Making a household name for yourself

Well, Lord Stanley certainly went about it the right way. The Stanley Cup finals are on, featuring my Ottawa Senators against the Anaheim Ducks. (Oh, sorry, I’m talking about ice hockey.) So I figured this was a perfect time to discuss our Governor-General, The Earl of Derby (Lord Stanley of Preston).

Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Preston, was the second son of the 14th Earl of Derby, British Prime Minister (3 times) in the 1850's and 1860's. I can’t say I like the dad much, he fought with my Earl Grey (mine because he’s in my story) and was responsible for, and then refused to repeal, the Canadian Corn Laws. But that was the dad, not Lord Stanley.

Baron Stanley of Preston was appointed Canadian Governor-General in May of 1888. While Governor-General, he travelled extensively throughout Canada and the one thing he noticed all regions had in common was our love of playing ice hockey. Rules were somewhat different in each area, but he thought that if he encouraged a fair game with rules that were generally accepted, it might bring some cohesiveness to what is, let’s face it, a very disparate country. In 1892 he announced a challenge cup for the champion hockey team in the Dominion.

The cup has changed a bit over the years, but as the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America, I guess that must be expected.

Stanley Cup today

Stanley Cup 1893

Lord Stanley held the Governor-General’s post until his older brother, the 15th Earl of Derby, died in 1893. He became the 16th Earl of Derby and had to go home.

I can’t think of any historical figure we Canadians talk about more. Certainly not our first Prime Minister–many of us don’t even know his name. But I THINK its general knowledge that Lord Stanley was a Governor-General of Canada, and that’s where we got the Stanley Cup.

So let that be a lesson to all you political types out there. You want us to remember you–give us a prize!

Our Pictures, and Andersonville Prison

Last year after RWA’s national conference in Atlanta, I took a tour of Andersonville National Historic site, named for the infamous Civil War prison. I meant to blog about it earlier, along with creating a web page of pictures, but the way life gets in the way—well I didn’t figure out how to do it until now.

Anyway for those who don’t know, Andersonville (in Georgia) was a prison built at the end of the Civil War when the South was in its last throes. It was basically a stockade fence surrounding twenty-seven acres of land. There was no shelter and very little in the way of firewood. In this prison were incarcerated over a period of 6 months, 45,000 men. In June of ’64 it was so crowded that each prisoner had only 32.3 square feet of space to himself—and this included the swamp in the middle of the prison. The conditions there were so horrible that of the 45,000 men, roughly 1/3—13,000—died there. This doesn’t include the amount of men who died later due to health problems suffered at the prison.

What did they die of? Dysentery was probably the number one killer. The men’s only water source was a stream that ran through the camp and came to a swamp at the bottom of a hill. It was probably polluted even before it entered the prison by confederate soldiers using it on the outside, and was never sufficient in the first place. Worse, the men inside the prison used the swamp as an outdoor latrine. Drinking the water, therefore, was deadly and the men took to collecting water during rainstorms.

Food was a problem also. Let’s remember for a moment that it was difficult for the Confederacy to feed and clothe its own soldiers at this point. It would be small wonder that they could do nothing for the prisoners, either. The food they did get was often of poor quality—poorly ground corn that could make dysentery far worse—and few if any vegetables. Many died of scurvy. Even when they were fed, the food was raw and there was no firewood to cook it.

And this was bad enough if you were incarcerated in good condition. Consider the men who came in injured or already malnourished. It’s a wonder that any of them survived at all, which is probably what I find so fascinating about it. Not man’s inhumanity to man really, but the ability of men to survive the worst conditions, and the kindness, compassion, and consideration shown under those conditions. I am not a Civil War historian, and certainly not nearly as knowledgeable as some of my fellow bloggers (waving specifically to Susan!) so I will probably never write a story surrounding Andersonville. Still, I find it interesting enough that more than one of my heroes was incarcerated there and bear the emotional scars from it.

Anyway, I could write a complete book about this subject but why bother when there are so many good books out there? I will refer you to the best (in my humble opinion) John Ransom’s Andersonville Diary. And, for those less inclined to reading there’s the movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115097/ which is where I first heard about it. Of course, I now own the movie :).

You can check out the pictures I took here:

http://home.comcast.net/~dleagan61/index.htm

And of course there are other sites all over the web with pictures. For those interested, here’s the web link for the park itself.

http://www.nps.gov/ande/

But I didn’t find it all that informative.

And yes, the North had some fairly horrible prisons too, I just haven't visited them yet. Bear with me, I'm sure I will soon enough!

Cutty Sark

The world’s sole surviving extreme clipper, Cutty Sark was built in 1869, and launched November 22. In 1951, Prince Philip took possession of it on behalf of The Cutty Sark Society. The Society was formed by Frank Carr, Director of the National Maritime Museum, and patronised by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip).

Today, a devistating fire swept through it.

A spectacular fire caused heavy damage to the clipper ship Cutty Sark on Monday,
adding millions to the cost of restoring one of London's proudest maritime
relics. [AP GREENWICH, England (May 21)]

Here's the link to the rest of the article.

The Internet

I probably blogged about this before, and will no doubt do so again, but I once more feel the need to say how convenient the internet is to research. Most non-students don't like Wikipedia, but I adore it. OK, I admit to double checking those facts once I find what I'm looking for, but I do use it as a starting point. Why? It's fast, easy, and generally knows what I'm looking for even if I type in generalities.

Wikipedia aside, Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com are right up there for me. How much easier is it to type in 'mourning rituals Victorian' or 'railroads Leeds' and find a great link (usually with supporting references) than plowing through book after book, and hoping you've got the right one to begin with?

I love books, and don't think they're at all passé as people seem to believe these days. The book will never go out of style. But come on! In 10 minutes, you can go online, search, read, and get back to your story. Minus the requisite reading email, getting lost in the history, and taking a tangent to traveling customs when really, all I wanted was to see when the Leeds train went to London!

Goals Redux

Two weeks ago (ok, ok, FINE! Closer to 3) I posted a blog on how I hadn't done on bit of my 2007 goals. I can now safely revise that.

The first of our (now) 4 part Victorian Erotica is finished. Done. Complete. *Sigh*
We'll be sending it out this week. *Nerves*
We'll also be taking another look at Book 2's plot and the 15 or so pages we have of it. *Groan*

But hey, Book 1 is finished! I can't thank my fellow Scandalous Victorians enough for their wonderful comments, facts, and encouragement.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

With e-mail, instant messaging, cellular phones, as well as land-line telephones, we of the 21st century don't need to write letters to communicate and keep in touch with friends and family. But during the Victorian era, writing long letters was an important form of communication.

During the Civil War, with families being separated for long lengths of time, letters became vital for both the soldiers and their families back home.

According to Bell Irwin Wiley, author of: The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union, "... letter writing was one of the most pervasive of camp diversions." Civil War regiments sent out an average of 600 letters per day.

Letter writing soldiers often had to improvise. They wrote by candlelight, sitting on the ground, using another soldier's back or a knapsack as a writing surface. They also used such things as "... knees, tin plates, books, cracker boxes or drumheads." The Life of Billy Yank ... p. 184.

Writing paper varied in quality from fancy stationery to ruled pages torn from record books. While men preferred to write with pen and ink, they often had to rely on lead pencils. Soldiers Blue and Gray ... p. 105

They wrote about such things as battles, health, weather and new places and people they'd seen and met.

Soldiers also looked forward to receiving letters from home. One New Jersey soldier wrote in a letter to his family: "You can have no idea what a blessing letters from home are to the men in camp. They make us better men, better soldiers." Soldiers Blue and Gray ... p. 114

Men who felt they hadn't received letters from their loved ones frequently enough would write angry letters home, demanding their loved ones write back to them.

Some of the most beautiful love letters were written by lonely soldiers to their wives and sweethearts.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Union soldier, Sullivan Ballou to his wife, dated July 14, 1861, while contemplating the possibility of his death in battle:

"But O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night--amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours -- always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by." http://www.civil-war.net/pages/sullivan_ballou.asp
Click the above link for the complete letter, plus samples of others.

Another site where you can find samples of actual Civil War letters is:
http://www.civilwarhome.com/letters.htm

People of the Victorian period were sentimental and their letters show it.

