Nancy Lawrence's Blog, page 10

A Brand New Month and Kitty Bennet

It’s February. I know, I can’t believe it either.

But even though time seems to be flying by, I’m really looking forward to a new month, since everything I hoped to accomplish in January didn’t quite happen as planned.

On January 4th I came down with the flu, and it really took me out of commission for about two solid weeks. I needed a third week of home confinement just to ensure I looked presentable before going out in public again.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get much writing done during the month.

But some good things happened, too . . .

First, I began plotting a new Jane Austen inspired story that centers on Kitty Bennet.

Lydia (Julia Sawalha) and Kitty Bennet (Polly Maberly) in BBC’s 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice.

In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Kitty is a minor character, who never really gets a chance to show readers who she is. In fact, Kitty is really little more than a follower; her personality is constantly overshadowed by that of her younger sister Lydia. I’ve always been intrigued by Kitty (just as I was by her sister Mary, who also got short-shrift in P&P). I’m hoping this new story will give Kitty a chance to shine and find a Happily Ever After of her own. I’ll keep you posted in my progress.

The other great thing that happened in January: I scored tickets to Hamilton! Here’s my happy dance:

I absolutely love going to the theater and seeing live performances; it’s even better when I can make an evening of it by having dinner at my favorite restaurant before the show.

But before I put on my best clothes and head downtown for a night out in Denver, I have some serious writing to catch up on. I have publishing goals to meet this year and I’m already behind on my daily word counts.

So today I’m going back to work with a vengeance and, if everything goes right, I’ll soon be able to report to you on my progress. In the meantime . . .

Happy February! I hope it proves to be a great month for you!

King Charles I: Art Collector Extraordinaire

King Charles I ruled England for 24 years before he was executed in 1649. During his reign he amassed a collection of over 2,000 works of art.

Portrait of King Charles I of England by Anthony van Dyck

His hoard included classical sculptures, oil on canvas portraits, enormous tapestries, and delicate miniatures. Charles even augmented the collection by commissioning artist Anthony van Dyck to paint a series of very flattering portraits of himself. This tri-view portrait of Charles I is just one example:

His discerning eye and royal patronage fostered a new and exciting culture of art and expression in England. But when Charles was executed in 1649, his massive collection was sold off, with individual pieces scattering across Europe’s museums and even some private homes.

This year the Royal Academy of Arts will reunite some of the legendary masterpieces of Charles’ magnificent collection in one exhibit.

The exhibition, titled Charles I: King and Collector embodies everything I love in a museum offering:

It has small pieces that invite you to stand close and drink in each delicate detail.
It has large pieces that demand you stand back in order to admire the whole.
It has that overall aura of royalty about it, and I love anything related to English royalty.

Unfortunately, I live on the wrong side the Atlantic, so I won’t be able to see the exhibit in London. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, though, that the collection will go on tour in the U.S. sometime soon.

Charles I: King and Collector opens January 27 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and runs until April 15. You can find out more about the exhibit on the Royal Academy’s website here.

 

 

A Delightful Way to Begin the New Year!

2018 has started off in the best way possible. My novel Mary and the Captain was named one of Austenesque Reviews’ Favorite Reads of 2017!

If you love to read Jane Austen inspired fiction, you may already be a reader of Austenesque Reviews. I’ve subscribed to the blog for years, so I was thrilled when the blog gave Mary and the Captain a five-star review in May last year.

But having my book included in the blog’s best books of 2017 list has sent me over the moon! I’m so proud, and so very thankful.

If you’re not familiar with the Austenesque Reviews blog, please check it out to see what other titles made the list. Just click on the banner to visit the blog.

And if you haven’t yet read Mary and the Captain, I hope you’ll give it a try. You’ll find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and everywhere print and e-books are sold.

 

 

Ending 2017 with One Thought: Thank You!

To everyone who read one of my stories or novels this year . . . Thank you! I’m grateful you chose to join me in my Regency-inspired world.

I appreciate every review you left; your comments and feedback about Mary and the Captain mean more to me than I can say.

Let’s make a date to meet again in the pages of a book in 2018!

