Hatefest - scroll down for 5 on Friday

Tessa at Tessa's Blurb is holding a blogfest today focusing on the darkest of emotions - hate.

I'm reposting a poem for the blogfest which showcases this emotion.

This backstory poem for Richolf, the falconer character who appears in my Saturday serialized fiction, was written during the 3:15 Experiment in August of last year.

The 3:15 Experiment is going on now - I'm not taking part this year, as I'm focusing on writing my novels - but you can CLICK HERE to find out more about this poetry event.













Defining Moment #2


Delicious glances as they wove between the other dancers
Three sword points levelled at his face
The searing bite of the blade upon his brow

His invitation to the soiree
Had been heartfelt
By a grateful noble
One of the hunters who
Wanted to reciprocate
The falconer's hospitality

"Go on, go on"
His master had urged
Declining the offer himself
A twinkle in his eye

So many beautiful girls
So many intoxicating ladies
Richolf danced with them all
Smiled at them all
Clasped her hand
Brushed his lips upon her knuckles
Locked gazes
Felt the heat

Until he was called outside
Surrounded and threatened
In the chill night air
The sweat from the party
Turning to the sweat of fear

He'd danced with the wrong girl
He didn't even know which one
Had inspired these three sword points
To level at his face

A kick from behind
His cry hanging in the night air
The distant sounds of the soiree
His heart beating as he realized
All the moments of his life
Would end in this dusty moment

But the hands which held him
Only meant for the sword to
Kiss his brow
A reminder for life
Not to mix his lowly breed
With that of one born to the blood

They left him
Laying in the dirt
Dripping red between his fingers
That still held the thrill
Of all those girlish hands
Those womanly sighs

© Julia Phillips Smith, Aug. 25, 2010

To find out what the other blogfest writers are offering, CLICK HERE.

5 on Friday - Set 79

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Anyone for a Night at the Opera?

Many of you will recall that I once worked at a performing arts theatre in Toronto for nearly a decade, mainly because I'm a ballet freak and it was a way to watch all the ballet I could stand - which is A LOT.

But the theatre was also home to The Canadian Opera Company, and over the years I had the intense pleasure of experiencing 24 opera seasons over an 8-year period.

These pieces are some of the ones I've enjoyed most - although we never had a Mozart opera performed at our theatre, because the late conductor and artistic director Richard Bradshaw wouldn't stage Mozart in our not-intimate-enough theatre.


1 - Quando m'en vo / Musetta's Waltz from Puccini's La Boheme - Anna Netrebko

Musetta, the secondary female character, saucily antagonizes a potential love interest.





2 - Queen of the Night from Mozart's The Magic Flute - Rita Streich

The Queen of the Night threatens her daughter with disownment if she does not kill her enemy.

CLICK HERE to listen to the aria



3 - Les tringles des sistres tintaient / Gypsy song from Bizet's Carmen - Agnes Baltsa

Carmen and the other gypsies celebrate their untamed culture at Lillas Pastia's inn, in the presence of military officers.



4 - E lucevan le stelle / How the stars shine from Puccini's Tosca - Plácido Domingo

Painter Mario Cavaradossi contemplates the heightened sweetness of life as he is about to lose it, living through his final night before execution.



5 - Nessun dorma / None shall sleep from Puccini's Turandot - Luciano Pavarotti

This is the Prince's secret confidence that he alone will be the only man who will win - not only the unyielding Princess's hand in marriage - but her heart, as well.

Thursday Thirteen - 223 - 13 Views of the Garden 2011

1 - Biggest garden thrill this year: I planted two lilac bushes several years ago, and this year one of them bloomed. When I first saw the buds early in the spring, it was like spotting-my-teenage-heartthrob time.

(That would be Les McKeown, from the Bay City Rollers, in case you didn't already know that.)













2 - The next big thing for us was the emergence of our daffodils. I'd planted these a few autumns ago, but they'd never turned up the following spring. Mom and I chalked it up to raiding squirrels and left it at that.

Suddenly, this spring - voila. Daffodil.













3 - Forsythia and tulips in the front rock garden.






