Sources: The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union by Bell Irwin Wiley
Soldiers Blue and Gray by James I. Robertson, Jr.

http://www.civil-war.net/pages/sullivan_ballou.asp
http://www.civilwarhome.com/letters.htm

Synopsis

As I bang my head against my computer desk I realize it's probably not helping. Funny thing is, no matter how hard I bang, the words I need aren't appearing on the screen. I think that's highly unfair. Erato, the muse of erotic poetry and the closest I can get to what I'm doing now, is laughing. I'm certain I can hear her.

I can tell the story, that's not the problem. I can plot it and play with it and plan it out until it's all nice and neat. Everything's ordered. Everything works. I've got a story! A wonderful, pretty, finished, story.

I just can't tell you what it's about. My order's gone. I forget key points, but are they really key? I mean should I put them in because they're secondary characters. But what if the story only makes half sense because they're not there? Or will it muck it all up if I do put them in, and throw off whatever flow I manage to organize?

AHHHHHHHHHH!

OK, that didn't actually make me feel better, but this blog did. I think I'll put the 1 1/4 pages it's taken me a week to write away for now. I'm sure there's something else I can write in the meantime.

Being Held Accountable

In the past few weeks, I have struggled with finding time to write. No, that’s not true. I have struggled with making time to write. But I’ve had that old lifus interruptus creeping up on me again. I tell myself “Okay, as soon as I finish doing (you fill in the blank), I’ll have time to write.” Yeah, snort. Tell that to my kids. Or my husband. Or the job. Or any of the other people, places or things that conspire to get in the way of some good solid writing time.

But the release date for my Wild Rose Press release "The Model Man" has been set for November 1; first round edits went back to my editor on May 1 and she has promised to get second round edits back to me no later than July 1. The pressure is on – and doggone it, I’m going to finish Wild Texas Wind before I dive back into The Model Man again. It has been set aside one too many times.

So I’ve set up a plan to get back to writing every day. I didn’t give myself a set number of pages for each day, that never works for me. I get too caught up in “but I did more yesterday” or the “I failed” mentality on the days I don’t meet my goal. Worse, I find myself writing longer sentences in order to make the goal. (Ex: he stalked across the room becomes he strode across the room slowly and with great purpose. For those of you who know how much I hate “ly” words, you know I’m only making work for myself down the road. I’ll be editing that out.).

But the twist this time is being held accountable for the number of pages I write. I’ve asked my two closest CP’s to nag me. Non-stop. And it’s working. Knowing that at the end of the day I have to report to someone how many pages I actually wrote really helps to motivate me. And finding messages in my inbox first thing in the morning that say things like “why are you checking e-mail when you’re supposed to be writing?” remind me to stay focused on my goal.

And I’m amazed at how well it’s gone. Yesterday I had one of “those” days. I’ll spare you the details, but it was definitely one of “those” days --by eight a.m. Not the big smack in the teeth life sends our way every so often, but a series of little slaps and pinches that added up to one big, stressful “Ouch!” Normally a day like that would find me diving headfirst into a bowl of ice cream the size of a swimming pool – to heck with writing, I need comfort food!

At one point, I told myself “ahh, when Paty hears what kind of day I had today she’ll understand why I couldn’t write.” Directly on the heels of that thought came the realization – no she won’t! She’ll say I should have written through it. So I did. And instead of that bowl of ice cream I settled for a second cup of coffee, figuring the caffeine would either worsen my mood or perk me up. (For the record, it did both). At the end of the day, when the dust had settled, I only ended up with about four pages. But it’s four more than I had, so I won’t beat myself up over that. And when I told Paty about my horrible morning, and how I’d still managed to crank out a few pages, I got a wonderful cheerleader-perky note back telling me to keep going.

So I learned an important lesson yesterday. Being accountable to someone for the number of pages I write in a day works for me.

How do you motivate yourself to write?

History - defined and debated

A co-worker of mine recently returned from a library conference and brought me back a few stacks of paper on reader's advisory (how to advise people who've read it all and want something new that's just like their favorite authors). In one, the speaker talked about "Historical Fiction -- Imaging History" and uses this quote to define it:

"A fictional work (mainly novels) set before the middle of the last century, and
ones in which the author is writing from research rather than personal
experience. This usually means that the novels will take place before the
author's life and times.'" [Sarah L. Johnson Historical Fiction: A Guide to
the Genre].

It then goes on to describe Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose and the controversy: "Because Stegner based this work on the real life of Mary Hallock Foote issues of artistic license have been raised."

Mary Hallock Foote's letters were later published as A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West.

Paranoia - that one sentence makes me think (unreasonably) that I should never use a real person in a fictional work. And let me tell you, it's way too late now! I have no intention of taking out Queen Victoria from Birthrite, nor do I plan on rearranging the 3rd book in that series to take out the Khedives of Egypt and Sudan, specifically Tewfik. Just because they're not integral to the story doesn't mean I don't want them there for historic reasons.

But back to Stegner's story. It's obviously fiction. He even won the Pulitzer in 1972 for fiction. If even the Pulitzer people recognize it as fiction, then why are these artistic license questions raised?

Because he changed Mary Hallock Foote, to Susan Burling Ward. He never acknowledged that change until Mary's letters were published.

Granted, Stegner should've said this was a fictionalized version of Mary’s story, especially since he used whole passages from her letters. Is that the same as using a speech given by Victoria? It's hard to say, but my answer is no. Now, you can check Victoria's speeches on the internet. In 1971, you couldn't, and had those letters not been published, would anyone have known?

Then again, this is a fictionalized version of the story. Whole letters aside, how much could he really know about the circumstances surrounding Mary’s life and loves from her correspondence alone?

What are your thoughts?

Genre-Jumping

I've been writing toward publication for about twelve years, but had only considered writing romance for the past five. Although I'd read a few romances here and there, the genre really didn't turn me on.

As a teenager, I was preoccupied with science fiction and read that genre voraciously.

Yeah, I was geek!

Although I'd dabbled in writing for years, it wasn't until my youngest son started first grade that I stared writing toward publication focusing on stories for children and young adults. But I found it hard to break into that market. Meanwhile, I'd been reading about the enormous market for romance novels.

Hmm, I thought, maybe I should investigate that.

I started searching out and reading romances that looked interesting. There were historicals, time travels, paranormals and even futuristic romances. I was like a kid in a candy store. So many genres to chose from.

I joined Romance Writers of America four years ago, and haven't looked back. Right now, I've got one time-travel romance submitted to a publisher, one historical in the first draft stage, and a series of futuristic romances under development.

I even re-vamped my website to reflect my genre-jumping urges.

I don't want to be limited in what I write. While I love the Civil War era and plan to write more stories set in that period, I also want to travel to distant planets and meet aliens.

While writing is a lot of work, it should also be a lot of fun. I'm making every effort to keep it that way.

2007 Goals

Susan (who's always on top of these things) gave me the jolt I needed to examine my writing goals. I wish I hadn't. And we were doing so well, too, on vacation. In the sun, with the view, and no disctractions.

Does it work if they're accomplished anytime in 2007? Or should I be adding new ones as I complete the old ones?

Needless to say, I'm hanging my head in shame...

Serviettes, Important as Fans for Flirting and Function

Ruminating with friends about Arbor Day and the Green Movement, I was reminded that the Victorian Societies relied upon the precursor to the napkin -- the serviette.

The larger the better, in the case of the indispensable table setting pieces of cloth that matched the other table linens for the more formal occasions. The most formal occasions, even today, demand extra-large napkins, just as they did in the structured formalities often more familiar to Victorians.

Have a 'green' Victorian moment and learn a new napkin fold and please your guests, fictionally or otherwise. Match the napkins to a theme, and be even more Victorian.

Some sites:
http://www.napkinfolding.net/
http://www.customlinenservice.com/napkins.htm
http://www.wholesale-table-linens.com/napkin-folding.html?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=napkin+folding&utm_term=napkin+folding+techniques&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CLHR2_r34IsCFQS7YAodMW02YQ

Kristin-Marie

Randomness

He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it. ~ Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

For some reason this quote made me think of the late 1800s when the Occult was so popular. It hasn't really grown less so, it's hugely popular now and just as controversial as it was then. Why the interest in the afterlife? Was it because they feared growing older? They needed to know what was on the other side?

Marie Corelli was a hugely popular novelist in the 1890s who numbered among her acquaintances ghost storytelling brothers A. C. Benson and R. H. ("Hugh") Benson. PM Gladstone visited her unannounced. Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra all collected her books.