Until then, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Gifts Ideas for Book Lovers

It’s December and I’m in full shopping mode as I get ready for Christmas.

Shopping for the right gift for the right person is one of my favorite things to do. Luckily, many of my friends and family members are book lovers, so when I shop for them, it’s almost like shopping for myself!

So here are a few gift ideas I’ve got my eye on . . . maybe they’ll help you find the perfect gift for the book lover in your life, too. Just click on any of the images to learn more about each item.

Sorry, My Night is All Booked. Order it as a tee-shirt, sweatshirt, or comfy nightshirt.

 

Felted Wool Animal Bookmarks. Choose from six different animals, all avid book readers. Each one is about 3″ high.

Keep Calm and … oooooohh, a New Book! This tee-shirt comes in a nice variety of colors.

[image error]Bookmarks are for Quitters. Choose a coffee mug . . .

[image error]. . . or a shirt in a variety of styles and colors.

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Stained glass hanging of books on a shelf. Wouldn’t this be a lovely addition to a favorite sunny window?

I wouldn’t mind at all if Santa brought me any of these gifts on Christmas morning (hint, hint); but in the meantime, I’m snagging some of them for my favorite book lovers. Happy shopping to you!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Scenes from Cheapside

I’m working on a new story; it’s a variation on Pride and Prejudice that centers on the mayhem caused by Lydia’s elopement with Wickham.

Some of the scenes will take place in the London home of the Gardiners in Cheapside.

Since my memory and imagination are sparked by visual cues, I’ve collected quite a few images of Cheapside for inspiration. Today I’ll share some of those images with you..

A map of the City of London in 1799, bounded in red, bordering the River Thames.

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For orientation, Cheapside is located in the City of London (not to be confused with London. Yes, London and the City of London are two different places.).

A close-up view of the 1799 map showing Cheapside and Gracechurch streets (in rectangles). St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London are highlighted in circles.

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Cheapside is located in the heart of The City. For hundreds of years it’s been the country’s main center of commerce and trade. In fact, it gained its name from the old Saxon word Chepe, meaning market or bargain.

A 1911 postcard showing bustling Cheapside; Mansion House is the structure with columns on the left

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Street names like Poultry, Milk, Pudding, Ironmonger, Bread, and Shoemaker serve as reminders of the area’s old market origins.

The gateway to Cheapside as it appeared in 1903. Mansion House is the building with columns on the left. The road that angles off to the right is Cheapside, with the church spire of St. Mary-le-Bow.

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Geographically, Cheapside covers less than a mile but more tradesmen were packed into the length of this street than any other avenue in the City of London.

A view of Mansion House, residence of the Lord Mayor of London, as it appeared in 1837.

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Mr. Gardiner was engaged in trade in Cheapside, while his home was located on Gracechurch Street. The Gardiners lived within blocks of London Bridge on the east end of The City. I like to imagine they may have had a very good view of the Tower of London from their windows.

Cheapside, looking east down the street. The Church of St Mary-le-Bow is on the right. circa 1760.

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The Gardiner home would have been within walking distance of the center of England’s economic power.

The Bank of England (building on the right with columns) and Royal Exchange (on the left) as they appeared in 1907.

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Nearby was Mansion House (the residence of the Lord Mayor of London), the Bank of England, the Treasury, Custom House, and Royal Exchange.

The Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, and Mansion House by Nicholas-Toussaint Charlet.

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Beside great houses of commerce, Cheapside was famous for its retail establishments. Some of the best shopping to be had in Jane Austen’s time was in Cheapside.

A booksellers shop at No. 73 Cheapside, about 1790.

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From hat-makers to perfumeries, stationers to pianofortes, time-pieces to cottons and silks—the finest merchandise could be found in the warehouses and shops at Cheapside.

The London to Brighton Coach making a stop at Cheapside about 1830, by William Turner.

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Even on Gracechurch Street, where the Gardiners lived, shops and businesses of all sorts mingled with family homes.

The interior yard of the Spread Eagle Inn on Gracechurch street, about 1850.

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It’s no wonder, then, that merchants in Cheapside were extremely successful, and Mr. Gardiner was no exception.

