The Broadcast Awards are at the heart of the industry calendar, shining a light on the UK’s most acclaimed TV shows and the unsung talent that made it all possible.

The shortlist for the Broadcast Awards 2012 has been announced and we would like to congratulate each finalist on their outstanding achievements.Winners will be announced on 2nd February, 2012, before 1200 of the leading names in British broadcasting.

For a complete list of the finalists, visit http://www.broadcastawards.co.uk/342981

LEADING THE WAY FILM

Matthew Macfadyen has often, and quite unwillingly, been marked out as a very British romantic hero.
It’s a stereotype he’s worked hard to avoid, and one he momentarily left behind when he took on the most controversial role of his career. His portrayal of a paedophile, Charlie, in the Channel 4 drama Secret Life, saw him nominated for a Bafta in 2008. Two years later, he won the Bafta for Best Supporting Actor, for his part in Criminal Justice, before what might have been his crowning TV moment thus far, playing the mid-life Logan Mountstuart in Any Human Heart.

For the complete article and several photos of a bearded Macfadyen as he appears in the new Joe Wright film, Anna Karenina, visit Hunger TV http://www.hungertv.com/video/matthew-macfadyen/?mid=53339

Originally published on Savvy Authors on November 8, 2011

Precision in Language Choices

Choosing the precise word or phrase remains a challenge for all authors, whether they write professionally or for their own pleasure. The majority of those who make a living from writing have knowledge of words they never use in their creations. I write novels based in the Regency Period (1811-1820). Contemporary words/phrases such as Google, 3D, iPod, and mouse are replaced by acquiesce, obeisance, imprudence, and forbearance. From this quick example, one can easily observe that the number of words of which a person uses in his writing falls short of the number of which he is familiar. Add to that fact, how quickly the English language changes, and an author/poet will find it difficult to keep up with the flexibility of the language. Yet, some basics persist. It is the writer’

s responsibility to use the best word(s) for a particular situation. Instead of choosing a word, it is important to choose the word that expresses the exact meaning he intends. (For the examples below, I give credit to my college journalism professor. These examples remain in my spiral notebook even after all these years.)

Affect, Effect
Affect is a verb meaning to influence.
Effect is a noun meaning result.

Influence, Impact (two words often associated with affect/effect)
Influence refers to the ability to cause desired effects.
Impact means to strike or to collide; to wedge in.

Acute, Chronic
Acute indicates intenseness; that something has become immediately critical.
Chronic means recurring or continuing over a considerable time.

Adapt, Adopt, Adept
Adapt means to adjust to a changing situation.
Adoptmeans to accept something as one’

s own.
Adept means having skills.

Adverse, Averse
Adverse means unfavorable.
Averse means having a distaste for something.

Aggravate, Annoy, Irritate
Aggravate means to make worse or more troublesome. It is used to refer to things.
Annoy means to make angry, usually through repetition. Use it to refer to people.
Irritate means to provoke to impatience or anger.

Agree To, Agree With
Agree to is used to refer to things.
Agree with is used to refer to people.

Character, Reputation
Character is the sum of a person’s behavior and his moral standards.
Reputationis other people’s perception of the person.

Each Other, One Another
Each other is used when two people, places or things are involved.
One another is used for three or more.

Cynic, Skeptic
Cynic refers to a person who doubts or denies the goodness of human nature and does so in a sarcastic manner.
Skeptic refers to a person who has a doubting, questioning attitude. He wants evidence to prove his ideas.

Allusion, Delusion, Illusion
Allusion is an indirect mention.
Delusion is to believe in something even when evidence shows otherwise.
Illusion is a false or misleading idea or image.

Expect, Anticipate
Expect is used when no preparation is made.
Anticipate is used when preparation has been made for something that will occur.

Smell, Odor, Aroma
Smell is a neutral word depending on the surrounding words.
Odor refers to something unpleasant.
Aroma refers to something pleasant.

Eager, Anxious
Eager shows impatient desire.
Anxious indicates worry or concern.

Appraise, Apprise
Appraise means to determine the value.
Apprise means to notify or inform.

Cement, Concrete
Cement is the powder used as an adhesive ingredient in concrete. (Note! Cement is not a verb.)

Doctor
Doctor is a title, not a profession. It should be used generically. Use physician, minister, professor, etc., for more specific descriptions.

