Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 393

Lady Catharine Jones & Mary Kendall

James Kendall, politician and governor of Barbados, is buried in the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey. James's niece Mary Kendall was buried in the chapel of St John the Baptist in the Abbey and has a monument there with a kneeling alabaster figure of herself. The inscription, written by the Dean of Westminster Francis Atterbury, reads:

"Mrs MARY KENDALL daughter of Thomas Kendall Esqr. and of Mrs Mary Hallet, his wife, of Killigarth in Cornwall, was born at Westmr.[Westminster] Nov.8 1677 and dy'd at Epsome March 4 1709/10, having reach'd the full term of her blessed Saviour's life; and study'd to imitate his spotless example. She had great virtues, and as great a desire of concealing them: was of a severe life, but of an easy conversation; courteous to all, yet strictly sincere; humble, without meanness; beneficient, without ostentation; devout, without superstition. These admirable qualitys, in which she was equall'd by few of her sex, surpass'd by none, render'd her every way worthy of that close uion and friendship in which she liv'd with the Lady CATHERINE JONES; and in testimony of which she desir'd that even their ashes, after death, might not be divided: and, therefore, order'd her selfe here to be interr'd where, she knew, that excellent Lady design'd one day to rest, near the grave of her belov'd and religious mother, ELIZABETH, Countess of RANELAGH. This monument was erected by Capt. CHARLES KENDALL".

Her name was inscribed on the vault stone in front of the monument in the late 19th century. Mary's father Thomas Kendall, son of a merchant, died in 1684 and Mary lived with the Earl of Ranelagh's family while James was in the West Indies. Lady Catherine Jones (d.1740) was the Earl's daughter. Charles was Mary's cousin and was in the Royal Navy. Her estates were left to her cousin Canon Nicholas Kendall. The coats of arms show those for Kendall and also "or, a chief gules overall on a bend engrailed sable three bezants" for Hallet.

Photos of the monuments can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library.


"The chapel of St John the Baptist in Westminster Abbey has the tomb of Mary Kendall (died March 13, 1709/1710) dating from 1710 with an inscription recording: <That close Union and Friendship, In which she lived, with the Lady Catharine Jones (died April 23, 1740); And in testimony of which she desir'd That even their Ashes, after Death, Might not be divided.>" -- Alan Bray. Mary Kendall was the niece of James Kendall, politician and governor of Barbados.

Source: www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/james-and-mary-kendall

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John Greyson & Stephen Andrews

John Greyson (born March 13, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker, whose work frequently deals with gay themes. Greyson is also a video artist, writer and activist; he is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches film and video theory and film production and editing. Greyson has been living together with Stephen Andrews, his boyfriend since 1996. Andrews is a fellow artist whose medium is contemporary photo-based conceptual art. They live in a working class Portuguese neighborhood in Toronto and have known each other since they were teenagers.

Greyson was born in Nelson, British Columbia, the son of Dorothy F. (née Auterson) and Richard I. Greyson. He was raised in London, Ontario. He moved to Toronto in 1980, becoming a writer for The Body Politic and other local arts and culture magazines, and becoming a video and performance artist.

He directed several short films, including The Perils of Pedagogy, Kipling Meets the Cowboy and Moscow Does Not Believe in Queers, before releasing his first feature film, Pissoir, in 1988. Pissoir is a response to the homophobic climate of the period and, particularly, to police entrapment of men in public washrooms (toilets) and parks and police raids on gay bathhouses.

Greyson's next film was The Making of "Monsters", a short musical film produced during Greyson's residency at the Canadian Film Centre in 1991. The film deals with the 1985 murder by five adolescent males of Kenneth Zeller, a high school teacher and librarian, when he was allegedly cruising for sexual encounters in Toronto's High Park. The film is a fictional documentary about the making of a movie-of-the-week, entitled Monsters, in which the young murderers are depicted as psychopathic monsters, rather than normal teenage boys. The film features Marxist literary critic Georg Lukács as the producer of Monsters, with Bertolt Brecht (played by a catfish) as director. Greyson's film was pulled from distribution when the estate of Kurt Weill objected to its use of the tune of Mack the Knife. Greyson had originally received copyright permission to use the tune, but it was withdrawn, apparently because Weill's estate objected to the film's homosexual themes. Although copyright is no longer an issue, having lapsed in 2000, fifty years after Weill's death, the film has not yet been re-released by the Canadian Film Development Corporation.


