Virginia Crow's Blog: Crowvus Book Blog, page 23

23rd December: Everyone Together

1. Finding the path through the ice to T12 - the wind turbine in the wood.
2. Watching a buzzard circling overhead at the windfarm.
3. Ailsa crawling up the stairs, pursued by various family members.
4. Entering Jess and Orlando into an online pet show.
5. Buying Mum some black and white licorice mints as a surprise!
6. Ginny reading Christmas at Puddle Lane to Auri - she absolutely loves the Puddle Lane stories.
7. A beautiful Christmas card, complete with a lovely personal message and a lucky sixpence!
8. Rusty the Singing Spaniel being so well-loved that his batteries ran out!
9. Jess settling well with Scapa. As I write this, they're sleeping next to each other!
10. Ailsa taking a bell from the Christmas tree - she absolutely loved it.
11. The first games of Table Football - I won the first one and Clemency won the second.
12. Clemency showing Alex around the garden and outlining her plans.
13. Going to look at the broch, sharing the history with Alex.
14. Seeing a sky full of stars - absolutely stunning at any time of year but especially at Christmas.
15. Getting the Irish Coffee cups out of the larder - full of promise!
16. Delivering Christmas presents to our neighbours - real shades of being little there!
17. Going for a drink and sweets at the Wee Shop.
18. Seeing old friends (albeit very fleetingly because we were on dog duty)
19. Auri wearing a lovely little Santa hat and coat.
20. The arrival of the Crowditches - meaning that we had our full Christmas contingent.
21. Jess being a lot better about being with Scapa.
22. Sitting down at dinner together (and eating delicious pea soup!)
23. Cuddles with Baby Elowen - she is so small and cute!

#HistFicThursdays - Christmas Snippets - Merry Christmas to All!

 As it's very nearly Christmas, here are a few little Christmas samples from my writing. Since Christmas is a big deal in the Crowvus household, it's unsurprising that it tends to be a big deal in my books, too! Last year, I shared these Christmas samples from Beneath Black Clouds and White. Here are this year's words...

The service was beautiful. Throughout much of it, Francesco simply stared at the illuminated altar, unable to bring himself to speak or move. It was like a dream being played out around him. He had not attended the chapel since his arrival and he could not believe the difference the season had made. As he stood there, he could imagine this as the seat of the first nativity, and he heard the words of the liturgy and the music of the psalms drawing him only further into this belief.
~ from Poisoned Pilgrimage (you can find the opening of this novel in the Embark Journal)

And so Christmas found the two sisters in very different ways. The Jenkyns’ Christmas was rich and extravagant, filled with expensive meats and sweet pies, toys of the highest calibre for Timothy and hand woven lace and linen for Arabella. Petrovia Lodge observed a far smaller but equally appreciated feast. Josiah and Beatrice were old enough now to join Imogen and their father at the table, and each was dressed according to the celebration. Penny and Anne were invited to join them once the table had been laid and served. Although presents were not as plentiful as in the Jenkyns’ household, there were nothing but smiles from those gathered at the table. Further soldiers were Josiah’s present, once more from an anonymous benefactor, whilst Beatrice received a porcelain doll that she could clothe in one of several dresses that accompanied it. Mr Tenterchilt was delivered a sword of such beauty and balance that he declared at once that it could only have come from one of the skilled continental workers in London. Imogen had received a gift too, though she was far less certain of hers. It was a silver chain with a single pearl hanging from it. It caught the light in the most peculiar way, shining with rainbow colours and, though she loved it, she did not dare wear it without knowing who had sent it and with what purpose it had been sent.
~ from Day's Dying Glory

“My dear Imogen,” Imogen read. “Congratulations on the arrival of your son, and I trust this Christmas message, though being written seven weeks early, reaches you all in good health. The contents of the box is your Christmas gift from Henry, Lizzie and me. We discovered the gentleman on Henry’s estate has a good stock and-” Imogen paused to read ahead and a genuine smile covered her face as she gasped. “Oh, quickly!” she continued. “Open the basket.”
Josiah leaned over the basket and untied the two straps before he lifted the lid and looked in. He was met by two wide eyes which stared back at him from the curled up creature in the bottom.
“It is a puppy,” Beatrice squealed, dipping her hands into the basket and pulling out the spaniel. Anne gave a slight laugh while Penny folded her arms and shook her head.
“Miss Catherine seems intent on making work for me even when she is halfway around the world.”
“She goes on to talk about Gulliver,” Imogen continued. “He was our spaniel when we were children. And she wishes us all a wonderful Christmas and health and happiness for the new year.” Imogen smiled at Anne and considered the arrival of Gulliver many years before. “He looks just like him. What shall we name him?”
~ from Blind Folly of the Heart (which might make an appearance in 2023!)

