Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Literary Heroine Blog Party -- 2013

Click here to attend the party and enter the fabulous giveaway!

1. Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random! 

Hi, I'm Hamlette, I'm 32, I have 3 kids (ages 1, nearly 3, and 5), and this is my first time attending the Literary Heroine Blog Party!  I'm currently homeschooling my kids and writing my sixth novel.  I love books, movies, and history.

2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? 

A heroine should know what she likes and does not like, and be willing to stand up for what she believes.  But she also needs to be able to change and learn from her experiences, not just either run away or refuse to budge.  And she needs to be supportive of her significant other -- not pushing him to be or do what she wants, but encouraging him in whatever way she can.

3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to. 

Only four?!?!?  And only heroines.  Hmm.  Okay.  Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery.  Mary Russell from the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books by Laurie R. King.  Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Incidentally, my first daughter's middle name is Anne, and my second daughter's middle name is Jane, named after my two favorite literary heroines.

4. Five of your favorite historical novels? 

If by "historical novel" you mean novels set in a time other than the present day, then they are:  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas,  Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

5. Out of those five books who is your favorite main character and why? 

Jane Eyre.  She's intelligent, wise, and stubborn.

6. Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why? 

Sherlock Holmes in The Beekeeper's Apprentice.  He's also intelligent, wise, and stubborn.

7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to -- and what would you plan to do there? 

If that means I have to limit myself to one place, I would go to Alaska and see the Northern Lights.  I've dreamed of going there and seeing those ever since the first time I watched the John Wayne movie North to Alaska (1960) as a child.

8. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about? 

The WWII era.

9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of? 

Singing "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" while wearing a pirate costume.

10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? 

Anne of Green Gables.  I look good with red hair.

11. What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate? 

The darker, the better.  And the more, the merrier!

12. Favorite author(s)? 

Raymond Chandler, Thor Heyerdahl, Laurie R. King, Jasper Fforde, Alexandre Dumas, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jane Austen, Robert Ludlum, J. K. Rowling -- there, that's ten, I'll stop.

13. Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land? 

A camera, a journal, a blank notebook, and lots of pens.

14. In which century were most of the books you read written? 

Twentieth.

15. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is… 

Robin Hood.

16. Describe your ideal dwelling place. 

The house we live in right now, Tir Asleen.  Only less messy.

17. Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence. 

If it's not comfortable, I won't wear it.

18. Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name? 

A character in another person's book?  I don't think so.  A character in something I'm writing?  Absolutely.  But they don't always acquiesce.

19. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is... 

Wow.  That's a toughie!  I'll go with Sauron from The Lord of the Rings -- he has no redeeming qualities.

20. Three favorite Non-fiction books? 

Other than the Bible?  Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl, A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.

21. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon? 

Writing, writing, writing!  With an iced coffee and a candle for companions, and no interruptions.  Bliss.

22. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character. 

A well-worn, comfortable cowboy hat.  Dark brown, with a leather band.  Not too broad, not too high.

23. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year. 

My husband and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary last June!  And my brother, his wife, and their baby moved nearby, which has been such great fun.  Other than that, this past year was blessedly uneventful.

24. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you." (John 14:27a)  That's been very important to me for almost two years now.

32 comments:

  1. This party is SO fun!! =D Loved your answers & getting to know you through the quiz, too!
    Thanks for commenting on my blog! <3
    Bless!

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    1. Definitely fun! Thanks for reading my entry -- it's nice to "meet" you :-)

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  2. Very fun to read! Love your hat choice. :-D

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    1. Thanks! It's juuuuuuuuuust possible I may have given a certain fictional character a very similar hat :-D

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    2. :-D!! Interestingly, despite my love of Westerns, my hat of choice would be a fedora.

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    3. A fedora would probably be my second choice, but I look better in a cowboy hat, usually.

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  3. Even though you're my daughter, I get to know you better every time I read a blog or something you write. What insightful answers!

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    1. Really? What here didn't you know before? That we named our house Tir Asleen?

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  4. I feel the same way that you do about chocolate. Since being introduced to dark chocolate, milk chocolate seems so drab to me and I don't want it. I love your answer to #16. It is great to appreciate right where you are.

    Congratulations on ten years of marriage and counting!

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    1. Yes, milk chocolate does seem insipid compared to dark, doesn't it? Anyway, thanks!

