Linnea Tanner's Blog, page 15
December 13, 2023
Ann Bennett The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #WomensAdventure #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @annbennett71 @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to welcome Ann Bennett as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between November 23rd —December 14th, 2023. Ann Bennett is the author of the Historical Fiction / Historical Romance / Women’s Adventure and Romance novel, The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu (Echoes of Empire), released by Andaman Press on October 31st, 2023 (356 pages).
Below are highlights of The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu, Ann Bennett’s author bio, and the prologue of her novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-the-fortune-teller-of-kathmandu-by-ann-bennett.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE FORTUNE TELLER OF KATHMANDU
The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu
(Echoes of Empire)
By Ann Bennett
Blurb:
A sweeping wartime tale of secrets and love, mystery and redemption, moving from the snow-capped Himalayas to the steamy heat of battle in the Burmese jungle.
Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries, Victoria Hislop and Rosie Thomas.
Hampshire, UK, 2015. When Chloe Harper’s beloved grandmother, Lena dies, a stranger hands her Lena’s wartime diary. Chloe sets out to uncover deep family secrets that Lena guarded to her grave.
Darjeeling, India, 1943, Lena Chatterjee leaves the confines of a strict boarding school to work as assistant to Lieutenant George Harper, an officer in the British Indian Army. She accompanies him to Nepal and deep into the Himalayas to recruit Gurkhas for the failing Burma Campaign. There, she discovers that Lieutenant Harper has a secret, which she vows never to reveal.
In Kathmandu, the prophesy of a mysterious fortune teller sets Lena on a dangerous course. She joins the Women’s Auxiliary Service Burma (the Wasbies), risking her life to follow the man she loves to the front line. What happens there changes the course of her life.
On her quest to uncover her grandmother’s hidden past, Chloe herself encounters mystery and romance. Helped by young Nepalese tour guide, Kiran Rai, she finds history repeating itself when she is swept up in events that spiral out of control…
“A great read” Advance Reader.
” Thank you so much for allowing me to read the advance copy. I could barely put it down!” Advance Reader,
“What a wonderful book… I loved it. The dual time lines were delineated to perfection… the settings were perfectly rendered.” Advance Reader.
Buy Links
This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/tftok
AUTHOR BIO: ANN BENNETT
Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. She was born in Pury End, a small village in Northamptonshire, UK and now lives in Surrey. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest, was inspired by researching her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway. Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife, A Daughter’s Promise and Bamboo Road:The Homecoming, The Tea Panter’s Club and The Amulet are also about the war in South East Asia, which together with The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.
Ann is also author of The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Forgotten Children and The Child Without a Home, published by Bookouture.
The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India in the 1930s and WW2, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina during WW2, make up The Oriental Lake Collection.
Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and works as a lawyer. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.annbennettauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annbennett71
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annbennettauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annbennettauthor/
Amazon Author Page UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00D21SJ7A
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1951323.Ann_Bennett
PROLOGUE: THE FORTUNE TELLER OF KATHMANDU
There was little natural light in the cell-like room, tucked away in the back of an ancient building in the maze of narrow, cobbled streets in the heart of old Kathmandu. Despite that, Devisha had the sense that daylight was fading quickly outside, and that darkness would soon envelop the neighbourhood.
It had been quiet that day. But the usual mix of people had made their way through the backstreets and alleyways to her door, crossed the outer chamber lit only by flickering candles, and drawn back the velvet curtain that divided Devisha’s alcove from the chamber. As they did every day, they had sat down opposite her with their timid, hopeful faces, extended their palms across the table, raised their eyes tentatively to hers before she dropped her gaze to read the future mapped out in their lines. The Line of Life, the Line of Fate, the Line of Heart, the Line of Fortune. The mounts of Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo, Mercury and Venus. Devisha knew every permutation of every line intimately, as well as what they signified.
Today had been much like every other day. There had been the young daughter of a rice farmer from Nagarkot who had arrived with her mother. They’d walked the length of the Kathmandu valley to Devisha’s rooms. They wanted to be sure that the girl’s chosen betrothed was auspicious, and to get Devisha’s advice on the best date to set the wedding. There had been the old, stooping carpenter from Bodinath, his brow furrowed with worry. His business was failing as well as his health. He’d asked if things would pick up in the future. Then, there had been the middle-aged woman from Thamel who’d already lost three babies in childbirth. With a pleading look in her eyes, she’d wanted to know if the one she was now carrying would survive.
All Devisha could tell them was what she saw in their palms. She could usually see, as soon as she turned a hand over in her own, peered at the palm and traced the lines with her own fingers. Their futures played out in her mind. She would try to tell them exactly what she saw, what they craved to know.
It wasn’t always easy living with the gift that had been passed to her down the generations. She’d learned it at her mother’s knee and her mother from her grandmother before her. To witness the pain in people’s faces when she told them what she could see was sometimes hard to bear. Their heartache would often become her own. She knew she would be thinking about the woman from Thamel long into the night. But in amongst the pain was joy too, joy and light and hope for the future. She’d foreseen that the rice-farmer’s daughter’s marriage would be happy and prosperous, and that she would have a long, rich life, filled with love and laughter.
With a sigh, Devisha got up from her chair. It was time to get ready to go home. But as she held back her veil and stooped to blow out the first candle, she heard the click and creak of the outer door. Then came footsteps. Someone was walking slowly across the chamber towards her. The footsteps stopped and, as often happened, the newcomer hesitated for a couple of seconds before pulling back the curtain and peeping through.
The face of a stranger appeared in the flickering candlelight. A young woman, with soft dark hair and pale skin. She looked different to most of Devisha’s customers. She wasn’t local, and in this hidden quarter, it was rare to see a foreigner. Although the newcomer had Indian features, she was wearing western clothes. Devisha noticed the scepticism in the woman’s narrowed eyes, but there was a hint of curiosity, and a sort of yearning there too.
