Ding-dang Ruthless Justice by Katherine Pym

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Cromwell's Death Mask

Over the centuries, public executions were entertainment. Crowds gathered en masse to watch these events. They brought their children and baskets of food. They picnicked and laughed.

Justice would not allow a guilty person to escape his sentence. One such fellow condemned to be hanged found a way to escape when brought to the gallows.

As the magistrates hauled the poor fellow to the hanging tree, his legs shackled, the condemned man dodged a guard and scampered away. The crowd impeded the goalers from catching him. He ran down the hill and jumped into the river. The weight his restraints pulled him under and he drowned.

Not content to have the prisoner die before being properly hanged, the authorities hauled him sopping wet and completely dead, back to the noose, and there hanged him with his fellow prisoners. They did this during the French Revolution, too, threw a dead person in the tumbril to suffer the same fate as those around him. Guillotined, the most humane way to go, or so it is reported.

Enter Oliver Cromwell, who succumbed to what experts feel was malarial fever on the proverbial dark and stormy night in Whitehall, Sept 3^rd, 1658. His enemies described the storm as the devil dragging the great saint to hell.

John Bradshaw

Cromwell’s men wanted a sumptuous funeral that would rival King James I’s. They gutted and embalmed him, his coffin filled with spices, but for some reason his body rapidly decayed. It was reportedly so putrid that the body ruptured, leaving a horrendous miasma which leaked through the seams of the coffin.

Henry Ireton

This left no opportunity for Cromwell to lay in state or be paraded through the city. He was buried quickly in Westminster Abbey alongside England’s kings and queens. Later, to appease the populace, an effigy replaced the body for viewing. An empty coffin was hauled through the city streets.

In 1660, King Charles II returned from exile. He did not seek utter reprisal, but he could not let those who killed his father escape without some sort of comment.

Tyburn Gallows

Of the 59 regicides who signed the death warrant, 39 were alive at the Restoration. Of these, several were in self-exile, a few exonerated. Of those executed, some met a grisly end.

Really horrible so I won’t bother telling the details but I’ll tell you the following:

Three high on the list to meet justice were Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton, & John Bradshaw, all dead and buried in Westminster Abbey. Their bodies were ordered exhumed, hanged and beheaded.

King Charles I at his trial

January 30^th, 1661 (Gregorian calendar), they were pulled from their resting places and dragged to Tyburn. Since Cromwell’s burial had been so regal, his body wrapped in a thick shroud, it took several strikes of the axe to behead him. The three dead men swung from the gallows, then beheaded, their bodies shoved in unmarked graves beneath Tyburn. Their heads were impaled on pikes and set on the roof of the Westminster, where they remained for 20-30 years. One night, during another dark and stormy night, Cromwell’s head was struck by lightning, which fell to the ground and was spirited away.

There are several stories about where the head bounced. 

In the ensuing years, Cromwell’s head was considered a conversation piece put on display. Men of knowledge considered the head more than likely genuine. It is rumored someone finally put it in a biscuit tin and buried it. One source states it was interred in 1960 in Cromwell’s old college chapel, its exact location concealed. 

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Many thanks to Wikicommons, Public domain &

http://bcw-project.org/biography/oliver-cromwell

http://bcw-project.org/biography/henry-ireton

http://bcw-project.org/biography/john-bradshaw

Writing Styles by J. S. Marlo

J. S. Marlo BWL Author Page

Planner vs Pantser. These two different types of writers are more than likely familiar to you. A planner is a writer who plans her entire story from start to end—the key plot, the subplots, the characters, the settings, etc—before writing the first word. At the other end of the writing spectrum is the pantser who develops her story as she writes—she flies by the seat of her pants, therefore pantser. I'll admit I started as a true pantser, but after writing myself in a corner on one too many occasions,  I
began thinking ahead. I grew into an hybrid. A Plantser. Before I start writing a new novel, I plan my key plot and major characters, then the magic of writing takes over. These characters introduce me to my minor characters and create their own subplots. I know what you're thinking. They are all figments of my imagination, except they are not. As the story progresses, these characters take a mind of their own.  After 15,000 words or so, they stop dancing to my tune. They will object if I make them do something that is out of character. Very frustrating!

Regardless of how much planning you did, or didn't do, you will eventually start writing. Most writers will write following some sort of chronological order—first scene first, second scene second...last scene last—while others may decide to write farther or random scenes when creativity strikes them. I did that once. I wrote a scene that was stuck in my head but wouldn't occur until two chapters later. Well, by the time I arrive at that part of the story, my characters had taken a left turn and the pre-written scene no longer fitted the story. From then on, I kept things linear, though I found myself going back and adding in-between scenes.

Now, let's get down to writing a scene. Some write by layers. First, they put the skeleton of the scene down on paper (or computer)—basic dialogues and basic descriptions. Once they finish, they go back, extend the dialogue and added more physical details—"I visited my grandmother." becomes "I visited my grandmother Edna. She's eight-five years old but doesn't look a day older than sixty-five".—They  sat in a coffee shop. becomes Seated on plastic yellow chairs at the local coffee shop, they sipped on their latte while catching up. Once they finished writing that second layer, they go back at the beginning again and add a third layer (like what or how the characters feel), and a fourth layer (like what their other senses pick up...a smell, an unusual sound...), until the scene is complete. Some writers extend the layer technique to the story, not just the scene. They write the skeleton of the entire story first. Go back and write the first layer until they reach the end. Go back again and add another layer...They don't waste time trying to pack everything in and everything right at the same time.

