Saturday, April 15, 2017

Dear Friend Event ~ Guest Post & #GIVEAWAY!

Hello, Friends! I'm so happy to be part of the Meryton Press Dear Friend Event! Especially since Meryton Press has always been one of my go-to publishers. I'm always sure of finding a good read from one of their fabulous authors! 

Speaking of which, it's my great honor to have Lory Lilian visiting today, chatting about one of her favorite activities! 





Dearest friends, 

I am thrilled to be part of this Meryton Press event and to “talk” to you about one of my favorite activities: reading.

I can hardly remember when I began to love reading, but for as long I do remember, I remember myself reading. (I must have been around five years old.)

The first full-length novel I read when I was about eight years old was called “In the Country of Unlearned Lessons” published in 1965 and written by the Russian author Lia Geraskina. Of course, it was translated into Romanian. It is sort of “Alice in Wonderland,” except it is not about a girl, but about a young boy who hated school and refused to do his homework, so he ended up in “Unlearned Lessons Land.” LOL! I will never forget the ending: the boy was in danger of being condemned and executed, and he was given a paper with the words:  “Execution Adjourn Forgiveness” and he had to put the comma in the right place in order to be free! Spooky!
   
You must keep in mind that I lived in Romania during the leadership of Ceausescu, and there were years and years when we had only two hours of TV programs each day. Yes, no kidding: only 2 hours daily, of which 90 percent were news about Ceausescu and 10 percent cartoons plus some TV shows (Romanian, of course). Hard to believe, right? Now that I think of it, I cannot believe that people could live like that for so many years.

So, aside from my natural inclination toward reading, that was surely a powerful inducement to read: to discover new things, new people, new places. I read and loved too many books to remember. I read basically everything I could find! Many of my favorites were also mentioned in Jan Hahn’s earlier post, much to my delight. But I know I was in love with Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” and “Shirley.” Not so much “Wuthering Heights”—too dark for me. I was an angst wimp even back then—LOL. Another of my loved ones was “Corazon Salvaje” by Caridad Bravo Adams (a book that in 1993 became a fabulous, fabulous Mexican telenovela.

I also loved a Romanian novel “At Medeleni.” Taking place at the beginning of 1900’s about a fabulous woman character Olguta, it followed her from the age of ten until she got cancer and committed suicide at twenty-three, refusing to wait for death.

When I started the eighth grade, I had long finished reading all the books we were about to study in high school. It was like a fever, much to my parents’ despair; they used to force me to sleep before midnight, and I would hide under the blankets, reading by flashlight. 

I love paper books. I love to feel the paper in my hand, to follow the words, to turn the pages with eagerness. I love having my favorite book on the nightstand to enjoy a few pages before I fall asleep. Not a big fan of e-books, I am very sorry to admit. 

An important turning point in my life was at the age of thirteen when I first discovered “Pride and Prejudice.” It was WOW. I mean—wow! I fell in love with Elizabeth and Darcy and their story instantly, and since then I have read the book almost a hundred times. There were so many times of distress when I could not sleep and “Pride and Prejudice” stood by me, near my bed, opening its pages for me whenever I needed, drawing me into a fabulous story with new meanings again and again. 

Then, in 2004, my reading passion met a new challenge—one that changed my life. It was about online JAFF. That was another “wow.” For months, I read everything I could find (hundreds of stories). I slept three to four hours a night while working twelve hours a day in a multinational company. Tough life, right? 


But indeed, my life has changed since then because I am now honored to have written a few books that are read by others and to have met some fabulous friends from all over the world who are sharing my passion. What more could I hope for?

Aww...yes, to hold and smell a paper book is the best! I love to look at them all on my shelves. If only they didn't take up so much room because I've run out of space! I tried switching to an e-book, but they just get lost on there. Although, e-books are handy for traveling! So, I'm with you there, Lory, hard copies are the best! 

Oh, my! "...to put a comma in the right place in order to be free" - I think I would have been executed! Ah! 

It sounds like you've been a book lover all your life, Lory! Very unlike me. I wanted to love reading, but I was very bad at it. I was too slow, and my mind would wander. It was a struggle for me. Also, I had no phonic skills. Couldn't sound out a word to save my life (what'd I tell you - executed!). As a result, I didn't read much at all. In my twenties, I decided to take a reading class at the community college, and that's when I learned to read faster and comprehend more. But it wasn't until I saw the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie, read the book, and then found JAFF, that I truly fell in love with reading. I couldn't get enough of my favorite couple, Elizabeth and Darcy.


