The "First Family" Obama Family Portrait

The official White House portrait of the Obama family by Annie Leibovitz was released today.  What a lovely family!

"So Faithful a Heart": the reviews are coming in!

So Faithful a Heart: The Love Story of Nancy Storace and Wolfgang Mozart by K. Lynette Erwin skillfully draws the reader into the often mysterious and romanticized world of 18th century composer, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, and his operatic leading lady, Anna Storace. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Storace, called Nancy by her family and friends, as she works as an opera singer and actress under contract with Emperor Joseph II. She is drawn into an intense, and sometimes tumultuous, affair with the married composer that leads to scandal, heartbreak and hope and explores how far soul mates are willing to go for one another.

Erwin's masterful grasp on not only the lives and personalities of her characters but the atmosphere and intricacies of 18th century Vienna immerses the reader in a world that engages and pulls at the heartstrings. Her ability to write a defined historical piece and still inject modern relevance into the characters and plot is sure to reach a wider audience than the average historical romance novel. The romance is realistic, as is the world of 18th century music and theater, and readers will easily find themselves rooting for Mozart and Storace to find peace and happiness against all the odds. Erwin manages to humanize the Herculean legend of Mozart and displays his flaws, humor, passion and genius with the vulnerability of a man struggling to cope with the mistakes in his life. Storace is a likable heroine with a healthy balance of fire and the demure expectations of women in her time. They make an unstoppable pair.

Music and theater enthusiasts, history enthusiasts, romance readers, and Mozart and Storace fans will all greatly enjoy So Faithful a Heart. –J. Jewett, author, Unveiled

A Meeeooow Moment

To really understand where I'm coming from, you have to understand how Mozart "fans" can be. I'm not talking about the real Mozart musicians, lovers, or historians--I'm talking about Mozart FANS. You see, Mozart fans are among the craziest, most fanatical kinds of fans out there and if you deviate from the person who they believe Mozart was, (most generally the Mozart that his widow, Constanze, and her second husband, Georg Nissen, created) then you're some kind of an evil person who robs children of their innocence and you must be censored and even more, wiped off the face of the planet.


SOOOO...

All of that was to introduce you to my little French stalker, a woman who fancies herself a Mozart historian and an expert on Nancy Storace. She has said for years that she is writing a book about Nancy, but I've yet to hear any news of it. (The poor dear got married several years back and it seems to have killed her ambitions.) She has hated me for going on 10 years now, for what reasons, I really don't know. Anyway, since I announced back in January that I was writing a novel based on the love story of Nancy and Mozart, she has been literally crawling my blogs trying to get any information that she can. In April, when I created a blog where I post the chapters of the novel once a week and invite certain people to read and offer their critique, etc. (it's invitation only and it is not cached, so googlebots can't scan it) she has tried several times to get in through back doors, only to find that there are no back doors. A couple of weeks ago as I skimmed through my site meters, I noticed that it had been a while since she had checked anything out, but now that I've announced that I'm publishing So Faithful a Heart in the next few weeks through Lulu.com, she has been back again.

To my dear little French friend: I'm glad that you're so excited to read my book! But unfortunately you will have to wait until it's released and you can purchase a copy for yourself. And if you'll send me your copy, sweetie, I'll be most happy to autograph it for you! Meeeeeeoooooooowwww!

Getting into the spirit!

This weekend is homecoming weekend in my hometown, so I'm getting into the spirit of OSU, the university from where I obtained my graduate degree.  GO POKES! BEAT MISSOURI!

Growing up in Stillwater, I never really appreciated the uniqueness of my hometown until I became an adult and lived in several other places all over the country.  It wasn't until I moved back here in 2000 that I realized what a great place, Stillwater was/is.  I remember this time of year and how OSU homecoming always fell in October, just before Halloween, the walk-around on fraternity row, Theta Pond all lit up, marching in the Homecoming parade with the Stillwater High School marching band, (always right behind the OSU Marching band!), and the sound of the OSU marching band practicing on the lawn near the Seretean Center.  Now I live only blocks from the Seretean Center and on a clear morning I can hear the OSU drum line on Saturday mornings as they practice and the ringing of the library clock tower every fifteen minutes. These familiar sights and sounds are appreciated now so much more than they were when I was child. It's funny how we seem to come back around to the place where we began.

It's getting close!

My book is with the editor as I write this.  She contacted me last week and said that she was going to give it a second read and finish her corrections and suggestions and then send it back to me to make my final edits and rewrites.  Steph is in the process of building the marketing website and will be writing the Foreword, (I wrote the Afterword last week). I have lined up a couple of fellow writers, (and possibly a third), to read the book and write some reviews which will be posted on the marketing website.  After that is all accomplished, it will be sent to Lulu to be formatted and the cover added, and then will most likely be available for release sometime in mid November.  I was really hoping for an October 27th release date, which would have been Nancy Storace's 244th birthday, but that isn't within the realms of possibility at this point. 

I'll keep everyone posted on the exact release date and the opening of the website.  Thanks to all who have been so supportive and encouraging during this process.  You don't know what it means to me!

Don't wake me until noon

I had a completely lovely time at the Willow Manor Ball last night, and I danced until dawn with Herr Mozart (and several other tasty morsels). The room was filled with music, laughter, and revelry. But now my coach has turned into a pumpkin, my glass slippers have a broken heel, and my handsome prince is in his cups, so I am off to bed to dream of next year...

The Willow Manner Ball

Today is the day that I will be escorted by Herr Mozart to the 2nd Annual Willow Manner Ball.  I shall begin the day with a lovely breakfast of Belgian waffles with blueberries and whipped cream, a thick ham steak, and a cup of Earl Grey tea with sugar and cream.  Then I shall take a long luxurious lavender scented bath and afterward, my maids will begin to dress me for the ball.  I shall be wearing the following:

First my hair must be pinned and capped, before my wig can be put on.

 These are lovely necklace and ear bobs that I shall wear.

 Then, of course, my gown.

 Of course, a lady never leaves the house without her fan.

And I found the most lovely pair of shoes!  Aren't they simply elegant?

I can hardly wait!

What to wear? What to wear?

I have been invited to attend The 2nd Annual Willow Manner Ball, and once again, I shall be escorted by the ever-charming and delightful Wolfgang A. Mozart. Last year I wore a lovely 18th century gown made of raw, polished silk in butter yellow.

This year I am having a difficult time making up my mind what I should wear and I need your help.  The following are the choices.  Help me decide!

Mahatma Ghandi: October 2nd, 1869

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.