& Moira Bianchi

domingo, 5 de junho de 2016

Preconceito, orgulho e CAFÉ - Capítulo 1

olá,
dia chuvoso e feliz hoje... Aniversário do meu filho e 
 Yay!


DISPONÍVEL EBOOK E BROCHURA

Essa estória é muito querida, escrevi com muita facilidade, muito prazer. É leve e divertida, intensa e corrida... Começa em Janeiro e quando chega Dezembro- Oops, quase soltei spoilers. Sorry! 
Mas é viciante e reconfortante como café quentinho...

Como já deve ter visto na página do livro, as personagens foram rebatizados como Maria Antonia e Luís Maurício. Todos os outros também... 

Quer ver como ficou?
Só um cafezinho?
Lá vai...


Preconceito, Orgulho & CAFÉ

Livremente inspirado em O&P, fluff, comédia romântica, 18+
Capítulo 1 
na íntegra

‘Nossa, acho que torci o tornozelo...’ Maria Antonia Marisguia fez cara de quem poderia chorar a qualquer minuto.

‘Na obra do café da Gisele?’ A irmã mais velha respondeu com solidariedade incondicional instantânea.

‘Saindo do prédio.’ Maria Antonia sentou na cadeira em frente à mesa de Maria Luiza, tirou o sapato, e girou o pé em um círculo grande. ‘Tinha uns idiotas levando caixas para cima e deixaram vários rolos no piso, na saída do elevador de carga. Estava distraída com o telefone e tropecei.’ Fez careta sentindo as juntas dos tornozelos estalarem.

---

‘Cara, acabei de salvar uma gata. Mereço o título de Cidadão Carioca!’ Dr. Henrique Fialho abriu um sorriso preguiçoso nos lábios quase escondidos pela barba de lenhador que penteava com os dedos.

‘Merece o uniforme de bombeiro.’ Dr. Luís Maurício Noronha resmungou da sua mesa.

Testa franzida, rosto inclinado para o lado, Henrique olhou para o sócio sem entender. ‘Não!’ Riu. ‘Uma mulher bonita, não um felino fêmea.’

---

‘Um gravatinha me segurou.’ Maria Antonia revirou os olhos. ‘Teria sido melhor cair sobre os tapetes.’

A irmã mais velha deu a volta na mesa e sentou na outra cadeira de interlocutor da sua sala para massagear o tornozelo da mais nova. ‘E mais vergonhoso.’

‘Totalmente!’ Sorriu com ironia. ‘Mas não teria torcido o tornozelo.’ Suspirou triste.

‘De novo.’

‘De novo.’

---

a sua mesa o terceiro sócio, Dr. Danilo Bicudo, sacudiu a cabeça mantendo os olhos no computador. ‘Se você só foi visitar a obra do escritório novo, como pode ter tido a chance de salvar alguém?’

‘Denise sempre precisa de ajuda.’ Maurício levantou as sobrancelhas.

‘Mas é a sua que minha irmã quer.’ Danilo apontou para o amigo desde a faculdade.

‘Não necessariamente. Qualquer um que não considere desperdício bancar seus devaneios, serve.’ Maurício disse sem interesse. ‘Pode ir fundo, Henrique, não vai abalar nossa sociedade.’

‘E nossa amizade?’ Danilo prendeu os lábios para os amigos discutindo sua irmã como se ele não estivesse presente.

Maurício bufou impaciente. Dividir espaço com os amigos tinha sido prático e econômico quando começaram, mas já iam bem o suficiente para que tivessem privacidade. No escritório novo cada sócio teria sua própria sala e espaço para respirar; ele próprio perdia a esportiva com facilidade ultimamente. ‘Ainda não achei uma mulher para me colocar no cabresto, muito menos acabar com minhas amizades.’

‘Bicho, não viu a gata que salvei!’ Henrique cortou a potencial discussão sobre a irmã decoradora de um sócio que esticou um caso frio com o outro sócio por meses.

‘Não foi a Deny?’ Danilo insistiu.

‘Não!...’ Henrique sacudiu a cabeça com veemência. ‘Bicho, que gostosa!’

---

‘O que houve?’ A irmã caçula, Maria Catarina - Kat, entrou na sala com vários documentos que despejou na mesa da irmã mais velha sem cerimônia e entregou duas pastas finas para outra.

‘Um caramelo macchiato quis bancar o herói e me ajudou a torcer o tornozelo...’ Maria Antonia, Toni, resmungou contrariada e se contorceu de dor com a massagem de Maria Luiza, Luli.

‘Fígado gourmet?’ Catarina debochou da rabugice da irmã em rotular as pessoas pelas preferências gastronômicas.

Bufou petulante. ‘Totalmente cara de quem tem nojinho de bife de fígado... Aposto.’

Riram como sempre achando graça da escala inventada, mas na verdade morriam de nojo de fígado bovino cru, ou órgãos de qualquer animal. Seu querido avô tinha insistido para que se acostumassem a comer bife de fígado dizendo que era ‘bom para o sangue’ e aprenderam a gostar por causa do seu amor pelo pai de sua mãe.

