Word Wenches

What We're Reading in February

Hi Folks. 

Joanna here with a round up of the great reads that got us through a blustery cold February.

My own wonderful read was Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches, Book One in the All Soul's Trilogy.  The elements of this story -- withces and vampires living among us, ancient manuscripts, conspiracies, ancient secrets -- are familiar.  They seem almost hackneyed.  What lifts this book above the ordinary is Harkness' beautiful writing. 

And ... well ... the first book of the trilogy is set mostly in Oxford.  I'm a sucker for Oxford. 

I've already acquired Book Two in the trilogy, Shadow of Night, and look forward to settling down in a comfy chair with it.  Maybe when we get this next wave of snow that's coming in. 

Cara/Andrea saying:

I’m very interested in the Edwardian era, so when I read the great reviews for The Heir Apparent, Jane Ridley’s new biography of “Bertie,” King Edward VII, I immediately grabbed it.

It’s an absolutely fascinating read. Ridley had access to extensive Royal archives and private family correspondence—and the picture painted of Queen Victoria, Albert and their extensive brood and relatives is  . . .well, I’m not quite sure of the adjective to use. Chilling might be one of them. Talk about a dysfunctional family! It’s a wonder poor Bertie wasn’t committed to Bedlam. He actually comes off as a very sympathetic character, far brighter and more interested in the welfare of his country than he is given credit for.

On the other hand, the Queen and her consort come across as cold, manipulative people who had absolutely no emotional interest in their children. It also gives a wonderful look at the social whirl of the Victorian age, with descriptions of the house parties, the foreign travel, the royalty of Europe. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the time period.

 

The Art of Romance

Susan here - recently we talked about romantic movies in honor of Valentine’s Day – and that got me thinking about imagery, and how very many artworks throughout history express and elicit the same feelings as a book or a movie. A painting, a drawing, a sculpture, a textile, whatever the object may be, can convey a sense of love, affection, attraction, devotion and the many facets of “romance” -- and often we understand it in the blink of an eye.

The power of the visual is strong, it's immediate, intuitive. Vision is keyed to receptors in the brain and hot-wired to the heart and the centers of emotion and feeling. Images are shortcuts to understanding messages, content and meaning. We see a work of art and we might experience a quick, subtle or even noticeable emotional response without even knowing the particulars of the subject. We instantly recognize representations (realistic or abstracted) of feelings like love, caring, tenderness, sacrifice, support, sexual magnetism—some of the components of romance—and art works can also make us feel anger, fear, despair, excitement, peacefulness, serenity, safety. Art can elicit primal and subtle emotional responses.

We like or loathe an art piece for intellectual, emotional, personal reasons; we don’t get it—or we connect to it in some way we can’t even explain. And then we have to get that thing framed and hung on our wall where we can see it every day. The image makes us happy, comforts us, encourages us, reminds us of something important. Visual shortcuts are powerful. And this is partly why romance cover art can really speak to us! But today let's look at some -- I think - very romantic works of art.

I went searching for art that expresses the sense of romance that we love to explore on this blog as writers, as readers, as women, as ourselves whoever we may be. These are just a few things from various historical eras. Each one stirs up, for me at least, some facet of love and romantic feelings. 

You might love these or not quite get them – and you probably have your own favorite images too. If so, please let us know what they are (and share some image links) in the comment section!  

King Tutankhamun and his queen, Ankhesenamon, shown on the back of a golden chair found in Tut’s tomb. 18th dynasty. This shows the tenderness and affection between the teenage king and his young half-sister/wife – a sense of emotional intimacy that appears elsewhere in Egyptian art (particularly of this period).

Codex Manesse, German, 14th century - medieval imagery of lovers is often stiff and unnatural, but this little image has a sweet joy and a flirting embrace that seems so genuine.

The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck, 1434, National Gallery, London. An enigmatic double portrait of a possible marriage between (tentatively identified) the Bruges merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife (her right hand in his left, the artist’s signature and image in the mirror on the back wall make this a possible legal document; other symbolic representations refer to marriage, loyalty, fertility and so on). Arnolfini was once described by a scholar as “a cold fish,” yet there’s a certain vulnerability and shyness in both groom and bride that is endlessly fascinating, and – even if one just absorbs the exquisite beauty of this little painting– it has a romantic, what-will-happen-to-them sense that captures our curiosity. There is a theory that this is perhaps a memorial portrait of a wife who had died - making this portrait even more romantic and poignant - and certainly less cold than some suggest. 

Of Libraries and Paddle Steamers

 Anne here. On the weekend I headed north to give a talk in a country library — in Echuca (eh-choo-ka), which is a small town on the Murray River, which marks the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria. It's about three hours drive from Melbourne — my home town.