John Greyson is a Canadian filmmaker, whose work frequently deals with gay themes. Greyson is also a video artist, writer and activist; he is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches film and video theory and film production and editing. Greyson has been living together with Stephen Andrews, his boyfriend since 1996. Andrews is a fellow artist whose medium is contemporary photo-based conceptual art. They live in a working class Portuguese neighborhood in Toronto and have known each other since they were teenagers.

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Greyson

( Further Readings )

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Kaje Harper aka Kira Harp (born March 13, 1960)

"I've been writing since I could put words together. Early stories were about dolls and horses and kids who surmounted the odds and came home with a kitten. Gradually I learned about punctuation and point-of-view and my characters grew up. But real life came along, with forays into psychology and teaching and then a biomedical career and children. Writing happened in my head, for my own amusement, but didn't make it to paper.

Then several years ago, my husband gave me a computer. And my two girls were getting older and developing their own interests. So I sat down and typed out a story. Or two. Or three. Now I have adult novels published, and my love of Young Adult fiction has led me to share some of my YA stories.

These days I write constantly, read obsessively, and share my home with my younger teenager, my amazingly patient husband, and a crazy, omnivorous little white dog. I can be found at my author page on Goodreads, or (in my adult fiction alter-ego), moderating the YA LGBT Books group there. I look forward to sharing many more stories with YA readers in the future."

Nor Iron Bars A Cage won a 2013 Rainbow Award as Best Gay Fantasy. Rainbow Briefs won a 2014 Rainbow Award as Best LGBT Anthology / Collection.

Further Readings:

Nor Iron Bars A Cage by Kaje Harper
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle: Nor Iron Bars A Cage

First I was a sorcerer. Then I was a hermit. For so long—for years that seemed to go on forever—I couldn't bear to be touched. I put up not just walls but whole stone bunkers to keep everyone out, emotionally, and physically as well. I was protected from people, from ghosts, from specters real and imagined. Sure, I was alone. But I felt safe. Only, after a while, I wasn't sure any longer whether a totally "safe" empty life was really worth living.
Then Tobin came along. Out of the blue, out of my past, with a summons from the king that he wouldn't let me ignore. I tried to cling to my isolation, but he wouldn't give up on me. Tobin never believed in walls.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Any author royalties from this story will be donated to the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project (GMDVP).

Rainbow Briefs by Kira Harp
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 2, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 149361083X
ISBN-13: 978-1493610839
Amazon: Rainbow Briefs
Amazon Kindle: Rainbow Briefs

Have you ever looked at a picture, perhaps a photo of two guys in a tight hug, or two girls holding hands, and wondered, What happened before that moment? What will they do next? These fifteen stories were inspired by images from the Young Adult LGBT Books Group. In these pages you'll find LGBTQ teenagers living their lives - experiencing first encounters and long relationships, coming out, staying closeted, questioning, loving, having adventures, dealing with family, with prejudice, with magic. Author Kira Harp provides this collection of Young Adult romantic, fantasy, and contemporary short stories. Any author royalties from this book will be donated to the Trevor Project which provides crisis intervention and resources for LGBTQ youth.

More Rainbow Awards at my website:  www.elisarolle.com/ , Rainbow Awards/2013 & 2014

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Jill Shultz (born March 12, 1964)

Born in Brooklyn, New York before it was cool, Jill Shultz now lives upstate and will always be equal parts city and country: defining moments in her life occurred in the cafeteria of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a cave in New Hampshire. She has a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University and M.S.T. in Environmental Sciences from Antioch University. For most of her career, she zigzagged between environmental and arts organizations. It seemed she'd bag every independent Audubon Society in New England, but she missed by half. She's been a land steward, zookeeper, the program director of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, and always a writer. Plunk her in a chair with a great book or next to a pond with herons or and she can be engrossed for hours.