The old Royal Exchange with the dome of St. Paul’s in the background, depicted in 1795 by Thomas Girtin. The Royal Exchange pictured burned down in 1838 but was rebuilt on the same site. It’s located on Threadneedle Street at the east end of Cheapside.

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Mr. Gardiner supported his family very well, indeed. Jane Austen described the Gardiners as well-bred and elegant. His income allowed him to host parties at the theater, while Mrs. Gardiner was free to squire Elizabeth, Sir William Lucas, and Maria Lucas through a day of shopping in London.

A 1930 photograph of the oldest house in Cheapside. Legend has it this building on the corner of Cheapside and Friday Street survived the Great Fire of 1666.

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Mr. Gardiner’s business was sound enough to allow him to take time off on a fairly regular basis. He and his family made frequent trips to visit the Bennets for as long as a week at a time.

View of The Monument from the south end of Gracechurch Street. Beydon The Monument is Fish Street Hill and old London Bridge. The church spire belongs to St. Magnus Martyr. The Monument was erected to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666.

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And in March 1812 the Gardiners invited Elizabeth to join them on a lengthy “pleasure tour” of the Lakes. In the end, unexpected business concerns forced Mr. Gardiner to postpone their travels until July of that year, but they still intended to spend a month touring Derbyshire.

Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries looks over the countryside of the Peak District in Derbyshire.

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I have to admit Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are two of my favorite Pride and Prejudice characters. Mr. Gardiner is an effective foil for his sister Mrs. Bennet, and Mrs. Gardiner is a loving and trusted confidante to the two eldest Bennet sisters, Jane and Elizabeth.

Joanna David and Tim Wylton as Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice

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I’m looking forward to writing about the Gardiners’ home in Cheapside and the many visitors they receive there. (Hint: one of their callers will be a very proud young man from Derbyshire.)

Stay tuned for more . . .

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A Special Month for My Special Friends

In my last post I described an old English tradition called Whip Dog Day. It’s one tradition that is best forgotten.

Today I want to talk about a twentieth century American tradition that is best remembered. It’s celebrated every year throughout the month of October. I’m talking about Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

This is a celebration I can really get behind. I’ve had several pets during my long life and almost all of them joined my family after I found them at a shelter.

Let me introduce you to a few of my family members who came from dog shelters . . .

This is Byron, a corgi/basset hound mix, who is probably the smartest dog I’ve ever known.

He knows lots of words in Human, which is impressive when I realize I don’t know a how to say a single word in Dog.

Here’s Keats, a corgi/Dachshund mix:

He, too, was a shelter dog. He’s not as smart as Byron, and he had some very concerning behavioral issues when I first brought him home; but once he settled in and learned to trust me, I discovered something I hadn’t expected: he’s unfailingly happy all the time. An added bonus: if you toss a squeaky toy to him, he will be your devoted slave for the rest of his life.

Based on my photos, you may have noticed some trends in my preference for pets.

I tend to adopt dogs with black fur, because I once read that black dogs were less likely to be adopted than dogs with lighter hair color.

I tend to adopt dogs who have been at the shelter the longest. They are more likely to have medical or behavioral issues that make them less desirable for adoption. And that means they are more likely to be put down than other dogs.

I also tend to adopt dogs that no one else seems to want. So far, it seems no one wants dogs with satellite dishes for ears, but I do.

You may also notice that I have a predilection for naming pets after 18th Century Romantic poets.

Byron.

Keats.

By all rights, the next dog in line for adoption should be named Shelley, just to complete the triad.

That was my plan . . . But then something unexpected happened. Lacy came into my life.

Lacy, too, was a shelter dog when my cousin adopted her a few years ago. But when my cousin fell ill and had to be hospitalized, Lacy came to stay with me.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement; but a few days soon turned into a few weeks, then months, as my cousin remained hospitalized.

Unfortunately, my cousin never left the hospital; she passed away last February, and Lacy became a permanent member of my family.

Lacy blends right in, and since her arrival, I’ve realized that my dogs and I have a lot in common. We’re all motivated by treats and praise.

We all have short legs. And we all hate the vacuum cleaner.

But the key thing my dogs and I have in common is that we want to be loved, and we have plenty of love in our hearts to give back. With those kinds of benefits, there’s no reason anyone should believe they have to wait until October rolls around again to adopt a shelter dog.