Yet her stories were more anti-religion than anything else. In Barabbas, her biggest international success, and its sequel, The Sorrows of Satan, "there is an underlying mystical strength to her glorification of Satan as a misunderstood adventurer in the modern world." http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/corelli/salmonson1.html

Her books are available on Amazon now, and maybe once my life settles down (haha, I just wrote a long ramble on how I have no time anymore) I'll read some of them. Just to see what they're like.

The Arranged Victorian Marraige, a Conundrum

My Victorian era manuscript underway utilizes an obstacle of an arranged marriage. In today’s world, marriages are dissolved easily enough that the idea of one standing in the way of true love is less onerous than in past eras, such as during the 19th Century.

Arranged marriages were still a norm of the Victorian era. Politics and inheritances were quite still the reasons just as in the Dark Ages. Although in bygone eras the political marriage affected all class levels of a society, serfs included. The pressure was still fervent in European aristocratic circles, or what remained of them, even those living on the American continents, as my story’s characters do for a time.

My Spanish characters are dealing with an arranged marriage. Their reality – as products of their times – was to accept marriage when it came, not necessarily to each other. In reality, people raised in the ways of my characters were not taught to hope for love or expect romance in an arranged marriage. They would hope for kindness, understanding, propriety, and even dignity. Still, the benefits of marriage within the same social class often outweighed the thrill of romance which was still thought of as a chance and fleeting moment to be grasped. Romance didn’t carry with it the expectation of longevity unlike what appeals to today’s romance audience and readership. (Rest assured that this author is part of that very same audience.)

Tolerating extramarital lovers was going out of vogue. Open arrangements were falling out of favor. Morality movements and laws being passed in other countries found imitations in decorum in Spain and its holdings. Spain was no longer the largest kingdom nor the most powerful country any longer, but its Borbon royalty and their aristocratic nobility were expected to set the heights of decorum, even in marriages; the same expectations, as it happens, are held up to the Bourbon House of today. The reason I point this out is that Queen Victoria's circle, including her Belgian cousin, Princess Charlotte (later Empress of Mexico) openly touted the Bourbon House in Spain as the height of expected decorum. The royal courts were still dictating behaviors of the rest of society, in something of a trickle-down effect.

Oddly difficult to explain is that extramarital lovers of arranged marriage partners were often enough allowed if scandal were avoided. Secretive affairs with lovers more powerful than a marriage partner were not quite favored but were less than frowned upon. As long as they were kept secret.

Catholicism was a dominating influence in Spanish society and so were its moral codes. Spaniards conducted a revolution when they counted among their grievances the openly adulterating Queen Regnent, Isabella II. Her marital bed had never pretended to belong to her king consort husband, Francisco, beyond the wedding night. Only a generation before, though, Isabella’s mother’s affairs weren’t considered to have interfered in her duties on the throne. The fact that Francisco claimed all dozen of Isabella’s offspring, and even named his collection of poodles after her lovers, tells of an understanding of duty quite opposite to proverbial fairy tale romances that often toss everything to the wind for the sake of instantaneous love.

Of course, my manuscript entails a fairy tale coming true. Conveying the seriousness of the obstacle of an arranged marriage is part of the challenge of being a modern writer portraying the past to modern sensibilities that expect love and marriage to automatically go hand in hand.

Kristin-Marie

Batter Up!

We've just started a new season of baseball. I knew baseball was played in camps during the Civil War and decided to do some research into how it was played and how widespread it was during the war years.

I had recently watched the movie, Glory, and noticed a scene near the beginning where a soldier hits a ball with a baseball bat.

Before this, I'd always thought of baseball as a turn-of-the-century sport. So, when did baseball become our national pastime?

I searched a few sites and found these facts.
"Americans began playing baseball on informal teams, using local rules, in the early 1800s." http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors.blbaseball.htm

About mid-century, sixteen clubs sent out delegates to a convention to standardize the rules. "The National Association of Base Ball Players was organized in 1857." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

The teams had names like: New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Stockings.

Prior to the Civil War, baseball competed for public interest with cricket and regional variants of baseball.

"Alexander Joy Cartwright of New York invented the modern baseball field in 1845." http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbaseball.htm

And I always thought it was Abner Doubleday!

The game was based on the English game of rounders.

It seems the Civil War was what introduced the game that started in the Northeastern states, to the rest of the country. "During and after the Civil War, the movements of soldiers and exchanges of prisoners helped spread the game." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

The game they played, in that time period, was a bit different from baseball league play today. "High scores were the general rule; for even though the ball was soft, the base runner had to be hit by a thrown or batted ball before he was out. In one game between teams from the 13th Massachusetts and 104th New York, the Bay Staters won by a 66-20 score." Soldiers Blue and Gray ... p. 88

So, it seems the Civil War was, at least, partially responsible for the American pastime of organized baseball.

Sources: Soldiers Blue and Gray by James I. Robertson, Jr.
The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union by Bell Irvin Wiley
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbaseball.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

New Year's Goals Revisited

It's April and we're now more than one quarter into the new year. I thought I'd revisit the writing goals I made in January on this blog to see how I've done so far.

1) Finish rewrite of Erin's Rebel.
Not only did I finish, but the full manuscript is now on the desk of the acquisitions editor at Medallion Press.

2) Revise outline of Katie Rose and write first draft.
The outline revision is finished and I'm one hundred pages into the first draft.

3) Enter 1 contest per month for Erin's Rebel.
I've entered 3 contests and gotten results for the first two. I didn't win or final, but I got fairly high scores. The third contest I won't get the results of until later this month.

4) Post 2 new blogs here and 2 per week on my personal blog.
So far this year I've posted 12 blogs on this site. On my personal blog www.susanmacatee.blogspot.com I've posted 6 blogs each for January and February, so I fell a little short, but I posted 9 blogs in March.

5) Start preliminary work on my futuristic romance.
I've started world-building and creating characters for my first futuristic romance.

So, aside from falling a little short on the blogging, I've done pretty well on my 2007 goals, so far.

Behind the Looking Glass of the Victorian London Scene: a Glimpse of London Society

Unarguably, the height of the Victorian era Society gathered around London during the reign of Queen Victoria. Ladder-climbers – socially or politically – were represented in London or were in attendance at court-and-function, themselves.

Why, is obvious. The fact that the British Empire was expanding to the largest domination in recorded history missed the attention of very few. Pomp and circumstance were at a peak, but with a different venue than during earlier times, including the Regency, due to Victoria’s permeating social influences. Beyond the morality laws and other movements attributed to her personal touch, she also changed London Society, in great part by not participating as fully or as openly as prior monarchs. There was rhyme and reason to her social behaviors.

For novel writers of the time period focusing on Victorian London and its influences, the tendency to include societal parties and shindigs may be the norm. I have yet to read a novel of the time period set in that area of the world and that societal ilk that doesn’t at least attempt to show a party, or two.

All well and good.

Small details tend to authenticate the novelistic guest lists. Queen Victoria was not a recluse, despite some popular misconceptions. She did adhere to a lifetime of mourning rituals and garb, but out of deference to her late, faithful Prince Consort rather than to shun Society. On the other hand, during and after her husband’s lifetime, Victoria attended the soirees and functions that would be considered “important.”

If a novelistic party were to be shown to be of high import, then it could be emphasized by an appearance from the Queen. Although many authors may be more fascinated by the playboy prince, Bertie, which I mention because most Society level settings in Victorian novels I’ve read seem to include him swankering through the party sets. Still, his attendance didn’t declare a host or hostess’ party as ‘important.’

A better gauge of societal-level ranking on the party scene would be to include an ambassador’s brief stopover at a party to declare it worthy of the highest ranks. Recall that ambassadors traditionally usurp the Queen or other female titled counterpart to a male reigning sovereign when being seated for the more formal of functions, even if it causes a reigning queen to sit at a lower-ranked table, as a result. Some courts, such as in London, boasted ambassadors from nearly any country which meant the most important tables at even an informal banquet might overflow with ambassadors before the royalty were seated. Therefore, even an ambassador from the lowest and poorest of countries in attendance at a Society hosts’ or hostess’ party elevate the party to a higher level of social prestige than one simply attended by a fun-loving Bertie or his kind.

Kristin-Marie

Women In the Ranks - Part V

Why Did They Do It?

In this final installment of my series on women Civil War soldiers, now that I've explained how women managed to join and fight in an army that didn't admit female soldiers, the next question is, why did they do it?

