The Viking Village of Ribe by A.M.Westerling

My Viking romance A Heart Enslaved is available at your favourite online store HERE.

 *****

A number of years ago, my husband and I were touring Denmark about the time I was thinking of writing a Viking romance. Wouldn’t you know it, but during our travels we came across the Viking village of Ribe, a living museum situated in the south west corner of the Jutland peninsula. We spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the village. It was market day so stalls were set up with merchants selling their wares, including traditional clothing and beautiful woven cloth. 

Traditional crafts were on display as well and I absolutely adored the falcon. 

We wandered around the buildings, clumping along the wooden sidewalks and admiring the gardens surrounded by fences made with woven branches. 

We said goodbye to the three statues guarding the entrance and had one last look of the village as we walked away.

And so ends our little tour of Ribe. I highly recommend visiting this museum if you're ever in Denmark and interested in glimpsing Viking history.

*****

All my books are available through BWL Publishing, HERE. Happy reading! 

Dead Dogs Talk New Release from Nancy M Bell

For more information on Nancy's books click the cover above.

I'm excited to share with you the latest installment in The Alberta Adventures. The Coal and his band of wild horses are still safe, but now Laurel finds herself embroiled with a dog fighting ring after she and Carly come across an injured dog while out riding. Of course, bad boy Chance, Carly's brother is in it up to his neck trying to prove to his ringleader dad that he's tough enough to earn Daddy's approval.

As in Wild Horse Rescue, there is an underlying message in the book. Dog fighting rings and puppy mills are a real evil and they exist world wide. It is a horrible and reprehensible activity. The animals involved have no voice, other than their unheard cries for help and comfort. We must be their voice and we must speak loudly. Don't by cute puppies from pet stores that aren't supporting local rescues by featuring only rescue animals for adoption, don't buy off local see pages on the internet.

The inspiration for Dead Dogs Talk came from a very real event that a friend relayed to me. She was out riding her horse with a friend along a grassy pathway and they came across a very skinny dead dog tied to a tree by a ratty rope. The dog was obviously ill treated, with scars and wounds and the nails on the paws so long they curled under. Clearly the dog had been caged and not allowed to move normally as the condition of the paws made that painfully evident. She was most likely a used up victim of a puppy mill. No way to identify her or an owner, of course. And frankly, the authorities weren't interested and washed their hands of it. Sadly, even if there had been a way to trace the person or persons who dumped this girl, chances are the charges would have been thrown out of court, if things even got that far. At best, the perpetrator would have gotten a slap on the wrist a small fine. Even if they had been court ordered to not be in possession of any animals, there is no organization that monitors that. Many of those who are under similar court orders just move provinces or totally ignore the order and carry on. There is little or no follow up.
I give my injured dog a happy ending and the discovery of a microchip in another dog leads to the group responsible. In effect, the dead dog with the microchip manages to speak out via the chip.

Please hold your furbabies close and love them. Don't let them roam, keep them safe.

The story isn't all gloom and doom, so don't despair. Laurel ends up volunteering at an animal rescue and she gets to ride her barrel horse Sam at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer Alberta. Carly's brother Chance is maturing and starting to realize that his father isn't always the best role model. The last book in this series will be out next year and it will feature Chance and his struggles to find his way in the world. As always, the events play out against the rolling Alberta prairies under the wide Alberta blue sky. Working title is Finding the Way or maybe Second Chance. No clear winner yet.

Until next time, stay well, stay safe. These are my rescue dogs below. Miley, Gibbie, and George.

Flowers, Past and Present by Eileen O'Finlan

Click here for purchase information

Click here to visit Eileen O'Finlan's website

I love flowers. I love them so much, I turned my front yard into a garden. I had a white picket fence with an arch installed and a landscaper design and plant perennials inside and outside of the fence. I gave him free reign with only a few non-negotiables. He had to include roses that climb the fence, honeysuckle that will wind its way over the arch, plants that will blossom at different times from spring through late fall so that something is always in bloom, and lots of color. Oh, and low maintenance. That was important because I have health issues and not nearly enough time to keep up with a garden. I'm so glad I insisted on that last point. While I've always loved working in the garden, the advance of ankylosing spondylitis has put an abrupt end to that endeavor. Fortunately, I have a neighbor who has been doing an amazing job at keeping my front yard garden in great shape. Thank you, Wendy!

