tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91633773747945982002024-03-19T07:56:40.949-04:00Sara FreezeA blog by romance author Sara Freeze. This website includes book reviews, information on Regency England, research on Jane Austen, and writing help.Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-35090734653678873032023-05-10T10:45:00.002-04:002023-05-10T10:45:40.841-04:00AI and Historical Romance Like many of my students, fellow writers, and other creative souls, I've been wondering about the impact of AI on the writing profession. After reading about how the Writers Guild of America labor union is striking for better terms with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, I realized one of the main sticking points is the role of AI in the writing and production Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-10121401323712197192022-05-04T08:56:00.001-04:002022-05-04T08:56:30.380-04:00New Release: Love & Lavender Ice Cream #MFRWhooksNOW AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAILERSEXCERPT: Sophia scraped off a tiny flake of lavender ice cream, intending to savor its rich and fragrant flavor. A deep baritone voice, much too familiar, broke into her reverie. “Miss Selkirk, fancy meeting you here.” Sophia’s spoon clattered back into the glass dish. Impossible, she had fled all the way to Bath. Scarcely daring to draw in aSara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-91853491581188166762020-08-15T12:45:00.007-04:002020-08-15T12:53:48.264-04:00Writers' Routines: Mary Balogh Lately, I've been obsessed with learning more about writers and how they create their works. How many words do they aim for each day? What kinds of rituals do they have? Mason Curry's Daily Rituals: How Artists Work has been very insightful in terms of understanding how writers and other creators approached the process. However, many of the artists profiled here do not create commercial Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-18677406156554489442020-08-03T10:26:00.000-04:002020-08-03T10:37:16.747-04:00Regency Fashion and Writers' Routines
As the pandemic has dragged on, one of the bright spots has been finding a new focus with my writing. Although it's been a challenge managing my child's elearning schedule (so hard!) and also keeping up with work, I found some time to think about what's really important and what important dreams I've set aside. It's been easy to make excuses about why I can't write, but I realized it's a choiceSara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-19750861095011356302019-10-12T10:59:00.002-04:002019-10-12T10:59:38.565-04:00Creativity Exercises (1)Over the last two months, I've begun exploring some creativity exercises to jog my Muse. I always wanted to learn artistic techniques and dabbled on and off years, but now that my writing is back on a regular schedule, I'm finding that sketching or playing with pastels before writing helps me to feel more relaxed when I approach the page. Artist Lisa Congdon's lessons on Creativebug have been Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-61650785107038003562019-08-25T17:07:00.002-04:002019-08-25T17:07:18.694-04:00Brainstorming the WIPI'm about halfway through my current work-in-progress (WIP), a Regency romance novel set in Shropshire, and kept forgetting key details (it used to be easier when I was writing drafts in my 20s). I had attended the Philadelphia Writers Conference this past summer (a topic for another post in the future; I'm so sad that this was the last conference), and particularly enjoyed Terri Brisbin's Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-32363283096246369622013-06-19T08:50:00.004-04:002013-06-19T08:50:58.926-04:00The Eighteenth-Century WriterI've been reading John Brewer's comprehensive and insightful review of eighteenth century cultural life for the past week: The Pleasures of the Imagination: English Culture in the Eighteenth Century. As I was reading the chapter entitled "Authors, Publishers and Literature Culture," I was struck by the similarities to the publishing culture of the 21st century. Celebrities such as Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-61891036150944791212012-11-02T19:03:00.002-04:002012-11-02T19:04:17.638-04:00Regency Fashion: Walking Dresses
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Victoria & Albert Museum has a wonderful collection of fashion plates available. This print was originally published in the June 1808 edition of La Belle Assemblee. The description provided is as follows: "Engraving with hand-colouring, showing three women in white high-waisted
dresses walking together. The woman in the foreground wears yellow
Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-37320253194548075422012-09-30T11:12:00.000-04:002012-09-30T11:12:00.124-04:00Elizabeth Hancock
A few years ago, I took a graduate seminar on Jane Austen's novels. As I was reading several biographies of her life, one family member, in particular, stood out: Elizabeth Hancock.
