Pam Lecky's Blog, page 31

Historical Fiction Cover Winner March 2017

Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.

Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.

And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!)
and is highly subjective.
 
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!

My March winner is  The House at Zaronza by Vanessa Couchman 

I was instantly transported back in time to wonderful holiday strolls through old streets in ancient towns in France and Italy when I saw this cover. Such an evocative image. The story sounds wonderful and I have to admit, I have it waiting on my Kindle for my hols.

[image error]

The House at Zaronza: A Tale of Corsica by Vanessa Couchman

The past uncovered.

Rachel Swift travels to Corsica to discover more about her forebearers. She comes across a series of passionate love letters and delves into their history.

The story unfolds of a secret romance at the start of the 20th century between a village schoolteacher and Maria, the daughter of a bourgeois family. Maria’s parents have other plans for her future, though, and she sees her dreams crumble. Her life is played out against the backdrop of Corsica, the ‘island of beauty’, and the turmoil of World War I.

This is a story about love, loss and reconciliation in a strict patriarchal society, whose values are challenged as the world changes.

Love gained and lost.

There was stiff competition for top spot this month, with the following being close runners-up:

 

[image error]

And Then Mine Enemy by Alison Stuart

 

A family ripped apart in a country divided by war . . .

England 1642: Hardened mercenary, Adam Coulter returns to England sickened by violence, seeking only peace, but he finds England on the brink of civil war. He has seen first hand what that will mean for every man, woman and child and wants no part of it.

King or Parliament? Neutrality is not an option and Adam can only be true to his conscience, not the dictates of his family.

Having escaped a violent marriage, Perdita Gray has found much needed sanctuary and the love of a good man, but her fragile world begins to crumble as Adam Coulter bursts into her life. This stranger brings not only the reality of war to her doorstep but reignites an old family feud, threatening everything and everyone she holds dear.

As the war and the family tensions collide around them, Adam and Perdita are torn between old loyalties and a growing attraction that must be resisted.

 

[image error]

The Beltane Choice by Nancy Jardine

AD 71: Banished from the nemeton, becoming a priestess is no longer the future for Nara, a princess of the Selgovae tribe. Now charged with choosing a suitable mate before Beltane, her plan is thwarted by Lorcan, an enemy Brigante prince, who captures her and takes her to his hill fort. Despite their tribes fighting each other, Nara feels drawn to her captor, but time runs out for her secret quest.

As armies of the Roman Empire march relentlessly northwards, Lorcan intends to use Nara as a marriage bargain, knowing all Celtic tribes must unite to be strong enough to repel imminent Roman attack. Nara’s father, Callan, agrees to a marriage alliance between Selgovae and Brigante, but has impossible stipulations. Lorcan is torn between loyalty to his tribe and growing love for Nara.

When danger and death arrive in the form of the mighty Roman forces, will Nara be able to choose her Beltane lover?

The Beltane Choice tells a tale of war and love in Celtic Britain.

 

 

[image error]

Angel Heart by Marie Laval

Devonshire, January 1815.

Marie-Ange, the young widow of an English officer, accepts an inheritance in France only to find that everything in Beauregard is not as it seems. Why is the sinister Malleval so obsessed with her family? And could her darling Christopher still be alive? Marie-Ange finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of lies, intrigue, and mystical possession, and the only person to whom she can turn for help is Capitaine Hugo Saintclair. Yet the enigmatic Hugo represents a danger of a different kind …

 

[image error]

A Warrior’s Pledge by Emma Prince

 

Her Warrior…

To forge an alliance between the English and the Scots, Lady Rosamond must marry a Lowland stranger. But when a mysterious attacker threatens the engagement and her life, Robert the Bruce assigns one of his most trusted warriors to protect her. Finn Sutherland’s brooding gaze is almost as dark as his heart, yet Rosamond finds herself captivated by her Highland bodyguard. Now she must choose between responsibility and the searing need Finn ignites within her.

His Pledge…

Finn is honor-bound to swallow his hatred of the English and serve as bodyguard to Lady Rosamond. He never expects his charge to touch his scarred heart with her warmth and kindness. Worse, her honey hair and violet eyes bring him to his knees with lust. When the threat to Rosamond spirals out of control, Finn does the only thing he can think of to protect her—he stands in for her betrothed as a proxy husband. As desire clashes with duty, Finn’s pledge will be tested like never before.

Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read a book and love it, post a review and make an author very happy.

When Family History Inspires

Many writers draw on their family history, or indeed history in general, when putting pen to paper. For anyone involved in researching their family tree, it can be quite frustrating trying to pin together their ancestors’ lives. For many years, I relentlessly dug around in Irish and UK records, trying to hunt down and piece together the  lives and times of various characters from the past. It was a challenging business, as many irish records were destroyed in the War of Independence, leaving very few sources. I was often lucky. Through various contacts I made, some progress was achieved or I came across a clue buried deep in a library or an on-line source.