Devisha quickly sat down and beckoned the young woman forward. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ she said. ‘Please, come in. Sit down. Give me your hand.’
The girl’s eyes flickered hesitantly, darting around the room, taking in the smoking candles, the incense and the wall hangings. Then she took a couple of steps forward, sat down in the chair opposite and extended her right hand across the red tablecloth.
Devisha took the soft, manicured hand in her own, studied it for a few seconds. Her eyes widened and she stifled a gasp.
This was unusual indeed. There was a lot to see in this palm. There was everything there she’d expected from such a subject, but there was more. Much, much more.
Devisha narrowed her eyes and peered closer concentrating deeply. Whatever it was, was elusive. She traced the Line of Luna with her long, painted fingernail, letting it rest briefly on the Mount of Mercury.
This young woman would be tested, that was clear. But she was strong too. Stronger than she looked. There was something more there though… something dark, something troubling. Something that even Devisha couldn’t fathom, not straightaway. She bent forward, her many necklaces clanking against the table, and looked closer.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
December 11, 2023
Kimberly Burns The Redemption of Mattie Silks #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalWomensFiction #WestwardExpansion #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to welcome Kimberly Burns as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between November 28th – December 15th, 2023. Kimberly Burns is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Redemption of Mattie Silks, released by Thomas Bard Publishing on October 25, 2023 (315 pages).
Below are highlights of TheRedemption of Mattie Silks, the author bio of Kimberly Burns, and the historical research she did for her novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-the-redemption-of-mattie-silks-by-kimberly-burns.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE REDEMPTION OF MATTIE SILKS
The Redemption of Mattie Silks
by Kimberly Burns
Blurb:
SEEKING REDEMPTION, SHE FINDS RETRIBUTION
In 1892, running one of the West’s fanciest brothels is a rough game. In a town filled with brazen criminals, corrupt police, zealous politicians, and morality committees, Madam Mattie Silks makes her fortune catering to Colorado’s gold and silver millionaires.
Notorious crime boss “Soapy” Smith is at the top of the Denver underworld. There are no rules for Smith’s gang. They solve problems with bribes and bullets. When Mattie’s husband stumbles into Soapy’s dealings, she struggles to protect him.
Gold is discovered in the Yukon and Mattie seizes the opportunity for adventure and profit. But Skagway, Alaska, is even more lawless than Denver. Mattie must use all her business sense and street smarts to safeguard those she cares about. Will it be enough? Or will Lady Justice again turn a blind eye?
Based on a true story, The Redemption of Mattie Silks is an action-packed tale of a woman succeeding in a man’s world even when the cards are stacked against her.
“The research on the era shines through, as do the grit and spirit of the characters. …A colorful and enthralling journey.” ~ K.T. Blakemore, award-winning author of The Good Time Girls series
“A nice, nuanced portrait of the complex underworld with fine and witty turns of phrase. A great Western romp!”~ Randi Samuelson-Brown, award-winning author of The Bad Old Days series
Buy Links:
This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/mlpKRv
AUTHOR BIO: KIMBERLY BURNS
Kimberly Burns grew up in Colorado hearing stories about the colourful characters of the Old West. She has degrees from the University of Colorado and the University of Hartford. Kimberly is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Western Writers of America, and Women Writing the West. She lives with her husband and black Lab in Leesburg, Virginia.
Her debut novel The Mrs. Tabor won numerous awards including the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best New Novel, a gold medal for Best Regional Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a National Indie Excellence Award, and a silver medal from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards.
Kimberly and her unruly heroines make for an entertaining book talk. She is available to discuss her novels with book groups in person or online. Email her at info@kimberlyburnsauthor.com.
Author Links:
Website: www.kimberlyburnsauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072454670660
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyburnsauthor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kimberly-Burns/author/B09G4S8N2L
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21851914.Kimberly_Burns
HISTORICAL RESEARCH OF THE UNDERWORLD
Painted ladies, soiled doves, jeweled birds… How do you research a historical topic that people didn’t like to talk about, referring to it in veiled terms?
My latest novel, The Redemption of Mattie Silks, is based on the true story of the Old West’s most successful madam and her feud with notorious con man Soapy Smith. While over one hundred books and magazine articles were written about Smith and his gang, less was written about Mattie and her shady ladies. To learn about these gals, I had to walk the streets (so to speak.)
I visited three of the four museums of Old West prostitution. I prowled the avenues and allies of Denver and Skagway, Alaska. The staffs at the Denver Public Library and History Colorado, the state history museum, were wonderful about sharing their knowledge, resources, and opinions. I found and read eleven books on the topic. Finally I googled subjects like “contraception in 1800s” and “home remedies for STD.” I’m pretty sure that now I am on a government watch list as a big weirdo.
Through all this research, I did learn an eyebrow-raising a thing or two. For example, there was a strict hierarchy among the demimonde. Among those who sold themselves, parlor house fancy women sat atop that precarious pyramid. They were the most beautiful and well-mannered and were expected to be entertaining. They often began each evening acting as hostesses to gentlemen callers. In the front sitting room, they made conversation, played games, or performed music.
Parlor house madams ran their businesses as efficiently as any modern corporation. Mattie Silks realized she could charge a premium for healthy, clean, nicely dressed, well-fed girls. So she purchased elegant gowns for her ladies of the evening on credit. They paid her back from their wages. Mattie also offered her employees two meals a day, provided laundry service, and had a doctor on retainer who conducted monthly exams. This 1890s version of a benefits package was far better than factory workers received.
Below parlor houses were common brothels or bordellos where the women’s profit lay in volume. Living by the old adage that time is money, these gals burned seven-minute candles to signal the end of a gentleman’s visit.