Elizabeth Hancock was a key figure in Jane Austen's life. Born in 1761, she was one of Austen's favorite (and certainly most glamorous) cousins. Over the past ten years, Elizabeth has gained more recognition as Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-62191701642930428552012-09-16T09:59:00.001-04:002012-09-16T09:59:05.961-04:00Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
On Friday, I was shocked to learn of the violation of the Duchess's privacy. Yes, Duchess Catherine is a member of the royal family, and yes, she is in an incredibly privileged position. However, every human being deserves privacy during intimate moments, and the photographer's actions were a gross violation of the duke and duchess's private space. I have always admired the Duchess's grace and Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-73091988247346216352012-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:002012-08-17T09:00:10.486-04:00Bed and Breakfast: Sweetwater Branch Inn
Whenever I visit Gainesville, FL, I always stay at the Sweetwater Branch Inn, a bed and breakfast housed in a two beautiful Victorian buildings. Over the past ten years, I've had the pleasure of staying in most of the rooms and cottages on the property, and I recommend any of the rooms, though two I especially like are the Blue Moon Room, which is small and cozy and boasts a snug readingSara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-33492153984387891272012-07-30T11:00:00.000-04:002012-07-30T11:03:38.069-04:00For Writers: Club 100I first heard about Club 100 through Beth Pattillo's website; Pattillo runs a Yahoo Group to encourage writers who decide to take the Club 100 challenge. Created by Avis Hester, Club 100 has writers commit to writing a minimum of 100 words for 100 days. For writers with challenging schedules, and for those who just can't commit to an enormous challenge such as NaNoWriMo, Club 100 provides a Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-13795918873625560392012-07-16T12:25:00.000-04:002012-07-26T11:01:03.515-04:00Florida Roses
Aside from writing, reading, researching, taking tea with friends, drawing, and crocheting, I also enjoy gardening and find it a very relaxing activity. In that spirit, I wanted to share some of my favorite images from my little garden.
I find it soothing to work with my roses, as prickly as they may be, and to watch them thrive in the south Florida weather.
I hope you find pleasure in Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-13586507478868161802012-07-09T12:04:00.003-04:002012-07-09T13:56:22.214-04:00Historical Novel Society
After following them on Twitter and visiting the website a number of times, I decided to join the Historical Novel Society (HNS) today. I like that HNS appeals to both writers and readers, and they have a wealth of resources available on their website. Some of my favorite historical authors include Sharon Kay Penman, Philippa Gregory, Karen Harper, Diane Haeger, Kate Quinn, and Margaret George,Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-31197925359985717592012-06-29T10:55:00.000-04:002012-06-29T10:55:00.648-04:00Creating a SynopsisThe good news is I've made a lot of progress with my story and am now looking forward to submitting it to a publisher. The bad news is that it's time to draft the wretched synopsis, a task most writers dread. Although I've published two stories before with the Wild Rose Press, and successfully employed the query and synopsis, this part of the publishing process never seems to get any easier. I'veSara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-90162420907158717342012-06-25T13:02:00.000-04:002012-07-03T18:18:31.885-04:0019th Century Women's DressThree (Affordable) Resources for Learning About Women's Fashions in the Regency Era:
When I first began researching women's dress of the Regency era, I looked up lists of books on the topic, only to find many of these resources were out of my price range. Hence, the list below for budding researchers who don't want to exceed their budgets.
