10 Questions For Deborah Hale, Author of the Gentlemen of Fortune Series

Day 4 of the A to Z Challenge brings us to my arts feature, Through the Opera Glasses.


















Whom do I spy through the crush?

Why, I do believe it's a Harlequin Historicals author and my fellow Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada member.



Because today, D is for Deborah Hale.















Oh, there she is! *waving my fan* Ms. Hale! Oh, Ms. Hale! Fancy meeting up - let's get out of this press. The A to Z crowd - they're very keen!

*phew* That's better. Here - let's take a glass of punch and sit over here.

1 - Deb, I was thinking about your first published book being a direct result of your Golden Heart win. Looking back - after 25 books! - how did your contest experiences benefit you as an emerging writer?

Let me count the ways!

For one thing, it was great training for meeting deadlines. It gave me a goal to work toward and an objective measure of my progress.

It also helped me to network before I had a local RWA chapter and the Internet was in its infancy. Through the Golden Heart I was able to connect with some wonderful mentors who taught me so much about the craft and business of romance writing.

2 - Do you work with a critique partner?

I have worked with a number of critique partners over the years and found it a terrific experience.

More recently, however, I’ve gotten much more editorial feedback from both my editor and my agent. So they’re kind of like my critique partners, except I don’t have to critique their work!

*hiding behind my fan* I know - it's a time thing. As in, I have someone waiting patiently for me to return his critiqued manuscript and I don't know why he hasn't set the dogs on me.

I still have a couple of trusted writing friends I can swap material with when I’m trying something different or need fresh eyes.


3 - You know, you have a natural gift for breaking down something that's rather complex, and then switching on the mental lightbulbs.

Thank you so much – you made my week!

But it's true! Your craft-of-writing workshops are so popular with our own Romance Writer of Atlantic Canada members, and beyond.

Photo by Lori Robitaille of Deb's Relationship Dynamics workshop at the 2006 writers' retreat

I love being able to share some of my own hard-learned lessons with other writers.

Did you always consider yourself a teacher by nature, or did you discover this through your writing career?

In my pre-writing life I was a teacher, so giving workshops and writing craft articles provides my teaching-fix these days. Often when I stop to plan a presentation or article, it helps remind me that I know more than I sometimes think I do!

4 - Do you like to write to music, or do you crave silence?

When I’m working on new material, the right instrumental music really helps me get into my story world. I wrote my two Luna fantasy novels to the score of Lord of the Rings.

Oh, I love that soundtrack.

Since I’ve been concentrating on Regencies, my favorite writing music is the soundtrack from the movie Casanova and an album called Two Upon a Ground by Chevari Agreable. If I’m writing a scene that takes place at a ball or assembly, I have a CD of Regency dance music that provides great atmosphere.

Do you have food-pitfalls that silence your creativity?

As for food, I’m much more productive and creative when I can wean myself off sugar and refined carbs – but that’s easier said than done! A cup of coffee first thing in the morning can jump-start my writing but much more than that affects my concentration.

Any food 'tools' that entice your muse?

A glass of wine late in the evening can put me in the right mood for writing love scenes!

5 - Have you ever written a book as a response to reader demand? You know, 'Please give us So-and-so's story...'

I had reader requests for Con ap Ifan’s story after he was introduced in The Elusive Bride. But I was keen to write Border Bride, anyway. I’ve had other requests, sometimes for the stories of my villains. Maybe one of these days I’ll figure out a way to reform them!

6 - How did the Gentlemen of Fortune series come about?

It was rather by accident, but later felt as if it was meant to be.

I had a proposal rejected by Harlequin Historical because it wasn’t emotionally intense enough, so I sent my editor three story ideas that I hoped would be a better fit. She chose the one that eventually became Married: The Virgin Widow.

Since I needed the hero to have made a lot of money, legally, in a short time, I did some research and discovered that the trading port of Singapore had been founded during the Regency and vast fortunes made there. HH accepted that proposal, and offered me a three-book contract.

When my editor suggested the second two books might be connected in some way, I said I could connect all three by giving Ford Barrett a couple of business partners. After that a lot of things just fell into place as I wrote the first book that led into the others.