At the bottom the social heap, were crib girls who operated out of small rooms and streetwalkers who transacted business wherever they could. It was nearly impossible to improve one’s position on this career path. Most women “tumbled down the row,” moving to increasingly grimier circumstances as they aged and lost their good looks.
Not all goodtime girls were prostitutes. Hurdy-gurdy, saloon, and dancehall girls were paid for dancing and earned a percentage from the drinks they sold. However, some saloons had rooms upstairs where girls sold their favors. As a result, dancers developed a bad reputation. The saloon girls of Cripple Creek, Colorado, were so offended by the insulting assumption they were of loose morals they banned together and formed the Dance Hall Girls’ Protective Association. They wrote letters and petitioned the local government to recognize theirs as a legitimate occupation and not a crime. It must have worked. The police stopped arresting the dancers.
Old Hollywood movies glamorized and sanitized the lives of Old West working girls. In reality there were few career choices for females in the 1800s—school teacher, servant, nurse, prostitute, or wife. Although vice could pay the best, the life of a fallen angel was dangerous and short. Any woman considering a life of ill-repute had at least a thread of desperation running through her. As my character Mattie Silks believes, “Working as a madam was a profession, but working as a prostitute was an act of self-preservation.”
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
December 9, 2023
Colorado Blvd Barnes & Noble Book Fair @BNColoradoBlvd @COGreatAuthors @JudithBriles #Colorado #books #gifts #weekend #bookreaders
Celebrate Reading with Colorado Authors at
Colorado Blvd Barnes & Noble
Children, Suspense, Action, and How-to Books Await You!
Perfect for Holiday Shopping!
I will be joining award-winning and bestselling local authors at the Barnes & Noble Book Fair on Sunday, December 10th at the Colorado Blvd. location in Glendale to sign books in support of the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Barnes & Noble is a contributor to the five Aspiring Authors Scholarships that will be awarded on September 16, 2024.
Barnes & Noble has been a generous supporter of the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame. Books and other store merchandise purchased by visitors to the store on Saturday will generate a donation to support the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame, which will provide funds to support Aspiring Authors Scholarships that will be awarded in September to residents of Colorado aged 20 and beyond.
The book signing event will feature many other local authors of all genres including children’s books, inspiration, mystery, techno-thrillers, young adult fantasy, historical fiction, fantasy historical, horror, and more.
For more information, click Colorado Authors Hall of Fame and learn more about the Aspiring Authors Scholarships.
December 8, 2023
Holiday Book Bazaar Loveland Museum #WritingHeightsAuthorsAssociation #Colorado #books #gifts #weekend #bookreaders
Join me and other local authors from the WRITING HEIGHTS AUTHORS ASSOCIATION
at our annual holiday book bazaar
Stock up on books for the whole family and support local authors!
Saturday, December 9th, 10am – 3pm
Loveland Museum
503 N. Lincoln Ave.
Loveland, CO
For more information about the Holiday Book Bazaar, click on Facebook
For those who are out of town, you can also order books of featured authors on Bookshop Store
December 7, 2023
Justin Newland The Mark of the Salamander #HistoricalFiction #TudorFiction #GoldenHind #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JustinNewland53 @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to welcome Justin Newland back as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between December 4th – 15th, 2023. Justin Newland is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Mark of the Salamander (The Island of Angels), released by The Book Guild on 28th September 2023 (256 pages).
Below are highlights of The Mark of the Salamander, Justin Newland’s author bio, and the historical background to his novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-the-mark-of-the-salamander-by-justin-newland.html
The Mark of the Salamander
(The Island of Angels)
Justin Newland
Blurb:
1575.
Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder.
Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.
Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.
THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.
Buy Links:
Universal Link • Barnes and Noble • Waterstones • Kobo • WH Smith
Saxo DK. • UK Bookshop • Wordery • Blackwells • Foyles
AUTHOR BIO: JUSTIN NEWLAND
Justin Newland’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion, and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe.
Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.
The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age.
His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, the charting of the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, gives talks to historical associations and libraries and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts.
Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.justinnewland.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinNewland53
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-newland-b393aa28/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjustinnewland/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/justin-newland
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Justin-Newland/author/B06WRQVLT8
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jnewland
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER
I wanted to write a novel telling the extraordinary tale of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation. In researching the voyage, I discovered that one of his crew was a Flemish immigrant by the name of Little Nele aka Little Nelan.
So, how did a man from Northern France end up on the Golden Hind? That intriguing question inspired me to write the novel, The Mark of the Salamander, the first title in a two-book series, The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.
What drove Little Nelan to leave his homeland and flee to England? I conjectured that he did so in 1568. Why that year? What were the forces at play in Europe that would force a family to emigrate to England?
Well, religion for one thing, and politics for another.
Here’s a snapshot of the historical backstory.
In the late 15th Century, the stability of European statecraft was changed irrevocably by the introduction of new technology – in the shape of the printing press. Johannes Gutenberg in Strasbourg was the first to print copies of the Holy Bible (see the image).
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer, was sponsored by Spain to travel west across the Atlantic in search of the East Indies and led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. For the Europeans, this single event expanded the size of the world, and the size of their psyche. The world was now their oyster.
In 1522, Martin Luther produced the first version of the New Testament in the vernacular – in this case, in German. It meant that you didn’t need to be able read Greek, Latin or Hebrew to read the Bible, making it more available to the populace than ever before.
In the 1530’s King Henry VIII of England split from Rome and joined the other Northern European nations participating, like the Calvinists in the Netherlands, in their own religious revolution.
The Protestant Reformation had truly arrived; and the stresses and pressures that it posed eventually led to the break-up of the imperial domains of the Holy Roman Empire, which up until that point had been the anchor-point of the era.