I wish each one of you a very Merry Christmas!
I hope you get a wealth of books, and that you also have the time to enjoy them!

21st December: School's Out For Christmas!

I said this morning that it didn't matter what happened today, it was all good because it would soon be the start of the holidays! With having Thursdays off, my holidays have started early!

So, of course, the first magic moment I'll mention is, in true Muppet fashion, the most pleasant of activities... tidying up for Christmas.Spending the lead up Christmas with children is exhausting, but it's still lovely to see some of their excitement.Chatting with a lady at the butcher's who, as it turns out, is the mother of a friend of mine.Wishing a Merry Christmas to the children and my colleagues.Playing games at the class Christmas party.Out and about in Wick, almost everyone was feeling the Christmas joy, and smiles were everywhere!Of course, driving home for Christmas, and singing the song as much as my cough would let me.Delivering Christmas presents to friends.Making a good start on my Christmas wrapping for the family presents - perhaps not a good enough start though!Watching my 1 year old niece playing with some wrapping paper, and finding it more exciting than any toy!And again with my gorgeous little niece, marvelling at just how quickly she can crawl when she wants to get somewhere!Finding the plans for the house and the garage! It's handy having a brother around!Watching said brother folding up baby clothes! Cute and funny at the same!Sending Brother up into the loft to have a nosey, although there was disappointingly little treasure!On the other hand, they did find an old gramophone in the garage, along with a keyboard! And some '78s!Opening another door in the advent calendar, and realising just how little time there is until Christmas!Then, the doggy advent calendar... which is always gorgeous!!Ginny finished a present she's been making for a very long time! And it looks beautiful!Putting up the Fimo crib that Ginny and Judith made several years ago.Sitting down together at the end of the very busy day, and watching "It's a Wonderful Life". Classic Christmas viewing!While we were watching the film, we heard Little Niece crying in another room (she had been put to bed). When Sister-in-law went to check, she found her fast asleep. No explanation for that one. Except, perhaps there was another baby in the house many years ago.

20th December: A Busy and Varied Day

1. A child getting excited that I might still be their teacher next academic year.
2. My colleagues loving my Christmas Pudding hat!
3. Giving out Christmas presents at school. It was great listening to them trying to guess what they were!
4. My headteacher ringing to give me some lovely feedback. 
5. Watching Arthur Christmas with the P1-4s.
6. A crescent moon where we could see the shade of the rest of the circle. Apparently, this is called Earthshine.
7. Baby Ailsa having a great time playing with her napkin and napkin ring.
8. Auntie Clemency being made to roll Baby Ailsa backwards and forwards on a box lid!
9. Wrapping Christmas presents - finally getting there! 
10. Canine cuddles. It may have been cupboard love (they wanted their advent calendar) but it was nice that they were being super-affectionate!
11. Clemency waking up feeling much better after being ill yesterday.
12. Watching videos of the winter solstice at Maeshowe.
13. Listening to Christmas Carols by the fire this evening.
14. Showing The French Family around the grounds of Stempster - they made all the right noises!
15. Ailsa climbing the Pop Tree (with the help of Mama!)
16. Seeing the pheasant on the dog walk. It's so friendly, Mummy had to go ahead to frighten it away so that the dogs didn't get it!
17. Ailsa and Jess coming face-to-face and just staring at each other!
18. Teaching Baby Ailsa all sorts of bad habits at the lunch table - she was very good at it too!
19. Sharing in Ailsa's Book Advent Calendar. She hangs the tiny books on the tree once her Mama has read them to her.
20. Granddad and Baby Ailsa playing with the wooden trainset.

19th December: The Arrival of the Family

 Today has been a special day! Here's some of the reasons why:

One: The French Family arrived today!

Two: It was school Santa day at Lybster today.

Three: When Judith mentioned that tomorrow would be her last day at school, one of her pupils got upset - she explained she only meant last day before Christmas and they were much happier.

Four: Meeting Baby Ailsa (our niece) for the first time. She is such a bright little button!

Five: Orlando was over the moon to have his Alex back. He got so giddy, and was leaping up at him as though he thought he was a puppy again (he's actually nine years old!).

Six: When we were sitting down for lunch, a rainbow suddenly appeared over the hill opposite.

Seven: I was back to present-making again today. I can't say too much, but they are going well!

Eight: Going around this morning and switching on all the Christmas lights. There are the two trees and four other sets.

Nine: Getting out on a dog walk again. The dogs have been mostly playing in the paddock during the snowy weather, which has been lovely but it was nice to take to the road again!

