: Literary Libraries

by Jeanette O'Hagan @jeanetteohagan

What book-dragon doesn't love a library?

Libraries are heavenly places, crammed full of books to get in lost in. I'm a frequent visitor to our local library and have found many treasures there - including books by Karen Kingsbury, Dee Hendersen, Stephen Lawhead, Ted Dekker, Rosanne Hawke and Adele Jones.  And I have many wonderful memories as a child raiding the school library, the Nkana Mines club library, the local council library or any library that would let me through its doors for my next favourite read.

It recently occurred to me that I've included a few different libraries in my stories. It got me thinking about the fantastic fictional libraries other writers include in their books.


There are certainly some great libraries in what might be deemed secular fiction -- Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose revolves around the labyrinthine abbey library at an Italian monastery, some heart-warming scenes occurred between Edward and the Dashwood girls in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, the Hogwarts library looms large in J K Rowling's Harry Potter novels, while in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 future hope resides in the living libraries,  and then there's the Beast's library that captured Belle's heart in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Here is a list of some more, if you want to check them out.

Libraries in Christian fiction

And what about Christian fiction? Is it devoid of libraries? It took a while and the help of a few friends to track them down, but they are there.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

My imagination conjures up visions of Bilbo Baggins the hobbit spending his last days in the library at Rivendell full of ancient books and scrolls. Though apparently, this scene is not in the book -J R R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings -  Gandalf does search through the archives of Gondor to confirm his theories about the One Ring.

From memory, in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empire series, the society of ley travellers keep a depository of unique and strange books in the house at Damascus, including a mysterious book which provides a clue to the disastrous shrinking universe and strange, out-of-time events.

And there is the faerie library in George MacDonald's Fantasies. Anados, the hero in this allegorical tale, discovers that the books pull the reader into their pages, to experience the events with all five senses, a truly immersive experience.

In C S Lewis' The Great Divorce, departed authors congregate "about public libraries to see if anyone’s still reading their books." A somewhat depressing thought. Though the people in the Great Divorce are those who have failed to move on and accept in full the gift of God's grace.

Christian author Steve Rzasa is a librarian and a library makes an appearance in For Us Humans, a sci-fi where a human cop and an alien investigator need to team up to track down a missing artifact and prevent dire, world-threatening consequences, while dialoging about Jesus.

Romance, Historical and Biblical Fiction

And it's not just speculative fiction that contain delightful libraries.

Bodie Thoene’s Jerusalem Scrolls  The Zion Legacy Series No 4 references a library of ancient scrolls under Jerusalem.

And in sync with the times, Carolyn Miller's regency romances often feature libraries. Manor house libraries in The Eluisive Miss Ellison and The Captivating Lady Charlotte, and borrowing libraries in The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey and Winning Miss Winthrop while both The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey and Carolyn's lastest release, A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, have some scenes where the heroine meets significant people at the (public) libraries of Regency England.

Carolyn Miller is clearly an author after my own heart.

Paula Vince, in her post Stories with Libraries and Librarians, mentions at lease three other occurrences of libraries in Christian Fiction.

Elizabeth Camden's Beyond All Dreams features a a research librarian named Anna, who archives maps, and in the process, discovers an explosive and dangerous secret.

In Lynn Austin's Wonderland Creek, a shy librarian is pressured to become a mobile librarian to a hillbilly community, with some dangerous and life-changing results.

And in Julie Klasson's The Ladies of Ivy Hill,  Miss Rachel Ashcroft inherits her father's books even though she doesn't like reading, so she sets up a small lending library with wonderful consequences.

Libraries in Nardva

And there there are my fictional libraries.

The Palace Library in Tarka

The Great Library of the Golden Place features in Akrad's Children. A large area that takes almost one wing and two levels with a mezzanine floor and a domed skylight over the reading tables, it is the hero, Dinnis' favourite refuge. Dinnis curries favour with the cranky librarian, Ralton, so he can spend more time there and earn a little metal. Prince Mannok on the other hand, caused havoc inside the library as a young boy, and would rather be anywhere else as a young man who loves riding and hunting.

In my short story Lakwi's Lament, young Lakwi loves books and wishes she was allowed in the library, but her father has banned girls from entering. Her big brother, Prince Rokkan gives her books and the ideas and stories she drinks in help her when she does find herself in deep trouble. A story about a girl, a library and a puppy (among other things).

The Library of Alexgaia

In a short sci-fi 'space opera' story, Rendezvous at Alexgaia, Dana and Avonis have to get into the hidden library at Alexgaia, run by the technomonks, to find a clue for a code. Getting in is one thing, getting out is another thing altogether as they dodge lethal autobots among the library stacks. 

