The 12 Days of a Jane Austen Christmas: The Muse Book Birthday Giveaway

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Christmas

 

Today is a special day, indeed! In addition to being the second day in the 12 Days of a Jane Austen Christmas, it’s also the one-year book birthday of my first book, The Muse: A Pride and Prejudice Variation! It’s been a wonderful year for me and my book, and I’m so thrilled that I get to celebrate on Austen Variations.

The Muse is set in the ballet world of New York City and nothing says the holidays more than a ballet tradition, The Nutcracker. Many of my own experiences dancing ballet went into creating The Muse, and some of my fondest and most torturous memories comes from rehearsing and performing in The Nutcracker.

Specifically, I remember “The Waltz of the Snowflakes,” the very last piece in the first act. Clara and her Nutcracker Prince cross through a snowy forest before ending up in the Kingdom of Sweets in the second act. In the forest, they are caught in a snow storm, embodied by the corps de ballet

This portion of the ballet was so fun to perform! Just like snowflakes, the dance twirls and twinkles all across the stage. I still hear Tchaikovsky score’s whenever I find myself walking through a snowstorm; the high wind instruments and frenetic strings later on in the piece perfectly capture the whirling of snowflakes. 

Here’s a funny dance story from when I performed in the ballet: Rehearsals for Waltz of the Snowflakes usually began in early October, two nights a week. There were about two dozen of us dancers crammed in a small studio rehearsing the steps over and over again. Our rehearsal director was old-school: a hardboiled Argentinian, who spoke no English and who wore sunglasses all the time, even at night and even in the studio. He’d often make us practice the same eight-count step dozens of times until our toes ached, our muscles wept, our lungs nearly collapsed, and all of us were perfectly synchronized. We could have performed that ballet in our sleep…or so I thought. 

Studio rehearsals, though, never compared to actually rehearsing and performing on stage. The stage is much wider and deeper than the studio, with new points of reference all around. To make matters more complicated, the end of Waltz of the Snowflakes calls for drama. A women’s chorus sings backstage while the live orchestra performs in the pit below. And because artistic directors are pure sadists, ours decided it would also be a good idea to rain down glitter and fake snow at the end of the Waltz to simulate a snow storm. This couldn’t happen during the dress rehearsal, though. Too onerous for the stagehands to sweep the stage.

On the day of my first performance, I was nervous. I’d never performed in such a serious role on the professional stage. I worked especially hard to remember all of the steps and poses. At last, we’d reached one of the final figures of the dance when the dancers formed two concentric circles that moved in different directions around each other. Suddenly, I heard a sudden pelting like hail. And then something heavy fell on my snowflake crown. And then a piece of glitter landed on my fake eyelashes, threatening my vision. I slipped on a piece of snow underneath the tip of my pointe shoe, and that was it. I forgot every step! A dancer’s worse nightmare. I flailed, looking desperately around me for someone to copy off of. Finally, after several ageless seconds, I caught the step. When the time came for me to exit, I ran off stage in humiliation. Our rehearsal director would kill me! 

During the intermission, I fully expected him to barge into the dressing room and ream me out in front of everyone. But, he didn’t and actually, no one noticed my gaffe. Not my parents who were sitting in the audience, the rehearsal director, or any of the other dancers. But, I’ll never forget that moment. I don’t think I’ve ever been more panicked.

And thanks to this moment, I got a scene for The Muse, so it all worked out in the end. By the way, if you’ve never seen The Nutcracker spend a few minutes and watch this. Isn’t it magical?

Hope you watched the video! It’s giveaway time, in which one random commenter will receive a free autographed copy The Muse! In the comments, feel free to share your Nutcracker memories, a funny holiday-related goof-up, or anything else you’d like.

A very happy holiday season to you all! 

 

46 comments

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    • Wendy Roberts on December 10, 2015 at 12:20 am
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    Thanks for the giveaway! I don’t really have any stories to tell!

    • tgruy on December 10, 2015 at 2:10 am
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    Lovely! One day I will get to see it live…

    • Vee on December 10, 2015 at 2:31 am
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    Jessica your novel is one of my favourite Pride and Prejudice variations! I love the impeccable Darcy and the whole storyline. The ballet theme is a major reason I love your novel and it is wonderful that you used your own experience to tell this fabulous story. I’ve read your story at least 3 times already and due for another read soon 🙂 Your traumatic experience is understandable after all the rigorous practice you had to undertake! The clip is beautiful. I was lucky enough to see the Nutcracker at the Sydney Opera House with my daughter who plays a piece on the piano. Looking forward to many more stories in the future 🙂 x

    • Rachael on December 10, 2015 at 2:31 am
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    I love watching The Nutcracker at Christmas. My local cinema has a screen arts club and shows either a recorded or live broadcast from The Bolshoi every year in fact we are going at the weekend. It is a lovely time for me and my daughter to escape the pre Christmas mayhem.

