Word Wenches

Woof?!

Random thoughts about dogs

By Mary Jo

Anyone who knows me or has read my books probably knows I'm a cat person, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the wonderfulness of dogs.  Many of my friends have great dogs and I always love hearing their canine stories. We had lots of cats on the farm when I was a kid, but only one dog: a friendly family basset hound called Bootsy.  (The picture on the left isn't Bootsy, but the look is very similar.)

The name basset is French and derives from the word bas, meaning low, so they are "low hounds."  Bassets are large dogs with very short legs, so they are low but not small.  Bootsy had a baritone bark that would do credit to the Hound of the Baskervilles. <G>  (My book Shattered Rainbows had a basset known as Louis the Lazy.)

 

What We're Reading

Christina here with a roundup of what the Wenches have been reading this month. As usual, it’s a wonderful mixture and I hope you will find something to your taste.

We start with Patricia who recommends Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank:-

I love women’s fiction that veers off the standard path, and Frank always accomplishes that. Holly Jensen is a 30-year-old substitute teacher and beekeeper still living with her mama in coastal SC. She’s seriously in love with the little boys next door and thinks their widowed father is mighty fine as well, even if he is ten years older and a fancy college professor with a Harvard degree. But Holly really only talks to her bees. She does everything for everyone and thinks that ought to be enough, until it isn’t. Her married sister comes home to announce her wealthy husband is a transvestite who wants to star in Las Vegas reviews. The boys’ father develops a serious case of lust for someone else. Little by little, Holly’s passive little life falls apart and has to be put back together in a completely new picture with a fascinating set of family and friends who give her the confidence to finally speak her mind. And what a mind it is!

I’m not fond of Frank’s simple voice but the story is worth wading through the plain speaking and simple sentences.

Lady Arianna is back in a Swirl of Shadows

Andrea here, welcoming a guest interviewer to the Word Wenches today! C. P. Lesley, a historian, is the author of The Not Exactly Scarlet Pimpernel and two series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible. She also hosts New Books in Historical Fiction, a podcast channel on the New Books Network and interviews historical fiction authors on her website. (You can hear her podcast with me on my latest Wrexford & Sloane mystery, Murder at the Royal Botanic gardens, here. And she has also interviewed Nicola.)

C.P. was kind enough to interview me recently on my new Lady Arianna Regency mystery, A Swirl of Shadows, which released last week, and graciously offered to let me share it here. (As luck would have it, the setting aligns very well with her historical expertise, as you shall soon discover!) So without further ado, here’s some tidbits on Lady Arianna and Saybrook—and their latest adventure!

Simple pleasures

Anne here, and today I am talking about simple, everyday things that we can do to make us feel better. It was inspired by this post that I saw the other day, which gave a list of small everyday ways to boost our happiness. And in the chaos of packing to move house, it really appealed to me.

The article included things like putting up images, photos or pictures that please you. Writing a "life truth" or a note to self. One example was ‘Eat chocolate at 3pm’. I could force myself to do that, I'm sure. (heh heh) (Photo by eniko kis on Unsplash )

Actually I do put up little signs to myself sometimes. The small card below is a particularly helpful reminder now I'm clearing out my house. I was also reminded of feng shui principles when rereading Mary Jo's China Bride recently.

The article suggested list-making — not so much "to do" lists but "done lists" to give you a sense of achievement. (eg Hey, I ate that 3pm chocolate! Go me!)

Another suggestion was to invest in several pairs of reading glasses. That one made me smile and nod. I have cheap reading glasses stashed in every room of the house. Saves a lot of running around searching.

One suggestion that made me laugh was to read a book. I don't think anyone here would have to be reminded of how much pleasure there is in reading.

But it got me thinking about the small everyday things that contribute to my own happiness.

March Winds Blow

   March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers . . .

Susan here. So goes the nursery rhyme, promising that the crazy weather of March and the rain of April will once again lead to balmy spring days filled with flowers and sunshine. Here in the northern hemisphere with just one week left in March, this month we’ve seen everything from clouds, winds, and rain to sunny warmth and even several inches of snow not long ago. Sun or snow, the hyacinths and daffodils are blooming and the tulips are making their way out of the ground. Today, we have rain and winds again, alas – but we've made it through the equinox, so we know winter is done and spring is on its way. 

To celebrate the coming of spring, here are some images in honor of the new season – and in honor of March, some images of wind too -- not easy to portray in painting or sculpture! 

Monet, Spring, 1872, Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. I recently saw this beautiful little Monet again at the Walters Gallery, and up close, it's every bit as gorgeous and evocative of springtime as you can imagine. Monet is perhaps the undisputed master of capturing spring in paint on canvas, in color and texture and light. In this and other paintings it is easy to almost feel the warmth of the sun, the scent of flowers and new grass, and a hint of soft, fresh breezes and scudding clouds.

Monet's gorgeous depiction of Mme. Monet and her son on a windy hill in springtime - in the National Gallery, Washington DC. This painting is just stunning and seems larger than life and filled with springtime breezes.

