Meredith Allard's Blog, page 22
October 14, 2018
Spooktacular Giveaway 2018
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I say this every year, but it makes you realize how quickly time flies by when it’s time for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop again!
I’m so excited for the giveaway this year because it gives me an opportunity to announce that on Wednesday, October 31, 2018–just in time for Halloween–brand new fancy-like editions of the complete Loving Husband Trilogy will be on sale. I’m thrilled to finally be able to share the second edition of the Loving Husband Trilogy with all of you. Whether you’re a James and Sarah superfan or a reader who loves historical fiction or paranormal fantasy, I think you’ll enjoy this sweet romance.
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To celebrate the soon-to-be-released new editions, I’m giving away five complete sets of the Loving Husband Trilogy in your choice of ebook, paperback, or audiobook. Fill out the simple form below to enter. That’s it. There’s nothing more to do. Winners will be announced on Thursday, November 1, 2018.
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Best of luck to everyone who enters. If you’d like to see what other great bookish gifts are being given away, click on any of the links below and follow along with the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop.
1.
BookHounds
2.
BookHounds YA
3.
Stuck in Books
4.
StoreyBook Reviews
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Rainy Day Ramblings (Int)
6.
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures (US) ~
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The Kids Did It
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All the Ups and Downs (INT) ~
9.
Sunny Buzzy Books (INT)
10.
Author ML Hamilton
11.
Laughing Vixen Lounge
12.
Insane About Books (int)
13.
Kristi’s Book Nook
14.
Michelle Scott’s Fiction Blog
15.
Savings in Seconds
16.
Stacking My Book Shelves! (INT)
17.
JeanBookNerd (INT)
18.
Christy’s Cozy Corners (US) ~
19.
Glistering: B’s Blog (US)
20.
Rockin’ Book Reviews
21.
Literary Rambles (INT)
22.
Bargnhtress
23.
Whatever You Can Still Betray (Int)
24.
Bethany Blake Author
25.
Hearts & Scribbles (INT)
26.
Kimber’s Life
27.
Book Lovers Life (INT)
28.
icefairy’s Treasure Chest (INT)
29.
HOT LISTENS
30.
Ex Libris (INT)
31.
Mocha Girls Read (US)
32.
Craves the Angst Book Blog [INT]
33.
Win Book Money
34.
With Love for Books
35.
Rainy Days and Pajamas
36.
I’d So Rather Be Reading (US)
37.
Reading Reality (INT)
38.
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader (INT)
39.
Literary Meanderings (INT)
40.
Lili Lost in a Book
41.
MYTHICAL BOOKS (INT)
42.
a GREAT read (US)
43.
Forward Writes
44.
Maureen’s Musings
45.
Meredith Allard
46.
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book (U. S. )
47.
Lisa Beth Darling (INT)
48.
Mina Burrows (US)
49.
Why Not? Because I Said So!
50.
Angela Christina Archer (US)
51.
Dils Book Review Blogspot
52.
Oh Hey! Books.
53.
Mysteries and My Musings – US only
54.
Storybook Press
55.
From the Shadows (INT)
56.
Mom, You’re So Weird! (US)
57.
A Night’s Dream of Books (INT)
58.
Says Me Says Mom
59.
Glass Slipper Productions {US}
60.
The Mommy Island
61.
Zero Repeat Forever by GS Prendergast
September 12, 2018
Character Inspiration: Salem Witches Olivia Phillips and Jennifer Mandel
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Sometimes when I’m writing a story I have to stretch a bit for a character as I try to figure out exactly who this person is. Writers are like actors in the sense that we have to understand the evolution of the characters we’re writing about. Sometimes, I have to struggle to understand who these characters are, what they want, and how they grow (or don’t) through the story. Sometimes, I get lucky and the characters come fully formed.
That was the case with the mother/daughter witches Olivia Phillips and Jennifer Mandel in the Loving Husband Trilogy. In their witchy ways, they materialized out of thin air to guide James and Sarah toward their destiny. I knew fairly early in the writing of this story that it would take place in Salem, Massachusetts, and I knew that it would include elements of the Salem Witch Trials. With James being James, I knew that there would be a supernatural element to the story as well. By the end of the first draft of Her Dear & Loving Husband, I knew that Sarah would discover her first inkling of the paranormal world through a psychic reading.
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When I first started writing Her Dear & Loving Husband I knew virtually nothing about Salem, Massachusetts except that it was the epicenter of the witch hunt hysteria in 1692. Since I knew the story would go back and forth between the 17th and 21st centuries, I had to learn about Salem in its present-day reality. It didn’t take much of a Google search to realize that 21st century Salem is a hotbed of modern mysticism. I haven’t yet been to Salem during October, but it looks to be a lot of fun with all of the Halloween and psychic festivals.