Why would women want to pretend to be men and fight in a war?

One of the reasons was pure and simple patriotism. Louisiana's Sarah Morgan wrote: "Oh! If I only were a man, then I could don the breeches, and slay them with a will! If some few Southern women were in the ranks, they could set the men an example they would not blush to follow." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 200.

Other reasons for joining the military were to stay with a husband, sweetheart or brother. Many of these women were recognized by friends or family visiting the camp. Mary Burns "... followed her love into the 7th Michigan Cavalry under the alias 'John Burns', and succeeded in maintaining her disguise for two weeks." All the Daring ... p. 208

"Florina Budwin and her husband enlisted together, served side by side in battle, were captured at the same time by Confederates, and both sent to the infamous Andersonsville prison." http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

Her husband died there, but she survived and was sent to another prison, where a Southern doctor discovered she was female. Despite receiving better treatment, she also died after being "stricken by an unspecified epidemic." http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

These women went to war by choice, even though they knew the risks involved. Although patriotism and the wish to be by the side of loved ones were reasons, others were the chance for travel, adventure and money. Bounties and regular paychecks were incentives for poor women who needed to help support large families.

In 1865, Sarah Edmonds wrote: "I could only thank God that I was free and could go forward and work, and I was not obliged to stay at home and weep." http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

Since women soldiers in our own time are barred from combat units, these Civil War women soldiers were definitely ahead of their time. And since most of them served undetected, the examples listed here are just a small sampling of the women who fought in the Civil War armies.

Hope all of you enjoyed this look at an event often ignored in historical records.

Sources: All the Daring of the Soldiers: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard, pp. 199-225

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/2518/cladinuniform.htm

I have a convert!

OK, she's a friend, and would read anything I wrote, but that isn't the point. She's actively interested in Victoria & Albert. The A&E movie, but it's something. And I'll take it.

It started with Pride & Prejudice. She needed to read it for a college class, but couldn't get through it. Not because she didn't like it but because she always read late at night after work and all and would fall asleep. A&E's wonderful movie came in (ok and me) and she got an A on the paper. Then she watched Wuthering Heights. The TNT one, not the Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon one, though I personally love that one.

She adored it. Emma, Sense & Sensibility, Jane Eyre she's on a roll! Then she says to me last week, do you know anything about Victoria and Albert?

Ha, I say, do I know anything about them…

It should arrive in a week or 2, but I’m sure she’ll love it. How can she not? And if she doesn’t, there’s always The Scarlet Pimpernel. And Horatio Hornblower, The Great Gatsby, or possibly Ivanhoe.

Strolling to Church in the Victorian Era

Thanks to my fellow-blogger, Dee, the topic of transportation modes during the Victorian era has been discussed within one of our writing clubs. The topic brought to mind the traditions around walking, particularly for the gentility. The mode of walking to a destination was still very much part of a Victorian’s lifestyle. The natural locomotion was still a mode of 'transportation.'

Transportation evolved quickly and even dramatically during the Victorian era. Still, walking, for many a Victorian, followed traditions and rules about how and where to walk.

A quaint tradition that lasted well past the implementation of public transportation was a tradition of walking to church. Among the elite, who had every luxury at their fingertips, the contemplative mode of strolling to church, or synagogue, helped to prepare them for the messages of the religious service. Such public self-effacement was a popular posture within Society’s line of sight.

The Princess Royal of Great Britain, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, “Vicky,” was known for walking to church as was customary with many of her ilk. However, she set tongues to wagging by walking with her husband, the Prince Frederick William of Prussia, “Fritz.” Not only was their side-by-side strolling unusual, it also caused shockwaves among Society due to their natural affection for one another. Their adoration wasn’t an affectation. Vicky had met Fritz when she was a child, and they’d corresponded during his years of military service. By the time they married, they were close friends who enjoyed each other’s company. In today’s world, this type of friendship in a marriage would be an expectation. But, not during the Victorian era which held other expectations of higher import. Again, not scandalous, but the royal couple's affection was cause for comment. Other couples were not seen in public together walking to church as a general rule. Nor were they even seen arriving at the same time in carriages, for example, for the most part.
[Crowned in a Far Country: Portrains of Eight Royal Brides, by HRH Princess Michael of Kent]

The tradition of walking was not limited to the Christian sects. The Rothschilds, who rose to power in England during the Victorian era, were also known to walk to synagogue along with the rest of their social circle. Although Lionel and Charlotte Rothschild were not known to frequent synagogue (some accounts say they didn't attend), they nevertheless put on a good front for Society. Their published journals explain that walking to synagogue was expected in the society they entered, partly for religious reasons.
[Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story, by Stanley Weintraub]

Not everyone adhered to traditions of walking to church services, by some indications. Populations were moving about, and new traditions were being formed. In some parts of the Western world, it was considered socially acceptable for a proper lady to walk or arrive at church in the company of a male, and possibly even for the sake of romance.
[http://www.logicmgmt.com/1876/etiquette/church.htm]

For the historical author, allowing a fictional character to carry on a walking tradition can provide a welcome contrast to the hullabaloo caused by the newly available modes of modern transportation. At the same time, it can possibly set the scene for a scandalous or shocking romantic interlude.

Kristin-Marie

Research

It’s time consuming, distracting, and annoying. It’s also very fascinating, and, thanks to the internet, oh-so handy. Thank God, because I can’t imagine doing this kind of nitpicking research any other way.

My WIP takes place in England during August, 1882. It’s AU in that there is a very prevalent if illegal community of magic-practitioners. Everything else is the 1882 of our history.

Like telephones. There’s a scene where my heroine must call London from Yorkshire. Panic – when did the telephone come into common use? After 1882? Before? That year? Would they have been in the country, as opposed to cities?

The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) and first exhibited at American Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in June 1876. Telephones did not appear in England until the following year, when W H Preece, electrician to the Post Office, brought two telephones back from a visit to America and, although he himself remained sceptical as to their usefulness, demonstrated them to the British Association.
[http://www.ingenious.org.uk/See/Scienceandtechnology/Telecommunications/?target=SeeMedium&ObjectID=%7BE86B182F-8008-3D5E-B9A6-2FE5F8799D52%7D&viewby=images]

OK, phew. Good. And all for one 8-worded sentence. Check!

Railroads… Forgetting the earlier versions, even the 18th century ones, I’m talking about the ones we’re familiar with now. The ones powered by coal or wood. The ones I KNOW were in use by 1882, but not entirely sure where. Did they go to Leeds? Was that a main station, or merely a by-pass? Yup, they were.

But then there was the whole ‘newer’ invention of electric trolleys. Ack!

OK, OK, forget that…a vague mention of trains will do just fine. Check!

But that brings me to the electricity portion of my story. The turnover from gas lamps to electric bulbs.

My WIP takes place at a country manor, not a London townhouse. Would they have bulbs there, or still use gas lamps? And why did I have to set my story in the country? What’s wrong with London?

Yes. Bulbs for the rich and titled were in use. Check!

I won’t even go into the pain-in-the-*ss research that went into Victorian Mourning/Funeral Rites. And I don’t just mean a person’s mourning – I mean the house’s mourning. It’s unbelievable. Still, I Check! it off my list.

http://www.request.org.uk/main/history/victorians/victorians12.htm
http://www.victoriana.com/library/harpers/funeral.html
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England from 1811-1901 by Kristine Hughes

Sigh…ok, so far not so bad. I’ve managed not to get lost in the research, had found what I needed, wrote it down and saved the sites do I could find them again should I need them, and haven’t gone insane.

And I still have 5 chapters to go.

Full Metal Corset

Susan has done a wonderful series on women fighting in the Civil War. The History Channel has a 1-hour show on them, too. This is from their site:

In April 1861, the newly inaugurated President Lincoln calls for 75,000 men to fight for the Federal cause. What he does not anticipate is the shared desire by hundreds of women to fight for their country. Forbidden by laws of society, these determined women become the "Secret Soldiers of the Civil War." Travel back in time and hear the story of two of the Civil War's most interesting female soldiers--Sarah Emma Edmonds and Loreta Janeta Velazquez. Hear their tales of passion, recounting the sacrifice of identity, fear of discovery, and constant need for duplicity...even under fire.

http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=218239

Taking A Break From Contests

In the past I've entered numerous contests for my Civil War time travel romance, Erin's Rebel. First it was for the feedback, then to get an editor or agent's attention.

