Hi!!!

Hi everyone!

So I’ve been a bit busy lately with appointments and such so I haven’t been blogging as much as I would have liked!

I’m reading ‘Moonstone’ at the moment, and I’m really enjoying it. There is a lot of subtle humour from the narrator and I’m really getting into the mystery.....I’m pretty sure I know who did it!!!! The characters are well depicted; I’m particularly fond of Betteredge and Cuff. Betteredge because he thinks he knows everything that there is to know about human nature and yet you realize from his narration that he’s actually rather clueless and naive! Cuff I’m enjoying because although he’s a bit sneaky, he’s very clever and I kind of like him....I might feel differently if I was a criminal though!!!

I loved how when the first police officer (whose name escapes me!) comes on the scene the two suitors to Miss Rachel’s hand view him so differently. The writer already has you rooting for one over the other at this point and somehow manages to make the other suitors good qualities work against him in your mind. Or at least that’s what happened to me! When this secondary suitors charitable deeds were listed to me (In Betteredge’s tones of respect and admiration) I found myself becoming decidedly cynical about him and his motives: Helps out rich ladies with their charitable acts does he? Rrrrrrright! *sly wink*. When the pompous Superintendent comes on the scene and talks to everyone individually the Hero comes away with the firm belief that the superintendent will be as much use as a broken leg in a 50 meter sprint!!! The second suitor comes away extolling the superintendent’s virtues!!!

So far Miss Rachel hasn’t been much of a presence in the story, you hear ‘of’ her not ‘from’ her. At the moment she’s a bit overwrought at the loss of that HUGE diamond......but really girls, who wouldn’t be?!?!?!  I’ve got to admit to feeling a little bit uncomfortable with its loss myself!

Still not sure where her mother stands in the mystery, if she knows, or at least guesses, more than she’s letting on.

Feel a bit sorry for the maid, Rosanna, to me she just seems lonely and unloved, but everyone is giving her a hard time. Cuff does too! (I think he called her sly!) I think out of everyone she’s having the toughest time of it....and I think she’s being used. But like I say the rest of the story may prove me wrong!!!!

I’ve also done a lot of work on my own book! I’m 70.000 words into ‘Fracture’ and everything’s coming together beautifully! I’m so excited about it.

I just have one more plot twist and then a cliff hanger to end the book on ready for the next book in the series! It’s actually morphed into something quite different to what I expected: when I started out it was just going to be one book....now I’m thinking more like three!

First off there’s Ben, who I never meant originally to have such a large part!

Then there’s Councillor Ladron who I secretly very proud of: he makes my flesh creep!

Astra’s entire family.....never meant to have so much about them in the story!

Shin, who started out as a bit part and is now the voice of reason!!!

Really, the list is endless!

So hopefully that will be read for uploading soon too!!!!

I've been Interviewed again!!! Yay!

Hi everyone!

Today is another Interview!!!

Yay!!!

I'm sooooo excited! Please tell me what you think!!!

http://melcomleyromances.blogspot.com/p/interviews-with-other-romance-writers.html

I've Been Interviewed!!!

Hi everyone!!!

I've just had an interview go live!!! Yay!!!

Please check it out here:

http://rai29bookreadnreview.blogspot.com/2011/10/author-interview-d-d-chant.html

Thanks!

Teaser for 'The Promise'!!!

Hi everyone! I've sorted out my Proofreader promblem!!!! Yay!!!

So I thought I'd post a little teaser for my next book! 'The Promise' is in a different genre to 'Broken City', it's a romantic adventure set in saxson England and is the start of a series. The story tells of how one single battle changes the course of many lives. As you read the book it becomes obvious that just because the battle's over, it doesn't meen that it's finished.

Here's the Prologue!!!

There are many things I could tell you of Calis. 

I could tell you the story of how the first Lord Berron was given the lands by his liege, Eaorlman Cerdic, as a prize in recognition of his bravery in battle. 

I could tell you how this first Lord of Berron, a younger brother of the great Lord Targhe, had proved himself loyal to his liege and had fought for Eaorlman Cerdic’s right to rule. 

I could even tell you how the second Lord of Berron had carried off the betrothed of his cousin Lord Targhe, and installed her as his own lady, or how from this point on the houses of Berron and Targhe, although really one, became bitter enemies. 

It was this enmity that caused the 8th Lord Targhe to attack Calis with the intention of killing the entire house of Berron. The 3rd Lord Berron sent messengers to his liege beseeching him that he might send aid, which aid was indeed sent in the form of Lord Valrek, Lord Kyule, Lord Drogand and their armies. 

The supreme strength of this force defeated Lord Targhe and liberated Calis, but not before Lord Targhe had wrought his revenge upon the house of Berron, killing as he thought it’s every member. 

In this belief however he was mistaken for Lord Berron's youngest child, a daughter then but two years of age, had been concealed by her nursing woman. Lord Brogan of Valrek, confronted by this vulnerable survivor who had no family to protect her and whose very existence would infuriate the still living Targhe, did the only thing he could do. Lord Valrek appealed to his liege for permission that he might betroth Lady Adele to his only son, Lord Rafe of Valrek, thereby giving her the protection she so desperately needed. 

But this action was fraught with its own difficulties, for this would install Rafe as Lord over two kingdoms, giving him great and unprecedented power. Such an action would instil fear and jealousy in the remaining Lords of Wessex. But there had been little choice, with Adele’s position being what it was, that power would have to be converged upon someone and king Ine had rather it be Brogan’s son than any other. 

And so lord Brogan had placed lady Adele of Berron’s lands in to his son’s hands and Rafe, then but a boy of ten years and under the guidance of his advisors, had set about restoring the war damaged lands of his Lady who was herself sent to live secluded in an old fort in the hills where she would be cared for and instructed until her eighteenth year, when Rafe would arrive to carry his bride with much pompous show to Valrek where he would make her his wife. 