Even here in Las Vegas there are magical, mystical shops that sell incense, books of spells, candles, and other witchy accessories. I was thrilled to discover that such shops exist in abundance in Salem. Of course Sarah would visit one, and that would be where she’d have her psychic reading. Who would run the shop? Who would give Sarah the reading? It had to be someone Sarah knew, or was at least acquainted with. Being new to Salem, and not being one with an inherent belief in the mystical world, Sarah would need some push in the direction of getting that psychic reading, and that push came in the form of Olivia Phillips.
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I have this odd habit of putting favorite actors into the “part” of characters I’m writing to help me get a sense of the characters’ movements and their cadence when they talk, as well as other mannerisms, and I definitely had someone in mind while writing Olivia Phillips. While I’ll never reveal my sources, I have had readers who contacted me saying that they guessed who Olivia was based on, and they were right! It amazes me when readers read with such an eye for detail. As of yet, no one has guessed the actor who stood in Jennifer’s shoes while I was writing Jennifer’s scenes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone guessed her at some point as well.
It just so happens that Olivia has her own psychic shop in Salem, located on scenic Pickering Wharf, and she knew to expect Sarah at the Witches Lair not because of any psychic visions but because Olivia’s daughter, Jennifer, knows Sarah from the university library. After all, Sarah needs friends in Salem, and Jennifer, with her steady heart and open mind, is a good match for Sarah. The scene of the psychic reading itself was inspired by a real-life incident. My mother returned to university as an adult to get her degree, and one of the courses she took was about religious studies. One of the assignments she had to complete was to go to some sort of psychic reading and write about the experience (yes, this is what happens to Sarah in the story). I went with my mother just to see what it was like, and it was kind of fascinating, to be honest. The psychic was a young girl, about university age herself, and a lot of what she said was general and could have applied to anything. But then she said something about a move far away, which did startle me a bit because I was planning on moving across the country and I don’t recall having given away any clues in that direction. That psychic reading, with some modifications, of course, ended up in Her Dear & Loving Husband more than five years later. Just goes to show–you never know what experiences are going to play out later in your fiction!
With all the mysticism to be found in present-day Salem, Massachusetts, and since Olivia is a psychic, is it that much of a stretch to say, yeah, the mother and daughter duo practice the Wiccan religion among other things. As the Loving Husband stories continue we realize that it’s not just pagan practices that Olivia and Jennifer participate in. They cast real spells that have real consequences for James, Sarah, and everyone they love. They are, in fact, real witches. Real witches in Salem, Massachusetts? Who knew?
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It really was a coincidence that the place where I chose to set the story of the Loving Husband Trilogy, Salem, Massachusetts, is a place where mystics, psychics, and others in touch with the supernatural world choose to congregate. Sarah needs an introduction to the paranormal world. After all, she has James waiting for her. Olivia and Jennifer are the perfect companions for Sarah as she discovers a whole world beyond what her logic and senses tell her. Olivia is the warm, motherly, wise, compassionate person I wish I had in my life, and from what readers have told me, many of you feel that way about her as well. Jennifer is the best girlfriend we love to confide in. Sarah is lucky to have found two such kindred spirits so soon after moving to Salem.
It’s hard to believe it’s already almost time for the autumn festivals in Salem, Massachusetts. I’m not going to make it this year, but if you’re interested in going, you should! You may even see James’ house (the John Ward House) while you’re there. Check here for more information about the haunted happenings in Salem, Massachusetts in 2018.
August 27, 2018
What I’m Reading
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As summer is winding down and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are on the horizon, I find myself spending a lot of time reading lately. There are a lot of really good, really interesting books out there these days and I’ve found a few that have caught my attention.
Everything I Never Told You
I loved Celeste Ng’s story about a family in crisis. On the surface, this is a novel about a girl’s disappearance and subsequent death, but really it’s about family dynamics. It’s about how parents project their own dreams onto their children and how the children struggle as a consequence. Each family member has his or her own story, which is something we forget sometimes when we’re thinking about families. Even the youngest child has a point of view and a voice that should be heard. And everyone is affected by what happens in our families.
Crazy Rich Asians
If you’re looking for a laugh out loud, entertaining read, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is it. I was fascinated by the look into the lifestyles of the ultra-rich in Asia, a culture I wasn’t familiar with. I’m not sure I envied them at all, but it sure was interesting to see how the one percent lives. Really, the book is just funny. Crazy Rich Asians is great escapism—a great beach read if you’re lucky enough to still have time for the beach. And the movie looks pretty good too.
