Our Lady of the Roses - Guest Post by Janice Lane Palko

By -

Today, I welcome Janice Lane Palko, who will tell us all about her new book, Our Lady of the Roses. Janice, I turn over the website to you.

How a Short Story Becomes a Novel

Many writers look upon their books as their babies. If so, then my latest novel, Our Lady of the Roses, was an unintended pregnancy. I didn’t set out to write this book, but as the late painter, Bob Ross, used to say, I’ve come to regard it as a “happy accident.” One of the marketing tips the experts advise authors to employ is to offer a free short story to readers to introduce them to the author’s writing style and entice them to purchase their other books. I’ve written many different things—articles, press releases, speeches, novels–but for some reason the short story eludes me. My short story always explodes into a novel. I don’t know why, but my main character soon acquires a best friend, backstory and complex story arc.
Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when Janetta, who appeared as a secondary character in my first romantic comedy, St. Anne’s Day, took over the pages to tell me her tale, but what did surprise me was the unexpected muse who wormed his way into the book, unbeckoned.

How Saint Joseph Becomes a Muse for Our Lady of the Roses

Janetta is a bit of a train wreck. She accompanies Bob White, a salon client, as a paid translator, on a pilgrimage with him to the four major basilicas in the Eternal City. After they argue, she takes some time away from him to revisit the home, in Rome, where her late grandmother once resided. There, she discovers that her grandmother’s home has been converted into the San Giuseppe Negozio, the St. Joseph Gift Shop, affiliated with the nearby church of the same name.
While writing that chapter, I thought the owner of the store should give her a souvenir of her visit. When I researched St. Joseph religious paraphernalia to find the appropriate gift, I came across the Sleeping St. Joseph statue. Now, I’m approaching my sixth decade as a Catholic, with 12 years of Catholic education in my background, and I’d never seen the Sleeping St. Joseph statue. After writing the statue into the book and ordering a small replica of it for myself, St. Joseph sort of commandeered the story, sending me ideas and thoughts to insert into the book.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more