Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ann Tracy Marr's Memorable Quotes


Hi All, So glad you dropped by to check out author Ann Tracy Marr’s selection of memorable quotes from her novels. Believe me, you’re in for a treat as you can see just by viewing her tantalizing book covers.
 Now, let’s read on to see what Ann has to share with us. 

This is the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour. A bunch of writers got together and decided to switch off blogs to give readers a change of pace. Along with meeting new authors, you readers have been winning prizes. This week, it is my turn to offer a goodie. One of the people who comments on this blog this week will win a pdf copy of my first paranormal Regency, ROUND TABLE MAGICIAN. The winner will be announced next Sunday, July 29th. And… commenting on any of the blogs participating in the tour enters you in the drawing for the grand prize, a $50 Amazon gift card.

Thank you, Sharon, for having me host the blog this week. The group decided that we would do some gentle promotion of our books by feeding readers enticing quotes from our published works. I groaned and went along, knowing it doesn’t play to my strengths as a writer. Any decent author can come up with memorable one liners. It’s part of writing good dialogue. But it’s harder to come up with one liners that stand alone. “Here’s looking at you, kid,” or “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” make you stand up and take notice. I don’t seem to have the knack.

One of my favorite one liners from Round Table Magician is "Ahh, enjoy the sunshine." If that got you excited, I’d worry about you. It’s not memorable, not special. You need background. At the very least, you need to know this is a Regency romance wherein Lady Martha has fallen in love with Lord Brinston and he refuses to reciprocate. The best the man can do is unintentionally insult her and make lame remarks. And it ticks Martha off. To be honest, you need the whole scene to see why I like the line. Here it is:

Her head came up just as Lord Brinston turned the corner of the path. Dressed for riding and tapping a riding crop in the palm of his hand, Brinson looked prime. He stopped politely and said, "Good morning."

"My lord," Martha replied, wishing she had worn a prettier dress. "It is a lovely day."

"Yes, yes it is. You paint?" He peered at the drawing she sheltered with her hand.

"Not that well."

"I see. You perhaps should squint at the page to see how best to proceed. My sister does that. She says taking her work out of focus helps show her what needs doing."

Unaccountably irritated, Martha didn't respond. She didn't need a lesson in watercolors. She already knew her work was lacking. Having it confirmed by this godlike man rankled. Brinston glanced at her face; his brief impersonal look irritated her further.

He rubbed the crop along his jaw line. "Ahh, enjoy the sunshine," he said and turned toward the house.

Martha mumbled, "Thank you," to the crisply pressed tail of his coat. She watched Lord Brinston stride away, swinging his crop, conscious that there had been no more to the exchange than any man would have offered to any female of his acquaintance. That was what irritated the most--the any part.

The scene still doesn’t convey why "Ahh, enjoy the sunshine." sticks in my mind. Here they sound like mere acquaintances; you don’t get a sense of the history behind them, that her infatuation began when he saved her from a murderous smuggler, that they are both searching for stolen military secrets, that fate seems destined to throw them together. The one line epitomizes their relationship from his point of view. Brinston isn’t cooperating in romance and Martha is almost ready to take a whip to him. To really see why I like the line, you’d have to read the book -- follow their relationship from inception. Then you would see why I think it is hilarious for Lord Brinston to lamely say, "Ahh, enjoy the sunshine."

The line certainly doesn’t stand alone. Neither does this, from Thwarting Magic:
"I take it he does not like the drapes?"
"Lime and orange stripes? I doubt it."
Why his wife redecorates his study with lime and orange stripes is a long story, but I love it.

From To His Mistress:
"The last person to meddle with my business had to retire permanently from Town. Care to try me further?"
Would you believe he is talking to his mother?

Now you see why the perfect one liner is not in my repertoire.
Cheers, Ann Tracy Marr

Where can you find me?
Website: www.AnnTracyMarr.com
Purchase books (e-book or trade paperback) on Amazon.com
http://tiny.cc/7p0xew 

Well, Ann, they certainly sound intriguing to me and I’m sure our readers will want to make some comments and maybe ask you some questions. We’re down to the last week to qualify, so readers get to commenting. Then slip on over to check out my memorable quotes at Christine London’s blog at http://christinelondon.blogspot.com where you can make comments about my choices and get another opportunity to win Ann’s book and qualify for the $50 Amazon gift certificate. Thanks, Ann, for sharing these quotes with us. And, readers, thanks for taking the time to stop by!

For more interesting blogs and yet another chance to qualify for a Ann’s book and the $50 Amazon gift certificate here are the blogs for the other authors on our Best Summer Reading Tour:

Christine London – www.christinelondon.com
Lynn Hones - lynnhones.wordpress.com
Susan Roebuck - http://lauracea.blogspot.com

4 comments:

Unknown said...

"Lime and orange stripes"? *looks around her office to make sure she hasn't decorated it like that*! Love it.

Gina said...

What great post! Ann, congratulations and good luck with your writing. I loved 'orange and lime stripes'! My years working with an interior designer were the basis of my book Destiny's Designs, and I couldn't help but chuckle when i 'red' that!

Sharon, your blog is lovely!

Hugs, Regina

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