In the two years since I'd last visited, they'd built a brand new library — and what a gorgeous library it was. Overlooking a billabong (oxbow lake) next to the river, people inside have the most beautiful, serene view of gum trees and water. With views like this it's a wonder any reading or writing gets done. I could've sat and dreamed all day here.

 Here's the view of the library from the outside.

THE SPARKY REPORT #26

Sparky catching some sun in the window

 

 SPARKY'S DRUG OF CHOICE:  GRASS

No, not that kind of grass! Sparky's favorite "happy weed" is wheatgrass. You can buy it in the produce department of grocery stores and as a dietary supplement in health food stores. Most folks, especially juicers, extol its nutritional benefits. Sparky considers it a gourmet delight, even better than catnip.

Hmmm. What's this new thing?

I bought a little planter of wheatgrass for Sparky last week and she went totally bonkers over it. I mean really bonkers! At first I kept it at my desk in order to monitor her intake and make sure that this new introduction to her diet didn't cause any digestive upsets.

 

Gee, it smells good!

I needn't have worried. A cat that steals the dogs' food, loves Brussels sprouts and pizza, and regularly gnaws on things that shouldn't be gnawed upon, would naturally have no problems with wheatgrass. A look of such bliss crosses her face when she's grazing on her wheatgrass that it's a sight to behold.

 

Maybe I'll just take a little taste.

 

 When I carry it to the kitchen for a good soaking under the faucet, Sparky follows me with anxious meows and loud admonishments. Be careful! Don't bruise the grass! It needs more sunlight! You're overwatering it!

Oh! This tastes good!

Health food nuts consider wheatgrass a superfood. Sparky quite agrees with them!

 

Nom! Nom! Nommm!!!

 

 

Truly Madly Deeply in love with Bath!

Nicola here, celebrating the release today of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association latest anthology of short stories! Titled Truly, Madly, Deeply, it contains stories across the whole range of romantic fiction and I am very honoured to be a part of the project. You can check out more details about the anthology here and join our virtual launch party here! There are several other historical stories in the collection, including ones written by HWWs Louise Allen and Elizabeth Chadwick.

My own story, The Marriage Bargain, is set in a hotel in Bath. It was a lovely co-incidence that last weekend I was visiting Bath and so have been able to use some of my own pictures for this blog post!

The idea behind The Marriage Bargain was this : In December 1813, just before the Great Frost Fair on the River Thames, there was also a dreadful fog that enveloped the country. It was so bad that the Prince Regent was obliged to turn back from a journey he was making when one of his outriders fell in a ditch and his carriage almost overturned. This gave me the idea for the story of an estranged couple who are marooned together by the weather in a hotel in Bath.

Dragons

Dragons are fascinating creatures, aren't they? Here's one acting as protector to Billy, the smallest Cabbage Patch Kid.

Dragons appear in mythologies around the world but with variations. A chinese dragon is quite different to a European one, not least in being a bringer of blessings rather than a deadly monster. And yet we don't have any difficulty in applying the word dragon to all of them and knowing what we mean.

One aspect is that they are all magical in some way, and thus wonderful for stories, ancient and modern.

A few years ago, I and three other authors decided to write dragon stories, we all came up with different types. Wench Mary Jo created a shape-shifting dragon in the European medieval tradition. Karen Harbaugh drew on her heritage for a Japanese dragon. Barbara Samuel used the magic of the south west United States. And I went over to fantasy land, as I love to do now and then.

Creating The Bargain in audio

by Mary Jo

The audiobook of The Bargain has just gone live! My story of the heiress who marries a dying man in order to secure her inheritance--and then he doesn't have the grace to die!--has always been a reader favorite, which is why I thought it worth putting into audio.

Last year I decided to produce my first backlist audio book, Thunder and Roses,I used ACX.com, the audio production arm of Amazon, which brings together producers and potential narrators.  I posted an audition and listened to many samples from different narrators, pulling my hair because they were all good, but who would be the best choice?  

For The Bargain, I found a narrator by pure luck. A fantasy writer friend had met British fantasy author and narrator Emma Newman at a conference, so she sent me a link for possible future use.

THE SPARKY REPORT #25

SPARKY'S NEW TOY

What is it with cats and boxes? You can buy all the expensive toys in the world, and your cat will still find more entertainment in an empty box. And so it is with Sparky. She loves boxes of any size or shape. Like the adorable YouTube cat Maru, famous for his love of boxes, Sparky cherishes her own beat-up boxes. They provide hours of entertainment, and like Maru, Sparky is especially fond of open-ended boxes because it's so fun to jet into the front of the box and exit through the back. 

