Word Wenches

The Art of Letterlocking

Andrea here, musing today about privacy and our personal correspondences. I think that most of us would prefer that our words are only read by the person or persons for whom they are intended. Thus we’re paying more attention to having passwords and two-step notifications set up to keep “snoopers” away from our e-mails.

But the wish for privacy is nothing new when it comes to personal correspondences. Apparently historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, Galileo, Marie Antoinette, and Albrecht Dürer, just to name a few, were equally worried about people snooping through their mail! Recently, I happened to come across a fascinating article in the New York Times about historical “letterlocking” in Western Europe and thought I would share some of what I learned on the subject.

What Happened Next?

Sneha Wikimedia Commons

Christina here. I’m totally addicted to Happy-Ever-After endings and absolutely refuse to read books that end badly or even just so-so. I want the full-on fairy tale everyone-is-happy-and-get-what-they-deserve kind of ending in everything I read or write. That means I’m also the kind of reader who LOVES epilogues. I really like finding out that everything has turned out OK in the hero and heroine’s lives, and I enjoy knowing every little detail the author cares to add. But only in their immediate future – I don’t need to know what happens during the rest of their lives.

In real life, very few people ever do get a HEA.  Happy for now, or happy sometimes, with ups and downs, is more normal of course, but when I leave characters I’ve spent many hours with, I want to picture them at their happiest. What happens years down the line doesn’t matter, because I won’t know. Or will I?

Bad in Bed

Bad in Bed

Beds are important in romances.  This is particularly true of sexy romances, where getting someone into bed is a euphemism for having sex.  Certainly beds are a lot more comfortable for intimate activities than prickly bushes or sandy beaches or swinging from chandeliers. (That last must require the skills of an acrobat!)

Even in sweet romances, sharing a bed is a symbol of marriage and partnership.  All true and important.  But what happens when the excitement is over and actual sleeping is attempted?

Sharing a bed can be very complicated. Partners who snore or who flop around like a fish on a hook can lead to sleeplessness and ruin your next day.  That can lead to separate bedrooms no matter how fond people are of each other.

A Little Bit of Switzerland in Regency England!

Nicola here. When I was a student in London, I lived near the Finchley Road. This was one of the main roads that led North out of the centre of London and it was often very busy with traffic. At one large roundabout there was a sight that always struck me as very odd: A Swiss chalet in the middle of the road. It was a pub and it was called, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Swiss Cottage.” The roundabout and the nearby underground station were named after it, and for such a busy and modern place it looked total incongruous.

I didn’t realise then that when the original “Swiss Tavern” was built there in 1804, it was part of a
larger fashion for recreating Swiss landscapes in England and elsewhere as part of the Romantic movement. Yes, as is often the case, the poet William Wordsworth had a hand in bringing back the idea of “Swissness” as something that represented freedom and beautiful scenery. In 1790 he and a friend took a walking tour of Switzerland and he was awestruck by the landscape and also by a scale model he saw of Lake Lucerne, the mountains and the alpine cottages. He brought home the idea of creating little Switzerlands in the English countryside.

Trials and Tribulations of Writing

Pat here: Unlike my psychic heroines, I have nothing insightful to tell you as we dive into the new year. I’m still trying to figure out what day of the week it is after the holidays, and almost missed my blog date because I haven’t updated my calendar yet. I have accounting worksheets piling up all over my desk for my personal taxes and those of an organization I work with. Who can write a book with all this new stuff spinning in the brain? Maybe I need that crystal ball!

Yet I continue to wade into the fray of writing mysteries. I’ve written characters for forty years now, savoring their romances and conflicts, and I still learn something new every day in how to depict their personalities. But mysteries. . . require actual plotting.

AAW—what we're watching

Anne here, and today, because so many of us have been spending more time indoors than usual, the wenches are answering the question: Seen any good TV shows or movies lately?

Christina says – I’m afraid the answer to that is no - and not for lack of trying! I managed several visits to the cinema in the run up to Christmas but was sadly disappointed each time. First, I saw the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, which was OK but I absolutely hated the ending!

Soon after, I was seriously underwhelmed by that the new Marvel film, Eternals. Then I watched the new version of Dune. Admittedly this was beautifully made and perfectly captured the book IMO, but sadly it was part one of two (where the second hasn’t even been made yet!). Why? That’s like selling me half a book and saying I should be happy with that because it’s good so far.  And don’t get me started on A Castle for Christmas with Cary Elwes (doing a bad Scottish accent) and Brooke Shields. Although the setting was stunning, I wish I’d just watched The Princess Bride instead for the umpteenth time – at least Cary was perfect in that! Finally, I will grudgingly admit to enjoying the new Disney movie Jungle Cruise, although it tries a bit too hard to be like Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, a lot of fun!

Really, I think the only saving grace was my discovery of the TV series Endeavour (the Young Morse).  This is a prequel to the Inspector Morse series, set in Oxford and based on the books by Colin Dexter. One night I happened to catch an episode of this, which is all about the start of his career. He’s a young detective, quiet and introverted, but incredibly intelligent. Of course he always solves the murders and shows up his superiors (who don’t appreciate that for obvious reasons). And he’s just a really likeable character who you can’t help but root for. If you like crime drama that’s not too gory and you haven’t seen it yet I’d recommend it.

Pat says: While waiting for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel  to return from break, we’ve been watching a lot of old detective shows, mostly on Britbox, I think, although some can be found on Netflix.