And in a short story A Rookie Mistake, time traveller, Sandria is in a private library looking for precious artifacts to save from the 1666 Fire of London when her mission goes badly wrong - or maybe right, depending on how you look at it. (As Time Goes By: Mixed Blessings. Breath of Fresh Air Press.)

Both stories have been republished in Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories.

And my latest library creation?

The Seven-Tiered library of Sillantis

In my latest release, Shadow Crystals, the fourth and penultimate novella in the Under the Mountain series, the heroes spend some of their time shifting through the scrolls and codices of the Library in Siltanis, search for the clue to breaking the bond of a soul-stone. Of course, when the rebel ebed invade the city, things become rather fraught and dangerous, but those days in the library are not wasted.

Do you love spending time in a library? And what fictional libraries would you long to visit? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks to Paula Vince, Susan Bruce, Adam Collings and Mazzy Adams for some great suggestions to add to the list :)

Giveaway

And as a bonus, I'm giving away to one commenter an e-book from the Under the Mountain series (a choice of either Heart of the Mountain, Blood Crystal, Stone of the Sea or Shadow Crystals).

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Jeanette spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. Many involve courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic. Others, are set in Nardva’s future and include space stations, plasma rifles, bio-tech, and/or cyborgs.

She has published numerous short stories, poems, four novellas in the Under the Mountain series, her debut novel, Akrad's Children and Ruhanna's Flight and other stories.

Her latest release is Shadow Crystals, the penultimate novella in the Under the Mountain series with Caverns of the Deep due in April/May.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.


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Wandering Wednesday: Edinburgh and beyond! #giveaway

by @CarolynMAuthor

My upcoming Regency romance The Making of Mrs Hale releases next week, and to celebrate, I thought I'd take a quick trip down memory lane and recall some of the places I've visited in Edinburgh, Scotland, where part of the novel is set.

My trip to England in 2015 was not going to be complete without a whistle-stop visit of various Scottish locales, including iconic Edinburgh. My sister and I stayed in the basement level of a terrace house within walking distance of the Great Mile, at the end of which stands the famous castle.

Along the way are dozens of tourist enticements, such as these emblems of Scottish music:

From the battlements you can see New Town stretched before you, a grid like system of houses built in the early 1800s in an effort to stem the disease rife in older parts of the city.

One of my favourite places to visit was the Georgian House, a National Trust property in New Town dressed with period furnishings of the - you guessed it! - Georgian era.  

Inside, visitors can see various rooms, including the drawing room with a square piano, a room designed to be the most impressive for after-dinner entertaining. Visitors are shown the parlour, where the tea-table was positioned. Tea was heavily taxed in Regency times, and the lady of the house kept the keys to the tea chest to prevent servants from helping themselves. (They were permitted to use the owner's spent tea-leaves, though!)

The dining room with Wedgwood service and Regency-era menus is also on display, as are bedchambers, the water-closet, and 'below stairs' in the kitchen and cellars. If you want a taste of Regency life, visiting such a well preserved museum is a must!

For my story, I wanted to show something of what life would be like in 1800s Edinburgh, so the inclusion of details such as cobblestones and steep streets were a must.

 As were the many public houses ('pubs' or taverns) and other interesting places pointing to Edinburgh's history.

If you get the chance, visiting Scotland is a must; it's a place filled with castles, history and mystique that still resonates today - and makes a great setting for a book, such as The Making of Mrs Hale.

Giveaway

I'm giving away a copy of The Making of Mrs. Hale (ebook for international readers or print book for readers with an Australian mailing address).

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post and/or the November New Releases post  on November 19. Receive two entries in the drawing by commenting on both posts. The giveaway closes on Friday November 30.

Can a runaway marriage be redeemed?

Marry in haste, repent in leisure—Mrs. Hale is about to find out how painful that repentance can truly be. Julia Hale ran off to be married in Gretna Green, following romance instead of common sense. 

But her tale isn't turning into a happily ever after. Her new husband is gone and she doesn't know where—or if he's ever coming back. Julia has no option but to head home to the family she betrayed by eloping and to hope they'll forgive her. 

Along the way she will learn how relationship with God can bring restoration and hope, and find the answers she needs both for her husband and her future.

The Making of Mrs Hale is now available for preorder from Amazon, Book Depository, etc 

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher. 

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop, and Miss Serena’s Secret, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

Connect with her:      

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Bookish Tuesday | Miss Serena's Secret by Carolyn Miller

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

I'm a long-time Regency romance fan. I can't remember when I read my first Georgette Heyer novel, but I remember reading and rereading many of the 1990s reprints. I loved the humour and intelligence, and the trials of falling in love in an age where male-female relationships were strictly regimented.

I watched the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice when it first showed on TV. I rewatched the series a couple of years later when my husband bought me the videos for Christmas (and discovered that TVNZ had cut almost an hour of footage in order to get more ads in). I then bought and read all Jane Austen's novels—more humour, more intelligence, and more difficulties in finding true love. I also loved the settings and the clothes (and Julia Sawalha, aka Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous).