In Erin's Children, my forthcoming sequel to Kelegeen, readers will meet two characters who love flowers even more than I do. Pamela and Deborah Claprood are the daughters of the family for whom Meg O'Connor works as a domestic servant. Their love of flowers leads them to set up a conservatory in the back parlor where they can indulge not only their love of gardening all year, but also engage more fully in their favorite past time – the language of flowers. 

Known as floriography, the language of flowers has been around for thousands of years but was especially popular during the Victorian era. Each flower has a meaning. It was all the rage to send one another messages through flowers, but it only worked if you were conversant in the language. Pamela and Deborah are fluent. Meg, on the other hand, being practical as ever, thinks it's ridiculous. “If you have something to say, just say it” is her opinion.

I wonder what the Claprood girls would think of my garden. Could they use cuttings from my garden to send messages? What, indeed, does my garden say?

Children in the Age Of Chivalry by Rosemary Morris

To find out more about Rosemary's books click the cover above.

Grace, Lady of Cassio, The Lovages of Cassio, Book Two, the sequel to Yvonne, Lady of Cassio, begins in the reign of Edward III. It will be published in October 2021.
At heart I am a historian. My novels are rich in historical detail which requires intensive research, some of which I am sharing in this blog.
Contrary to popular beliefs people understood the need for personal cleanliness. Even babies, who were wrapped in swaddling, were bathed regularly, but, sadly, approximately half of them died before they became adults.
Children were betrothed in infancy. The law allowed fourteen-year old boys and twelve-year old girls to marry, although co-habitation usually began when the wife was fourteen, an age at which pregnancy was encouraged.
After the age of five most of the peers’ sons and daughters went to another noble household to be brought up. At seven, boys destined for the church were tonsured and commenced a life of worship. Agricultural workers’ children worked in the fields from the same age. Craftsmen’s sons become apprentices when they were young, learned their trade and how to keep accounts. A child with a very low rank in society, who worked for a villein or poor franklin only received board and lodging.
In towns and country, the parish priest taught young children about the seven deadly sins. A surprising number of townswomen were literate. Nunneries might have poor be poor endowments, but they were keen to have schools and they educated as many girls as boys. There were formal schools in most towns but only for the minority who could afford the cost Cathedrals, Benedictine monasteries, and friaries often had schools attached to them, so did city churches. It was from such establishments that the clerks and clergy and the fourteen-year-old undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge were drawn. However, the custom was for private tutors to educate great lord’s offspring.
I believe most parents wanted the best for their children. Some parents refused to punish them. Others applied brutal punishment. There were many manuscripts with different advice about how to bring up the young. A common belief was that a good father would apply the rod to instil fear of breaking the law – from the age of seven a child could be hanged for theft. Some mothers beat their daughters until they cried for mercy. In some people’s opinion, a lenient parent was considered to neglect his or her duties. In such circumstances, although children were instructed to love and honour their parents it must have been impossible.
In the age of chivalry, boys worked from the age of seven and were liable to serve in an army from fifteen onward. At the battle of Crecy, sixteen-year old Prince Edward commanded the vanguard. Can you imagine such a young commander leading troops into battle in the 21st century?
I believe most parents wanted the best for their children. When those placed in other households came home several times a year to visit them. I like to imagine these were happy occasions. The third Edward and his queen, who loved their children, were never parted with them at home or abroad for longer than necessary.
To conclude, I cried when I read Gawain’s heart-breaking poem about his pearl, his precious daughter Marguerite, who died before she was two,

www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

http://bookswelove.net/authors/morris-rosemary


Fathers.

