tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8554019331362919625..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: Jeannie Lin Brings Ancient China to LifeLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-65587834550565048052010-11-15T23:13:08.168-05:002010-11-15T23:13:08.168-05:00Jeannie, thanks for hanging with us today. And I&#...Jeannie, thanks for hanging with us today. And I'll see you this Saturday.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-80356525604115510082010-11-15T22:59:43.729-05:002010-11-15T22:59:43.729-05:00Oh, came back from my (early) birthday dinner to s...Oh, came back from my (early) birthday dinner to so many posts! Sorry I can't answer them all as I need to get ready for my own trip, but I must give a bit thanks to all the words of support.(Just missed you in NYC Trish!)<br /><br />@Joan - I love ancient settings. I think there's a real surge in them lately, especially Egypt. Have you noticed any?<br /><br />@Daz - I recall some plastic sword injuries that weren't so pretty either...<br /><br />@Louisa - I'm so jealous about the horses! As you know, I always need to consult people about the use of horses in my books because I'm hopeless with them. You had some awesome games growing up from the sound of it. <br /><br />@Cassondra - Nope, you're right about the tragedy in Chinese and Japanese stories. I think it was meant to show us that individual lives are inconsequential and nothing is permanent. I don't know, but it's nice to finish a movie and actually feel good about it once in a while. <br /><br />@Trish - You've given me an idea...advertising for books in trains! With everyone touting Kindles, don't you think it might work? I hope "Taming" provided a pleasant diversion.<br /><br />@Llehn - thanks for stopping by. Cindy IS pretty awesome.Jeannie Linhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714068387571203896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-67010987429971352112010-11-15T22:39:29.162-05:002010-11-15T22:39:29.162-05:00Am looking forward to reading Butterfly Swords. C...Am looking forward to reading Butterfly Swords. Cindy Pon is awesome :D<br /><br />lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)comLlehnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03808225636111637085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-78932891887192290102010-11-15T21:41:04.715-05:002010-11-15T21:41:04.715-05:00One train ride later, I'm back online. Jeannie...One train ride later, I'm back online. Jeannie, I have to say that the killing off of either the hero or heroine or both is the only beef I have with my favorite wuxia films. I love how you've put the positive twist on them. BTW, I finished reading The Taming of Mei Lin on the trip up to NYC last week.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-26484426776422714152010-11-15T21:11:32.039-05:002010-11-15T21:11:32.039-05:00Thank you, Cassondra! You're a doll!
And I h...Thank you, Cassondra! You're a doll! <br /><br />And I have to agree with you. We had a great discussion on the imagination over on WordWenches and we talked about the video games doing the imagining for the kids. Soon they won't be able to imagine because that sense of wonder will be sucked out of them. <br /><br />We thought nothing of re enacting The Charge of the Light Brigade at top speed. If our mothers had seen us THEY would have fainted dead in their tracks.<br /><br />When my brothers and I talk about it now in the presence of my niece and two nephews they are AMAZED that we did those crazy things, but they are also envious and best of all, curious enough to ask "What was it like?" Curiosity is the beginning of imagination. And imagination is the beginning of EVERYTHING!Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-46381588464588259902010-11-15T20:51:44.885-05:002010-11-15T20:51:44.885-05:00Louisa said:
When I look back on it now it is a wo...Louisa said:<br /><i>When I look back on it now it is a wonder we didn't break out necks, but it was perhaps the happiest time of our lives and we had a ball!</i><br /><br />Louisa, I dread the day when children are actually safe. When that day comes, it will mean they'll do nothing from birth until adulthood but sit in a soft chair in front of video games. That's safe, after all. And it's the only thing that IS safe, far as I can tell. <br /><br />And we'll have a really screwed up world at that point, but hey...they'll be safe!<br /><br />Some of the best times in my life were doing things that would cause the "experts" to faint dead in their tracks. <br /><br />Those days made you who you are, and we're so glad you had that time on those horses, and that your neck did NOT get broken. :0)Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420982030156788059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-7084748492979648022010-11-15T19:43:59.096-05:002010-11-15T19:43:59.096-05:00Hello, Jeannie, my Ruby Sister! I loved Butterfly ...Hello, Jeannie, my Ruby Sister! I loved Butterfly Swords !! Can't wait to read the next one!<br /><br />(Congrats AGAIN, Fedora, on nabbing our own little golden god - don't tell him I said that. His head is big enough as it is!)<br /><br />I grew up with brothers so I played a lot of storming the castle, rounding up the rustlers and kung fu fighting. <br /><br />We were lucky enough to be able to ride horses in our imaginary games for the three years we lived in England and I must admit it added a dimension to our play that has carried over into my Regency writing. When I look back on it now it is a wonder we didn't break out necks, but it was perhaps the happiest time of our lives and we had a ball!Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-55659327834347908772010-11-15T19:28:52.488-05:002010-11-15T19:28:52.488-05:00Jeannie said:
Not only did Crouching Tiger stab y...Jeannie said:<br /><br /><i>Not only did Crouching Tiger stab you in the heart once (Chow Yun-Fat), it stabbed you again just to make sure you were dead. Now wouldn't the arc have been wonderfully complete if the first tragedy of the older couple teaches the younger couple to find happiness? I thought so...sorry, small rant there. :)<br /></i><br /><br />Oh, I'm with you on the rant. It's been a few years since I saw it, and every now and then I think of it and I STILL get melancholy about it. Just a hopelessness....like, what's the point of even considering love cuz...it'll never actually work out. <br /><br />My husband loves Samurai stories--anything from that time period--and so I've seen several of those. And like those Japanese stories, I tend to think of the Chinese warrior stories as always ending sadly. That may not be so--I'm not that versed in the genre--but it's wonderful to have somebody writing about warriors and the rich world of martial arts (My husband is a gifted martial artist)and give us HAPPY ENDINGS!!! Not sure what the cultural reasons are for always ending on a melancholy note--maybe the whole honor of dying a hero in glory thing-- but THANK YOU for going your own direction with these.<br /><br />Can't wait to read your stories!Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420982030156788059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-32110299784419057202010-11-15T18:57:46.427-05:002010-11-15T18:57:46.427-05:00Jeannie, before we got so advanced as to have plas...Jeannie, before we got so advanced as to have plastic swords (which we eventually did) we used to make our own wooden swords from bits and pieces of wood we've scavenge and those things hurt like the dickens when you get whacked by the evil villain on your knuckles. :-)Deannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16126833660091932854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-83533238441954885512010-11-15T18:39:00.637-05:002010-11-15T18:39:00.637-05:00Hi Jeannie!
Welcome to the lair!
I can't wai...Hi Jeannie!<br /><br />Welcome to the lair!<br /><br />I can't wait to read your book. As an author of non-traditional time setting (Rome)I whooped and clapped good and loud when you won the GH!!!! I love that your publisher recognized the romance in such an interesting time period.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-14926299016988459292010-11-15T18:38:41.250-05:002010-11-15T18:38:41.250-05:00Jeannie wrote: Swords seem like the perfect symbol...Jeannie wrote: <i>Swords seem like the perfect symbol of chivalry, romance, and danger . . .<br /><br /></i>Couldn't have said it better! My son is big into all forms of Asian history and culture. It's too bad I'm unlikely to get him to read a romance.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-89906889011956153052010-11-15T18:21:41.475-05:002010-11-15T18:21:41.475-05:00Hey Fedora! Congrats on grabbing the Chook!Hey Fedora! Congrats on grabbing the Chook!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-20912751326242223102010-11-15T18:21:08.059-05:002010-11-15T18:21:08.059-05:00Hi Jeannie! (From another Jeanne!) Great to have...Hi Jeannie! (From another Jeanne!) Great to have you with us today. Welcome to the Lair!<br /><br />This books sounds tremendous. I love the premise.Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-15296550929134210952010-11-15T16:47:43.795-05:002010-11-15T16:47:43.795-05:00Hi, Jeannie. Congratulations on your release. WOnd...Hi, Jeannie. Congratulations on your release. WOnderful post today. Games of travel to other realms and being grownups.travelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06191803578622949052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-63613045533932116812010-11-15T16:44:36.608-05:002010-11-15T16:44:36.608-05:00I think I was the typical little girl, using my do...I think I was the typical little girl, using my dolls to play mommy and so forth. I can't remember playing much else, I was too busy reading about writer's make-believe.Barbara E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10042665559975481397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-79164916870073453492010-11-15T16:05:19.489-05:002010-11-15T16:05:19.489-05:00@catslady - Tai Pan, another Clavell. I really sho...@catslady - Tai Pan, another Clavell. I really should read his books!<br /><br />@Nancy - Swords seem like the perfect symbol of chivalry, romance, and danger to me. I'm always partial to books with swords. <br /><br />Here's the youtube if anyone's interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke06luhv_nUJeannie Linhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714068387571203896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-24308228011722595252010-11-15T16:01:14.721-05:002010-11-15T16:01:14.721-05:00@Cassondra - One of my inspirations was to try to ...@Cassondra - One of my inspirations was to try to take the beauty of movies like "Crouching Tiger" and LET THE HERO AND HEROINE LIVE HAPPY FOR ONCE!!! <br /><br />Not only did Crouching Tiger stab you in the heart once (Chow Yun-Fat), it stabbed you again just to make sure you were dead. Now wouldn't the arc have been wonderfully complete if the first tragedy of the older couple teaches the younger couple to find happiness? I thought so...sorry, small rant there. :)<br /><br />The "trilogy" is sort of all jumbled now. Book #1 is Adrian and Miya (for anyone who's read Butterfly) Book #2 is Butterfly Swords. The prequel, Taming of Mei Lin, was a short story that takes place about 40 years earlier with Ai Li's grandmother. <br /><br />The short story just fell into place. While I was eagerly waiting on revisions, the editorial director at Mills and Boon suggested I might write a story for Undone. She suggested Adrian & Miya's story which in no way could be condensed to 10K. But I had another story in mind--one that supplemented Butterfly Swords perfectly. I hope that people who read the short and the novel find that each story is enhanced by reading the other, though they both stand alone. <br /><br />I was happy that Mills and Boon was eager to take the chance at more stories set in China before seeing whether they would sell or not.Jeannie Linhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714068387571203896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-6992852546240902282010-11-15T15:57:33.083-05:002010-11-15T15:57:33.083-05:00Jeannie, welcome and congratulations on your debut...Jeannie, welcome and congratulations on your debut! I'm ready for some different settings in historicals.