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  5. I have had so many people talk about "The Beekeeper's Apprentice". I just need to settle down and read it!

    Loved your answers <3

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    1. Yes! Read it! It makes me laugh aloud with delight because Holmes is so very Holmes-ish in it. Great fun.

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  6. You have Alaska too! :D Thank you for visiting my blog!

    Iris♥

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    1. And thank you for returning the visit! I see you like the Elsie Dinsmore books -- I read all of them as a kid, and just found copies at a used book store the other day, so now I have all but one of the series. They're so fun! Remember the lady who mixed up her words all the time, and once offered Elsie "Travilla" ice cream instead of vanilla? She made me laugh so much.

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    2. Ah - Aunt Wealthy Stanhope! How I love her...

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  7. My children and I love 'The pirates who don't do anything', it would certainly liven up any charity concert! Thank you for visiting my blog. I get so thrilled when someone leaves me a comment :-)

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    1. Your blog is lovely! I look forward to reading more.

      I've been a VeggieTales fan since college, where I ran with a very whimsical crowd that introduced me to them. My kids love the Silly Songs and are gradually starting to appreciate the stories too, lol.

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  8. I could get behind singing the pirate song. *singing it in my head right now* Thanks for putting in my mind! :P But seriously, I just noticed the Laurie R King series on goodreads last night. I'm terribly curious about them, and since you recommend them, I'll definitely have to try them. Thanks! :)

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    1. I wholeheartedly recommend the Russell/Holmes series! They're delightful. A bit feminist now and then, but they're set during the 1920 and forward, when the whole Votes For Women thing was going on.

      LRK's other series, about a cop named Kate Martinelli, is much different, set in modern-day San Francisco and containing some pretty questionable things. She also has some stand-alone novels, some of which I love and some of which I didn't like so much.

      But all in all, she's my favorite modern author. There are 12 Russell/Holmes books so far, so lots for you to look forward to!

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  9. These are really fun. Nice to see yours as a part of this blog party. :)

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    1. Thanks! BTW, I like your new blog header, but I liked the previous one better ;-)

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  10. Fabulous blog, Hamlette! Thanks so much for joining us!

    I just heard The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society recommended somewhere else, so now I've just got to read it! I love that you named your daughters after Anne and Jane - that's so beautiful.

    Hurrah for Robin Hood! Also, I love the description of your hat. Very, very nice.

    --Kellie

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    1. Ohhhh, TGLaPPPS is wonderful! Clean, charming, wonderful -- I recommend it unreservedly.

      Thanks for stopping by! I've really been enjoying your blog, and also all the entries into this party :-)

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  11. Hello there! :)
    You named your daughters after Jane and Anne! How sweet! :)
    Is Rebecca (the book you mentioned) the book that Alfred Hitchcock's film Rebecca is based on? That movie is creepy and awesome. :)
    I loved reading your answers!!!
    Joyfully,
    Whimsey Keith :)

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    1. Yup, that's the same Rebecca. The book is even better than the movie!

      Nice to see you here :-)

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  12. Oh my goodness... so many things to comment on!
    #3 - Ah, I love Mary Russell when I read about her in the actual Holmes series, this makes me want to read the series by King!
    #8 - This is interesting! The WWII time period scares the crap out of me... I tend to stay away from it.
    #9 - Haha. :) Love veggie tales
    #12 - Robert Louis Stevenson is amazing! I need to write a post in the near future about how awesome he is. What books of his have you read? Have they all been easy to find?
    #24 - Ahh, that's my favorite verse!

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    1. Um... Mary Russell isn't in the original Holmes books. Are you confusing her with Watson's fiancee, Mary Morstan?

      Why does WWII scare you? All the Holocaust stuff? My favorite TV show is set during WWII, and the era fascinates me, so I love both fiction and nonfiction books about the era.

      I've read Kidnapped, David Balfour (goes by the name Catriona too), Treasure Island, and The Black Arrow. They were all pretty easy to get ahold of.

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  13. Ohhh, whoops! You're right, I'm thinking of Watson's fiancee! :)

    Yeah the Holocaust stuff is very upsetting to me!

    I've seen a few reviews of The Black Arrow recently (but haven't read them) so I think I might try to get that one next.. maybe... I've read Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (which is awesome, you should read it!) and I'm currently in the middle of Treasure Island.

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    1. I really should read Jekyll & Hyde. One of these days!

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