    • Jasmine on December 10, 2015 at 2:40 am
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    That video was beautiful! I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen any ballet but I hope to get the chance to one day!

    • Susan Schwartz on December 10, 2015 at 3:35 am
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    What a nice giveaway! As a child every
    Christmas we alternated years between
    seeing The Nutcracker ballet danced and
    hearing Hansel and Gretel sung at the opera.
    I much preferred the ballet as a child, although
    I later learned to love opera too.
    Happy Holiday Season!

    • Rosa on December 10, 2015 at 4:27 am
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    I only saw one ballet in my whole life Le lac des Cygnes from the St Petersbourg opera. It was wonderful. I just discovered how noisy the dancers are on stage. I mean you can hear when their feet touch the stage 😉

    • Mari on December 10, 2015 at 5:26 am
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    That clip brings back so many fond Christmas memories. I saw a performance when I was five or six and didn’t appreciate it until years later. These days if I am lucky enough to catch a performance on TV, I sit raptly glued to the screen until it is over. Along with It’s A Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol, it is part of the holiday festivities for me. It isn’t Christmas unless I watch all three of those. The sheer wonder and beauty of this ballet sweep me away every time. My favorite performance was the one with Gelsey Kirkland. One year my husband found some stills from the ballet and painted me a gorgeous picture. It hung in our house for years until it was sadly lost in a move. I am still mourning the loss! Lucky you to have danced in that wonderful ballet. I never had the grace or talent to dance, but I have always admired those who do.

    • Constance on December 10, 2015 at 6:49 am
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    What a great giveaway at Christmas! In the last year of our Mothers life my sister and I thought it would be nice to take her to see the Nutcracker with our daughters. She was very subdued and on the way home we asked if she enjoyed the show. Her response of “it was ok” was sort of a let down to us but she said she didn’t feel well so we figured that was why she was so subdued. Then as she slept in the back seat on the drive home we mentioned her favorite restaurant as we drove by it and she popped up in the back seat saying, “oh! I feel so much better, let’s go”! Suffice it to say that she indeed perked up enough to watch karaoke and have two maitais and dinner! We laugh about it every year when we see the ballet!

    • Laura H. on December 10, 2015 at 6:51 am
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    Thanks for sharing your Nutcracker moment. My memory of The Nutcracker comes from when I was Clara in an elementary school production of The Nutcracker. It was a mostly narrated play with some dancing, but not ballet. That was the very first time I had every heard the Nutcracker story.

    • Jennifer Hong on December 10, 2015 at 6:55 am
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    I remember going to see The Nutcracker every year with my mother & sister. We loved getting dressed up to go to the theater & the performance was always beautiful.

    Thanks for adding your book to the giveaway. Have a wonderful holiday season.

    • Maggie on December 10, 2015 at 7:22 am
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    My sweet daughter was in a “recital” version of the Nutcracker when she was 6. They used the music and that was about all the resemblance to the Nutcracker there was. She was so cute….too long ago but it still makes my mother heart happy to think of it. Thanks for the giveaway and the beautiful Christmas present.

    • Pam Hunter on December 10, 2015 at 9:17 am
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    I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing The Nutcracker in person, but I do love the music.

    My funny Christmas story….one year, when my kids were little, they decided to give their grandma some navel oranges. They put them in a box and wrapped them up. On Christmas morning, my mom opened the box to find a bunch of moldy, rotten fruit. She laughed until she cried. We all had a good laugh about it. 🙂

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    • Jennifer Redlarczyk on December 10, 2015 at 9:21 am
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    Jessica, I can’t believe I have not read your story . It sounds wonderful. So If I am not the lucky winner, LOL, I will definitely head over to Amazon for a look see. Thanks for your post. Jen Red

    • Sheila L. M. on December 10, 2015 at 10:34 am
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    I remember taking my children to see The Nutcracker as one of my oldest daughter’s friends has a part. It was lovely. I have read your book but only have a kindle copy so would love to have a paperback copy as I do prefer that. Kindle is just so much cheaper and I get to read more books that way. Although my two daughters and my nieces took dance none preformed anywhere near this level so they didn’t under go stern and exacting demands which you talk about. I am thankful that they didn’t have that blow to their egos. Good for you that you endured it and also good luck that no one notices the mistake.