In 1556, Emperor Charles V split the imperial domains of the Habsburg dynasty – namely the Austrian – inherited by his brother, Ferdinand – and the Spanish – inherited by his son, Philip II of Spain. One of the territories inherited by King Philip was the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands.
In the 1560’s, I imagined that Nelan’s family moved from Sangatte near Calais in Picardy to the Dutch town of Leiden.
Inevitably, the rise of the Protestant religion in opposition to Roman Catholicism resulted in open conflict. In 1567, in the Netherlands, the Calvinists incited a rebellion against the Spanish invaders. To oppose it, King Philip sent the Duke of Alba at the head of an army of occupation. When he got there, he instituted the Council of Troubles (see the image), a special tribunal to punish the ringleaders. His reign of terror condemned thousands to death.
The Dutch renamed it the Council of Blood.
Nelan’s (fictional) mother, Agnes, was one of the hundreds of innocent men, women and children randomly chosen to suffer execution by the Spanish.
On that day in September 1567 in the town square in Leiden, when the fires of the inquisition burned Agnes to death, Nelan’s father knew it was time to flee. He was probably not alone. Soon after, the family fled to Queen Elizabeth’s England, where European Protestants were welcomed with open arms.
These were some of the political and religious influences that drove Little Nelan and his father across the Narrow Seas to the safety of England.
How he ended up on The Golden Hind is another story.
You can read about it in The Mark of the Salamander.
Justin Newland
3rd December 2023
Instagram Handle: @cathiedunn
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
December 4, 2023
Book Spotlight How to Dress Like a Tudor Judith Arnopp #HistoricalCostume #TudorFashion #Tudors #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JudithArnopp @cathiedunn
I am pleased to spotlight the book How to Dress Like a Tudor by Judith Arnopp in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held between December 4th – 6th, 2023. How to Dress Like a Tudor is a Historical Non-Fiction published by Pen and Sword Books on September 2023 (224 pages).
Below are highlights of How to Dress Like a Tudor and Judith Arnopp’s author bio.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-how-to-dress-like-a-tudor-by-judith-arnopp.html
HIGHLIGHTS: HOW TO DRESS LIKE A TUDOR
How to Dress Like a Tudor
By Judith Arnopp
Blurb:
Have you ever hankered to dress like a Tudor lord or lady, or perhaps you prefer the status of goodwife, or costermonger, or even a bawd?
For beginner historical reenactors, the path to authenticity can be bewildering and sometimes intimidating. Judith Arnopp uses her own experience, both as a historian and a medieval/Tudor lady, to make your own journey a little easier.
The author traces the transition of fashion from the relatively subtle styles popular at the court of Henry VII, through the carefully constructed royal grandeur of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I to the pinnacle of majesty and splendid iconography of Elizabeth I.
In contrast to the magnificence of court come the ordinary folk who, subject to sumptuary laws and regulations, wore garments of a simpler cut and cloth – a strata of society that formed the back bone of Tudor England.
This brief history of 16th century fashion examines clothing for both rich and poor, adult and child, and offers tips and tricks on how to begin to sew your first historically inspired garment, this book is aimed at helping the beginner learn How to Dress like a Tudor.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: mybook.to/howtodress
AUTHOR BIO: JUDTIH ARNOPP
Judith writes historical fiction set during the late medieval and Tudor period. Her usual focus is on the women who lived close to the monarch, women like Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York and Mary Tudor but more recently has been writing from the perspective of Henry VIII himself. Her books are on Kindle, Audible and Paperback.
You can find her fiction books here: http://author.to/juditharnoppbooks
She also writes non-fiction, her work featuring in many anthologies and online magazines. Her latest non-fiction, How to Dress like a Tudor published by Pen & Sword Books is available now.
Judith is a founder member of a reenactment group The Fyne Company of Cambria, and began making Tudor costumes for herself, her husband, John, and other members of the group. It was this that inspired How to Dress like a Tudor and she hopes to write more non-fiction Tudor history in the future.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.judithmarnopp.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudithArnopp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetudorworldofjuditharnopp
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/judith-arnopp-ba999025
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tudor_juditharnopp/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jarnopp.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judith-arnopp
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judith-Arnopp/e/B003CGLWLA/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088659.Judith_Arnopp
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
November 30, 2023
Tim WalkerLondon Tales #ShortStories #HistoricalFiction #London #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @timwalker1666 @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Tim Walker back as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held between November 10th – December 1st, 2023. Tim Walker is the author of a collection of historical fiction / contemporary fiction / dystopian short stories, London Tales (Short Stories, Book Two), independently published by the author on 8th November 2023 (203 pages).
Below are highlights of London Tales, Tim Walker’s author bio, an extract of Cherry Blossoms Fall, and the author’s note.
Blog Tour Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-tour-london-tales-by-tim-walker.html
HIGHLIGHTS: LONDON TALES
London Tales
(Short Stories, Book Two)
by Tim Walker
Blurb:
This collection of eleven tales offers dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion. The first story is a tense historical adventure set in Roman Londinium in 60 CE from the perspective of terrified legionaries and townsfolk facing the vengeful Iceni queen, Boudica, whose army burnt the fledgling city to the ground.
Further historical dramas take place in 1381 during the Peasant’s Revolt, the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the last ice fair on the frozen Thames in 1814. These are followed by a romance set during the Blitz in 1941, then the swinging Sixties and wide-flared seventies are remembered in the life story of fictional policeman, Brian Smith. Moving on, an East End family get a fright from copycat killings that are a throwback to the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders.
There’s a series of contemporary stories that reference recent events, including the London terrorist bombings of 2005, a literary pub crawl and a daring prison break, building to the imagined death throes of London in a chilling, dystopian vision. These stories are loosely inspired by the author’s personal experiences and reflections on his time living and working in London in the 1980’s and 90’s. Adaptability, resilience, conformity and resolve are recurring themes.