Sparky thinks she is invisible when she's in her boxes, but the dogs (the curs!) seem to be able to see her anyway, thus spoiling any chance for Sparky to ambush them unawares. Still, she does her best, and isn't the least bit intimidated when they tower over her, full of curiosity.

While Kyanne, my Doberman, is content to poke Sparky with her nose, Shona, my Boxer, really gets into the act and likes to push the box (with cat) around the kitchen floor. Tomorrow I will be going to Costco, and I'll be sure to bring home some big boxes for Sparky to play in!

A Movie Valentine for You

For many of us, February can mean more snow than we ever want to see again (just yesterday we got over 20 inches in our part of Maryland) . . . it also means Groundhog Day (he was so right this time) . . . and Valentine’s Day.

Despite its origins as a religious nod to Saint Valentine’s generosity of spirit, over time Valentine’s Day has become all about hearts, flowers, chocolate and sweet little candy hearts – and all about romantic sentiment. Although it’s commercialized and may raise expectations beyond the pale, it’s also, at its best, a day to remember that true love and romance, whether or not it has its very own day, is worth celebrating.

What do the Wenches recommend this Valentine’s Day?  MOVIES!  Great, romantic, snuggle-up, pass the popcorn and unwrap the chocolate, movies!  There’s something especially wonderful about a feel-good, quality romance on the screen that can put a smile on your face and a glow of happiness in your heart. We've listed some of our favorites here for you - and we hope you'll do the same for us in the comments section.  

As we tossed around some movie suggestions, a few clear favorites quickly emerged among many great choices. Here are our top picks: romantic-themed movies that have something truly special – stories, characters, extraordinary moments that just make us want to rewind and watch over and over.  

The Word Wenches Top Picks for Most Romantic Movies Ever (in no particular order, though the first one was unanimously popular!):

Ladyhawke – Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick. A lady and a knight are under an evil magic spell that keeps them forever apart, night and day—until a thief and a priest try to break the spell. 

Pride and Prejudice – Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen… An exquisite feature film of Austen’s novel – and also the Colin-Firth-as-Mr.-Darcy multi-episode series – we love both versions, because who could pick?

The Princess Bride – Cary Elwes and Robin Wright … a scrumptious fairytale about a princess, a stable boy/dread pirate, a giant, a swordsman, an evil prince, True Love and … mawwaige…

Love Actually -- Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman and others … A great, funny, touching romantic comedy about several separate yet ultimately connected love stories set in London at Christmas.

 Shakespeare in Love -- Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes … A noblewoman falls in love with the stage - and with a playwright who has an idea for a tragic romantic play. . .  

First Knight – Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Sean Connery … A beautiful retelling of The Knight of the Cart and a believable love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere

Read on for our thoughts about these incredibly romantic and enjoyable movies – as well as some other truly wonderful movies that we think deserve special mention on this Saint Valentine’s Day. How do these movies work their romance magic and capture what the essence of romance on the screen?

There is No Friend Like a Sister . . .

“For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.” —Christina Rossetti

Sisters. It is one of the most elemental bonds of all. And yet, a number of us—me included—have never experienced that close relationship. I have two brothers. They are wonderful, and I’ve learned a lot of important life lessons from them—how to throw a curveball, how to drive a stick shift, the important of sucking it up and NOT crying when you fall out of a tree.

Horse troughs

Joanna here, looking into two-hundred-year-old animal welfare issues.

London, up till this last hundred years or so, was just plumb full of horses -- horses being ridden, horses pulling carts and wagons, horses pulling carriages. So I got to thinking about how these thousands of Regency horses got water to drink, London not being full of little trickling streams and all.

 

 

 

 

 

The answer, of course, is horse troughs. These were a private enterprise in 1800, rather than a municipal concern. Livery stables and every mews with horse and carriage would have had water for the horses and a stable boy to fetch it. Water accessible to a passing rider seems to have been the offering of inns and taverns, luring customers with drink for the horses as well as drink for the man.

Some, like this to the right, were obviously free to the public, to anyone riding along this road. Other places doubtless  expected a tip or an outright fee. One later public house water trough is inscribed: All that water their horses here Must pay a penny or have some beer. Hmmm ... hard choice, that.

These Regency water troughs were made of wood and generally elevated off the ground. They'd have been filled, bucket by bucket, by some inn servant or tavern boy sent out with the admonition, "And mind you don't dawdle about it." What you might call, 'running water'.

These wooden troughs have disappeared in the intervening centuries, but we have surviving Victorian horse troughs, here and there in London.  These were put in place on the streets by benevolent societies. Benevolent for the horses on the street and benevolent for the people too -- they often had a drinking fountain at one end.  

