Becky Wade's Blog, page 56

A Bookish Writing Space

I admit it. I have office envy.

When I see the writing spaces that some author’s share, I turn a little green. Beautiful spaces filled with items to spark the creativity, soothing color palettes to promote serenity, and fun personal touches to add warmth and personality. Yes, Deb Raney, I’m talking about you. Ha!

For the majority of my writing career, I have written while sitting on my bed with my computer propped on my lap.

It worked fine, and I was thankful for a quiet space where I could close the door and separate myself from the rest of the house. But I dreamed of having a real desk, space to hold all my promo items and author book copies, and some decorative surroundings to make me smile with bookish delight.

Well, my time has finally come! My youngest will be graduating in December, and my nest will officially be empty. So, when we got new carpet a few months ago, we rearranged the furniture to place a desk and book shelves in one of the bedrooms.

The space is far from finished, but I’ve started using it, and I love it! I still need to find time to paint and decorate (which could be a while, since I work a day job during the week and write all weekend long), but I’ve started pulling some things together.

My favorite section so far, is my Tea & Books corner. I adore tea. I love to drink it while I read, and it is also my go-to for long writing sessions. So I thought it would be fun to bring some of those elements into my new writing space. I wanted to find a book-themed teapot, but I was having trouble finding one I liked. Then I ran across one on Etsy, and it was love at first sight.

My favorite classic novel is Jane Eyre, and the moment I saw a teacup with “Reader, I married him” on it, my heart began to race. Then I found the teapot with the ultimate romantic quote on it, “I ask you to pass through life at my side – to be my second self, and best earthly companion.” Swoon! Then when I learned that this set was being sold by the lady who runs the Bronte Sisters Museum in Haworth, England, all resistance became futile.

Reader, I purchased the set.

After that purchase, the next step became clear. I needed a collector’s copy of the actual novel. I found a second edition of Jane Eyre on eBay for a very reasonable price. What really caught my attention was the inscription on front page. It was originally given as a Christmas gift back in 1894!!! There’s a very good chance that Annie M. Coulter might make an appearance as a character in some future book. Talk about surrounding yourself with inspiration!

The first edition was published in three volumes, so I think this is the first edition compiled as a single volume. There is a preface (from 1847) written by the author, who still signs as Currer Bell, Charlotte Bronte’s pen name, but the cover includes her real name. Reading this woman’s reaction to how her novel was received (some positive, some negative) was so interesting! Her intelligence and feisty spirit vibrate off the page.

I decided it wasn’t good for dear Jane to be alone, so I searched for a well-fit companion. The Pride and Prejudice volume I purchased is not quite as spectacular. It was printed in the 1960’s. It has a great vintage cover, though, and provides a lovely contrast to the “plain Jane” cover of Ms. Bronte’s book.

Since Jane Eyre has her teapot, it seemed only fair for Jane Austen to have a set of coasters. I included a photo at the top of this post of the ones I selected. I rotate them every time I use them so that I can enjoy the full variety.

I added a few of my favorite bookish mugs and a decorative sign my husband gave me for Christmas, and my little nook was complete.

I still have a long way to go to create the perfect space, but I’m finally on my way!

Do you have special corners or nooks in your house that hold prized items?

Prince Edward Island

We love traveling to literary places. Way back in the spring, before we knew all the challenges we would face this year, Jeff scheduled our vacation to Prince Edward Island. He picked it for two reasons: First, it would be cooler temperatures than Texas, and second, he knew how much I’ve wanted to go there, for I love all things L.M. Montgomery. What we didn’t realize was that it would be the exact restful place we needed after the chaos of our lives. 

We arrived in Charlottetown, PEI, in the middle of a tropical storm. Our early morning flight from Toronto was the only one to PEI that day, the rest of the day they were canceled! Once we arrived, we prepared ourselves to hunker down in our hotel room and wait out the storm. But the sun came out in spite of the fierce wind, so we explored a bit, had a lovely dinner, and wondered what the next day would bring. 