Educated
One nonfiction book I’ve read recently is Educated by Tara Westover. As a newly minted PhD myself, I could definitely relate to Westover’s struggle to make the most of her education. While my journey to my doctorate didn’t involve the same struggles that Westover endured, I could still see a lot of myself in her determination. Westover’s story is a lot like The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Both women grew up in families determined to live off the grid, for better or for worse. If liked Walls’ story, you’ll enjoy Westover’s too.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
I liked the title, quite frankly, so I picked the book up and I’m glad I did. I think of this as the anti-self-help book. I used to love to read self-help books, but then I realized I felt worse after reading them because they were presenting me with an ideal that, as a mere human, I could never live up to. Author Mark Manson shows that the quality of our lives is largely determined by where we give our fcks. He points out that most of where we give our fcks don’t really add to the quality of our lives. I have to say I agree. If you want to read an advice book that is more practical than woo-woo, give this one a try.
July 2, 2018
Food in Colonial Massachusetts
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I’m having a lot of fun learning about food in Colonial Massachusetts. Not that I like to eat or anything. There’s a lot to discover about the types of foods that were available then, how they were processed, and how the meals were cooked. I started following a few food historians, and when I see how they spend their time recreating recipes from the past with only ingredients and utensils available from that time period I think I may have missed my calling. In my next life I will be a food historian.
In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, cooks relied heavily on recipes from popular English authors such as Robert May’s cookbook from 1685 and Gervase Markham’s English Huswife from 1615 (http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcolonial.html – 1690salem). Meals in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were a unique combination between the eating habits the colonists brought with them from England and the ingredients available to them in New England.
Popular foods in Salem in the 1690s were meat, bread, and other dishes made of wheat and oat. Root vegetables like turnips were also popular. Since Massachusetts is located along the Atlantic coast, colonists relied heavily on seafood, and fish such as cod, herring, bass, sturgeon, mackerel, clams, and lobster were often eaten (though Puritans didn’t like lobster). Fish had to be salted to be preserved, and salt was either imported or gathered from the sea. Soups, roasts, bacon, ham, salt pork, salads, puddings, and pies were all common, while fruits and vegetables were served fresh or preserved.
Salem cooks would have used a combination of local ingredients such as corn, clams, squash, beans, cranberries, and potatoes while taking advantage of the wild game, domesticated hogs, nuts, wild berries, and fruits such as pears, cherries, and plums. Wealthier residents (including James and his father John) would have had imported goods such as tea, coffee, sugar, rum, citrus fruits, and spices. Apple orchards were established early and the plentiful apples were used to create a low-alcohol cider that was a main drink for the colonists. (From Daily Life in Colonial New England by Claudia Durst Johnson).
As I searched for recipes that Elizabeth might have made while living in Salem, I discovered this recipe for a bride’s cake similar to the one James and Elizabeth would have served at their wedding in 1690:
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds butter
1 1/2 pounds sugar
8 eggs
1 1/2 pounds flour
1 tablespoon ground mace
2 nutmegs
1 cup black molasses
1 cup coffee
1 tablespoon rose extract
2 pounds raisins
3 pounds currants
1 pound chopped almonds
1 pound citron, cut fine
Directions
Prepare the fruit and nuts, and dredge with part of the flour. Cream the butter and sugar together and add the well-beaten eggs. Sift the flour and spices and add to the egg mixture. Add the fruit and liquids by degrees. Line a large baking pan with wax paper, greasing the pan well and then greasing the paper. Turn in the cake mixture and bake. Frost with white boiled icing. (http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcolonial.html – 1690salem).
Here’s a recipe from colonialsense.com for Asparagus Soup, which would have been seasonal from May until August.
Ingredients
beef
bacon
ale
beet leaves
spinach
1 cabbage
mint, sorrel, and marjoram
asparagus
salt and pepper
flour
Directions
Put the beef, cut in pieces and rolled in flour, into a pan with the bacon at the bottom
Cover it close, and set it on a slow fire, stirring it now and then till the gravy is drawn
Put in the water and ale, and season to taste with pepper and salt
Let it stew gently
Strain the liquor, and take off the fat,
Add the beet, spinach, cabbage lettuce, and mint, sorrel, and sweet marjoram, pounded
Let these boil up in the liquor,
Put in the asparagus-tops cut small, and allow them to boil till all is tender
Serve hot
From Plimouth Plantation I found a recipe for samp, which is an old-timey version of oatmeal. Readers of Her Dear & Loving Husband may remember James mentioning that he ate samp for breakfast during the 17th century. According to the Plimouth Plantation website, the original recipe looked like this:
It is light of digestion, and the English make a kind of Loblolly of it to eat with Milk, which they call Sampe; they beat it in a Morter, and sift the flower out of it; the remainder they call Hominey, which they put into a Pot of two or three Gallons, with Water, and boyl it upon a gentle Fire till it be like a Hasty Puden; they put of this into Milk, and so eat it.