 

Avian Friends

Christina here. I’ve been mulling over ideas for a new story, and one of the things I’d like to add is an unusual pet. In the past, I’ve always given my heroes and heroines faithful canine companions, but this time I want something a little bit different. I’m considering a pet raven.

As I write about Viking times, this seems appropriate, since the god Odin was said to have two ravens – Huginn (Old Norse for ‘thought’) and Muninn (Old Norse for ‘memory’). According to the sagas, this pair would fly across the world each day and then return to Odin to give him information about anything that might concern him. His personal spies, as it were. It is interesting that this particular type of bird was chosen by the god to be his informants – Vikings must have known how clever they are.

The Age of the Euphemism

Nicola here. I'm in my writing cave dealing with revisions to my latest manuscript, so today I have dusted down a Wench classic post from 7 years ago which provoked an interesting and fun discussion at the time and I hope will do the same now its been updated and expanded. The topic is "euphemisms" and the first line of this blog piece is of course a euphemism in itself. What I really mean is that I planned a new blog topic but ran out of time to write it. Euphemisms are "a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing." And we use them all the time: "Downsizing" for job cuts, "certified pre-owned" for a used item (or "pre-loved" for clothes), "friends with benefits," "creative with the truth," ladies' powder room" to quote just a few. There are endless ways of softening something that sounds too direct and the word euphemism itself originates from the Ancient Greek meaning "good speaking."

There are many euphemisms for things that are considered too personal to express directly. This is where this blog post receives it's X rating as we plunge into topics that have been and may still be culturally taboo for some people. In both my mother's and grandmother's generation there were certain words that were simply not appropriate to use. My dearly-loved godmother, for example, completely confused me when she referred to her "sit upon." I thought she meant a piece of furniture rather than her bottom! But euphemisms enable people to speak about things they find uncomfortable. They are comfort words that help us broach difficult topics. It's worth bearing in mind though, that you can stumble into cultural quicksands with euphemisms very easily. The "fanny pack" is one example, and did you know that in Scotland a "peenie" is an apron so "get your peenie out" could be misconstrued? And whilst on that subject, the question "which way do you dress?" from a tailor to a client during a trouser fitting is a euphemism designed to save both from embarrassment but which could easily cause confusion.

History of US Income Taxes

I’ve been working on my income taxes, and my brain is too fried to come up with any better topic. As a former CPA, I’m always fascinated by how we finance roads, bridges, military, and the countless other expenses of government. (The federal government—our taxes— represents 30% of the gross national product, making it the biggest industry keeping the economy rolling) Fun fact: the earliest known tax was in Mesopotamia 4500 years ago and was paid in livestock.

Comfort Food!

by Mary Jo

In complicated times, we need our comfort foods!  What foods and drinks do you reach for when you need soothing?

Nicola is first:

I’ve been a comfort eater ever since I was a teen and over the last couple of years my eating did rather spiral out of control as a result of all the stresses in the world, macro-sized ones and personal challenges. One bag of crisps became an entire family sized bag I had to myself and the same went for chocolate. When I realised that I needed an entirely new set of clothes to accommodate me and my eating habit, I realised I had to stop.

So I signed up for a programme to help me change my mindset towards food. It wasn’t a diet because it didn’t need willpower, which was good because I don’t have any when it comes to eating. Instead it sort of reset my attitude towards food. So the brilliant thing about it is that I can still eat all the lovely comfort foods I enjoy – cheese and onion crisps, chocolate mini-eggs, hot buttered toast – but as treats rather than in huge quantities. And I’ve discovered the comfort of eating stuff that’s actually good for me: luxury jacket potatoes, lovely rich casseroles in winter.

But when it comes to the ultimate in comfort food then I seek out baklava. For those who haven’t yet discovered it, baklava is a layered filo pastry dessert filled with chopped nuts (my favourite being pistachios), sweetened with honey and spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. When it’s warm the filo pastry is all soft and gooey with the honey mixture, and the spices are subtle and delicious. You can cut it into square pieces to eat as sweet treats – as large or small as you like. It’s scrumptious and there’s a wonderful recipe for it here:

 

On Madness

Anne here, and today I'm musing on the subject of madness. I've always liked the Regency expression "blue-devilled" and this drawing by Cruikshank illustrates it perfectly. But blue-devilled, depressed, beset by anxiety, or mad — it's a fine line that separates them.
You might think madness is a strange subject for a Regency romance writer to be talking about, but recall if you will, the Regency period (1811—1820) came about because King George III was believed to be mad, and was incarcerated and treated for insanity. His eldest son, the Prince of Wales, was thus declared the Regent and ruled in his place until the king died.

These days some researchers believe that the poor king had a disease called porphyria, and was not insane at all. Porphyria involves a problem in the production of heme, which is a component of the protein in red blood cells. Heme production, which occurs in the bone marrow and liver, involves eight different enzymes and a shortage (deficiency) of a specific enzyme determines the type of porphyria. One of the possible symptoms of porphyria are mental changes, such as anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, disorientation or paranoia. (Information from this site.)

