Word Wenches

The Long and Short of It

Andrea/Cara here, As we here in the U. S. head into the LONG holiday weekend signaling the end of lazy summer reading and recreation, I thought I’d muse a little on the SHORT of things . . . as in the craft of writing. I'm releasing the latest addition to my Lady Arianna series on Monday, September 4th, and it’s not only a new book but also a new form of writing for me.

The Stolen Letters (you can read an excerpt here) is a novella, something I’ve never done before. Yes, I’ve penned short pieces for anthologies—including two for the Word Wenches Christmas anthologies! But I’ve never tackled a stand-alone short-form book, which is more than an expanded short story and less than a full novel. Here's a quick synopsis:

With the hunt for a diabolical traitor finally over, Lady Arianna is looking for some peace and quiet in which to resolve lingering tensions with her husband over her daredevil exploits during the final chase. But an unexpected late night visit from The Dragon—Saybrook’s feisty and independent great aunt—puts her in the middle of a very difficult dilemma . . .

Constantina confesses that some very private personal letters, along with some sensitive diplomatic documents, have been stolen from her French paramour. She’s desperately hoping Arianna can help get them back, but says it must be discreetly and without anyone knowing—including Saybook.

 

What We're Reading in August

“Woman Reading and a Girl Playing” by Francois Guérin, 1748 (public domain image)

Susanna here, forced to admit that I haven’t been doing much reading these past few months. My new book is due to my editors in a few weeks so I haven’t had much time for anything else. But I did get to spent a few days with my nephews and brother-in-law at our cottage—an annual family tradition and one of those times I look forward to every year—and when I let the boys pick out a movie to watch, they chose Stardust. I love, love this film and the book it’s adapted from, so though I technically watched it instead of re-reading it, I thought I’d sneak it in anyway here. It’s a magical story—romantic and funny and poignant and wise—and if you’re ever feeling the need for a grown-up fairy tale, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

MJP Interview—Once a Rebel

Anne here, and today I'm interviewing Mary Jo Putney about her new book, Once a Rebel which I was lucky enough to read in advance (one of the perks of being a word wench.) The second in Mary Jo's "Rogues Redeemed" series, Once a Rebel will be released on August 29. 

Publishers Weekly called it: “A page-turner tale…As these two appealing characters discover how friendship can change into romance, Putney completes their story with plenty of detail and cameos from historical figures.

Kirkus said: Putney’s continued foray into the new setting of the United States in the early 19th century is a welcome addition to the historical romance shelf. . .  Though suspense and adventure drive this story forward, the love at its center sets it apart.

Anne: Mary Jo, in Once a Rebel your hero, Richard (aka Lord George Gordon Audley) appeared briefly in Once a Soldier and was the most difficult student to ever attend the Westerfield Academy (for boys of good birth and bad behavior.) Tell us about him.

MJP: Anne, Gordon had actually appeared in three of my Lost Lords books: Not Quite a Wife and Not Always a Saint as well as Once a Soldier.  He has a tough and dangerous vibe and his former classmates regarded him warily, but he's very good at coming through in a pinch.

So how did he become the man he is?  I often say rather random things about minor characters, and when they turn into promising hero material, I have to weave those threads into the fellow's life.  For example, Gordon was described to his old classmates as "someone you'll recognize, though you knew him under a different name."  He's also known as "Lady Agnes Westerfield's one failure."  Clearly he has a checkered past! 

Naturally I gave him a fairly dreadful childhood.  My characters often have that because it gives me something to work with.  Hence Lord George Gordon Richard Augustus Audley was the third and most worthless son of a marquess.  Despised by his father and harassed by his older brothers, he is one angry and rebellious young man.

Hobbiton

Anne here, and I'm just back from my travels. I went first to Brisbane (capital city of the state of Queensland) for the Romance Writers of Australia conference, and then to New Zealand for the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference but I'm blogging today about neither of those events (though I will, once I've unpacked my case and sorted out my thoughts.)  

Today it's all about Hobbiton, the "real live" movie set used in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

I first started to read Tolkien when I was fifteen, but never finished The Hobbit. And never read the rest. I tried again as an adult, but again, never finished. I also started to watch The Hobbit on a plane, and again, didn't finish it. So I was definitely the odd person out on the little tour I did. (I had to confess that what drew me to make the tour was my love of little houses. Yes, a deeply frivolous wench, I'm afraid. The tour guide thought so, too.) 

A Passion for Pearls

Nicola here, and today I'm talking about pearls. It's two months until my first timeslip novel, House of Shadows, makes its debut in the US and I've been having a wonderful time reminding myself of the themes and inspiration for the book and browsing through the amazing portrait collection at Ashdown House which gave me so many ideas for the story.