London Tales evokes the city’s rich history and the qualities that were needed by Londoners at various times to survive and prosprr – from the base and brutal, devious and inspired, to the refined and civilized.
Available from Amazon in e-book, paperback, Kindle Unlimited and audiobook formats, London Tales is a companion volume to Thames Valley Tales.
Book cover designed by Sean McClean, shows elements from stories.
Buy Link:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon CA Amazon AU
AUTHOR BIO: TIM WALKER
Tim Walker is an independent author living near Windsor in the UK. Although born in Hong Kong in the sixties, he grew up in Liverpool where he began his working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. After attaining a degree in Communication Studies he moved to London where he worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years before relocating to Zambia where, following a period of voluntary work with VSO, he set up his own marketing and publishing business. He returned to the UK in 2009.
His creative writing journey began in earnest in 2013, as a therapeutic activity whilst recovering from cancer treatment. He began writing an historical fiction series, A Light in the Dark Ages, in 2014, inspired by a visit to the part-excavated site of former Roman town Calleva Atrebatum at Silchester in Hampshire. The series connects the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend and is inspired by historical source material, presenting an imagined historical fiction of Britain in the fifth and early sixth centuries.
The last book in the series, Arthur, Rex Brittonum, was published in June 2020. This is a re-imagining of the story of King Arthur and follows on from 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum. Both titles are Coffee Pot Book Club recommended reads. The series starts with Abandoned (second edition, 2018); followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); and book three, Uther’s Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker.
Tim has also written two books of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (second edition 2023), London Tales (2023); a book of verse, Perverse (2020); a dystopian thriller, Devil Gate Dawn (2016); and three children’s books, co-authored with his daughter, Cathy – The Adventures of Charly Holmes (2017), Charly & the Superheroes (2018) and Charly in Space (2020).
Tim took early retirement on medical grounds and now divides his time between writing and helping out at a Berkshire-based charity, Men’s Matters.
Find out more about the author at his website: www.timwalker1666.wixsite.com/website
Author Links:
Goodreads Author Page: https://goodreads.com/author/show/678710.Tim_Walker
Amazon Author Page: http://author.to/TimWalkerWrites
Facebook Pages: https://facebook.com/TimWalkerWritesand https://facebook.com/LondonPostcards
Twitter: https://twitter.com/timwalker1666
Instagram: https://instagram.com/timwalker1666
EXTRACT: CHERRY BLOSSOMS FALL
It’s Spring, 1941, and the London Blitz has been inflicting death and destruction from above for eight months. Newly qualified junior doctor, Martin Robinson, hurries to meet his secret crush and fellow junior doctor, Alice Wilson, for lunch…
The all clear sounded like Mother’s loving call to sweet, milky tea with bread and jam. I followed the eyebrow pencil lines drawn on the calves of a matronly figure up the circular stairwell of High Street Kensington Underground Station towards welcoming shafts of sunlight. It was Spring, 1941, and my celebratory mood at my recent appointment as a junior doctor at the Charing Cross Hospital Mortuary had been tempered by the anxiety of life in London during The Blitz. German bombing raids had certainly upped the number of fatalities in the terror-stricken city, leading to my opportunistic appointment after graduating from medical school. ‘We must do what we can to help the War effort, Doctor Robinson’, I’d been told at my job interview, but for now, I was meeting a friend and fellow graduate for lunch.
A foot-wide stream ran along the gutter, spurting water from the bent thumb of a bomb-damaged hydrant that caused delight in children but groans from their fussing parents. Daylight bombing raids were unusual, as Fritz preferred to come over under the cover of darkness. The Blitz had now dragged on for nine, nerve-shredding months of punishment and random deaths; London had become a patchwork quilt of rubble mountains in vacant plots.
“Oh, a wall has collapsed onto the lovely garden!” the matronly figure exclaimed.
I followed the direction of her mortified gaze to a square patch of grass bordered by an array of different trees; its lawn and flower beds now discoloured by a layer of dust that had crept outwards from a bomb-damaged apartment block. The entire front wall of the building had fallen in an untidy heap of shattered red bricks across an access road and spilled onto the communal garden where a forlorn tree trunk denuded of branches poked out of the mess of masonry and household items. The rooms in the once-private four-storey residence were now exposed for all to see, like an abandoned dolls house. Privacy was just one lost innocence to the brutality of war.
Black-uniformed air raid wardens were corralling the public away from the mess, occasionally blowing their whistles to assert their authority.
“Excuse me,” I said, grabbing one by his sleeve.
He looked me up and down, no doubt assessing my social status before choosing his level of response. He saw a clean-shaven young man six inches taller than him, dressed in a crumpled grey suit, off-white shirt, old school tie, black brogues and a dark grey trilby hat.
“No need to grab me, sir. How can I help?”
“I think I can see a body lying on the floor of the first-floor room over there.” I pointed to one of the rooms in the derelict doll’s house. A lump shaped like the curved profile of a woman in a dark dress lay on the tattered remains of a carpet close to the edge of the cavity.
The Authors Note:
In this story, all characters are fictious except Professor Keith Simpson, a pathologist during the War who gave evidence in a number of criminal cases and developed a groundbreaking method for identifying corpses using a facial recognition technique based on overlaying photographic negatives. He published a text book, Forensic Medicine, 1947, that became the starting point for the new science of criminal pathology. A serial killer who became known the “Blackout Ripper” took advantage of the cover of darkness and murdered at least four women over a period of six days during the blackouts in London. The killer was a young airman of the RAF named Gordon Cummins. Professor Simpson gave forensic evidence at his trial.