One of my early favorites was, in fact, one of Lory's books, Rainy Days. I have read it many times! Unfortunately, I don't seem to have time to reread my favorites anymore because there are so many new books out there it's hard to keep up! Or that may be a good thing depending on how you look at it! ;)   

Now I read a variety of genres, besides romance, I'm in love with dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and YA stories. 

Thank you, Lory, for stopping by today and sharing your love for reading! 



Dear Friend Event

“Mrs. Collins welcomed her friend with the liveliest pleasure, and Elizabeth was more and more satisfied with coming, when she found herself so affectionately received.” – Jane Austen

Jane Austen describes a fine friendship between Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Collins. One friend welcomes another with ‘the liveliest pleasure,” and the other is pleased to share in that. We at Meryton Press know from your words that you, our fans, receive our books with pleasure and affection. It makes our authors warm inside to know that.

In the month of April, we want to show our appreciation to you, our most steadfast supporters, our dear friends. Good friends give each other gifts. You have given us the gift of your affectionate reception, and we want to reciprocate by giving some of you gifts in return. 

As much as we’d like to, we can’t give everyone a gift, but at each hosted blog post during this event on the schedule listed below, an opportunity will be given to enter to win a surprise gift. Each person who comments can enter a Rafflecopter drawing to win. Although a person can enter multiple times (once on each blog post and tweet daily on each blog post), they can win only once. One winner will be chosen at each blog. Five gifts total will be awarded.


Dear Friend Blog Schedule:

More Agreeably Engaged–April 1; ends at 11:59 PM April 6th; winner announced April 7th
Austenesque Reviews–April 8; ends at 11:59 PM April 13th; winner announced April 14th
So little time…–April 15; ends at 11:59 PM April 20th; winner announced April 21st 
Diary of an Eccentric–April 22; ends at 11:59 PM April 27th; winner announced April 28th 
Just Jane 1813–April 29; ends at 11:59 PM May 4th; winner announced my May 5th  

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time! Meryton Press is giving away a surprise gift! Woot! I love surprises!






  • Giveaway is open to US residents only.  
  • Eligible entries will comment on Dear Friend Event blog posts, tweet about the event and use the Rafflecopter to enter. 
  • Winners will provide a valid U.S. shipping address for gift delivery upon request.
  •  Further details for entering to win a gift are posted at http://merytonpress.com/dear-friend-event/



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Many thanks to Meryton Press for putting together this wonderful event and to Janet @ More Agreeably Engaged for organizing it! 

So, how about you? Will you share your love of reading with us?

35 comments:

  1. I am so glad that Meryton Press is doing this as many books on my wishlist have been published by them. I love reading jaff as it allows me to this live during this time period through the characters and spend more time with these beloved characters.

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    1. Yes, DarcyBennett! I think this is wonderful, too! I love so many of the books Meryton Press puts out! I have many of the older ones, but like I said, I can't keep up with them anymore! So, there are a few of the newer ones on my wishlist also! :)

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    2. Yes, it is a lovely opportunity for MP to keep in touch with the readers / friends. Thank you for your comment and good luck with the giveaway!

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    3. Congratulations, Darcybennett, for winning the surprise gift! Enjoy!

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  2. Wow, Lory! That book about the little boy would stick with me, too. :) I'm pretty sure I'd have been executed over a grammar rule because that was always a struggle for me, too. Love hearing about your early love for books. I started with reading aloud through the classics each night with my mom and Pride & Prejudice was a book we tackled when I was eight and then I read all the others here and there.

    Hey Candy! Rainy Days was my first book by Lory and my favorite, too.

    Happy Easter, all!

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    1. Hey, Sophia Rose! That's so cool that you and your mom have those memories of reading together each night! Wow, and P&P at age eight! That's awesome!

      Do you remember having to wait for the next book to be published in the JAFF genre? It seemed like agony to me! Haha! Now the market is flooded with so many good books! :)

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    2. Thank you for your kind words about RD, Sophia Rose :-) Lol about the execution. I am pretty good with the grammar in Romanian, but in English, I have a guardian angel specialised in grammar and commas - Ellen :-)

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  3. Dear Candy, thank you for having me and hosting this great MP event. And for sharing your late discovered love for reading- that was so interesting ! Pride and Prejudice - in any form - always has a magic influence, right :-) BTW, My brother never had the patience to read. He always made me read the books he needed for school and then make a summary :-) :-) :-)

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    1. Lory! Thank you! I loved hearing about your reading journey! Yes, I was a late bloomer! ;) Ha! Love that you read books for your brother, and I'm sure he appreciated that, too! I wish you were there to help me - I did not read any of the books I was supposed to read in high school!