The Dos and Don'ts of Pitching Your Work by Nancy M Bell

To learn more about Nancy's books please click the cover above. Dead Dogs Talk is Book 2 of The Alberta Adventures and a worthy addition to Wild Horse Rescue. Now in pre-release.



What is a Pitch?
A pitch is short, concise presentation which can be given in person, over the phone, via Zoom, other similar platform, or in an email. Very rarely are pitches sent by snail mail anymore. The content introduces your story idea, the genre and word count. If given in person in a formal situation such as a writers conference or an in person meeting with an agent or editor you should have a hard copy to leave with them. All formal pitches should include your contact information.

Why should you pitch?
If you want to sell your story, you need to have a way to get the agent or editor interested. In order to be published traditionally or be represented by an agent you need to be able to give them a quick concise bit of information that will enable them to ascertain if what you are offering fits with their current requirements.

When Should you Pitch?
Now this is the sixty-million-dollar question.
The manuscript must be complete and polished before you even consider pitching.
Your manuscript should not only be completed, it should have been read by new eyes in the form of beta readers. These fresh eyes will pick up things the author misses. For example: time line issues, consistency of names or locations and spellings of names etc.
Then, before you consider pitching, the manuscript should be edited to the nth degree. You need to hire a good editor for this. No author can edit their own work successfully.
The presence of spelling errors, words used in the wrong context, missing quotation marks etc. indicate to the agent or acquisition editor that the author is either lazy or very inexperienced. Neither impression is going to get an offer of contract if indeed the author gets far.
You need to be prepared to produce your polished manuscript upon request. Nothing will turn the agent or editor off quicker than to go through the pitch process, ask for a part or full manuscript and discover that the manuscript in question is incomplete or ‘still with the editor’.

Do you need more than one pitch format?
Yes, for sure.
What if you run into your dream agent or acquisition editor in the elevator or God forbid the bathroom? You have a very limited amount of time to say “Hi, I’m so and so, I’ve been wanting to meet you. I have a that centres around that I think will interest you. Here’s my contact info (hand them your card complete with contact info and website etc). It was nice meeting you, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Then exit gracefully.
Your pitch in this instance should be a very short summary of what makes your book:
Unique
Striking
Fresh
Compelling
That’s the famous Elevator Pitch.
Do’s:
Write your pitch out. As many times as it takes to fine tune it.
Practice this pitch until you can recite it word perfect in 30 or 40 seconds. You will sound polished, confident and professional.
Be polite.
Be succinct and brief. Twenty words is perfect and certainly no more than fifty words.
Do remove everything from your book description except that part that most interests the reader.
Fox example: Harry Potter Orphan boy with magical powers goes to school for wizards.
Do smile.
Be pleasant- agents and editors are human- speak as you would to a casual friend. Not too familiar but not like you’re overwhelmed.
Do respect their personal space. It’s fine to be passionate about your work, but don’t get too close and invade their personal space.
Don’ts:
Don’t get wordy and longwinded - they will check out.
Don’t be pushy even a bit. It’s okay to be passionate but no one is comfortable caught in a confined space with someone who is clearly giving you the hard sell.
Don’t linger, or follow them off the elevator or out of the bathroom still pitching.
Don’t be flippant. Respect their attention and time they are giving you.
Don’t be touchy-feely. It’s fine to offer a hand shake (although not in these Covid-19 times) but no touching their arm to make a point.
You don’t need to explain all the granular aspects of your story line. You just want this Important Person to say, “Hey, that sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