Ten: I had to chip through almost an inch of ice in some places to get the paths clear, but it was very satisfying standing back to look at a job (fairly) well done.

Eleven: Today we got an unexpected visitor at the feeding station. He was much too large to reach the seeds, but the little birds kept dropping things down to him.

Twelve: The crows are back in the crow's nest. This is one of the tallest trees in the garden and the crows were sitting there cawing across to us as we went out on our walk.

Thirteen: Giving the dogs their Advent Calendar treats - we realised that when Jess stands up on her hind legs she's about the same height as Orlando sitting up!

Fourteen: The moon this morning has a real sickle, and it was very yellow. It looked like it had come from the pages of a storybook.

Fifteen: Travelling to school in the dark - this only happens as it gets very close to Christmas. I can't believe just how close we are!

Sixteen: Judith got a lovely surprise when one of her pupils read a story they had written and wanted to share with her.

Seventeen: Being able to share Stempster with The French Family. I was so excited, I made them leave everything in the car so I could go in at the same time as them.

Eighteen: Standing back to look at the conservatory after I'd given it a clean and tidy. I'm very pleased with the result - it just oozes Christmasness!

Nineteen: Today we got a Christmas card addressed to "Dear Neighbour". We live in such a friendly place!

18th December: Decorating Day (Part 2)

Today started early for a Sunday, when I crept downstairs and curled up on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree to enjoy the glow of and lights and the smell of the fir.Watching Ginny's pupils' concert on Youtube. All real gems!Lighting the fourth advent candle! Only one more to go now, which will be lit on Christmas Day!The snow is still here (although it's turned to ice) and the dogs just love to roll on it!Working together (with no falling-out) to get the Christmas Tesco order sorted.Going to collect the greenery from the garden: ivy, holly and spruce.Even though I always end up with scratches, I still love putting together the greenery into sprays and garlands.Seeing the lights that Judith and Ginny have been putting up, watching the house turn Christmassy!Getting a certain something fixed in the house - I won't go into details but my goodness! What a relief!Sitting together, somewhat leisurely, for cups of tea and Christmas biscuits. Simple, yes, but moments like these can't be recaptured.Looking for footprints in the snow, and finding some we couldn't identify. A mystery is always exciting!Touching the soil in my raised bed, and marvelling at how shoots can still push through even though the surface is rock hard.Orlando (sprocker) stroked Jess (cocker). I wish I'd got it on camera, as it was so cute.Having a lovely warm bath after working in the freezing cold conservatory throughout the day.Having a mix-match dinner: it always feels like the build-up to Christmas when dinner is made up of lots of different parts.I'm not a football fan, but it was lovely to watch Dad, Ginny and Judith getting so excited to see the World Cup Final.Looking through the Bath Novel Award teasers. None of them look like they could be mine, but it was fun reading them as they came up.Introducing Jess to Rusty, the singing Christmas dog we won at a tombola! I wonder if she'll learn to sing as well as Rusty.

17th December: Decorating Day (Part One)

1. Sitting down leisurely this morning - always a highlight of a weekend morning.
2. Extra thick cream in the coffee. An absolute treat!
3. Ginny and Clemency playing in the snow with Orlando and Jess. We know and appreciate how lucky we have been to have a little field in this snowy weather.
4. Putting up the little Christmas tree - balancing was tricky but I got there in the end (this was keeping occupied during Number 3.)
5. Decorating the big Christmas tree. It's in the conservatory so it was very cold, but it was also exciting! 
6. A couple of blizzards which we watched from the warmth of the living room. 
7. Looking through the beautiful tree decorations which have been collected through lifetimes of Christmases.
8. Ginny putting together her online Christmas concert, which allows her pupils to share their work with family and friends.
9. Decorating the small Christmas tree. This one is just silver and gold for Mum - very sophisticated! 
10. Mum putting in the Christmas order from Tesco!
11. A hilarious recording of the Dance of the Snowmen by Ginny and me!
12. Reading our cookie fortunes for 2023 - most of them seemed very nice.
13. A delicious Chinese takeaway. We had a less magical moment collecting it, but the meal itself was delicious.
14. Crunchy snow underfoot on the way to get the drying out the garage. I think it will be melting tomorrow so it was nice to make the most of it!
15. Showing off the Christmas trees to Mum and Dad, with the necessary countdowns.
16. The first snowball of the season - and that's the adult kind (cocktail) not the throwing one!
17. Finishing The Box of Delights. For saying we were going to watch it in one sitting, it's taken us a couple of weeks to complete it! But it's always a pleasure to watch.