So ironicially, the inspiration for the short story, In Three-Quarter Time, didn’t actually come from my research at all. An off the cuff remark by my uncle, sparked it all. ‘Did you know,’ he said, ‘your grandfather was originally dating your great-aunt and when she died he hooked up with your granny.’  My writer’s nose began to twitch!

Unfortunately, we have no other details but from my own research I did know some of circumstances of my grandparents’ lives. For instance, I knew my grandfather had gone to America for a few years during which time his girlfriend,  my great-aunt, died of TB. The rest, as they say, is ‘history’!

The story is 99% fiction but the inspiration is very much from my family history.

In Three-Quarter Time is available as a FREE download this weekend only (to celebrate St. Patrick’s Festival). I am delighted to say that it has reached the Number 1 spot in its category on Amazon.

[image error]

Click on the Image Above to Download for FREE from Amazon

 

Historical Fiction Cover Winner February 2017

Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.

Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.

And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!)
and is highly subjective.
 
Please note this is a cover competition only and does not constitute a review of any of the books featured. It’s up to you to explore. Happy Reading!

My February winner is I Stopped Time by Jane Davis. 

This cover immediately caught by eye. A beautiful and intriguing image, conveying everything you need to know about this book. 

[image error]

 

I Stopped Time by Jane Davis

Edwardian Brighton. A wide-eyed girl enters Mr Parker’s photographic studio and receives her first lesson about the brand new medium that will shape her future: “Can you think of a really good memory? Perhaps you can see it when you close your eyes. Now think how much better it would be if you could take it out and look at whenever you wanted to!”

2009: Disgraced politician Sir James Hastings is resigned to living out his retirement in a secluded village in the Surrey Hills. He is unmoved when he learns his mother has died at the age of 108. In his mind, he buried her when she abandoned him as a child. Brought up by his father, a charismatic war-hero turned racing-driver, the young James, torn between self-blame and longing, eventually dismissed her as the ‘villain’ of his childhood. But now he inherits her life’s work – an incredible photography collection spanning six decades – and is forced to confront the realisation that his version of the past isn’t even half the story.

Journey across a century of change as one man explores the world through this mother’s eyes and reassembles his own family history. 

 

There was stiff competition for top spot this month, with the following being close runners-up:

[image error]

Waltzing with the Earl by Catherine Tinley 

A wallflower’s time to shine…

The Earl of Shalford needs to marry into money to save his estate. Wealthy and beautiful Henrietta Buxted should be the perfect candidate. So why does his eye keep wandering to her quiet cousin Charlotte Wyncroft?

Charlotte watches Henrietta’s games of courtship with wry amusement. That is, until a stolen dance reveals a hidden side to the earl. Penniless Charlotte knows she’s far from a suitable match yet, in Adam’s arms, she can dream of the happily-ever-after she’s always wanted!

  [image error]


Always Have and Always Will by Stella McLeod
Reincarnation is easy until you have to face being murdered a second time. In this latest book by Stella McLeod the pace is fast and the Romance delicious, with the paranormal twist of Immortals, ancient Greek warriors and their families kept young and alive by a secret discovered in antiquity. American, Ana Black, thinks a summer holiday on a fabulous Greek Island is going to turn her life around and wipe away the sadness of her past but she hasn’t counted on meeting Alexander nor remembering Anastasia. A love interrupted 2000 years in the past, ancient families torn apart by betrayal, the secret to Immortality hidden in an ancient sunken temple and a rogue Immortal intent on murder. Set in the wonderful Greek Islands of Monemvasia, Samos and Pylos, you will fall in love with McLeod’s wonderfully crafted characters and their quest for love. With a past she cannot escape and a future he cannot accept, will they find a way or are they both out of time?

 

[image error]

A Knightsbridge Scandal by Anita Davison


1903 London is bustling and glamorous. With troubling secrets simmering and worrying signs of war Flora Maguire must solve a deadly mystery which leads right to the heart of the corridors of power. Flora Maguire has escaped the country to enjoy some time in fashionable Knightsbridge, London. Extravagant shops, exuberant theatres and decadent restaurants mean 1903’s London is a thrilling adventure, but there are dark secrets threatening from the continent. When the body of a London socialite, and leading light of the burgeoning women’s movement, is found outside The Grenadier public house, Flora can’t resist investigating. Mysterious letters are discovered in the victim’s belongings, strange links to the foreign office and why do the clues keep coming back to the assassination of a Baltic king? As Flora closes in on the killer, it soon becomes clear she is no longer safe in London, but will her husband Bunny be able to get to her before it’s too late?


Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read and book and love it,
post a review and make an author very happy.