The Formal In Person Pitch at a Conference.
In this instance you have a bit more time than the Elevator Pitch. Usually there is a ten or fifteen minute window scheduled for each pitch.
Create your pitch and revise it until it is clear, concise, to the point, polished and most important geared to hook the person’s interest you are pitching to. You’re fishing for that “Please tell me more” response and a request for either a part or full manuscript.
Once you’ve polished your pitch practice it. Practice in front of a mirror, practice on your friend or writers group, practice on your partner. Practice until you can recite it in your sleep. Be ready for any questions the agent or acquisition editor might ask. Be ready to sell yourself, have a concise answer in the back of your mind or questions like: Do you have anything published? If yes, be ready to answer if you are self or traditionally published. Don’t reel off along list of publications if you have them, stay succinct. “I have twelve novels published by . If they wish to know more, have a hard copy of all your bibliography ready to hand.
The agent/editor will know your name, but introduce yourself anyway when/as you sit down.
Remember to meet the agent/editor’s gaze without being too intense.
Smile.
Give your pitch- which should be short enough to allow time for the agent/editor to ask questions and for you to answer.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Be ready to discuss your marketing platform if the agent/editor is interested in asking about it. The same with your online presence and social media presence.
Regardless of the outcome of the pitch, be polite and thank the agent/editor as you take your leave. You never know when you might run across this same agent/editor in the future. Just because this pitch might not have been successful doesn’t mean a future pitch won’t be.
A point to remember: Agents/editors talk to each other. If you make a bad first impression with one agent/editor, it stands to reason they might remember that if another agent/editor mentions your name or a pitch you delivered to them in a positive light. If the first agent/editor shares their less than positive first impressions of you it will colour the second agent/editor’s opinion and might be the deciding factor in you receiving a request to submit or not.

The Formal Written Pitch- either via electronic means or snail mail.
This one is a bit less nerve wracking for the author. No face to face meeting where nerves can get the best of you. However, this also means everything you put before the agent/editor had better be letter perfect.
Your entire formal pitch or query should be one page. No longer. Agents and editors get multiple emails and hard copy pitch/queries. You need to get their attention and keep it quickly. Cardinal rule: Don’t be boring.


If you are querying different agents/editors then make sure when you copy and paste that you have the name and company right. No spelling errors, especially in a person’s name. perfect grammar and formatting.
You will need your pitch and a cover letter. You can combine the two as long as you are careful not to get too carried away.
Your cover letter should make it clear you are serious about writing and are passionate about it, that you are not seeing dollar signs flashing. If you are pitching your first novel but are working on a another that’s a good thing to include, so the agent/editor knows your not that one hit wonder ( or hope to be one hit wonder) and you’re in this for the long haul. Briefly list any contests, competitions you’ve entered, any articles published in magazines. What kind of networking you’ve done, attending writers festivals or conference, writing courses you’ve taken. Show them you are serious about writing as a business.
Make sure your pitch/query/manuscript conforms to the agent/editor’s requirements. For example if the information states TNR 12pt don’t send your manuscript in Calibri 10pt. Should it be double spaced, 1.5 or single spaced? Please don’t use hard tabs for indents, you can format your manuscript in Word to automatically indent. Failure to adhere to requested requirements is an immediate turn off to the person you are trying to impress.
Know the nuts and bolts of your work- be able to provide the basics in a few short lines- similar to the Elevator Pitch.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Your job is to sell yourself and your work.
Please don’t be flippant or attempt to be humorous. This is hopefully going to be a professional relationship, start as you mean to go forward. Don’t send pictures of your dog, or your kids, don’t send ‘presents’, no matter how innocent.
Do outline a marketing strategy and provide an overview of it. Please be sure you have one. That’s a whole other topic I’m not going to cover here.
Include information on your website, social media presence and any other information that would make you and your work more saleable. That might include education or professional contacts pertinent to the topic or genre of the work you are offering.
Be sure the work you are offering is consistent with what the agent/editor is interested in.
This is a job interview in a sense. Any sloppiness indicates to the person you are trying to impress that you are not someone who pays attention to detail, which in turn implies your work may be full of the same issues. If you display a lack of attention to detail in the all important initial contact it would follow that you are not a competent self-editor which is important. Not to say that you won’t need an editor, but as an agent or editor, you want to be confident the author is going to present you with a pretty clean and tight manuscript.
The hardest part of this pitch is the waiting. There most likely will not be a quick response. It will depend on a number of things, including how many submission emails are in the agent/editor’s inbox, along with whatever else they may be working on.
Make sure you read their website and take note of any expected response times that might be noted there. For example the agent/editor may indicate it may be 3 months, or six months for a reply. If that is the case, don’t email or contact them before that time is up. If after the specified time has elapsed, you can send a polite brief email asking for an update. Don’t nag, don’t bug, above all don’t be pushy.