7 - Tell us about Ford Barret.

Ford is the hero of Married: The Virgin Widow. He believes he was used and betrayed by the woman he loved and now he’s in a position to get a bit of his own back. But revenge isn’t nearly as sweet a dish as he thinks it will be.

And Laura Penrose?

Laura has been through a lot since her courtship with Ford fell apart. She’s coped with it all by numbing her heart. When Ford returns, that isn’t an option any more.







8 - What is Hadrian Northmore really like?

Hadrian is one of my favorite heroes from all my books. He has literally fought his way to the top from the lowest depths by refusing to let anyone stand in his way. He has a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder about social class, so Lady Artemis Dearing represents everything he despises. Yet he can’t resist his feelings for her.

What about Artemis Dearing?

Artemis comes from a prominent family that has lost everything but its pride. She resents upstarts like the Northmores…until she gets to know Hadrian and discovers how much alike they are beneath all their superficial differences.



9 - Would you enjoy meeting Simon Grimshaw in real life?

I would definitely want Simon to have my back in a tight spot, as happens to Bethan when they first meet. Like her, I would admire the way he uses his wits to defuse a volatile situation.

And Bethan Conway?

I would love to spend time with Bethan! She’s such a refreshingly direct country girl, but with a secret or two to make her intriguing.

10 - Deb, you've had quite a few books adapted into manga format. Who approached you about embarking in this new direction?

Actually, I didn’t know anything about it until they popped up on the Japan Harlequin website. When I sell my rights to Harlequin they want everything. That means if some cool new format for story delivery comes along – audio, e-books, book-based games, etc. they have the worldwide marketing muscle to run with it!

What was your initial response?


I love the fantastic job the Japanese illustrators have done with The Wizard’s Ward and Beauty and the Baron. I’ve heard they may be coming out in manga format in English, which I would love to see!

As a special treat for A Piece of My Mind readers, Deb is insisting we give away a copy of Married: The Virgin Widow to one lucky commenter. Contest closes at midnight Atlantic Standard Time, Tuesday, Apr. 5th.

Deb will draw the name and the winner will be announced here. Please leave us a way to find you in your comment, either a link to your blog or your email address.


Here's an exclusive excerpt from Bought: The Penniless Lady. Enjoy!


'Hadrian stretched out on the bed with a drowsy sigh. Artemis covered him with a light blanket. As she drew it up under his chin, a bewildering impulse compelled her to raise her hand and smooth a stray lock of dark hair back from his forehead.

"It feels quite pleasant, being tucked in like a wee lad. I’d almost forgotten." One corner of his mouth curled into a crooked smile that was dangerously endearing. “Do I get a kiss to sweeten my dreams?”

The word kiss caused Artemis a spasm of alarm mixed with a searing flare of desire. He did not mean that kind of kiss, she chided herself. All he wanted was the sort of innocent peck on the cheek or forehead she gave Lee when she put him to bed at night. Having caught a heartbreaking glimpse of Hadrian’s nightmares, she knew he needed something to sweeten his dreams, if anyone did.

“If you like.” The words came out in a tremulous whisper as she bent over him.

Her lips grazed over his brow, relishing the warm smoothness of his skin. She inhaled a deep draft of his spicy, smoky scent. Her well-honed sense of discretion warned her that she should not linger so close to Hadrian, but her body was slow to respond. After a brief struggle with herself, she tried to pull away, only to feel the hot mist of his breath and the velvet caress of his lips upon her throat. The unexpected thrill of those sensations held her captive there, hovering over him.

Though she could not break away, she was not entirely paralyzed either. His overture called forth an answer from her. Before caution had a chance to intervene, her lips grazed the outer corner of one devilish dark brow then trailed down to the crest of his high cheekbone. As she moved, his kisses swept along the sensitive flesh just below her jaw, moving over her chin and finally upward to meet her approaching lips.

She’d received enough kisses from Hadrian by now that this one had a deliciously familiar feel. But it held a subtle thrill of novelty, too. She sensed a tender restraint on his part, which appealed not only to her physical desires but also to her wary heart.