    Merry Christmas to all.

    • rae on December 10, 2015 at 11:18 am
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    I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE MUSE!! I followed every posting of its original birthing on-line and have reread it countless times. As a former dancer I was enthralled with the world you created. Darcy and Lizzy’s romance set against the grueling backstage world of a ballet company was like feeding guts to a bear with me as your audience. Thank you many times over for the treasure you created with The Muse.

  1. Seeing the Nutcracker was the first “big” date my now-husband (of thirty years) took me on. I had asked for a lovely trench coat in a lovely slate blue, and my mother let me wear it before Christmas for this special occasion. It was a lovely performance…and for our first Christmas my husband gave me a gorgeous ballerina stained glass window he had just finished making. We had known each other for fewer than three weeks that first Christmas!

    I would love to win a copy of your book since I’ve done a bit of ballet (mostly tap and jazz, though) in my early years. It sounds lovely!!

    Advent blessings,
    Susanne 🙂

    • Betty Campbell Madden on December 10, 2015 at 12:15 pm
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    I’ve been fortunate to see Nutcracker several times over the years, from live to small screen tv to large screen with excellent speakers. It’s a once-seen, never-forgotten experience, a thrill for our entire brain. Several pieces of the music adapted for piano were such a joy to play, back in the day when I played piano.

    It is or is nearly also the anniversary of my enjoying Muse, for I ordered it as soon as I saw it was available.

    Of course, I would greatly appreciate winning a signed copy. Thanks for the opportunity, Jessica.

    • ellie on December 10, 2015 at 12:51 pm
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    The Nutcracker was the most enjoyable birthday gift when I was younger. This entertainment was meaningful and very special.

  2. That is the first time I have seen people dance to The Nutcracker. Daughter has the Barbie version. I have seen this one many times. I believe I should go watch the ballet version.

    • melati on December 10, 2015 at 1:09 pm
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    I don’t have a story about ballerina or dancing or the Nutcracker especially , although I love to dance (no rule dancing). Lovely give away. I always love your story (or stories).

  3. ME! ME! ME!!!! I love this book so much!! I am thrilled that The Muse and I share a birthday!! December 10 is the BEST DAY!!

    • Joanne F on December 10, 2015 at 2:42 pm
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    I’ve never been to see a ballet performance. That was amazing to watch!

      • Maclaney on December 10, 2015 at 4:55 pm
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      When I was in the then Soviet Union, in Moscow, on the day of my birthday, I was privileged to see the Bolshoi perform. Such an experience!

    • Nancy on December 10, 2015 at 5:23 pm
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    I hope someday to be able to see “The Nutcracker” with my daughter. She lives in the city and has the opportunity to go. We live in the middle of nowhere with the closest Walmart being an hour and a half in any direction. Thanks for the give-a-way.

    • Carol on December 10, 2015 at 6:43 pm
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    I loved taking my granddaughter to see the Nutcracker every Christmas on Children’s Day when the ballet was shortened just a tad. She’s old enough now to go see the full version this year. Thank you for the giveaway. Loved “The Muse” by the way. Good story.

    • Carole in Canada on December 10, 2015 at 7:56 pm
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    I took my daughter, her best friend, and my mother-in-law to the ‘Nutcracker’ performed by the Toronto Ballet in the early 1990’s. It was absolutely amazing. I took ballet and tap as a child for a few years. I still remember the foot positions! It is just as well I didn’t continue because I never grew tall and willowy! Much to my disappoint. I had a colleague whose daughter went to the National Ballet school in Toronto. The competition and training was fierce and demanding. I can empathize with your ‘incident’ when performing your part. Watching the the Waltz of the Snowflakes, I can understand why know one one saw it. There was so much movement going. I have yet to read ‘The Muse’ but it is on my wishlist. Meredith from Austenesque Reviews loved it. Thank you for your generosity! Hope the wedding plans are falling into place too!

    • Nicole on December 11, 2015 at 3:26 am
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    I went with my sister to a trip to New York in 2002 and we saw the Nutcracker at the MET,RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR and also Charles Dickens “Christmas Carol” Musical- these year there was even snow and the lighting of the christmas tree was terrific.