 

The mirror and the pearl that feature in House of Shadows are imaginary historical artefacts but like so many aspects of the book they are inspired by historical fact. The idea of the pearl came from the Craven portrait collection which features a number of 17^th century paintings that Elizabeth of Bohemia, the Winter Queen, bequeathed to William Craven on her death. Included are paintings of four of her daughters, Princes Elizabeth, Princess Louise Hollandine, Princess Sophie and Princess Henrietta Maria. In all of these pictures and in the portrait of Elizabeth herself, the ladies wear a single strand pearl necklace with beautiful big and lustrous pearls. 

 

A jewellery historian who came to Ashdown specifically to see the pearls in the portraits told me that they were part of a necklace of seven strings that belonged to Elizabeth and had originally been Medici pearls inherited by Mary, Queen of Scots and passed down to Elizabeth via her father James I. Elizabeth would pawn this necklace and indeed her other jewellery, furniture and anything else she could lay her hands on when she was particularly short of money during her exile, and then buy the items back if she had a special state occasion to attend. On those occasions she would assemble all seven strands of the necklace to wear together, and very impressive it would have looked too.

 

On her death Elizabeth left one string of pearls to each of her daughters but eventually, as a result of inheritance, six of the strings came back together again. The exception to this was the string that had been given to Princess Henrietta Maria on her marriage to the Prince of Transylvania in 1651. When she died only 6 months later she was buried in her bridal gown, wearing the pearls.

 

The possession of the necklace was hotly disputed between the British Royal Family and the House of Hanover, both of whom were descended from Elizabeth and both of whom wanted the necklace. Not only did Queen Victoria quarrel with her German cousins over whom it should belong to but she also caused a diplomatic incident when she contacted the authorities in Romania and asked that the tomb of Henrietta Maria be opened to extract the extra string! When her request was refused she was not amused!

 

This picture shows Elizabeth's eldest daughter, also called Elizabeth, wearing her strand. This Elizabeth was considered one of the greatest beauties of the age and was known as "The Star of the North." She was also a great philosopher and correspondent of Descartes. It is said that the large drop pearl in this portrait is "The Bretheren" a famous pearl that brings bad luck to the wearer. Elizabeth of Bohemia was, arguably, a very unlucky Queen but it is easy with the benefit of hindsight to attribute this to her poor choice of jewellery!

 

Cursed pearls are not unusual and range from the story of the Roseate Pearl, said to have caused the sinking of the ship Koombana off Australia in 1912 to “La Peregrina”, which was discovered in the 16^th century, belonged to Mary I of England and was bought in 1969 by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor. Whether or not there is any truth in the stories of bad luck that cling to these famous jewels they are certainly great inspiration for a writer!

 

I was lucky enough to inherit a lovely little strand of pearls from my grandmother with, as far as I know, no curse attached! I'm not really a pearl girl although I do think they can look gorgeous.  Of course pearls are not the only jewellery to have tall stories attached. Many famous jewels seem to have an air of mystery that attracts tall tales! Do you like pearls or do you have a preference for other precious stones - or quite different sorts of jewellery?

This Eclipse of Mine

 

The old house with swings on the porch

I'm posting late today because I wanted to post photos of the eclipse. This is almost Real Time. Think of me as the news.

I've been looking forward to the eclipse for six or eight months. I live some miles north of the path of totality -- the area where the moon totally covers the face of the sun. I had to drive about seven hours to get to my sun-watching site.

I'm in western Virginia, so the nearest point to the totality was past Asheviile, North Carolina. Where to stay? Where to stand and actually watch the eclipse?

 

inside the house
(R Brantel)

Researching on the internet I found a celebration of

The living room
(SA Hunter)

the eclipse in the town of Cherokee on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. There would be dancing and stories. How could I resist?

 

The lake in the distance as we drove by  (SA Hunter)

I was driving down with friends so I needed somewhere largish for us to stay. I found a most wonderful place ... an old house that had been converted into a meditational center in Lake Junaluska. A century-old house, quiet and dignified and charming.  That's the house above. Here's the lake.

Early in the morning we left Lake J and headed to Cherokee through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

In Cherokee we passed the war memorial, with the names of all who had served. Also a tank.

Quite a nice tank, assuming it is not mad at you

The lovely river in Cherokee
(all these are photocredit SA Hunter)

A bear outside the Cherokee Museum.(Not a real bear)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Cherokee dancers. He also works in the Interpretive Center of the Museaum (R Brantel)

This is me eagerly awaiting the eclipse

We found a spot under the trees and listened to many bands; ate American Indian tacos; heard a Cherokee myth about the invention of the flute; ate fried bread; and listened to drumming and dancing, including bear dancing. We took a walk by the river, which is more stunning than the picture would have you believe.

We did all this because you cannot just say, "Let's have the eclipse now," and expect it to happen. We had to wait.