Her heart had good reason to be wary, painful memories reminded her – all the more because she had allowed herself to feel something for her husband. It was only a compound of compassion, curiosity and admiration, spiced with reluctant desire. But that could be more than enough to scorch her if she risked playing with fire.'

- Deborah Hale, 2011

My Top Ten Oscar Gowns From the 2011 Red Carpet

Last weekend my very favorite night of the year - after Christmas Eve, of course - unfolded from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Continuing a three-year tradition here at A Piece of My Mind, here are my top ten gowns from the Oscar arrivals red carpet:


1 - My favorite: Co-host Anne Hathaway's scarlet strapless Valentino gown with Victorian-style train, complete with rose detailing.

Anne made a previous appearance on my 2008 list. You can check previous Oscar gown posts by clicking on my Weekly Look at the Arts tab just below the blog header.

Photo by John Shearer


2 - Hilary Swank's feathery strapless Gucci Premiere gown dazzled.

Hilary previously appeared on my 2008 list.




Photo by Lucy Nicholson


3 - I really loved this ethereal Monique Lhuillier crystal-encrusted gown with an illusion neckline worn by Mandy Moore.








Photo by Steve Granitz


4 - This ruby-red stunner was worn by an unnamed guest of supporting actor nominee John Hawkes.








Photo by Jason Merritt


5 - Helen Mirren makes her third appearance on my Top Ten Oscar Gowns list with this sculpted Vivienne Westwood gown.








Photo by Matt Sayles


6 - John Hawkes' Winter's Bone co-star Dale Dickey shimmered in this sequined off-the-shoulder blue sheath dress.








Photo by Lucy Nicholson


7 - Jennifer Hudson rocked in this fitted tangerine Versace mermaid gown.








Photo by Jason Merritt




8 - The incredibly stunning Aishwarya Rai shone by going for understatement with a bronze sequined Armani Privet gown.












9 - Michelle Williams was luminous in this short-sleeved beaded Chanel sheath dress.









Photo by Frazer Harrison



10 - Having made the Worst Dressed List for previous Oscars, Helena Bonham Carter's restraint with this custom-designed gown by Oscar-winner Colleen Atwood was a welcome surprise. I especially loved her fan-shaped clutch.





Photo by Jason Merritt

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Taking a break from an incredibly busy month, after putting in some over time at the office last Wednesday I headed across town to catch the evening performance of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Neptune Theatre.











Because this is Halifax, my cross-town jaunt was a twenty-minute walk, which brought me past the open-air concert by The Stanfields at the Parade Grounds.












Part of the Canada Games mega event which has been taking place here in Halifax since Feb. 11th, and which concluded on the 27th, the open-air concert series has pulled in some big names from the East Coast music scene, including:

Great Big Sea
Joel Plaskett
Sloan
Hawksley Workman
Grand Derangement
Buck 65
Matt Mays
Rawlins Cross





But I had a theatre seat waiting for me over on Argyle Street. Leaving the happy revellers behind, I made my way to the theatre and settled in for a Fargo-like black comedy set in the West of Ireland.













The audience I was a part of laughed uproariously even while gasping in shock at some of the things the characters said to one another. There's a warning in the program about strong language and adult situations, and there are plenty of both.











Photo courtesy of Sean Mulcahy

As with the best sorts of stories, the very particular nature of the setting - a simple cottage in an economically depressed though visually breathtaking part of Ireland - in fact serves to deliver a universal experience.


Laura de Carteret plays 40-year-old Maureen, forced by a process of elimination to care for her aging mother, as her two sisters have flatly refused to do so. As we get to know her mother, it's not hard to imagine why Maureen's sisters fled, though why Maureen stayed to act as primary caregiver is a riddle.


Mary-Colin Chisholm plays Mag, whose fussy demands for the Ensure-like supplement called Complan, for tea, for porridge, for soup, stand in for several decades of leeching all spirit away from her daughter.