16th December: Looking for the Magic in the Moments

 Today has been an interesting day to say the least! But in amongst all the craziness there have certainly been some magic moments worth celebrating. Here's some of them...

One: This morning the half moon was so bright it was casting shadows on the snow. It put me in mind of the lines from A Visit from Saint Nicolas by Clement Clarke Moore: The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of midday to objects below

Two: Getting all the Christmas parcels sent. We're making the most of the free collection from the Royal Mail, especially as our car can't get off the drive! It's been parked in the same place for almost a week because of the snow and ice - but it's lovely to be snowed-in at our lovely home.

Three: And speaking of the snow on the road... There were definite signs of a tea-party having taken place out there! The footprints never lie!

Four: Today, as I said Merry Christmas to my last pupil of the evening, I closed my teaching of 2022. This year has just flown by - I can't believe how fast it's gone!

Five: On a Google Meet for Auri's lesson, it was lovely to see both the Croy and the France families there. But it might just have been capped by Auri's opening words of: "look at my baby sister".

Six: Judith brought the Christmas Trees inside! They will be decorated tomorrow and Sunday, and are just going to stand a while to settle. This just means that they are easier to decorate!

Seven: This evening (well, afternoon really, because sunset is so early!) the world was full of blues! The blue sky was reflected on the snow, and it looked incredibly magical.

Eight: Today we got a gift from a friend who we never normally receive a Christmas present from. That was lovely, and will be sitting under the tree as soon as it's decorated.

Nine: We used the sledge to move the compost and also bring the Christmas decorations over from the laundry room. We always said we would use the sledge if we ever got snowed in, and today we did!

Ten: We were both pleased and relieved to have Clemency arrive safely home. It took her almost two hours to get to work this morning, and she had to drive incredibly carefully because the hill was covered in ice.

Eleven: Mummy had a lovely conversation with Grandma today. It is so nice to be able to keep in touch with one another despite big distances. Sometimes I think about how it must have been in the times I write about, when it took days or week for news to travel the distance which is now instantaneous.

Twelve: Friday is burger day! This is always a magical moment in the week, and it makes the whole house smell very exciting!

Thirteen: It has been so cold today, that the birds have had a few extra meals. At one point, as Mummy was feeding them, they were coming right up to her to collect the food.

Fourteen: Tomorrow, I'll be putting the Christmas concert together - It's been brilliant gathering in the recordings my pupils have made, and I can't wait to share them with family and friends.

Fifteen: The house looked gorgeous this morning in the snow. I still have moments when I can't believe we live here!

Sixteen: This evening didn't quite go according to plan (a bit like the rest of the day!) but the presence of Pringles and a cup of tea has made everything seem a little bit better.

15th December: Snowy Gardening

 Another fabulous day at home, with many magical moments to share!

We had a Winter Wonderland walk with the dogs today. It's been really icy or snowy here all week, and it just wasn't a good idea to walk them, but we decided that the windfarm track would be fine. It was (but the road wasn't) and it was wonderful seeing snowy Stempster from a different angle!When we were walking, a vole dived out in front of us. The dogs were too engrossed in trails to realise (thank goodness!) but it's always exciting to see our fauna neighbours!#Writing Christmas cards to good friends is always a joy, thinking back over memories of them!And then there's the bittersweet moments which are linked to number 3, thinking about the people who are no longer with us, and celebrating how they have touched our lives.Seeing that some Christmas presents for my family had arrived, and imagining their faces when they open the gifts!Planting 30 box hedging plants. Not ideal weather, I know, but they were bare root and have been in the garage for a few days. Now, they're all snugly bordering the shrubbery.

A similar vein to '6'... planting a bare root David Austin rose "Gabriel Oak". I love planting things - it really does feel magical!Decorating gingerbread biscuits with icing, silver balls and writing icing. We do this every year, and it's great fun, as well as wonderful to think back over many happy memories.Seeing hand written parcels arrive! Need I say anymore?Seeing the long winter shadows at two o' clock in the afternoon. What a Christmassy sight!Working together to get jobs done, like moving the fridge from the kitchen, to help out mum. Christmas is a busy time, and everyone needs to help where possible!Being licked by Jess to within an inch of my life! She gave me a proper groom for some reason! Should I be offended? Well, it was cute anyway, so I'm putting it down as a magical moment.Having a lovely, long, relaxing bath to soothe muscles after gardening!Listening to Mum reading The Children of Green Knowe. It's a classic!Being warmed from inside on this snowy day by Mum's homemade leek and potato soup!