Pretense, Pretext
Pretense refers to a false appearance or action used purposely for deception.
Pretext is a false or fabricated reason, developed to hide the truth.

Because, Since
Most writers make no distinction in use between these two words. However, there are certain differences that should be addressed.
Because is used to indicate a cause or a reason.
Since refers to time, meaning between then and now.

To be fair, English is full of such traps. After all, I can deposit my paycheck in a bank, I can sit on the riverbank to fish, or I can bank a basketball off the backboard. English is a language where one’s nose runs and his feet smell. It possesses a deceptively complex structure, but it is well worth knowing English’s subtleties.

Christmas at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Christmas Sequel

To bring a renewed sense joy to his wife’s countenance, Fitzwilliam Darcy has secretly invited the Bennets and the Bingleys to spend the Christmastide festive days at Pemberley. But as he and Elizabeth journey to their estate to join the gathered families, a blizzard blankets the English countryside. The Darcys find themselves stranded at a small out-of-the-way inn with another couple preparing for the immediate delivery of their first child, while Pemberley is inundated with friends and relations seeking shelter from the storm.

Without her brother’s strong presence, Georgiana Darcy desperately attempts to manage the chaos surrounding the arrival of six invited guests and eleven unscheduled visitors. But bitter feuds, old jealousies, and intimate secrets quickly rise to the surface. Has Lady Catherine returned to Pemberley for forgiveness or revenge? Will the manipulative Caroline Bingley find a soul mate? Shall Kitty Bennet and Georgiana Darcy know happiness?

Written in Regency style and including Austen’s romantic entanglements and sardonic humor, Christmas at Pemberley places Jane Austen’s most beloved characters in an exciting yuletide story that speaks to the love, the family spirit, and the generosity that remain as the heart of Christmas.

Regina Jeffers, a public classroom teacher for thirty-nine years, considers herself a Jane Austen enthusiast. She is the author of several Austen-inspired novels, including Darcy’s Passions, Darcy’s Temptation, Vampire Darcy’s Desire, Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, The Phantom of Pemberley, and the upcoming The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy. She also is a Regency romance author: The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, A Touch of Velvet, A Touch of Cashémere, and The First Wives’ Club. A Time Warner Star Teacher and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, Jeffers often serves as a consultant in language arts and media literacy. Currently living outside Charlotte, North Carolina, she spends her time with her writing, gardening, and her new grandson.

www.rjeffers.com
http://austenauthors.net
http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com
(Books available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books-a-Million, Joseph Beth, and Ulysses Press.)

Chinese numerology and Feng Shui for 2011:
This year we are going to experience four unusual dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11.
There are some other quirks for this year.
Take the last two digits of the year you were born and add that number to the age you will be this year and the result will add up to 111 That holds true for everyone!!!!
Also, this year, October will have 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays & 5 Saturdays. This happens only once every 823 years. These particular years are known as Moneybag years. The proverb goes that if you send this to eight good friends, money will appear in the next four days, as is explained in the Chinese feng shui.
Those who don’t continue the chain, won’t receive. It’s a mystery, but it’s worth a try.
Good luck to you.

Love with an Improper Stranger (Originally posted on My Jane Austen Book Club on November 9, 2011)

In the spring of 1812, George IV’s attempted to pique his daughter’s, Princess Charlotte of Wales, interest in William of Orange. The move would have strengthened England’s alliance with the Netherlands. Orange had lived in exile in England and had received his education at Oxford.

The Prince Regent was well aware of his daughter’s increasing acts of defiance, but he was not aware of the depth of Princess Charlotte’s indiscretions. Charlotte had her first flirtation of note in 1811 (when she was but 15 years of age) with Charles Hesse, who was reportedly the Duke of York’s illegitimate son. Hesse was a young, handsome Hussar captain. Rumors had it that Hesse, who later joined Princess Caroline in Brunswick as an equerry, might have been the lover of both mother and daughter. Caroline had encouraged the relationship. She had once locked her daughter and Hesse in a bedchamber and had told them to amuse themselves. With Caroline’s encouragement, Charlotte had corresponded with Hesse until Charlotte’s friend and confidant, Mercer Elphinstone, advised against continuing the relationship.

