Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Forgiveness

I had something else planned for the ‘F’ word today, but last night I received the final version of the cover of my February release from Whiskey Creek Press, 'Fragrance of Violets'. So I thought I'd let you have the first view of it.

I'm thrilled to bits with it. I think it's fantastic and fabulous!


The title comes from a quotation by Mark Twain: Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

Fragrance of Violets’ is a story of two people who need to forgive each other and deal with other issues in their lives where forgiveness is also necessary.

Abbey Seton distrusts men, especially Jack Tremayne who destroyed their friendship when they were teenagers.  Ten years later, they meet again.  Can they put the past behind them?

Abbey has to forgive not only Jack, but also her father who deserted his family when she was young.  Jack holds himself responsible for his fiancée’s death.  He’s also hiding another secret which threatens the fragile resumption of his relationship with Abbey.

Will Abbey ever forgive him when she finds out the truth?


It occurs to me that the theme of forgiveness, in one form or other, appears frequently in romance novels. So often our characters hurt (deliberately or unwittingly), misjudge, distrust or believe badly of each other. They then have to learn how to put things right, forgive each other, and in the process learn more about themselves and their faults and foibles, so that they don’t make the same mistakes again.

I wonder just how many romances have the words ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong’ somewhere in them? And, because all romances ended happily ever after, of course, all is eventually forgiven and forgotten.

22 comments:

  1. oooooooooh i do too!! awesome cover and we can't wait to support you new ADVENTURE!! WOOT WOOT coming out around valentines day too! :0)

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  2. Thanks, Brenda! I'd forgotten about Valentine's Day - but now you've reminded me, February IS a good month for the release of a new romance! Thanks, as ever, for your support!

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  3. Nice cover! I'm looking forward to the release!

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  4. Love, love, love the cover! And forgiveness is a great theme to work with.

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  5. It's beautiful, Paula. So is the story inside.

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  6. Beth, Jen and Ana - thanks! I'm so pleased you like the cover (and Ana's already had a preview of the story!)

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  7. Great cover and a lovely title for a book. Violets are so evocative! I'm sure the book will be a big success.

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  8. Beautiful cover, and I adore your title! I also have a Feb. release with WCP. After seeing your cover, I'm expecting great things for mine! LOL

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  9. Awesome cover! Love the title, too. Sounds really good.

    If a character needs to apologize, whether it be man or woman, I think I'm pretty good about getting the words "I'm sorry" in there. Hopefully "I was wrong" where it's needed, too. :)

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  10. Thanks, Katheryn - glad you like the cover and title.

    Jannine - hope you will like your cover when you get it, and good luck with your Feb release too!

    Stacey - I know they says 'love means never having to say you're sorry' but I don't agree. I think there are times when our characters HAVE to say it - and mean it!

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  11. The cover is Fantastic!

    (And great post about forgiveness...it's definitely a theme that plays throughout many novels. Sometimes a character needs to learn to forgive him/herself before being able to forgive others.)

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  12. I love the cover too, Debra. And yes, forgiveness has many aspects, so I enjoyed exploring these in Fragrance.

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  13. Awesome cover Paula. I love it, so dainty looking. Apart from roses, violets are my favourite flower.


    Regards

    Margaret

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  14. Just beautiful, Paula. Mark Twain's quote and your cover marry perfectly and I just love them both!

    Best of luck to you!

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  15. Thanks, Margaret and beachlover.
    I googled for a quote about forgiveness and Mark Twain's jumped out at me, I knew immediately that I'd found the right title.

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  16. Gemini did another great job-(she did mine for FLIGHT of LITTLE DOVE) It's beautiful. Sounds like a great story, too. Wishing you lots of sales.
    All the best,
    Ruth
    www.ruthzonline.com

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  17. Thanks, Ruth. Gemini is great, isn't she? Loved her cover for yours too.

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  18. Paula, How exciting! Is this your first book? I will be looking for it in Feb. kudos to you. daphne

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  19. Hi Daphne - it's my second book (apart from the four I had published back ni the 1970's). You can find more details at my website http://paulamartinromances.webs.com
    Thanks for visiting HWH!

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  20. Hi again, Paula. I will be following you. It will be fun to see your progress.....

    Not sure if you let people pick your brain.... I'd like to.

    I, too, am a teacher - still teaching, while you enjoy retirement....

    I recently discovered writing personal stories, and have had fun putting my voice out there... I am trying to organize my thoughts into a single idea... To someday submit to print...

    Any advice? It'd be great if you'd follow along and critique some of my stories... Give me some pointers..... (when you have time, of, course)...

    I look forward to reading your novels...

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  21. Hey Daphne - happy to help if I can. You can email me at paulamartinromances(at)gmail(dot)com anytime.

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  22. what a gentle pink novel! can give us more info about the author.

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