Angel on the Ropes won a 2013 Rainbow Award as Best B/T & LGBT Fantasy, Paranormal Romance & Sci-fi / Futuristic.

Further Readings:

Angel on the Ropes by Jill Shultz
Paperback: 287 pages
Publisher: Jill Shultz; 1 edition (June 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0984889221
ISBN-13: 978-0984889228
Amazon: Angel on the Ropes
Amazon Kindle: Angel on the Ropes

Dazzling trapeze artist Amandine Sand leads a perilous double life. Will her secret—and her choices—save her planet or ruin it?

Amandine walks a high wire between two lives—hobbled by a life-threatening secret. She’s one of the spotted humans wrongly accused of being a plague carrier. These “leopards” are hunted by zealots to protect their offworld colony from the scourge. Despite this threat, Amandine spends her days guiding other leopards to an underground shelter run by the pacifist Seekers. At night, with her own spots hidden, she takes to the air, the one place this extraordinary artist feels free and gloriously alive.

When the persecution of leopards explodes into widespread violence, the Seekers demand more of her time. But her circus is teetering toward bankruptcy and desperately needs her, too. She has no time to breathe... and then she meets a stranger who leaves her breathless. And might just be the biggest risk of all. If her trust is misplaced and she’s unmasked, everyone she loves—and everything she’s fought for—could crash.

Now she must make an irrevocable leap. Without a net.

To survive, Amandine must draw upon everything she’s learned from the circus and Seekers and summon the courage to reveal her true colors. But can a pacifist defend her violent enemies to stop a civil war? And can this reluctant angel fly beyond her limits to save her life, her love, and her world?

More Rainbow Awards at my website:  www.elisarolle.com/ , Rainbow Awards/2013

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2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: Hurt by Lila Bruce

Hurt by Lila Bruce
Lesbian Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 25, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1508611408
ISBN-13: 978-1508611400
Amazon: Hurt
Amazon Kindle: Hurt

When it comes to matters of the heart, Nicole Landers has made some wrong choices. But now Nicole, one of the top real estate agents in Chattanooga, thinks she’s finally made the right one in Jamie Tate. Despite a serious Johnny Cash obsession and a tendency to shy away from long-term commitment, Jamie seems to be the perfect choice. Jamie is kind, loving and especially nice to Nicole’s elderly grandmother. Now all Nicole has to do is convince the attractive police detective that it's time to take things to the next level. Jamie is crazy in love with Nicole and ready to move their relationship forward. Jamie decides it’s finally time to sell her home and move in together—something that Nicole has been talking about doing for months. Knowing that Nicole believes her to be commitment-shy, Jamie thinks it might be fun to surprise her with the move. However, things take on an ironic twist when an old friend Jamie hasn’t seen in years comes by to look at the house, setting into motion a series of events that leaves more than just Nicole and Jamie’s relationship in jeopardy.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html

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Blog Tour: What’s In A Name? by Pat Henshaw

What’s In A Name? by Pat Henshaw
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press; 1 edition (January 21, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: What’s In A Name?

Barista Jimmy Patterson thinks it's a good idea to get rip-roaring drunk on his birthday after he’s dumped by his boyfriend. When the burly owner of Stonewall’s Bar rescues Jimmy, the night starts to look up.

Now Jimmy just wants to know the bartender's first name since he's worn a different name tag every time Jimmy's seen him. "Guy" Stone gives Jimmy seven guesses, one for each night he takes Jimmy out on a date.

While Jimmy’s trying to come up with his name, he's distracted by the destruction of his coffee shop and what looks more and more like a hate crime.

( Guy's POV )

( Excerpt )

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Author Bio: Born in the Heartland of Nebraska, Pat Henshaw has made America hers by living in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. She has found joy in visiting Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and relishes trips to Rome, Italy, and Eugene, Oregon, to see family.
Pat has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.
Two of her fondest memories are touching time when she put her hands on the pyramids and experiencing pure whimsy when she interviewed Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch). Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Her supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away writing fiction.

