Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Why Host a Book Launch?


Last fall a writer friend asked me, "Is it worthwhile having a book launch?"

I immediately answered, "Yes." I'd hosted launches for my first two novels and planned to have one for my third release, To Catch a Fox. But my friend's question prompted me to ask myself: what is the value of a bookstore launch in this age of e-books and online sales?

So here are my Top Five reasons for hosting a book launch.

1. It is a gracious way to tell people about my new novel. Instead of a Facebook or email notice with a link to a sales site, I am inviting them to a launch party. Some will feel pleased that I included them in my special event. Most won't come to the launch, but they'll have enough details to buy the book online or at their favourite book store if they want, without my asking them to do it.

I'd recommend inviting everyone you come in contact with to your launch. I've given invitations to people in my gym class I'd barely spoken to before.

"You're a writer?" some asked, intrigued.

It started conversations and led to closer connections because I'd shared something personal about myself.

For my last book launch I designed an invitation postcard, but economized by printing invitations at my library

2. If you invite them, many will come. My first book launch drew close to 100 people, my second about 85. A fair number bought copies of the book. Admittedly my novels were both long awaited releases. I'd worked on the first book for years before finishing it and finding a publisher; the second wasn't published until 6 years later. Now with only a two year gap between my second and third launches, I don't expect friends and relatives to be as strongly supportive. But I'm hoping that newer friends and--dare I say it--fans will make up for some attrition and pack the room.

Don't forget the food and drink for your guests

The crowd gathers for my first book launch  


3. Local media is more inclined to focus on an event the public can attend than on a book release. The entertainment editor of my daily newspaper, the Calgary Herald, profiles an author most weeks. When he chooses a local writer, it's almost always someone with an upcoming book launch or major reading. He schedules the piece for the week leading up to the event. Other local print media, radio and television might be similarly event-focused. It's hard to get your books into any media, but a launch gives you a better chance. Independent bookstores also focus on events to draw customers and are likely to display your books and the launch announcement in the store window during the week leading up to the launch.
Owl's Nest Bookstore window in early March, 2017
4.  You might make your newspaper's local bestsellers' list. In its Saturday edition, the Calgary Herald publishes a local bestsellers' list, now called Book List. The tiny print at the bottom states the list is complied by information provided by Calgary's two or three independent book stores. Sales at these stores are so sadly low that any book that sells decently at a launch is almost guaranteed a spot on the Book List. Many newspaper readers look at the list for ideas of what to read. I know of other city newspapers that have this feature. It's worth checking out.

Calgary Herald Bestsellers' List two weeks after my last launch & profile the weekend before the launch  

5. And lastly, a launch is a celebration. You've worked hard on this book and deserve a party with family, friends and your devoted readers. Many venues are free or inexpensive. Food and drink might set you back $50-75, but aren't you, your book and your supporters worth it!


     


       

Monday, February 11, 2019

New Looks For Old Books by Karla Stover

Image result for crafts with old books                   Upcycled Book Crafts for Organizing and Decorating Your Home               Image result for crafts with old books

                                                              New Looks For Old Books                                                         

                                                     BWLAUTHORS.BLOGSPOT.COM


Late at night, when my husband and I don’t want to go to bed, we watch YouTube TV. That’s where I learned that old books could be hazardous to your health. The problems stem from dust, mold, bacteria, by-products of mold and bacteria, applied chemicals, and any by-products. Nevertheless, while clearing my parents’ estate, I swapped all my Anne of Green Gables books with Anne looking like a hippie on the cover for my mom’s old ones.

During my Downton Abbey days, I bought some books by English lady’s maids, cooks, housekeepers, etc. off Alibris because it’s hard to find old British memoirs in the States. How people lived and worked is endlessly fascinating to me. There are no warning labels about dust mites and mildew on these books.

