Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Cliff Hanger Saturday Just Like the Matinees of Old
Pretty scary!
Cliff Hanger Saturday is a place where you can post your favorite "cliff hangers" of all time or just good writing at the end of the scene. (if not your own work, please give credit to the author and the book.) We all know, a scene should not end with anyone going to sleep. YAWN. But sometimes we see this. If the characters go to sleep, so do we.
So share favorites or write one here.
I have been posting excerpts for advertising and Rogue Phoenix Press. If you are writing an excerpt for something make sure that excerpt ends making the reader turn the page and read on. Do we want the reader up all night? Of course we do.
From Rebel Heart Earth and Wind series coming soon. (The name might be changed)
Seconds blurred into minutes.
She had not thought or planned this. Her head pounded and sweat dripped,
running down her back. Feint, hit, kick, whirl. Move away—move in—defend.
Bevan...
"Your dead!"
Friday, April 6, 2012
Friday's Featured Title: The Rock Star By Genene Valleau writing as Genie Gabriel
The Rock Star
Genie Gabriel
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 3
Buy at:
www.roguephoenixpress.com
Spotlights flashed in
rainbows across the stage. Red. Green. Blue. Crisscrossing until they merged
into one white-hot light on Geoff Chastain’s face, evoking memories of other
times. The screams of thousands of teenaged girls washed through his memory as
he pulled the microphone from its stand.
The first notes of his
daughter's favorite song filled the auditorium and his breath caught, jagged,
in his chest. Pain pulsed through Geoff's heart with each beat of the drum. He
nearly dropped to his knees, longing to crawl back into the self-imposed exile
where he had existed since his daughter died.
The faces of the kids in
wheelchairs looked up at him with bright expectation. The whispers of the
singers waiting in the stage wings curled around him in concern.
Daddy, promise you won’t let the music die. His daughter’s last request haunted Geoff. He never
suspected life would become so desolate he would forget to eat and sleep, let
alone lose touch with the music that had always flowed so easily from his soul.
A singer moved from the
wings to stand beside him. Her presence drifted around him in silent
encouragement. Her sweet contralto coaxed him to sing with her.
Focus, he
ordered his brain, staring at the woman. Waves of auburn hair framed her face,
then tumbled halfway down a lush body barely covered in spandex and sequins. A
woman designed to stir a man to action.
Geoff's voice rasped with
disuse on the first verse; the woman's harmony covered it. As he started the
second verse, an image of his daughter swam before his eyes and Geoff's throat
closed. The woman picked up the melody without missing a beat, as if they had
planned this duet.
He grasped at her hand and
drew a deep breath. Her soft scent filled his nostrils, drawing his attention
away from the pain. Giving him the strength to dig deep inside where the music
had lain in silent mourning.
Geoff's voice mingled with
hers on the chorus, then soared as he soloed the third verse. Their voices
chased each other through the final refrain, then their eyes met and held on
the last triumphant note. Awed silence hung for a moment before applause
erupted and the crowd was in motion.
A sea of well-wishers
swarmed onto the stage. Not the frenzied near-riots of years ago, but the
exuberant cheer of celebration. Smiles and congratulations wrapped warmly
around Geoff as men pumped his hand and women kissed his cheek.
But the mysterious
auburn-haired woman who saved his musical butt had disappeared.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Join the Weekly Check In
This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.
How well are you doing?
Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.
Every word is one word closer to the finished product.
Had a great week? Keep it up, the momentum is on your side.
I've had a great week. I'm revamping Rebel Heart which will be available the end of June. I had hoped to write ten pages a day but I am settling for 4-8 pages. It was a long time ago I was able to write 20 pages a day. Sigh...
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Please Welcome Karen Muller Bryson Author of One Last Class and Twyla's Last Trip
It is a pleasure to host One Last Class and Twyla's Last Trip on the Rogues Angels blog. Please leave a comment. I am sure Karen would love to hear from you.
PRIZE INFORMATION
Karen will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenters during the tour and to the host whose post has the most comments (excluding Karen's and the hosts).