‘Aquele prédio vai ser campo minado. Pencas de gravatinhas e modeletes de Fórum...’ Antonia torceu os lábios em desgosto.

---

‘A gostosa saiu do elevador apressada olhando para o celular e não viu os caras levando nossos móveis para cima.’ Henrique irradiou sua aventura. ‘A portaria está uma bagunça, várias mudanças na verdade, tinha um monte de caixas e ela saiu rápido do elevador de cargas, virou de lado para desviar e não viu os rolos de tapete no chão. Salto alto, vestido alinhado... Bicho, mulherão! Pinta de advogata, mas nunca a vi no Fórum... Ia me lembrar se tivesse visto...’ Ele sorriu para si. ‘Vou me lembrar agora! Ela tropeçou e ia cair se o super-homem aqui não tivesse a segurado pela cintura. Cabelo castanho com aqueles tons todos diferentes, corpo bonito, vestido coladinho azul de bolinhas brancas, salto. Ó-’ Sacudiu a cabeça forçando o lábio inferior para frente. ‘Gostosa.’

‘Babaca.’ Danilo sacudiu a cabeça mais uma vez. ‘Aproveitou para passar a mão na mulher...’

‘Temo pela reputação do nosso escritório... ’ Maurício resmungou.

‘Não está em risco. Fui extremamente cavalheiro e ela muito educadamente me agradeceu pela ajuda com um deslumbrante sorriso dos lábios brilhosos. ’ Henrique bateu continência e os dois sócios reviraram os olhos.

‘Trocaram telefone?’ Um sócio investigou.

‘Não...’ O sócio herói fez cara de tristeza.

‘Viu? Babaca.’ Outro sócio decretou.

---

Antonia suspirou se deixando afundar na cadeira estofada. ‘Pago cinquenta reais para uma de vocês dar apoio a Gisele.’

‘É o seu trabalho.’ Luiza sacudiu a cabeça.

‘E cinquenta nem dá para a manicure da semana.’ Catarina fez bico.

‘Pago manicure do mês.’ Antonia tentou novamente.

‘Por atendimento ao cliente de café novo, de donos inexperientes?’ Foi a vez de Catarina bufar. ‘Vai levar meses!’

‘Lucas, o barista, é muito aplicado...’ Argumentou. ‘Luli...’ Tentou fazer charminho, mas a irmã mais velha sacudiu a cabeça novamente prendendo um sorriso.

---

‘Ano novo, vida nova e nosso novo escritório vai bombar! O prédio está show de bola, alta classe, escolhemos bem quando decidimos juntar quase todas as nossas economias e comprar a sala lá.’ Completou orgulhoso, o sorriso esticando a barba pesada.

‘Nosso orçamento já bombou. ’ Danilo resmungou. ‘Denise perdeu a linha. ’

‘Precisamos subir de nível, é investimento.’ Maurício tinha em mente o projeto aprovado e os novos clientes que atrairiam estando em um ponto nobre do Centro do Rio de Janeiro, mais próximos do Palácio da Justiça onde os tradicionais e renomados escritórios de advocacia gravitavam. Quanto mais perto do Fórum, mais importantes eram os advogados. ‘Como vai a obra, no prazo? Precisamos entregar essas salas aqui, os estagiários já estão preparando a mudança dos arquivos.’

‘Tudo certo! A placa já foi instalada, ficou ótima.’ Henrique tirou o celular do bolso do paletó do terno para carregar as fotos que tinha tirado.

---

 ‘Se eu estiver certa, vai ser uma tortura... Pelo menos revezem comigo.’ Implorou. ‘Devemos à Gisele, nós todas.’ Antonia lembrou às irmãs levantando uma sobrancelha.

‘Bobeira!’ A mãe entrou na sala falando alto. ‘Ninguém forçou Gisele a casar com o filho imbecil do meu primo idiota. Se ficaram tão mexidas, o irmão dele ainda está solteiro!’ Maria Bernadete Marisguia piscou exageradamente para as filhas que reviraram os olhos.

‘Vanilla duplo caramelo de bosta!’ Antonia grunhiu quando Luiza liberou seu tornozelo. ‘Vai ter um monte lá...’

‘Vou ter que te mandar para Itália de novo para aprender o valor de uma bebida de café?’ Bernadete ameaçou a filha do meio.

‘Prefiro o campo minado de gravatinhas.’ Antonia arregalou os olhos. ‘Por favor, outro curso de barista, não!’

‘Volta para os perfumes.’ Luiza convidou com saudades de trabalhar em parceria com a irmã.

A mãe gesticulou impaciente. ‘Ela é ótima no café!’

‘Ela é esnobe e odeia qualquer café que não seja shot de espresso.’ Catarina argumentou.

Suspirou profundamente. ‘Péssima ideia ter vocês como minhas gerentes...’

‘Mãe!’ As três filhas reclamaram.

‘Eu sou ótimo gerente! Manda elas embora e eu cuido de tudo!’ Frederico Levi gritou da sala dele.

Bernadete sacudiu a cabeça.