But getting back to old books, when my chores are done and that includes time on my next book, I am addicted to Netflix’s Design Challenge where, occasionally, someone does something fun with a stack of books. (see above) However, my favorite is an old technique called Disappearing Fore Edge.
Here's the story as told by Wikipedia:
First: Disappearing Fore Edge is the art of painting something on the edge of book pages that can only be seen when they're fanned. "Supposedly, Charles II of England had a lady friend, a duchess, ( I'm guessing Barbara Castlemaine, first Duchess of Cleveland ) who often borrowed his books, sometimes forgetting to return them. So, the king commissioned the court painter, Sir Peter Lely, and the court bookbinder, Samuel Mearne, to devise a secret method by which his books could be identified. Between the two, they worked out the clever technique. Some weeks later, when the king was visiting the duchess, he spotted a familiar looking book on a shelf. Taking it down he said, “I’ll just take my book along with me.” “But sire,” the lady protested, “that book is mine.” “Oh?" The king raised his brows. Then, with a sly smile, he fanned out the pages and revealed what had been painted on them--the royal coat of arms. The gilding on the outer edges had completely hidden the identification. Acknowledging that Charles had outwitted her, the duchess sank in a deep curtsy before her king.
"The majority of extant examples of fore-edge painting date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries." Probably, now, it's a lost or barely-surviving art but I wrote a short story where Disappearing Fore Edge helped the sleuth solved the crime.  It's somewhere on a thumb drive.

 

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Have a LOVE-ly Day


link to my books



                For many of us, it’s the middle of winter. I have over 2 feet of snow at the side of my house, but fortunately a wonderful nephew who plowed the drive and I could get to the store today. It only took 2 tries and a near miss with a snow bank to get back up the hill! So I decided it was a good day to snuggle down and work on my romance. As I look over my past novels, other than my Christmas stories, there’s only one that has major events happening in winter (SPINNING THROUGH TIME). I much prefer to write about spring and summer!

                And I love writing romance, so let's begin there. Romantic relationships can start from a long ago attraction (GAME OF LOVE and TENDERHEARTED COWBOY), a slow building desire (HOLD ON TO THE PAST and PROSPECTING FOR LOVE) and even from instant dislike (PRELUDE AND PROMISES and LOVE IN DISGUISE.) It’s fun to develop relationships between two disparate people as they find that although they have very different views about everything, the attraction between them overrides all obstacles. Not right away, of course, because there has to be things like misunderstandings and separations, but that’s the fun of any relationship.

                Yet a romance needs more to fill 200+ pages than just the relationship, although that is the foundation of the story. What do you like in a story – mystery, murder, adventure/jeopardy? I always like putting a little mystery in my stories, such as AN INTERLUDE, where mystery revolves around finding a diary written during the 1920s about a speakeasy. I would probably classify my time travels as adventure or woman in jeopardy, as there is certainly that element when you consider getting thrown back into another century.

                Another element of a romance, along with plot, is the setting. This includes not only the season of the story, but where it takes place. And that “where” includes not only the town/state/country, but also the century – is it contemporary, futuristic, historical? As I indicated, I like writing in seasons other than winter, and many of my stories are set in a particular season because of some element of the plot. For example, SPINNING THROUGH TIME had to culminate at the Kentucky Derby, which takes place in May. HOLD ON TO THE PAST takes place in September because it’s about the steamboat Arabia, which sank near Kansas City in September of 1856.

As to whether it is contemporary or historical, many times the plot and characters determine that. I always thought I liked writing historical because of the slower pace and the ability of the hero to “save the day” with his wits alone. Then I started having plot ideas where WIFI and cell phones were crucial (GAME OF LOVE). 

So while I say I write historical and contemporary romance, I can also say I write mystery, murder and adventure. Because I love to read a variety of different genres, I also love to write them. All the book titles in CAPS are my books available through Books We Love. I hope you take a look at my web site at http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin, read the book descriptions and find one that piques your interest.

Now, to get back to my work in progress, which takes place in summer, so for awhile, I can forget the negative wind chill temperatures! Find a good romance and have a LOVE-ly day.

               

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Have you thought about writing a book? by Rita Karnopp


Have you thought about writing a book?

There are so many people who have thought about writing a book.  The reason they haven’t?  They just don’t know how to begin.

Fiction writing has so many options that it seems impossible to know how to put it all together to create a page-turner, sometimes even to those who write it.  So, if you're just a beginning writer, it may take some self-convincing to get started.