It is true that I could tell you any one of these stories, but I am going to tell you Rafe’s, and consequently Adele’s. 

Thanks for listening!!!

Some GREAT News....& Some Not So Great.

Hi everyone! I’m so excited because I’ve been invited to a live author even to discuss my book! It’s going to take place sometime in December and I’m just sooooooooo EXCITED about it! I’ll be posting the details soon!

Had a busy few days so I haven’t done that much reading, I’m in the middle of ‘Moonstone’ and I’m enjoying it, but I find it a little hard to get into a book if I just read short snippets. I like a good long session but they’re kinda hard to fit in!!!

I’ve just found out that my supposedly ‘Professional’ proof reader is trash; this is after I’ve uploaded my book!!! I’m so upset because proofreaders don’t come cheap and she’s wasted my time and I feel so embarrassed that anyone who’s brought my book so far hasn’t had the best. I’m having it done again but it won’t be finished until early December!!! Still, it has to be corrected. I think this is probably going to put the release of my next book back as well, but we’ll have to wait and see!

Thanks for listening

DeeDee.

Amazing New Review!!!

Hi everyone! I just had the most AMAZING review!!!  And I'm gonna be horribly vulgar and post it here!!!

This is what John said:

Oct 08, 2011 John Steiner 

D.D. Chant captures the great themes one would otherwise expect from Machiavelli, Shakespeare and a bit of Steinbeck. In most post-apocalyptic stories the end came from some doomsday weapon or environmental cataclysm. Yet Chant decides that a few numbers on stock market boards and bank balance sheets are just as formidable weapons of mass destruction, and advances that concept into the story's environment, plot and characters rather well. 

Furthermore, she an employs of a really excellent literary skill that I'm more than a wee envious of. Chant creates two distinct impressions of a character, one that's their real face and another that is conceived of in the mind of another character. From there she convinces the reader of one and to ignore the other, proving to me that the writer's pen is a tool of mind control. 

The portrayal of single cityscape likewise is filled with seeming wholly different worlds, the appearance of and living within reflect the nature of the societies Chant crafts. Chant brilliantly employs economy of language to her witty dialogue, banter, slights and snide remarks between characters that brings forth laughs and efficiently paints the social environment of her scenes. I don't know if D.D. Chant studied the anthropological nature of clan based civilizations, but if she hasn't I find her tribal political framework of the novel that much more incredible. 

While the story deals with tensions and armed conflict the story's timing and perspective deals primarily with the home front illustrating the strain of those holding down the fort and keeping the home fires burning. That not only those off to war feel the tribulations, but the people they return to also bear the burden. 

Overall, in the years to come if this novel isn't being assigned in schools alongside classics like "The Good Earth" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" I would have to question the literary competency of the educational system.







I can't believe it!!! My head is so big at the moment I can't sqeeze through the doors in my house!!!

Hi everyone! Please read my interview at http://melcomley.blogspot.com/ !!!

What makes a book special?

Hi everyone!

      So I was thinking: what is your favourite part of a book? The little touches that separate a good book from a REALLY good book! For me it’s when the hero has friends that he’s really nice to, because, let’s face it, he ought to be able to be nice to the heroine! He’s trying to impress her after all! But when he’s nice to other people in the book you really get the sense that he’s a nice guy!

      I also like it when the Heroine has just a little bit more sense than the average mosquito! Some Heroines can be so mind numbingly dumb you kinda wonder why the Hero is interested in her.

      I’ll read almost any genre so long as it has romance and adventure; I love Georgette Heyer because a lot of her stories have so much humour in them. Freddy in ‘Cotillion’, Pel and Pom in ‘Convenient Marriage’, Dysart in ‘April Lady’, Ferdy V Nemesis in ‘Fridays Child’ and Claude in ‘The Unknown Ajax’.  All such funny stories. As a 12 year old I would go to bed with a Georgette Heyer in one hand and a dictionary in the other so I could look up all the words I didn’t know!!! And I would be in Hysterics over the antics of Pel, Ferdy and Freddy, so much so that my sister used to demand to know what I was laughing at. So I would read out loud and me and Amy would laugh and Mum would suddenly appear and tell us that we were supposed to be asleep. But Mum would always stay to listen to whatever it was that had made us chuckle.

    P.G. Wodehouse was another favourite; Bertie’s the kind of Nice but Dim that you’d like to meet. And the amount of times I’ve read James Herriot!!! All these books prove to me that it isn’t the plot, or the romance that is most important. A book can have a good plot filled with romance and still be a ‘fail’ because the Characters aren’t likable. The Characters are at least half of the whole, and their actions and decisions drive the story forward and make you care whether or not there is a happy ending.

What about you?

What do you think are the things that make a book special?

Hiya everyone!!!

So this is my first ever post on my first ever blog and I’m a little nervous!!! What shall I say to start out with?
 I’m DeeDee, I’m 24 and I’m trying to be a writer, but it turns out being a writer is really hard! My first book, ‘Broken City’ is a romantic adventure set in the not too distant future. It’s available on amazon and smashwords.com and I’m so excited that I can’t stop talking about it......but I’m guessing you’re fed up with it already though, right? 
I love reading almost as much as I love writing. Writing wins because it’s like reading exactly the sort of book that you love, with the sort of characters that you find most interesting and the type of plot that has you griped from the first page....but you get to decide what happens!!! I love reading romances but I like the books I read  to have an adventurous plot, maybe a little mystery and, of course, a hero that makes you heave breathy sighs! 
I look forward to all your comments!!!! (I'm a VERY positive thinker, right?!?!)