If you’d prefer a more modern version, you might like this recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups coarse corn grits
4 cups water
1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
Directions
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan with a heavy bottom. Add the corn grits and stir. Simmer until they are soft, about 10 minutes, and the water has been absorbed. Serve with milk and sugar.
I haven’t yet tried any of the recipes that Elizabeth will be cooking in Down Salem Way, but I will. I think trying out the recipes myself will give me a unique insight into Elizabeth’s daily life. I may not have the same equipment she would have used (I don’t happen to have a hearth with cauldrons hanging around inside my galley kitchen), but even if I use what I have, I think I will gain a perspective on running a household in the 17th century that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
June 13, 2018
The Value of Diversity in Historical Fiction
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I read this article on the website Mythcreants about why historical accuracy isn’t a reason to exclude diversity in our writing. Yet we hear that excuse all the time from novelists, screenwriters, and others. My favorite show Downton Abbey received some grief for not including people of color, and the show’s executives gave that exact excuse—historical accuracy. Lord Grantham and his ilk wouldn’t have known black people. Really? Ever? But when writer Julian Fellowes thought about it, he did find a way to include a black American jazz singer, for a few episodes anyway.
Is it possible for us to push past our comfort zones and make an effort to include diverse characters in our fiction? Can we be sensitive to different cultures, beliefs, and ways of being? Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know about different people, and that’s okay, as long as we keep learning and growing.
Maya Angelou used to say that we are more alike than we are different. Beneath language, beneath culture, or anything else we use to define others as different, there is an inherent sense of humanness that all people share. Oprah Winfrey said that everyone wants the same thing: they want to know they matter. Maybe if we use that as our springboard, the idea that our characters, no matter who they are, no matter what time they live in, no matter the color of their skin or their sexual preference, have an inherent sense of humanness, then the idea of writing or reading about diverse characters won’t be so scary. If we approach historical fiction from the point of view that people are more alike than they are different, then maybe we can make the push to include diverse characters—that are not stereotypical—in our stories.
Writing about diverse people doesn’t mean that our characters should hold hands and sing folk songs. If we’re honest about history, we need to acknowledge that there have always been the oppressors and the oppressed. Equally, there have always been those who could sympathize with those who are different than themselves. Storytelling is the best way to learn about those who seem, at least on the surface, to be different than us. As writers and readers, we believe in the power of storytelling. We must, or why else would we spend so many hours with stories? Let’s use our love for story to tell all stories because all stories should be valued.
What can we do to promote diversity in historical fiction? If we’re writers, we can consider how we might include diverse people in our stories. If we’re readers, we can make an effort to read historical novels that are written by or about diverse people. The answer, really, is that we all need to push ourselves past our comfort zones. The more we can learn about each other, the truth about each other and not the stereotypes, the more we will understand about each other. The more we understand each other, the more we can help to build bridges toward each other.
June 4, 2018
What I’m Reading
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The other day I saw a tweet from Dr. Witch Hazel (@HazelMonforton) that summed up my reading experience while getting my doctorate:
Random guy: Oh wow you have a PhD? What in?
Me: English literature.
Guy: So you like to read?
Me: Not anymore.
Sad, but true. Nothing can diminish your love for something more than getting your PhD in it. Scholarly articles comprised most of my reading for the past four years, and while they’re informative, certainly, I can’t say they’re much fun to read. For some reason, PhDs think that in order to sound intelligent their writing style has to be muddled and dull. No. Really, no. I shouldn’t have to read a page-long paragraph to figure out what you’re talking about. Creative writers learn to be precise with our words. At the very least, we should be interesting. Maybe scholarly writers think they have a captive audience, other scholars who want the data they have to share, so they don’t care whether their words flow or if their message is easily understood.
While I was buried under all those boring-to-read scholarly articles I forgot what it was like to read for enjoyment. Since I finished my dissertation I’ve been able to read what I wanted to read because I wanted to read it, which is a nice change. Here are just a few of the books I’ve read.
The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels by Jon Meacham
[image error] In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I love Jon Meacham. If he wasn’t married already I’d marry him. Seriously. He’s intelligent and he has a great sense of humor. What else does a girl need?