After the German air force, the Luftwaffe, had failed to destroy the Royal Air Force in mid-1940 in advance of a planned invasion, they resorted to bombing the city of London, and other industrial cities, in a campaign of terror aimed at destroying not only infrastructure but citizen morale. From 7 October 1940 to 6 June 1941 almost 28,000 high explosive bombs and over 400 parachute mines were recorded landing on Greater London, killing over 43,500 civilians. Daylight bombing was abandoned after October 1940 as the Luftwaffe experienced unsustainable losses.
There was also a tactical switch by Hitler of military resources from Western Europe to the Eastern front at this time. The air raid by over 500 aircraft against central London on 10–11 May 1941 was a catastrophic event that led to the highest nightly casualty figure. On this one night, over 700 tons of high explosives and more than 80 tons of incendiaries were dropped. More than 2,000 fires were started that night affecting 61 London boroughs. Around 700 acres of the city were damaged by fire and more than 1,300 people were killed, over 1,600 seriously wounded and 12,000 made homeless.
The Blitz led to the largest internal migration of people in Britain’s history, including the mass evacuation of over 1.5 million children, from cities and ports to rural locations. On a personal note, both of my parents experienced the Blitz. My mother, Agnes, was a schoolgirl in Liverpool during the Blitz when Liverpool’s docks were heavily bombed. The family lived near the south docks in Garston. She was evacuated, with her sister Margaret, to a farm in Maghull in South Lancashire, where she had to help out with farm chores, knit scarves and jumpers beside the wireless in the evenings and do child minding. This lasted only a few months, as the girls seized the opportunity to return home at Christmas of 1940 for a break, but did not return to the Robinson farm, seeing out the war with their family in heavily bombed Garston. All the Neil family survive the war, despite a number of houses in their street being destroyed. Around 4,000 people were killed in the Liverpool Blitz.
My father, Thomas Henry Walker, was a teenager living on the outskirts of Belfast in Northern Ireland during the war. He would have witnessed the fires that raged in the aftermath of the bombings. Belfast docks were subjected to four bombing raids and resultant fires storms during the war by the Luftwaffe, killing over 1,000 and wounding around 1,500, destroying over 1,300 houses and damaging many more.
Well over 60,000 British civilians were killed across the country and many more injured in German bombing raids during the war. Many more German civilians were killed in retaliatory allied bombings before the war in Europe ended in 1945. The madness of World War Two resulted in the deaths of over sixty million people by the time it finally ended with the surrender of Japan in 1946.
Instagram handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
November 28, 2023
Will Bashor The Bastard Prince of Versailles #HistoricalFiction #Versailles #LGBTBooks #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @WBashorAuthor @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Will Bashor as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held between November 27th – 29th, 2023. Will Bashor is the author of the Historical LGBTQ Fiction / Historical Fiction, The Bastard Prince of Versailles: A Novel Inspired by True Events (The King’s Secret Children), independently published by the author on August 18, 2023 (338 pages).
Below are highlights of The Bastard Prince of Versailles, Will Bashor’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-the-bastard-prince-of-versailles-by-will-bashor.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE BASTARD PRINCE OF VERSAILLE:A Novel Inspired by True Events
The Bastard Prince of Versailles: A Novel Inspired by True Events
(The King’s Secret Children)
By Will Bashor
Blurb:
A historical novel inspired by real events, The Bastard Prince of Versailles, narrates the escapades of a misborn “prince” during the reign of Louis XIV in seventeenth-century France. Louis de Bourbon wasn’t a real prince-even though his father was King Louis XIV.
The illegitimate son of the King and his mistress, Louise de La Vallière, young Louis has been kept far from the court’s eyes until summoned to bid adieu to his mother. To atone for her adultery, she joins a convent, abandoning Louis to an uncertain future.
When Louis is humiliated by his father for his role in a secret gay society, he struggles to redeem himself through heroism and self-sacrifice in the king’s army on the battlefield.
Praise for The Bastard Prince of Versailles:
“Will Bashor effortlessly weaves together the threads of fact and fiction, transporting us back to the opulence and intrigue of 17th-century France. The author’s research and attention to detail are evident and well applied, never seeming like a dry history lesson but always a hook keeping you turning the pages.
Louis is brought to life with such authenticity that you can’t help but empathize with his journey. As he navigates the treacherous waters of courtly politics and yearns for his father’s approval, you’ll feel a gripping connection to his struggles and triumphs. The rest of the characters are well-crafted as well, each contributing to the rich tapestry of the story.
If you are looking for a unique historical novel that will transport you to another time and leave a lasting impression, this book is an absolute must-read.”
–International Review of Books
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/38YDXd
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bastard-Prince-Versailles-Inspired-Events-ebook/dp/B0CGJ9B197
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Bastard-Prince-Versailles-Inspired-Events-ebook/dp/B0CGJ9B197
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Bastard-Prince-Versailles-Inspired-Events-ebook/dp/B0CGJ9B197
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Bastard-Prince-Versailles-Inspired-Events-ebook/dp/B0CGJ9B197
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bastard-prince-of-versailles-will-bashor/1143980077
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-bastard-prince-of-versailles
AUTHOR BIO: WILL BASHOR
From Columbus, Ohio, Will earned his Ph.D. from the American Graduate School of Paris. In his spare time, he reads memoirs and researches the lives of royals and their courtiers. He hopes to share his fascination with the Bourbon dynasty and its quirky inhabitants and, at the same time, weave the historical record with creative fiction. He has written articles for the Huffington Post, Age of Revolutions, BBC History Magazine, and Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book.
Website: https://www.willbashor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WBashorAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harold.bashor.3/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/will.bashor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Will-Bashor/author/B006RKLIJY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6984989.Will_Bashor
EXCERPT: THE BASTARD PRINCE OF VERSAILLE
Louis was escorted into the room by two young princes, who showed him where to take his place behind them. One held his fingers to his lips, reminding Louis not to make a sound.