It brought much of the same, thankfully. A bit of drizzle. Some wind. But nothing horrible. We brunched at a lovely German restaurant, then met our tour guide for a walking tour of town. We were the only ones on the tour! I love it when that happens! 

Turns out Charlottetown, the island, and Canada have interesting histories we didn’t know. For example, did you know that Canada didn’t become its own country until 1867? We were shocked! But Charlottetown itself was lovely, with a long history. And our guide, a retired veterinarian who has lived on the island his entire life, except for his first 2 years of college, was delightful. 

That evening, we went to see Anne and Gilbert, the musical. It was very sweet and well done, but the best part is that it took place in the college Maud attended, where she took her teaching license in one year instead of two–just like Anne and Gilbert at Queens, for which it was the model.

From Charlottetown, we ventured northeast, stopping and various small history museums until it was finally time to check in to our Bed and Breakfast in north central PEI. When you read Anne of Green Gables and the other stories set in PEI, you realize those stories have rural settings. But I didn’t really realize how rural the island is until our visit. Lots of farmland in the interior with fishing along the coastline. It was lovely and quiet and restful.

Our hosts at the Barachois Inn, Judy (the mom) and Andrea (the daughter), were very friendly and made our stay even more lovely. They fed us breakfast every morning, gave us great restaurant suggestions, and even provided us with a picnic lunch one day. 

Of course we hit all the L.M. Montgomery sites while we were there: The Green Gables Heritage site, L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish home site, her birthplace, the parsonage where she lived one year while teaching, her burial site, and Park Corner, the site that became Silver Bush in her “Pat” books as well as The Story Girl. At the Green Gables site, we walked Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood path, just like Anne and Diana did. 

The week was full of great seafood, cool weather, and a few rain showers, which only enhanced the romance of the place for me. And of course, we bought books. Not only did I buy three L.M. Montgomery books I hadn’t read, but we found a used bookstore in Charlottetown having a buy 2 get 1 free sale. So yes, we did. 

Jeff enjoyed the quiet and the history as much as I did. We had listened to Anne of Green Gables together and he’d watched the old mini-series with me, so he wasn’t clueless about all that. But he planned a bit of the trip for his enjoyment, too. We had to fly through Toronto, and our dates just happened to coincide with our Texas Rangers playing the Toronto Blue Jays. And the game had playoff implications. So my baseball man was quite happy to get to visit another ballpark and to cheer the Rangers to a big win that night. 

I’m not sure we’ll ever make it back to PEI—there are so many places we want to see—but we will definitely go back to Canada. We left there with extremely positive experiences of the people and places. 

Have you ever been on a trip that involved a literary destination? Please share! 

Readers, Recipes, and Releases

I recently received this lovely note from Ruthi, a reader friend…

Our Divine Divas Book Club read A Beauty So Rare and we met to discuss it last evening. We all loved it so much and we had a great discussion. We also made Eleanor’s Quiche and Buttermilk pie. Both were a success!”

Don’t you love the name Divine Divas! Getting reader notes like this is always such a JOY!

First, because this group of women took the time to read a book of mine, none of which are pithy (as Robin will snarkily tell you!) and that they enjoyed it. Then secondly, that they made recipes from the novels. Totally made my day!

They shared pics of their food from that night too, which makes me want to crawl through the screen for a quick bite…

They made Eleanor’s Ham and Cheddar Quiche and Eleanor’s Buttermilk Pie, both of which are included in the novel. The Buttermilk Pie is an old recipe which has long been a favorite pie of my family. My son asks for it every year for his birthday, and it’s so simple to make!

THANK YOU to Ruthie and the wonderful Divine Divas for this encouragement. I’ve met with their group before and it was such fun.

If you’d like to make these dishes, the recipes are on my website (along with many other “novel recipes”). Just click the images…

Eleanor’s Ham and Cheddar Quiche from A Beauty So Rare Eleanor’s Buttermilk Pie from A Beauty So Rare

To browse all the historic recipes on my website, visit the Novel Recipes webpage…

Lastly, if you’d like to read the opening chapters of A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone novel in the Belmont Mansion series, click HERE TO START READING.