I’m hoping to dispense that fear of starting for most beginning writers.  Bottom line – all you need to do is sit down in front of your screen (pad and paper if that’s your medium preference) and start.  It won’t be brilliant at first – no one – especially you – should expect it to be perfect.  I promise you – it won’t be. 

The Beginner Writer ~ My grandson is fourteen and has already started writing his first novel.  There are so many mistakes in writing format, spelling, and head-jumping – but he’s started – and I’m so proud of him.  At his young age he has all these scenes worked out in his mind and we discussed the biggie:  a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Surprising me, he already has major ideas for a second book.  Hey, don’t stifle that.  Yes, he should be learning the basics of writing and concentrate on his first book.  But never make the mistake of turning off a new idea – just because you’re in the middle of a work-in-progress.  90% of the time, I’ll get inspiration for my next book somewhere in the middle of writing a scene.   What do I do?

Easy.  I open a new page and type out the flood of information that strikes me.  Sometimes it’s a paragraph, sometimes it’s several pages.  Why do I take time to do this?  Many years ago, I was in that almost asleep – dream state – and the most incredible idea for a book came to me.  I felt the excitement of plotting take over.  It was such a fantastic idea – I KNEW I’d remember it in the morning.  I’m sorry to admit, that incredible story idea still hasn’t surfaced.  All I remember is that it was such an incredible plot and I was beyond excited about it.

Never let this happen to you.  Always keep a pad and pen plus a flashlight by your bedside.  If you’re like me – many inspirational plots occur to me either going into or coming out of sleep.  You will not remember them in the morning – unless you jot down the ideas right away.

One night I was in that almost asleep stage when a native man, wolf headdress framing his face, came to me.  He watched an eagle sweep down toward him and grasp him by the shoulders and fly away with him.  It went on and on … it was so real.  I got out of bed, turned on my computer, then started writing the scene I’d just observed.  It ended up being five pages long.  Two years later that exact scene fit perfectly into the book I was writing; WHISPERING SUN … my first and best-selling book to date.

My second bit of advice for beginner writers is to write consistently every day.  Where it be an hour and several.  Find the best time for you to write.  Do you need to get up an hour earlier than everyone to have that quiet time?  Or, are you like me?  I write best in the quiet hours of then night.  I won’t bore you with the number of times I’ve written until four or five am.  You have to find the time that works best for you … and then stick to it.  Self-discipline is key to becoming a writer.

Why, you might ask?  Well, it’s not easy to take yourself away from all the actions of day-to-day.  But a write must devote time to writing … and the more you write – the better you get at it.  Soon you’ll find the words come easier, the thoughts flow onto the pages easier, and you realize you’re not thinking about it … but you’re suddenly adding sounds, textures, odors, tastes, as well as conversations.  The more you write – you no longer have to work so hard on the basics – they become second nature.

Bottom line – if you want to be a writer – you must to write.  Period.

An important question I must ask.  Are you a reader?  The best writers are those who read voraciously.  It doesn’t matter what you read, just read.  I find I read the genre I’m writing.  If I’m writing 1860s … reading either novels or books on 1800s clothing, guns, language of time, or daily life in the 1860s only helps fodder those realistic images I need to add to my story. 


Have you considered bouncing your story idea off an established writer?  Sharing your work and getting their comments is a great way to improve your writing.  Just be willing to be open-minded.  If you take comments personally – then you won’t benefit from them – we learn by making misstates.  It’s all part of the process.  Always take time to think about a criticism … take it to-heart – then try to write better.  Believe it or not, in time you’ll receive more compliments than criticism.

 

Friday, February 8, 2019

Inspiration on a Plate by June Gadsby

Visit June Gadsby's BWL Author Page for information and buy links on all her booiks



Of all the books I have had published, The Raging Spirit is the only one set in a place I have never visited. In fact, not many people have set foot on the Archipelagus of St. Kilda off the north-west coast of Scotland, as wild a place as anyone would like to go. Indeed, not many people have even heard of it.[1]


 Some years ago, my husband had special permission to spend some time on the main island of Hirta with a group of ornithologists, hosted by the Royal Air Force who were, at that time, occupying the essentially uninhabitable piece of our planet, in order to track missiles sent from the island of Benbeccula. 

