July New Releases from BWL Publishing Inc.

An exciting mix of historical Australia, West Texas Mysteries and Science Fiction for your July reading pleasure.  Visit our BWL Publishing Inc. website and click the covers to purchase from your favorite bookstores.

My New 19th Century BFFs

                                                       Click here to purchase
                                                       Click here for Eileen O'Finlan's website

I’ve been making new friends as I research and write the sequel to Kelegeen. My latest BFFs are two prominent 19th century ladies – Catharine E. Beecher and Lydia Maria Child. Both wrote prolifically on several subjects, but for my purposes it’s their works on domestic science and cookery that are of particular interest.                                                          Catharine E. Beecher                            1869 Edition of The American Woman's Home or Domestic Science                                     by Catharine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe Readers may not realize how much goes into the research of historical novels. Sure the author has to know the general history of the time – what was happening politically, economically, internationally, etc., but often even more important is knowledge of how people lived their everyday lives.  What did they eat and how did they prepare it? What did they wear? Did they purchase their clothing or make their own? How did they address one another? How did they celebrate holidays? What items did they have in their homes and, for that matter, what kind of homes did they live in? And just how much is that ubiquitous 19th century unit of measure, a hogshead? (64 gallons as it turns out). The questions go on and on.  Fortunately, the answers can be found in books written in or near the time period (in my case 1850s New England). Specifically, I’ve been enjoying The American Woman’s Home or Domestic Science co-authored by Catharine E. Beecher and her younger half-sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe of Uncle Tom’s Cabin fame and The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child. Both Beecher and Child wrote with self-assurance and the occasional strong opinion.  Besides learning all about home economics of the 19th century, the reader also absorbs insights into the thinking of these women and their contemporaries. Though some entries seem quaint, others have had a “hey, that’s a good idea” effect on me.  I wish I could meet these two exceptional ladies, but as that is impossible, I’m happy to settle for getting to know them through the writings they’ve left behind.

Nova Scotia Ghosts

Ghost Stores – how true are they?

 Although the stories of women are scarce, there is an unlimited supply of ghost stories for the Maritime Provinces. They comprise a collection of forerunners, apparitions, and other-worldly events. Forerunners foretell a death. They include:

 

• three knocks on the door with no one outside
• visions of a relative seen in the night
• ghostly figures following you on the road
• non-existent figures are seen in a rear-view mirror
• footsteps heard on the stairs with no one there
• footprints are seen on a floor where no one has walked
• the sound of a vehicle arriving but no one is there

Usually, forerunners are followed by the death of a family member or friend often before that person has reached a ripe old age.

For two real ghost stories of this generation, told to me by a reliable source, visit my blog on A Plethora of Ghosts

Stories of ghostly events and their outcomes are available in many books. 

 (The Books are linked to Amazon.ca if you would like the book.)

 The most famous eastern story collector is Helen Creighton whose books, Bluenose Ghosts, are well known.

 I've also shivered to the Ghost Stories of authors like Vernon Oickle.

 

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