In this photo to the right you can see the pump that filled this Victorian trough. And here below is a man using this sort of pump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above is very typical example of the surviving Victorian horse troughs.  The upraised part at the end was the drinking fountain for humans.

Horses are gone from the streets.  The Regency horse troughs utterly disintegrated.  Local folks plant flowers in the old Victorian concrete water troughs and tourists follow maps, going from one to the other.

 

So, if you were a philanthropic society, what would you put on the streets of your home town to improve the quality of life?

SPARKY REPORT #24

THUMBS UP!

Sparky loves to read, and she's giving a thumbs-up seal of approval for Wench Patricia Rice's Undercover Genius! It should come as no surprise that Wench books are among Sparky's favorites. She has made a vow to read every new book by the Wenches, so you can expect more book-reading pictures in the future.

YAWN TIME

However, all that reading makes Sparky sleepy. Time for a little nap before diving into the next book! But first, a big yawn.

NAP TIME

And then, a cozy nap in the sunshine.

AND NOW, ANOTHER BOOK

Ahhhh, that was refreshing! Now Sparky is revved up for another Wench book. This time, she's reading Cara Elliott's Sinfully Yours.

Now that Sparky has read both books, she's looking forward to next month, when Cara Elliott, Jo Beverley, and Patricia Rice have books coming out!

Slow cooking. . .

Anne here. I bought a slow cooker recently, and it made me think about slow cooking in the past.

I remember an episode of The Duchess of Duke Street (anyone remember that show?) where Louisa Trotter (the heroine of the show) was cooking for some bigwig but had to travel to the site of the dinner party and do much of the cooking there, in some inadequate kitchen. One of the dishes was a slow-cooked one — a signature dish that had been requested, I think — and so, not having much time, and much of that being on the road, she had to improvise.

What she did was to begin the cooking process in a cast iron pot like a Dutch oven (Dutch ovens have been around for several hundred years.) She wrapped the merrily bubbling pot in a cloth, then placed it in a box and packed it tightly with hay on all sides. The hay acted as an insulator and by the time she reached her destination, hours later, and opened up the Dutch oven, the meat was perfectly cooked and fall-apart tender. Just like the meat I cooked yesterday in my electric slow cooker.

Slipping through time with Christina Courtenay!

Nicola here! Today I’m welcoming Christina Courtenay back to the Word Wenches to talk about her latest time slip novel, The Secret Kiss of Darkness. Christina is a multi-award winning author of historical romantic fiction and as I am a huge fan of time slip novels I couldn’t wait to quiz her about her latest book!

Christina, welcome back to the Word Wenches! Please tell us a little bit about The Secret Kiss of Darkness.

The Secret Kiss of Darkness is a time slip novel set in Devon, in the south-west of the UK.  The heroine in the present has her life totally disrupted when she almost bankrupts herself to buy a portrait of a mysterious 18^th century gentleman at an auction.  There’s forbidden love, smugglers and romance, as well as a gypsy’s spell!

The story was inspired by a Van Dyck painting in the National Gallery here in London, which looked so real I thought the man portrayed was going to start talking to me any minute!  I swear his eyes followed my every move.  It was very spooky but brilliant as it gave me the idea for this novel.

Cars

Hi, Jo here talking about cars, which is outside my usual time period. In a way.

In the pre-automobile age "car" was short for carriage, so you can come across what sound like anachronisms, such as "he travelled by car." But today I'm coming forward to blog about automobiles. The first picture is of a 19th century (just) car that clearly shows the connection to a horse-drawn carriage of the time.

Next weekend I’ll be attending a romance conference in Madrid, so at the moment I’m visiting my sister in Malaga, on the south coast of Spain, and I decided to visit the Automobile Museum. I’d  heard that it's interesting, but cars don't interest me much. However, as it's only a fifteen minute walk away, I decided I should.

Guest Christina Courtenay

Greetings! Sparky is very excited to announce that Wench Nicola Cornick will be hosting a visit by guest Christina Courtenay on Wednesday, February 5. In fact, Sparky is so excited that she's set up a watch post at the window over my desk. In the above picture she's watching the driveway in anticipation of the guest's visit.

Christina Courtenay's most recent releases are The Gilded Fan (historical), The Secret Kiss of Darkness (time slip), and New England Rocks (contemperary YA romance). Three different books--something for everybody! Mark your calendars and join the Wenches and Sparky on Wednesday, February 5! (There just might be a free book in it for you!)

Waiting for the guest to arrive

 

Whew! All that watching and waiting makes one sleepy! Perhaps I'll just take a quick catnap . . .

 

 

 

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