Freedom Giveaway Hop

Whoa! One blog hop down, and it's time for another already? I obviously wasn't looking at the calendar when I signed up for two in a row. But hey, that's good news for those of you who entered the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop for a copy of my book and didn't win, 'cause now you all get a second chance. Yes, once again, I will be giving away an autographed copy of my sweet medieval romance, Loyalty's Web, this time for the Freedom Giveaway Hop, co-sponsored by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Simply Stacy.

How can you enter to win? Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing to eat on the 4th of July. AND don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!

To earn extra entries, you may do any or all of the following:

+1 Become a follower of JDP NEWS (Google Friend Connect), then leave me a comment letting me know.

+1 Subscribe to JDP NEWS via the Feedburner subscription box in the left hand sidebar. You must confirm your subscription. Then leave a comment letting me know.

+1 Like my "Joyce DiPastena" page on Facebook, then  leave a comment letting me know.

+1 Follow me on Twitter, then leave a comment letting me know.

AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. (Thanks!)

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM EST/7:59 PM PST on July 7th.

(If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment on my blog, send it to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "JDP NEWS: Freedom Giveaway Hop" in the subject line and I'll count it.)

All entered? Great! Now hop along to the next link posted below.

Writing Pet Peeve #2

I haven’t shared a writing pet peeve with you for a very long time. That’s a good thing. It means I don’t actually run into very many of them.

But I’ve recently come across a new one that’s bugging me. That’s because it’s been popping up so frequently in a string of novels I’ve been reading, all written by different authors, so I’m somewhat at a loss to account for it. Last time, my peeve was an overabundance of characters rolling their eyes.

The characters in these books have hardly rolled their eyes at all. But they cross their arms. A lot. Mostly women, but not always. In the most recent book, after the woman crossed her arms every few pages, one of the men suddenly crossed his arms. Now, if he had been mocking (gently or otherwise) the woman by this action, it would have glided by me without a glitch. In fact, it would have considerably lessened my annoyance factor with the woman in this book, because then it would have come across as a character trait in the woman that the other people around her noticed (and that possibly she noticed in herself), and it would have become part of the narrative of characterization. But this wasn’t the case. The man was both miles and pages away from the woman and appeared to do the arm cross quite independently of the woman’s earlier actions.

I don’t often give writing advice here, because I read so many “this is the correct way to write” advice given on the internet, then pick up successfully published books that break those “rules” left and right. But this is one piece of writing advice that I feel VERY STRONGLY ABOUT! (You can tell, because I’m actually posting about it.) Using repetitive phrases OF ANY KIND is a BIG MISTAKE FOR A WRITER. Unless, as I said, it’s part of a character’s characterization. In which case, you MUST make that clear to the reader, either by the character recognizing the repetitive action in herself or himself, or by having another character point it out at some point. Otherwise, some readers (like me!) are going to begin to think the writing is just plain lazy. And just trust me on this, you do NOT want readers to think your writing is lazy.

So, if other authors, no matter how famous, are having their characters roll their eyes every few pages, you be creative and think of something else for your characters to do. If another author, no matter how many awards she’s won, has her character constantly crossing her arms, have your character do something else. Anything else! Just don’t have her copy what the award winning author’s character is doing, because then you look like a copycat, and yes, you also look like you were too lazy to think up something on your own.

Let me be clear. I’m not saying your character can’t ever roll her eyes or cross her arms. But limit her to once, maybe twice in the book, and then I promise it won’t jump out at anyone and annoy them. I promise! Remember: Moderation is a virtue. Exercise it in your writing!

(NOTE: I'm deliberately posting this after a considerable time gap between when I read the books referred to and this post, so there's no use looking at my "What am I reading now?" posts and trying to guess which specific books fell into this trap. I don't want to embarrass anyone, just encourage authors to be a little more careful.)

So, do you have a writing pet peeve? Share it here in the comment section! (I'd better be careful. I'm sure I do something that annoys some readers as much as other authors write things that annoy me!)

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with “cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I’ve borrowed it from LDS Women’s Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from Loving Lydia:

Her uncle smiled sadly at Alex, then returned his attention to his niece. "It is not the end of the world, Lydia. I have every faith that Lord Alexander will make a fine husband. Be happy that your life has been set."

From Loving Lydia, by Amy De Trempe, page 120

If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.

What Am I Reading Now?

Having finished a Kindle Regency romance novella (Constant Hearts, by Donna Hatch), I decided it was time to return to whittling down my hard copy TBR pile. (My cats keep knocking over my stacks, so I guess I'd better read fast!) I'm continuing on in the Regency world with an inspirational Regency called Loving Lydia, by Amy de Trempe. I've never read an inspirational Regency before, but so far I'm enjoying it! The inspirational part isn't too heavy handed and isn't detracting from the Regency spirit of the book.

Here's the back cover blurb for Loving Lydia:


Loving Lydia is a sweet romance with inspirational elements set in Regency England. The story revolves around the lives of Lady Lydia Demains, a morally upright and tenderly naive young woman, and Lord Alexander Wake, an immoral rake, for lack of a better description. Or is he really? Enjoy the rich romance of an innocent young woman caught up into the world of a gentleman who lost his ability to trust and made enemies along the way. A world of obstacles and danger. However, Lord Alex isn't the only one who makes an enemy amongst the ton.