---

Os três advogados jovens por volta dos trinta e poucos anos, atléticos, solteiros, competentes e no momento com as finanças prejudicadas devido ao estabelecimento de um escritório novo em um prédio recém-reformado no coração do Centro Financeiro do Rio de Janeiro, se juntaram para admirar seus esforços refletidos na tinta prata impressa em vidro temperado verde:


Bicudo, Fialho & Noronha
Advogados associados

---

A alguns quarteirões de distância, exatamente em frente ao Palácio da Justiça, de seu grande escritório de importação de produtos de luxo, Bernadete apontou para o pé da filha do meio ainda fora dos scarpins de couro envernizado, bico e saltos finos.

‘Tropecei. Esse salto é muito alto.’

‘Seu pai vive te comprando essas roupinhas de advogatinha sem gosto e com vergonha do corpo. Não sei por que você aceita usar.’ Levantou o nariz petulantemente e bufou contrariada.

‘Esse salto é tipo fuck me, mãe.’ Catarina argumentou e calçou o sapato da irmã gesticulando os dedos impacientemente para que o outro pé também fosse liberado e passeou pelo escritório. ‘É lindo! Pena que Toni é trinta e sete e eu sou quase trinta e oito...’

‘Velho babão gosta de ver pernas femininas em saltos altos, mas tem medo de ver peitos e não segurar as calças.’ Bernadete sacudiu a cabeça resmungando.

‘Ai meu Deus.’ Luiza suspirou.

‘Já viu como as patetas se vestem para ir ao Fórum?’ A mãe insistiu.

‘Tem mulher bonita lá!’ Antonia esticou as duas pernas e flexionou os pés para frente e para trás. ‘Em pencas!’

‘E vestidas de velhas!’ A mãe, tão bem arrumada quanto as filhas, insistiu.

‘Verdade.’

‘Hoje você vai para casa, moça. E amanhã vai estar vestida com mais bom gosto.’ Decretou com autoridade materna. ‘Vão todas jantar em casa.’

‘Tenho aula de circo.’ Antonia disse e teve o desprazer de ver sua mãe e irmãs revirando os olhos.

‘Chego depois da aula de mandarim.’ Catarina informou. ‘Nove.’

‘Passo em casa e vou.’ Luiza sorriu.

‘Nove.’ Bernadete marcou hora feliz com a rara possibilidade de jantar em casa com as três filhas adultas. Maria Luiza nunca voltou para casa depois do divórcio e ainda morava em Ipanema sozinha no desértico apartamento de quatro quartos. Maria Antonia sempre se dividia entre a casa do pai e da mãe – muito para dor no coração de Bernadete que só acalmou quando Antonio Froes, seu ex-namorado, comprou a cobertura ao lado da sua no prédio onde morou desde menina. Maria Catarina era a única a morar com ela ainda, mas adulta e cheia de afazeres, mal passava tempo em casa.

‘Vou mandar fazer torta de caranguejo.’

‘Muito bom.’

‘Vinho branco?’

‘Delícia!’

A mãe balançou a cabeça confiante. ‘Dormimos todas em casa hoje.’

Antonia já sabia que acabaria a noite atravessada nos pés na cama grande enquanto a mãe e as irmãs dormiam lado a lado. No meio da noite acordaria quebrada e se arrastaria para sua própria cama. ‘Bom, vou trabalhar.’ Se levantou com cuidado, testando o tornozelo.

‘Trabalhar dá trabalho!’ Bernadete levantou o dedo pequeno com unha grande pintada de vermelho. ‘Meu pai dizia isso sempre.’

Antonia caminhou descalça para sua sala pensando em tudo que ainda tinha que fazer e lembrou que havia esquecido a roupa de ginástica no estúdio da casa da mãe. Poderia pedir para o motorista do pai trazer se estivesse no estúdio da casa dele, mas... Reynaldo, o mordomo do pai não entrava na casa da mãe nem se dava bem com Hilda, empregada de Bernadete desde que Luiza nasceu. Suspirou pensando que ainda se enrolava com a eterna divisão entre as casas da mãe e do pai, mesmo depois de passar a vida toda na roda viva que só aliviou quando os dois concordaram em deixa-la ocupar os escritórios dando à filha de quem dividiam o afeto a chance de morar sozinha na casa de um ou do outro.

As coberturas eram apartamentos grandes de quatro quartos, três salas e um escritório com acesso independente. Após muita discussão, Antonia conseguiu montar apartamentos de solteira tanto no escritório da casa do pai que dava para o hall social da casa da mãe quanto vice-versa. Apesar de ter duas camas, dois armários, dois banheiros, duas escovas de dente, dois shampoos, e dois de tudo mais; seus pais ficavam mais conformados quando ela optava por um dos estúdios já que o cômodo autônomo era praticamente separado do apartamento de quatrocentos metros quadrados. Com a economia de chantagem emocional dos pais, sua vida era mais tranquila.

Ia ter que parar na sua loja de artigos de ginástica favorita na rua da Quitanda antes de pegar seu carro e ir para as aulas de fitas suspensas e parkour. Talvez o shopping na rua Sete de Setembro. ‘Kat?’ Gritou da sua sala.

‘Quê?’

‘Vamos no shopping depois das cinco?’

‘Sim!’

‘Também vou com vocês!’

