Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Queen Anne Stuart Part Two ~ The Cinderella Princess by Rosemary Morris
Click on the cover to discover more about this title and Rosemary's other titles.
Author’s Note My novel, Far Beyond Rubies, in which the heroine is another Cinderella, is set in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign 1702 – 1714.
Princess Anne’s mother died. Her father, James, Duke of York, had taken the unpopular decision to become a Roman Catholic. Her uncle, the childless King Charles II, knew politics demanded his heirs, Anne and her elder sister, Mary, be raised in the Protestant faith. He appointed Lady Frances Villiers, a committed Anglican, as their governess and leased Richmond Palace to Frances and her husband.
The princesses benefited from country air and were privileged to live by the Thames in the days when due to bad roads the river was of great importance.
Anne’s indulgent father visited his daughters regularly, showered them with gifts and often stayed for several nights at Richmond Palace. Yet all was not well with the family. In 1673, due to the Test Act, which excluded anyone who did not take communion in the Anglican Church from public office, James was forced to resign as Lord High Admiral and to give up all his other official positions. In that age of fervent religious allegiances, I wonder what effect religious controversy had on Anne, a stubborn child.
What did Anne think when her father married fifteen-year-old Mary of Braganza? History relates that James was captivated by his bride. Looking at a copy of her portrait, I’m not surprised. She was tall with a good figure, jet black hair, a fair skin and large eyes that her contemporaries at court described as ‘full of sweetness and light’. The proud bridegroom introduced his new wife to his daughters as a ‘playmate’, but Anne formed a bond, not with her stepmother, whose children would be raised in the Roman Catholic faith, but with vivacious Sarah Churchill, who would have such a profound influence on Anne’s life.
Motherless Anne, a Protestant ‘Cinderella’ of her era, has all the ingredients of a fictional heroine, but – a member of the tragic Stuart family - what would she make of her life?
Extract from Far Beyond Rubies
Chapter One
1706
“Bastards, Juliana! You and your sister are bastards.”
Aghast, Juliana stared at William, her older half-brother, although, not for a moment did she believe his shocking allegation.
It hurt her to confront William without their father at her side. At the beginning of April, she and Father were as comfortable as ever in his London house. Now, a month later, upon her return to her childhood home, Riverside House, set amongst the rolling landscape of Hertfordshire, his body already lay entombed in the family crypt next to her mother’s remains. Would there ever be a day when she did not mourn him? A day when she did not weep over his loss?
A cold light burned in the depths of William’s pebble-hard eyes.
Juliana straightened her neck. She would not bow her head, thus giving him the satisfaction of revealing her inner turmoil.
William cleared his throat. His eyes gleamed. “Did you not know you and your sister were born on the wrong side of the blanket?”
Anger welled up in her. “You lie. How dare you make such a claim?”
Hands clasped on his plump knees, William ignored her protestation. “You now know the truth about your whore of a mother,” he gloated.
Well, she knew what William claimed, but did not believe him. “You are wicked to speak thus. My mother always treated you kindly.”
“As ever, you are a haughty piece.” William’s broad nostrils flared. Anger sparked in his eyes. “My dear sister, remember the adage: ‘Pride goes before a fall’. However, do not look so worried. I shall not cast you out without the means to support yourself.”
William rang the silver handbell. When a lackey clad in blue and gold livery answered its summons, he ordered the man to pour a glass of wine.
Juliana watched William raise the crystal glass to his lips. What did he mean? How could she maintain herself and her sister? She had not been brought up to earn a living.
She looked away from her half-brother to glance around the closet, the small, elegantly furnished room in which she kept her valuables and conducted her private correspondence before her father’s death.
Now it seemed, William, the seventh Baron Kemp, and his wife, Sophia, had sought to obliterate every trace of her by refurbishing the closet. Where were her books and her embroidery frame? Where was Mother’s portrait? Rage burned in the pit of her stomach while she looked around her former domain. Juliana wanted to claw William’s fat cheeks. It would please her to hurt him as he was hurting her. No, that wish was both childish and unchristian. She must use her intelligence to defeat him.
Five Star Review of Far Beyond Rubies
By
Janet Glaser
When reading Far Beyond Rubies, I felt I had stepped into the 18th century. Ms Morris has done her homework to bring us such a rich story with all the historic background and social graces of the era. I especially loved her description of the gentlemen's fancy outfits. They dressed as brightly as male peacocks and wore make-up and wigs that even outshone the ladies of the day.
The dialogue filled with authentic words used in that time period and the way her characters expressed themselves added to the enjoyment of the story telling. I read the book on my Kindle and truly appreciated the dictionary just a click away to find the definition of the words used in that time period.