The islands are famous for their sea birds – hence my husband and his group with their cameras, who had been given permission to camp [2]





and take their own food, but the ornithologists were well looked after, especially with alcohol at the Naaffi,  who were making the most of their short spells. While they were there a submarine arrived and the submariners came onto the island in shifts and had to be carried back to the sub because they were so drunk.

The only other people on Hirta were a group of volunteers from the National Trust who were renovating the old stone houses. The island had been uninhabited since 1930 when the 36 remaining inhabitants were forced to leave.  It is now a nature reserve, the island having been bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1957 and was designated as Scotland's first World Heritage Site in 1987. It is now possible to visit the island. [3]


Brian’s photographs and the stories he told me of this wild adventure planted the seed of the most exciting novel I had written up to that point. Even now, I feel as though I had been there and the magic of the place will be for ever in my imagination. Writing it as a historic, romantic suspense was no trouble at all, since nothing much had changed since the original population had been evacuated. These hardy people spent their lives climbing the sheer rock faces of the islands, gathering sea birds – in particular the Fulmar, which was their main diet. They had one boat and supplies were brought no more than once or twice from the mainland, as long as the raging sea would allow the boats to approach.

‘THE RAGING SPIRIT’ BLURB: For a woman in 1890 the journey to the wild archipelago off the coast of Scotland, is hazardous. Undeterred, Meredick accompanies her naturalist father on his expedition to the islands, knowing she may have to endure a long stay. But then she meets the renowned Professor Fergus Macaulay and soon has cause to fear him more than the elements. As their boat flounders in savage seas, Meredick is jettisoned overboard. However, she is saved by a young man called Logan, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Professor Macaulay..and Logan’s dark and terrible past is slowly revealed – at great cost to them all.

REVIEWS:

Mr Terence Jennings
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is yet another wonderful book by June
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This is yet another wonderful book by June, this is my 3rd, so far, and the picture she paints, really makes you feel you are there with the characters, am so glad Meredith got her man in the end, took me just 3 days to read this, just wanted to keep going to see what happened.

Roberta Grieve
5.0 out of 5 stars
When Meredith accompanies her naturalist father on an expedition to ...
Format: Hardcover
When Meredith accompanies her naturalist father on an expedition to the remote island of St Kilda in 1890 she knows that life will be harsh with few amenities. She is also nervous of her father's employer, the forbidding Professor Macaulay. As the boat nears the island it founders and she is by Logan, a man with a dark past. June Gadsby's descriptions of the island and its dour inhabitants paint a vivid picture of a community cut off from civilization. Tensions build among the islanders and the expedition members and Meredith senses a mystery surrounding Logan. This was book I read almost in one sitting so anxious was I to find out what would happen to Meredith.
At the time when Brian was on St. Kilda only specially invited people were allowed on, but I believe that tourism has now reached these wild and isolated islands. I will never set foot on those rocky shores, but I can still feel the magic of them and the inspiration for The Raging Spirit that was passed to me by my husband.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Going Away to Write


To purchase this book, click here

March 1, 2019 will mark the first anniversary of the release of my debut novel, Kelegeen.  Much of this year has been spent on a very steep learning curve, one that included educating myself on the publishing industry and, even more so, on marketing. It was obvious I didn’t know what I was doing, so I hired a marketing firm to guide me.  They’ve been extremely helpful, but I still had to do the work of putting my book and myself out there.  It’s been a great experience, one that is ongoing, as I’ve only skimmed the surface.  The problem is it hasn’t left me with much time to write.  My 9:00 – 5:00 day job, teaching online courses for the University of Dayton, and caring for my 92 year old mom who lives with me along  with various other responsibilities and obligations on top of my new marketing tasks has eaten up what little free time I had before this adventure ever began.