‘Isso aqui não é feira livre! Vão trabalhar!’ Bernadete gritou ainda mais alto que as filhas.

Ainda bem que a suíte de escritórios das Marisguia era separada do restante da empresa de importação de artigos de luxo ou os quase cem funcionários teriam participado da discussão em gritos entre as irmãs e a mãe proprietária.


bestanimarions/beverages/coffee

Que tal? 
Promissor?



terça-feira, 3 de maio de 2016

50c on a dollar

Hello,
Here I am again bitching about Mad men. Oh, well... it's closure, I suppose.

We've finished binge-watching all the 7 seasons and here are my views on the series.
It was a waste. 
Yeah, Draper. I was disheartened as well.

Such cool atmosphere, the rich Americans in the 60's! Right in the beginning, first or second season, Don says to Betty he's bringing his boss for dinner, she complains about not having enough food and he asks what's the use of the new freezer he had given her. A freezer to stock food in the 60's! You know when my mom got a freezer? When I was old enough to remember! Probably early 80's! How cool to see how US middle class life was, so advanced compared to Brazilian middle class!... I was raised in a small town, but my hubs was a kid in Rio and he said things were different here too.

The wardrobe was spectacular! I remember a dear aunt wearing those short, short, short dresses Megan wore... And Sally's boots with high white socks! I had those! My dad had that big mustache... 

The sets, specially the Draper apartment, WOW! Roger's white office - a Saarinen, a Corbu lounge chair... I loved it.

But when it comes to the characters... Meh!
I kept telling my hubs that if we stopped to devour House of Cards' 4th season, I'd never return to Draper. I mean, how can weak Don compete with bad-ass Claire?
As I said in my first Mad men post, I do like my heroes (and anti-heroes) tall, dark and handsome. I do, I'm a Darcy girl. But Draper... what a weak character. I don't mean a man's character (if he is a scoundrel or a family man or a cheater), I mean as a fictional character. He doesn't make sense, he's watered. The whole show seems watered to me.
Take his second married, f.e. Who was the Megan character? Before she accepted baby-sitting for him in California, she was no one. We didn't know she had a family name - we only knew her mom didn't use soap to wash her face and was French - we never knew she was an actress, had friends - including black and gay, a major issue in the show - or that she didn't like to be taken for granted. Wasn't she taken for granted when she accepted to be Don's girlfriend after spending three nights in his bed (one in his office and one in a hotel: bam! He says he needs to know if he'll be able to come back... really?)?
So, the beautiful girl with awkward teeth accepts the ring of a dead woman he cared about, the guy was grieving, blah, blah, blah and: the major character has a wife. Who is she? Have you heard from her? Has he thought about her? Has he known who she was two episodes ago? No, neither did we. 
Therefore, Megan had to be created from scratch. I never got to like the character, for me she was all wrong. And then, suddenly, she had to go. Guess? She was deconstructed in a single episode! Oh, please...


Good riddance, blue eyeshadows...
'Why am I being punished for being young?
An aging, selfish, sloppy liar.'
Draper presses his lips in contempt at her words in their divorce settlement. I did too.

And what about the black secretaries? Couldn't they be really good copy writers? Or a black client bringing them big money? 
What about a gay client? Where is Salvatore? Why did he had to leave and only when the lights went off we got to see a gay woman kicking ass? 
There was the gay-good-guy who never had a voice, was vicious to Pete and sweet to Joan. Then what? He vanished.
There was the gay-weird-friend of Peggy's who never made an opened pass and suddenly, there wasn't.
There was Don's secretary who was upped to controller and suddenly, vanished.
*sigh*

The best character's arc for me was Joan. She was my favorite character since the beginning because she fools us. You see boobs and hips, she forces strength down our throats.
There was the marriage to a pig, a bastard child, a mother (that no one knew she had until she appeared out of thin air), the ever suspicious friendship with Peggy (who wouldn't? Peggy is a weirdly developed character), keeping the rich guy on the back-burner, and more importantly, the struggle to keep afloat. From a super secretary to administrative chief to controller to partner to accounts manager to her own company. I'd love to watch a Joan spin off, to see how her producer career developed. Maybe on Fanfiction.net there are a few good reads on that, I should check.

This dialog sums up what I mean:
You go, girl!


Joan:
'I'd be happy to take my half-a-million and be on my way.
Big shot:
'I'm willing to give you 50c on a dollar to never see your face again.'
Joan:
'I guess I wasn't clear, I'm not negotiating.'

The whole McMann&Tate, oops, McCan&Ericson thing was a bore. Everyone was lost and actually, Draper ending up on a weird people's weird camp for weirdly dealing with weird emotions made total sense to me. A show with great potential that was totally wasted...

So, for me, in what it concerns 'Mad' (men), I'm all for Mad about you.

Let's hold each other's hand, as we jump into the final frontier...

terça-feira, 19 de abril de 2016

Q&A at Leslie Diamond

Hello, how lovely can it be to be invited to a Q&A to launch The Prince of Pemberley?


I loved it!

There were questions from many interesting JAFF people, some authors of great novels such as Compromised, Love never fails, What would Lizzy Bennet do? and The Earl's conquest. Amazing, right?