Waltzing to the Tune of the Past: A Guest Post by Author Pam Lecky

Suzy Henderson Writer

This week I have the pleasure of author Pam Lecky, who has written a beautiful piece about the story and the inspiration behind her latest release, In Three-Quarter Time, a historical WW1 romance.

If you have ever spent time digging around in your family history, you will know how addictive it can be. Like Sherlock Holmes, you start to chase down the tiniest clue you find. Unfortunately, Irish records are notoriously difficult to find back beyond 1880 or so. Our census records were destroyed by fire during the Irish Civil War and although we were technically still part of the British Isles at the time, no copies appear to have been kept in the UK. Every time I think about it I want to cry.

So it was a very lucky break when my only surviving uncle casually dropped a gem of information. My grandfather had first dated my great…

View original post 582 more words

A Conversation with Author Juliet Greenwood

Today I am delighted to have Juliet Greenwood in the library for a chat. Juliet’s beautiful cover for The White Camellia was my very first monthly historical fiction cover winner. (See: Historical Fiction Cover Competition January 2017)

[image error]You are very welcome, Juliet, please introduce yourself:

After living in London and near Birmingham, I now live in a small traditional cottage halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia, in North Wales. I write stories and serials for magazines as ‘Heather Pardoe’, as well as novels under my own name. My books have reached #4 and #5 in the UK Amazon Kindle store, while ‘Eden’s Garden’ was a finalist for ‘The People’s Book Prize’ and ‘We That are Left’ was completed with a Literature Wales Writers’ Bursary. I have a passion for gardening and walking, as well as for history – and my camera goes with me everywhere!

Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

Books were my life as a child. We didn’t have a TV, and my parents loved going on camping holidays in an old VW van, so I used to lose myself in books. I loved the Brontes and Dickens, the kind of books that you could absorb yourself in for hours on end. I still love reading, and the one thing I regret at the moment is not having time to read more fiction – even though I’m loving my research books as well. There’s nothing better than curling up in my garden on a sunny day and disappearing into another world. I like to try books in all different genres (apart from horror). It’s anything that grabs me and makes me identify with the characters. I once spent weeks lost in the pre-history of ‘Land of the Cave Bear’ series, and the brilliant ‘Reindeer Moon’. It made me really appreciate having hot water and food, and not being a hunter-gatherer always on the edge of hunger and freezing cold.

Are you self-published or traditionally published?

I’m traditionally published by Honno Press, a small press celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year. Honno focusses on developing and publishing women writers from Wales, and I’ve learnt an incredible amount from the editing process and the experiences of my fellow Honno writers. I also write stories and serials for magazines as ‘Heather Pardoe’, which I enjoy, although I have less time for that now I’m concentrating on writing and promoting my novels.

Which genre do you write in and why?

I write historical fiction, primarily set in Victorian and Edwardian times, although I’ve also written a time-shift, ‘Eden’s Garden’, and would love to write another at some point. I enjoy writing about an era that is both very different from our own, but has many of the similarities and dilemmas. I’m most interested in the lives and experiences of women, and the struggle of the women in these periods to gain the freedoms we tend to take for granted today – including the right to earn money and for it not to go directly to a husband, even after a divorce! So much of women’s lives remains invisible, and I’ve found while researching that women did so much more, even when they had no legal existence of their own.

Until I began researching for ‘We That are Left’, I had no idea that women were working right on the front line in the First World War, nursing under fire and bringing food to the men in the trenches, as well as working as spies, not to mention setting up and running their own field hospitals. When I began researching for ‘The White Camellia’ I discovered years of campaigning from the suffrage movement, who gained women legal rights – including a legal existence – and battled for the right to vote through badgering and outwitting the political elite for years before the suffragettes. I also hadn’t realised that so many men couldn’t vote either, which was why so many men supported their wives in fighting the cause, and that it was both men and women who finally gained the vote in 1928. Writing about such women is not only putting the record straight, but I feel passionately that it’s important in how we see ourselves as women – not as passive victims straitjacketed in the home while the men went off and did the interesting things, but as passionate and incredibly clever and courageous determiners of our own lives.

It also wasn’t just the middle class women; with some of the early suffrage campaigners being women in factories who risked all to improve conditions and gain a living wage, and the equal pay for equal work that we are still fighting for today. And don’t get me onto the shenanigans women had to put up with to be accepted as doctors and other professionals …

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

I find the first draft the most difficult, because it’s working everything out in a terrifying void. I enjoy the freedom of knowing no one will ever see this, and anything can change, but getting everything down takes so much time and I never know if I’ve got enough story to fill 100,000 words. At that point, I’m also aware of just how long the process is to get to the finished book, and it can feel overwhelming.