Your Bio
Something else I should mention is the importance of a good author bio. You want to highlight your writing cred, past publications, awards won, competitions entered. You can include a bit of personal info, but don’t dwell on it. We don’t need to know your dog(s)’ names, or kids names. Keep it short and to the point and then you can include a bibliography below the short bio if needed or asked for.

I’ve whittled mine down over time. I was recently asked for one that was 50 words MAX.
This one was targeted for the editor of a poetry anthology in answer to a call for submission, so I removed anything that wasn’t pertinent to this particular instance.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Her work is included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century, Vistas of the West Anthology and by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program.

The earlier version was a bit longer and covers more info, but the anthology editor probably doesn’t care that I also facilitate workshops. And he specified a bio of 50 words or under, so you have to be able to cut to the quick without losing the information pertinent to this situation.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference, at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference, When Words Collide and Word on the Lake. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Recently her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. Her latest book Dead Dogs Talk will release in September 2020.


A Good Pitch
If in person- arrives on time-
Is targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor being pitched to
Is practiced and delivered confidently and professionally- if delivered in person
If by electronic means- copy sent to agent/editor is clean. Addressed to the correct person who’s name is spelled right. Copy is clear of spelling and grammatical errors and adheres to all submission guidelines.
Provides contact info clearly and easily found- you’d think this should be obvious, but you’d be surprised.
Gives a concise and succinct idea of what the work being pitched is about- the essence of your work, no long convoluted explanations-
Know what genre your work is- pick the ONE that most fits your work even if there are sub-genres involved
Gives an overview of your experience as a writer/author- publishing history- speaks intelligently about the publishing industry as a whole
Very brief overview of your marketing plans for the work at hand- social media/online presence
Wraps up in a timely and professional manner. Pitcher thanks the agent/editor for their attention etc
If in person- hand over your business card just before you leave.
A Bad Pitch
If in person- arrives late
Is not targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor- genre, word count, formatting
Is clearly not polished or practiced- fumbling for words- inability to answer questions
Inability to answer simple questions- i.e. What genre is your book? What is your word count?
Answers not straight and to the point, rambling on off topic or becoming too involved and convoluted to follow easily.
Uses unprofessional language and/or body language
Pitcher is abrupt or offhand or worse- defensive if hearing something they’d rather not
Going over the allotted time
Forgetting to say thank you and leaving gracefully
Failure to leave contact info- business card is best
Rudeness even if unintended- be aware of your body language and the tone of your words and how they are delivered.

If delivered by electronic means:
Addressed to wrong agent/editor OR name spelled wrong
Copy is not formatted to submission guidelines
Not carefully proof read- spelling and grammatical errors
Does not provide contact information OR it is hard to find
Does not provide some idea of author’s experience
No mention of any marketing strategy or social media/online presence
Rudeness- even if not intended- be aware of the tone of your words.
Incorrectly formatted
Genre not stated or clear


Until next month, stay well and happy.
Nancy www.nancymbell.ca

To learn more about Rosemary's work please click on the cover above.

Grace, Lady of Cassio

My novel, Grace, Lady of Cassio, The Lovages of Cassio, Book Two, the sequel to Yvonne, Lady of Cassio, will be published in October 2021.
At heart I am a historian, so my novels are rich in historical detail which requires intensive research. I am writing almost drowned by a sea of non-fiction books for research among which is The Perfect King, Edward 111, Father of the English Nation. Grace, Lady of Cassio, begins in 1330 England in the third year of Edward’s reign.
In this BWL insider blog and in future ones I shall share some of my research.

