Hey everyone! I’m back at last, this time for the Classic Romance Revival Blog Carnival – a hugely fun activity for authors and readers alike, with prizes, top blogs and other surprises. Please add your comments to this post… I’ll be drawing three winners over the next two weeks (the duration of the carnival), one for each of my books. Also, commenting on all the blogs in the carnival puts you in line for the grand prize – a hamper of ARC’s from participating authors.

Winners for the grand prize will be drawn from visitors commenting on the most blogs. To qualify for the grand prize, you need to register for the contest. Please visit the Classic Romance Revival blog to find details of all the blogs and to register:

http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1671

You don’t want to miss out!



So what does “From Life to Romance” have to do with anything…?

I have it on the best authority, from innumerable sources – friends and otherwise – that if I wrote my life it would be a best seller. Having had the (dubious) privilege of experiencing more than my fair share of crises, calamities and catastrophes (most on a notably significant scale, lol) there’s no question that life, for me, beats fiction hands down.

Having a sense of humour helps, along with a somewhat perverse determination to find the funny side in the worst situations. It helps, trust me. Being able to have a good laugh, especially at yourself, somehow manages to make things more do-able… The other thing that helps is writing. Taking life experiences and transforming the icky ones by making them part of a well-crafted book, or preserving the wonderful ones that way, definitely makes me the winner. Most of my books have these little moments in time – things that happened that inspired a story, a situation, a scene. It also somehow grounds the book in real life, something that can be lost in the pursuit of fiction and which every good book needs. An anchor.

The thing with moments is they become memories, the good and the bad. Little milestones that measure life’s journey and built a road-map of where we’ve been and how we got there. I believe that, while we can’t alter what life throws at us, we can change what these experiences do to us, and what we do with them. It’s a philosophy that has kept me sane. I try to learn from the bad, then let them go and move on. But the good ones… I hang onto those, my little “happy pennies”, stored and jealously guarded in life’s piggy bank. On grey days I take them out, examine them, rub them a little so I can recapture the memory. They feed the soul and buoy the spirit, and the most wonderful thing? They actually earn interest, just from sitting in that little piggy bank… it’s called Hope, and it grows at a rate that is nothing short of astonishing.

My relationship with my late husband, Gary, is a case in point. For those who don’t know, he passed away just over thirteen years ago from bone cancer, and the last few years were fraught with all kinds of trauma, stress and heartache. They also provided some of the most precious “happy pennies” I have in my stash.

Gary was an unusual man. He seemed to simply fill the space he was in and then overflow. The whole world loved him, possibly because he had nothing to prove and was entirely happy with who he was. He was a real “man’s man” – fishing, hunting, 4×4’s, motorbikes… But was also the most romantic man I have ever met. How many men do you know who will take time out on a fishing trip to pick veld flowers for their wives?

That was my man, and I shall miss him forever. And on this Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share my most romantic moment…

So there we are – the Annual Hopewell Trout Angling Competition (yes, we used to go fishing together). It’s incredibly beautiful country, rugged terrain sketched in bold landscapes right on South Africa’s mountainous border with Lesotho.

It’s also an incredibly beautiful morning. The mist shrouds the dam, enveloping us in our own private world illuminated by the faint promise of the rising sun. Although there are a hundred or so fishermen out there, only the low, muffled murmur of voices and the odd faint thud of something bumping against a boat penetrate the wrapping silence. (Rule number 1: Never frighten the fish!)

I’m totally in awe of the dawn unfolding, feel the essence of it, as if the breath of it captures a timeless magic and this is a moment where wonderful things are about to happen…..

Being an incurable romantic, I go ahead and say pretty much that – whisper it really, more to myself than anything, because it’s just so breathtaking.

Gary gets The Look – the one that always manages to turn my heart to squidge – and out come’s Granny Flo’s ring…..

I promptly burst into tears (yes, I know, and I’m not one of those that cries beautifully either!) and then fling myself into his arms, nearly toppling the old tub that masquerades as a boat, and almost sending both of us and the bottle of champagne hidden in his jacket under the seat overboard….

It has to be the sweetest proposal I’ve ever had. Not that I’ve had that many, mind you, but if I had, it would still be the sweetest. And the most romantic.

And the rest, as they say, is history…..

That’s all folks! Happy reading, and don’t forget to register for the contest.

