Sunday Snippets – May 19

Image copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

Please join with me and other Catholic bloggers as we share posts from the previous week at RAnn’s Place.

The Whole Package Novel (latest blog for the Catholic Writers Guild)

Man Up Cartoon

7 Quick Takes Friday

Copyright 2013 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7 Quick Takes Friday – Volume 72

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Jen’s Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. Authorgraph
I’ve discovered a cool website that allows authors to digitally “autograph” Kindle copies of their books. Check out my “Authorgraph” page!

2. Gosnell Verdict – Guilty
Three quarters of the Gosnell jury were pro-choice. This verdict definitely reflects justice.

3. Spring!
Believe it or not, this past week, it snowed briefly and we woke one morning to frost on the ground. Spring is here, though. Flowers — and weeds — are blooming!

photo copyright Josh Hrkach

4. A Subtle Grace – St. Agnes Prayer
In “A Subtle Grace,” my upcoming novel and the sequel to In Name Only, the main character, Kathleen O’Donovan, prays the prayer to St. Agnes.
Now good St. Agnes, play thy part,
And send to me my own sweetheart,
And show me such a happy bliss,
This night of him to have a kiss.

Or the Scottish version:
Agnes sweet, and Agnes fair, Hither, hither, now repair; Bonny Agnes, let me see The lad who is to marry me.

Legend has it that the girl who fasts and prays this prayer on the eve of St. Agnes’ Feast Day will dream of her husband.

5. Recent Reader Mail
I received some beautiful emails recently:
“I’ve read and reread your books in the last few weeks. Thank you for writing such marvelous stories which reinforce and teach the beautiful truths of our faith. I am an avid reader and library user but at times have to skip passages in secular books or eschew the books entirely because of their sexual content or otherwise offensive content….”

“Just finished Stealing Jenny… and besides the guilt over being a negligent mother for the past two days (since I couldn’t hardly put it down! I really enjoyed it! I feel like we’re in this little Catholic/NFP bubble sometimes – all alone. It’s so cool to be able to relate to the characters on a “Catholic Culture” level. Not to mention, being a real page turner. Whew! Thanks!”

“Thank you for your book “Emily’s Hope”….my heart and soul has been deeply rejuvenated reading a story of such faith and growth. I love reading a story that shows the beauty, grace, and strength of the church’s beliefs about marriage, sex, birth control, and trusting God’s will. My soul needed a reminder about these…I admire Emily and Jason, and pray that their story reaches many of our young people.”

I treasure letters like these and feel blessed when readers write to me.

6. Reading Shelf
Marriage, A Fountain of Grace - Rosalie McPhee
On Free Choice of the Will – St. Augustine

7. Man Up Cartoon

image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach (all rights reserved)

Man Up Cartoon

image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach (all rights reserved)

The Whole Package Novel

My recent post at Catholic Writers Guild blog is entitled “The Whole Package Novel.”

Are you currently writing a novel? If so, my previous post encourages you to read great books in order to be a better writer.

For me, as a novelist, my goal is to write novels that encompass the “whole package.” Admittedly, it’s an ideal that is difficult to attain. So what is the “whole package” in novel writing?

In my opinion, the best novels contain compelling “can’t put it down” unpredictable stories, brilliant character studies, believable dialogue and rich, variant language. The majority of contemporary books are not “whole package “ novels (although there are a few contemporary novels listed below).

Most novels tend to have one or two strengths but may be lacking in other areas. For example, Jodi Picoult’s books have brilliant character studies, narrative voices and crisp writing, but sometimes the stories are lacking. Mary Higgins Clark’s novels have great stories and a crisp writing style, but they’re usually formulaic.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is one of those rare hard-to-find “whole package” novels: (Repeat from a previous post: I own a hard copy but downloaded this on Kindle for 1.99). This has become my favorite book of all time. Mitchell only wrote one novel in her lifetime, but it is the quintessential novel, especially if you enjoy historical romance. This book has it all: excellent, crisp writing, compelling story, intricate, believable and brilliant character studies and, most importantly, it is NOT formulaic. I don’t mind reading formulaic novels, but it’s more enjoyable for me to read a novel with unpredictable stories. The movie is a fair representation of the book, although reading the book offers richer character studies.

