Beth Trissel's Blog, page 125

Milam's Gap in The Blue Ridge Mountains (Along Skyline Drive)

The sun was low in the sky and the woods dusky as my husband and I hiked the Milam's Gap trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains one summer evening. How green and still it was among the hay-scented fern, and the twilight mild and sweet, like a melody softly played. Few birds called. The flutelike trill of a thrush sounded overheard and a robin flew into the ancient apple trees that mark the beginning of the walk. Gnarled, lichen-encrusted, branches thrust high above us.

Milam's Gap apple trees...

Old Sayings and Superstitions from The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Shenandoah Voices :  Folklore, Legends, and Traditions of the Valley by late historian and author John Heatwole. I also threw in some
I knew and greatly respected John Heatwole.  He even helped me with some of the initial research for my first historical novels.  The wealth of knowledge he amassed is just one of the rich legacies John left behind.  Shenandoah Voices is my favorite book by him.  I recommend it to anyone interested in the old ways and days...

Irish Blessings

I've been collecting Irish Blessings.  If you have a favorite, please feel free to share it.  They run the gamut from touching and moving to funny.  Speaking of which, I love this one:

"May you have warm words on a cold evening,

"May the frost never afflict your spuds. May the leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms. May the crows never...

The Eve of St. Agnes

"ST. AGNES' Eve—Ah, bitter chill it was! The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold; The hare limp'd trembling through the frozen grass, And silent was the flock in woolly fold:"

Thus begins the exquisite poem by John Keats, first published in 1820, about the meeting of two lovers, Madeline and Porphyro.

The basis of this poem is the superstitious belief that a maiden would see her future husband if she performed a certain ritual on the Eve of Saint Agnes, the twentieth of January. The feast...

Somewhere My Love Won the Trailer Contest!

Thanks to all who voted for me, the trailer for my light paranormal romance Somewhere My Love won the contest at: http://www.thepenmuse.com/
Competition was stiff and there were many excellent entries so I greatly appreciate all your support.

As the trailer was made before the book came out, the info at the end is somewhat misleading.  Somewhere My Love is available in print and or digital download at all major online booksellers and some not so major.  Your local bookstore can order it in. ...

The Rich History of Virginia Illustrated

Not only have I lived in the Old Dominion for most of my life, but also several previous centuries in the sense that my ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the Shenandoah Valley (1730's/1740's).

Chapel Hill, circa 1816, the Churchman family home place on my father's side, is part of the inspiration behind the old homes in my novels, as are the other early plantations I've visited like Berkeley, Shirley and Carter's Grove.  My Scots-Irish forebears settled Augusta County in the...

Illustrated Excerpts From Light Paranormal Romance Somewhere My Love

Star-crossed lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it is too late? Newly arrived at Foxleigh, the gracious old Wentworth home in Virginia, British born Julia Morrow is excited at the prospect of a summer working as a guide in the stately house and herb garden.

She quickly discovers the historic plantation holds far more. She becomes obsessed with the portrait of handsome Cole Wentworth, killed in a...

Please Vote For Somewhere My Love!

The trailer for my light paranormal romance Somewhere My Love is in a contest at: http://www.thepenmuse.com/

Please vote for it by sending an email to Thepenmuse@gmail.com and put Entry No 3 in the subject.

Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpBh0tPOVUM

A New Contract From The Wild Rose Press!

Senior Faery Rose editor Amanda Barnett is highly enthusiastic about my light paranormal romance, Somewhere My Lass, a unique suspenseful Scottish time travel.  It was definitely one of the most challenging and yet exciting stories I've ever written.   More on this upcoming release as events unfold.  Somewhere My Lass is the next story in my 'Somewhere' series.  Needless to say, I am vastly pleased and relieved at the happy completion of this latest work.

For those of you who haven't read...

More About the Story Behind Enemy of the King

Years ago as I was researching my early American Scots-Irish forebears I often came across references to a battle fought during the Revolution called King's Mountain. The name alone drew me. I vowed to go back later and research it more in depth and uncovered fascinating fodder for the imagination.

I learned about the gallant, ill-fated British Major Patrick Ferguson who lost his life and Loyalist army atop that Carolina Mountain called King's back in the fall of 1780. Ferguson is buried...