Take care,
Jude

Judah Raine
http://www.judahraine.com
Still Running, and A Thick Black Line…
And the award-winning The Look

Hey everyone! I’ve been inspired by Classic Romance Revival’s recent very successful Blog Carnival, and thought I’d introduce a little fun to this particular blogaholic’s life…

So, what’s the plan? Well, I thought I’d offer a prize at the end of it, so read on. The idea is for anyone to challenge me to blog on a particular topic of your choice. Just add your topic as a comment to this post, I’ll pick it up and blog, and will then select another author to pass the challenge onto, then pick up the next topic… At the end of July, the authors will vote for the best topic challenge, and the winner gets their pick of one of my books. The blurb and covers are listed below…

A Thick Black Line

Bo Carmichael has drawn a thick black line around her heart, and with good reason. She has worked hard to overcome the anguish of betrayal and the devastation it wreaked in her family’s lives, and she’s now close to realizing her dreams. There simply isn’t place in this equation for emotional entanglements, especially not with Nic Sinclaire, the only man who has the ability to breach her defenses.

From their first encounter, an impossible chemistry rages between them – a crackling heat that threatens to melt the ice surrounding her.

A bizarre twist makes Nic a constant companion and self-appointed protector. As Bo’s barriers shift and crumble, she can no longer ignore the powerful emotions his proximity evokes…

The Look

With a secret that makes her pretty much a walking time-bomb with the potential to turn her own life and a whole lot of others inside-out, Morgan Slater’s plans definitely don’t include the suspicions of the determined and dynamic Blake Thornton.

She heads out to the back of beyond on a simple Quest for the Truth, but her first meeting with Blake draws the battle lines for a persistent confrontation that makes focusing on her real reason for being there extremely difficult. Worse, he has this uncanny instinct and a way of seeing beyond her sassy, street-wise confidence that makes their ongoing conflict more than simply a battle of wills.

But Morgan has also not anticipated a lot of other complications and, as she struggles to keep her secret and protect herself and others in a world of shifting boundaries and increasingly difficult emotional situations, The Look rapidly becomes…

Still Running

Josie Tate has been running for a long time – from her past, from a tragic secret, and mostly from herself. Then her life is suddenly upended, and she finds herself back in the one place on earth she doesn’t want to be. Worse, she is suddenly caught between an unforgiving past and Cade Harper’s unrelenting pursuit.

As determined as she is desperate, he seems hell-bent on making sure that her running days are over. It doesn’t help that Cade is the most gorgeous man ever. Or that the uncanny attraction between them seems to have a life of its own.

But Josie is determined to keep her distance from Cade. He is equally determined to shatter the walls she is raising up between them. And when her ghosts reappear in the flesh Josie’s life finally implodes. The only way out seems to be to keep on running…

There you go! Post those challenges and let’s see which topic wins!

See you on the blog!
Jude

As any author will tell you, we have a peculiar relationship with reviews… First, you wait. And wait. Then wait some more. During this time, all kinds of things go through your head. They all hate your book and can’t think of a kind way to tell you… The blurb didn’t catch their attention and so no-one will ever read it… And so it goes…

At the same time, though, you wait with a kind of excited, fearful expectancy, scouring the review lists and holding your breath each time you check your mail. Then, when it finally does come, it gets dissected and analysed and reread a gazillion times, and every little nuance is turned over until it’s just about worn out. That’s what we do. Of course, as authors we want everyone to love our work. As humans, with all the frailties of “normal” people, we seem set to imagine the worst, to even look for it.

What I’ve come to see is that reviews are a lot like mirrors… and we all know what mirrors are like! Like the ones in the fitting rooms – have you ever noticed that all of them are sort of murky and seem to be especially designed to make you look as bad as possible? I usually promise myself to mention this to the management (doesn’t seem like very good sales policy to me??) but most times end up so frustrated and depressed that I forget.

And wouldn’t we all like a mirror that told us exactly what we wanted? The latest version of “mirror mirror on the wall”, except this time it couldn’t tell the truth, only what you needed to hear… Dream on, I guess. But it’s a nice thought, and definitely beats the typical fitting room mirror reality hands down.

Still, a lot of the time we see exactly what we expect to see, whether it be good or bad. Most times, in typical human fashion, it’s the bad. I’ve made a choice to look at the review mirror as a positive thing, irrespective of the outcome. Even criticism, if handled correctly, can be a useful learning tool – so long as I keep in mind that it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time. I find it immensely interesting looking at my work through the eyes of others, and I’m learning to evaluate and decide for myself what is relevant and how far to take it.