I wasn't familiar with the history of England, so I enjoyed learning about kings, queens, and politics etc. The author made it easy to understand. The sweet romance was filled with interesting characters and so many secrets.
I would recommend this book for lovely escape reading and for the historical value.
About Rosemary Morris
Writing a novel is a solitary occupation. Every day, I am alone with my desktop working for at least eight hours, When I am not thus engaged, I read and post e-mails, write blogs, deal with business and study historical non-fiction to research the romantic historical novel which I am writing. I visit places of historical interest to convey the lives and times of the characters in my novels. The protagonists in my tales of times past are not 21sr characters in costume.
As a historical novelist I don’t think it is possible to portray every minute fact about the past accurately, but I have a responsibility my readers to thoroughly research the era in which my novels are set. In addition to reading non-fiction and making detailed notes, I visit libraries, museums, stately homes and other places of historical interest.
When my words flow well, I am tempted to work for many hours without a break. That would be detrimental. Writing is mentally and physically tiring, so I have a five-minute break every hour, during which I stretch and exercise my eyes. If the weather permits, I work in my organic garden. I also visit the health suite at the leisure centre to enjoy the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Water aerobics are beneficial, but I’m not keen on the loud modern music played to encourage the participants to keep up the pace.
I don’t want to be a writer in a garret but sometimes I wish I lived in an ivory tower with nothing to distract me from my imaginary companions. However, the daily chores, cleaning, washing clothes, shopping etc., keep my feet on the ground, so does time with family and friends.
Novels by Rosemary Morris
Early 18th Century novels: Tangled Love, Far Beyond Rubies, The Captain and The Countess
Regency Novels False Pretences, Sunday’s Child, Monday’s Child, Tuesday’s Child, Wednesday’s Child and Thursday’s Child. Friday’s Child to be published in June 2019
Mediaeval Novel Yvonne Lady of Cassio. The Lovages of Cassio Book One
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk
http://bookswelove.net/authors/morris-rosemary
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
The Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury by Katherine Pym
What better way than something different for Christmas:
Buy Here |
~*~*~*~*~
Sir Thomas Overbury |
Love
all the intrigue in the courts of kings. One particular one rivals the death of
Rasputin, also a courtier murder. This is of Sir Thomas Overbury, a poet and
essayist. He was verbal in what he believed whether or not it offended anyone.
September
1613, Tower of London
Part of
King James VI & I’s court, Sir Thomas was great friends with Robert Carr, Viscount
Rochester, later the Earl of Somerset. They met in Scotland as young men and
became fast friends.
Rumour
has buzzed about the head of King James re: his preference to pretty men even
as he married and fathered children. Word has it he enjoyed planting wet kisses
on his favourites’ lips, all male.
King Jas VI & I |
His
favour fell onto Robert Carr who had literally fallen off his horse and broke a
leg in front of the king. Even as Robert became the king’s favourite, Thomas
did not mind. As a courtier in the Court of King James, he knew his limitations.
Enter
Lady Frances Howard, Countess of Essex, already married. She set her sights on
Robert Carr, something Sir Thomas did not appreciate. He was a misogynist,
filled with ambition and a sharp edged tongue. He did not like Frances and let
everyone know about it. His slander grew wearisome. Lady Frances continued her
conquest of Sir John despite Thomas’ spreading vitriol, but her hate simmered. She
schemed.
Sir
Thomas had been thrown in the Tower of London by King James for declining the
ambassadorship to a court in Russia. It was not long before he became very ill
by what was called an infectious disease, and died Sept 15, 1613.
Sir Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset |
Now,
for the rest of the story.
Lady
Frances planned a diabolical murder. She almost got away with it when the
ruling came down Overbury had died of an illness, but 2 years later, suspicion
fell on hers and Somerset’s heads.
Here’s
where Overbury paralleled Rasputin. He would not die for the longest while.
Overbury
was poisoned with aquafortis (nitric acid), white arsenic, mercury, powder of
diamond, lapis cortilus (I cannot find a modern translation of this), great
spiders, and cantharides (Spanish fly). The arsenic was mixed in his salt. Once
he desired pig for dinner, and Lady Frances’ accomplice added lapis cortilus to
it. Another time, he wanted 2 partridges for dinner and cantharides were used
instead of pepper. When that failed he was given “poisoned enema containing
copper vitriol (sulfuric acid).
Sir
Thomas Overbury finally died.
Lady Essex, later Countess of Somerset |
Justice
served: Everyone involved in the murder was executed except Lady Frances and
Sir Robert. Their punishments were commuted to the confiscation of their
property and imprisonment for some years in the Tower.
