Stephanie Abbott's Blog, page 2
February 20, 2021
Saturday Books — 20 February 2021
Lately I’ve been contending with the Tudors again. I do this periodically. I’ve always been fascinated by Elizabeth I, of course, but in the last ten years I’ve become more interested in earlier Tudor and Tudor-adjacent figures: Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragorn, Thomas Cromwell, and Cardinal Wolsey. I recently read an intriguing review of The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel’s trilogy imagining (and to a large degree, re-inventing) Thomas Cromwell’s life. This led me to listen to the unabridged audio versions of Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light, all of which I heartily recommend. They’re not light, easy reads, so for a palate cleanser, I’m now listening to The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. It’s fun and she’s a skillful writer whose work I enjoy.
Anyway, I mentioned all this to say, I’m quite enjoying a lesser-known, nonfiction book about the seamy underside of the Tudor world called The Sorcerer’s Tale by Alec Ryrie. He’s a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University, UK, specializing in the history of the Reformation. This book is a scholarly but eminently readable account of the Tudor world’s dark underbelly: cheaters, conjurers, bawdies, pimps, quacks, and every variety of magician. Some were “multipliers” who claimed to turn one coin into many; some were pseudo-respectable “astrologers,” since astrology was perfectly legal to practice, but they offered services like the forging of magical rings and the conjuring of Orpheus.
The Sorcerer’s Tale is filled with historical details I’m finding irresistible. (I’m about halfway through the book.) In a passage about the ubiquity of crime in Tudor London, he offers this description:
A less complex crime, and one which appeared in the courts as well as in the bookshops, was ‘hooking’ or ‘angling’: using a fishing rod or something like it to ‘fish’ blindly through open first-floor windows at night, to see what could be snagged. Bed sheets and blankets were the most likely prey.
Alec Ryrie, THE SORCERER’S TALE
There’s something I never could have dreamed up for one of my novels!
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments.
The post Saturday Books — 20 February 2021 appeared first on Emma Jameson.
February 19, 2021
Back to Blogging!
Hi, all!
Gosh, I’ve been away from blogging for a long time. Let me start with a short post revealing the things I’ve been up to during my long absence.
First: Cats. Joining Howard, Zahara, and James is my new lad, Bobby. (So named because he’s more or less tail-less, or bobbed, in the rear guard.) Bobby was a street cat living a life of desperation when we found him. He darted into our garage, clearly frightened to death, but determined to eat some old, dried-up, rejected cat food or die trying. After finding no trace of him in the various local “lost pet” listings, and after a positive trip to the vet, he joined our happy home.
[image error]BobbySecond: a new book series. This has been underway for some time, but I couldn’t say a word about it until recently. It’s called the Jem Jago Mysteries, and Book #1 is A Death At Seascape House. Here’s the cover created by the wizards at Bookouture, digital publishers extraordinaire:
[image error]The cover of my new mystery!Third: lockdown/COVID-19 culture. I’m as sick of it as you are, but I’m grateful not to have lost any relatives or friends yet. I hope all of you are well, and that the vaccine rollout soon allows us to resume a normal life.
More later! In the meantime, I’ll about to find out if I still remember how to post a blog entry. Cheers!
The post Back to Blogging! appeared first on Emma Jameson.
August 21, 2017
Game of Thrones: A Perfectly Evil Cersei Theory
Happy Eclipse Day! Something about the eclipse started me thinking about Cersei, and that sparked a new “valonqar” theory. But first, let’s touch on last night’s Game of Thrones episode. 7.6 ,”Beyond the Wall,” was a mix of everything I love and everything I strongly dislike about the show. Here are my short takes on the various facets of the episode:
Arya Vs. Sansa: Horse hockey.
Dany and Jon: Yes.
Chains in the land of no forges: from the boat docks at Hardhome.
Viserion the Wight Dragon: How did I never foresee this?
Now, here’s my perfectly evil, indefensibly dark Cersei theory, which came to me while the sun was blotted out overhead. It ties into the “Valonqar” prophecy. To recap:
Cersei: Will the king and I have children?
Maggy: Oh, aye. Six-and-ten for him, and three for you. Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds, she said. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.
As you might recall, “valonqar” means little brother or (perhaps) little sister. Cersei interpreted it to mean Tyrion, her despised youngest brother, would kill her if she didn’t kill him first. I never believed it would be Tyrion; that seemed too easy. For a long time I was convinced it was Jaime, her twin and technically her little brother–what better punishment for Cersei than to be killed by her staunchest ally? Then I remembered he only has one hand. Naturally, prophecies can be woolly and inexact, but that’s a problem. Plus, Jaime is so darn loyal! If he didn’t snap after she blew up the Sept, I don’t think he’ll kill her, ever.
