Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Edith Wharton’s THE BUCCANEERS

Captain's Log, Supplemental

I just watched the BBC period drama miniseries, The Buccaneers, based on Edith Wharton’s last unfinished novel.

The miniseries was very well done, I thought. Costumes were sumptuous and acting was good.

However, this is the second Wharton novel made into a film that I’ve seen, and both stories have a lack of morality that disturbs me. Adultery is seen as “true love.” Sure, the women had sucky marriages, but did the author/scriptwriter have to glorify adultery?

I’m not a prude, but I’m a pragmatist. If a young girl agrees to marry a duke, she has to understand there are certain obligations that come with being a duke, just as if she had married a President of the United States. She can’t whine about her duties or her social position—she should have thought of that before she married him.

The way the stories were presented made it seem that Nan, with her free spirited innocence, was in the right to run off with her lover, when in reality, all her problems started because her lover had refused to marry her when she was single and had first fallen in love with him. (I don’t know what part of the story was from the scriptwriter and what was Wharton’s notes, because I do know that Edith Wharton only finished about 3/5 of the book before she died and she left some notes about how she wanted the story to continue.)

I don’t know how closely the miniseries follows the book, but I was disappointed with the storyline. I don’t like reading or watching adultery, just like I don’t like movies that glorify murder and deception where the villain gets away with it and it’s portrayed as a good thing.

I guess I feel betrayed because I thought it would be a romantic miniseries in the tradition of Pride and Prejudice, when in actuality, very few of the characters in The Buccaneers have happy endings or show strength of character.

I mean, don’t you feel betrayed if you read a romance book where the hero and heroine don’t get together??? That’s kind of how I feel now, after watching this miniseries.

Comments

Unknown said…
Camy,
I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head with your analysis of The Buccaneers. I watched it about a year ago...and I can't remember but I probably posted a vague, generally positive review. I remember staying up until the wee hours of the morning because I didn't want to turn the series off -- I was hooked and HAD to see how it turned out.
However, as the story has "settled" into my consciousness over time, I was bothered by the same issues you raise...especially the glorification of adultery. It's really...well, SAD. Those characters who end up "happily" did so because they abandoned their commitments / marriages, etc. And everyone, whether they ended up happy or not, showed a general lack of character / principles.
Sorry for the long comment but your post really convicted me (in a good way!) and reminded me of how easy it can be to get sucked into a story / film and forget to really look at how the characters act / behave, etc. and what worldview is promoted.
Delia said…
I hate it when a movie/book/anything promotes immorality in any form. Sure, most movies have some kind of immoral subject (even if it's lying) but they don't glorify it. It's a big let-down after looking forward to watching it, then have something like that happen.

Speaking of feeling betrayed while reading a novel...I LOVE a certain author's novels, always have, so I decided to go back and read some of her "older" (they're not old at all) stuff. I came across one of her books that I absolutely loved and then at the end, the two characters were unable to get together because of a tragedy. I felt so disappointed and, like you said, betrayed. This may sound strange but reading one of that particular author's novels now isn't quite the same.
Snoskred said…
Hi, it's Snoskred here. I've recently become a blogging chick and have set myself a challenge to comment on as many Blogging Chick blogs as I can. So that's why I'm here. ;)

I have not seen The Buccaneers but I am a major Pride and Prejudice mini-series fan - not the movie, because that was just plain poor compared to the series. Though I did watch it so I would be able to say it's poor. ;) If you haven't seen it, the one with err, what's her name, the stick thin British one in the pirate movies as well, Keira Knightley. I'd say don't bother, it's not worth it.

I'll keep an eye out for The Buccaneers, but based on what you've said the costumes and the acting are about all I will like. I can appreciate excellent acting even if I'm not a fan of the storyline. :)

I am a huge fan of Jane Austen, I have a book with all of her works in it, and it is the one book always by my bedside.

What a pretty blog you have here, love the title bar graphic, it's gorgeous!

Snoskred
http://snoskred.blogspot.com/
Mary Connealy said…
CAMY Nice cover!!!!!!!
I love it. :)
Mary
wharton is not exactly known for her happy endings, and the buccaneers is actually one of the happiest. and while edith wharton does share biting social criticism with austen, even more than austen, wharton exposes the structures of the social order for hypocrisy and as the real immorality. and also unlike austen, wharton does not write romances for whom marriage, even an ideal one, rarely provides a solution (and quite frankly, much more like austen's often cynical letters, there is hardly such a thing as a good marriage -- after all, how likely is one to find someone who is both filthy rich and loveable and decent). in short, the point in wharton is that the whole world is disordered, not the behavior of these girls in particular. and if a young woman stuck to principle she would likely end up dead (e.g., house of mirth).

best wishes,
LoA.

Popular Posts

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Behind the Scenes: Original Cover

Prelude for a Lord (the extended version) releases on Amazon on December 2! You can buy it early at a discount from my website . (Want to join my Launch Team ?) The current cover is actually the second version of the cover for this book. Here’s what the original cover from my publisher, Zondervan, looked like. The original stock photo was of a blonde woman, and when I pointed out the error, the graphic designer at Zondervan did a nice job coloring her hair brown. For the new cover, I kept the orange and blue colors but chose a model in profile rather than with her entire face hidden. This new re-release is an extended version of the original book. Zondervan had a strict word count of 100,000 words, but my original manuscript was 120,000 words, so I had to cut 20,000 words. But when I got my rights back and started planning to re-release it, I realized I could release the original manuscript before it was cut. So the version coming out is the uncut, extended version. ...

Renumbering and renaming books in Lady Wynwood's Spies

On my Patreon, I posted a short explanation of all the renumbering and renaming I was doing for the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series books. If you “Follow” my Patreon page (you’ll need to set up a free Patreon account if you don't have one), then you’ll receive email notifications whenever I have a public post, even if you’re not a paid subscriber. I have lots of extras for free Followers !

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Merry Christmas! Enjoy The Spinster's Christmas

As a Merry Christmas gift to all my blog readers, I’m going to be posting my Christian Regency romantic suspense, The Spinster’s Christmas , for free on my blog! I’ll be posting the book in 1000-1500 word segments every Tuesday and Friday. (When I do the calculations, it’ll finish around the end of May.) Why am I posting a Christmas story when it won’t be Christmas in a week? Because I can! :) The Spinster’s Christmas is the prequel volume to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . Right now I’m editing volume 1 of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, and it’s on track to release in 2020. (If you’re on my Camille Elliot newsletter , you’ll be sure to hear when it’s available for preorder.) I anticipate that the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series to be about ten volumes. I think the series story will be a lot of fun to tell, and I’m looking forward to writing up a storm! Below, I’ll be listing the links to the parts of The Spinster’s Christmas as I post them. (I created the html links by hand so please ...

You're worth more than gold

I was recently just listening to my music playlist and it cycled to one of my favorite songs, “Gold” by Britt Nicole. This was one of the songs that inspired me as I was writing Gone Missing . Joslyn, my heroine, was from a poor background, so she was working at an electronics store in Los Angeles and putting herself through school in computer programming. When she got involved with her ex-boyfriend, who murdered her father, she ran away to Oregon. She lost her baby and the woman she was working for helped her through that ordeal. The woman also talked a lot about Christ to her, and so Joslyn has been seeking Christ more and more. She’s lost a lot and has gone through a grieving process after her father was murdered and she miscarried her baby. She had to leave school and her job to run away from her ex, so she has to start the school year all over again. At least she’s able to work for Liam and Elisabeth in Sonoma, California, at their new skip-tracing agency rather than try...