Celebrating Women's Fiction Day 2023: Multi-item Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS, MICHELE A. 

winner of the Women's Ficton Day giveaway!

As a member of the Women Fiction Writers Association, I'm participating in events related to this year's Women's Fiction Day--with a giveaway!

The randomly selected contest winner will receive a trio of autographed women's fiction historical novels: Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr, The Limits of Limelight (Hollywood adventures of starlet Phyllis Fraser and her cousin Ginger Rogers), and The Myrtle Wand (a retelling and reimagining of the ballet Giselle set in 17^th century France), the Beautiful Invention ceramic coffee mug, a Giselle ballet t-shirt, a wand carved from myrtle wood, and a live myrtle plant grown.

 There are four methods of entry:

 1. Via my contact form, with "Giveaway" or "Women's Fiction" in the message box.  

 https://form.jotform.com/90075403157149

 2. By subscribing to my newsletter 

 3. Following Author Margaret Porter on Instagram and messaging me "contest" or "contest entry."

 4. Emailing an answer to this question: Have you ever seen the ballet Giselle? Be sure to include your name and email address. You won't be added to the mailing list but will only be contacted if you're the giveaway winner.

Deadline for entry: Saturday, June 10, 2022.

Winner to be announced the following day.

 What Is Women's Fiction Day?

 Women’s Fiction Day celebrates women’s fiction authors, novels, publishers, book sellers, and most importantly, readers who appreciate women’s fiction and the power of a great story. This year for Women’s Fiction Day, members across the country will hold book signings to engage and connect with readers. WFWA is working with its 1,800 members across the country and internationally to hold a day of book events both online and in person on June 8.

More info--and giveaways--available here: Women Fiction Writers Association

 What Is Women's Fiction?

Women's fiction is a writing genre that includes layered stories in which the plot is driven by the main character’s emotional journey. The stories can be contemporary or historical, and may have magical, mystery, thriller, romance, or other elements.

This New Year

Christmas feels like it happened a year ago--and it was last year, after all. But nearly a full month has passed since then. Quite a busy one! Our holiday festivities followed our usual traditions: Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving dinner at our house with English neighbours.  Followed by several Christmas Caroling Party planning parties.

The event itself took place on Christmas Eve Eve. Fifteen minutes before the guests were due, a massive rainstorm and heavy winds took out electricity all over our city. We have a whole-house generator, so we carried on, and were able to provide neighbours--adults and children--with warmth, light, music (we had two musicians this year), three types of soup and chili, and delicious desserts. Dot was delighted by all the attention.

Dot & me before the caroling party

Dot, waiting for Santa

Christmas Eve and Day were quiet and pleasant. Lots of telephoning to family in friends in around the US and in the UK.

Gardening catalogs!

The deluge of plant catalogs arrived when I was deep into revisions for a novel, so they did pile up before I had a chance to look them over. With nearly 190 rose bushes in the gardens, I hardly need any more. But I confess, I have ordered a few for springtime planting. 

My Somerset village

When not socialising and celebrating, I was in the final stages of the next novel--in a new genre. After 15 historical novels, I've ventured into contemporary fiction. This project was inspired by my experiences in filmmaking, in the years before and after I became a published author, and life in both England and New England. There could be a sequel . . . , But after a very short break for a reading binge, it's back to the 18th century and writing about a fascinating real-life celebrity couple.

The hectic activity immediately following the release of The Myrtle Wand subsided during the festive season. It was so nice, at parties and dinners, receiving compliments from local friends who had read the novel, and tracking the reviews. 

I'm participating in various historical and multi-genre writing conferences in coming weeks and month and mentoring a couple of writer friends who are entering the submission stage. Again I'll be co-producing the second annual Authors Event on the big stage downtown, an opportunity to offer an update on my own books and writing but also to introduce our audience to other local or regional published authors. So there will be more and different books at our booksigning, sponsored by our local independent bookstore. 

At last--enough snow to make Dot happy

Over a month ago, the calendar date told us it was winter, but we certainly couldn't tell from the weather--until this week. We are in the midst of a series of snowstorms, bringing many more inches than we've had in recent years. A certain snow-loving dog is absolutely delighted! And it suits me--snowy days are very conducive to writing.

 All best wishes for this New Year. Let's make the most of it!

 

The Myrtle Wand: Publication Day!