Contraception and Childbirth
Coitus interruptus was the only means of preventing contraception. The church regarded it as sinful. If the sinners confessed their penance might result in up to ten-year-fast. The church condemned contraception. It considered marriage was only for procreation and that the marital state was inferior to chastity. Moreover, the church only allowed intercourse to take place on Monday to Friday if there was not an obligatory fast or festival on one of those days.
Nevertheless, despite the Church’s strictures, it seems that various devices were used to prevent sperm entering the womb, amongst which the ancient use of melted beeswax, onion, or roots, continued. Also, the belief that a woman would not become pregnant while nursing a baby was an incentive to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Understandable when a wife might have a dozen or more babies.
Childbirth was dangerous for mother and baby. Pregnant women made their confession, received Holy Communion. No pain relief was available for women in travail. The church had no sympathy for the mother-to-be because Eve suffered without pain relief so they depended on superstition, Complicated rituals of childbirth such a knife under the birthing stool to cut the pain, prayers to St Margaret the patron saint of mothers, and a precious stone – a favourite was an eagle stone – bound around the mother’s thigh.
Queens, princesses, and noblewomen withdrew to their bedchambers six weeks prior to the confinement. Then, to avoid claims that the baby was a changeling gave birth in public. Midwives attended those who could afford to employ them, female relatives attended peasants. After the delivery, if the mother could spare the time, she stayed in her bedchamber for forty days. On the forty-first day, whatever her circumstances, to cleanse her of impurity, she went to church, where, in a special service she was cleansed of impurity believed to reside in her.
It is interesting to note the cost of a woman’s life in France. A person who murdered a woman was fined. For killing a woman who had passed the menopause. 100 livres (100 pounds). For a woman of child-bearing age. 200 livres. For a pregnant woman. 700 livres.

www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

http://bookswelove.net/authors/morris-rosemary

Murder in the Bedroom by Katherine Pym

 

Buy Here

~*~*~*~

Ready to do murder

Apparently, bedrooms are perfect for murder. The victim is usually already in a prone position (won’t fall and break anything). The victim is usually already asleep so there’s no resistance to their demise. The mattress will soak up the blood, if that’s the way a murderer wants to perform the act. All he or she has to do is cover up the dead body with blankets already on the bed. Easy-peasy. 

The kitchen below 'the room'.

Authors have often killed off a person in the bedroom. Take Anya Seton in her Dragonwyck. She used the oleander flower to brighten up a sick room. I’ve read this plant is extremely poisonous. Even if a bee takes its pollen, and you later gather honey from said bee’s nest, eat the honey, you can fall very ill. I haven’t heard if you can die from the honey, though. Anya Seton merely had her naughty protagonist set an oleander plant near his sick wife’s bed. The next morning she was dead. Very cleanly done. No blood. Her body was already covered with blankets. 

Is she dead?

 Back in the day (maybe even now), some innkeepers (sort of like the dastardly couple in the musical Les Mis) would kill a wealthy customer for the gold he/she carried. One couple who owned the Crane near Reading UK murdered wealthy patrons for years without getting caught. 

 

Their process was elaborate. They outfitted a bedroom located above the kitchen (nice and warm in the winters I expect, what with heat rising, so a coveted room). The innkeepers nailed the bed to a trapdoor located over a huge boiling caldron used to brew beer. When the trapdoor opened the poor victim fell off the bed into this boiling caldron, clothes and all, he never had a moment to cry out but would be immediately parboiled, then drowned (sort of like the play Sweeny Todd but with water). The innkeepers would mount a ladder into the bedroom, steal all his goods, and reset the trapdoor. The body would then be cast into a local river. 

That seems like a lot of hard work. 

Then Thomas Harding (another author) wrote of a woman whose husband continually imbibed. One night she couldn’t take it anymore and sewed her dead-drunk husband very tightly in the bedclothes. She unstitched him the following morning to find him quite expired. The coroners said it was a stroke. On her wedding night with her next husband, she very casually told him what she had done. I’d wager he didn’t sleep well that night. 

Ready for the plunge

There are many bedrooms that are ghost ridden due to suicides, murders, and just plain natural deaths. There was a time when if you tried to sell your home, the estate agent would ask if anyone died there. If you answered yes, the house would be difficult to sell. So, what do you say? 