Many women in the audience laughed with recognition at the manipulative phrases used by Mag, as no doubt many people in the audience - like myself - have cared for an elderly family member at some point or another.

Even caring for my gram, who was in no way a difficult personality, could get trying at times when the old person wants her toast a certain way, her television program on at a certain time, and is too frail to do it for herself.

But in this relationship between Maureen and Mag, there is none of the laughter and love that made it all worthwhile for my mom and me as we cared for Gram together. These two women may as well be shackled in irons, their cozy cottage a prison where everyday items take on new and diabolical uses.


A highlight of the evening for me was Ryan Bondy's performance as Ray, younger brother of Maureen's potential love interest. As with the seemingly innocuous household items that become clues, that reveal themselves to be accomplices and mirrors to the truth, Ray begins the play as an apparent go-between but ends the play as a bigger figure than even he suspects.



Providing a welcome breath of hope to Maureen, Hugh Thompson's Pato shakes the women from their ritualized half-life when he returns to Leenane from a job in England. His no-frills working man takes us by surprise when he turns out to have more heart and vulnerability than anyone in this multilayered story.



My hat goes off to Sean Mulcahy for his design of the women's cottage. He very kindly provided the photo of the set, shown above.

I was attracted to it from the first moment the painted scrim with its scene of a soggy Irish road raised to reveal the well-worn interior. What I didn't realize was how integral to the story each ordinary kitchen piece would become: the sink, the cooking stove, the cast iron heating stove, the radio, the rocking chair. Not since Robert LePage's staging of Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung for the Canadian Opera Company have I seen a set that was such an active ingredient of the whole production.

If you are in the Halifax area, the play runs until March 20th.

Share Your Love Story Linky Party

Karen at My Desert Cottage is hosting a romantic Valentine's Day event over at her blog today.












If you'd like to take part, just post the story of how you and your sweetie came to be, and link it to her blog. Then dive into the sea of romantic tales.

Here's mine:

Once upon a time, I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a small eastern Canadian city perched on the Atlantic coast.

When I reached my early 20's, I headed for The Big City. I settled in Toronto, Ontario, where I worked as a live-in nanny for an incredibly cool family.

I also took an evening-and-weekends job as a way of meeting people and indulging in one of my great passions - film. In fact, on the day I was filling out applications at a few cinemas in the west end of the city, where I lived, I decided to take a short break and went to a psychic whose sign was on the sidewalk as I was passing by.

She told me: "your soul mate is very near. He's wearing a uniform."

As I was still very, very new to the city, I couldn't imagine anyone in my life that fit that description, especially as I was not seeing anyone at that time. However, the rest of her reading was very accurate, so I simply stored it away in the old noggin.

I kept walking along Bloor Street until I reached a cinema I hadn't come across before - the Runnymede Theatre, run by Famous Players.

I went in, filled out the application, got a call a few days later and started working there at the candy counter and in the box office.











One of the ushers was really cute. He was a student at The New School of Drama, and we hit it off immediately. We became very close friends for several years.












At the time, I wasn't looking to be involved with anyone, and neither was he. I had a history of having male friends, and he had a history of having female friends, so we just assumed we were going down that road and left it at that.

We spent most of our time together, and I often stayed over at his parents' place in the guest room on the weekends, as we would watch crazy cult films on TV till the wee hours of the morning.

Then one night, as I turned to head up the stairs, he stepped in front of me and kissed me.

Strangely enough, when I started telling my family and friends, "You'll never guess who I'm going out with!" everyone said, "Brad?" without hesitation.

Apparently the entire world knew we were in love with one another before we did.
















Fast forward a few years, and this next shot was taken in our bridal suite at the hotel.












By that time, I was already working towards my Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Film Studies at Ryerson.

Brad's acting chops came in handy throughout those four years, especially during my fourth year final project.

That's him in the doorway, and me operating the camera. It's also my dad at left operating the sound boom, and my main actor at right acting as sound recording technician (a job he had at Citytv.)











It doesn't matter that Brad and I have been a couple since 1989. Every time I see him, I get the same thrill, and the same smile lights up my face. The smile that is only for him.














