Word Wenches

Culling Books

Anne here. My book cull is continuing at a very s l o w  pace. It's nearly a year since I moved, and the new bookshelves were finished by Christmas — I know, disgraceful that I'm still not finished. But I have plenty of space and the boxes of books that are piled up are in a spare room that I don't particularly need. I mostly read on an e-reader now so there's no urgency to get at the books. As well, I've been busy writing. And partly it's because I injured my shoulder and find it difficult to lift anything. I'm undergoing physical therapy for that, so things should improve.

It's not as if I have no room for books. I have a new built-in bookshelf that covers the entire wall of my office. (see pic)  The little sticky notes you can see are to roughly sort them into alphabetical order.

I also have a 5 x 3 ft bookshelf in the guest room that I've filled with a selection of books that a guest might like to browse through. I have a 6 x 3ft bookshelf that contains my history references and my writing books — they were the first books I unpacked. I have several low and wide bookshelves for my larger coffee-table sized books and sundry other items (Scabble, anyone?), and a tall empty bookshelf  sitting in the hall that I might paint and keep. Even so, I have too many books.

A while back, when we were answering an AAW on rereading books, Wench Nicola asked "I wonder when I look at my bookshelves: Why do I keep books I have no intention of re-reading…?" And that got me thinking. Because I have this battle with myself every single time I unpack a box of books and look at the contents and try to decide whether to keep each book or cull it. It's ridiculously difficult.

There are books I haven't touched in years, and can't imagine ever rereading. They're good books, worthy books. I'm sure if I pass them on to charity shop or a second-hand bookshop — or even to the little street library down the street in a neighbor's front yard — there will be people who will want them. And yet I hesitate. Why?

Books are part of my history

What We're Reading!

Christina here and can you believe it’s already time for our monthly round-up of Wenchly reads and recommendations! No idea where the time goes … As always, it is a very mixed selection, from generational stories to timeslips and everything in between. Have a look and see if anything takes your fancy!

Pat:  Sonali Dev, THE VIBRANT YEARS, is a fast-paced book that sucked me in from the very first, even if I usually despise women’s fiction where everyone is beautiful, talented, and brilliant. The three-generational protagonists here are Indian, so their obstacles aren’t just jealous bosses or spiteful exes, which was refreshing. They’re fighting against their culture, the expectations of family, and their own fears. The youngest is a genius computer programmer who can’t relate to people but is desperate to save her mental health software from an ex. Her mother destroyed her loving marriage by daring to take on a TV career that was destined to spit out someone her age and race. And the grandmother … We should all have grandmothers like Bindu, gorgeous, free-spirited, and trapped by humiliating old memories and fears. When a wealthy, famous lover dies in Bindu’s arms, causing outrage in her senior community, all three women come together in support. The last half of the book has a lot of mental perambulation, but by that time, you’re hooked into their stories and need to know how they fare in life and love. Definitely recommended.

St George of Merrie England

Susan here – St. George’s Day was just this week on April 23, a day noted in England, as he’s their chivalric patron, with his red cross
on white incorporated in the British flag; and himself on a horse vanquishing a dragon is a familiar sight and symbol in the British canon, where he's as well known for dragon-slaying as for chivalry. And St. George holds a special place in my heart – years (and years) ago, my doctoral thesis focused on the iconography of St. George in medieval art, especially in conjunction with the Virgin Mary. My research focused on the fact that George and Mary were often paired up in the medieval era as models of the ideal knight and ideal lady, superlatives in a chivalric age of icons. When he wasn’t defeating a dragon or rescuing a princess, he was often caught posing with Mary as a pair of paragons.

A good portion of my academic life in those days was spent tracking down images of St. George with and without the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary), from the obvious to the obscure, and I had a great time digging into the material and solving little iconographic medieval puzzles that no one else had paid attention to before – and the research for that project taught me a great deal about the nature of the hero and heroine archetypes – which came in handy later for writing novels.