When it comes to my writing, the most common question I’m asked these days is, “when will the sequel be out?”  My answer is usually a non-committal “working on it.”  It seems I’ve been in the historical research phase forever.  That’s not just because there’s a large amount of research to be done, but because I’m not finding the time to do it.  I knew something had to give.  An overwhelming desire to get away from every distraction and ensconce myself somewhere that would allow me to laser focus on the sequel drove me to find a solution.

Enter my cousin, Patty.  Patty is retired, her children grown, and her mate fully capable of taking care of their dogs on his own for a week.  Patty is also very fond of my mom and lately has been repeatedly expressing a desire to visit her.  So, in one of my hair-pulling moments of frustration at not having time to research or write, Patty’s genial, smiling face flashed into my mind. 

I texted Patty, laying out my plan before her.  If she could come down for a week (she lives in Vermont) and stay with my mom, I could use some of my vacation time from work and go away to write.  She loved the idea.  Mom loved the idea.  I’m head-over-heels in love with the idea.  It didn’t take long to find a time that worked for all of us, so I quickly booked a weeklong stay at a studio suite in a local hotel. 

Before this month is over, I will have spent a week doing nothing but research and writing.  That entire week will be all sequel, sequel, sequel.  No distractions, no other responsibilities.  No, I won’t be able to write an entire novel in a week, but I do expect to make serious inroads on both the research and the writing.  Once I get that fully underway, I hope to be able to run with it from there on out.

Though I’m all too well versed in Murphy’s Law and the best laid plans of mice and writers, I am hopeful.  As long as all goes according to plan, or at least close to it, my post next month should be all about what an awesome, productive week I had.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

A Perfect Day For A....Suicide?



                     

 

 

It is a Saturday February morning, 8:30 AM, and the crisp cobalt blue sky announces another perfect day for iceboating.
So, reader, I can see that quizzical look on your face: iceboating? Yes. Iceboating is the sport, some say the disease, of sailing at indecent speeds on ice in a wooden fuselage 12 feet long equipped with three steel blades called runners, and propelled by the wind alone.
My friends and I have spent the day before whizzing around on Lake St. Louis, near Pointe Claire, Quebec on ice of mirror-like quality, and I’m hungry for more.

But this morning, I must first check the ice, not so much for thickness but for cracks, as they can develop overnight and catch an unsuspecting sailor’s  front runner blade,  with ensuing disastrous consequences.
As I get out of my car near the lake on Cartier avenue, I zip up my black parka and don my brown fur hat, grab my crowbar  and start out onto the foot- thick ice. A dusting of snow covers the surface and sparkles into a myriad of diamonds in the morning sun.

I’m about 500 yards out and I find a crack, which has refrozen. I begin digging into the crack to see how thick it is with my crowbar when I hear the mournful toll of the bells of St. Joseph’s Church, off to my right.I turn to see pallbearers transferring a coffin from a hearse to a dolly, about to wheel it into the church.

I resume my digging, and shortly thereafter, satisfied the crack is safe, I head back to my car. I stop at one of the local bakeries for hot croissants and head home. After a hearty breakfast, I get my gear together and head back out back towards the launch site, where my friends and I have left our iceboats overnight.
I drive down Lakeshore Road, and moments later I’m about to turn onto Cartier avenue again towards the ice when a police woman signals me to stop. I notice there’s a strip of yellow police tape blocking off Cartier. I lower my window and ask: “What’s the problem?”

“You can’t pass,” says the petite officer.
“Why, what happened?”

“There’s been an accident. Please continue.” She waves me on.
“But I have my iceboat down there. I…”

“No one is allowed to pass.”
“Listen, just let me get my iceboat and I’ll be on my way. It will take me just a few minutes to load it onto my van.”

She seems doubtful at first, but since I look insistent, she grabs her VHF and calls her superior. After a brief exchange, she says: “okay. But make it quick.”She goes to the sidewalk, unfastens the yellow tape and waves me through.
I start driving , arrive at the end of Cartier near the lake, and my jaw drops. Alongside the pier near the ice, there are two fire trucks, one ambulance and three police cars, red and blue lights flashing. A policeman is giving orders to two firefighters, who are busy removing a ladder from their fire truck. Two medics have taken a dolly from the rear of the ambulance and are lifting its sides into place. I look towards the ice and see two firefighters next to a fiberglass toboggan at the edge of the ice. A diver in a wetsuit is standing by, and his oxygen tanks are about to get loaded onto the toboggan by another firefighter.  A policeman is standing by overlooking the whole operation.