So tell me…What’s the last novel you’ve read that’s included recipes in the story, then in the back of the book? Have you/your book club ever made recipes as featured in a story? If yes, what was the book (if you remember) and what did you make?

Much love from my corner of Nashville,

Tammy

REDISCOVERING ISRAEL
by Kristi McLelland
RELEASES TODAY!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Read on…

Disclosure of Material Connection: As an Amazon Associate, Tamera earns from qualifying purchases. Some of the links on this site are “affiliate links.” Meaning that, at no additional cost to you, Tamera may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. We’re disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Being Angry

Because I’ve been writing my heart out this week, I drew a blank when I sat down to write this blog post. So I visited the archives–this post is from 2012. Be sure to read the postscript so you can see how it all turned out.

“Be angry, and sin not.” Ephesians 4:26.

I don’t know if you ever watched “Hard Core Pawn” when it used to be on TV–it was a reality show about a pawn shop in Chicago.  Whenever that show came on I would sit with my mouth agape, unable to believe how everyone–store keepers and customers alike–flew off the handle, cursing and stomping and spewing all sorts of nasty things. I don’t think I could get that angry because a merchant didn’t want to buy my item. I CAN get angry, but I don’t do it very often. Most irritations are not worth the emotional expenditure.

Right now I am so angry I think I could literally explode–in fact, I may be close to stroking out, as my blood pressure was alarmingly high this morning.

Someone has consistently hurt someone I love, and I’ve about had it. That someone is close by, and I’m going to sit them down and talk to them like an older person ought to (and for the record, this is not my child–or my husband. LOL).  I’m going to vent my spleen, as they say, and I’m going to try to do it without sinning–without being destructive, without name calling, and without labeling.  But I’m going to name bad behaviors, state a penalty for those behaviors, and lay it all on the line.  I will EARN this red hair.

And then? Maybe I’ll be able to sleep.  I had to get up at four a.m. this morning because I couldn’t sleep and my head was beginning to pound. 

No wonder the Bible cautions us against anger–we are not to be friends with an angry man, lest we learn his ways, and we are not to harbor anger lest it turn into bitterness (another good reason to let it out instead of letting it stew.) 

And yet the Bible also says, “Be angry, and sin not.”  Jesus got angry–oh, yes He did.  He was angry when he overthrew the moneychangers’ tables in the Temple court, and he was angry when he called the Pharisees a bunch of “white-washed sepulchers.”  (There’s a word you don’t spell every day).   So it is possible–and sometimes necessary–to let your righteous anger flare.

But we must have good cause. And we must be careful that the firm–even stern–words we unleash are earned, and that they will be constructive, not destructive to the relationship at stake.  Most of all, we must give the object of our anger an opportunity to make things right again. Holding out the hope of restoration.

I do not often go public with personal things on this blog or any other, so you’ll simply have to accept what I say on this one.  But I’ve been up since before dawn, heart pounding, eyes narrowed, and I’m ready to sit someone down and let my temper fly.

But before I begin, I think I’d better repeat that mantra:  “Be angry, and sin not.”

(LOL!  I typed “sin now.”  Oops.) 

Angie 

P.S. Back to 2023: How did this all turn out? LOL–I have no idea. Honestly, I can’t even remember who made me angry or what the issue was. (I think it’s a mercy that the Lord sometimes blots things from our memory.) So whatever it was, I’ve learned a lesson: “this too shall pass.” Whatever it was, it wasn’t permanent. It wasn’t life-changing. It wasn’t worth blowing a gasket, so I’m glad I didn’t.

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

The Story Behind the Story, What I’m Reading, and Giveaway

Here in Indiana the leaves are beginning to turn signaling fall is on the way, but if you’ve been to a bookstore lately, you may have noticed the Christmas collections are releasing. Last week my novella Beauty Bright in the We Three Kings Christmas novella collection released. It’s been so fun to read early reactions to this collection. I shared the Story Behind the Story on Book Talk with Cara. You can watch below or pop over to your favorite podcast… links here. I know I love reading the author’s notes to books, and this is the video/audio version of that. As with any book, there’s so much research that goes into it…that I don’t include. After all this is a novel. But I do love a good research thread!