 

I'm delighted to announce the publication of The Myrtle Wand, my 15th historical novel. It was inspired by Giselle, the classic ballet-- reimagined, continued, and set in 17th century France at the court of Louis XIV.

“Audiences familiar with the general outline of Giselle will find Porter’s narrative naturally engaging, but she’s taken care to keep other readers involved as well . . . An absorbing and touching tale . . . a fully realized, moving portrait of the storied court of Louis XIV.” Kirkus Reviews

“Readers absorb the backdrop of the times against the friendship between three very different young women who each reflect diverse choices, directions, and their rapidly changing times. A powerful story, highly recommended for its realistic quandaries and strong female characters.” Midwest Book Review

“Lushly atmospheric . . . rich with historical detail. Porter imagines the story behind the iconic Giselle, transporting us to France during the early reign of the Sun King. Betrayal and redemption, magic and religion all cross paths in dangerous pas de deux—and Princess Bathilde finally gets her opportunity to take center stage.” Leslie Carroll, author of Royal Romances: Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe

“As a retelling of Giselle this story gets top marks. Not only does the storyline move effortlessly between the chapters, but the characters come alive. There’s plenty of history built in to accurately depict the time period and royal politics.” Novels Alive

“A book to be savored with its gorgeous descriptions, compelling characters, and gripping narrative. An intriguing histfic reimagining of the beloved ballet, Giselle, it gracefully draws the reader into the early reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King." Literary Redhead

Here's my interview at the Historical Novel Society website about the writing of the novel: Margaret Porter's The Myrtle Wand

There's a The Myrtle Wand Blog Tour.

And purchase information: 

Order the paperback from: Bookshop.org, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble.

Order the ebook from: Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, B&N Nook, Kobo.

Purchase the paperback from a local independent bookstore via Indiebound.org.

Advance Reader Copy Giveaway on Goodreads!

 

Five Advance Reader Copies are available in The Myrtle Wand Goodreads Giveaway. 

(By GR rules, only open to US members--sorry.)

Best of luck to all who enter!

The Myrtle Wand--Coming Soon!

I'm not sure how summer suddenly turned into September, but here we are. And equally suddenly, the release date for The Myrtle Wand, my fifteenth novel, is very slightly less than six weeks away. I'm counting the days until 11 October!

      The Myrtle Wand, a retelling and a continuation of the classic ballet Giselle, restores original story elements to transform a tale of blighted romances and betrayals into a quest for redemption and restorative love.

     Princess Bathilde de Sevreau, unlike her school friend Myrte and the peasant Giselle, doubts the existence of legendary vilis, ghostly maidens who rise from their graves by night to roam the forest to take revenge on faithless lovers. Until she, too, has cause to fear being ensnared by that spectral sisterhood . . .
     Destined for a marriage of convenience with Albin, Duc de Rozel, Bathilde leaves her ancestral château for the Sun King’s sophisticated and scandalous court. As participants in royal ceremonies and entertainments, the princess and the soldier gradually recognize deep feelings for each other and mutual hopes for marital contentment.
        But the tragic consequences of Albin’s brief masquerade as a commoner and the amorous Louis XIV’s hunt for a mistress divide the lovers. Together and separately, they must overcome conflicting duties and unexpected dangers to determine their fate.

“Audiences familiar with the general outline of Giselle will find Porter’s narrative naturally engaging, but she’s taken care to keep other readers involved as well . . . An absorbing and touching tale . . . a fully realized, moving portrait of the storied court of Louis XIV.” Kirkus Reviews

“Readers absorb the backdrop of the times against the friendship between three very different young women who each reflect diverse choices, directions, and their rapidly changing times. A powerful story, highly recommended for its realistic quandaries and strong female characters.” Midwest Book Review

“Lushly atmospheric . . . rich with historical detail. Porter imagines the story behind the iconic Giselle, transporting us to France during the early reign of the Sun King. Betrayal and redemption, magic and religion all cross paths in dangerous pas de deux—and Princess Bathilde finally gets her opportunity to take center stage.” Leslie Carroll, author of Royal Romances: Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe

        

The book is available for pre-order now, as paperback and ebook.

My dog Dot is a minor (much to her dismay) character in the book. This promo features her performing as Blisse, Princess Bathilde's canine companion:

Much more information will soon be available, including historical background, a major giveaway, book trailer, blog tour schedule, and Facebook Launch Party invitation.