I overcome it by just hammering on the keys and getting those words down. For days it can be rubbish, or at least feel like rubbish, but that always leads to a breakthrough. I also don’t stop and go back. Even if a character changes from heroine to wicked step-mother halfway through (or, indeed, changes sex) I just carry on. Once I’ve got a rough draft, then I can really get to work. What I’ve learnt is that until that book goes to the printers it keeps on changing and improving, being refined again and again, with the help of editors, and just reading through again, until it reaches its final form. Writing a book is definitely not for wimps.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

I have a day job as an academic proofreader, which often has strict deadlines. The great thing is I can work from home, so I like to get up at six, and get that out of the way. I then take my dog for a walk, which is both social, but also when I work out any plotting knots and the next chapter I’m working on and get my head into writing. When I come back, I settle down with a large cup of coffee and get stuck in. I try to work until late afternoon, and do research and reading in the evening.

What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?

The best bit for me is the final stage, the final edit, when – at the very point you loath this creature that has taken over your life for months, and your friends are checking you are still breathing – the book finally falls into place, and you have a book. That’s still for me the biggest buzz ever. I’m always amazed when it happens, and the feeling is the best. Even better than chocolate. The flipside is there never being enough hours in the day to get everything done. I seriously need to get out more …

Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?

I enjoy social media, so I have to be very disciplined about it, or I’d be on there all the time! I love meeting people from all over the world and chatting to them. I like the quick-fire conversations of Twitter, but I think Facebook is my favourite, it feels more like having a proper conversation. I live in a beautiful area in Snowdonia and I love sharing photos, and seeing other people’s photos from where they live too, and having on-going conversations. There’s nothing quite like a face to face chat with friends, but it’s great to be able to meet my readers and people I wouldn’t normally meet – especially since moving from London to live in a cottage halfway up a mountain in Snowdonia!

If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?

I used to run story-telling and puppet workshops for adults and children – so I have a feeling that’s what I’d be doing. I used to love it. We would make the puppets and create plays, which we performed in all sorts of places, from giant puppets in theatres to hand puppets in castle grounds. It was definitely what got me back into my love of writing! It was fascinating seeing how children, in particular, would work out their own dilemmas, quite unconsciously, through the stories they created. Naturally, a great deal of glitter was involved.

It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?

It would have to be ‘The Shield Ring’ by Rosemary Sutcliff. It was the first ‘proper’ book I read, and then read over and over again. It was the book I loved so much it made me want to make up stories of my own. I think, if it was the end of time, I’d like to go back to a book that was the beginning of firing up my imagination – and hopefully be able to lose myself again so deeply in another world I wouldn’t notice the finally big bang!

Please tell us about your latest published work. 

[image error]My latest book is ‘The White Camellia’, set in Edwardian London and Cornwall. It’s about two very different women, caught up in a family feud, and their different struggles for freedom and to find love. It’s partly set against the struggles of the suffrage movement, with the younger heroine, Bea, becoming an early photojournalist, photographing women’s protest marches through London. There’s also a crumbling old house on the Cornish cliffs, and a family mystery to be resolved …

Buy Link for The White Camellia Amazon

If you would like to know more about Juliet and her work, please click on the links below:

Website   Blog   Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest

 

A Conversation with Author Norah Bennett

Today in the Library we have Norah Bennett, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

[image error]Norah lives a double life. By day she is a suit-wearing, prim and proper, professor, administrator, researcher, and lecturer. By night she is a PJ wearing dreamer and writer of books that make people sigh, smile, cry, laugh, fall in love and believe in second chances.

Norah lives in Andover, New Jersey with her husband of thirty years, a cranky geriatric maltipoo, and an obnoxious cockatoo who runs the house and terrifies all its inhabitants.

Norah discovered the joy and escapism that comes from reading at the age of twelve and swears books saved her life and her sanity. Through reading, she has travelled the globe and learned all kinds of equally useful and useless skills such as the proper way to eat a pomegranate, carve a watermelon, or bathe an elephant. These are skills she has passed down to her two daughters who are incredibly supportive, but often wish she had a wider scope of hobbies.

Norah has a long publishing history in academia, but she started writing fiction recently. In July 2016 she published her first work of fiction, R.I.L.Y. Forever with Evernight Publishing and in January 2017 her second book, Everything I’ve Dreamed Of, was also published by Evernight Publishing. Currently, she is working on her third novel, Six Months.

♥ ♥ ♥

Hello Norah, you are very welcome. Did you read much as a child?

I discovered the joy of reading when I was twelve and my family moved from Boston to Texas. I had nothing to do and was sad to leave all my friends. I picked up a book out of shear boredom, then another, then another.

Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I am a voracious reader. I love women’s fiction and contemporary romance, but honestly, I read EVERYTHING.

Are you self-published or traditionally published?

I am not self-published. Both of my fiction books are published by Evernight Publishing. My academic textbooks are published under a different name through FA Davis.

Which genre do you write in and why?