And while I've won a few contests, I usually get one judge who just loves it and two or more who like it, but think it's just so-so, or outright hate it.

Before getting the request for a full from Medallion Press, I had entered three more contests as part of my New Year's Goals that I hadn't gotten the results of.

I just got one back and, as I said, one judge loved it, the other thought it was just so-so. And some of the comments I got were baffling. One said I had relied too much on spell and grammar check. Huh?

It's time to take a break from contests. For one thing, I'm now a member of an excellent critique group. They give me all the feedback I need. And I've gotten the attention of the editors at Medallion Press with my partial.

So, I'll save my time and energy for writing my next book.

Vincent Van Gogh—Victorian Stalker?

So my current WIP has a stalker in it. I love to take matters from modern life, especially criminal matters, and bring them back to the Victorian period, so I can discover how Victorians would react. Actually, for me that’s often a major reason for writing at all—the discovery.

But before I discover I do need to do a little research and so there I was thinking, okay, I’ve got this stalker, but how does he stalk my heroine (I don’t call him a stalker by the way—that’s a modern term. He’s her secret admirer—gone horribly wrong!)? They don’t have email or cell phones or answering machines or even portable cameras. My characters might, conceivably have a phone as I’m writing in 1885 and the family is very wealthy. But still, that’s not a whole lot. And suddenly, I’ve got it! Vincent Van Gogh! He was so enamored by some woman that he cut off his ear and mailed it to her, right? He must have had some other stalking behavior beforehand. All I need to do is research Vincent, right?

Wrong.

Man—the best laid plans of writers almost always go awry, at least once. I always thought Van Gogh cut off his ear and mailed it to a woman. But I was wrong. Apparently he cut part of his ear off after an argument with Gauguin and gave it to a prostitute.

He seems like he might have been a little bit of a stalker—when rejected by one woman, he went to her house and put his hand over the open flame of an oil lamp. He swore to her father that he would keep his hand there until he got to see the woman. Her father simply put out the lamp. Thus ended Van Gogh’s stalking.

So there, that was also the end of my first attempt to find a Victorian stalker. But I thought I’d post about it anyway, because I know there are quite a few people who have my misconception about Van Gogh’s ear.

For more reading on Vincent Van Gogh—not a Victorian Stalker:

http://www.vggallery.com/misc/bio.htm

Montreal’s Victoria Bridge

On this St. Patrick’s Day, I’d like to tell you a little bit about Montreal’s Victoria Bridge.

Sometimes called Montreal’s Eighth Wonder of the World, the Victoria Bridge was the first bridge to span the mighty St. Lawrence River. It opened in 1859 and was initially named for Queen Victoria. After renovations in 1897, it was rededicated as the Victoria Jubilee Bridge. It’s approximately three miles long and includes 24 ice-breaking piers.

Prior to the bridge’s construction, it was difficult and at times impossible to cross the St. Lawrence River during the long winter season as freeze up and thawing in the fall and spring made for treacherous conditions. Summer river crossings took place by boat and in winter by sleigh.The bridge is still used today, carrying both road and rail traffic.

It is also a memorial to the hundreds of Irish immigrants who lost their lives in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

The memorial can still be seen today in the Black Rock, also known as the Irish Stone, which stands at the approach of the Victoria Bridge. During the construction of that bridge, workmen discovered human remains of Irish immigrants to Canada. They decided to erect a large black stone that bears this inscription:

To preserve from desecration the remains of 6000 immigrants who died of ship fever A.D. 1847-8, this stone is erected by the workmen of Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts employed in the construction of the Victoria Bridge A.D. 1859

A stirring memorial to a brave and valiant people.

Women In the Ranks - Part IV

How Did They Do It?

Women soldiers were more prevalent in the Civil War armies than anyone thought. The main reason being, they were dismissed by historians chronicling the era, because they were thought to be a rarity.

But the fact is, many more than thought sneaked into the ranks and this fact was only discovered years later by researchers reading diaries, letters, and journals of the period, as well as obituaries.

At the time of the Civil War, women were not allowed to serve as soldiers. Newspapers writers of the late nineteenth century grasped this point. "The actions of Civil War soldier-women flew in the face of mid-nineteenth century society's characterization of women as frail, subordinate, passive, and not interested in the public realm. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

But, how did all those women in disguise get into the armies in the first place?

Part of it had to do with the physical exam given to new recruits. The modesty of the Victorian era helped, as well as the many men swarming to join all at once. "In most cases, the physical examination was so hastily administered that most women had no problem passing and went on to fulfill their enlistment." http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/2518/cladinuniform.htm

Most didn't have to disrobe when undergoing the physical. Women who encountered a doctor who required this, would just decline to be examined and find another recruiter who they could slip by.

The estimated number of disguised women serving in the armies, was between 500 and 1000.

In most cases the medical exam consisted of "... holding out his hands to demonstrate that he had a working trigger finger, or perhaps opening his mouth to show that his teeth were strong enough to rip open a minie ball cartridge." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women In the Civil War Armies, p. 202

"... women soldiers picked male names. Army recruiters, both Northern and Southern, did not ask proof of identity. Soldier-women bound their breasts when necessary, padded the waists of their trousers, and cut their hair short. Loreta Velazquez wore a false mustache, developed a masculine gait, learned to smoke cigars, and padded her uniform coat to make herself look more muscular." http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-civil-war-3.html

Also Civil War armies didn't have anything resembling modern day bootcamp. The emphasis was on drill. "Many privates had never fired a gun before entering the army. The women soldiers learned to be warriors just like the men." http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

That there were so many young men and even boys serving in the army, also helped women to avoid detection. Also the dress of the nineteenth century dictated that "... if it wore pants, it was male." All the Daring ... p. 205

As for taking care of personal needs, all a woman soldier had to do was claim modesty. She could take care of her needs in the woods away from prying eyes and no one would think anything of it. As for menstruation, a lot of researchers surmise that with all the hard physical activity of army life, most women would have stopped menstruating. If not, they could always hide the evidence after a battle among all the bloody bandages and clothing.

It seems the fact that no one expected women to be in the ranks, was what helped them to maintain their disguises for so long.

Sources: All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard, pp. 199-225

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/2518/cladinuniform.htm

In Part V, I'll talk about why they did it.

I Survived My First Signing!

It’s late Sunday night and I’m still too excited to sleep, so I decided to post a blog tonight.

I survived my first book signing! I was signing my first book, In Sunshine or In Shadow, at my local library today, an event that brought with it a lot of anticipation and a truckload of trepidation.

It was a lovely spring day, which I think might have brought me a little bit of luck. It was also the last day of school spring break, and lots of people were coming back from vacation and needed to return their books. Another good sign.

The library had set up a table for me, with a poster advertising the signing, as well as postcards featuring my gorgeous cover design. I got there a few minutes early to set up, and I put out my stacks of books, my pens, my list of things to write in the book (I always found just signing my name and “Best wishes” was too impersonal). I put out my basket of candy and my bookmarks. And I had my best friend there to do a little introduction.

Scarcely had I finished setting up than people began to arrive asking for books. I even had three reporters from the local media asking for interviews! Three! I guess I was the celebrity of the month! I was also informed that In Sunshine or In Shadow was this month’s choice for the local book club.

My friend gave a touching little introduction, and then I was on. I had chosen to read the first chapter because that’s really where the book starts (the prologue takes place a few months earlier). My knees were literally shaking, but I took advice from an actor friend and took a few deep breaths, then imagined I was reading for just one person. And not only did I get through it, but people came up to me afterward and told me they really enjoyed it, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next!

I ordered 25 books from my publisher. I sold every one.

All in all, it was a very good day!

Got That Request!

Okay, I finally got what all writers want. A request from a publisher to read the full of my manuscript.

My first reaction was to jump up and down. I finally found an editor who likes my story! My second reaction was panic. I hadn't finished my edits because I hadn't expected to hear back from the publisher so soon. So, now what do I do?

Luckily, I was able to jump on-line and consult with other writers who've been there. The first advice I got was to take a deep breath.

Then I was told to figure out how long it would comfortably take me to finish, pick a date when I figured I could get the full to them, then email the editor with the date of delivery.

This was very good advice, because now, I'm starting to obsess about every word in the manuscript. Having a solid deadline will make it easier to send my baby out, since the object is to get it out, so it can have a chance of being accepted and published.

It's so hard to let go, but I will do it. I have a deadline that I plan to keep.