Is Jane Austen popular in Brazil?
Yes, incredibly. We have Facebook groups of 10k fans, our ‘Jane Austen Society of Brazil’ is pretty big too. I have to say the 2005 movie has opened Austen’s domain to lots of people – and that’s the beauty of adaptations, right?

How did you get introduced to this Jane Austen world and how old where you?
Late 20s, I guess. I have a dear friend who challenged me to read ‘the classics’ – her favorite classics – and gave me Tolkien, Balzac, Austen. But it was S&S and the first pages killed me. I wanted to jump in the book and punch John Dashwood in the face! Then shake Elinor’s shoulders! As I complained, my friend grimaced and said: ‘Honey, you need Elizabeth Bennet.’ Here I am, a P&P junkie!

Which is your favorite Jane Austen novel and why?
P&P. Always.
But I have to say Lady Susan gnaws on my heart, she’s my guilty pleasure. ;)

Who is your favorite Austen hero and why?
Darcy! Always! *grin*
I like a bunch of other great Austen men but Darcy for me is perfect because he is so flawed. He offends the woman he adores when he’s trying to compliment her, his clumsy flirting is adorable, his efforts to make things right are to swoon for… Darcy, definitely.

Who is your favorite Austen heroine and why?
Elizabeth Bennet, without a question.
I find it very hard to digest women being tramped upon. Of course, we’ve come a long and hard way from the social situation in Austen novels, women whole in Regency England’s society was a lot different, but still Elinor Dashwood’s or Anne Elliot’s reactions kill me. Lizzy fights back, she refuses two very good matches, she doesn’t fall under Lady Catherine’s diatribe, she’s great. I love her.

Who is your favorite Jane Austen villain and why?
I should be loyal do Wickham but no one pars Churchill to me. Wicky, as I see it, is a dimwit bad boy, what we call a ‘malandro-cocô’ in Rio. He scams and lies and deceives and end up tied to poor and empty-headed Lydia. *shrug* But Emma’s Churchill… horrible, horrible man. He flirts and lies and scams and humiliates the very woman he’ll marry. I was so shocked when I first discovered his secret engagement to Jane Fairfax…
There’s also Isabella Thorpe, Fanny Dashwood, Caroline Bingley but these sweet ladies can never have any spotlight because Lady Susan is, wow, perfect.
Actually, I’d pick Susan over Churchill. (I love Susan to the moon and back!) 

How did you become interested in the world of Jane Austen? 
As I said, finding Lizzy after Elinor opened the Austen wonderland to me. I searched for more, the BBC series (Firth!... awww…), graphic novels and fanfics. When I discovered Mrs. Darcy website I was in Heaven!

Do you write your stories in Portuguese first and then translate?
No, I write in English and revise and revise and revise…
I studied the language from 8 to 18 years-old, taught children and teenage courses for a while.

Do you find it hard to translate your thoughts in English?
I don’t realize I do it, but I’ve been told my syntax is ‘peculiar’, so I probably think in a neat jumble of English+Portuguese. I write as I think about it, in English, as I’m doing now. (I apologize for any syntax weirdness.)

What is the biggest challenge you face writing in English?
The colloquialisms. I love them. Love slangs and accents and how they color a character’s personality, make him/her more believable. But, it’s tricky sometimes… every time I visit US (I have a six-years-old who loves Orlando Parks) I spend my time trying to engage as many people in conversation as I can.

Do you have a special time of day and place to write?
I usually write after arriving from my morning jog at the beach, but sometimes the plot is too juicy not to stop everything and put it to paper.
My hubs gave me a ‘writer’s office’ as a 40th birthday gift. My design (I’m an architect), it’s really cute but in reality he wanted me to dissolve the mess I created in our dining room table. So, my smallish balcony is now a lovely office.




Where do you find your inspiration?
I dreamt the last story I wrote. It was a long scene about a couple meeting again after a bad breakup and it’s clear they still love each other but can’t find a way to be together. When I opened my eyes I knew I had to write it. From that scene came the whole story and then two more to form a cute project: Persian cats plot to unite three couples.

When your muse decides to be uncooperative what do you do to get her cooperation again (walking, cleaning, listen to music, etc)?
I give her time.
My muse is a whimsical indolent Lady, she smokes smelly cinnamon cigarettes, those brown long ones with swirling smoke and she smirks when whispering a good idea in my ear. When she’s taking a break, I put the work aside and wait.
The Prince of Pemberley was left half written, simmering untouched for several months, almost a year.
 At first Darcy and Lizzy are friends, pals, ‘bros’ until the sexual tension wins them over. Conducting them was easy. Their lifetogether as a rightful couple once their divorces were done, that wasn’t difficult because it’d be so nice – a life together after emerging from hell. But the period in between when they cheat on their spouses repeatedly, are lovers with so much baggage, so much love and contradicting emotions was very hard to make it right (sorry for the pun, it’s wrong and they know and Lizzy freaks out).
My muse took her time to help me write exactly the way I wanted this story to be told.