I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Why is a good question. I guess it comes easy, naturally. I am a romantic at heart and believe in love at first sight and second chance love. Mainly, I love writing about the heart, the emotions that bring us together and tear us apart. You know … life.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I don’t have a specific person as I am constantly finding new and inspiring people. I love Nicholas Sparks for his ability to draw the reader in with the first page and hold our emotions hostage with his words. But there are so, so many authors who have influenced me … Kathleen Woodwiss, Jude Deveraux, Robyn Carr, and who doesn’t love Jane Austen! Lately, I have enjoyed Corinne Michaels, Kristen Ashley, M.S. Force, Lisa Kleypas, Nalini Singh, J.R. Ward, and A.L. Jackson.

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

I was born in Cairo and although my WIP does not have cultural elements, I do have a project I am working on that does. I believe all our experiences impact our writing, even if we do not realize it.

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

Self-doubt! Sometimes it is so crippling and I am paralyzed. I get over it by sharing my work with beta readers and wait for their comments. Most of the time, they kick my butt right back into gear. I have heard that everyone has one book in them, but can you write 2 or 3 or 4? I am not sure I agree about the one book theory, but writing doesn’t just happen, it is work and you must love it to overcome the difficult moments that haunt every writer.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

I wish I could write every morning. That is when my mind is alert and awake the most. But I have a day job. So I write mainly in the evenings and all day on weekends and holidays.

What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?

The best thing for me is the ability to create an alternate world in which I can lose myself and create characters who become my best friends. The ULTIMATE reward is when a reader says they have enjoyed my book … that is bliss! The worst is when the characters take over and do what I did not plot for them to do. They misbehave and take over the story. They keep me up at night and fill my days with their adventures and it takes me a while to clean up after them.

Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?

For me, social media is a chore. My time is so limited because I have a very demanding day job. When I get home, I would rather write than be on social media. But I am learning to put more time and effort into Facebook and twitter, etc …

If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?

I would be spending my days travelling and hiking and walking beaches all around the world. Of course, I would have to be independently wealthy … sadly, that is not the case.

It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?

I would not read. I would LIVE.

Norah, please tell us about your latest published work.

Everything I’ve Dreamed Of

[image error]Kate Willowbrook dreams of a life filled with beauty – a man who loves her, friends, and a home. At eighteen, Kate’s dreams are replaced by nightmares when she witnesses a crime. Kate runs, never settling down or trusting anyone. Ten years later Kate discovers the small town of Lakes Crossing and Noah Reed.

When Noah’s wife is killed in an accident, he buries himself in work and family obligations, believing he will never find love again until he meets Kate. The more he learns about her, the more he is drawn to her and his protective instincts kick into overdrive.

Noah is everything Kate has ever dreamed of, but his take-charge attitude is scaring up old demons she fought hard to bury. If they can’t find a way to strike a balance that satisfies both their deepest needs, they could lose their second chance at love.

Buy Links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR3847R/

Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/everything-ive-dreamed-of-by-norah-bennett/

If you would like to know more about Norah and her work please click on the social media links below:

Website   Twitter   Facebook   Goodreads   Amazon

My Victorian Valentine

[image error]

The Morning of St. Valentine – John Callcott-Horsley

The Victorians were very good at taking an idea and running with it. The present day commercialisation of Valentine’s Day can be laid at their feet. And the man to thank (or blame) is Sir Rowland Hill and the Penny Black stamp. More anon.

The origins of Valentine’s Day are buried in the mists of time. Some claim its roots were in Ancient Rome, where they celebrated the fertility festival of Lupercalia from 13th to 15th February. Pope Gelasius I is said to have declared the 14th February to be Valentine’s Day in an attempt to reclaim this festival from the Romans.

But who was Valentine? There were three possible candidates, two of whom, Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni, were both Christian martyrs who were associated with the 14th of February.

The front-runner for most historians is the Catholic priest, Valentine of Rome, who was martyred in 269 and made a saint in 496. Originally his relics were in the church and catacombs of San Valentino in Rome and this was an important pilgrim site in the  Middle Ages. During the time of Pope Nicholas IV, the relics were moved to the church of Santa Prassede. Today, his flower-crowned skull is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome.

[image error]

Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

[image error]

Whitefriar Street Church Dublin

There are rival claimants for the honour of possessing the body of St. Valentine but it is popularly believed that some relics are found at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. A famous Carmelite preacher, Fr. John Spratt, visited Rome in 1835 and was so popular that Pope Gregory XVI decided to make his church a gift of St. Valentine’s body. On November 10, 1836, the Reliquary containing the remains arrived in Dublin and were brought in solemn procession to Whitefriar Street Church where they were received by Archbishop Murray of Dublin. With the death of Fr Spratt interest in the relics died away but during a major renovation in the church in the 1950s/60s, they were returned to prominence with an altar and shrine. Now it is a place of pilgrimage for young Irish lovers.