Where can you find the author?:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Book website: http://whatsinanamenovella.blogspot.com
Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
E-mail: whatsinanamenovella@comcast.net
Tumblr: http://phenshaw.tumblr.com/



Tour Dates/Stops:
28-Jan Molly Lolly, Inked Rainbow Reads
4-Feb Hearts on Fire, Andrew Q. Gordon, Amanda C. Stone
11-Feb Multitasking Mommas, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Novel Approach
18-Feb Love Bytes, 3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie
25-Feb Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Kristy's Brain Food
4-Mar Dawn’s Reading Nook, MM Good Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, Christy Loves 2 Read
11-Mar Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Prism Book Alliance
18-Mar Crystal’s Many Reviewers, Rebecca Cohen Writes

Rafflecopter Prize: One of two Starbuck’s Gift Cards
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway





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Bill Siksay & Brian Burke

William Livingstone (Bill) Siksay, former MP (born March 11, 1955, in Oshawa, Ontario to parents Patricia and William Siksay) is a Canadian politician, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the British Columbia riding of Burnaby—Douglas for the New Democratic Party from 2004 to 2011. Siksay resides in Burnaby with his partner, the Rev. Brian Burke, and remains an active member of the United Church of Canada. They have lived together since 1981. Brian was ordained as a United Church minister in 1996, and he currently serves the Prairie Points Pastoral Charge in Fillmore, Osage and Creelman, Saskatchewan.

Receiving his high school diploma from McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Oshawa, Ontario, Siksay attended Victoria College at the University of Toronto, graduating with a B.A. in 1978. He then enrolled in the M.Div. programme at the Vancouver School of Theology at the University of British Columbia, studying as a candidate to be a congregational minister in the United Church of Canada. He was one of the first people to come out as gay or lesbian in the process of his ordination and helped start the debate in the church on the ordination and commissioning of openly gay or lesbian candidates. He did not complete the programme and was not ordained.

Prior to running for elected office, he was constituency assistant to Svend Robinson for over 18 years. He also ran in the 1997 election in the riding of Vancouver Centre, but lost to incumbent Hedy Fry.

When Robinson resigned the Burnaby—Douglas seat in April 2004 due to a controversy around his theft of a piece of jewellery, Siksay won the nomination to replace Robinson as the NDP candidate in the upcoming election, and won the riding in the 2004 federal election on June 28.


@Christine Ackermann
Bill Siksay, former MP, is a Canadian politician, and was the Member of Parliament who represented the British Columbia riding of Burnaby—Douglas for the New Democratic Party from 2004 to 2011. Siksay resides in Burnaby with his partner, the Rev. Brian Burke, and remains an active member of the United Church of Canada. They have lived together since 1981. Brian was ordained as a United Church minister in 1996, and he currently serves the Prairie Points Pastoral Charge in Fillmore, Osage and Creelman, Saskatchewan.

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Siksay

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2015 Rainbow Awards Submission: Groom Of Convenience by Vicktor Alexander

Groom Of Convenience (Scandalous Whispers Of The Remmington Realm) by Vicktor Alexander
Transgender Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 17, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632161133
ISBN-13: 978-1632161130
Amazon: Groom Of Convenience (Scandalous Whispers Of The Remmington Realm)
Amazon Kindle: Groom Of Convenience (Scandalous Whispers Of The Remmington Realm)

In an alternate universe, in the country of Angland, 1814, the gentry live lives of culture and class. It is a time of courtships, marriages of convenience, and titles, where scandal can ruin an entire family. Gender lines are blurred, and making a good match is of utmost importance. Children are born to men and women, which has led to the acceptance of same-sex marriages.

Lady Lucien Timothy Hawthorne is shocked and angry when he is betrothed against his will to Lord Heathcliff Eddington, III, the Duke of Pompinshire. While drowning his frustration at a popular gentleman's club, he meets "Robert," a gorgeous older man whom he sleeps with as "Timmy," regardless of the potential damage to his reputation.