1.Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-44905611977826270802012-06-03T12:26:00.001-04:002012-06-03T12:26:02.207-04:00Writing Challenge: 250 Words a Day
Recently, Debbie Ohi posted a writing challenge on her Twitter account: Set a daily writing goal and stick to it for a full year. She takes a low pressure approach, emphasizing that it's OK if you miss a day as long as you are trying your best to meet the word count each day. Her best advice is to be realistic in choosing your daily goal; in other words, choosing the 1000 words a day challenge Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-27362314245688201302010-01-10T12:54:00.002-05:002010-01-10T12:57:00.925-05:00New Twitter AccountAfter following some of my favorite authors' Twitter accounts, I've decided to experiment with Twitter. Please join me at: http://twitter.com/SaraFreezeI will be posting relevant and up-to-date news on the romance industry, as well as useful writing links. In addition, I'm trying out Twitter's new list function and have already posted lists of publishers/agents, romance authors, and general Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-36319302051695765012009-10-10T15:18:00.004-04:002009-10-10T15:24:30.184-04:00Wild Rose Press: Paranormal MonthOctober is Paranormal Month at The Wild Rose Press, and all paranormal titles are on sale now. Both of my stories, "The Earl's Enchantment" and "A Seaside Enchantment," are 10% off this month. While you're visiting the website, you may also want to sign up for Rose Clippings, the Wild Rose Press Newsletter, which includes all the latest news and events for the publisher.Happy reading!Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-53748208298865322882009-03-09T12:17:00.003-04:002009-03-09T12:22:43.099-04:00MyRomanceStory.com: New Paperback LineGiven my interest in new directions for the romance novel, I was intrigued by a recent press release by MyRomanceStory.com. The press release notes that the company is making the transition from being an online publisher to a print publisher as well with a new line of graphic romance paperbacks. As we've seen over the past few years, audiences are certainly intrigued by comic books and their big Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-41673091307185198182009-02-20T12:00:00.003-05:002009-02-20T12:08:32.146-05:00An Ebook Revolution?With all the bad news circulating in the publishing industry these days (think HarperCollins and declining book sales), I was happy to see the article "E-book Revolution Favors the Agile" on the Christian Science Monitor website. As a longtime reader, I admit my preference for the traditional book, I am also intrigued by the potential of ebooks. Can the ebook revolution revitalize the publishing Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-77991685908267915292009-02-06T11:19:00.002-05:002009-02-06T11:32:32.220-05:00Romance Novels & New CoversLast year, when I was standing in line at Walgreens, I was happy to see Julia Quinn's new novel on the book stand but was surprised at the new design of the cover, which features a different type of artwork for the models. I visited Quinn's website to find out more, and she had posted information about one of the models who graced the cover of The Lost Duke of Wyndham. The face of the model had Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-63673506232807894132009-01-16T14:09:00.003-05:002009-01-16T14:17:25.538-05:00The ShadowlandsAnyone who reads my stories knows how much I am fascinated by ghosts and by the supernatural, which is the name of one of my favorite shows. I was excited to discover The Shadowlands website, which includes hundreds of informative stories and articles for those who share my fascination. The Haunted Places index is especially valuable, since it lists haunted locations around the world. While Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-64002517620916975802009-01-12T14:24:00.003-05:002009-01-12T14:31:53.045-05:00Jane Austen Festival: Louisville, KYIn the latest email from the Jane Austen Society of North America, I received word that Greater Louisville Region will be holding its second annual Jane Austen festival. I've copied and pasted the press release below. The Regency Style Show sounds especially interesting. Since it will be held during the summer, families will be able to use the summer break to take their kids for what sounds likeSara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163377374794598200.post-37711837063181848362008-12-16T13:24:00.006-05:002008-12-16T13:40:47.487-05:00Happy Birthday, Jane Austen!On this day in 1775, Jane Austen was born at the Steventon rectory. Her family included her parents, George and Cassandra Austen, six brothers (James, George, Edward, Henry, Francis, and Charles), and one sister (Cassandra). Although she lived a relatively quiet life, her six completed novels are considered classics, despite Austen's initial difficulties in achieving publication.Portrait of Jane Sara Freezehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01035364928404235142noreply@blogger.com0