When writing do you need quiet or do you listen to music, and if so what kind?
I’d love to have peace and quiet! Loooove it!
But I write in my free time, often shared with my hubs and son. Especially when I’m in the middle of a hot scene, whenever Darcy does this or that to Lizzy, I hear: ‘Mom!...’ *groan*
When I can’t absolutely concentrate, I work on covers or playlists. Every story I write have a wicked playlist I like to enjoy when working out.

Which of Jane Austen’s characters would your mother say you are most like? How about your friends? Who would they say you are most like?
My mom is into Brazilian historical biographies. But, I’d say she would choose Catherine Morland for me because my head has always been filled with fantastic stories, imaginary friends, alternative views to everything.
My friends would dare to put me anywhere far from Lizzy!

Who is your least favorite Jane Austen character and why?
What a sad thing to think about… Elinor Dashwood, I have to say. She’s lovely and sane and sensible and intelligent but also so very compliant. I’d kick and complain, but she is so very classy… coming to think of it, I dislike her reactions, not her.

If Darcy was on an Olympic football (soccer) team, what position would he play? Who would be his biggest competition? (Neymar Da Silva Santos, Lionel Messi, or Christiano Ronaldo)
I never see Darcy as spotlight guy, a forward in soccer. I always see him as a backstage man, one that makes sure everything goes smoothly, let someone else take the lights. So I’d say he’d be midfielder, Zidane or Pirlo. (I may have been distracted by Mr. Pirlo’s looks.)
But I have to say that, after Germany shamed us here in our own Maracanã stadium during World Cup, soccer is no longer something we’re so fond of. We’re very hurt with our national team.

Actually, if Darcy and Lizzy each competed in an Olympic event during the 2016 Olympic games in Brazil, which sport would YOU want to watch them participate in?
I’m laughing here! What a great scenario! Tall, dark and handsome Darcy in tight sportswear!
For Lizzy, a team… maybe handball. I see her as a leader. Or tennis, she’d be great shooting cannonballs towards an opponent, wouldn’t she?
For Darcy I’d say rowing. He does row in my P&P inversion (he’s middle class and Lizzy is filthy rich).
Wouldn’t it be great to have a light and funny fanfic about them meeting at the Olympic Village?

Which is your favorite Darcy and Elizabeth to read – modern or Regency?
I like modern, love them. Because of what I said, my difficulty to accept women’s whole in the past. But I’ve read so many marvelous Regency pieces…
I’ve recently tried to write Regency and while these short stories are good reads, I’d say they are modern stories in Regency clothes.

Do your family and friends know you write Jane Austen fan fiction?
Oh, yes! They’ve learned to love Darcy because of me!
My hubs said he’s thinking about buying us a cat to name it Darcy and be able to say: ‘Darcy, leave my bed now!’

So, I’d like to know what inspired your covers? Do you also paint/design?It took us – my cover designer Cris Neiva and I - a long time to choose an image that could translate the long and hurtful journey these Darcy and Lizzy take – from friends to lovers to a married couple – and we toyed with several sequences of pictures until we found this one. The kiss seems ambiguous; it can be a stolen kiss, a reunion or a celebration of free love.
I do paint and try craft arts but writing takes most of my free time these days. My son is too curious, I cringe thinking how much he’d mess with my painting gear…

What makes your variations different from other writers of p&p variations?
My Darcys and Lizzys are half Brazilian.
In my first story ‘Friendship of aspecial kind’, they barely knew each other but he greeted her with a kiss on her cheek; it’s a common thing to do here in Brazil, I didn’t think twice of it but my Beta said ‘Whoa! What a forward guy! Why would he do that?’ *laugh* Since then I’ve been taking care to ‘clean’ them of Brazilian zest, but there’s the syntax…

Are your books set in the present day, or the Regency period? What inspired you to write them?
Present day. The story starts in the 80’s when they meet as teenagers, than there’s a twenty years gap.
When I met my hubs, he was practically engaged and I had an older boyfriend who was always threatening me with a proposal. It was meant to be, we broke our commitments to be together but the ‘what if’ never left me. What if we had met a year later and we were both married? What if we hadn’t managed to be together? What if… The prince of Pemberley is about this doubt, a leap of faith, second chances.
Darcy and Lizzy meet as teenagers through letters, England to Brazil by post, stamps, paper, envelopes – late 80s. They try to meet in person but fate intrudes. Then life gets between them, they grow older and their friendship is put aside for twenty years. They both marry and have children (in England, Darcy marries Anne; in Brazil; Lizzy marries Wickham) until Lizzy finds him on Google almost twenty years after their last letter. The friendship rekindles instantly and from that to love is the journey told in three books.

Are all three books about Darcy? Or are we looking at future generations? Or are there men at Pemberley the we know not of? Or are these sequels?
All Darcy and Lizzy. They both have children, there is the next Bennett-Darcy generation, but it’s centered on them. He is the King of Pemberley!
In my stories, Darcy and Lizzy are together from the beginning and most of the time, I try not to fill it with subplots that don’t add to their timeline.
The books are part of a single touchy story– they are friends in book 1, cheaters in book 2, struggling to make it work in book 3. Sequels, yes… but continuations, that’d be better said.