“One Last Class” and
“Twyla’s Last Trip”
By Karen Mueller Bryson
Excerpt from “Twyla’s
Last Trip:
Lucinda
peered intently into her microscope until Bunny's voice blared from the
intercom—again. “I'm sorry to bother you, Lucinda, but Mr. Yates is on the
phone. He says he won't hang up until he speaks with you personally.”
Lucinda
took a deep breath, stood and exited the lab. She marched over to the reception
desk and ripped the phone from Bunny's grasp.
“Lucinda
Starr,” she growled into the phone. “How may I help you?”
Thirty-year
old T.J. Yates, the epitome of all things country, spoke to Lucinda from his
cell phone. “Miss Starr,” he said. “I know we've never met but I've been your
mom's attorney now for nearly a decade.”
“Will
you please get to the point?” Lucinda interrupted. “I'm in the middle of an
extremely important experiment.”
“I
hate to be the bearer of bad news but your mom has passed away.”
Lucinda
flinched slightly but then it was back to business. “And what does this have to
do with me?” she asked.
“Well,
Miss Starr, you are the sole beneficiary of your mom's estate.”
“Estate?”
Lucinda snorted. “My mother was a cat lady, who lived in a trailer.”
“Miss
Starr,” T.J. continued. “I don't think you understand.”
Before
T.J. could finish, Lucinda slammed the phone into the receiver and hurried
away.
T.J.
looked at his cell phone dumbfounded. People never hung up on him, especially
women.
Dakota,
his two-year old bloodhound, glanced up from her doggie pillow and gave her
head a tilt.
“I
think this requires a little trip up to Chicago,” T.J. said.
Dakota
just yawned and plopped her head back down on her bed.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Karen
Mueller Bryson is an award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright and
published novelist. She has been writing since she learned to read and fell in
love with books! Karen is the creator of Short on Time Books, a series of
fast-paced and fun novels for readers on the go. When she’s not at her computer
creating new stories, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and their
bloodhounds.
Interview
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
My mother taught me to read when I was four and I immediately wanted to “write” a book! My mom helped me “write” my first novel, which was titled, My Family. That was forty years ago and I’m still writing! My love of books and creating stories has never waned.
2. How did you come up with your idea for Twyla's Last Trip and One Last class?
When one of my best friends died of cancer two years ago, her husband and daughter took her ashes on a road trip along Route 66. The trip was something my friend wanted to do but she never got the chance before she passed away. I decided to use Route 66 road-trip concept to create, Twyla’s Last Trip, about a young woman, Lucinda Starr, who must take her estranged mother’s ashes on a road trip along Route 66, to fulfill the terms of her mother’s will. I decided to make the story a romantic comedy by adding a male lead, her mother’s lawyer, who must go on the trip with Lucinda. And I added a bloodhound on the trip for comedic effect (which works well because Lucinda does not like pets).
I love reading those “What ever happened to…” stories about teen celebrities, who are no longer in the public eye. It’s interesting to see how their lives change after their celebrity fades. Over the last few years, I’ve read about several celebrities, who returned to school to complete their college degrees, so I thought it would be interesting if a “washed-up” teen idol, Zak Spencer, who was no longer relevant in Hollywood, and couldn’t get an acting job, decided to go back to his hometown and return to college to complete the degree he never finished. I wanted to complicate his life, and also add romance, so I decided to have him fall in love with the young professor, who teaches the one last class he needs to graduate.
3 & 4. What expertise did you bring to your writing? What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
Working as a counselor and as a university psychology professor, has provide me the opportunity to interact with so many different types of people over the years, and I have learned a lot about motivation, desire and human nature. I hope these experiences have made me a better writer. I get a lot of complements on my dialogue. People often say my dialogue is realistic. I attribute that, in part, to my counseling skills and my ability to really listen to what people say. I think the study of psychology can be a great enhancement for writers. Someday, I may even develop a course called, Psychology for Writers.
5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
My next Short on Time Books release is a young adult romantic comedy called Retro Geeks, which is about two 80s obsessed BFFs, who decide to prove to their classmates that they are not complete losers by getting super-hot dates to senior prom.
I have also been hired to write Hell on Wheels: The Incredible Story of Rookie Roller Queen Cindy McCoy, which is a biography of the sports legend.
