WIN A COPY OF PRIDE & PRINCESSES

There is a competition on Maria Grazia's lovely Jane Austen Blog: http://thesecretunderstandingofthehearts.blogspot.com/ To win a copy of my e-novel PRIDE & PRINCESSES, just leave a comment and your email so we know where to send the prize! Happy Dayz...

THE SECRET UNDERSTANDING OF THE HEARTS BLOG POST

I just guest posted about my YA novel 'Pride & Princesses' at Maria Grazia's lovely Jane Austen blog. Please follow Maria's blog and leave a comment if you so desire! Here is the link to my post: http://thesecretunderstandingofthehearts.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-guestpost-summer-day-pride.html I  hope you are all having a wonderful January.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to the best readers on the planet! Thank you all so much for reading 'Pride & Princesses'. You make the world even more amazing and here's to a wonderful 2012!

Favourite Reads of 2011

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas & Holiday... My reads of 2011 (in no particular order) are...

(YA)
MATCHED by Ally Condie
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
EVERMORE by Alyson Noel
FALLEN by Lauren Kate
(GROWN UP)
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern (I've read the beginning...finish during January...so far, so extra amazingly good.)

I haven't read as much as I like to, 'cos I am writing...If you would like to add your fave reads, please do!

I am having a lovely holiday in the sun...I hope you are all doing something you enjoy, you deserve it! I am also copy-editing another novel I wrote (after PRIDE & PRINCESSES) and took my lap top with me (I know, but words don't wait!) ...My new novel is kinda complex at the moment, but when my readers get to it, it should be just right! I hope you are all having a good 'Boxing Day!' THANK YOU ALL for making November and December so wonderful. I've said it before, I'm saying it again, you are the best readers (and writers) in the world and I am very blessed to have found you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thank you all so much for reading Pride & Princesses. You are the best and most wonderful readers any writer could wish for. Have an amazing and prosperous New Year!

PRIDE AND PRINCESSES by Summer Day page 39

Who knew that Trey could supply us with our advice for the month? Even Mouche was impressed.

    Trey left the room but not without flicking the light switch on and off three times just to annoy us. He’s very sweet sometimes, but I’d never tell Mouche that I’m crushing on her older brother. I happen to know she worships him but I think she’d find that information slightly disconcerting. 

     We looked back at our highlighted notes, our rules and ideas about dating, our slim experiences and profiles of the boys of Sunrise thus far.        

Mouche glanced at me sceptically then looked at our prospective boyzamples and said,            ‘Yes, no, yes, no, no way, yes...’

    ‘But this should be a realistic guide to dating at Sunrise High and an expose of just how few guys are the total package.’

     ‘Package meaning?’

     ‘Intelligence, kindness of heart, personality...’

     ‘How about tall, dark and handsome like Mark Knightly,’ I ventured. ‘Although, when he came into class he seemed very arrogant and rude,’ I qualified my reckless remark, but Mouche was too quick.

     ‘Oh my goodness!’

     ‘What?’

     ‘You like him. I can tell. I mean you more than like him!’

      It was hard to lie to Mouche.

     ‘You’re practically in love with him...ew...you wanna have his babies!’

     ‘Oh please, that is completely over the top. I have barely spoken to him! I so do not love him. Besides, he’s totally an older man. Isn’t he just repeating junior year for kicks? I mean, who has the time and money to be in Europe for a whole year. He seems like a total weirdo.’

    ‘It’s true. You love him.’

     I relented, ‘me and everyone else at Sunrise.’

    ‘Not me. He seems really haughty.’

    ‘Perhaps it’s just his manly exterior,’ I joked.

Pride and Princesses by Summer Day Page 38

Wednesday smiled, she seemed to love being with her big brother, even though after her sleep we intended to play dress-ups with her as well. She clapped her hands as Mrs Mouche kissed her. Mouche’s little sister loved it when Mouche and I and my mom (Trish) and Trey looked after her.

      After Mrs Mouche left, we were examining the ideas in our pink diary for our new blog entry and Trey was checking out our laptop over Mouche’s shoulder, having seated Wednesday in her high chair.

    ‘Enough already’, Mouche said. ‘You so can’t see this, Trey. It’s for our eyes only.’

    ‘Oh, please,’ Trey said laughing, eating a mouthful of cereal over his physics text, ‘like I care what two little girls think about the world...don’t stay up too late,’ he said as he ran up the stairs.

    ‘Why? Is your girlfriend coming over?’ Mouche giggled.

    ‘No.’

    ‘Why not?’

   ‘I think asking her over at ten pm might be a little obvious.’

    Trey was a classy guy for an older man (eighteen).

   ‘So what do you think about who should pay on dates, Trey? Do you think girls should pay?’ I asked quizzically.

   ‘Phoebe, if a guy likes you, he’s going to try to impress you at least on the first date. Take my advice, let him offer, and if he doesn’t, pay, but don’t date him again.’

   

Pride & Princesses by Summer Day page 37

   None of the males at our school behaved the way males in great romantic literature and films behaved (like Heathcliffe in that modern version of Wuthering Heights or Noah in The Notebook, for example). And maybe that was a good thing. But in some ways, the fact that chivalry is dead, is bad. I mean, I can open my own door but when I have a heavy bag and props, couldn’t the man of my dreams open it for me? And shouldn’t he want to? Of course, I can buy my own movie ticket but wouldn’t it be nice if my perfect man wanted to buy it for me? Just to prove his devotion? I could return the favour, of course.

     Mrs Mouche says to hit them in the hip pocket because money matters more to men than to women. I’m not sure if that is true at our age but it might be the case when you’re older. Mrs Mouche has definitely instilled a good value system in her children. Even though Wednesday (Mouche’s baby sister) can barely talk, she is very good at sharing, and Mouche actually has a social conscience. For example, there was a documentary about world famine on television as we were preparing some dinner.

    ‘Why are most of the world’s poverty stricken women and children?’ Mouche asked.

    ‘Because the men at the top are greedy and take everything,’ Mrs Mouche replied as she left the house with her carry-on trolly bag, giving Wednesday and Mouche a kiss and making us promise to go to Trish’s ‘unless Trey is here.’ 

    ‘See you later girls,’ she said with a twinkle in her eye. 

    ‘Love you Trey,’ Mrs Mouche yelled. She was all dressed up in a fancy suit and looked very glamorous. Trey came to the top of the stairs as Mrs Mouche deposited Wednesday in his arms. Mrs Mouche is a flight attendant, if you hadn’t already guessed.

   

   ‘Now be good for Trey,’ Mrs Mooche said. Mrs Mouche was flying all the way to New York and back. It would be the longest time she had ever spent away. Normally she just flew to the next state.