If you could spend two months at Pemberley in the 1800’s, what three items would you have to pack in your suitcase?
A toiletries bag, a phone (to record conversations, take pics and notes), calming tablets – I’d freak out!



terça-feira, 8 de março de 2016

Powerful business



Hey, it's today!
Happy women's day! 
Yay!

It's not different from any other day, really. It's just a time when we speak up and, these days binge-watching Madmen I've been all about 'girl power'. 

Season 3 is a lot more sedated (or I am the one sedated) but still it's hard to see women so abused by society and womanizers in general. 

There are a few great moments like this one, season 2, ep 5 when an older woman gives a great advice, I mean, GREAT STUFF! 

It's a side character healing from a car accident hidden in Peggy's flat (she has to hide from her husband hired by Draper with whom she was having an affair) and before leaving, Bobbi and Peggy have this conversation:  

I like this particular scene because it's like seeing inside her soul.
She does have power over men, doesn't she? doesn't her jerk of a husband
and Draper super jerk end up doing what she wants?

Peggy's Brooklin flat, morning.
Peggy: 'You can use the mirror in the bedroom.'
Bobbi: 'No. Part of the process of learning to live without your hospitality.'
'It's nothing.'
'Not true. I was curious if you're aware of the value of your service.' (She's referring to the fact that being Peggy Draper's employee, she's doing him a huge favor hiding his mistress.)
'It's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? 

'Wouldn't say that. People will take advantage of you.'
'I know what I'm doing.'
'What do you want? Are you just some busy little bee building a hive out in Brooklyn? 

'Are you still trying to say thank you?' 

Subtitles in Portugues... Netflix is here, everybody.
(Pay attention, this is where it gets bad ass good:)
'You have to start living the life of the person you want to be.'
'Is that what you did?' 

'You're never going to get that corner office until you start treating Don as an equal. And no one will tell you this, but you can't be a man. Don't even try.'


'Be a woman.
It's powerful business when done correctly.
Do you understand what I'm saying, dear?' 


'I think so.' (First time Peggy lowers her walls against the woman.)
'So, how do I get to Grand Central from here, steam ship?' 

'I can walk you to the train. It's two blocks over'
'I'll call a car.'

Season 2 - Episode 5, 35:44

a POWERFUL BUSINESS WHEN DONE CORRECTLY.
Being a strong self-assured woman is bad ass difficult shit!

Thanks Springfieldspringfrield for the script.


And thank you Bobbi Barrett for giving me hope this tv show will live up to all that is about it.

Let's celebrate being women!

Tonight I'll start posting my second Regency lovestory, a tale of a strong woman facing the difficult situation of falling in love with a great man when her life is past the need for him. (kind of a Regency fairy tale if you wish.'

See ya!

segunda-feira, 29 de fevereiro de 2016

Mad men, House of cards and all binge-watch feelings

hello,

We've been binge-watching a lot here, thanks Netflix for this new escape from our shitty Brazilian TV.

So, we've done Breaking bad, Better call Saul, House of Cards, The bridge, Orange is the new black, The fall, Homeland, etc, etc. Last week we surrendered to Mad men.

If you're thinking it's crazy I hadn't watched these shows before, it kinda is. I gave up series a while ago tired of waiting week-to-week episodes, and from watching four together it soon went to no watching at all. Binge-watching is actually a lot of fun, immersing in an specific atmosphere is much better than taking it by tiny drops.


giphy

Anyway, I absolutely adored House of Cards. I was seduced by the fight for power and mostly by Claire Underwood - wow, what a female character! If you've read any of my stories posted here or available for sale you've noticed I like strong women, maybe not feminists but strong, fighters, independent, survivors. That's who I try hard to be as well. Claire is not merely that, she deals the hands. I loved her.

A few series after, we arrived at Mad men. Well, here my head is knotting in a pretzel. Let me try to explain: Don Draper is a douchebag, jackass, prick but Jon Hamm is so handsome... You know how much I like tall, dark, handsome, deep-voiced Darcys. But he's scum! Am I allowed to like him and the show?

The sexism is almost unbearable to me.

And the other men in the show are just as shitty! Oh dear, the way they treat women is degrading, revolting, nauseating... Still I want to watch the episodes and find myself rooting for the beatnik lover who by now (we're wrapping Season 1 tonight) is my favorite character because she has power. In my POV, she's the only one who does whatever the heck she wants and breaks the big man time and time again. I loved to see him arrive in his perfect home broken, like the world was weighing in his shoulders because she didn't want to run away to Paris with him for the weekend. He had built a perfect home with a perfect little Stepford wife and still lets the beatnik lover carry him in a leash. 
Good for her! 
Douchebag Draper!

I've just released a book about second chances and leaps of faith where the characters are big cheaters, I can understand the dwelling one might find him/herself in, but come on! 

My hubs says it's what men did back then. 
'Really?' I ask in an ironic sneer.
'Yeah.' He nodded. 'My father, yours, that was how people thought.'
'But that couldn't be every man, I mean, this must be a saturated version of how a few people thought!' I cringe watching Draper arrive home expecting to find his dinner at the table, children in bed and wife coiffed and dressed for him to acknowledge (which he doesn't). 'I mean, in Bewitched, Samantha's husband was an ad man...' I'm a bit desperate.
'Ah.' My hubs raises his shoulders. 'Maybe religious men, a very few.'
I watch a couple more minutes teetering between nauseated and fascinated by the show. 'I think I'd have liked to be a man, you know?'
'Excuse me?' He frowns averting his eyes from the TV to me.
'Men have freedom and power. We're still fighting for a slice...'
He keeps silent because he understands. 