Of course, “little brother” (or maybe sister) is very vague, and easily expanded to other families. Arya’s a deadly little sister who could surely kill Cersei. Dany’s a little sister, too. Either of them as the valonqar is more believable (and less disgusting) than what came to me. [Disclaimer: writers are strange people. I can’t help where my mind goes.]
Suppose Cersei isn’t lying about her pregnancy. It isn’t a lie to manipulate Jaime, or that old TV chestnut (menopause-mistaken-for-one-last-baby), but she’s really pregnant. During the Long Night, she goes into early labor and loses the baby. As she weeps, the valonqar stirs, reveals its glowing sapphire-blue eyes, and strangles her.
I know. How do I sleep at night? MUAHAHAHAHAHAH
And while we’re on babies and prophecies, let’s reexamine the prophecy that caused Dany to believe she’ll never have children:
“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,” said Mirri Maz Duur. “When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.”
Now what follows isn’t mine; it seems to have arisen from the collective wisdom of the web. It also pertains to events in the books, particularly A Dance with Dragons, so if you only follow the TV show, you’ll just have to trust me. The explanation for the prophecy goes as follows:
These are not impossible paradoxes, but rather poetic descriptions of real events. It suggests that “when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east” refers to Prince Quentin Martell of Sunspear, who grew up in the west, traveled east, and died there. “When the seas go dry” could mean the Dothraki sea, which Dany notes is dying back. (In the TV show, perhaps the frozen sea is a stand-in.) “When the mountains blow in the wind like leaves” could mean the destruction of the two lesser pyramids in Meereen, which turned to ash and was scattered on the wind. (In the TV show, it might refer to the undead Mountain’s defeat. If he’s rotting under that armor, the Hound might pulverize him, assume the Cleganebowl ever actually happens.) “When your womb quickens again” seems to refer to Dany’s menstruation/possible miscarriage at the end of A Dance with Dragons. So it seems that Dany isn’t absolutely, positively childless. And hey, even if she is, it can still be a happy family:
The post Game of Thrones: A Perfectly Evil Cersei Theory appeared first on Emma Jameson.
July 18, 2017
Game of Thrones Season 7: More of my Lousy Predictions
Standard Disclaimer: This post is dark and full of spoilers.
Those who know me also know I am a Game of Thrones superfan. That being said, they won’t be surprised to find me taking a few moments to give you my thoughts and (bad) predictions about the GoT season 7 opener, “Dragonstone.” Here goes.
Arya
Glad to see she wiped out the Freys. The scene also showed something I’ve resisted: that part of her secret “Faceless Man” craft allows her to temporarily assume a completely different physicality. As Walder Frey, she was taller, with a man’s voice, and completely indistinguishable from the real thing. So… that opens a lot of new avenues, doesn’t it?
I enjoyed the scene with Arya and the Lannister soldiers and was surprised by the Ed Sheeran backlash. It was good to see Arya, who’d just killed her Frey enemies scorched-earth style, confronting the fact that her Lannister enemies aren’t all as bad as Cersei.
Prediction: I think the Lannister soldiers will run into a dangerous “super pack” of wolves led by a direwolf as wild and ungovernable as Arya. Perhaps she’ll save those soldiers. (Perhaps not.) But if Arya and Nymeria reestablish their relationship, it might help both of them.
The Hound
Interesting that he, too, saw a vision in the fire. Never expected him to have a religious experience! So many of us have anticipated a “Cleganbowl”: a rematch between the Hound and his now-undead brother, the Mountain. But if the Hound is going North, it seems like that won’t happen.
Cersei, Jaime, and Euron
I was disappointed to see Jaime just wandering around the Red Keep like his sister’s minor league henchman. Is he really okay with his twin blowing up a big chunk of King’s Landing and committing the very crime he lost his honor to prevent?
As for Euron, I haven’t warmed up to him as a villain. Having said that, he’s a little brother with two good hands. That means he might be Cersei’s killer, according to the prophecy.
Sansa and Jon
Okay, so, can I just say, I adore you, my fellow fans. “Sansa’s wearing her hair like Cersei!” “Sansa admitted she admires Cersei to some degree!”
Um, yeah. Latch onto those misdirects. Here’s my prediction:
Sansa will break with Jon and depart the North with Littlefinger, Bronze Yohn, and the Aerie army. At the Aerie, she will marry either Robyn (the revolting teen heir) or Littlefinger. He will consider his triumph complete. In the throne room alone with Littlefinger, we will see the scene from which the final trailer lifted Sansa’s emotionlessly intoned dialogue:
When the snows fall and the White Winds blow, the lone wolf dies. But the pack survives.