Because my husband has bipolar disorder - and in particular experiences rapid cycling - we can never count on what he'll be going through on any given day. We have a sit-tight-and-hold-on-for-the-ride attitude when it comes to his condition. No elephants in the room for us - we feed ours peanuts.

What Brad's chronic illness has given us is the live-every-day-as-if-it's-your-last immediacy. When you never know if your husband is about to go on a months-long downward spiral, or when you hug your husband and feel him shaking like a leaf because he's got agoraphobia and has to go to work, you cherish each moment as if a bomb is about to take you and everything else with it.

It's impossible to take anything for granted, which for us has meant a marriage filled with "I love you"s.















Brad and I moved back to my hometown of Halifax in order to help out with my gram. We all lived together with my mom until Gram passed away in December, 2007.

Now it's Brad, myself, my mom and our dog Xena. The wild bunch!
















On this Valentine's Day, I'd like to wish all of you the same joy I have found with my soul mate, the one who was truly very near that day when the psychic told me so. Even if the uniform in question was a blue polyester Famous Players usher's uniform.

Black Swan

Black Swan opened in theatres over a month ago, yet I only saw it this past weekend due to scheduling challenges - because I simply had to see it with my co-ballet-freak sister.









I adored this film on multiple levels - but really, there's no other way to experience Black Swan.

The story in a nutshell: Soloist Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) takes on the notorious ballet roles of Odette, the White Swan and Odile, the Black Swan - a cavernous dramatic stretch for the same dancer to pull off both roles convincingly. Nina attempts to find the darker, seductive side to herself in a make-or-break grasp at the principal role brass ring. In a career that is brutally short, Nina has to fend off the expectations of her mother, the competition of her company members, and the unrelenting efforts of the artistic director who senses her untapped greatness. Can fragile Nina handle the considerable pressure?














In an inspired casting move, Barbara Hershey plays Natalie Portman's mom, a former dancer who now appears to devote herself to her daughter's career. They have a strong storyline centered on a delayed detachment between mother and daughter.














Vincent Cassel is a perfect choice for the artistic director of the New York ballet company staging a fresh version of Swan Lake. He's all slash-and-burn business when it comes to retiring the prima ballerina and courting funds for his company. He resorts to mind games without blinking if it will give him the performances he not only wants but needs, in order to woo new audiences to a rarified art form.











Another soloist in the company with just as much to win or lose as Nina, Lily (Mila Kunis) has the passion and easy seduction of the Black Swan but none of the purity of technique required of the White Swan. She's also one of the only company members willing to remain friends with Nina after her promotion, yet her casting as the alternate for Nina's role puts a strain on their relationship.











For obsessive perfectionists like dancers, the prospect of deconstructing their painstakingly-crafted signature dance styles in order to transform into something uncontrolled like the Black Swan character is a recipe for psychological disaster.

There are many, many real dancers in companies all over the world who possess all of the aspects of Odette and none of the untidy brilliance of Odile. To take on the challenge really does require these women to confront and wrestle with their Ballerina Princess identities. I'm certain there is a long history of mental anguish associated with dancing the Black Swan.

That is also why the role is not handed over lightly.







For me personally, as a lifelong devotee of dance, the sequences of transformation from dancer into Black Swan gave me incredible chills. It's a private moment that happens for every dancer as she stands in the wings, whether she is Odette or whether she's in the corps.

And the sequences where the steadicam brings us directly into the rehearsal movements and onstage during the performance bring me as close to the dancer's POV as I will ever get.







However, this film - often billed as a psychological thriller or even an art house horror film - also takes us along the disturbing descent into mental illness. Aronofsky's use of fractured mirror imagery, through-the-rabbit-hole mirror-upon-mirror imagery, and the donning and removal of identities via ballet roles makes the realization that we may be in the point of view of an unwell narrator sneak up on us.

Read clinical psychologist Dr. Villarreal's review of Black Swan as a journey through a mental health crisis HERE.

I have to say that Natalie Portman's courage in taking on a role where it was clearly herself dancing a difficult role for a professional dancer - let alone an actor portraying one - is nothing short of mindblowing.