A Potted History of Valentine Verse

It was Geoffrey Chaucer, in the 14th century, who first associated the day with romantic love, at a time when courtly love was flourishing. His poem, Parlement of Foules, includes the lines:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery foul comyth there to chese his make.

The British Library holds the earliest surviving written Valentine greeting. The Duke of Orleans was imprisoned in the Tower of London following the 1415 battle of Agincourt. He wrote these lines to his wife:

Je suis desja d’amour tanné

Ma tres doulce Valentinée

The oldest surviving Valentine’s letter in English is also held in the Library. It dates from 1477 and was written by Margery Brews to her fiancé, John Paston. Margery describes him as her “right well-beloved Valentine”.

In the 17th century, the Immortal Bard gave these lines to Ophelia:

To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine.

The most famous, Valentine poem appeared in a collection of nursery rhymes printed in 1784:

The rose is red, the violet’s blue, 

The honey’s sweet, and so are you.

Commercialisation

In the late 18th century cards were handmade. Lovers would decorate paper with romantic symbols including flowers and love knots, often including puzzles and lines of poetry. Those who were less inspired could buy volumes that offered guidance on selecting the appropriate words and images to woo their lover. These cards were then slipped secretly under a door, or tied to a door-knocker.

[image error]

But it was my dear friends the Victorians who took Valentine’s Day to another level. With Sir Rowland Hill’s reduction in postal rates with the invention of the Penny Black postage stamp in 1840, the number of Valentines posted increased, with 400,000 sent just one year after the Penny Black was introduced. Cards could now be posted anonymously, probably the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise synonymous with prudishness!

[image error]

One of the largest collections of Victorian Valentines is held at the Museum of London. The 1,700 cards are the archive of Jonathan King, who ran a card-making business in London. It features a huge array of designs, verses and sentiments that were all the rage for Victorian lovers.

Not all Valentine’s cards were romantic however; some, referred to as ‘Vinegar Valentines’, were designed to insult. One example features a cartoon of a woman with a large nose. Under the title ‘Miss Nosey’ are the following lines:

[image error]

On account of your talk of others’ affairs

At most dances you sit warming the chairs.

Because of the care with which you attend

To all others’ business you haven’t a friend.

Around the middle of the 19th century, the cards crossed the Atlantic where they became hugely popular. More advanced printing technology in America meant that more elaborate cards were produced. In 1913 Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine’s card, representing a key development in the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day.

It will be interesting to see if the Valentine card survives in this digital age, as the cost of postage steadily increases and few want to spend the time in a shop choosing a card when it can all be done with the click of a button. I hope it is a tradition that doesn’t die but then I’m an old romantic at heart!

[image error]

A Conversation with Author Amanda J Evans

 

[image error]

Amanda J Evans

Today in the Library I am delighted to host fellow Irish author, ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Amanda J Evans, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.

You are very welcome, Amanda, please introduce yourself:

I am an author, freelance writer, and poet. I live in Co. Meath, Ireland, with my husband and two children. I am known locally by my married name, Donnelly, but I write under my maiden name. I had work published in several magazines and journals in 2016. I am also the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012. When I’m not writing for work clients, I am usually reading the latest novels from some of the amazing indie authors out there, or sharing snippets from my latest manuscripts with my husband and children. I have just published my first fiction book titled Finding Forever and I am almost finished my second which will be published in the summer of 2017.

Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?

I always read as a child and I continue to do so today. I like to read in a large number of genres, but if I’m honest, romance tends to feature in them all, be it paranormal, fantasy, or suspense. I do like to try new genres every so often though and find that they can be very interesting. Once genre I haven’t tried yet is horror. It frightens me just to think about it.

Are you self-published or traditionally published?

I am self-published.

Which genre do you write in and why?

I write romance because I love it, especially a happy ever after. I’m a big romantic at heart so it features very much in  my writing. I write contemporary romance, paranormal, fantasy, and suspense.

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

That’s a tough question, and I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. As a child I devoured Roald Dahl and I loved Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn as well as Anne of Green Gables. Anything I could get my hands on I read. In teen years I read Judy Blume and moved on to Mills and Boon and second chance romance novels. I also read a lot of Terry Pratchet and Terry Brooks. I don’t think any writer in particular has been a big influence though, I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. I wrote my first book aged 8 and that was my ambition. Tragedy struck during my teens and writing took a back seat, albeit writing poetry. It is only in the past couple of years that I have found the confidence to put pen to paper again and follow my dreams.

Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?

I don’t feel that it has, but I do enjoy writing fairy tales for children and my story The Curse of Johnny Murphy, written for a local storytelling even last year, was based on Leprechauns. I also entered the Imbas Mythology competition with a story about the Banshee. So I guess you could say being Irish has been part of my stories.

What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?