I adopted Byron in the month of June. Keats came home with me during May of 2015. And Lacy became mine in February of 2016. So I can say from a place of experience that any month is the right month to bring a new pup home.

So even though today is the last day of October—and the last day to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month—there are plenty of reasons to visit your local animal shelter in November (or any other month) and find that special dog just waiting for you to take him or her home.

I’m tempted to go visit my Denver shelter in the next few weeks myself, just to see if they might possibly have a dog that would make a good addition to my own family . . .

. . . A small dog with black fur who wouldn’t mind answering to the name Shelley.

Filed under: About Nancy Tagged: Adopt A Shelter Dog, Dogs, October, Pets

On This Date . . .

In England October 18 is St. Luke’s Day, a day to commemorate Luke, the patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers.

October 18 is also Whip Dog Day, an old ritual in which local boys ganged together to round up and literally whip any unfortunate dog they happen to find on the streets.

It was an ancient custom, established in a church in York, when a priest, celebrating mass, dropped one of the consecrated wafers. A stray dog that had wandered into the church snatched it up and promptly ate it. The poor animal was instantly captured and killed, and on the anniversary of his crime all stray dogs are forced to pay the price for the wafer-eater’s sin.

Detail of a 1616 (oil on panel) painting by John Gipkin (fl.1594-1629); courtesy the Society of Antiquaries of London, UK/ The Bridgeman Art Library

I’ve read some accounts that say the practice of whipping dogs on October 18 was confined to York, but further reading tells me that the custom was more wide-spread.

In A History of Derbyshire author John Pendleton writes this about the village of Baslow:

I’m okay with the idea of gently nudging sleeping congregants to keep them awake during Sunday church services; but that whole business about whipping dogs makes me shudder.

Dog whipping remained part of St. Luke’s Day traditions for hundreds of years. It was still in practice during the Regency era in some parts of the country.

I’ve never read a novel set during the Regency in which Whip Dog Day was mentioned, although there is a scene in chapter nine of Georgette Heyer’s Arabella in which the heroine saves a dog from a group of boys bent on tormenting it.

Can you imagine whipping this sweet pup? Neither can I.

Thankfully, the practice of celebrating Whip Dog Day died out in the late 1800s when we humans made the turn and began viewing animals in a more humane light. It’s an observance that is no longer practiced today and for that I—as a lifelong dog lover—am truly grateful.

Filed under: Regency Manners and Customs Tagged: Baslow, Derbyshire, St. Luke's Day, Whip Dog Day

Winner of the Netherfield Library Prize Package Giveaway!

Congratulations go to Anita (alp1788) who won the Netherfield Library prize package I offered exclusively to readers of Austenesque Reviews.

Anita, your prize package is already on it’s way to you. Congratulations!

 

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Win a Netherfield Library Prize Package!

Last week I had the good fortune to visit Meredith Esparza’s blog, Austenesque Reviews, where Meredith and I talked about my new book, Mary and the Captain.

This was my first appearance at Austenesque Reviews, and I was so excited to be there! I decided to commemorate my visit by offering a giveaway to Austenesque readers!

The best part is, there’s still time for you to enter to win the prize package, inspired by items Mary and Captain Bingley found in the library at Netherfield Park.

The prize package includes:

Netherfield Library Prize Package

• A wax seal set you can use to seal your own letters and cards, just as Mary and Robert set their seal to the letters they wrote together in the library.

• A pair of desk scissors inspired by the very scissors Kitty lent Robert to open an important letter he received.

• A modern-day ballpoint pen bearing Jane Austen’s autograph, perfect for writing your own clever correspondence.

• A red-and-white ribbon bookmark, so you’ll never have to worry about losing your place in the story.

• A signed copy of my book, Mary and the Captain.

• A lovely Pride and Prejudice inspired bag to carry your copy of Mary and the Captain wherever you go!

The best part is, there’s still time to enter the drawing! Just click here to leave a comment on my post at Austenesque Reviews, and you’ll have a chance to win the prize package.

Hurry! The last day to enter is August 30!

 

 

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