    • Deborah on December 11, 2015 at 6:26 am
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    Thank you for sharing your memories. I can imagine the difficulty such an addition could cause. I can’t remember repetitive steps to the simplest movements without getting confused, forget what you did. I wonder if anyone else had the same or similar difficulties to what you had. I’ve always loved watching the Nutcracker and even just listening to the music; the music is so much fun to listen to. My favorite musical piece is the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. It is so light, energetic and happy feeling (not to mention a challenge to play on the flute). Thank you for the generous give away.

    • Regina on December 12, 2015 at 9:38 am
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    The Nutcracker has always been my favorite ballet! For many years we took our daughter to see it, and she has returned the favor by bringing me to see the Boston Ballet perform it. Magical!

    • Wendy on December 12, 2015 at 4:28 pm
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    Thanks for sharing your memories. I get to take my second-graders to see the second act of “The Nutcracker” next week. Each year one or two boys fall asleep, and pretty much every girl is mesmerized the entire time and comes back twirling around and around.

    • Beatrice on December 12, 2015 at 10:31 pm
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    My favorite Christmas memory happened more than 30 years ago. On a snowy Christmas Eve I was walking down our street when a piece of newspaper blew by. I ran to catch it and was surprised to see it had a children’s story on it. In fact it was The Christmas Birthday Story, by Margaret Laurence, who is very famous here in Canada. It’s a nonreligious telling of the usual tale, and it’s geared to a young audience. I read it aloud to my then-8 & -3 year old offspring. In the morning, when our family tradition was that the children were allowed to open their stockings but not wake us up, we heard a lot of commotion. When we called them for breakfast and presents, they announced they had a present for us first; it was a play they’d just then. made up from the story and they acted it for us. So charming! and such a surprise! They’d rigged up costumes and everything!

    • Nicole B on December 13, 2015 at 9:07 am
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    I love to see the nutcracker ballet with my kids! What an amazing and terrifying memory! Thanks for sharing! I think your story is one of the most original variations I have read, so thank you for writing it. I wish you continued success!

  4. Happy book birthday to you, Jessica. I’ve always wanted to read The Muse after reading some rave reviews about the book. So thanks for offering the giveaway.

    • BeckyC on December 13, 2015 at 5:35 pm
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    I love watching the nutcracker. Thank you for the video and for the giveaway

    • Gabriela VS on December 13, 2015 at 5:45 pm
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    I love the Waltz of the Snowflakes, just the other day I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie and that was playing. Loved it!

    • Joanna y. on December 14, 2015 at 12:22 am
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    Thanks for the story! Ballerinas work so hard to make everything look so graceful and effortless! I love watching ballet performances like The Nutcracker, and really anything by Tchaikovsky (adore his music!). Thanks for the giveaway!!!

    • Sarah on December 14, 2015 at 6:07 am
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    I have to say I’ve never really watched ballet but that was special and makes me curious about The Muse. I would love to read it 🙂

    • Glynis on December 14, 2015 at 6:11 am
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    I love the video. I have never been to the ballet but love watching it on the TV. I have this book on my (very long) wish list so I would be thrilled if I won a copy. Thanks for the opportunity.

    • cindy on December 14, 2015 at 4:19 pm
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    Some things are timeless, like the nutcracker and Jane Austen. It is amazing that every time we see this it is better than the time before. That is what makes things classic!

    • Patricia Finnegan on December 14, 2015 at 11:27 pm
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    I alwayss looked forward to seeing the nutcracker be performed at the theatre I work at annually. They stopped a couple years ago but i have fond memories of working the show

    • beth on December 15, 2015 at 1:37 pm
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    I remember getting dressed up and my grandmother taking me.

    • Dung on December 15, 2015 at 7:09 pm
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    I’ve always wanted to see the Nutcracker ballet performance live. I remember in elementary school one of our field trip was to a performing arts ballet performance, I can’t recall what the production was about, but just remember being fascinated with watching the performance and going home and dancing around the living room on my tipy toes thinking I was a ballerina.

    • Kay on December 16, 2015 at 2:50 am
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    Your story is on my to read list now! Can’t believe I haven’t already.

    • Angie on December 16, 2015 at 3:29 pm
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    I absolutely love your variation. It’s simply one of the best stories. 🙂

    • Eva E on December 22, 2015 at 7:51 pm
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    What is Christmas without seeing The Nutcracker? I have seen outstanding and not so outstanding performances but, hey, it is tradition. As a little girl, the music played on my 45 rpm every night as I went to sleep. Thank you for the giveaway – I haven been wanting to read The Muse.

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