Next, Charlotte’s cousin Captain George FitzClarence (eldest son of the actress Dorothea Jordan and William, Duke of Clarence, the Prince of Wales’s youngest brother) caught the young princess’s eye, but George soon moved with his regiment to Brighton, where he fell in love with Mary Seymour (who was the first to call the Prince Regent “Prinny”). During this time, Charlotte wrote to Mercer regarding Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility saying, “[The book] certainly is interesting, and you feel quite one of the company. I think Marianne and me are very like in disposition. I am not so good, displaying the same imprudence, etc., however very like. I must say it interested me much.”

When the Regent first encouraged his daughter to accept William of Orange, Charlotte was determined to oppose the union. However, a marriage would free her from her father’s control, as well as to provide her with her own household and financial independence. Therefore, in December 1813, Princess Charlotte agreed to the marriage.

Yet, when she discovered that Orange would expect her to live part of the year in Holland, Charlotte had second thoughts. The Whig politician Lord Grey had advised Charlotte against leaving England. He had insinuated that if Charlotte resided in Holland for even part of the year that Princess Caroline would follow suit. It was common knowledge that Caroline intended to take up residence away from her estranged husband. If Caroline left Prinny, he could claim desertion and file for a divorce. If the Regent then remarried and produced a son out of his next joining, Charlotte would be replaced in the line of succession. With this in mind, Princess Charlotte ended the engagement.

Meanwhile, the Princess fell in love with Prince Frederick, the King of Prussia’s nephew. One of her lady companions aided Charlotte in arranging several clandestine meetings with Frederick, and she maintained a secret correspondence with the prince until January 15, 1815, when he informed her that he had fallen for another. Frederick returned Charlotte’s gifts and portrait at that time.

Incensed by Charlotte’s refusal to marry Orange, George IV removed his daughter’s servants and dismissed her lady’s companions. Confined to Cranbourne Lodge, Charlotte was permitted no visitors except Queen Charlotte. In August 1814, Princess Caroline departed England. Charlotte felt deserted. Her depression became quite evident. Queen Charlotte encouraged a resolution to the separation between her eldest son and his daughter.

On Christmas Day 1814, Charlotte turned to her father for affection. During their intimate talks, she provided Prinny with a full accounting of her relationship with Captain Hesse. Charlotte explained how her mother had encouraged Charlotte to write to Hesse. She also spoke of her recent attempts to have Hesse return her letters and of the captain’s refusal to do so. Charlotte confided that she expected Hesse to blackmail her with their correspondence.

The Regent promised to assist his daughter with Hesse. Therefore, expecting a restoration of their connection, Charlotte confided in her father what she knew of Princess Caroline’s many lovers. To protect his daughter’s position in Society and in the line of succession, he suggested that Charlotte renew her engagement to Orange, but she stood firm. However, she did agree to a possible joining to Prince Leopold, third son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. It was after Napoleon’s defeat in June 1815 before Leopold could return to England. They married on 2 May 1816.

Spoiler: So what does all this have to do with my November 8 release of Christmas at Pemberley? Notice that the previous paragraph mentions Christmas Day 1814. Yes, believe it or not, I incorporated Princess Charlotte’s liaison with Hesse into my Christmas tale. How, one might ask, does a writer mix political intrigue with an inspirational romance, a Regency Christmas-theme tale, and a continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Not an easy task, but one I hope you will enjoy reading.

It has been a memorable week at my NC home.

Monday, Nov.7, found me the grandmother for my son Joshua‘s first child. “James” weighed in at a hefty 9 pounds 6 ounces.

Tuesday, Nov. 8, was the official release of my newest book, Christmas at Pemberley. On that day, I visited Savvy Authors with a Guest Post on “Precision in Language Choices.” http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?1641-Precision-in-Language-Choices-by-Regina-Jeffers

Wednesday, Nov. 9, found me at My Jane Austen Book Club for another guest post and book giveaway (through Nov. 15). “Love with an Improper Stranger” is a closer look at the tragic life of Princess Charlotte, and how I worked one of more indiscreet entanglements into Christmas at Pemberley. http://thesecretunderstandingofthehearts.blogspot.com/2011/11/regina-jeffers-guestpost-and-giveaway.html

Thursday, Nov. 10, the blog tour continued with a look at my “Writing Space” and my writing ritual at Savvy Verse and Wit. This guest blog also offers up a book giveaway (through Nov. 18). http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/11/guest-post-regina-jeffers-writing-space.html/comment-page-1#comment-12214

After a few private moments on this Veterans’ Day to remember those members of my family who have served this country faithfully over its many wars, Friday saw my first visit to Reader’s Entertainment News with an interview that asked some interesting questions about how I view the romantic hero in my novels. http://readersentertainment.com/2011/introducing-classic-author-regina-jeffers/

Today, I am looking at Christmas traditions in the Regency era over at Thoughts in Progress. http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/ Stop by and tell your favorite Christmas traditions.