Reading and studying “whole package” novels will help novelists improve their writing.

Here are a few other “Whole Package” Novels:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (This was also made into a movie, but I highly recommend you read the novel first. The movie is a fair representation of the book and I enjoyed both immensely.)

A High and Hidden Place by Michele Claire Lucas. My review is here. Excellent story, characters, writing.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Many people don’t appreciate the rich, literary language of the early 19th century, but this is my favorite of Austen’s books. Austen’s books are rich in characterization, complex in storyline and her writing is exquisite. There are quite a few film adaptations; my personal favorite is this one with Keira Knightley.

One of Ours by Willa Cather (my review here)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Most students will read and study this book at some point in their education. I read it first, in high school, then read it a second time when one of my sons was studying it. Again, Harper Lee only wrote one novel in her career and it was an incredibly moving one with rich characters, excellent dialogue, compelling story.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: (The movie remains fairly faithful to the novels). Rich characters, beautiful writing, compelling story and symbolism all make this a whole package novel.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: I read these books out loud years ago to my boys at night before they went to sleep. Highly recommend.

Do you have any favorite novels that encompass great storytelling, rich language, believable characters and unpredictable plot lines? Feel free to comment below!

copyright 2013 Ellen Gable Hrkach

In Name Only FREE Today Through Thursday

My second novel, In Name Only, is FREE today through Thursday on Kindle. The sequel to In Name Only, A Subtle Grace, will be published later this year.

Here are the links:

Amazon Kindle USA In Name Only

Amazon Kindle Canada In Name Only

Amazon Kindle UK In Name Only

Amazon Kindle Japan In Name Only

Amazon Kindle Germany In Name Only

Amazon Kindle France In Name Only

Amazon Kindle Italy In Name Only

Philadelphia, 1876: Caroline Martin foresees a joyous future when she meets a wealthy, moral man. But unexpected tragedy topples her illusions, opening the way to a profound understanding of God — a moving tale with 72 four and five star reviews on Amazon. In Name Only won the Gold medal in Religious Fiction in the 2010 IPPY Awards and has been an Amazon Kindle Top Ten bestseller since February 2012.

Reviews:
“If you love romance but hate smut, pick up this beautiful story and let it carry you away. The characters are believable, layered, human and humorous even in the midst of tragedy. The reader never loses hope and is rewarded on every page with little gems of character behavior, dialogue, plot twists and romantic intrigue. I was so very sorry when it ended!”
Lisa Mladinich, author, founder Amazing Catechists

” …conveys the beautiful Catholic teachings on conjugal love, and shares both a pro-life story and a conversion story.”
Jean Heimann, Catholic Fire

Sunday Snippets – Happy Mother’s Day

Image copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

It’s Sunday so it’s time to join with RAnn for Sunday Snippets where Catholic bloggers share their previous week’s posts.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! I’m especially thinking of my own mother this weekend. She’s been gone six years. Here is a special post I wrote about her last year on her birthday (and included is the eulogy I gave at her funeral reception).

Only one post this week:

7 Quick Takes Friday – Volume 70

7 Quick Takes Friday – Volume 71

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. March for Life
The Canadian March for Life was yesterday. For the first time in many years, I wasn’t able to attend because of illness. Thankfully, our family was represented at the March by my 23-year-old son. Read more about the March here.

2. God-grandchild!
I just found out that one of my god-daughters is expecting a baby! This will be my fourth god-grandchild! James and I have been blessed to be the godparents of six incredible people: three girls and three boys (the girls are all adults now.)

3. Sunrise
My son, Josh, captured this breathtaking sunrise.

photo copyright Josh Hrkach

4. Never Say Never
Excellent post from Jen at Conversion Diary: “Never Say Never and Other Thoughts on Having More Kids.”

5. Fr. Denis Lemieux
Fr. Denis is a wonderful priest from the Madonna House community in Combermere, Ontario. He is also an author (see below) and blogs at Ten Thousand Places. Last week, I attended an inspiring day of prayer and reflection in which he spoke on “Mary and the Year of Faith.”

6. Reading Shelf
Going Home - Denis Lemieux
The I-Choice: Staying Human in a Digital Age – Denis Lemieux

7. Mother’s Day Cartoon

Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach

Copyright 2013 Ellen Gable Hrkach