4 - Kolkwitzia, a flowering shrub we planted in the backyard beside the deck






















5 - Pink clematis in the backyard, a gift from my sister, and dark blue clematis in the front yard, which came with the house













6 - Lady's mantle, which just appeared all on its own













7 - Angelica, which I planted outside the backdoor































8 - The Monster Rose Bush, otherwise known as an American Pillar rambler rose along the side of the house (which I grew from cuttings,) a delicate Rugosa rose which my sister and got from the side of the road by Grand Pré in the Annapolis Valley (in the front rock garden,) and the Aunt Sheila Rose, also known as a Subzero Brownell rose.






















9 - My mom's container gardens, featuring some gorgeous purple lobelia and her favorite, pansies






















10 - Orange lilies, originally from my husband's great-grandmother's Ontario garden, daylilies in the front garden and heritage lilies at the backdoor which I got at a farm museum plant sale.

















11 - Hostas in the back woodland garden













12 - Wild asters near the rugosa rose bush













13 - Balsam near the back door, at the edge of the woodland garden

Tuesday Serial / The Serialists - Scene 66

My Scorpius serial now posts on Tuesdays for Tuesday Serial.










I'm also posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant who must obey his own masters.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths.

We continue with Scorpius at age sixteen as he enters the service of Lord Thibault.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 66

He couldn’t stop himself from looking into the dukessa’s eyes.

His young master’s mother returned his gaze, eyes shining with gratitude and tears. Scorpius knelt before her once more, extending his hand so she could place the ring upon his middle finger.

In a silver setting worked to resemble plumes of wind or smoke, the rectangular black onyx lay along the base of his finger to the center knuckle. A strange sense of well-being came over him, as though his hand had always longed for the weight of this stone upon it.

As he turned his hand slightly, the carving over the onyx revealed itself – a dragon in flight. The sound of the dragon’s wings filled his mind, raising the hair along the back of his neck. At just that moment, the dukessa wrapped her fingers around his jeweled hand and calmed him.

Scorpius bowed his head. “Your Grace.”

“You have returned my son to me. When a mother has already lost one child, the joy you now bring cannot be truly expressed.”

Another subtle nudge from Lord Thibault helped Scorpius rise to his feet. His master's young sisters surged forward to take up his hand and admire the ring.

“Have you showed Scorpius his new home?” the dukessa asked.

“We went to my father straight away, and then to you.”

“You must show him the estate and grounds, then, but take a guard with you.”

“Yes, Mother,” his master said, leaning close to kiss the dukessa warmly upon the cheek.

“May I come, too?” the boy said, suddenly forlorn.

“Hurry, then,” Lord Thibault said, already striding from the room. Scorpius bowed deeply and backed away as the boy dashed past him.

Catching up to his master easily, Scorpius fought the urge to gaze at the hand that now wore a ring such as he’d never imagined. It turned his falconer’s clothing into shabby rags, but no doubt that would be remedied before he turned in for the night.

As he hung back from the sight of the two brothers delighting in one another’s company, the younger one skipping along and dragging on Lord Thibault’s hand, Scorpius felt the keen loss of Richolf.

A part of him didn’t want to think of his former master ever again. But that would be an insult too horrible to contemplate.

He would just have to learn to live with the stabbing ache that erupted inside of him from time to time, wouldn’t he? He had done so as a boy, even younger than his master’s brother. He’d learned to live with the loss of the parents who’d never come for him, unlike the duke and dukessa who had come for Lord Thibault when it was time for him to leave the nursery.

They passed through gleaming corridors, polished and smooth enough to slide upon, as the boy did with practiced ease. They rounded corners and flew down staircases, made their way through galleries and ducked through servants’ entries. Staff stepped artfully out of the way as the brothers raced for the door to the grounds.

Scorpius trotted to keep up, crossing the threshold into the sunny afternoon. He paused to take in the bustling village of outbuildings and servants behind the estate, which was impressive enough. But as he jogged ahead to rejoin his master and his brother, they crested a small slope that opened onto an ornate garden and revealed rolling parkland beyond.

Lord Thibault turned to smile at him. Scorpius fought the sense of betrayal towards his former master, the falconer, for his heart soared with the sense that he had finally come home.

© Julia Phillips Smith, 2011

Summer Stock Sunday - 40

Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme invites all to post summery photos, and to visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.













In the 1980s, I'd moved from the east coast of Canada to Toronto, where I worked as a nanny for several years before going to film school.

The family I worked for spent summers at their cottage on Georgian Bay in the Espanola area of Northern Ontario.