      P&P is definitely magical! And I should mention, since 2005 was my first P&P movie I'd seen, Matthew Macfadyen is my favorite Darcy! :)

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  4. Hi Lory, I know what you mean about paper books. But because my eyes are not good, I prefer my Kindle with its own light. I tried to read books under a blanket with a flashlight, but my eyes didn't like it. So I used a bathroom for reading at night. I don't remember how many times my Mum got me out of there in the middle of the night. she had a sixth sense. ;)

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    1. Ha ha - I have done the bathroom trick too !
      And yes, I know what you mean about Kindle. It has its own light and you can also adjust the fonts, which I do too.

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  5. Parts of your story made me sad, Lory, while other parts cracked me up. Jennifer used to get in big trouble for hiding under her covers with a flashlight to read after she was supposed to be asleep. As a mother, it frustrated me until I realized what she could be doing like her peers in school. After that, I left her alone. She hated when I told her she had to get up for school so she paid for her own crime. She still reads in bed and so do it. It's my relax wind-down time.

    I'm so happy you found Jane Austen and JAFF.

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    1. Thank you ! Well, now that my daughter is 22, I can better understand the parents' frustration over the bed time LOL. Glad you let your daughter read- that's why she is now such a talented writer :-) . My daughter is more the IT type- she graduates Cybernetics this year... Not a big fan of PnP, sadly. :-)

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  6. This sounds like a really nice thing that Meryton Press is doing and they do have so many great books. I have read several books published by them this year and have several on my TBR list as well as at least one checked out from the library. I like paper books better as well and never really got into eBooks. I love the way reading can take you away to another world and allow you to see things from another persons perspective. Good Luck to everyone else for the giveaway!

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    1. Good luck to you too, Chelsea! Indeed MP has many fabulous books and lots of fabulous readers / friends. This event is for them. Goad to know you are a paperbooks lover too :-)

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  7. Looking forward to your upcoming book, Lory! More to read - yay!

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  8. My, I'm certainly happy I will not be executed if I put a comma in the wrong place. I wouldn't last long! lol Loved 'reading' about your early experiences Lory, and yours too, Candy. Isn't it neat how much we are hearing and learning from others when each talks about their love of books and reading. I have found this fascinating and from the looks of the comments, many others have too.

    I am a fan of paperback books too. I'm like you, Lory. I love to feel the paper as I turn pages and have the scent of the actual book waft up as I read. That just does not happen with eBooks! They have their place and are convenient at many times, but still will not replace the paperback for me!

    Thank you, Candy, for such a good post and for being a part of this fun event. My thanks to you too, Lory!

    Hope you both have a Happy Easter!

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    1. Hi, Janet! Yes, I love hearing everyones personal stories! It's all so interesting! I'm so jealous of those with a rich literature upbringing! :)

      Happy Easter to you, as well!

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  9. Thanks for letting Meryton Press stop by So Little Time! It was so interesting to read about Lory reading as a child, and growing up in Romania. When I first found JAFF, I also slept very little at night because I was devouring online stories :)

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    1. Hi, Karen! It's my pleasure to be part of this wonderful event! haha! I've had many sleepless nights because I couldn't stop reading, too!

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    2. Yeah, I ruined my computer by overworking the hinge, from reading online so much. Now I have a kindle and computers are safe!

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  10. I love Lory Lillian's books! I agree with re-reading favorites. With so many new ones it's harder to go back and re-read some of my favorites.

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    1. Hey, Dung! Lol! Yes, I'm always in a hurry to get to the next! Glad to know I'm not the only one!

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  11. Wonderful post. When I found JAFF, Lory's stories were among the firsts I read and continue on as favorites. I have Lory's books proudly displayed on my shelf and kindle.

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  12. I love the feel of a paper book, too, although I don't buy nearly as many as I used to, due to lack of space. I have books stacked up all over the place!

    That's a very interesting book you read there - I think I like the idea of Unlearned Lessons Land. Unless there was math involved, then I'd be executed for sure!

    I'm a huge fan of Meryton Press and I'm always really excited when there's a new book to be released!

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    1. Hey, Monica! Lol, I think that Unlearned Lessons book would have been a horror story for me!

      Yeah, I have way too many books too, but I still keep buying them! Occasionally, I go through and prune them. Always sad to see them go. I put them in a box or bag and try not to look at them again, otherwise I change my mind and put them back on my shelf! Haha! Then my husband takes them away for me.

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  13. I've always had a love for books and reading.

    denise

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    1. Denise, isn't it lovely how internet brought together people all over the world, sharing the same passion ? :-)

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