Happy Anniversary!

It’s the (slightly-late) 1 year anniversary of our first post, though I think we all came together about a week or so before to discuss actually doing this and whatnot.
It’s been a busy year for me, so much going on: stress, writing, not writing, you name it. I’m sure we’ve all been through similarities. Eh, it’s life.

The bad news first:
Sleep? A thing of the past.
Any movie I might’ve been interested in? Who’s got the time?
Books? I mean the reading-for-pleasure kind. Audio. It’s the only way to go.
Dinner with friends? Um…I’m a bad friend. Hey, I email….
Family? OK, yes, they’ve got my time.

Now for the good news:
I’m (we’re) nearly finished our Victorian paranormal
Our website is as finished as a perpetual WIP can get
Our blog…huh. It’s updated. Sporadically, but it’s updated.


I spend more time in the writing world, critiquing, meetings, blogs, email, etc., etc., etc than I do with anything else. It’s not bad, especially since I really want to get published. The family understands. In that distant intellectual ‘Sure, okay, you go for it’ way. But understanding is understanding. I’ll take that and all the support they can heap on me.

I do miss the sleep, though…

Women In the Ranks - Part III

Sarah Wakeman

Sarah Rosetta Wakeman was born in 1843 in Afton, New York. She was the oldest child of Harvey and Emily Wakeman. Like Sarah Edmonds, she was raised on a farm. http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/view/ancmag.2513.asp

Sarah did receive some formal education and at the age of 17, she worked as a domestic servant close to her home.

By the age of 19, she decided that wearing men's garb and seeking employment as a man would better help her large family, since she didn't believe marriage to be in her immediate future.

In a letter to her family, she wrote: "I know that I Could help you more to leave home than to stay there with you, So I left." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 191

A family conflict may have been the cause of her leaving home, because she wrote that she hoped they would put their problems behind them. She wrote her mother: "I want you should forgive me of everything that I have done, and I will forgive you all the same ..." All the Daring ... p. 191.

In August of 1862, Sarah accepted a job as a boatman in New York Chenango Canal disguised as a man. While employed there, she was approached by soldiers who urged her to enlist. She did, earning $152 in bounty money in Company H of the 153rd New York State Volunteers under the name Lyons Wakeman. All the Daring ... p. 152

Like Jennie Hodgers, Sarah was small, only five feet tall. But she adjusted well to army life. She served for two years with the troops defending Washington, D.C. She also was involved in the 1864 Louisiana Red River Campaign.

In a letter she wrote home, she said: " ... but I sleep as warm in the tents as I would in a good bed. I don't know the difference when I get asleep. We have boards laid down for a floor and our dishes is tin. We all have a tin plate and a tin cup, and a knife and Fork, one spoon. We have to use the floor for a table. I like to be a soldier very well." All the Daring ... p. 193

Her letters home that her family carefully preserved, showed her to be happy in the life of a male soldier. She wasn't afraid to be sent out in battle and didn't fear death. In one of her letters, she wrote that she was proud to have bested another soldier in a fight, despite being half a foot shorter than the man.

Unlike Sarah Edmonds and Jennie Hodgers, who survived the war and continued to live as men, Sarah Wakeman died while still in the army. She wasn't killed in battle, but succumbed to chronic diarrhea. Despite being hospitalized, her sex was never discovered by the army.

She died on June 19, 1864 and was buried as "Lyons Wakeman" in Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans.

Sources: All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard

An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864, edited by Lauren Cook Burgess with a Foreward by James M. McPherson

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/view/ancmag/2513.asp

In my next blog in this series, I'll talk about how these and other women soldiers managed to hide their identities.

Copyright Infringement

It's a problem writers have struggled with for eons. And I do mean that literally. It's probably just as well all those illuminated manuscripts were so hard to hand copy, but there were forgeries even then.

Patrick Ross' recent blog about eSnips brings attention to a problem all writers (or potential writers) face. What happens when you have no control over your work? Sure, you want people to read it, but you'd like them to pay for it - simple capitalism. My question is, should the government (since this is a clear violation of the law) be more involved than they seem to be? I think so, even though I think that book (and music) prices are too high for the content, that's not the point of the law.

The point is that you pay for a service, that's how the world works. What do you think?

IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW CONTEST

To celebrate the release of my first historical romance, IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW, I’m hosting a contest. To enter, just visit my website (http://pages.videotron.com/cowens/index.html) and click on the contest page. E-mail me with your NAME and MAILING ADDRESS and the answer to the question below.

FIRST PRIZE: A lovely sterling silver Claddagh necklace on an 18” chain;

SECOND PRIZE: Package consisting of a personally autographed copy of IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW, an autographed bookmark and an autographed postcard featuring my beautiful cover design.

Rules:

1. One contest entry per person. Multiple entries will be discarded.
2. Entering the contest grants us permission to list your name as our winner and to add you to my mailing list.
3. Contest ends March 31, 2007. Winners will be chosen at random.


Contest Question:

What is the name of the village featured in IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW? (The answer can be found in the excerpt on my website.

Mary Ann Shadd

Mary Ann was remarkable. Born in 1823, she managed to be the first woman publisher of a newspaper in North America, the first woman to enter Howard University Law School, the second black woman to obtain a Law Degree, and the first black woman to cast a vote in a National Election. In addition, she taught and ran several schools both in Canada and the U.S. She also found time to become a wife and raise five children!

She was the oldest of thirteen children born to Abraham and Harriet Shadd, free blacks living in Wilmington, Delaware. When Mary Ann was 10, the family moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania so that she could attend a Quaker-run school there. At sixteen, Mary Ann moved back to Wilmington and opened a school for black students.

When the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, Mary Ann moved to Canada. She settled in Windsor, Canada West (Ontario). The black community there encouraged her to open a school for black children, but Mary Ann had a better idea. She opened a school for ALL children, which didn’t sit well with a bunch of people, black community leaders included. This began a long feud with Henry Bibb and his wife Mary, publishers of the Voice of the Fugitives, a black newspaper. Accusations flew on both sides as they charged each other with embezzling funds. The acrimony lasted long after Henry Bibb’s death, which was particularly unfortunate since Mary Bibb then married Mary Ann’s brother Isaac.

Partly to get her revenge on the Bibb’s, Mary Ann began her own newspaper, the Provincial Freeman. In it, she espoused on her vision of integration and equal rights for blacks and women through articles, poetry, essays and letters. She eventually moved the paper to Toronto and then Chatham. In 1856 she married Thomas Cary of Toronto, a barber and father of three. Sadly, they weren’t married long, for Thomas Cary died in 1860. Mary Ann was pregnant at the time with the couple’s second child.

When Civil War broke out in the U.S., Mary Ann was asked to become a recruiter for the Union Army. She worked first in Connecticut and then Indiana, and at the war’s end decided to stay in the States. She obtained a teaching certificate in Detroit. She then moved her family to Washington, D.C., where she became a public school teacher in 1869.

When Mary Ann was forty-six years old, she entered the Law School at Howard University, learning at night while continuing to teach. It took four years after she graduated before she was given her law degree. In the meantime, she wrote for the National Era and The People’s Advocate newspapers.

She joined Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the National Woman’s Suffrage Association, and testified before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary died in Washington, D.C. in 1893.

http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/page_attachments/Library/1/686081_Mary_Ann_Shadd_Cary_ENG.pdf

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/dc2.htm

http://www.coolwomen.org/coolwomen/cwsite.nsf/f85b4e3889247adc8525645600629c11/2e7c2c200a39e3e2852565bb005c6e1d

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Shadd

http://www.whitepinepictures.com/seeds/i/5/

Susan's Update to New Year's Goals

I thought I'd post a follow-up on how I've done so far with the New Year's goals I posted to this blog. I won't call them resolutions, because I'm not making changes, just moving forward.

1) I finished my self-revisions of Erin's Rebel and sent a partial to Medallion Press in early January. While waiting to hear back from them, I'm running chapters by my critique group. My critique partners always find things that I miss and I'm very grateful to them. I have a book on self-editing that I plan to re-read, so I can go over the later chapters again by myself, in case I get a request for a full. I wouldn't want to keep the publisher waiting too long.

2) I finished the revisions to my outline for Katie Rose. I plan to start writing the first draft by the start of next month.

3) I've entered two contests for Erin's Rebel since January. I plan to enter my RWA chapter, Hearts Through History's Romance Through the Ages contest in the paranormal/time travel category.