I am also working on the release of a graphic novel version of my tween time-travel adventure, The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Puggie Liddell.
6. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I work full time as a university professor and I spend nearly all of my free time writing and marketing my work. Unfortunately, it leaves very little time for engaging in critique groups. I have been involved in critique groups in the past and I found some of them more helpful than others. The best feedback I’ve gotten is from writers with whom I have exchanged critiques individually.
7. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
Oddly, I never had the idea that submitting my work as anything more than a natural step in the writing process, so I never conceptualized it as a “big step.” My first submission was to a kid’s magazine when I was in 5th grade. Looking back, I’m sure the publishers thought it was funny to receive a handwritten query from an 11-year old! I received my first (extremely encouraging) rejection letter before I hit puberty.
8. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I am the founder of Short on Time Books, which are all fast-paced and fun novels based on screenplays. My processes is to write a brief screenplay outline, develop the idea into a screenplay then novelize the screenplay. I believe this process makes story development easier. Additionally, I think working back and forth between the novel and the screenplay makes both products stronger. I also benefit from having two products (a novel and a screenplay) to sell for each story I develop.
9. How do you maintain your creativity?
I have the opposite problem. I have too many stories to tell and not enough time to write all of them! Lack of creativity has never been an issue for me. Stories are always rolling around in my head, day and night. Of course, insomnia tends to be a problem!
10. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
My favorite character in One Last Class is Chay Robinson, the lead character’s best friend. Chay was also a teen idol and starred opposite Zak Spencer on their hit series, The Malibu Boys. Chay is the fun-loving best friend, who never grew up. Even though he’s now in his early 30s, Chay is still very child-like and he always tries to get Zak into trouble by luring him back into the party-life of their heyday.
11. Anything else you might want to add?
Thank you so much for this interview! I greatly appreciate it!
Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIZE INFORMATION
Karen will be
giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenters during the tour
and to the host whose post has the most comments (excluding Karen's and the
hosts).
Monday, April 2, 2012
Please Welcome Jennifer Shirk author of Sunny Days for Sam
Rogues Angels are pleased to host Sunny Days for Sam by author Jennifer Shirk author of Sunny Days for Sam. We hope all of you who browse enjoy the interview, blurb, and excerpt. Please leave a comment.
PRIZE INFORMATION
Jennifer will be giving away a print copy of "Sunny Days for Sam" (US/Canada only -- an eBook copy of "Role of a Lifetime" will be substituted as prizes for any international winners) to two randomly drawn commenters, and a $10 Visa GC for the blog host with most comments (excluding the author's and the host's).
Sunny Days for Sam
by Jennifer Shirk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!
Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.
Sunny manages to work her way into Sam’s closed-off heart, but at the end of the summer, will the workaholic dad go back to his life in New York City, or will he decide his days are much sunnier here with Sunny?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Kim kicked her under the table, signaling her to say something about the nanny position before he disappeared.
“Ow!” Sunny scowled at Kim. Rubbing her shin, she turned to Sam. “Uh, look, I was wondering since I need a job now, and you’re, well…”
A dawning of realization sparked in Sam’s eyes, and his expression grew several degrees colder. “Ah, I see what this is all about. Now I know why you were so eager to help me. I’m sorry but my company isn’t hiring at the moment. Of course, you’re welcome to send in your resume for us to have on file.”
Resume? Company? She didn’t even know he had a company to send a resume to. “Um, no, actually, I was more interested in the, uh, nanny position.”
Sam blinked, then threw his head back and laughed. “You want me to hire you as a nanny?”
Emma stopped blowing bubbles in her milk and looked up with wide excited eyes. “Sunny’s going to be our new nanny?”
“Oh, cool!” Cole exclaimed. “You’re not mean like Natasha was and you’re not old like that Mrs. Ferguson. Mrs. Ferguson was always putting things where they didn’t belong and she couldn’t see so good.”
Sam gave him a stern look. “Hey, that’s not nice to say, Cole.”
“Sorry. But if she was a knight, she would be Mrs. Forgets-a-lot.”
Sunny banked down a bubble of laughter.
“Well, it doesn’t matter how Mrs. Ferguson was, because Sunny is not going to be your new nanny,” Sam firmly told them.