 

Nothing, and do sleep well, tonight. 

 

Post Script: The Ostrich Inn near Heathrow Airport has the same stories. You can decide where to stay and see how haunted these inns are. 

~*~*~*~

 

Many thanks to: Warm & Snug, The History of the Bed, by Lawrence Wright, First published 1962 by Routledge & Keagan Paul, Ltd. England

Pictures come from Wikicommon, public domain

The Ship's Captain - Master of a Wooden World by A.M.Westerling

Sophie's Choice, Book 1 of The Ladies of Harrington House is available at all your favorite online stores HERE.

*****

I tend to write a lot about sailing ships, captains and sea voyages. I don’t know why other than I do love the ocean and I think it has something to do with living in a landlocked city. Plus life at sea during the Regency era strikes me as being quite romantic although I’m sure the reality is that it was anything but what with cramped quarters run over with cockroaches and rats, insect infested food and brackish water!

Right now I’m working on Leah’s Surrender. Leah is Sophie's sister and my hero is Heath Trevelyan, a captain in the British Royal Navy during the French and English wars at the turn of the 19^th century. At that time, the British Navy was the largest and most powerful in the world and very proficient in fighting at sea. “Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves” was certainly an apt phrase.

Being a captain was a position of great social prestige. A captain could count on a good marriage as a result and once his days at sea were over, he might end his career as a justice of the peace of perhaps even a member of parliament. Navy officers were generally drawn from the “gentlemen class”, especially the titled or the wealthy although it wasn’t unknown for talented individuals from the middle class to also achieve that rank. Sons of peers achieved the rank of officer more quickly. Therefore, the Navy became the choice for younger brothers of the aristocracy such as Heath, who is a second son.

Captains were generally all-powerful and kept to themselves but to attract a competent crew, along with good social contacts, they also needed bravery, keen wits, experience, a fair and unprejudiced mind and of course, luck.

You wouldn't find the captain crawling in the rigging:

The quartermaster and not the captain usually took the wheel:

If you were promoted to captain, it helped to be rich. He needed credit and money to provide the necessities such as weapons, furniture for his cabin and costly braided uniforms. As well, he needed funds to buy supplies at foreign ports and to pay for enlistment bounties. These last expenses were recovered from the Navy at the end of each voyage, but it could take years to settle the accounts. Consequently, some captains found themselves promoted into debt. However, if you were born wealthy, these financial matters didn’t impact you. Of course, a single valuable prize recovered during battle might keep any officer comfortable for the rest of his life.

At sea and as a reflection of his financial status, a captain could bring whatever he liked on board. Some cabins were opulent, full of silks, art and silver, their tables spilling over with fine foods. Crew liked serving rich captains because in an effort to improve their popularity, they would provide luxury items or extra amounts of necessities, which came out of the captain’s pocket.  

Once an officer became a captain, the size of the ship determined his promotion up the ranks as well as his level of pay. His date of commission established his eventual promotion to admiral. Only his death could prevent him reaching the status of rear admiral unless he managed to get dismissed from the Navy either by manipulating the books or blatant dereliction of duty.

So all in all, things are looking promising for Captain Heath Trevelyan and Lady Leah Harrington. You can read their story in Leah’s Surrender, Book 2 of my Regency series, The Ladies of Harrington House, coming soon from BWL Publishing!

First Draft Completed! by Eileen O'Finlan

Click here for purchase information

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After more than a year of research and writing, I've finally completed a first draft of Erin's Children! I am so happy with how this story came out and can't wait to share it with readers. 

Of course, a first draft is just that – a FIRST draft. Now I'm on to editing and revising, painstakingly looking for all the grammatical and typographical errors, making sure the story line never went astray, and that characters I was just getting to know when I first began didn't suddenly act out of character in later chapters. Flow and continuity, word choice, story and character arcs – all these things must be running smoothly throughout the entire story. The purpose of the editing and revision phase of novel writing is to make sure they do.