Traveling to St. Petersburg

Andrea here, The new year is bringing—huff, puff—not one but TWO new books from me! I’m excited to announce that A Swirl of Shadows, the latest Lady Arianna adventure is finally finished and will release on March 22! (You can pre-order here.) The story was particularly fun for me to write as a good deal of the action takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia.

I took a number of Russian history courses in college and have always found the country and its history fascinating. And I was lucky enough to visit during grad school and spend some time in St Petersburg—in the dead of winter, I might add, which seemed only fitting, as snow and cold weather seem a part of the Russian soul!

That Russian history intertwines so closely with Britain during the Regency era gave me the perfect opportunity to weave a plotline that would take Lady Arianna and Saybrook to the Imperial Court of Alexander I, which was a hotbed of international intrigue and scheming right after Napoleon’s exile as the rulers of Europe jockeyed for power and influence.

Coffee Table Books

Christina here. During the Christmas holidays I’ve had a chance to relax a bit and do things I don’t normally have time for. One of them is to leaf through some of the many coffee table books I own – and I have to admit there are rather a lot of them!

I’m not sure why I have so many. They’re not exactly necessary and yet seem to accrue of their own accord. Many of them are from exhibitions I’ve attended, especially those of my favourite artists, while others are on subjects close to my heart. I’m never quite sure why I buy them as I don’t usually read them – I’ll only flick through the pages to look at the photos. Admittedly, most of them do have gorgeous pictures!

Today I thought I’d tell you about a few of the ones I love best, the ones I keep returning to and never tire of looking at, and why. Then I’d love for you to tell me about yours! (Even if that means my collection grows larger as you tempt me …)

My absolute favourite is The Duchess of Devonshire’s Ball by Sophia Murphy. On 2^nd July 1897 the then Duchess of Devonshire held a fancy dress ball in her London mansion in Piccadilly, Devonshire House. It was a glittering occasion and a very special ball, but what made it unique is that the duchess had all her guests photographed as they arrived and then had the pictures put into a privately printed album for herself. The costumes are out of this world, and some of them must have cost an absolute fortune. Some of the guests look ridiculous, others uncomfortable, and one can only wonder how they managed to dance all night in their finery. For me, the guest that stood out the most was the Duchess of Portland who was so beautiful, she would have looked regal in a sack. I can readily imagine her as the heroine of a romantic novel as she must have had suitors in droves!

Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkein!

Susan here, with sincere wishes for a happy, prosperous--and very healthy--2022 now that our annual Yuletide celebration has concluded here at Word Wenches. 

This week, J.R.R. Tolkien would have had his 126th birthday on January 3rd, had he lived so long in a Gandalf sort of way, or had he grown as old as Thorin Oakenshield in his prime at nearly 200 -- or even older, like Treebeard, one of the Ents, a race of very old creatures in Middle Earth. If you appreciate the mystery of synchronicity, it's also interesting that January 3rd in the old Celtic calendar is the original Beltane date, later celebrated around February 1st: a magical date for Tolkein's birth. 

So as we set off into another year, it seems appropriate to give Tolkien a nod. It suits the season more than you might think at first -- Tolkien wrote a classic Christmas book, The Father Christmas Letters, which has been a favorite in our house since our boys were little guys. 

 Tolkien wrote and illustrated a wonderful series of letters from Father Christmas to the four Tolkien children beginning in 1925 until they grew older. Each annual letter, carefully handwritten and illustrated by Tolkien himself, was a narrative of Father Christmas' adventures at the North Pole, often featuring his secretary-elf, Ilbereth and several calamities involving a certain polar bear - the letters also detailed the mischief the elves got into, and the trouble with the Goblins who now and then attacked the North Pole sanctuary. Sometimes it was quite a challenge for Father Christmas to get all the toys delivered to boys and girls in England and all around the world! The letters, illustrated by Tolkien with watercolor drawings and illuminated calligraphy, all attributed to Father Christmas himself, are simply magical.

Tolkien was not only a brilliant historian and scholar and a genius who created the gold standard in fantasy literature - and the genre itself. He was also a gifted artist who made over a hundred illustrations, mostly in pen and watercolor, to illustrate his stories. Many of his illustrations established the look and the imagery of the countless editions of his novels and even informed the film versions of his work. 

In honor of Tolkien’s 126th birthday –- and to mark the first week of this very new year -- here are some of Tolkien's paintings and a little of his gentle wisdom -- a few thoughts to take with you as we move forward into what we hope will be a wonderful year. (We all certainly deserve a great year!) If you are interested in more of his work, just give it a google and discover his incredible artworks!

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.  
- The Fellowship of the Ring 

Tolkien's design for The Hobbit cover, with his own notes in pencil.

Twelfth Night!

by Mary Jo

This is the last of the Word Wench Christmastide posts, which celebrate the time between Christmas and Epiphany, so I decided to research the holiday a bit more.  It might be celebrated on either January 5th or January 6th, depending on whether Christmas Day is counted as the first day, or Boxing Day, the 26th, is the first. 

In some parts of the world it's called the Feast of the Three Kings because the holiday celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men as they followed the star to Bethlehem to celebrate the arrival of 'the newborn king.' 

Even as a kid, I wondered about the logistics of this.  They couldn't have been very far away if they reached their goal in twelve days, and how accurate would a star be for guidance?  The traditional pictures usually show the star hovering over the stable like an LED lit drone.  Really?