But the question is still being debated, and some historians today believe the king was insane after all, and exhibited classic signs of psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder.  More information about this theory here.

Hats off to an American Fashion Icon

Andrea here, musing today about hats. Not just any hats, but one particular style that has transcended passing fads or whims to become a cultural icon in and of itself. I happened to stumble across a vintage photo of a group of cowboys from the 1880s the other day while researching a completely different topic, and and it made me pause to study the faces—and the hats!

Rats in the Attic

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Suzy Kassem

“We learn from failure, not from success.” Bram Stoker

Christina here. In an article last year in the UK’s Society of Authors’ magazine, Mick Conefrey mentioned ‘impostor syndrome’ (feeling like a fraud, despite having achieved success), which he called ‘the rat in his skull’. I absolutely loved this imagery/metaphor and could really relate!

Mr Conefrey was talking about the fact that he’d written books about mountain climbing, even though he’s not a climber himself. For me, however, impostor syndrome is the fact that I can never quite believe I’m good enough to be a published author – even after ten years it feels unreal and as though I’m going to wake up any minute and find that it was all a dream.

I’m battling with this inner rodent as I’m halfway through my next work in progress and doubting the story every step of the way. Starting a new book is always scary and although I usually begin with enthusiasm, all fired up about the plot ideas I’ve had, this can quickly change. The mid-point is especially precarious (the dreaded “sagging middle”), when everything starts to feel flat and the characters are not behaving as you’d like them to. I know from past experience that I’ll overcome this, but the rat in my skull certainly doesn’t help matters!

Ask the Wenches

Anne here.

This is a quick Sunday post, calling for wenchly readers to send us any questions they'd like to ask the wenches.

We're running low on our "Ask-A-Wench" questions from readers, so if you have any burning questions you'd like answered by us, post them below, or send them to our trusty wench wrangler, Laura.

Evolution of a Cover

Evolution of a Cover

by Mary Jo

Publishing is all kinds of complicated, so I decided to look at one small piece, which is the story behind my new cover for The China Bride.

The second of my Bride trilogy, the book features Troth Montgomery, daughter of a Chinese woman and a Scottish trader.  She's a great character, strong and brave and vulnerable from having been raised between two worlds.  I knew that writing her story would be a challenge because I'm a farm girl from Western New York but my mother had lived in China as a girl, and she told us stories about her life there, so that part of the world has always intrigued me. 

So I did a lot of research about China and the tea trade in the early 1830s. (Very interesting!) Also, during the months when I was planning this book, if I received a fan email from a reader with a Chinese name, I pounced and asked if she'd be willing to read my manuscript when it was done. Five lovely, intelligent women of Chinese heritage agreed to help, for which I'm forever grateful. 

The story logic of the trilogy led me there because the hero, Kyle Renbourne, had appeared in The Wild Child, book 1 of the trilogy.  He was portrayed as a restless young man who yearned to travel, but who had been tied to England because he was heir to an earldom.  At the end of that book, he was breaking free and setting off to fulfill his travel dreams. 

The China Bride began when Kyle reached China and the city of Macao.  He knows that this is the end of his journeying for it's time to return home to assume his responsibilities.  Then Kyle meets Troth Montgomery.  Orphaned young, she'd been taken into the household of a powerful Chinese trader who requires her to dress as a man and act as a translator when dealing with Western merchants.  She feels like a a hopeless misfit.  Kyle realizes that she's female and asks her to take him into forbidden China to fulfill a life long goal.  In return he will make it possible for her to travel to Britain, the land of her father and his family. 

Victorian Opulence at Osborne House!

Nicola here. A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days on the Isle of Wight in a cottage that is situated on the Osborne House estate. Although I knew that Queen Victoria had built Osborne as a summer holiday home (more on that later!) I knew very little about it or its history so it was a fascinating trip. When I say that we stayed in a cottage, it was actually the gatehouse to the estate, known as Sovereign’s Gate, which was the entrance through which Queen Victoria and her family would have approached the house back in the day. Now transformed into a holiday home over three levels, it’s a fabulous place to stay. These days the Sovereign’s Gate is locked but Angus was happy to pose for a photo to show it off! Inside the gatehouse has many of its original 19th century features, including these fabulous windows with movable sashes on a pulley system.

As the house and grounds were closed, we had the place largely to ourselves. This was an enormous privilege enabling us to explore
the acres of gardens, park and beach (as long as we told the security detail that we were going out - it was rather like having bodyguards!). It also meant that I got a personalised tour of Osborne House itself, which was brilliant. I was allowed to use the  “ministers’ door”; there were five different entrances at Osborne, one reserved for the monarch only, the second for the royal family, the third for ministers, the fourth for titled visitors and members of the court and the one round the back for the servants and tradesmen!