Regency romance has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years, but many of the general market novels have a lot of sex and not much Christian faith—which seems at odds with the period. So it's good to see more Regency romance coming out of the Christian market, from authors such as Julie Klaassen, Kristi Ann Hunter, and now Carolyn Miller.

Miss Serena's Secret is Carolyn Miller's fifth novel, and the second in her Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series. If you've read the others, you'll enjoy catching up with some of the characters from the previous stories. If you haven't, don't worry: this is a standalone novel.

Despite the title, Miss Serena actually has several secrets.

These secrets combine to persuade her that she will never marry. She will especially not marry a man like her father, a gambler who lost their fortune at the tables. So she is not impressed when she meets gambler and womaniser Lord Henry Carmichael.

This is a sweet and slow love story. It's not the romance novel where we meet the hero and heroine and wham bam they're together. Instead, both characters have plenty of time to get to know each other and to change—to mature into people who are able to fall in love and contemplate marriage.

Miss Serena is an artist, and her art plays a key part in the novel. I'm no painter, but I loved the painting references—the colours, the techniques, and the little upset at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition.

Recommended for Regency romance fans.

Thanks to Kregel Publications and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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Monday Milestones

By Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

In Monday Milestones, members of the Beyond the Borders zone of American Christian Fiction Writers share their latest achievements.

Click here for more information on joining American Christian Fiction Writers. In case you were wondering, Beyond the Borders covers all members outside the USA—there are almost 100 of us, from over a dozen different countries.

Onto our Monday Milestones!

Awards

Kara Isaac won the 2018 RITA Award from Romance Writers of America for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements. Congratulations, Kara!

Click here to read the full list of winners, or click here to watch the replay and Kara's awesome acceptance speech!

New Releases

Grace in the Shadows by Christine Dillon

Christine Dillon (Taiwan) has released Grace in the Shadows, the sequel to Grace in Strange Disguise.

Physiotherapist Esther has survived cancer, but wounds within her family remain unhealed. Is her revived faith the reason for the rift or could a simmering secret be the root cause?

Cosmetics consultant Rachel buried her past - and her father’s God - but the past refuses to stay buried. Will she continue to run or is confronting her pain the way to freedom?

Two women. Two different lives.

One collision course with truth.

Can God’s grace shine even in the darkest of shadows?

Return to Baragula by Mary Hawkins

Return to Baragula by Mary Hawkins (Australia) has been re-released by ForgetMeNot Publishing.

When overcome by being alone with the man she loved on the romantic beach setting, teenager Emily Parker failed to keep her promise to God never to make love until married. She never dreamed how it would impact her own life and the lives of many others. Six years later, despite the hateful way she’d been treated there, she has to return to her home town, but discovers that Matthew Davidson, the man she’d yielded to, is now the local doctor.

While Emily’s faith is now weak, even believing God can no longer love her, Matthew’s life has changed since he committed his life to Christ. However, now he has to deal with all the consequences of his actions with Emily. When he becomes ill and is still weak when disease attacks the community, Emily, a registered nurse, has to help him. But danger from her life in the city has followed her, and now also threatens her family. Through it all, will Matthew and Emily’s faith and love be strong enough to forgive each other, and deal with all the consequences of their behaviour?

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

Kara Isaac (New Zealand) has released All Made Up, a standalone contemporary romance that features some characters from her previous novels.

Everyone thinks Katriona McLeod is living the dream. Her professional career as a make up artist sees her traveling the world working with the stars and she's got no shortage of men wanting her affection. Only problem is she's never gotten over Caleb Murphy, the one guy she's ever loved. When she accepts a job on the latest looking-for-love reality TV show, Falling for the Farmer, she discovers to her horror that Caleb is the leading man and she's cast as one of his harem. But she hides a secret that means that even if she wanted a second chance with the guy who broke her heart she could never have it.

Caleb Murphy couldn't care less about C-Class celebrity fame or reality TV and he certainly doesn't believe it could lead him to love. The one thing he does care about is fulfilling his mother's last wish. Kat's presence on the show seems to offer up a solution that will make both the network and his mother happy. It might have been almost ten years since they split but he knows he can trust her with his plan. Just as long as he doesn't fall in love all over again with the woman who will never stay.

Unknown Enemy by Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley (Canada) has released Unknown Enemy, the first in her new Green Dory Inn Mystery series.


Landon Smith vowed never to return to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Despite her faith, the memories might undo her.

But a shadowy figure has been skulking around the Green Dory Inn—seen only by her friend Anna.

Loyalty demands she stand by this woman who’s been a second mother to her. No matter the cost.