~*~*~*~*~
Many
thanks to:
Timbs,
John, FSA. The Romance of London: Strange
Stories, Scenes and Remarkable Persons of the Great Town, Vol. I., Frederick
Warne & Co., London.
And:
Labels:
#BWLAuthorsBlog,
17th century London,
King James I,
Lady Essex,
Murder by poison,
Sir Robert Carr,
Sir Thomas Overbury
Author of historical novels set in 1660's London with one novel of the French Revolution.
Monday, December 3, 2018
“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” by Diane Bator
Visit Diane Bator's BWL author page for information and purchase links to her Gilda Wright and Wild Blue Mysteries series
I’m not afraid to say it. “A Christmas
Story” is not one of my favorite holiday movies. Not even in the top ten. Yet,
not only do I write, my day job is at a live-stage theatre and this Christmas
our big show is “A Christmas Story.” Not only do I have to deal with it, I have
to sell it.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story,
our version is set in 1953 (the original was set in the 1930s) and is a
flashback to nine-year-old Ralphie’s wish to get a Red Ryder BB gun for
Christmas. The mantra of the play is “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” Nothing will
stop him from making his parents, his teacher, and Santa aware of his
obsession.
Funny, I was just thinking how Ralphie
would make a great writer! We’re all obsessed with our work.
Part of my job is to bring a taste of our
current show down to my domain – the box office. This year, my little Christmas
tree is covered in “A Christmas Story” themed decorations. Ten people have
commented how great and creative it is, but there’s always that one…
One person found two of the items on my
little tree offensive. A target with Ralphie and the words, “You’ll shoot your
eye out, kid” and a smaller one that reads, “I want an official Red Ryder BB
Gun.” At the time, I took them both off
the tree because she’s a friend and was very adamant about them not being a
part of my Christmas tree.
Then I reconsidered. I didn’t want to be
censored and it made me think about how we are censored as writers. Not by
society, per se, but by our own beta readers, friends, and family when they
give us feedback about things they find offensive in our work.
If one person makes a comment about a
certain part of my book, I’ll consider their opinion, but if it gets past my
editor several times, I no longer worry about it. If several people make the
same comment, then I know it’s a bigger issue. Sometimes I’ll panic and start
to wonder if I’m writing in the wrong genre or need different beta readers! In
the end, I’ll be able to smooth things over so they are acceptable, yet still
get my idea across.
One thing I have learned through seven novels
and several editors: You can never make
everyone happy. What I may find funny, someone else may take literally. We all
have different perspectives. All you need to do is peruse Facebook to figure
that out.
For the record, I’ve hung those little
ornaments back on my tree and I’m looking forward to seeing the performance.
Someone triple dog dared me…
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Under the Christmas Tree by J. S. Marlo
December is my favorite month of the year. I love the decorations, the lights, and mostly the atmosphere. It seems people are friendlier, more helpful. Despite the larger crowds, I enjoy shopping for that perfect gift that will light up someone's eyes.
When my kids were little, I followed my own rule of thumb when it came to Christmas gifts: a pajama, a puzzle, a toy, a stuffy, and a book. They were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve: the pajama, which they wore that night. Then on Christmas Day, they either started the book or the puzzle. They are grown up now, but that same rule of thumb now applies to my granddaughter. It wasn't something I'd read somewhere or that was passed down from generations, but then a few weeks back I saw that post on Facebook.
My curiosity was piqued, so I browsed the Internet to see if I could find out more about this delightful Christmas tradition.
"Jólabókaflóð" or "Yule Book Flood" originated during World War II when foreign
imports were restricted, but paper was cheap. Iceland’s population was
not large enough to support a year-round publishing industry, so book
publishers flooded the market with new titles in the final weeks of the
year.
Icelanders open their presents on Christmas Eve, so most of them end the evening by settling down with one of their gifted books. According to Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurðardótti, books remain the number one Christmas present in Iceland and it’s considered a total flop Christmas if you do not get a book.
Fun & interesting facts:
- Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country
- One in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime
- In Iceland, the holiday season officially kicks off with the delivery of the Bokatidindi—a catalogue of every new book published in Iceland
- In 2011, ReykjavÃk (Iceland's capital) was designated a UNESCO City of Literature
While giving books is not unique to Iceland, the tradition of
exchanging books on Christmas Eve and then spending the evening reading
is becoming a cultural phenomenon... a relaxing and charming tradition, even more so when it's cold and snowing outside.
So this Christmas Eve, I'm contemplating getting a new book, a box of chocolate, a cup of hot cocoa, and spending the night reading by the fireplace.