I get out of my van and walk up to the policeman: “what’s this about? What’s happening?”
“You’ll have to ask the captain.” He turns and points to a tall man wearing a cap and giving orders to two other officers who have started unrolling a roll of yellow tape.
I walk up to the captain, who looks at me unsympathetically and says: “Oui?”
“I’ve come to pick up my iceboat” I say, pointing to my craft on the ice. What’s all this about?”

He leans over conspiratorially and says solemnly: “ C’est un suicide.”

“What?”
“Yes, a suicide,” he says, pointing out towards the frozen lake.

“But that ice is over a foot thick. And how do you know it’s a suicide?”
“Well, you see, there was a funeral this morning, and the pallbearers saw this guy out there on the ice, digging, digging… and…”

Omygod  I think, as I start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“..and when they came back out after the mass, he wasn’t there, so they called us.”

Oboy. “Tell me Capt., did they describe him?” I venture to ask.
“ Yes.  He was wearing a black parka, black pants and…” he stares at me intently,… “and a brown fur hat.” The captain’s brow creases into a frown as he exclaims: “ Oh ! ben tabarnak !!

(For those of you whose French is a little rusty, I assure you these are not words of endearment.)
“I was just checking the ice…” I say, almost apologetically.

Moments later, he’s barking orders at the firefighters and other policemen, and they all retreat towards their respective vehicles, pack up their gear and leave. I try to look sympathetic and not burst out laughing as the captain gets into his car, slams the door and drives off.

It turned out to be a perfect day for…. iceboating.
 

 

For those of you interested in finding out more about iceboating, try googling:

 

Montreal Iceboating Association, Facebook page

New England Ice Yacht Racing Association

International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association


Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Ham House near Richmond Surrey by Rosemary Morris

Click on the cover to discover more about The Captain and the Countess.

Built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshal to James 1st, and subsequently owned by the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale, Ham House is now owned by the National Trust.
During my visit, I imagined the hero, Captain Howard, and the heroine, Kate, Countess of Sinclair, in my novel, The Captain and The Countess, taking the air in the magnificent formal gardens, which stretch down towards the River Thames, and treading the floors of Ham House.
I also imagined them in small rooms called closets. There are six closets at Ham House, which are more intimate than the larger ones such as the North Drawing room. One is ‘The Green Closet’ the walls hung with green damask and furnished with display cabinets that contain exquisite miniatures. Another is ‘The Private Closet’ which contains lacquered furniture, where the Duchess of Lauderdale, who inherited Ham House, kept books, tea and valuables.


www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hamhouse

Extract from The Captain and The Countess

Kate, Countess of Sinclair, attired in a pretty nightgown, sat by the fireside in her closet, where she kept money and jewelry in a strong box. Before settling down to work, she glanced around the small room crowded with chairs, a desk, sofa, bookshelves, and her sewing basket, the contents of which she occupied herself on rare occasions.
With impatient fingers, Kate sorted her correspondence: a sheaf of bills, invitations, begging letters, and other communications. After arranging them in four groups, she rose and placed them on her desk, a pretty piece of red-lacquered furniture from China inlaid with mother of pearl.

Five Star Review by N.N. Light

From the moment Captain Edward Howard lays eyes on Kate, Countess of Sinclair, he realizes he must do everything in his power to make her happy. There’s pain behind Kate’s façade and he’s determined to help her in any way he can.
Kate likes Captain Howard immediately, even when he’s forward with her and seems to disregard propriety in search of the truth. The attraction scares her, and she guards her heart against the young Captain’s desire. Her past comes calling and she must choose between what her heart wants and what society expects of her. Will she and Edward have a future or will her past continue to haunt her?
This is the first book I’ve read from Morris and I really enjoyed it. Morris is a historian at heart, and it shows in her writing. I kept pinching myself, to make sure I wasn’t in 18th century England. Every detail, from English customs to costume and speech was historically accurate. The dialogue was spot-on, and I found myself caught up in the emotional tension between the characters.
If you’re a fan of historical romance (especially Pre-Regency), you’re in for a treat with The Captain and the Countess. The writing style of Rosemary Morris is reminiscent of Edith Wharton (The Age of Innocence) and I look forward to reading more from her.