*insert my standing ovation here*

She executes really impressive lifts, displays very respectable arms, and does honest-to-God fouettés. She's been a huge favorite of mine for years, but now...

Wow.

Check her out:

Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at Neptune Theatre

What do I spy through my opera glasses this week?

A sparkling comedy by Noel Coward, now playing at Neptune Theatre in Halifax and running from January 18th to February 13th.
















Neptune is located at the corner of Argyle and Sackville streets. Bringing professional theatre productions to Halifax audiences since 1963, with a history of previous live performances including vaudeville in the same location since 1915, Neptune is a Maritime jewel and a cultural landmark for which any East Coast arts lover holds great affection.
















Observe my contented visage as my husband and I made our way into the lobby. I'd picked up our tickets on my lunch hour, which gave us time to meet up after work for dinner before popping into a favorite haunt and then take in the show. As I've mentioned previously here at A Piece of My Mind, those are the ingredients of a perfect day:

- anticipation of a live performance
- dinner
- the show
- some wandering about the city for an added element of perfection

Both my husband Brad and I really enjoyed the play. Our current Supernatural obsession makes Blithe Spirit the perfect play to break up our daily doses of Dean and Sam Winchester.

The story in a nutshell: to research psychic mediums for his next novel, writer Charles Condomine invites Madame Arcati to his home for a seance. However, the medium successfully pulls the spirit of Charles' first wife Elvira back from the Other Side, leading to a territorial showdown between the past and present Mrs. Condomines.

Brad, being a graduate of Toronto's New School of Drama, enjoyed a taste of live theatre for a change from his regular cinephile screenings. He laughed out loud several times (he's not overly-prone to such giggling,) mentioning afterwards that the performances were all strong ones.

As for me, I already knew I would enjoy Blithe Spirit, having seen a production once before. Noel Coward's play is filled with enough wit to be entertaining even as a script-read-through, no sets/costumes/performances necessary.

But the joy of the theatre is settling into my seat to be transported into the story, and words alone don't make the theatre experience.

I'm always impressed by the set designers for Neptune productions - they work with a small stage and never fail to make it seem four times as big. Geofrey Dinwiddie has created an English country manor house that seems cozy enough for the romantic farce elements, and spooky enough for the ghost story to come with its Gothic arches hanging from the proscenium.

Mr. Dinwiddie must have had a great time rigging the set for its displays of otherworldly presences - a smashing good time, I dare say.

Check out the marvelous costume designs by Patrick Clark, showcased by blogging team Haute Halifax:

Spirited theatre fashion

I especially loved Elvira-the-Blithe-Spirit's frothy white Carole Lombard gown.

Here is the merest of tastes of the delightful wit of Mr. Coward:


Ivan Sherry as Charles Condamine

Ruth: You must promise not to catch my eye. If I giggle - and I'm very likely to - it will ruin everything.

Charles: You mustn't. You must be dead serious and if possible a little intense. We can't hurt the old girl's feelings, however funny she is.

Ruth: But why the Bradmans, darling? He's as sceptical as we are. He'll probably say the most dreadful things.

Charles: I've warned him. There must be more than three people and we couldn't have the Vicar and his wife because (a) they're dreary, and (b) they probably wouldn't have approved at all.


Martha Irving as Ruth Condomine









Margot Dionne as Madame Arcati

Madame Arcati: Fortunately an Elemental at this time of the year is unlikely.

Ruth: What do Elementals do?

Madame Arcati: Oh my dear, one can never tell. They're dreadfully unpredictable. Usually they take the form of a very cold wind.

Mrs. Bradman: I don't think I should like that.

Madame Arcati: Occasionally reaching almost hurricane velocity.

Ruth: You don't think it would be a good idea to take the more breakable ornaments off the mantlepiece before we start?


Marla McLean as Elvira Condomine,
the Blithe Spirit herself








There are still several weeks left of the Halifax run. Take a break from your normal everyday and treat yourself to a slice of my favorite taste of life: an audience settling in, the lights dimming, the first footsteps as the actors step onstage...