Any lingering laughter Sunny might have had died on the spot. “Oh, but I do have references!” she cried. “I’ve done a little babysitting on the side for years. I can be at your house at whatever time you want, except Friday and Saturday nights. And… and… I—I can even cook. Sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” he asked.
She shrugged guiltily. “Well, it’s usually hit-or-miss with me. I do make very good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and last year at the County Fall Festival I took first place for my double chocolate chip brownies.”
Sam let out an audible sigh. If Sunny was a betting woman, she’d wager he didn’t seem too impressed with those credentials. “Look, Miss, I prefer using an agency and going through all the proper channels. No offense. And I need someone willing to put in at least fifty hours a week.”
Sunny almost pinched herself when she heard fifty hours a week. That would pull in a lot of money. She obviously wasn’t doing a great job selling herself, though. Sam was already back to calling her Miss instead of Sunny. She needed this job. But what else could she say? She finally looked to Kim for help.
Kim took the cue and stood, taking Sam by the arm and leading him out of earshot of the children. “Well, just so you know,” she said in a hushed tone, “this is a small town. There’s no agency here, and from what your children said, I’m not so sure you’ve had the greatest luck with that. So you should at least consider Sunny. It’s really simple when you think about it. You need a nanny and she needs a job. Anyone in town will vouch for her. Heck, if you’d use your eyes, you can see for yourself that she’s great with kids.”
Sam rolled his eyes then his gaze fell to his children. Emma had already climbed up onto Sunny’s lap, running her little fingers through her straight blond hair. Cole had his hands in prayer position next to her. Sunny said a silent prayer, too. If Sam didn’t fall for this kind of corny Norman Rockwell pose, then she had no absolutely chance in securing the position. She held her breath and waited.
Sam walked back toward them with a resigned look. His cell phone went off again, but he ignored it this time. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he finally muttered, “Fine.”
“Yay!” the kids shouted, giggling and dancing around the table.
The breath Sunny had been holding rushed out of her lungs. She almost thought she’d misheard him. “You mean it? You’ll really hire me?”
“Yeah, but let’s not get carried away. It’ll just be temporary. Let’s see how the week goes first.”
Sunny high-fived Kim then jumped out of her chair. She was so happy, she almost threw her arms around Sam and kissed him. Fortunately, Sam’s disapproving scowl kept her firmly rooted to the two foot distance between them. He didn’t have much confidence in her, but that was okay. She had more than enough for both of them.
“Oh, you won’t be sorry,” she assured him. “I’ll be the best nanny slash brownie maker slash ex-princess you’ve ever had. I guarantee, after this week, you’ll be so pleased, you won’t ever want to let me go.”
Sam folded his arms and smirked. “Yeah well, we’ll see about that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
She writes sweet romantic comedies and won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her book, The Role of a Lifetime.
She's also a board member for Straight Ahead Ministries, an organization involved in helping spread the gospel and aiding medical and pharmacy students in Russia. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she's not involved in all the above, she's taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and four hermit crabs.
Website: http://www.jennifershirk.com
Blog: http://www.jennifershirk.blogspot.com
Learn More About Jennifer:
What or who inspired you to start writing?
I didn’t actually start writing until I had my first baby. I would read a lot during her naptime, and then I found myself mentally rewriting stories to the way I wanted. So I decided to put my pen where my head was and sit down and try my hand at writing my own. Luckily, there is an enormous amount of helpful information through the Internet. Then three years and two bad manuscripts later, I was offered a contract.
What elements are necessary components of a sweet contemporary romance novel?
Two likeable, family-oriented main characters, first off. Then when you put them together there has to be enough sexual tension to sustain the romance while keeping the bedroom door firmly closed.
How did you come up with your idea for Sunny Days for Sam?
We were in Disney World on a family trip and when I looked at those women dressed up as Disney Princesses, I immediately had the idea to give my heroine a similar kind of job. Once she I figured out why she was there, the story kind of unfolded from there. ☺
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I’m a P90x fitness fanatic and also a vegetarian. I’m also a pretty good cook.
If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
Oats, Sunny’s dog. Sunny totally caters to her so that dog really has quite a life. LOL!
Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?
Sure! Here’s the back cover blurb for you:
Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!
Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.
Sunny manages to work her way into Sam’s closed-off heart, but at the end of the summer, will the workaholic dad go back to his life in New York City, or will he decide his days are much sunnier here with Sunny?
Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I do belong to a critique group! They’re located here: http://www.passionatecritters.org/
They are an awesome group of women. If it hadn’t been for them urging me to finish this book, I don’t think it would have been written.
When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
I submitted my first manuscript back in 2006. I didn’t have a critique group yet, but had wonderful encouragement from my husband.
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I’m outliner. Usually I begin with characters and names then give them each a GOAL, MOTIVATION, CONFLICT and then decide how those things will change by the end of the story. I always like to start out with a plan even though it might change as I start writing.
Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
My hero, Sam. He’s the first “brooding” guy I’ve ever written. I had to tone him down a lot in the first draft, but overall I really like he came out--sad, tender, yet he has some subtle humorous moments as well.
This is a scene where Sunny shows up for work on her first day…with her dog. I like how Sam plays the straight man against Sunny’s quirky character.
The doorbell rang, breaking him from his thoughts and he rushed over to answer it. When he swung open the door and saw her standing there with a golden retriever at her feet, he should have been surprised. But somehow he wasn’t. Before Sam had hired Sunny, he already had an odd sense there wasn’t anything predictable or mundane about this woman.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said in greeting to Sunny. “Who in their right mind brings their dog to work without clearing it with the employer?” He looked down at her large canine sidekick again and folded his arms, blocking their entrance. There was no way he wanted that dog with the kind of tail that looked as though it could take out a small city coming into his home and knocking over any of his computer equipment.
“I can explain,” she said quickly.
“Oh, naturally,” he said, leaning against the door frame. “By all means, please do.”
Sunny bit her lip, tucking little blonde pieces of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ears. “Well, uh, under normal circumstances I would never even think about bringing my dog to any job I had—assuming I still have a job after this—but I didn’t want to be late, so I had to make a split-second decision. Oats was acting funny this morning, and I didn’t want to take a chance that she could be sick.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Oh, great, so you brought a sick dog here?”
“Well”—she visibly swallowed hard and he fought the urge to smile at the cute little lines of worry etched between her eyebrows—“um, yeah. If it makes you feel better, I think Oatsie here is already on the mend,” she said, giving the dog a few quick pats on its head.
The dog gave a large woof and jumped up, placing her two big front paws on Sam’s chest. Sam examined Oats through narrowed eyes. The dog didn’t look sick to him—but it could sure use a breath mint and maybe a bath.
Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?
DEMONS. You think plotting would get easier with each book, but it doesn’t.
Thanks so much for hosting me today!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIZE INFORMATION
Jennifer will be giving away a print copy of "Sunny Days for Sam" (US/Canada only -- an eBook copy of "Role of a Lifetime" will be substituted as prizes for any international winners) to two randomly drawn commenters, and a $10 Visa GC for the blog host with most comments (excluding the author's and the host's).
The angels loved having you here and hope you sell lots of books. Please feel free to stop by any time and see what we have on our blog.
To all those lurkers out there, you really should leave a comment. Authors love that--comments.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Easter Trivia: One Week Until the Easter Bunny Comes
The History of Easter Eggs
The egg has represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism.
Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-Spring festivals. The Romans,Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians all cherished the egg as a symbol of the universe. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.
In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.
With the advent of Chrisianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.
Old Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.A Polish legend tells of Mary Magdalen going to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She carried a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs the shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.
Decorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the middle ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pence for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.
The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.
The first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown. This special egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son,continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.
Today eggs are decorated it with superb artistry. Some use flowers and leaves from greeting cards, tiny cherubs, jewels and elegant fabrics, braids and trims, to adorn the eggs. They are separated, delicately hinged and glued with epoxy and transparent cement, then when completed, they are covered with a glossy resin finish. Children color with wax crayons then dip the egg in a dye to create colorful easter eggs. Some artists have hand printed poems that scroll out from the decorated egg. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists and children delight in the old world tradition of adorning and coloring eggs.
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