His newest book, The Soul of America, is a look at how American history has shaped the American present. The U.S. has seen its share of political trials throughout its turbulent history. From the poor treatment of former slaves after the American Civil War to McCarthy and his way of manipulating the media to our current crisis, Meacham shows that the more things change the more they stay the same, which tends to be the message found in most history lessons.
Hamilton the Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
[image error]I was so excited when I got tickets to see Hamilton here in my hometown of Las Vegas that I reread Chernow’s biography, the one that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda. As I was scrolling through Amazon I found this book about the musical—Hamilton the Revolution, written by Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. I absolutely loved Hamilton the Revolution. I tend to read books on my Kindle these days, but I bought the hardcover version of Hamilton the Revolution and I’m glad I did. The book is full of photographs and lyrics, and it has the story behind the musical. Did you know that the idea for King George III’s statement “You’ll be back” came from Hugh Laurie? Me either! You’ll discover many other fascinating gems about the musical from Hamilton the Revolution.
Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
[image error]I’m actually not finished with this one yet, but I can already tell this is a five-star novel for me. I was drawn to this book because it’s about a witch hunt from late 16th and early 17th century England, and Sharratt’s narrative style caught me from the first page. The novel has an interesting premise. What if those accused of witchcraft were actually witches who interacted with familiars? Sharratt’s main characters, Mother Demdike and her granddaughter Alizon, may suffer the consequences for their knowledge of magic.
Like most book lovers, I tend to buy books faster than I can read them. But next on my To Be Read list is Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Like everything else, my Goodreads account was left to languish while I was finishing my dissertation, and like everything else I’m reviving that too. If you’re on Goodreads, stop on by!
May 30, 2018
That’s Dr. Allard To You
At the UNLV Grad College celebration for doc graduates.
First of all, to those of you who have been following me for years, a huge thank you. If you’ve been following me for a little while or you’re just stopping by to visit, you may have noticed that I had gone dark, meaning no new posts here and little by way of social media. That’s because on May 12, 2018, I had the thrill of a lifetime as I crossed the stage at the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV with my very own PhD.
I had the goal of completing my PhD from the time I finished my Master’s degree, but one thing or another caused me to set that dream aside. In 2014, I decided it was time to get ‘er done and get ‘er done I did. I’m happy with the way my dissertation turned out, even if it meant months of hair pulling (my own, mostly). I was able to complete my dissertation on topics close to my heart—creativity and storytelling—and my committee chair said that my research was groundbreaking, which was lovely to hear. My goal when I set out to write my dissertation was to do something new, something different. So many professors said there was nothing new to do because everything had been done. I didn’t agree, and I was determined to carve out my own place in scholarship. I’m still digesting the experience and trying to understand what it all meant, but I’m grateful for everything I learned.
I told a friend recently that even when I wasn’t in class, completing classwork, teaching classes at the university, or working on my dissertation I found that my doctoral duties were always on my mind. This last year was the toughest since all my energy was focused on my dissertation—devising the study, writing my exam and passing the defense, writing my proposal and passing the defense, completing the study itself, and then finishing my dissertation and passing the defense…whew! But pass I did thanks to a great team of professors who understood my vision and encouraged me the whole way.
I knew when I began the doctoral program that it would take time away from other writing, but I made the decision to complete my degree because there was something in me saying I needed to check the box for that life goal. Now I have the brain space to resume writing Down Salem Way. There will be other changes too. Each of my novels, including all three books in the Loving Husband Trilogy, are going to be republished in new editions, both ebooks and print. I have time to return to blogging, which I love but have neglected woefully, so you’ll see more posts here about everything from what I’m reading, to what I’m writing, to what I’m learning, to anything else that strikes my fancy (this is my blog, after all). I let my newsletter slide while I was getting my degree, but I’m starting it up again in June. There’s so much I’m looking forward to these days.
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After the ceremony when I was all official. Hooded and out!
Achieving a goal is hard work, certainly. It can be stressful and cause sleepless nights, and there were definitely times over the last four years when I wondered why I was putting myself through such strain. Yet somehow I never thought to give up. I believe in the power of resilience. I believe in staying focused on your dreams and putting one foot in front of the other, inching closer and closer until that dream becomes a reality. Whatever your goals are, I hope you discover the stubbornness within you that will help you reach that goal. That’s really what achieving a goal is—stubbornness and the refusal to be put off when the going gets tough.
Another friend asked me how I felt now that my doctoral program was done. I told her I’m happy to be on this side of the experience. I’m glad I did it, but I’m also glad to be finished. It’s time to start looking for new challenges and new opportunities.