I’ve blogged about St. George here before, so this year, to mark his holiday, I’m sharing some images of George (with and without his friend the Blessed Virgin).

So hats off to good St. George, the finest knight in Christendom and Merrie England!

Perhaps my very favorite image of St. George, the princess, and the dragon - by Rogier Van der Weyden, in the National Gallery, Washington DC, ca. 1435. 

"May I come in, St. George?" said the Boy politely, as he paused at the door. "I want to talk to you about this little matter of the dragon, if you're not too tired of it by this time." -- Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon

The Author's Note—Yes or No?

Andrea here, musing today on that oft-overlooked part of a book: the Author’s Note. I’m one of those readers who really likes getting an inside peek at what information an author thinks will enhance the enjoyment of the main text. The dreaded “info dump” that can often bog down the actual storytelling tends to shine in its own special place, and I, for one, find that understanding elements like the facts behind some of the plot twists, or the inspiration behind the book really does add to my appreciation of the author’s creation.

Peace of Amiens

The Peace of Amiens

Mary Jo

Most Regency readers and writers are generally aware of the Peace of Amiens, a 15 month period of peace from March 1802 until May 1803.  It's the marker between the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and was the only period of general peace in Europe until 1814, when Napoleon abdicated his throne.  (1815 was when he returned from exile, reigned for the Hundred Days, and was responsible for the slaughter of masses of men at Waterloo.)

 

Falling in Love Again. . .

Anne here, and no I'm not talking about a new relationship. Nor am I talking about Marlene Dietrich, though since I wrote that heading, I've had that song playing over and over in my brain.

No, this post is about falling in love again with favorite old books.  Every now and then I take a day or two off writing, pull up the drawbridge and curl up with some favorite old romances. 

Remember them? The books that first made you fall in love with this genre, the authors who made you sigh dreamily at the end, whose stories and characters stayed with you long after you'd finished reading.

How long is it since you reread some of your old favorites? 

Some of mine haven't lived up to my re-reading of them. I find myself reading them more as a writer than a reader, and being more critical of them than I expected to be. But some of them. . . oh, some of them sweep me away just as thoroughly as they first did back when I first discovered the romance genre.

Why reread old favourites, you might ask. Some of these books are ten, twenty, even thirty years old. Hasn't the market has changed so much since they were first published? Aren't they out of date? Old fashioned?

Hands-On Research

Christina here. As we’ve mentioned before, authors take any chance they can to do a bit of hands-on research when it’s on offer, and a couple of weeks ago I did just that – I tried my hand at Viking weaving!

I’ve been a member of my local weaving guild for some years now, although I don’t attend very frequently as I don’t have time unfortunately. It all began with me doing a weekend course in Scandinavian band weaving, which of course sounded right up my street. Since one of my neighbours is Swedish as well, we decided to try it, and it was such fun we then signed up for a course in proper weaving. And … we were hooked.

Ta-da!

We're delighted to announce that Annette N has been chosen as the lucky winner of guest author Amanda McCabe's new romance, A Manhattan Heiress in Paris.

Happy Reading, Annette!

Ask-A-Wench about. . . audio books

Anne here, with this month's ask-a-wench question, a thought-provoking question from Janice (and for which she'll receive a free book).  Thanks, Janice.

With the popularity of audiobooks and the increasing ease of obtaining them, I am seeing more comments and reviews from readers talking about books they listened to rather than read in print. Has this affected your writing process at all?   I know when I have to compose something I hear the words in my head and then I put them on the paper. I know some people put the words on the paper and then read them aloud or in their heads. The sound and the rhythm are very important - but I don't have to think about how they will sound if someone else says them. Is this a consideration for you?