Okay, so I’ve been lucky. I haven’t yet had a really snarky review to deal with, and I sincerely hope I never do! But I write for the love of it, and because it’s something I simply have to do, like breathing. I don’t want that to change. Ever. I never want to write to please people, but rather to please people because I write. And I want to keep learning, and to hear what other people have to say, even if it sometimes isn’t exactly what I want to hear… And, most of all, I want to keep believing in what I do, and in myself.

If you’d like to peek into my review mirrors and see what they have to say, here are the links:

http://www.reviewyourbook.com/review.cfm?reviewid=1571

“Romance is in the air from the moment Josie met Cade. The sparks of anger and love fly between these two. The plot is endearing and the characters likable. Still Running by Judah Raine is sure to please the most astute fan of romance.” (5 Stars)

http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/still-running-by-judah-raine.html (4 Books)
“Still Running is a wonderful story that I found to be a very entertaining read. Josie’s journey as she learns to stop running is one that many should enjoy.”

http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=243 (5 Wings)
The Look by Judah Raine is a sweet romance with lots of romantic tension and a glorious Happily Ever After. This reviewer read it on a rainy afternoon in one sitting and was transported to South Africa and the strong, protective arms of Blake Thornton.

Okay, I’m off to play “catch-up” – see you soon!
Jude

Hey everyone! Yes, I know I’ve been a little “absent” over the last week or so, but I’ve kind of had my hands full with the launching of Classic Romance Revival – my answer to the difficulties that writers and readers of sweet / sensual / sophisticated romance encounter in the current hoopla over hot and sizzling…

I promise to fill you in sometime soon of everything on offer with CRR, but right now I’m delighted to be able to say that the review section is now well on its way, with a group of professional and enthusiastic reviewers wholly committed to providing reviews that are objective, genre-specific and of a very high standard. I’m also pleased to say that, as guinea pig, I came out more than okay with a 5 Wings review for The Look! I couldn’t help but share it.

Author : Judah Raine
Publisher : Bookstrand
Genre : Mainstream Contemporary
Publication Date : 24 March 2009
ISBN : 1-60601-275-4
Pages : 291
Series : N/A
Category : Sweet
Type : E-book
Reviewer : Lindsay Townsend

Rating : 5 Wings

Twenty-seven-year-old Morgan Slater comes to the rural KwaZulu-Natal midlands in search of the truth and a family she has never known and finds herself drawn to a strange house. This is an immediate, engaging opening to The Look, especially when Morgan encounters the brutally handsome, suspicious Blake Thornton. Their explosive meeting resonates with both, as each sense they can really ’see’ each other and ‘look’ into each other’s hearts and minds. The conflict between Morgan and Blake is nicely played, giving the writer lots of opportunities to develop the theme of looking – and watching.

The pace of the novel is nicely judged, as the mystery of why Morgan has come to this quiet backwater is gradually revealed. It allows the reader to savour the country community that Judah Raine vividly draws and enjoy the developing relationship between the sparring Morgan and Blake.

The emotions in the novel are subtle and powerful, shown rather than told so the reader can feel with the heroine. Morgan is a perky, sympathetic character and Blake a good foil to her. Morgan’s a lovely tease and Blake certainly needs taking down a bit so I enjoyed their back-and-forths. Beneath their banter is a far more serious issue, the reason why Morgan has come to Thornleigh, and that is handled with great delicacy.

The cat is adorable – if you read the book you’ll see why and how – and the whole easy-going way of country life in South Africa is very appealing. Clearly Judah Raine knows the country and knows what she is talking about: the rhythms of life and people and their speech are perfectly caught. Fishing can be romantic, too – if you read The Look, you’ll understand!

The Look by Judah Raine is a sweet romance with lots of romantic tension and a glorious Happily Ever After. This reviewer read it on a rainy afternoon in one sitting and was transported to South Africa and the strong, protective arms of Blake Thornton.

You can read the review here:http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=243

Take care, and chat to you soon.
Jude

The Look is due for release tomorrow (24th March) and I thought I share a little background, mainly on the setting, because this is my “stamping” ground – rural South Africa, with it’s interesting collection of “one-horse” towns (or is that one-shop?) dotted throughout the rolling farmland, where community is a way of life and values like family and loyalty prevail…

Thornleigh is a fictitious town, but it epitomises any and all of the little remote backwater “outposts” that you can stumble into on a leisurely drive through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region – and any other part of South Africa for that matter. “Town” is something of an exaggeration.