This isn’t my first book that dug into the role the Monuments Men played during World War II. The first, Shadowed by Grace, is one of my favorite books and it also won an award and finaled in another. While Beauty Bright is set in Germany, Shadowed by Grace is set in Italy and follows the work of the Monuments Men as the Allies made their way up the boot of that country. As I’ve been editing the book one more time before rereleasing it October 15th, I’ve been reminded how much I love this story. It’s also made me miss Italy, Rome, and Tuscany (insert a homesick sigh). I’ve been looking up locations and longing to plan a vacation to visit the Uffizi and Vatican again while actually making the trip to Montegufoni for the first time. It’s a long story, but each time I land in Italy and see the driving, I chicken out of renting a car to go explore.

Some day… PS preorder Shadowed by Grace before October 15th in ebook for $2.99. You can find links on my website here.

This week I finished reading Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by my friend Bethany Turner. This was such a fun and compelling read. I love Bethany’s voice — as an author she’s perfected the contemporary rom com, but what I appreciate is the way she layers in such heart. It would have been easy to leave this as a superficial gal-who-left-town-and-didn’t-want-to-return v. the guy-who’s-trying-to-hide-and-protect-the-town-that-adopted-him. Instead, the heroine and hero are rich, three dimensional people with reasons that motivate their actions. That carries through to the supporting characters, too. I read this at the same time I was reading another book that stayed on a surface level, so the contrast was so stark.

At the same time, don’t think this isn’t a fun read. There’s all kinds of pop references and just plain fun zaniness.

Where’s the last place you’ve traveled in a book?

And if you haven’t entered my giveaway to celebrate the release of We Three Kings, you have through September 30th. You can use the form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Hard Sting of Adversity

Hi friends and happy Wednesday! 

Today I’m writing on a hard topic. Well, at least it’s a hard one for me. Adversity comes in so many areas of life. At times, it feels non-stop. Not just in my own life, but in that of some dear friends and fellow authors. Those I know well and others I’ve only met a few times, but my heart aches for their losses. For the adversity they face. 

I looked up adversity in the dictionary and it said:

Adversity: a state or instance of severe or continued difficulty.

It was the “continued” that really hit home. Living with a chronic illness and depression, adversity doesn’t just knock on my door, it lives in my home at times. At times is the key. It may continue to hammer us. It may take a lot of perseverance. It may take years of prayer, but I believe Christ’s words. 

I like this translation because adversity can be heavy. It can wear us down. As some of the synonyms below reflect, it refers to deep hurt. 

The synonyms include hardship, stress, suffering, or sorrow. 

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all encountered adversity in our lives. God’s Word tells us we can expect trouble.  

Other translations use different words to describe the trouble we will have. Words like tribulation, suffering, oppression, distress, or affliction.  

There are many other bible verses that speak on adversity, which I think it’s mentioned so often because most, if not all of us will deal with adversity at some point in our lives, in our walk with Christ. For further personal study, if you’re interested, you can look up:

Our characters often face adversity. Reading about men and women who face adversity and persevere through their dependence on God grips my heart. Several books have really spoken to my heart his way. One is The Protector by Dee Henderson. It was the first Christian novel I read. It was a gift. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Christian fiction at the time, but I devoured it. It reminded me of a favorite verse from Psalm 34. 

It’s the ‘but’ that’s important. It’s our lifeline. But the Lord. He is our anchor. He is the one who delivers us. 

While Jesus tells us that we will have trouble and adversity in this life, He also promises us: 

So if you are in the trenches of adversity, my prayers go out to you, but take heart God’s got you and you will overcome. We, in Christ, are more than conquerors. 

Reader Question: 

What book have you read that has encouraged you in difficult times? 

Blessings, 

Dani

Why I Write What I Write . . . .

On one of the questions I am most often asked is, “Why do you write books set in England?”