The most difficult is the editing and marketing. I love the writing part and find that once I pick up my pen, it just flows. Editing on the other hand is a chore and I’m so glad that there are editors to help with this. Marketing the finished product is challenging. I do find it difficult when I’m writing a story and lots of other story ideas start to pop into my head. It’s hard to do everything, so I focus on one at a time and I’m very strict about this.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

I write in the morning while my children are getting ready for school. I usually have 30 minutes and during this time I write my morning pages and then grab my notebook to continue writing my novel. I usually get 3 to 5 pages done. I have the same routine during the weekend but tend to get more written because I’m not tied to school time. This routine works really well for me. Before this I would tell myself I’d write when I got all my work done, but that never happened. I set myself a challenge to write a page a day before I start work and it has been amazing. Since August last year, I’ve finished a novel and I’m almost 90% on my second.

What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?

The best thing for me is actually doing what I love. I love putting words on paper and watching them fill the page. I love listening to my characters and telling their stories. I love the surprises that come with that too. I never plan and I never know what is going to happen next. I let the characters tell me their stories. I tried planning but it didn’t work out. My main character ended up being a male instead of female and characters I had planned as being secondary turned into leading roles. I gave up after that and I just write what comes.

The worst part of being an author is trying to get your name out there and learn all the marketing techniques.

Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?

Social media is definitely essential for marketing and at times it can feel like a chore, but at the moment I am enjoying it. I prefer to use Facebook, but I have found that Instagram is very popular. I have accounts with all the top ones, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, but finding the time to devote to each can be very difficult.

If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?

Even if I wasn’t an author, I would still be writing in some form or another. I write SEO website content for a large company in Canada and I love to blog. I really couldn’t imagine not writing something, even lists. I worked for the Health Board for 10 years before resigning and even during that time I scribbled something down. Writing is a part of me and I can’t not do it. I’ve tried but after two weeks I feel like I’m going mad. My mood is extremely irritable. Once I write something, even two sentences, it’s like calm washes over me.

It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?

Oh God, that really is a tough one. It would have to be something with a happy ending, something that would calm and soothe the soul, take me away from it all. The genre would probably be fantasy, something filled with magic and delight. I remember reading The Never Ending Story when I was younger and that was amazing. Maybe I’d read that again, out loud to my children.

Please tell us about your latest published work.

I’ve just published my first book, Finding Forever, a romantic suspense novella. I’m also finishing my second book, a paranormal romance titled Save Her Soul which I am hoping to have published in the summer of 2017.

Finding Forever

When love refuses to give up

[image error]

http://www.bookgoodies.com/a/B01MY9IPZG

I look at his face, the face of the man who holds my heart, my forever, only his heart has stopped beating.

A woman desperately searching for her forever….

Liz Parker thought she’d found her forever the moment she said “I do”, but fate had other ideas. Waking up with a tattered wedding dress and her dead husband in her arms was not the way she planned her honeymoon. Distraught, she promised she would follow him. Death wasn’t taking forever away from her. Of course, she hadn’t planned on being rescued by pirates either, or the fact that Charles’ body would be left to rot on the beach.

Two lives collide…

When Liz meets John, he becomes her only hope, her chance to bring Charles’ body home, but there’s something more. Why does he look at her with such pity? Why does he agree to help her when no one else will? Why won’t anyone believe that Charles exists? Is Liz going mad?

[image error]Surviving Suicide – A Memoir From Those Death Left Behind   Buy Link for Amazon Worldwide

If you would like to know more about Amanda and her work please check out her social media links below:

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Google+  Linkedin  Instagram

 

Historical Fiction Cover Winner January 2017

Do you love historical fiction? What makes you choose one book over another? For most of us, the cover is the first thing that attracts our attention. For me, the cover has to look professional and must convey genre and a hint of what the story is about.

Each month I will be taking a look at historical fiction covers and choosing my ‘Pam’s Pick’ for the month. Hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to look beyond the covers I feature and find your next favourite author. If a cover interests you just click on the image to learn more about the book and buy if you wish.

My first winner is The White Camellia, by Juliet Greenwood. When this cover landed in my inbox, I knew immediately it would be one of my top picks. The image is beautiful, romantic and delicate. If I saw this in a shop I would pick the book up and read the blurb. This book is now sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read.

[image error]

The White Camellia – Juliet Greenwood

1909 – Cornwall. Her family ruined, Bea is forced to leave Tressillion House, and self-made business woman Sybil moves in. Owning Tressillion is Sybil’s triumph – but now what? As the house casts its spell over her, as she starts to make friends in the village despite herself, will Sybil be able to build a new life here, or will hatred always rule her heart? Bea finds herself in London, responsible for her mother and sister’s security. Her only hope is to marry Jonathon, the new heir. Desperate for options, she stumbles into the White Camellia tearoom, a gathering place for the growing suffrage movement. For Bea it’s life-changing. Can she pursue her ambition if it will heap further scandal on the family? Will she risk arrest or worse? When those very dangers send Bea and her White Camellia friends back to Cornwall, the two women must finally confront each other and Tresillion’s long buried secrets.