In the fullness of time we saw the first indications that the sun was being eaten by the moon. Eaten by a Great Frog as the Cherokee myth might go. First a nibble. then a larger slice. Takes a while.

As everyone in the US who is not living under a rock knows, one does not look directly at the sun

sun goggles
Not government approved

during an eclipse. Or anytime, really.  One wears little goggles as if one were watching a 3-D movie. These are mine.

The most exciting thing about them is that they didn't actually SAY they were government approved, but they did block out all light when you put them on and scanned the countryside, so I took the chance.

Smile-shaped sun shadows

The eclipse began. The light filtering through the leaves of the trees showed the smile of the sun and the shadow of the moon. Lovely.

Slowly the disk of the sun was covered by the moon. At totality the sun hangs in the sky like a great black rock surrounded by fire. That lasts about two minutes. The countryside is covered with the darkness of late sunset. (I didn't notice any change in animals behavior because of the aforementioned rock music.) 

... and no, I am not going to try to take pictures of the eclipse. NASA does it better as in this photo

The shadow of the moon passes and a brilliant light flares, like the white sparkle of fireworks. Slowly, the sun returns.

My eclipse. So cool. So much worth the drive.

 

Have you ever seen an eclipse?

Where and when.

Cool or not cool?

 

 

Where Do You Read?

Susan here, thinking not so much about what we read as where we read—what are your favorite spots for reading books? Here at Word Wenches, we—authors and readers both—all love books and reading, and we’re often discussing our all-time favorites or our current reads, or whatever book we might be writing just now. And you all are always right there with us, sharing your love of books too. Our reading stacks are growing exponentially and of course we’re all doing our best to read, savor and enjoy all these wonderful books . . . .

 
But where? What’s your favorite preferred reading spot? A favorite comfy chair, a sofa in a quiet room, relaxing in bed with lots of pillows and a good book before sleeping? Are there books stacked in a basket beside your bathtub? Do you prefer sitting outside on a porch or a deck, or in a peaceful corner of the garden? If you’re at the beach, do you take a book or would you rather watch the waves rush in and out? Are you a reader when traveling by car, train, plane, boat, or does that motion combined with print make you a wee bit woozy? Do you listen to audiobooks while traveling or commuting? What spot creates for you the perfect atmosphere for reading? Comfort, lighting, quiet or a little background sound--or some outdoor location, a little breeze, a little sun--what sets the stage for magical reading? 

Here’s one of my reading corners in the house—an oak rocker in a sunny spot (we have two “presidential” style rockers and I love them—one belonged to my mom and is a genuine Kennedy rocker made by the same D.C. craftsman who made JFK’s famous rocker in 1961). The room is quiet, with filtered sunlight and walls of bookcases, and is away from the activity in other parts of the house. The chair is comfortable, fits me well, supports my back, rocks lightly if I want, and its generous armrests have room enough for writing and note-taking on a lap desk that I keep tucked nearby. I’ve been doing a lot of reading in this chair lately, staying out of the heat of summer. I also love to read in one of the big comfy chairs on our back deck, getting a little sun or sitting under the big umbrella out there, listening to birds ... though the heat and humidity can send me back inside before I finish a chapter. Pretty much, though, I’ll read anywhere I can—comfy chair, propped in bed, riding in a car (when driving, I love a good audiobook), sitting at the kitchen table, lounging on a sofa, or just about anywhere there's a book and a little time.

Reading is an art in itself. What we contribute to the symbiosis between author and reader to animate the story, how deeply we dive and focus and retain to draw out the most we can get from fiction or nonfiction, how we learn, how we benefit, what we do with that knowledge and new understanding. Reading and books can bring us peace as well as excitement--can change us and  enhance our lives and the way we live them. 

So where are you reading? Tell us about your favorite places! 

Here's a gallery of some very contented readers—in chairs, sitting by windows, in bed, in the garden, in a library, by the seashore, in moonlight, on a train . . . 

 

 

 

Ask A Wench!

Andrea/Cara here, seeing as August is a lazy month with people here in the northern hemisphere making the most of the last few weeks of summer by kicking back and just hanging out with friends and family—and good books (and you where it's still winter are curling up by the fire) I thought I'd have a little fun by throwing out this question to the Wenches about what author from history they'd like to hang out with:

If you could sit down for tea and a comfortable tell-all “coze" with one author from history, who would it be? And what questions would you want to ask? (Or want things would you want to talk about.)

Mary Jo:
Forget tea with Jane Austen! I'd like to have a ride with Lawrence of Arabia, both of us ambling along on camels and admiring the scenery. I'd ask him about being a love child whose father abandoned his wife and children in Ireland to live with Lawrence's mother, a governess. And what was it like being an archeologist in Syria before WWI, and his dashing activities in the war, and the Arab Revolt.  And what did he think of Peter O'Toole playing him in the classic movie, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. I thought O'Toole did a very good job, other than being about a foot taller than the real Lawrence. <G>
 

Doodle-bugging!