Favorite Character: Kate. I loved everything about her, from the way she carried herself in society to the way she cared for her children to the way she fell in love with Edward. She’s a victim of an abusive husband yet that didn’t stop her from living life to the fullest. A woman after my own heart.

Favorite Quote: “She was a lady without comparison, beautiful, mysterious, and vivacious. After he dined, he would take the air in Hyde Park in the hope of encountering her.”

Rosemary Morris
Best-Selling Novelist

There is a gigantic canvas for a historical novelist to choose from. My novels are set in the early 14th century during the reign of Edward II, in that of Charles II’s niece, Queen Anne Stuart, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the ever-popular Regency era.
I chose those periods because each of them affected the course of history. world. If Edward II had won the Battle of Bannockburn, it is feasible that he would have conquered Scotland and, perhaps he would not have been deposed. Had the Duke of Marlborough lost The War of Spanish Succession, and The Duke of Wellington had been defeated by Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo, the history of Britain and that of Europe would be different. Defeat would also have had far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world.
The more I read about my chosen eras the more fascinated I become, and the more aware of the gulf between the past and present. Those who lived in the past shared the same emotions as we do, but their attitudes and way of life were in many ways very different to ours. One of the most striking examples was the social position of women and children in in bygone ages.
My characters are of their time, not men, women and children dressed in costume who behave like 21st century people.
Research of my chosen eras sparks my imagination. The seeds of my novels are sown, and from them sprout the characters and events which will shape their lives.



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

Monday, February 4, 2019

A Question of Salt by Katherine Pym











~*~*~*~

Our Earth from Space


I am not a conspiracy theorist but I wonder if our earth has had more incarnations than previously thought. 

Our earth has vast, salty oceans, but what if, when earth had formed and cooled long before the dinosaurs, the oceans were Not salty? What if infant earth had not been saturated with this chemical compound? 

Pangaea
Pangaea
Perhaps, an intelligent species had settled on what is now called Pangaea more than 335 million years ago, and did not require salt to live. 

I put it before you there were other, long ago, well-formed civilizations that had prospered on this earth. There may be past civilization remnants no one will ever see due to massive changes in the environment and our landmasses. Our earth is always moving due to shifts in the tectonic plates, meteorites smashing into our oceans, and volcanoes. 

What if the advanced civilizations prior to the dinosaurs did not require salt to live? Why is science so biased this could never have happened? Because if you don’t see evidence of this, facts and hard data, it could not have been. 

Science realizes now mankind has been around a lot longer than previously thought. Buried cities are being unearthed, one of the most intriguing in Turkey today known as Göbekli Tepe. 7,000 years older than expected (and older than Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period by 8850 years), the city had been buried by its occupants. Why?

Göbekli Tepe dig
When did salt fill the oceans? Was it always there or did something happen that the chemical compound spread its crystal tentacles across the planet, sank into its oceans and penetrated deep in the land? God knows the earth has undergone massive changes over the eons. Maybe, salt came to us from outer space through an asteroid of something. What if the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs was saturated with salt and changed the earth’s entire chemical makeup?

Whatever, we require salt to live but if we ingest too much, it will kill us. Dilemma!

Ancient man learned to barter salt for revenue, goods and services. They learned to preserve food with it, live their lives around it. The Chinese discovered gunpowder trying to dig for salt. Kingdoms were built and destroyed over salt. 

Salt Mine (a nice one)

 A gift from the gods, strange beliefs survive from its importance, i.e., during the Medieval era, women salted their husbands’ genitals to make them more potent. Today, we throw salt over our shoulders. We salt our fish and make pickles with it

We are salt.
But have we always been?



 
~*~*~*~

Many thanks to: My thoughts and conjecture,
Salt by Mark Kurlansky, published by Penguin 2002
And Wikicommons, public domain

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