After receiving the abbé’s blessing, the king rose to put on his socks and his morning robe. The valet removed his nightcap, and the barber combed his hair. He did not shave the king this morning because that only took place every other day. Now half-past eight, the grande levée began, and the king’s first valet of the wardrobe and his gentlemen-in-waiting entered the room.
As court protocol required, Count Louis stood behind his cousins, the Princes of the Blood, during the ceremony. His eyes were still sleepy, but they opened widely when the king proceeded to sit on his chaise percée for his bodily needs—in front of all to see. Louis held his hand over his mouth to keep from giggling aloud but when one of the king’s valets cast a foreboding frown at him, he straightened up.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
November 19, 2023
Rebecca Rosenberg Champagne Widows / Madame Pommery #ChampagneHistory #FrenchHistory #ChampagneWidows #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #CPBC @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Rebecca Rosenberg as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held between September 25th — November 27th, 2023. She is the author of the Historical Fictionm Champagne Widows / Madame Pommery (Champagne Widows Series), published by Lion Heart Publishing on March 2022 / April 2023 (368 pages).
Below are highlights of Champagne Widows / Madame Pommery, Rebecca Rosenberg’s author bio, and an excerpt from Madame Pommery.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-champagne-widows-series.html
Madame Pommery
Creator of Brut Champagne
By Rebecca Rosenberg
Blurb
EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY
“A-Tour-de-Force” Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize
MADAME POMMERY, Creator of Brut Champagne
“A tour-de-force of historical fiction, Madame Pommery is a deeply fascinating work that blends true-to-life details with artfully crafted elements.” –Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize
Madame Pommery is a story of a woman’s indomitable spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. Set in Champagne, France in 1860, Madame Pommery is a forty-year-old widow and etiquette teacher whose husband has passed away. Now she must find a way to support her family. With no experience, she decides to make champagne, but no champagne makers will teach her their craft. Undeterred, Madame Pommery begins to secretly excavate champagne caves under the Reims city dump and faces numerous obstacles to achieve her dream. From the Franco-Prussian war that conscripts her son and crew to the Prussian General Frederick Franz occupying her home, Madame Pommery perseveres. She even must choose between her champagne dreams and a marriage proposal from her former lover, a Scottish Baron. Inspired by a true story, Madame Pommery is a heroic tale of a woman’s strength and determination to create a champagne legacy. If you enjoyed books like ‘The Widow of the South’ by Robert Hicks or ‘The Paris Seamstress’ by Natasha Lester, you’ll love ‘Veuve Clicquot’.
HIGHLIGHTS: CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS
Champagne Widows
The First Woman of Champagne
By Rebecca Rosenberg
Blurb:
EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY
This engrossing historical novel by Rebecca Rosenberg follows Veuve Clicquot, a strong-minded woman determined to defy the Napoleon Code and become a master champagne maker. In 1800 France, twenty-year-old Barbe-Nicole inherits her great-grandfather’s uncanny sense of smell and uses it to make great champagne, despite the Code prohibiting women from owning a business. When tragedy strikes and she becomes a Veuve (widow), she must grapple with a domineering partner, the complexities of making champagne, and the aftermath of six Napoleon wars. When she falls in love with her sales manager, Louis Bohne, she must choose between losing her winery to her husband to obey the Napoleon Code, or losing Louis. In the ultimate showdown, Veuve Clicquot defies Napoleon himself, risking prison and even death. If you enjoyed books like The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks or The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester, you’ll love Veuve Clicquot.
Buy Links:These titles are available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Links:
Madame Pommery: https://books2read.com/u/bW6GL1
Champagne Widows: https://books2read.com/u/3kBekW
Champagne Widows Series Links:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BSTJPZX3
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BSTJPZX3
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BSTJPZX3
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0BSTJPZX3
AUTHOR BIO: REBECCA ROSENBERG
Rebecca Rosenberg is an award-winning novelist, champagne geek, and lavender farmer. Rebecca first fell in love with methode champenoise in Sonoma Valley, California. Over decades of delicious research, she has explored the wine cellars of France, Spain, Italy, and California in search of fine champagne. When Rebecca discovered the real-life stories of the Champagne Widows of France, she knew she’d dedicate years to telling the stories of these remarkable women who made champagne the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
Rebecca is a champagne historian, tour guide, and champagne cocktail expert for Breathless Wines. Other award-winning novels include The Secret Life of Mrs. London and Gold Digger, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.rebecca-rosenberg.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.rosenberg.novelist/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-rosenberg-novelist-a4906885/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccarosenbergnovelist
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rebecca-rosenberg
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rebecca-Rosenberg/author/B075WGKJ3Y
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7652050.Rebecca_Rosenberg
EXCERPT: MADAME POMMERY
PART I
1858-1862
“Never imitate anyone, including yourself.” ~Jeanne Alexandrine Pommery
1
En avoir gros sur lE cœur
To have a big one on the heart
Reims, Champagne, France, 1858. If it wasn’t for the vital volume of Etiquette for Ladies weighing down my lap, I would float away with my dear Louis, who I pray is knocking at heaven’s gates by now. The waxy body before me is not my Louis, no longer smelling of lanolin from working the wool. His lips and cheeks are painted with embalmer’s rouge in a grotesque likeness of the trollops at Le Palais Alhambra brothel.
My husband was a simple man who would have preferred his untouched body encased in a plain pine box. Why did I let Reynard Wolfe convince me to embalm and inter Louis in an extravagant casket of walnut burl inlaid with brass and pewter?
Wolfe, Louis’s banker and executor, appealed to my sense of societal duty. “Madame Pommery, as the very pillar of Reims society, you would certainly be expected to maintain Louis Pommery’s dignity as a respected businessman.”