There was stiff competition for top spot this month, with the following being close runners-up:

[image error]


Rise of the Wolf   – Steven A. MacKay 
Yorkshire, England – 1323 AD
The greenwood has been quiet and the outlaws have become complacent, but the harsh reality of life is about to hit the companions with brutal, deadly force thanks to their old foe, Prior John de Monte Martini. From a meeting with King Edward II himself to the sheriff’s tournament with its glittering prize, the final, fatal showdown fast approaches for the legendary Wolf’s Head. New friends, shattered loyalties, and a hate-fuelled hunter that threatens to wipe out not only Robin’s companions but his entire family will all play their part in the Rise of the Wolf.

  [image error]
Flowers of Flanders – Ros Rendle
Rose rivals her beautiful, mercurial sister for Michael’s love but calculated lies and misunderstandings alter the young peoples’ course. War breaks and Michael is as eager as the others to go. Maybe Rose will settle for second best with Thom even though she cannot get Michael out of her soul. Does a man need the grace of serenity to rediscover his own or is it frivolity and seduction he craves when he has been through the darkest places of war? Michael’s experiences in the trenches gradually alter his perceptions.

 

[image error]

The Woolworths Girls – Elaine Everest

Can romance blossom in times of trouble?

It’s 1938 and as the threat of war hangs over the country, Sarah Caselton is preparing for her new job at Woolworths. Before long, she forms a tight bond with two of her colleagues: the glamorous Maisie and shy Freda. The trio couldn’t be more different, but they immediately form a close-knit friendship, sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. Sarah soon falls into the rhythm of her new position, enjoying the social events hosted by Woolies and her blossoming romance with assistant manager, Alan. But with the threat of war clouding the horizon, the young men and women of Woolworths realize that there are bigger battles ahead. It’s a dangerous time for the nation, and an even more perilous time to fall in love … 

.
Watch out every month for the next featured selection of great covers, and don’t forget, if you read and book and love it, post a review and make an author very happy.


And the not so small print: the judge’s decision is final (that would be me!)
and is highly subjective!

The Unfortunate Career of Henry Edgar, Cat Burglar (1811-?)

[image error]

Set of Victorian Skeleton Keys

London born Henry Edgar, had the dubious honour of earning the nickname, in police circles, of ‘Edgar the Escaper’. Unfortunately, no photograph exists, but he was described by the police as five feet seven, of fair complexion with large features, brown hair and a gentlemanly appearance. Not being a particularly successful thief, he did become famous for being difficult to hold; he was often caught but somehow always managed to escape.

His most famous escapade was in September 1850. Henry, along with a gentleman by the name of Edward Blackwell planned to rob a furrier’s on Regent Street. On the nigh[image error]t in question, the two cracksmen, along with a look-out went to a public house, situated behind the furriers. The two men pretended to use the lavatory, located in the back yard and did not return inside, but hid and waited for the all-clear from their look-out that the public house had closed. For some reason the look-out got cold-feet and scarpered. The two men, impatient to get on with the job, decided to go ahead anyway. They went up a fire-escape and from there were able to step onto the parapet of the furrier’s house at the corner of Regent Street.

They planned to gain access to the house by removing panes of glass in a window but unbeknownst to them, a servant saw them at work and raised the alarm. The master of the house, raced up the stairs, armed with a pistol and challenged the men. Blackwell took fright and plunged to his death, three floors down. Henry, desperate to escape, made his way along to the next house and gained entry. Unfortunately for Henry, the occupants awoke startled and screamed. He decided to take his chances and jumped from the second floor window. Some passerbys alerted the police, and incapacitated by the fall, he was arrested and taken to Vine Street Station in a police van, along with his accomplice’s dead body.

[image error]There are two versions for what happened next so I am going with the one which appeals to me most!

Somehow, Henry managed to change places with his dead friend and ended up being taken to the police mortuary in a body bag. From there he is reputed to have escaped back to Corbett’s Place, Spitalfields where he lay low in a safe house.

However, a week later he was back to his old tricks and once again he attempted a break-in in Regent Street. This time, he was armed. The alarm was raised and Henry was ambushed by the police. He attempted to shoot his way out but his pistol would not fire and poor Henry was arrested again.

This was the end of his criminal career as the police ensured that he was brought to trial. Henry’s sentence was transportation, I assume to Australia. Sadly, no further trace of him has come to light.

But I like to think he might have pulled off one final escape …

Update: Thanks to David Gilchrist – We found his ship – Henry Edgar, one of 280 convicts transported on the Ramillies, 25 April 1854.