How Do I Love Thee?: Stories to Stir the Heart

446 Pages·2010·1.47 MB·English

by  Valerie Parv

CMYK + MATT LAM
80 mm 136 mm 31.5 mm 136 mm 80 mm
How do I Love Thee?
With these words from Elizabeth Barrett
Browning’s famous romantic sonnet to
inspire them, twelve wonderful writers
ANITA BELL
offer new and tantalising views on love
ANN CHARLTON and romance which will make your heart
beat faster.
VALERIE PARV
This collection is like a box of chocolates–
ALEXIS fleming there’s something delicious for everyone.
About the Editor
From Valerie Parv’s ‘Never Too Late’,
anne-maree britton
With twenty-five million copies of her featuring the gorgeously rugged Cade
books sold internationally, Valerie Thatcher, to Anita Bell’s wickedly
sonny whitelaw
Parv is known as Australia’s queen of funny ‘Killer Smile’, and Anna Jacobs’
romance. She has written over 60 novels craig cormick poignant soldier-settler’s tale ‘A
and her short fiction is also regularly Much-Needed Wife’, these stories and
featured in national magazines. Valerie judy neumann others will engage your dreams and
is the author of two bestselling guides desires. Romance served with a twist
daphne clair
for writers: The Art of Romance Writing of classic suspense or vampires, time-
(Allen & Unwin, 2004) and The Idea aj macpherson travelling or the erotic–this selection
Factory (Allen & Unwin, 1995) as well is a delight.
as the more recent Heart and Craft (Allen alan gold
These unique love stories are
& Unwin, 2009). She was honoured
anna jacobs H ow Do I brought to you by some of
by The Society of Women Writers V
Australia’s top-selling and
of Australia with their Bicentennial A
P award-winning authors with
Medallion for her contributions to AL Love Thee? international sales in the
Australian writing and she was invited E
R millions.
to present a workshop at the Romance R
V
Writers of America National Conference I How do I Love Thee appeals to
in San Francisco in July 2008. E that little bit of the romantic in us all.
…

dited y
E B
ALLEN&UNWINN
VALERIE PARV
Cover design: Emily O’Neill
Cover photograph: Corbis;
elements from iStockphoto.com
www.allenandunwin.com
HowDoILoveThee_FCSRESUPPLY.indd 1 26/10/09 7:35:56 PM
How Do I
Love Thee?
…
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How Do I
Love Thee?
Stories to stir the heart
…
Edited By
VALERIE PARV
First published in 2009
Copyright © Valerie Parv 2009
Copyright of individual stories remains with the authors
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a
maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever
is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for
its educational purposes provided that the educational institution
(or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allenandunwin.com
Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available
from the National Library of Australia
www.librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au
ISBN 978 1 74237 080 4
Set in 11.5/15 pt Garamond Premier Pro by Bookhouse, Sydney
Printed and bound in Australia by Griffin Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgements
No matter whose name is on the cover, no book is ever
the progeny of an individual. Behind the scenes there
is always a dedicated group of specialists making sure we
authors look as brilliant as we dream of being. This book
owes much to the foresight and friendship of Annette
Barlow, publisher at Allen & Unwin (how many books have
we done together now?); the hard work of her skilled and
unfailingly pleasant team (I’m looking at you, Alexandra
Nahlous); the equally hard work of my agent, Linda Tate of
The Tate Gallery; and, of course, the passion and talents of
the wonderful contributors who would undoubtedly have a
long list of acknowledgements of their own. Reading each
v
v
How Do I Love Thee?
of their stories as it came in was like unwrapping a supply
of presents, each one more exciting than the last. You guys
are the best and it’s a privilege to have the chance to work
with you all. How soon can we do this again?
Valerie Parv
vi
v
Contents
Acknowledgements v
Introduction ix
Anita Bell Killer Smile 1
Ann Charlton Looking For Mr Avpr1a 41
Valerie Parv Never Too Late 69
Alexis Fleming Pack Rules 107
Anne-Maree Britton Some Kind of Happiness 145
Sonny Whitelaw More Than One Life 187
Craig Cormick Why Fiji? 225
Judy Neumann Night of the Superheroes 251
Daphne Clair Violet’s Gift 287
AJ Macpherson Into the Light 313
Alan Gold Midlife Bloom 351
Anna Jacobs A Much-Needed Wife 379
About the Authors 423
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Introduction
Love Brought to a Count
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)
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