Since I was a live-in nanny, and since I became an extra part of the family, they took me along with them to the cottage, both summers I worked for them. It was AWESOME.

In the shot above - taken by Rob - it's me in the water in front, Donna sitting in the inner tube, and her daughter Claire on her lap.












That's me with Claire on the deck overlooking the lake and waiting for Rob to barbeque something delicious for supper. Shot taken by Donna.

My bed was along the wall of picture windows overlooking this same view. When everyone had gone to bed, I would lay in the dark listening to my Sony Walkman, watching the moon come up a little farther along the lake each night, and enjoying the star show uncluttered by city light spill.

These two Georgian Bay vacations are among my best memories of the 13 years I lived in Toronto.

5 on Friday - Set 78

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

These songs and musical pieces all come from the Everything is Illuminated soundtrack. Released in 2005, it's one of my favorite indie films, directed by Liev Schreiber.

CLICK HERE to watch video clip from the film, featuring the wonderful use of music throughout the film.

1 - Prologue Babushka - soundtrack composer Paul Cantelon

CLICK HERE to listen to the track










2 - Odessa Medley - soundtrack composer Paul Cantelon

CLICK HERE to listen to the track

















3 - Fear of the South - Mishkalé

On the soundtrack, this piece is done by Tin Hat Trio, but their version is sadly not available (as it is gorgeous.) But I'm very happy to find this live version - thanks, Mishkalé!



4 - Amari Szi Amari - Csókolom



5 - Zvezda Rock N Rolla - Leningrad

Thursday Thirteen - 222 - 13 Books on My TBR Pile From the RWA Conference in NY

If you recall my earlier post about attending the Romance Writers of America conference in New York in late June/early July, you'll remember me mentioning the various publisher-hosted booksignings, as well as the literacy fundraiser booksigning event.

Because I had read about this conference book binge on various blogs following previous conferences, I remembered to leave extra room in my suitcase, as well as to pack an empty carry-on.

My nefarious plan worked like a dream.

No extra-weight fees charged at the airport. No books left behind at the hotel room.

But lots and lots of books for me, for my best friend Connie and for my mom.

Here are thirteen of the books currently on my To Be Read pile:


1 - An Unlikely Countess by Jo Beverley

I'm currently reading this one.

I just adore this cover. I had to force myself not to buy it when it first came out this spring, as I was hoping she would be at the conference, where I could get it autographed by her.

And there she was! And so my copy has a lovely signature inside it.




2 - Blood of the Rose by Kate Pearce

Also currently reading this one.

Also really into this cover. It's awesome.










3 - Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Had been wanting this one for awhile - so glad to buy an autographed copy at the literacy signing.













4 - Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose

A cozy Regency mystery featuring chocolate recipes.













5 - The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas

Love the flames-as-the-letter-'I' in the title and author name.














6 - Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter

Another cover I really love. Authentic frock, and I love how she's leaning out of range.













7 - Nightfall by Ellen Connor

Book 1 of a 3-book apocalyptic series.

4 1/2 stars Top Pick from Romantic Times magazine












8 - Personal Protection by Leah Braemel

My first chance to buy my blog buddy's book - which I did, at the literacy signing.













9 - Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke

My first chance to meet my Australian blog buddy In Real Life - and buy her autographed book! Such a joy.














10 - Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder

I bought this one at the Barnes and Noble mini store set up in one of the conference rooms. My friend Annette warned me there were only five copies left when she dropped by our hotel room one evening - so I hightailed it there first thing the next morning and snagged one of the last copies.

So far it has already helped with my revisions. Thanks, Annette!






11 - A Season of Seduction

Jennifer used to be a fellow blogger at The Popculturedivas. It was great to meet - and let's face it. Can I resist a Christmas cover like this?














12 - A Secret Affair

Another luscious cover.

And it's Mary Balogh.











13 - No Mercy

This was given to conference goers at one of the luncheons where the keynote speaker was Sherrilyn Kenyon. It was actually one of three of her books waiting for me on my chair in the banquet room.

She gave an inspirational speech that was packed with emotion whenever she spoke of her brother, who was instrumental in setting her along her path as a writer.

And for anyone whose non-writing hurdles can seem overwhelming - this courageous woman is proof that YOU CAN DO IT.