#HistFicThursdays - The Fortune Keeper - Deborah Swift - Guest Post

  

For this week's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm thrilled to be sharing the gripping book The Fortune Keeper from Deborah Swift, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. In her guest post, Deborah shares her approach to telling a fictional story of a real person. But first, let's meet the book...

Blurb
Count your nights by stars, not shadows ~ Italian Proverb
Winter in Renaissance Venice
Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this occupation, fearing it will lead her into danger. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.
Giulia's real name is Giulia Tofana, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, and she is in hiding from the Duke de Verdi's family who are intent on revenge for the death of their brother. Giulia insists Mia should live quietly out of public view. If not, it could threaten them all. But Mia doesn't understand this, and rebels against Giulia, determined to go her own way.
When the two secret lives collide, it has far-reaching and fatal consequences that will change Mia's life forever.
Set amongst opulent palazzos and shimmering canals, The Fortune Keeper is the third novel of adventure and romance based on the life and legend of Giulia Tofana, the famous poisoner.
Her characters are so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf - Historical Novel Society


The Fortune Keeper is available via this Universal Link

Guest Post
History is Not Fixed  
When I began writing this series of books set in the Italian renaissance there was very little known about Giulia Tofana, the poisoner who features as the main character in the previous two titles. Supposedly she poisoned six hundred men with her lethal brew, Aqua Tofana. The best information we had about her consisted of secondary sources from the Victorian era and earlier, along with some information from the few Italian writers and doctors who wrote about her in the years following her death. I collated all the available information and it formed the basis of the facts I used in the first two books, The Poison Keeper and The Silkworm Keeper.Unfortunately, although we think it must be so, history is never fixed, and is always open to interpretation. When writing the first two books in the series I relied on the information we had then. But recently, in an old library archive in Italy, an American academic has unearthed the real-time transcript of the murder trial of Giulia Tofana’s stepdaughter, Girolama Spara, (also known as Gironima Spara) and published it. The document was originally kept under lock and key by the Pope at Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo, and from there ended up in the State Archive where it lay uncatalogued and undiscovered for generations.  Changing horses in mid-stream The ledger was in a poor state of repair, but the trial of Girolama Spara is recorded verbatim with added dates and details, and Professor Craig A Monson has translated it into modern English. This is of massive interest to me because at last we know more about the actual trial and details of the life of Girolama, (nicknamed Mia in my book to avoid confusion) who having a similar name to her mother Giulia, was often confused with her. Many of the crimes attributed to Giulia belonged to Girolama and vice-versa. You can find the document translated by Monson at the end of this post.So what do you do as a novelist when the history changes? Well first, you have to be aware that whatever character you have created can never be the real person. The events you describe can never be ‘true’ as even contemporary witnesses to the event will have different views. However what I think is important for the reader is that the world you have created is consistent within itself. That the rules you have set for that world remain in place so that the reader feels they are in a real and secure locale, no matter how fantastical the story.After all, we were all prepared to suspend our disbelief when watching the film Jaws to believe that a giant shark could terrorize our beaches. The film carefully constructed its own reality.  If that is the case, why tie your books to history at all? Blending historical fact with historical fiction enables the reader to experience the past in a uniquely sensory way, from living within a person of the time. Film cannot do this, non-fiction cannot do this. Only by physically placing the reader in another person’s imaginary past can the reader really feel they have ‘been there.’ Often when people think a book is accurate, they mean it agrees with their version of what they believe to be the facts. But there are bigger truths than facts, and reality is not just information.  A novel can never be ‘accurate’, just as someone trying to depict my life of yesterday could never be accurate, even with all the iphone technology and photography available now, and even my diaries, because life is too complex to render completely. What I hope to achieve in my novels is a tantalising whisper of what it might have been like to inhabit another era.So to complete the book I’d started, the most important thing for me was that it should ‘read the same’ as the other two books in the series; that it didn’t suddenly change tone or feeling. At the same time, the accuracy of the setting and the milieu in which my protagonists were living had to support the story, as well as the many new facts. I used maps, academic articles and transcripts of primary sources to complete the book, as well as the translation of the trial documents by Professor Monson.Is the book a true telling of Girolama Spera’s life? Definitely not. Will it take you on a journey into the heart of a young woman in Renaissance Venice? I hope so.
You may be interested in: The Black Widows of the Eternal City: The True Story of Rome’s Most Infamous Poisoner by Craig A Monson
Now, let's meet the author:

Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. She divides her time between writing and teaching. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com 
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today. 
Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Readers Award, and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal, and The Cipher Room set in WW2 and due for publication by Harper Collins next Spring.

You can follow Deborah on these links:Website - Twitter - Facebook - Pinterest - Bookbub - Amazon Author Page
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