With the police unable to find solid clues, and the incidents escalating, Landon must help Anna discover the truth about the prowler and stop him. Before he turns violent.

Works in Progress

The Making of Mrs Hale by Carolyn Miller will release in November 2018.

Rita Stella Galieh is working on a proposal for a new series.

Jessica Kate is working on the edits for Love and Other Mistakes, which will release from Thomas Nelson in 2019. Click here to read the first chapter on her website.

Kara Isaac is working on the edits for One Thing I Know, which will release from Howard Books in February 2019.

Janet Sketchley is working to release Hidden Secrets (next in the Green Dory Inn Mystery series) in early 2019.

New Agent

Tara Ross has completed her first YA novel, and signed with Cyle Young and Hope Bolinger at Hartline Literary Agency. She is currently querying and hoping her manuscript finds a home.

Cover Reveals

The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings (Thomas Nelson, March 2019) 

When three people take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, their lives change forever.

A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.

A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister's house before her niece’s wedding.

And a young artist pursuing his father’s dream so he can keep his own alive.

When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcases from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they can’t imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.

In this modern-day parable about the burdens that weigh us down, David Rawlings issues an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.

Congratulations, everyone!

Wandering Wednesday: Derbyshire and Pemberley!

by Carolyn Miller @CarolynMAuthor

My brand new Regency novel, Miss Serena's Secret, is set partly in Derbyshire, so to celebrate, I thought it would be nice to take a visit to two of the iconic houses in this area, both of which have been used in filmed versions of one of my all time favourite novels, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire, and has been in the Cavendish family's possession for sixteen generations! This Baroque styled house was used as the setting for Mr Darcy's Pemberley in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley.

A grand staircase takes you up to the first of the State rooms.

Chatsworth has often been voted one of England's favourite stately homes, and it's not hard to see why. Visitors are allowed to take pictures (!), and there is so much to see in a history-filled house of such wealth and importance. The Chapel remains virtually unaltered since it was built between 1688 and 1693. Its altarpiece of alabaster and marble is stunning, and a reminder of the importance faith held for families, when they would gather for daily prayers and Sunday worship.

I wanted to show the awe of my artistic heroine (Miss Serena) as she visited a place such as this, and viewed the magnificence of the sculptures and paintings, such as those that line so many of the walls at Chatsworth. Here are some pictures I took of some of the magnificent artwork of Chatsworth, including the Sculpture Gallery from that famous scene in P&P!

Places like Chatsworth were designed to make a statement about a family's wealth and social position. This can be seen in the State and Guest bedrooms, where magnificence abounds in the furnishings, fabric and absolute attention to detail. 

Imagine being brought up in such a setting! Imagine visiting, as the far more humble daughter of a far more humble background, and being asked to dine at a table not unlike this!

One of the things I enjoyed about Chatsworth (there were so many!) was the inclusion of collectibles by the family, things that make a house more a home. The 5th Duchess of Devonshire collected minerals, and I included references to the local stone known as 'Blue John' in Miss Serena's Secret.

Of course, one can't visit Chatsworth without enjoying its magnificent gardens, with famous features such as the Cascades, designed to feed the Sea Horse fountain in the south lawn.

So much magnificence! So little time - especially if one still wants to visit the other (real!) Pemberley of Lyme Park, located not too far away in nearby Cheshire. 

Lyme Park

The exterior of this stately home was used in the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth, and holds special significance because my husband worked here in its garden in the 1990s!

So here's some pics I took with my sister of the gardens and courtyard of this very stately building.

Visiting houses like these are such rare occasions for this Aussie from the opposite side of the world that one has to make the most of it via so many pictures and mementoes. For more pictures visit my website www.carolynmillerauthor.com and check out the Miss Serena's Secret page.

Want to know more about the book? Here's the blurb:

Scarred by her past, Serena Winthrop is determined to protect her heart - especially from flirts like the too smooth Viscount Carmichael. But when forced to share his roof, she discovers another side to the man who gambles with women's hearts as he does their husband's money. 

​

Henry, Lord Carmichael, struggles with the weight of his Derbyshire's family's expectations, until he finds a hope shared by the too perceptive, too young artist. But he's promised to protect his best friend's innocent sister-in-law, not charm her, much to his - and her - private dismay. 

​

When her art leads her to London infamy, he's forced to choose between the life mapped out for him, and the love of his life, with whom marriage might prove the end of his family line. 

You can purchase copies here.

Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of Miss Serena's Secret I have one e-copy to give away, anywhere in the world. For your chance to win, leave a comment on this blog post, and to double your chances, leave a comment on the International Christian Fiction Writers July 2018 New Releases post. Entries close 31st July.

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher. 

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop and Miss Serena's Secret, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

Connect with her:        website | facebook | pinterest | twitter | instagram