Christina said:  I don’t listen to audiobooks myself – I’m a very visual person and don’t like having things read out to me as I need to see the words. I don’t usually read my work out loud to myself either, except occasionally a bit of dialogue. Therefore, I never used to take them into consideration at all when writing my own stories. They were just something my publisher had done, and I never even listened to the author copies they sent me when audiobooks used to be on CDs. I received two and kept one for my shelf, while sending the other to a second cousin of mine who was blind. A couple of times, I had to provide a pronunciation list for the narrator as some of my books contained Japanese words, but I had no direct contact with anyone and never checked whether they got it right.

Then I changed publisher, and to my surprise they asked for my opinion on the person who was to record my first book for them. I listened to a few different narrators and agreed one of them was the best. As far as I was concerned, my input was over, but that turned out not to be the case. Again, I was asked about pronunciations, since I had included a whole bunch of words and phrases in Old Norse. When adding those, it never occurred to me that some poor soul would have to read them out loud. In my head, I’d pronounced them the way I thought might be right, using Swedish as my guide. However, for the purposes of the audiobook, guessing wasn’t good enough. So I had to consult with the kind lady who had helped me find the right words in the first place – she has a PhD in Old Norse and speaks Icelandic too. Then I had to learn to pronounce the words myself, before teaching the narrator how to do it. We had a session via Skype, which was great fun, both of us tripping over the unfamiliar sounds and laughing. There’s a lot of guttural stuff in Old Norse, and sometimes you sound like you’re just clearing your throat <g>. For every book since, I’ve had those sessions with the narrator and we are both getting used to Norse words and phrases. I’m even tempted to use them in real life sometimes! Doesn’t þegi þú! (pronounced THEY-ghi THOO – the TH as in the word ‘three’ and then a throaty ‘g’ as in the Scottish word “loch”) ) sound much better than ‘shut up!’ for example? So yes, these days I do think a little bit about what I’m adding to my stories, but if the words need to be in there, my reader and I will simply have to learn how to pronounce them.

Guest Author Amanda McCabe dishes on Paris, Jazz . . . and Love!

Andrea here, and today I'm delighted to welcome my good friend Amanda McCabe to the Word Wenches to dish about A Manhattan Heiress in Paris, her new historical romance set in the 1920s. (fluttery sigh.) Amanda and I met many moons ago when we were both writing traditional Regency romances for Signet. She had since branched out into a variety of fabulously interesting time periods . . . so without further ado, let's hear what she has to say about how history inspires her writing!

You’ve started in Regency romance but have also written in a number of other time periods—Renaissance, Elizabethan, Victorian, Gilded Age Edwardian and the 1920s! Tell us a little bit about what draws you to exploring different eras.
 
I admit, I’m Amanda and I’m a history junkie!!  I’ve always been fascinated by the past, ever since I found a stash of Jane Austen and various Gothic romances/Heyer titles on my grandmother’s bookshelf.  (she was a history/book junkie, too!).  One author she collected especially was Barbara Cartland, and while even as a ten year old I had scorn for her whispery, stammering, wide-eyed heroines, I loved the historical settings she used.  Elizabethan, Regency, Victorian India, the theatrical world, Monaco casinos, smugglers in Cornwall, she had a bit of everything, and talked about them in author’s notes I devoured.  They sent me to the library to find non-fiction works where I could learn more.  So, strangely, I owe my love of history to—Barbara Cartland!

Regency Tailoring

Pat here. . .

New cover! What do you think? I’m returning to historicals but in mystery format with lots of romance, not as a pure romance. Doors close on ghosts and intimacy. <G> So far, anyway. The cover depicts the heroine first approaching a once-abandoned manor deep in rural Warwickshire, sort of. The actual location is one of the complications I’m researching. (And of course, she arrived in a carriage with accompaniment, but covers don’t allow for details.)

Promises of the Runes Giveaway Winner

Christina here. Just popping in to announce the winner of the PROMISES OF THE RUNES giveaway - a signed copy of the book, plus a set of Oseberg Viking ship note cards will be sent to Alexandra. Congratulations!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter Sunday!