After their liaison, Lucien corresponds with Robert via letters left at Remmington, and they decide to elope. Before they can get away, Lucien meets his betrothed, Heathcliff, who he is surprised to discover is also his beloved, Robert. Both men desire a marriage of the heart, but they find out that sometimes a marriage of convenience can turn into love under the right circumstances. But Lucien has a secret, and Tlondon isn't as safe as they once thought.

2015 Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2015.html

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Book Blast: Blood of Salar by Alexis Duran

Blood of Salar (Masters and Mages 2) by Alexis Duran
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (March 2, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: Blood of Salar (Masters and Mages 2)

M'lan, headmaster of the order of Ka'alar and Jamil Jarka, king's assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster's magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M'lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M'lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M'lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin's thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M'lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M'lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.

( Excerpt )



Author Bio: Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She's worked in museums, fashion, finance and film production. Her favorite job so far was cataloguing the collection in a haunted Victorian Mansion. She's had several short stories published in the mystery, horror and literary genres and is the author of the Masters and Mages erotic fantasy series. Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She lives with one dog and four and half cats. She is currently working on the next Masters and Mages novel and several other erotic novellas.

Three things on your bucket list? Go to Iceland or Scandinavia to see the Aurora Borealis. Fly in a hot air balloon. Ride an elephant.

You meet a time traveler who will take you ‘anywhen’. Do you go to the past or the future? The past. I really don't want to know what lies ahead (that might ruin the fun) but I'm full of curiosity about the past, especially ancient times when civilization was just emerging in places like Ur and Sumer in Mesopotamia. I'd love to visit grand sites in their prime and see what really went on in Babylon, Angkor Watt, Petra, Machu Picchu. Then come back and write fabulous stories about it all, of course.

Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran....
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/alexisduran1...
Other: My blog at http://alexisduranblog.com
Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...



Tour Dates: March 10, 2015
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook, Molly Lolly, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Multitasking Mommas, Divine Magazine, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake

Rafflecopter Prize: A copy of Touch of Salar, Book 1 in the Masters and Mages series and a $10 Loose Id GC
Rafflecopter Code:
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Jimmy Biddle & Paul Bridgewater

James Biddle, a leader in preserving America's homes and landscapes of historic value, including Andalusia, his family's 19th-century estate near Philadelphia, died at home on March 10, 2005. He was 75. (P: John Orris/The New York Times. James Biddle, shown in 1967)

As president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Mr. Biddle, known as Jimmy, defended architectural landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and the original exterior of the United States Capitol.

Years earlier, he was instrumental in raising the money to save Olana, the Moorish manor perched above the Hudson River that was built by the artist Frederic Edwin Church.

"We Americans must decide if we want to preserve what we have or if we just want to pave it over, high-rise it and factory it," he wrote in Travel Leisure magazine in 1972.

In his 12 years at the National Trust, the organization reached beyond the East Coast to designate historic sites as far away as California, and it began awarding grants and loans to support neighborhood preservation projects. When he left in 1980, the trust's membership had grown to 150,000, from 13,000.

Mr. Biddle was previously a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There he expanded the American Wing's collection to include pieces from not only Colonial era but also from the 19th century on, acquiring elaborately carved furniture by John Henry Belter.


The Andalusia — also known as the Nicholas Biddle Estate. 1790s Greek Revival style house located in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, eastern Pennsylvania. A Historic American Buildings Survey—HABS image by Jack Boucher (1976).
James Biddle was a leader in preserving America's homes and landscapes of historic value, including Andalusia, his family's 19th-century estate near Philadelphia. At once Jimmy had a black 'friend', a 'boy' when he came to Andalusia long ago to clean the pool, and met Jimmy, now a popular dinner guest, attentive host and retired dentist. "He simply knocked me out, I could hardly help myself" Jimmy said to Michael Henry Adams, as he listened in disbelief. He is survived by devoted friend Paul Bridgewater.

( Read more... )

Source: www.nytimes.com/2005/03/11/national/11biddle.html (By JENNIFER BAYOT, Published: March 11, 2005)

( Further Readings )

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