Out of the shadows comes Jon and Arya. Littlefinger is backed onto the Moon Door. Then–his long climb ends. (Bonus: if the wall collapses, the Aerie will be a good place to hang out as the army of the dead rushes over Westeros.)
Why do I think this will be Littlefinger’s literal downfall? Remember why Sauron never expected anyone to try and drop the One Ring into Mt. Doom. His mind could not conceive of someone willingly giving up such power. Littlefinger cannot conceive of love and absolute loyalty between family members. Fooling him with a couple of public spats will be all too easy.
Okay, now I’ve got this off my chest, so it’s time to get back to work. Have a wonderful week, everyone!
The post Game of Thrones Season 7: More of my Lousy Predictions appeared first on Emma Jameson.
April 25, 2017
Cover Reveal: BLUE BLOODED (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #5)
It’s lovely to be back. I’m still working out a few details on this, my new website and blog, but I wanted to wade in with the cover reveal for my upcoming book. Blue Blooded (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #5) is currently available for pre-order exclusively on iBooks.
If you shop at a different vendor, never fear: on release day, June 6th, the book will be available at all major ebook retailers: Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Kobo, and Google Play Books (Android devices) as well as iBooks (Apple devices).
Thanks for stopping by! And if you haven’t already, please pop over to visit iBooks’s Blue Blooded page and read the description for Lord & Lady Hetheridge, Book #5.
The post Cover Reveal: BLUE BLOODED (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #5) appeared first on Emma Jameson.
February 4, 2017
January 6, 2017
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Filed under: amazon, Dr. Benjamin Bones, Emma Jameson, Giveaway Tagged: Amazon giveaway, Kindle, Kindle giveaway, mystery, mystery giveaway
December 27, 2016
Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)
Photo: StarWars.com
I never talk much about Star Wars, do I? I never talk much about my skeleton, either. Like Star Wars, it’s way down inside, it helps hold me up, and I take it for granted.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia was a huge part of my childhood. I saw Star Wars in the theater at age 8, but it wasn’t until The Empire Strikes Back that I became a true fanatic. Thanks to that fanaticism, I met the artist known as Rosemary O’Malley, who responded to my impatience for the movie’s arrival with this suggestion: “Why don’t we write a story about what might happen in the movie?
That’s how the Star Wars fanfic started, which led to the X-Men fanfic, which led to me calling myself an author from age 14 up.
I loved Princess Leia long before I loved Carrie Fisher. I thought Leia was incredibly heroic. She defied the Empire, risked her life to prevent the Death Star from becoming operational, refused to give up the plans even when everyone she knew and loved was threatened, and even quipped to her rescuer, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” She could shoot, fly a Y-wing (in the comic books, which I read religiously), strategize, and lead. Luke was the kid with the big destiny and Han was the overgrown boy who loved trouble, but Leia was the adult in the room. You could count on her to do the right thing, to be courageous no matter what, and to keep her chin up even in the worst circumstances. Plus, she ran around in white go-go boots with flat heels. In an era when even superheroines wore heels to work, Leia had intelligent footwear.
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Photo: Lucasfilm LTD
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Carrie Fisher in 2013
Carrie Fisher was a different story. At first she shocked me with her wicked wit, her fearless honesty, her transformation from ingenue actress to bestselling author. Gradually I realized that while Princess Leia was a wonderful role model for my early teens, Carrie Fisher was a person the grown-up me could look up to.
I’ve struggled all my life with my weight, especially as I’ve entered middle age. She had a few things to say on the topic. I’ve also struggled all my life with clinical depression, something I’ve kept secret in my writing life because of the stigma. Now that Carrie, a brave and indefatigable mental health crusader, has left us, I suppose it’s time for me to do something she might have liked: add my voice to the long list of people living with depression.
In 2015 I suffered a major episode that lasted from early summer through the fall, throwing a monkey wrench into my writing schedule. By that I mean, I couldn’t write a word or do much of anything. It was hell. Lucky for me, modern medicine prevailed and I feel like myself again today. But take it from me, #depressionlies and there is help available.
Let me repeat: t. I was lucky enough to regain my mental equilibrium before my vision problems started. Because of that, I went through the surgeries and life changes that followed with renewed strength.
So with a heavy heart I say farewell to Carrie Fisher. Princess Leia will always be with us, for a new generation of little girls and boys to discover and admire. Carrie has moved on, and she’ll be greatly missed.
Filed under: Depression, Emma Jameson, Movies Tagged: #depressionlies, carrie fisher, Depression, mental illness, Princess Leia, star wars
December 25, 2016
Stephanie Abbott's Blog
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