Christa Bakker's Blog: Writer's blog, page 3

Writing status December 2021

How was your year? It’s a question you’re bound to ask yourself this month. How was your year? Mine was fine, thanks. Oh, you’d like to know more? Well, guess what this post is about!

Twenty Twenty-One started off with some more lovely lockdown here in the UK. Since my monsters are still of primary school age (Still? Yes, I know! Every year I think they may finally grow up, but no…), that meant the first two months I got to spend with them, helping with school work and thinking up yet new...

11 Myths and Legends of the Beaujolais Region

If only they hadn’t invented phone lines…

How about a list for a change? Writing about fictional crime in the Beaujolais region is what fills most of my days. But since this blog is filled with legendary tales, I thought I’d combine the two and give you an insight into some of ‘my’ local legends.

11. Jassans-Riottier

Across the river Saône from Villefranche-sur-Saône, the capital of the Beaujolais, lies Jassans-Riottier. I’m sure they would not be grateful to me for saying they’re not t...

Death of a Giant

Hunebed near Havelte

More murder and manslaughter. But of an even more mythical nature this time. We’re going back north to The Netherlands, and to the north of the country at that. The legend going around in the province of Drenthe also presents itself in one form or another in other parts of Europe. But hey, who’s to say this isn’t where the story was born?

The hole was a mess.

“DAD!!” Brammert roared.

“What?” was the eloquent answer.

“You should clean up.”

“Me? You clean up...

Rob from the Rich and Give to the Poor

Since nobody knows what Bulla Felix looked like, here’s the richness of the Saône valley, as described in my cozy mysteries.

Who am I talking about? Wrong. Yes, Robin Hood is one of the most famous bandits, but he’s far from the only romanticised thief. Bulla Felix is the name of one I want to talk about today. He operated around 205-207 AD in Italy. When the contrast between rich and poor becomes too sharp, the common people will side with who the elite may see as a pest. When the thief in q...

When Life Gives You Lemons

As it’s summer and the kids are home from school, I didn’t want to spend too much time researching and writing blog posts. Instead, you’re getting a piece of flash fiction I wrote years ago. Hope you like it!

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

So there we were in the kitchen, me in my pink summer skirt and him in his yellow suit. Why he insisted on wearing it, I never did find out. I suppose it was to brighten up his character or something, because fashion had nothing to do with it. 

But...

Woe Upon All of You!

Ghosts, again? Yes, I couldn’t help myself. This is my youngest yet, playing out in 1840 in what was to become part of Lyon, France, 12 years later. I lived in Croix Rousse for about a month, so I wish I’d known this story sooner. Though the ramparts have been destroyed in 1865 by Louis-Napoleon, their location is now marked by the Boulevard de la Croix Rousse. I likely walked right by the place where this Lady is said to have appeared.

La Dame Blanche, engraving made by Emile Vernier for the...

Pride Before the Fall

Statue of the Widow of Stavoren in Stavoren, photograph by Emperoredwin, CC BY-SA 3.0

They called her The Widow of Stavoren. She huffed. As if she were the only widow in town. She was certainly the richest, she’d readily admit that. She’d seen visitors disappointed, looking at her walls and floors, because they weren’t actually made of silver and gold respectively. The silly things people came up with. Looking out of the window of her mansion by the harbour, she shook her head.

Tapping her...

Shake, Rattle and Wail

Are you scared of ghosts? I love a good ghost story. If you’ve read my book The Jet Jewel you already know that. But sometimes it’s more fun to look at what’s gone before, than to make up your own. Here’s a really old one from a period close to my heart.

Athenodorus confronts the Spectre by Henry Justice Ford

Athenodorus couldn’t sleep. You’d think after a day of moving house he’d be tired enough to sleep, but no. He sighed again, turned on his other side, again, but then gave up. He kicke...

A Roman ghost story

Are you scared of ghosts? I love a good ghost story. If you’ve read my book The Jet Jewel you already know that. But sometimes it’s more fun to look at what’s gone before, than to make up your own. Here’s a really old one from a period close to my heart.

Athenodorus confronts the Spectre by Henry Justice Ford

Athenodorus couldn’t sleep. You’d think after a day of moving house he’d be tired enough to sleep, but no. He sighed again, turned on his other side, again, but then gave up. He kicke...

Kill Thy Neighbour

How do you feel about murder? As long as they stay fictional, they’re okay with me! As a crime writer, though, I do look at true crime; sometimes for inspiration, but mostly to find out what not to do. In the Netherlands, the amount of violent deaths is on a steady decrease. While that makes me happy, real people are still losing their lives. So instead of going over gruesome details that are fresh in people’s minds, I thought I’d focus some attention on historical Dutch murder cases. This one i...