JS
Labels:
# Books We Love,
#JSMarlo,
books,
Christmas,
Christmas gifts,
Christmas Traditions,
Iceland,
reading
I grew up in Shawinigan, a small French Canadian town, attended military college, married a young officer, and raised three spirited children. Over the years, I enjoyed many wonderful postings in many different regions of Canada.
After my children left the nest, I began writing. Three years later, I captured my dream of becoming a published author with my underwater novel “Salvaged”.
Many of my romantic suspense novels are set in Canada or feature Canadian characters. One of my latest series also involves time travel.
I'm not sure where time flew, but decades later, I ended up writing under the Northern Lights in Alberta while spoiling a gorgeous little granddaughter.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Last Notice about the BWL Holiday Contest
We'll be doing the drawing for our contest on the 20th of December, so this is the last notice I'll be posting reminding everyone to enter the contest.
Remember, all may enter. The drawing is being done by an unrelated third party club and they'll select the three prize winners.
Authors, Readers, Visitors, all are welcome to enter this contest. The rules are simple, just tell us how you came to find our website or blog, and enter your name and email address.
Remember, all may enter. The drawing is being done by an unrelated third party club and they'll select the three prize winners.
Authors, Readers, Visitors, all are welcome to enter this contest. The rules are simple, just tell us how you came to find our website or blog, and enter your name and email address.
Holiday special Contest win your choice of a Kindle or Kobo eBook Reader
2nd prize a print copy of Brides of Banff Springs, Canadian Historical Brides Book #1
3rd prize choice of 3 free ebooks from any BWL author
Drawing on December 20, winners notified by email
Enter here
While you're there check out our Holiday Specials - just click the book covers to purchase
Holiday Specials
Click covers to purchase from your favorite Online Bookstore
Friday, November 30, 2018
Einstein Believed in Libraries by Karla Stover
"The Only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library."
Albert Einstein
BWLAUTHORS.BLOGSPOT.COM
With the economy going gangbusters at last, my home
town of Tacoma, Washington, the city can finally reopen the libraries on Mondays and add
two library kiosks. Here’s how “Candlepoint.com”
describes a library kiosk: “Remote
kiosks present libraries with a unique opportunity to meet patrons where they
are and offer automated services to community members in the places they visit
the most. Services can include checking out pre-stocked books, delivery of
individually requested books, and book returns.” In Tacoma, the kiosks are
going into neighborhoods where libraries were little-used and closed some six
or eight years ago.
But on to more interesting libraries. When FDR was in office and created the Work Progress Administration (WPA) to put men to work, his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, had ideas of her own to help women utilize their skills: health services, school lunch programs, sewing projects, and libraries. And one of her innovations was the Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky. For $28 a month, women traveled 50 to 80 miles a week on rocky terrain in all kinds of weather with saddlebags filled with books and magazines, making deliveries both to homes and to schoolhouses. The WPA paid for the salaries of the supervisors and book carriers; all books were donated. Members of the community had to not only donate books but also provide facilities to store the books and other supplies needed by the librarians on horseback. When donated books and magazines were beyond use, the librarians rescued what they could and made scrapbook collections of recipes, quilting patterns and other things of interest to women until eventually there were more than 200 different scrapbooks generated by patrons and librarians.
In countries where books rather than e-readers are valued, mobile libraries come in a variety of types. One is The Mongolian Children’s Mobile Library which carries books to nomadic herding communities and remote areas of the Gobi Desert. Another is the Elephant Mobile Library in Laos. It serves a two-fold effort: to increase public awareness about the plight of the elephants and to support literacy in rural communities. The project is a joint effort between Room-To-Read Laos, Action With Lao Children, and ElefantAsia in partnership with the local government. The elephant library has been an instant hit. "Stocked with 640 Lao-language children’s books (many featuring elephants) and supplementary educational materials, the library’s maiden voyage included four primary schools that serve more than 1,000 students in the northern province of Xaybouly."
Possibly so as not to be outdone, Kenya has a Camel Mobile Library Service which lends more than 7,000 books to nomads in the impoverished North East Province. "Many of the books are supplied by Book Aid International, the charity which gives more than half a million books a year to some of the world's poorest countries - and is supported this year by the Observer Christmas Appeal."
Meanwhile, Minneapolis has a floating library. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, artist Sarah Peters created a rowboat with a friend and can sometimes be found sometimes on Cedar Lake, distributing works – mostly books made by artists---not well-known titles.
The ship's book store |
Buenos Aires has a privately-funded bookmobile, the Czech Republic has a tram library, Ethiopia has a Donkey Mobile Library, and the list goes on.
I hope the children who visit Tacoma's new library kiosks get to interact with an actual person. It's a great part of the experience.
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