<br /><br />I'm always interested in sword-related matters, so I'll be checking out those YouTube videos.<br /><br />Trish, a fun interview!<br /><br />Fedora, congrats on the bird.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-81970268169807075862010-11-15T15:53:22.321-05:002010-11-15T15:53:22.321-05:00@Victoria - I'm glad you liked Mei Lin and But...@Victoria - I'm glad you liked Mei Lin and Butterfly. :) I don't know if Mandarin translations exist for all those movies, but I'm sure some of them have been translated. They were filmed for Hong Kong so they're in Cantonese. <br /><br />@Jo - Thank you for ridding the world of the Nazi menace. :)<br /><br />@Tawny - The cover *sigh*. I was very lucky. The art department pulled out all the stops. The only complaint I've heard about it is that Ai Li isn't holding two swords. I think it's still a win. <br /><br />And about the Barbies, I know of a couple authors who do use them for blocking purposes...I'll leave it there.Jeannie Linhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714068387571203896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-56840552895431843142010-11-15T15:47:56.735-05:002010-11-15T15:47:56.735-05:00I too have been hearing great things about Butterf...I too have been hearing great things about Butterfly Swords. I think the last book that I read about China was Tai Pan and that was many years ago but I really enjoy stories set in different and to me exotic countries. I love learning about new places.catsladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06375770995988927860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-46629502691774363692010-11-15T15:46:50.107-05:002010-11-15T15:46:50.107-05:00@Trish - Cindy's work is so elegant, isn't...@Trish - Cindy's work is so elegant, isn't it? She does the artwork for the chapter headings in her books too.<br /><br />I agree that many writers have been creativing, i.e. playing make-believe long before we were writing. I wonder if kids still use that term? Make-believe. <br /><br />@MsHellion - I'm glad you enjoyed the book! That always makes me feel warm inside to hear. Your games sounded fascinating. I remember a lot of running around and "fort building" -- I mean how else are you going to survive while lost in the woods with vampires attacking you? I wonder what sort of games kids play today with less space to run around.Jeannie Linhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714068387571203896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-86881393038844538992010-11-15T15:36:13.023-05:002010-11-15T15:36:13.023-05:00Hi Jeannie, Hi Trish!
What a wonderful interview, ...Hi Jeannie, Hi Trish!<br />What a wonderful interview, and Jeanne, welcome to the lair. <br /><br />I thought Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was absolutely beautiful. Heartbreaking, but so stunningly filmed. These books sound wonderful. I had a vague notion of wuxia before this blog, but didn't understand it nearly so well.<br /><br />Jeannie, I'm sure you're right about it being easier to feed yourself with a genre that's hot at the moment, but thank you for taking the road less traveled, and most often it's innovators who end up taking the world by storm, so I predict that will be your result, and that history will remember you for doing something awesome and different, and opening the door to more authors doing unusual settings and periods. <br /><br />Interesting that you sold the second book first, but apparently were able to go back and (I assume) do the grandmother's story as a prequel. Did you have to do a lot of reworking to make that work?Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420982030156788059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-49379210551981198602010-11-15T15:19:40.171-05:002010-11-15T15:19:40.171-05:00Hi Jeannie, welcome to the Lair :-)
Your book sou...Hi Jeannie, welcome to the Lair :-)<br /><br />Your book sounds fascinating and the cover is OMG gorgeous!!! So stunning.<br /><br />I played a lot of Barbie falling in love with Ken games when I was little :-) So those obviously translated into my writing (although I don't act out the stories with dolls any longer, much to my daughters' relief)Tawnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076851566613018105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-63979232953069533892010-11-15T13:22:31.590-05:002010-11-15T13:22:31.590-05:00What an interesting interview. Thanks, Trish, for...What an interesting interview. Thanks, Trish, for bringing our guest today, and welcome Jeannie!<br /><br />I love these stories of ancient cultures so different from western ones. <br /><br />We always played cowboys and indians as children, but occasionally played war characters. Boy, did we ever kick the Nazis butts!jo robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824237193217632098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-64673631943760363872010-11-15T11:58:46.658-05:002010-11-15T11:58:46.658-05:00MsHellion, I think those of us who are writers hav...MsHellion, I think those of us who are writers have been "writing" from an early age, even before we knew how to write anything.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.com