Stop by on Tuesday to read a Tuesday Teaser from Loving Lydia.

Winner! Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to brendajean, who has won a copy of my sweet medieval romance, Loyalty's Web, in the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop!


Thank you to everyone who entered! If you didn't win and would still like a chance, drop by again on July 1st, when I'll be giving away another copy of Loyalty's Web in the Freedom Giveaway Hop right here at JDP NEWS!

Get to Know the Author: Jennifer Shirk

Today's Get to Know You guest is Jennifer Shirk. Jennifer writes "fun, feel-good romantic fiction". Welcome, Jennifer!

JDP: Did your mother read to you as a child?

Jennifer: Well, surprisingly enough not really. I should really give her a hard time about that. LOL Fortunately, I read to my own child from the day she was born. J

JDP: Do you remember a favorite book from your childhood?

Jennfer: I LOVED all the E.B. White books: Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web and Trumpet of the Swan. I received those books as a gift and I read every one of them more than once. And I was a big Superfudge Judy Blume fan. J

JDP: Name a favorite author as an adult.

Jennifer: Hands down Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Her writing is funny and romantic and her stories never let me down.

JDP: Share a book you’ve read multiple times.

Jennifer: Honey Moon by Susan Elizabeth Philips. It’s a humorous book but quite tragic too. Yet, she still manages to wrap it up in a nice happy ending.

JDP: Kindle, Nook, or good old hard copy?

Jennifer: iPad and hard copy. J I find I read them both about equally.

JPD: Ooooo, I’m so jealous. I sooooo want an iPad! Still savin’ up. What’s your favorite place to read?

Jennifer: My bedroom (it’s the warmest room in the house) and my study because I can feel like I’m not totally withdrawn from what is going on with the family. J

JDP: What are your three favorite reading genres.

Jennifer: Romance (particularly romantic comedy), Young Adult, and Chick-lit.

JDP: What’s the last book you read?

Jennifer: Holiday Headlines by R.M. Gilbert (an ebook)

JDP: What are you reading now?

Jennifer: Susan Andersen’s Just for Kicks

JDP: What’s next on your reading list?

Jennifer: The new Susan Elizabeth Phillips book: Call Me Irresistible.

JDP: What you would like to read more of? (author, genre, etc)

Jennifer: Well, I just don’t think there are enough humorous contemporaries and not enough sweet romances either.

JDP: Share a favorite book that you’ve read in the last 12 months

Jennifer: Oh, my. Let me think… I have to say my favorite was a YA: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. It was kind of romantic, funny, and had a little mystery to it too.

More about Jennifer! : Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.

She writes sweet romantic comedies and won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her book, The Role of a Lifetime.

She's also a board member for Straight Ahead Ministries, an organization involved in helping spread the gospel and aiding medical and pharmacy students in Russia. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she's not involved in all the above, she's taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and four hermit crabs. You can learn more about Jennifer on her website and blog

Books by Jennifer Shirk:

The Role of a Lifetime

Georgie on His Mind

Summary of Georgie on His Mind:



Georgie Mayer has no boyfriend and rarely goes out. In short, she needs a life. Since she's graduated college and returned back home, her brother's protectiveness has been in overdrive, and she hasn't been able to have any fun, never mind get a date.


So what's a poor particularly attractive girl to do in a situation like this? The only thing she can do: find him a woman!


He'll thank her for it in the end. That is, if his best friend Walt Somers would stop interfering with her plans. The handsome pharmacist has made no secret that he doesn't approve of what she's up to. Unfortunately, having Walt hanging around does strange things to her mind, and suddenly she can't help but take a healthy interest in him. But how can Georgie entertain thoughts of the two of them together when Walt still treats her like his best friend's little sister?

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

Last December, we celebrated the longest night of the year with a giveaway hop. So Inspired Kathy of I Am a Reader, Not a Writer decided it would only be fair to celebrate the longest day of the year the same way. Only instead of a one night hop, we're going to let you hop for prizes for a full four days! That's a good thing, since there are over 200 blogs to hop to this time round. Each of them is giving away a book or book-themed prize.

What am I giving away here on JDP NEWS? A copy of my sweet medieval romance, Loyalty's Web. How can you enter to win? First off, you MUST be a follower of JDP NEWS and you must leave me a comment telling me that you are a follower. AND don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!

To earn extra entries, you may do any or all of the following:

+1 Subscribe to JDP NEWS via the Feedburner subscription box in the left hand sidebar. You must confirm your subscription. Then leave a comment letting me know.

+1 Like my "Joyce DiPastena" page on Facebook, then  leave a comment letting me know.

+1 Become a NetworkedBlog follower (below the Feedburner subscription box), then leave me a comment letting me know.

AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. (Thanks!)

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM EST/7:59 PM PST on June 24.


(If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment on my blog, send it to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "JDP NEWS: Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop" in the subject line and I'll count it.)

All entered? Great! Now hop along to the next link posted below.