Pat here:

Really, just following Wikipedia links could consume a whole day, even when I’m researching something that doesn’t exist! In my Work-in-Process, a walking stick suddenly became a dowsing rod. Don’t ask—my Muse is unpredictable, and I don’t question what she flings on the page. But I do need a hint of credibility, so I looked up dowsing rods, as one does.

From the Garden Gnome to the Pink Flamingo!

Nicola here. I’m sitting outside today in the sunshine (we’ve been having very un-summery weather here in the UK lately so I’m making the most of it) and around me are various ornaments that are, literally, part of the garden design and something I really love having in my garden. There’s Fez, Kiwi and Piwi (who are metal birds) and elsewhere, my badger (in the photo), tortoise and even a peregrine falcon with its beak chewed off by one of the guide dog puppies. I’d never really thought what a feature garden ornamentation is until I read an article recently saying that the tradition of decorating your garden – or grove - dates back to Ancient Egypt.

The Ancient Greeks favoured statues of the well-endowed god Priapus which were placed outside to encourage fertility, act as bird scarers and allegedly warn of unpleasant consequences to trespassers. I haven’t included a picture of Priapus out of respect for readers’ sensibilities but the idea of decorating one’s garden with statuary was one that endured through the Roman period when the fashion for sculptures of animals began. At Roman villa complexes in England designs for hedges have been found that allowed for gaps where urns and statues were displayed.

Ideas

It's a truth, not unrelated to this topic, that a post here often grows out of a prior post and the ensuing comment thread.

A case in point: Last time, I talked about Craftsmanship, and in the comments Quantum said, "It seems to me that generating ideas for new plots is even more important…Can you comment on how ideas for new novels are generated. Do you have to work at it or do the ideas just float into your mind from the aether?"

And since that seemed to be a topic too involved for me to give a good reply within the comments, I asked Quantum to bear with me while I thought it through properly.

“Where do you get your ideas?” is one of those questions that all writers struggle to answer. For me, at least, it’s difficult to come up with one pat answer that explains the process, because every book I’ve written has begun a different way.

The Old Line State

by Mary Jo

Most states have nicknames that reflect their nature and sometimes show up on license plates. California is the Golden State, New Hampshire is the Granite State, Kansas is the Sunflower State, and so on. (I think Arizona's motto must be, "But it's a DRY heat!" <G>)

One of Maryland's nicknames is the Old Line State. Not being a native, I had only a vague knowledge of the origin of that: something about a Revolutionary War battle in which a Maryland regiment bravely held the line against the British. I didn't know any more until I read an article in the Baltimore Sun.

The battle that inspired the nickname was the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27th--August 30th, 1776. The revolution was new. The British had been pushed back in New England after the Siege of Boston, the traitorous colonials had had the audacity to issue a Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, and Britain was going to end this nonsense RIGHT NOW, a mere six weeks after independence was declared.

 

Beauty Like the Night — Joanna Bourne

Anne here, interviewing Jo Bourne about her long-awaited new book, Beauty Like the Night, the latest in her acclaimed "Spymaster" series. For those who might be wondering, the title comes from Lord Byron:


She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;

The reviews are glowing: All About Romance gave it their coveted "Desert Island Keeper" rating, a glowing review, and summed up thus: "a great read and a terrific addition to what is easily one of the finest series of historical romance novels around." 
Romantic Times gave it a "Top Pick" and said: "A grand mistress of romantic espionage returns! With a powerful, suspenseful plot and unforgettable characters, this Spymaster chapter grips you from the opening line with its tale of murder and treason."

Anne: Having read it myself, I heartily concur. Jo, congratulations on the publication of Beauty Like the Night. Readers have been waiting for this for a long time. You must be thrilled to have it out at last.

The Price of Creativity

Andrea/Cara here, just back from RWA and four days filled with workshops on the craft of writing and the business aspects of marketing the books that result from our labors of love. (Though the best part of the conference is just hanging out with other writers—not only were Mary Jo, Joanna and I presenting a workshop together, but we also got the chance to just kick back and spend hours together yakking about everything under the sun. That was incredibly special.)

Creativity crackled in the air throughout the whole conference—the excitement of imagining new stories, the stresses of putting them into words, the uncertainties of the publishing business...

Which made me really stop and think about an irate letter I received from a reader on the day I returned home. In it, she expressed how upset she was that my latest book, Murder on Black Swan Lane, costs $11.99 in e-book, which she thought was was FAR too much, and that I should tell my “greedy publisher” that she would never, ever buy it.