Still, having an entire first draft completed is a huge relief despite all the work yet to come. Two of the most gratifying words an author can type are “The End.” The only better two words, at least in this author's opinion, are “Chapter One.”

Barkerville Beginnings, Book Four of BWL Publishing's Canadian Historical Brides Collection

A single mother running from her past and a viscount running from scandal meet in the rough and tumble gold rush town of Barkerville. (Available at your favourite online store HERE.)

***** 

Four years ago, my wonderful publisher BWL Publishing invited me to participate in a project in honour of Canada’s 150^th birthday. The Canadian Historical Brides Collection is comprised of twelve books, one for every province and territory and each book is the story of a bride who contributed to the building of Canada. Our only stipulation was that the book had to be a blend of fact and fiction.

(You can find the entire collection on the BWL Publishing website HERE)

Each participating author could choose which province they wanted to write about and I was lucky enough to snag British Columbia. I say lucky, as British Columbia is one of our favourite vacation destinations and it wasn’t too difficult to come up with a location in which to place my story. Eventually I decided on the ghost town of Barkerville that sprang into existence during the Cariboo gold rush. My husband and I have visited there a couple of times over the years and I thought it would be a wonderful setting for the story of Rose and her little girl Hannah, and Harrison.

After gold was discovered in 1861 in Williams Creek in the Cariboo, thousands of men and women made the trek up the Fraser River, through the Fraser Canyon, north to what is now Quesnel and from there east into Barkerville. At one time, this town was thought to be the largest settlement west of Chicago, with an estimated population of 10,000! With such a large influx of people, in 1861 the Royal Engineers were given the task of building the Cariboo Road. By 1865, the road made it possible for mule trains, freight wagons and stage coaches to serve central British Columbia. When completed, it was considered one of the wonders of the world. Today you can still see remnants of the road just outside of Lytton.

As an author of one of the Canadian Historical Brides books, I had to incorporate real people so I did. ie Wa Lee, who gives Rose a job in his laundry, Judge Begbie, (known as “The Hanging Judge” and doesn’t that tweak your interest!), Madame Fannie Bendixon, the hotelier and saloon keeper (who may or may not have run a brothel!) who also offers Rose a job, Dr. Wilkinson who treats the injured leg of Rose’s daughter Hannah, and Wellington Delaney Moses, the barber, because Harrison needed a shave after being out in the gold fields.

I’ve been to Barkerville so I wanted to mention the lonely grave you drive past on your way in from Quesnel. Here is Rose’s impression as she passes by:

The wagon slowed as the road neared a fenced grave, enough that Rose could read the headboard: Charles Morgan Blessing.

“Lonely spot to be buried,” Harrison commented and he doffed his hat as they drove past.

Rose nodded. “It is.” A chill tiptoed down her back at the forlorn sight, a reminder of the fragility of life in this wilderness. She craned her neck for one last glimpse before the road twisted away.

I was also quite taken with the wooden sidewalks so of course I had to mention those as well:

 “Looks like we’ve arrived,” said Harrison as a cluster of buildings came into view. Once again the mules, sensing the end of a long day, picked up their pace and the wagon bounced and rattled down the last little bit of the Cariboo Trail.

Rose hadn’t known what to expect but her first view left her numb. This was Barkerville? The town that gold built? This jumble of wooden, mostly single story buildings tottering on stilts alongside a wide, muddied creek? Surrounded by steep hills stripped bare of trees? How unattractive, brutally so.

The road through town was in poor shape, rutted and puddled with patches of drying mud. In consideration for pedestrians, raised wooden walkways fronted every building like planked skirts. Rose could only conclude the creek must flood frequently. Her poor boots, already soaked through once since embarking on the trip, would certainly be put to the test here.

The closer they came, the more her heart sank. What had she got themselves into?

Here are a couple of pictures of Barkerville today. The second picture gives you a good idea of the wooden sidewalks. 

As an author of historical romance, it’s my job to place my readers in the proper time frame and I hope I’ve accomplished that in Barkerville Beginnings!