Monday, October 10, 2011

ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Haiku Style

Please welcome author Ashley March to the Island!

A huge thank you to the ladies at DIK for hosting me for the next three days as I continue celebrating the release of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS!

I have a confession to make: I used to write poetry. Amendment: I used to write poetry in middle school when there was always plenty of angst. =) (To my surprise and pleasure, I once won $250 for winning a poetry contest back then, too!) However, of the poetry I’ve written, I’ve never tried a haiku. But I recently read a review of a romance novel written in haiku form, and I thought it would be fun to try my hand at haiku by writing a synopsis (spoiler free!) of ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. I have a feeling I’m about to be humbled. ;)

But first, the official blurb:

Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, thought he'd married the perfect woman-until a fatal accident revealed her betrayal with his best friend. After their deaths, Sebastian is determined to avoid a scandal for the sake of his son. But his best friend's widow is just as determined to cast her mourning veil aside by hosting a party that will surely destroy both their reputations and expose all of his carefully kept secrets...

Leah George has carried the painful knowledge of her husband's affair for almost a year. All she wants now is to enjoy her independence and make a new life for herself-even if that means being ostracized by the Society whose rules she was raised to obey. Now that the rumors are flying, there's only one thing left for Sebastian to do: silence the scandal by enticing the improper widow into becoming a proper wife. But when it comes to matters of the heart, neither Sebastian nor Leah is prepared for the passion they discover in each other's arms....

ROMANCING THE COUNTESS in Haiku
By Ashley March

A woman betrayed
A man in love with his wife
Soon everything changed

Carriage accident
On one dark and stormy night
A widow is free

She wants happiness
He wants to protect his son
House party comes next

Hint of scandal here
He rides in to save the day
Nothing to be saved

A clever widow
A grieving man who needs help
Enemies then friends

A kiss, but no more
But ho! What scandal is this?
He was right to fear

Though they are parted
Their lives intertwine again
Soon they must marry

While he falls for her
She must deal with past secrets
Second chance at love

Thankfully, a truth
One you will be glad to know
Book is much better


Ahem, yes. Lol. I think it’s obvious that was my first attempt at a haiku. Do you read poetry in addition to romance novels? Do you write poetry? What is your favorite poem?

One random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS (open internationally)! Also, find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of 50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com!



25 comments:

Karen H said...

Well, looky here! I'm the early bird...do I catch a worm? YUK!

I'm not a poet, I don't really care for poetry either. I must be a redneck! LOL

Beebs said...

Hi Ashley

Just finished RtC *sigh*

I've always loved the name Sebastian and now I'm loving it even more.*g*

Please don't enter me for the contest.

Can I add my vote for James' story soon. He's a definite hero.

Terri C. said...

Thanks for the giveaway. No, I don't write or read poetry. I don't understand it.

niteofblu at gmail dot com

Sullivan McPig said...

I love poetry.
My favorite poet is J.C Bloem, a Dutch poet. I found a translation of my favorite poem by Bloem, but I have to say I myself love the Dutch version more than the translation.

NOVEMBER

It’s raining and it is November:
Autumn lays siege now to the heart
That sadly, though more wont than ever,
Endures its secret pains apart.

And in the room, where resignation
Sees daily life pass as it may,
From streets that speak of desolation
A bleak light falls at close of day.

The years pass by but never alter,
The difference will soon be gone
Between dim memories that falter
And what is lived and is to come.

Lost are the ways I knew of gaining
Release from time in earlier days;
Always November, always raining,
Always this empty heart, always.

May said...

I read some poems... I like it when books mention some famous poems and it fits in with the storyline... But I rarely read an entire poetry book from beginning to the end though....

Blodeuedd said...

I can't say I read poetry but I do like the WWI poets because they are so raw and real

And i have written a haiku, I got an honorable mentioning in a contest :)

chey said...

I don't read poetry.

TiDubb said...

I do not write poetry~I don't possess that talent. I do enjoy listening to spoken word-I like to attend these types of events. I don't make it a point to purchase poetry. *shrug*

kamwh1207(at)att(dot)net

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Everyone! I finally made it. Hubby is with the kids! Thanks so much again to the DIK Ladies for hosting me today!

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Karen! Worms are only good for fishing, in my opinion. =) And I'm definitely not a poetry expert, I have to admit, though I do have a few favorites. I certainly don't know all the terms. I can talk superficially about Byron and Dickinson, and that's about it. =)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Beebs! =D I can't believe you already finished it! Yay! And it sounds like you liked it. ;) I will add your name in for James' story. =)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Terri! Then this makes me feel better that my haiku is terrible, lol. Thanks for visiting with me today!

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Sullivan McPig--I don't know much about poetry, sadly, but I do know what I like and what I don't like, and that is a beautiful poem. =) Thank you for sharing.

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi May--I think I've tried doing that before, but after a while I stopped. To me, poetry seems to be something best enjoyed a little bit at a time, so you can let the words of one poem sink in before going on to another. That sounds very artsy, doesn't it? ;)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Blodeuedd! Congrats on the haiku! I wrote this one very quickly, and I think it shows. I can't imagine how long it must take to write a really good one. =)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Chey! Thanks for your comment! =)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Tina! I've attended one or two poetry readers, mostly when I was in high school. The thing that always impresses me the most is the passion in the readers' voices. Some poems can evoke that kind of passion when you're reading by yourself, and some can't. The ones I've found that do are few and far between. Of course, this could also mean that I need to read more. =)

LSUReader said...

Honestly, Ashley, I don't read poetry very often. But your column inspired me today. Here is my haiku to you:

A book by Ashley,
Full of angst and happiness.
I NEED to read it!

JenM said...

Honestly, I don't read poetry unless a poem is posted on a blog or included in a book. I studied it in school, but it just didn't stick. I'm not sure why.

jen at delux dot com

ClaudiaGC said...

Hi Ashley!
I've always loved poetry. When I was younger I used to read much more poems. But these days I haven't gotten the time and sometimes not the patience to read poetry (And I think one needs piece and time to read poetry.). My favourites are poems by (and you will probably not know them) German classical writers Heinrich Heine, Friedrich Schiller and Erich Kästner.

claudigc at msn dot com

SmoothieGirl said...

LSUReader!!!! This is AWESOME, lol. Thank you! (Seriously, I've never had anyone write a haiku for me before. Awesomeness.) =)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi JenM: I actually feel that perhaps schools pushing and analyzing poetry might have something to do with the general populace's resentment of it. I know if writing weren't in my blood (as it seems to be, because I HAVE to do it), then all those papers in school would certainly have turned me off. (Note: this is not meant to be education bashing, just wish there were different ways to get things accomplished.)

SmoothieGirl said...

Hi Claudia: You're right, I don't know them. I'll have to try to find translated works. =) Right now the only poems I read are from micropoetry on Twitter. I follow a few people who write poems in Tweets, and they're really quite beautiful. Or sarcastic. Both can be wonderful. =)

Johanna R Jochum said...

I love poetry one of my favorites is by Sara Teasdale To me it is like a romance book all in a few sentences!

The Look

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall
but Colin only looked at me
and never kissed at all

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest
Robin's lost in play
but the kiss in colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.


Thanks for sharing with us!
Pleas don't enter me in contest

Tracy said...

Sorry for the delay...

The winner is: Terri C.

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