 

Interview with a Fictional Hero

Christina here. Next week sees the publication of the fifth book in my Vikings Runes series, PROMISES OF THE RUNES, and today I thought I would interview the fictional hero, Ivar Thoresson, in order to introduce him to readers. He has quite an interesting story to tell! As long as you believe in magic, that is …

He arrives to the interview dressed in black jeans and biker boots, but with a Viking tunic instead of a t-shirt. It’s pale blue and trimmed with beautiful handwoven bands and he tells me a special someone made it for him. All manner of things hang off his leather belt – a pouch, a knife and what looks like a real battle axe. Intimidating if I didn’t know that he’s only brought it to show me. His dark blond hair is long, but pulled back into a manbun, and he has a closely cropped beard. Basically, he has the look of a very modern Viking.

Christina: Ivar, thank you for joining us today. I know you’re a busy man, basically living a double life. Can you tell us a bit about how it all started?

The Qualities of a Gentleman

Nicola here. An astonishing twelve years ago, I wrote a blog piece about what constituted a gentleman in the modern era. Is it dress, manners, background or behaviour? I was thinking about this again recently (and indeed, wondering what makes a "lady" in the equivalent sense) after reading a depressing article in the paper at the weekend which claimed that everyone is getting ruder as a result of the pandemic making us forget how to relate to one another and the pressures of modern life being to great. The article cited stories of drunken fighting in the theatre and abuse of waiting staff in restaurants, of cities like York overrun with Hen Parties and places like Cheltenham  (surely not that centre of Regency society!) becoming no-go areas at night when the races are on. And yet, if you go online, there are any number of websites giving advice on the sort of qualities a modern lady or gentleman should cultivate. It seems there is still a demand for guidance on good behaviour. And a lot of us are still entranced by the manners and mores of past times.

It was all so much more clear cut a few centuries ago. In 1583 Sir Thomas Smith wrote: “One who can live idly and without manual labour and will bear the port (deportment) and countenance of a gentleman, he shall be taken for a gentleman.” The luxury goods and extravagant clothing of late 16^th and 17^th century London were an avenue to social mobility. Sumptuary legislation - the laws that governed the types of clothes that the different social classes were entitled to wear - had lapsed and a consumer revolution was taking over. Eighty years after Smith was writing, the diarist John Evelyn complained: “How many times have I saluted the fine man for the master, and stood with my hat off to the gay feather, when I found the bird to be all this while but a daw.” In other words, in the 17^th century smart clothes and an appearance of wealth made the gentleman. Or perhaps gave the appearance of a gentleman.

Travel Scarves

Travel Scarves

By Mary Jo

I'm not sure when I first fell in love with scarves and shawls, but I suspect it was related to long hours at a computer and not liking to have a cold neck.  Besides being warming, scarves add color and a bit of dash to someone like me who is a pretty casual dresser. 

I have a lot of scarves of different weights, sizes, and textures. On a cold day, I want something cozy and may even layer a couple of different scarves. In warmer weather, I wear something lighter.  And when I'm traveling, I regularly succumb to the lure of buying new scarves which are not only lovely and enticing, but have the advantage of being easy to pack.  Plus, when traveling you can add a bright scarf to basic black and have a new look every day. 

So here are some favorites I've acquired when traveling, and naturally, they all have stories.  The model is Snow Bear, who is the biggest fashionista among our stuffed companions, and she loves the chance to dress up!

1) Chinese silk from Melbourne. 

When I was speaking at a Romance Writers of Australia conference in Melbourne, which is Anne Gracie's home turf, she took me to a nearby neighborhood called The Lanes, which is also the setting for Kerry Greenwood's delicious Corinna Chapman books. It's full of lovely shops and shopping arcades, and in 'the silk shop,' I found this gorgeous shawl length scarf.  It's shimmery and purple and orange, and the biggest problem was choosing the scarf I liked best!