Some argue that writing in layers is more efficient than trying to write full sentence packed with all the details on the first attempt. They may have a point, but some writers need the full weight of the previous scenes in order to move to the next one. I'm one of them. I visualize each scene, so everything I see in my mind must be included in my scene before I can write the next one. I need to know the house is red, and not a TBD (To Be Determined) color. It also means I can stay stuck on a single sentence for half an hour if i don't feel I got it right. The advantage of packing everything in one shot is that my first draft will closely resemble my finish product. I will still make some changes as I reread it a second, fourth, and fifth time, but those changes will be minor.
 As you can see, there are no magical formulas when it comes to writing. Every writer has her/his unique way of writing. There are no wrong ways, just many different ways. The trick is to find the one that is right for you.

Happy plotting & writing!

JS

 J. S. Marlo's Website

November New Releases and Books We Love Updates

Have you entered our winter contest yet? 

It's very simple to enter, just visit our website, tell us how you found BWL Publishing Inc. and submit your entry form.  The prizes are fantastic and the chances to win are great as we only promote our contests to book enthusiasts, readers and authors.  Click the poster to be taken directly to our website where you can enter now.

http://bookswelove.net

First prize - a Kobo or Kindle Ebook reader

Second prize - SIX BWL Author eBooks of your choice

Third - a print copy of the first book in our Canadian Historical Brides series, Brides of Banff Springs (featuring the ghost brides from the world famous Fairmont Banff Spring Hotel in the Canadian Rockies)

The contest entry form is on our main web page - just scroll down the page and fill out the easy submission form  http://bwlpublishing.ca/


November's new releases include the following - each book is linked to the Author's BWL webpage, and buy links from your favorite bookstore will be added as soon as the books release.



                   

For those of you with your own Blogs, we highly recommend that super supportive marketing gurus at Feedspot.  We use them to spread the word about our BWL Insider Blog and they're doing a great job.  Click the link below, visit their website and see if you don't agree with us this is one great place to list your Blog.  While you're there, please be sure and add the BWL Insider Blog to your list of favorites.

 https://blog.feedspot.com/bookreview_blogs/  

Dade Tanner and his old flame, Kerrah, have some serious unfinished business between them - a five-year love affair that came to an abrupt halt one terrible night. Now it’s ten years later and she’s back – but the rules have changed, dramatically. She is not welcome on the ranch, accused of an ulterior motive to return since the family patriarch, Buck Tanner’s bout with ill health. Nevertheless she fights to stay in the one place that has ever felt like home.

However the Tanners have locked horns in a power play, and Dade’s older brother, Virgil, is a sinister force that threatens not only Kerrah, but the very future of the JW Tanner Ranch. Who will survive Virgil’s private game of greed and vengeance?  Click the link below to purchase from your favorite retailer

http://books2read.com/Gold-Digger-Among-Us

The Shipton history is—well—complicated. Some families have a guardian angel. The Shiptons have a guardian ancestor, one who jumps right in, boots first, whenever one of her girls has a problem. Of course, Mother Shipton’s girls aren’t always limited by blood ties. They’re connected by power, shared and used wisely.

That power needs to get busy, too, or Katherine’s oilman fiancé is going to disappear for good in the Gulf of Mexico, Katherine’s best friend Sylvia is never going to reconnect with her childhood soul mate, and Irene’s world champion saddle bronc rider fiancé Matt Dillon (yep, that’s his real name) might end up under the hooves of one of those bucking broncos. It’s a good thing Mother has back-up in the form of Lillian Shipton, this era’s family troubleshooter. The spider-web of trouble stretching between these three modern Sisters of Prophecy might be too much for even a time-traveling guardian like Mother Shipton to handle on her own!    http://books2read.com/Sisters-of-Prophecy

Marina Standen, a celebrated pianist, comes to the small town of Otter Lake to live with her sister, Rochelle, to recover from a near-drowning after her car plunged through the ice of a frozen lake. The accident left her comatose for several months and now she suffers from amnesia and the haunting danger of suicide her doctors warned her about. She refuses to believe them.

Trent Vargason’s seven-year-old daughter, Sophie, is blind following an accident that killed her mother and baby brother, three years previously. The child’s selective mutism is the result of the trauma she endured.Trent moves to Otter Lake so that Sophie can be near her maternal grandparents.

On Christmas Day Marina accompanies her sister to church. She has to refuse the pastor’s invitation to play for the service but eventually sits at the organ. Music springs from under her fingers, although she doesn’t know what she is playing. Her memory is just a blank.  On hearing the music, Sophie speaks for the first time since the accident, but immediately lapses into silence again. Marina agrees to give the little girl piano lessons, partly in the hope of relearning her own music. Sophie forms a close bond with Rochelle’s dog Kimnik.

Life in a small northern Prairie town is filled with human drama. Marina struggles to recover her memory. Trent,who harbors overpowering guilt over his wife’s death, vowed to remain faithful to her memory but is captivated by Marina. When Marina suggests that Sophie has some vision, life is turned upside down. An unpleasant and traumatic incident unlocks Sophie’s self-inflicted punishment. She had believed she was responsible for her mother and brother’s deaths. 
https://books2read.com/The-Magic-of-Music

Madeleine Shaw is desperate - desperate enough to pawn the precious locket left to her by her beloved grandmother. Her father has died suddenly leaving enormous debts and his former business partner, Ralph Newman, is demanding payment. If she marries him the debt will be wiped out – a perfect solution thinks her ailing mother. But Madeleine will not marry for money. Besides, she has fallen in love with Naval Lieutenant Stephen Harker, a friend of her late brother, who rescues her from a would-be thief.

However, Stephen will be off to sea again soon and Madeleine determines to put him out of her mind and concentrate on solving her family’s financial problems. Women in the early 20th century were not supposed to start up their own business – that was men’s work. But Madeleine will not let anything stand in the way of her enterprise.  http://books2read.com/Madeleines-Enterprise