Next week will bring me my official launch celebration of Christmas at Pemberley on one of my regular haunts Austen Authors (http://austenauthors.net). The launch brings another book giveaway. Tuesday, I return to AuAu for my newest entry in our Pride and Prejudice 200 Celebration (celebrating the events from P&P from the point of view of the other characters). I will relate Elizabeth Bennet’s infamous walk about the room with Caroline Bingley from Mr. Darcy’s point of view.

Wednesday, I will be at Pride and Prejudice 2005 http://prideandprejudice05.blogspot.com/ and at Christy Farmer’s Reviews http://christyfarmer.wordpress.com/ There will be a dual book giveaway on that day.

On Thursday, Nov. 17, I shall be revisiting one of my newer haunts – English Historical Fiction Authors http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com with at look at a most bizarre Scottish legend, the one the cannibalistic family of Sawney Bean. I return to EHFA on Nov. 28 for a spot on the Brahan Seer. EHFA devotes itself to English history and a group of writers who love all eras of the British Empire.

Monday, Nov. 21, will find me with Meredith at Austenesque Reviews http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/. We will be discussing my venture into inspirational romance with Christmas at Pemberley. Please come join us for a lively conversation and another book giveaway.

>>>>> DON’T LOOK BELOW FOR THE ANSWERS UNTIL YOU HAVE TRIED IT OUT!
>>>>>
A TEST FOR OLD KIDS
I was picky who I sent this too. It had to be those who might actually remember. So have some fun my sharp-witted friends. This is a test for us ‘old kids’! The answers are printed below, but don’t cheat.

01.After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don’t know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________.
02.When the Beatles first came to the U.S. .In early 1964, we
all watched them on The _______________ Show.
03’Get your kicks, __________________.’
04.’The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to ___________________.’
05.’In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________.’
06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we ‘danced’ under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the ‘_____________.’
07.Nestle’s makes the very best . .. . . _______________.’
08.Satchmo was America ‘s ‘Ambassador of Goodwill.’ Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.
09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________.
10. Red Skeleton’s hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, ‘Good Night, and ‘________ ________. ‘
11.Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________.
12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW. What other names did it go by? ____________ &_______________.
13.In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, ‘the day the music died.’ This was a tribute to ___________________.
14.We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit.The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.
15. One of the big fads of the late 50’s and 60’s was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the __ ______________.

ANSWERS :
01..The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02.The Ed Sullivan Show
03..On Route 66
04..To protect the innocent.
05.The Lion Sleeps Tonight
06.The limbo
07.Chocolate
08..Louis Armstrong
09.The Timex watch
10.Freddy, The Freeloader and ‘Good Night and God Bless.’
11.Draft cards (Bras were also burned. Not flags, as some have guessed)
12.Beetle or Bug
13.Buddy Holly
14.Sputnik
15.Hoola-hoop

This site connects the viewer directly to tour information and the background facts on Newbury’s Highclere Castle, which is used for filming “Downtown Abbey.”
http://www.highclerecastle.co.uk/?mid=519

By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG

Self-publishing these days is increasingly a tale of two cities.

There are established authors, like Nyree Belleville, who says she’s earned half a million dollars in the past 18 months selling direct rather than through a publisher..

Then there are new authors, like Eve Yohalem. More than a month after self-publishing, she has grossed about $100 in sales— after incurring costs of $3,400. She said she’s in no rush, though.

Rob Shepperson
Vanity presses have been available for decades. But thanks to digital technology and particularly the emergence of e-books, the number of self-published titles exploded 160% to 133,036 in 2010 from 51,237 in 2006, estimates R. R. Bowker, which tracks the publishing business.

Amazon.com Inc. fueled the growth by offering self-published writers as much as 70% of revenue on digital books, depending on the retail price. By comparison, traditional publishers typically pay their authors 25% of net digital sales and even less on print books.

For the complete article, visit The Wall Street Journal at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203554104577002230413747366.html