Dignity my eye. Louis puffed up and painted like a suckling pig?
May as well have an apple stuffed in his mouth.
I’ve kept our two-year-old daughter in the nursery with her nanny, Lucille. No one should remember their parent in a box, Madame Pommery looking so unnatural. I shudder at the thought, and Madame DuBois wraps a shawl over my shoulders against the chill.
“Merci.” I pat her hand. She’s been with me every moment since I started the Saint Remi Auxiliary for the orphanage. The other auxiliary ladies babble on about Louis—how steadfast, gentle, and loyal he was, never once mentioning his failing wool and wine business. I’ve given them all Etiquette for Ladies. Their words drift to the ceiling with the candle smoke, as my fingers examine the gift Louis gave me last year for my thirty-ninth birthday.
I’d hoped for canvas and paints, but he gave me a chatelaine. “Everything you ever need hanging from your belt.” He’d demonstrated each item with such pride, I hid my disappointment. “Thimble, watch, scissors, and measuring tape for your needlework, a funnel for your oils, a pencil, a pantry key, a wax letter seal, and a vial of smelling salts. Uncorking the vial, I breathe in the stinging vapors of camphor, which smell like embalming fluid.
“It’s time, Madame Pommery.” Reynard Wolfe dons a Bavarian hat from his homeland.
My son, Louis’s namesake, squeezes my hand. A flesh-and- blood image of his father with his brooding brow and broad shoulders. So grown up in his military school uniform, yet sweat beads his upper lip. Still a boy at seventeen.
As Father Pieter closes the coffin lid, I steal a last look at the man who is not really here.
“Wait.” I pluck a rose from the vase and lay it on his folded hands that feel so cold.
My son helps Narcisse Greno with his coat. My husband’s partner has aged overnight. His head quivers. Thick lenses enlarge his cloudy eyes. An ear trumpet sticks out from his breast pocket.
The rest of the pallbearers pull on fur-lined gloves and black overcoats over blacker mourning suits. Henry Vasnier, my husband’s young apprentice, wears the same suit he wears every Sunday for church. He has a fresh cut under his long sideburns and a bit of lather behind his ear. No wife yet to help him catch those things.
Reynard Wolfe positions the esteemed Mayor Werle and Doctor DuBois at the head of the coffin. I imagine it’s so the crowd outside will see these important men first in the procession.
As the widow, I am forbidden to join the procession. That bitter pill sticks in my throat. The men lift the coffin, and I jump up from my chair. The weighty Etiquette for Ladies falls on my foot with a sharp blow. Catching myself on the casket, the pallbearers buckle under my added weight.
“I want to go to the cemetery,” I say, my foot aching. “Madame Pommery, you of all people know only men walk
behind the hearse wagon,” Wolfe scolds. “I will make sure Monsieur Pommery is buried properly. Your friends will keep you company.”
The Saint Remi Auxiliary ladies gape at me, shocked at my outburst. They do not expect such misbehavior from me.
I turn my head to the banker. “Please, Monsieur Wolfe, I must accompany my husband to his grave.”
“You must set a good example, Madame, or all your etiquette lessons are for naught.”
I grit my teeth. If I do not live by the rules I teach, my integrity is lost. “Get on with it then.”
The men carry the coffin outside, and Old Greno grunts under the weight. Louis takes a wider grip, trying to help.
Limping after them on my sore foot, I watch them load my husband into the shadowy hearse wagon. A forlorn moan escapes my throat, and I bite down on my thumbnail.
The auxiliary ladies surround me, simpering and sniveling. The wagon lurches off, and black-shrouded horses slip on cobblestones. Despite the snow, townspeople line the street on both sides. Women wave black lace handkerchiefs as the hearse passes. A procession of fine carriages and gigs slog through the slippery street, wheels squealing.
My nanny, Lucille, brings out my daughter, who is flushed and tearful.
“Papa? Papa? Where Papa?” Little Louise totters to me.
“I am sorry, Madame. She will not stop asking for him.” Lucille tucks dark curls into her kerchief. Even with her hair covered, the Jewess provokes the auxiliary’s glares. Her cavernous eyes, perfect oval face and aquiline nose cannot go unnoticed, yet she never flaunts her beauty.
Louise presses her red rumpled face into my breast and wails. The auxiliary ladies’ eyes bulge like moor fish, and they cover their disapproval with black silk fans.
Something snaps inside me. “Thank you for your kindness, ladies. You have been a great comfort to me.” Hugging Louise close,
I wind my way through them and out to the carriage house.
“Etiquette can be tricky, Louise.” I strap her in the gig. “Inevitably, one finds oneself in a predicament where rules do not apply, or worse, they contradict each other. When that happens, one must listen to one’s heart for direction.” Snapping Beau’s reins, I turn him toward Saint Remi. I will not allow my husband to be buried without me.
© Rebecca Rosenberg
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
November 17, 2023
Lakewood CO Barnes & Noble Book Event @BNDenverwest @BN @COGreatAuthors @JudithBriles #Colorado #books #gifts #weekend #bookreaders
Are you in Colorado? Love books? Books are ideal gifts for the holidays. Join me and other local Colorado authors at the Barnes & Noble Book Event to be held in Lakewood, Colorado, on Saturday (November 18, 2023):
Saturday, November 18th
Denver West Village
14347 W Colfax Ave
Lakewood, CO 80401
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
I and other authors will be there to sign our purchased books. Best of all, Barnes & Noble is a generous supporter of Colorado Authors and the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame. The Lakewood Barnes & Noble store will donate a percentage of all sales from books and other store merchandise that day in the store to support the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame, which recognize Colorado authors’ accomplishments and grants scholarships to aspiring writers.
I’ll be there with my books along with author award-winning fiction and nonfiction authors of all genres: adult, YA, juvenile, and children’s books.