4) I've surpassed my blogging goals so far. I just posted the second installment of my "Women In the Ranks" series and have already written the third. I've also posted two blogs on the writing life to this blog and have kept up with my personal blog at www.susanmacatee.blogspot.com/ on my life as a romance writer.

5) I've just begun world-building for my futuristic romance. I'm setting that story on an alien planet 300 years in the future. So, for now, I'm trying to build my planet.

I'd say the past few months have been very productive for me.

I love being a writer.

Gilded Age Opulence

For reasons I’d rather not examine, the amazing opulence and extravagance of the gilded age fascinates me. The book(s) I’m working on right now are about one (purely fictional) high-society American family during the Victorian age, which has lead me to research how they lived. This particular family is from Boston, who by in large were far more frugal than the society families of other cities, but “my” family has ties to New York. New York society was “the” society and honestly the worst of them all.

They were, for the most part, the “newly” rich—not like in Boston whose family and wealth could be traced back at least ten whole years before these “bouncers”. (a little sarcasm there). Ward McAllister, the Astors, and later, when finally accepted, the Vanderbilts. The men worked (often bilking poor innocents of money) while their bored, wealthy wives spent their money. In fact, they tripped over each other to prove their worth in wealth. Here are a few examples:

Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish gave a ball for her pet monkey.

C.K.G Billings had a stag dinner where guests arrived in riding habit and rode their horses up to the table.

Alva Vanderbilt, in an effort to become “accepted” by high society gave a ball for her daughter. It cost--in 1880’s dollars!--$75,000!

These same families would summer in Newport RI, where they could play tennis and sale their yachts. They lived in “cottages” which by any standard must be considered mansions. You can view them at:

http://www.newportmansions.org/page7016.cfm

and

http://www.destinationnewport.com/mansion.asp

This is just the beginning of my research. I imagine as time goes by I’ll find out more, which I hope to share, most especially about Ward McAllister and Mrs. Astor, the king and queen of New York society, who started the famed 400 club.

Women In the Ranks - Part II

Jennie Hodgers

Jennie Irene Hodgers was born in Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland in 1843 or '44.

No one knows why or how she came to America or why she was living in Boone County, Illinois in the summer of 1862.

Unable to read or write, Jennie overheard volunteers talking about the cursory medical examination being given by war recruiters. No disrobing was involved. http://history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/iv/htm2/ivtxt018.cfm

She enlisted in Company G of the 95th Illinois infantry under the name, Albert Cashier.

During the next three years, she fought under Ulysses S. Grant in 40 battles including the siege of Vicksburg, the Red River Campaign and combat at Guntown, Mississippi.

Soldiers serving with her described her as small, and a loner, but that was not uncommon for soldiers of the period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cashier

Men described Hodgers as "unusually quiet and difficult to get to know ... he did not participate in the games and sports that often took place." http://history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/iv/htm2/ivtxt018.cfm

After being mustered out of the army in 1865, Jennie continued to live as a man.

"In November 1910 Cashier was hit by a car and broke his leg." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cashier The attending physician discovered Jennie's secret, but agreed to keep it quiet.

Stories of Jennie's early life and her reasons for her disguise vary. The most romantic one was given to an attending nurse at the hospital after she'd broken her leg. "In this account, Jennie said she had assumed male dress because she was in love. She said her lover enlisted at the same time, that her lover had been wounded and died during the Civil War. Before his death, he asked Jennie to promise she would never let another man see her in women's dress and that she never had." http://history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/iv/htm2/ivtxt018.cfm

It could also be that she enjoyed her male privileges like voting and the use of tobacco.

Jennie died at Watertown State Hospital on October 10, 1915. She was given a military funeral and buried in "Sunnyslope Cemetery, with full military honors." http://history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/iv/htm2/ivtxt018.cfm

Her headstone was inscribed with the name, "Albert D. J. Cashier."

For more on the life of Jennie Hodgers: All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard.

Other links: http://www.geocities.com/pettigolass/hodgers.html

http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=11809

Victorian Icon to Close

In the mid 1800s, Atlantic City was the place to holiday on the East Coast. Next came the railroad, and by 1878 A.C. was so popular a second line needed to be built. Visitors by boat also arrived, and it wasn’t long before Atlantic City became the premier resort city. The first ‘official’ road from the mainland to the island was completed in 1870 with a 30¢ toll.

In 1898 The Steel Pier opened. Throughout its 109 year history, it’s been referred to as "an Amusement City at Sea”, "Showplace of the Nation", and was known for such acts as the High Diving Horse (Disney did a movie based on a 1930s rider, Sonora Webster Carver called Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken), Rex the Wonder Dog, and a water-skiing canine during the 1930's. Even Frank Sinatra and Al Jolson preformed there.

The Pier entertained tens of thousands of visitors each day, with attendance reaching 80,000 the Sunday before Labor Day. Four theaters could accommodate 12,000 at a time. For one all-inclusive admission price, patrons could enjoy every concert, film, and attraction The Pier provided.

2007 will be The Pier’s last year – sold by its owner, Trump Entertainment Resorts, to developers, it’s scheduled to be to redeveloped into retail and entertainment attractions, and luxury condominiums.

http://www.steelpier.com/aboutus.asp
http://www.victoriana.com/Travel/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Pier

Update on My New Year's Resolutions -- or How I Took Procrastination to New Heights

I’ve been meaning to post this blog, but like everything else in my life, I keep putting it off. Probably because I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s. Or resolutions. Most years I resolve not to make any resolutions because it’s just one more thing to keep up with.

But this year I did.

Along with the usual lose ten pounds and go through the house room by room to de-clutter and organize, I made some writing resolutions. To write more. Blog more. Procrastinate less. The good news is that so far this year, on more days than not I have managed to write. The bad news is I haven’t accomplished much.

In my household, the only quiet time I’m guaranteed is early morning. Real early morning. Earlier even than the dog cares to get up, but he gives one last longing glance toward the warm bed where my husband still has an hour yet to sleep, and dutifully follows me down the stairs. He takes care of his business outside, while I put on the coffee. Minutes later he’s back, and obligingly warms my toes while the first few sips of Nirvana rouse my sleepy brain.

With luck, I have ninety minutes before I have to wake the kids for school and get us all dressed. On a productive morning I can get a good ten pages or more done. (On a non-productive morning I end up forwarding e-mail jokes to unsuspecting friends and co-workers).

But it never fails that just as I’m getting into this routine, someone gets sick. My kids are still in that age group where swapping germs at school is a requirement. At my oldest son’s age, sneezing on someone else’s bologna sandwich in the school lunchroom is cause for a fit of giggles (and, sadly, not cause for finding a new sandwich). The youngest is at the age where your fingers still taste good –the longer you’ve gone between washings, the better. Murphy’s law being what it is, right around the time the kids are rebounding from whatever bug bit them, mom gets it. (I was always one of those people who never got sick. Until I had kids. But when I’m worn out and weary from too many early mornings and too many lost nights of sleep with sick kids, apparently even I’m susceptible.)

It’s been more than two weeks now since the last germs followed us home and wreaked havoc with our immune systems. And next week is February break, so there’s hope that if we make it through til Friday with no drippy noses or low-grade fevers, we’ll stay healthy through next week. (Of course having the kids home from school an entire week in the dead of winter brings tortures of its own). I still haven’t been able to get back into the swing of early mornings after this last bug, and the mornings I have been up early I’ve needed to clean several inches of snow off the car and shovel out the driveway (don’t even get me started on the kind of winter Upstate New York has seen this year).

But one of the nice things about the kids being home is they tend to sleep in. And I tend to not sleep in. So I’ll check back after next week and let you know if I managed to get back on the writing wagon. Or not.

Victoria & Eugenie

Queen Victoria’s deep and abiding friendship with the Empress Eugenie set standards within the mercurial arenas of Victorian society. Their circumferential lifestyles connected, because they took care to nurture an unexpected friendship.

Their marriages were both under magnifying lenses, critically. Yet, the very differences between Victoria’s monogamous and faithful Prince Consort and Eugenie’s notoriously and regularly unfaithful monarch lent them a dais of friendship on which they bonded. By comparisons in contrasts, each strengthened the other’s resolve. As a result, Eugenie spent inordinate amounts of time within Victoria’s court.