Thornleigh consists of a filling station, a general dealer (which also serves as the post office) and, of course, the farmers’ co-op. The general dealer usually stocks everything from pantyhose to safety pins to school shoes (our kids wear uniforms here) and beer. Oh, and brandy, let’s not forget that. Klipdrift, usually, a popular brand among farmers. The farmer’s co-op deals in anything from portable braai’s (barbeques) to irrigation systems and, of course, fertilizer.

What they lack in infrastructure, they more than compensate in a commodity beyond price – community. Everyone in the district is known. Their genealogy, who married who and is related to who and how, where their kids are at school (boarding school, of course), who owned that particular piece of farmland before them (right back to three and four generations) and what it was sold for in Nineteen-“voetsak” (a classic South Africanism which basically means the year dot).

The KZN Midlands is an incredibly beautiful area, stretching inland from the mild coastal areas. The land rises steadily upward from the Valley of a Thousand Hills, beyond the provincial capital, Pietermaritzburg, and on to become the foothills of the mighty Drakensberg mountain range. The scenery is spectacular – lush and green and softly beautiful in summer, and incredibly shaded in hues of rust and gold and brown in the drier winters.

It is part of the vast empire of the Zulu monarch, King Shaka, who forged a nation from the tribes he conquered and who ruled with an iron hand. A master-strategist, he revolutionised the tribal armies and turned his “impies” (battallions), with their massive shields and hand held spears, into a force that effectively challenged the might of the British Empire. The area is also steeped in other history, the canvas against which the Anglo-Zulu wars, and the Anglo-Boer wars took place, and before that the place of hope and new territory for the Boer farmers who trekked east and north, seeking to escape British rule.

It’s primarily farming country, cattle and horses, and crops as well. It’s well known for it’s trout fishing, with dams big and small opening their doors to anglers, and also hosts the Midlands Meander, a sightseeing trip drawing local and national and international visitors. A slow drive through farmland to all the little out of the way places reveals a treasure of tucked-away craft venues, with screen-printing, pottery, sculptures…. Anything you can think of, you’re bound to find it there.

It has also mushroomed with many bed and breakfasts – farmhouses opened to the public, where you can stay as long as you like, rest, take walks and hikes, horse rides, fishing… All of these offer the most amazing getaways, with hosts warm and welcoming and the atmosphere beyond description. Zulwini Lodge, which plays a big part in The Look, is just one of these places (Zulwini is the Zulu word for heaven). The Midlands area is also, with it’s sweeping vistas and water-painted views, a popular place for weddings, and venues usually have to be booked well in advance.

This is the remote backwater my heroine, the sassy, streetwise, Morgan Slater, finds herself in. She comes looking for facts. Instead she finds a truth far deeper, one that challenges all her assumptions and turns her life inside out. The Look is not just a story about love – although Morgan’s encounter with lodge owner Blake Thornton brings a whole new dimension, and conflict to her life. It’s about community, and family, and the layers that go into making us who we are. Layers that Morgan is forced to explore and confront and examine in her journey to things unimaginable.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! You can find it, along with an excerpt at: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-thelook-13952-330.html and I’ve included my blurb and author spotlight here…

Jude

Judah Raine
http://www.judahraine.com

Blurb:
With a secret that makes her pretty much a walking time-bomb with the potential to turn her own life and a whole lot of others inside-out, Morgan Slater’s plans definitely don’t include the suspicions of the determined and dynamic Blake Thornton.
She heads out to the back of beyond on a simple Quest for the Truth, but her first meeting with Blake draws the battle lines for a persistent confrontation that makes focusing on her real reason for being there extremely difficult. Worse, he has this uncanny instinct and a way of seeing beyond her sassy, street-wise confidence that makes their ongoing conflict more than simply a battle of wills.
But Morgan has also not anticipated a lot of other complications and, as she struggles to keep her secret and protect herself and others in a world of shifting boundaries and increasingly difficult emotional situations, The Look rapidly becomes…

Author Spotlight:
“I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book, because it explores the layers – in people, in situations, and in our assumptions about life and about truth and how they all fit together. Morgan’s courage lies in allowing the process of stripping-away to become a process of adding-to, an intriguing journey that I think almost all of us can relate to.” ~ Judah