And considering I am from the midwestern U.S., it is an understandable question!

I truly think what we read as young people has a profound and lifelong effect. When I am asked, “Why is a midwestern girl writing about England?” the answer comes back to the books I read at a young age: The Secret Garden (at about the third grade) followed by and Jane Eyre, which my sixth grade teacher read aloud to us with such emotion and mascara tears.

So, my love of British literature started early.

Why romance and mystery?

Falling in love with the Trixie Belden series solidified my early love of mysteries. And later, the romance of Jane Austen further developed my love of the historical romance genre, and led me to set my first novel in Regency England.

What about you? Which book(s) did you read at an early age that led you to love your favorite genre(s) to read or write now?

The Dream of a Lifetime

Ken and I have been living out the dream of a lifetime these past two weeks—our first time to travel overseas! We spent three glorious days in Paris, then traveled through the United Kingdom—England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. It has been everything I could have ever hoped for—made all the more fun because we are traveling with Ken’s brothers and sister and their spouses. (I’ll share more about our trip next time.)

But yesterday, back in England, was the absolute highlight of the trip for me, the thing I’ve most looked forward to among a whole bunch of dreams fulfilled. These gorgeous ivy covered walls were the passageway to the neighborhood where my great-great grandparents lived when my great-grandfather was a baby.

I’m still pinching myself that I got to stand in front of the house on Dove Street in York, England that my great-grandfather lived in at the time his family emigrated to the United States. John Reed was just an infant at the time, as was the English woman he would later marry, my great-grandmother Elizabeth Small Reed. They both crossed the ocean with their families, and thus, I am an American. Amazing how choices like my great-great grandparents made change the course of history!

My ancestors carried their history with them, and it was passed down through future generations. It first became my dream to stand in this spot when my Granddaddy Reed, my mother’s dad, along with Grandmother and my Uncle Norman and Aunt Sherry traveled to York and took photos in front of the house. Granddaddy was probably about the age I am now when this photo was taken. I can still hear his voice, especially the grace he said before every meal. Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts…

This photo was taken in the 1970s when I was just a young woman, but I’ve held this dream in my heart ever since and felt twinges of longing when I’ve seen pictures of my mom standing here with my sister, Vicky, and her daughter, Samantha.

A few years later, Vicky went back with my brother, Brad, and they stood here too. I kept dreaming of the day my turn would come…

And finally, yesterday it did!

When Vicky and Brad went, the owner was outside working on his car, and when they told him why they were there, he gave them a little tour! Brad got this shot of the entryway with the original stone and wood floor!

And Vicky got this one of the back porch. A watercolor version hangs in my office:

I knew if no one was outside that I would not knock. I’m not that brave, and too, what if the house was in a state of disrepair? What if the current owners asked me to get off their property? (I wouldn’t blame them! I’d probably do the same if a bunch of strangers were hanging around my house uninvited!) I just didn’t want to create any opportunity for this moment to be tainted. And I’d rather remember that back porch with the aqua paint and the pink bicycle parked there.

Sometimes dreams disappoint—or worse. Not this one. Everything has been an absolute blessing beyond anything I dreamed! The house looks charming. The ivy was turning autumn colors, and the palm tree that was there at least eleven years ago is taller than the house now! The door has been painted a beautiful soft green and the trim is now white.

We walked the seventeen minutes to the house from beautiful Yorkminster in York’s inner medieval city and it was so special to walk through the neighborhood my ancestors would have walked so long ago. I love that Ken’s family was there to share in that moment and that they were all so excited for me.

The York house is on the corner of Dove and Cygnet, both short streets, so it was very easy to find. Here’s a view of the side street and part of the back porch.

Walking back to our hotel, I told Ken, “I can die now.” Of course, I don’t really mean that. There are many other dreams I’d love to realize before my life on this earth comes to an end, but honestly, this was one of the biggies. Thank you, Lord! I’m so happy and content right now I’m not sure my heart can contain it all!

How did you feel when you fulfilled a lifelong dream. I’d love to hear your story!

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.