We both work a lot but when we arrive home at night it's me who has to cook dinner, deal with our housekeeper and our son's homework. Rain or shine, child's fever or PTA meetings, whatever happens, he gets to keep his work schedule - I have to take care of stuff.

I digress, sorry.


ebaumsworld
OMG, how much she was undermined and abused in this episode... >.<

So, I've been searching education on Mad men trying to excuse my liking. Yes, I need it. It feels wrong to like Draper and his filthy workplace and life, his ways and reasons. He's such a good lead character-antihero-villain, I hope against hope he won't be excused - I believe a jackass can be a jackass just because he has the right to be a jackass. (that's one of the major reasons '50 shades' is so lame to me).

I've talked to friends, googled and after reading an interesting spot on 'nonviolent communication' I found Mathew Gilbert for Boston Globe. Thank you, Mr. Gilbert (even though there were 110 spoilers for me). It turns out that sexism is one of the major plots and one that isn't sugared throughout the seasons.

It kind of helps me understand the show and almost made my guilt for being drawn to it palatable. Kind of a masochistic way of studying of history. Urgh.

A few months back it seemed that wherever I went I stumbled upon a discussion on Austen's proto-feminism, a very touchy subject. I got myself in a few even for saying that for me 'it's hard to like Historical romance because people try to copy Lizzy Bennet and end up with a swooning sex kitten'. People understood I said Austen wrote (bad) historical romance, I said I unfortunately read bad copycats. 

Anyway, I do hope that by the end of Mad men's final season I'll be more comfortable with the show, maybe even liking it freely as so many people have all over.

I also hope I can shake their abuses and don't let them inadvertently inspire me in any way.


timeout

terça-feira, 23 de fevereiro de 2016

Living a dream

This week I was invited to a delightful lovely event: Live in 1799 for a few days. Oh, how nice this might be... I can imagine how that must be like... all in costume playing the part. *sigh*


It's the pink lovely book in the middle. The grin is mine! ;)

'Lizzard' has dreamed about his in '45 days in Europe with Mr. Darcy', here's how it was:

"He opened a heavy door and her senses were awash immediately. Faint lighting, smell of candles and live music, all aside from their clasped hands. From the other side, the door could not be noticed and Lizzy thought about how an old palace worked in its daily routine. She had seen it on TV but this was the real thing.

‘We usually watch these parties from that balcony.’ He said pointing the turned off flashlight. ‘There is a small bridge that if we stay really close to the side we can see the ballroom without being seen. Shall we?’

It was amazing to see normal people playing dress up. They were so happy dancing quadrilles, the musicians completely attired, the ladies had fans and some men even had wigs! Lizzy was as happy as a child in Disneyland for the first time.

Darcy stood behind her to prevent Lizzy from stepping into view and unable to resist, hugged her waist to whisper in her ear several interesting things: the man hidden behind a curtain typing on his phone; the lady taking big gulps of punch; the guy trying to look into a lady’s cleavage. She giggled and leaned back into his chest to ask a question or make a comment, delighting both of them with the proximity.

‘This must be great, don’t you think?’ Lizzy asked him. ‘To go back in time… Have you ever done that?’

Darcy scrunched up his nose. ‘Once. And I hated it.’

‘Oh, come on…’ Lizzy whined.

‘Those breaches… I could never wear those near you, for instance.’ He said before he remembered they were not as intimate in person as they were in his head. Something had to be done, and fast. ‘Come, I will take you as close as I can.’ He said ungluing their bodies.

Darcy pulled her by the hand into doors and parlors, down another dark steep set of stairs and they arrived in a den illuminated only by the light coming from outside the windows. She couldn’t see much but could smell candles burning close by.

‘Trust me?’ He asked."

instagram.      follow me @moirabianchiauthor

The 'Georgian house party' will take place in November, there are dinners and day events, even a Gothic night! Oh, how much I'd love to be there... Brazil has never been so far down south...

Ok, it's Georgian, not Regency. Right, I get that. 
Winter, in period clothes for a Brazilian- cruel. I get that too. 
Convincing hubs to gavotte around in breaches: impossible. But a girl can dream, right?

And... there will be a Regency house party too! 
In August!
That's summer!
At Kent Church! *faint*
Oh. My. God.

Why, oh why, real is not closer to pounds??? $$$ 
I know, everything is six times more expensive for us. Darn!


I know exactly what you're thinking: Austenland. Yeah!... Not that I'd like to find a Mr. Noble (ha!) or anything but I can only imagine how amazing it must be to talk to people who do this, how interesting, how fun, how many plots could come out of this!...

I'm so sad here...
If you're closer, go! If you do, send me pics! And snapchats! And everything else! 



Meanwhile, I write...
Trying my hand in Regency. It has had good reviews...

See ya.
*sad Moira says bye*