In common, the two women with disparate youths remained active in their chosen outdoor activities. Both were fair equestrians which provided outlet for constraints on their innate youthful spirits.

By contrast, Victoria forever indulged in nostalgia, to the point infamy. Eugenie did nothing if not look to the future and its hope, eschewing her own happiness for the sake of duty to her people and to her place in life. Victoria often was criticized for no fault of her own for a proclaimed dowdy appearance and was known to forever seek out her advisors on the tiniest details of protocol. Eugenie set the standards of European beauty and fashion at the highest levels, revered for her physical beauty and deportment.

Both women epitomized the evolving roles of women in a changeable era, where a moment mis-coiffed or misspoken saw a woman exited from societies. And yet, it was an era that honored the gentility of the heart.

Both remarkable women were ultimately revered by history and beloved in their own times.

[Majesty Magazine, Vol. 28 No. 2, "Kindred Spirits"]

Plotters vs. Pantsers

I decided to take a break today on the revisions of my time travel romance, Erin's Rebel, to do some work on my Civil War historical romance, Katie Rose.

I'd worked out a detailed plot and wanted to make some changes after taking a plotting workshop a while back. I think my "Women In the Ranks" blogs kept Katie on my mind. You see, Katie is an Irish immigrant who disguises herself as a man and follows her husband into the Rebel army after Yankees invade and loot their Virginia farm and shoot her father-in-law to death. When her husband is killed in battle, she stays in the army because she has nowhere else to go and her brother-in-law, who serves with her, protects her identity.

The plot for this story has really expanded and I'm trying to work in a subplot. I want to get all this done before I start the first draft.

I wasn't always a plotter. My first book, Under the Guns, was loosely plotted. I worked on that book in a workshop where I had one instructor helping me work through the plot and opening chapters, while another helped with the revisions once the book was finished.

With Erin's Rebel, I didn't really have a plot worked out. I just had a vague idea of where I wanted to go. And boy, did I go wrong! I had to finally work out a detailed plot and then scrap most of the chapters I'd already written.

Well, I learned my lesson. I've become a plotter. I'm hoping it will save me a lot of work on this second romance book.

But, I won't know 'til it's finished.

How do all of you work out your stories?

Victorian furniture, Belter

I love all Victorian furniture but the kind I love the most are those pieces made by John Henry Belter. He was a cabinet maker originally from Germany, who started his own business in New York. His furniture has all sorts of beautiful scrolling, mostly floral and leaf carving, and mostly in rosewood. Unfortunately he died fairly early, and was only making furniture between 1844 and 1863. His furniture was expensive at the time, and today because so few pieces were made, very difficult to find.

I have a picture, but unfortunately, I can't get it uploaded right now. I'll see if I can get it to work later. You may also see pictures of his work here:

http://www.mam.org/collections/americanart_detail_belter.htm

http://ah.bfn.org/a/archsty/rococo/met/index.html

For more information on Belter:

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles/article348.shtml

Writer's stage fright

So January is behind us and I don’t feel that I’ve accomplished very much, but I guess I have been plodding along.

With February comes a wonderful opportunity to participate in a “Romance Author Panel” at my local library on Tuesday, the 6th. Susan Barclay and I from No Law Against Love will be teaming with Eve Silver (His Dark Kiss) and Michelle Rowen (Angel with Attitude) to discuss the romance genre in general and trends we see happening. (I’ll be sure to mention the increased interest in Victoriana!)

Like I said, this is a wonderful opportunity--and I’m scared to death. Not only will I have to be a REAL WRITER (my fellow Victorians assure me my feelings of inadequacy are not unique) but I have good reason to be nervous. I’ve done something like this before.

In the summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to do a brief reading along with five other writers. As luck would have it, I was scheduled to go last. The first three writers had fabulous stories which they each told clearly and passionately. The fourth writer also had a great story, and one which was very emotional. By the time she finished reading, I was literally sobbing. I don’t mean wiping a bit of moisture from the corner of my eye, but gut-wrenching, gasping for breath, convulsive weeping.

And now, immediately, I must read. Read? Hell, I couldn’t even SEE. Every word ended with a sniffle--which really cuts into your reading pace, let me tell you. It was such a disaster that I finished one paragraph and announced it was enough. Mind you everyone else read their entire piece. The worst part of course, was that I was the ONLY one who was the least bit moved by my fellow writer’s words.

I learned my lesson though. In December, there was another reading opportunity. I received permission from the host to go first, although I did get the impression he thought I was pretty nervy. When I got to the podium I explained the reason behind my presumptuous behaviour and then read beautifully--although I still can’t get the hang of looking around at the audience without losing my place. And yes, I ruined it all by tripping over my coffee when I went back to my seat.

The last writer told an emotional, heart-breaking story. Several different people (strangers!) came up to me afterward to say how pleased they were I’d asked to go first. They all mentioned they saw me crying.

So, how will I embarrass myself this time?

Women In the Ranks - Part I

Sarah Emma Edmonds

Sarah Emma Edmonds was born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1841. She grew up on a farm, so along with her sisters, she participated beside her one brother to perform the hard physical work of farming. She tended to the animals, chopped wood, milked cows, planted and harvested. She also learned to ride horses, hunted and fished.

Her upbringing caused her to develop a lean, masculine-looking physique.

In 1860 she was nineteen. She moved south into the United States dressed in men's garb. Pretending to be a man, she called herself "Franklin Thompson". She worked in Hartford, Connecticut as a publishing agent, selling Bibles in Canada and Michigan.

In 1861 the Civil War began. She enlisted in Company F of the 2nd Michigan Infantry Volunteers, signing up for three years.

As Franklin Thompson, Sarah spent her first months of military service at the regimental hospital, serving as a "male" nurse. She then became postmaster and then a mail carrier.

One of her superior officers, General O. M. Poe, recalled that "Frank Thompson was effeminate looking, and for that reason was detailed as a mail carrier, to avoid taking an efficient soldier from the ranks." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 171.

As a mail carrier, Edmonds carried two or three bushels of mail over a distance of 50 or 60 miles.

In her own words: "I was often compelled to spend the night alone by the roadside. It was reported that the bushwackers had murdered a mail carrier on that road and robbed the mail, and there seemed to be evidence of the fact, for, in the most lonely spot of all the road the ground was still strewn with fragments of letters and papers, over which I often passed when it was so dark that I only knew it by the rustle of the letters under my horse's feet." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, pp. 171-172.

She was also engaged in combat starting with the battle of First Bull Run in July 1861.

According to a Congressional report: "Franklin Thompson, gave his heart and soul to the regiment, sharing in all its toil and privations, marching and fighting in the various engagements in which it participated . . . (He was) never absent from duty, obeying all orders with intelligence and alacrity, his whole aim and desire to render zealous and efficient aid to the Union cause." All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, pp. 172-173.

While serving, Sarah became good friends with a young medical steward and assistant surgeon for the 2nd Michigan. She fell in love with the man, confessing to him that she was female. She felt rebuffed when he told her he was betrothed.

Besides soldiering, Sarah also served the Union as a spy. She disguised herself as a a male fugitive slave, wearing a wig and coloring her skin with silver nitrate. http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/SpiesRaidersAndPartisans/sarahemmaedmonds.html/
At other times she portrayed a female Irish peddler by the name of Bridget O'Shea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds/

In Kentucky in the Spring of 1863, Sarah fell ill with chills and fever. She feared a hospital stay would expose her sex, so, after a request for a leave of absence was denied, she deserted the army. She checked herself into a civilian hospital, planning to return to the army once she'd recovered.

On learning that Franklin Thompson was wanted for desertion, she donned women's clothes, resumed using her real name and returned to the army to serve as a female nurse for the remainder of the war. All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 178

After the war ended, she published her autobiography, Nurse and Spy in the Union Army under the pen name of S. E. Edmonds. "In 1867, she married L. H. Seelye, a Canadian carpenter with whom she had three children." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds/

Beginning in 1886, she was given a government pension of $12 a month. She died in LaPorte, Texas and is buried in Houston, Texas. "She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1992." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds/
For more on Sarah Emma Edmonds:

Sources: All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard, pp. 170-185.

http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/SpiesRaidersAndPartisans/sarahemmaedmonds.html/

http://mariah.stonemarche.org/livhis/women/edmonds.htm/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_sarah_emma_edmonds.htm/

In "Women In the Ranks - Part II", I'll be talking about another woman Union soldier, Jennie Hodgers.