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Monthly Archives: August 2012

This week has been nutty: On Monday, I turned in copy edits on Vanity Fare, my romantic women’s fiction title. Tuesday I got edits for an essay I wrote for the forthcoming non-fiction title, Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades. Tuesday I also began to rewrite the ending of Hero of My Heart, the Regency-set historical. Wednesday I turned in edits for the essay. Thursday I turned in the revision for Hero of My Heart.

And today, I begin another project.

Meanwhile, here’s a snippet from Hero of My Heart:

Mary watched his face, her eyes traveling from the rumpled hair to the strong brows, the commanding nose, and his full, sensual mouth. All that and a Marquess, too.

 No wonder he was accustomed to getting his way—people probably just sensed his autocratic authority and did whatever he wanted them to.

And she was no different. She reached out and touched his hair, pushing the long, disheveled strands behind his ear. His scent tickled her nose, and she sniffed, leaning in a little closer to him, inhaling the mingled odors of leather, sweat, and musk.

He gave a crooked smile in his sleep, and gathered her closer still.

Mary gave a gasp of surprise when he opened his eyes suddenly. The green depths were just inches away from her face, surrounded by long, black lashes. Many women would have given their left arm to have eyelashes like that. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, moving forward to kiss her on her jaw line. She closed her eyes for a moment.

Megan 
PS: The song captures the poignancy of the black moment in Hero of My Heart. I make a playlist for each book, and this is the pivotal song from this playlist.

We broke our previous greed record yesterday by consuming all of the peaches, bought at a farmers’ market on Sunday, that were supposed to last the week. Yum. So I thought I’d talk about peaches.

Peaches have been around for a long, long time, from China to Europe via the Silk Road, to America in the seventeenth century and into commercial production here in the nineteenth century. There were peaches at Pemberley:

The next variation which their visit afforded was produced by the entrance of servants with cold meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season; but this did not take place till after many a significant look and smile from Mrs. Annesley to Miss Darcy had been given, to remind her of her post. There was now employment for the whole party; for though they could not all talk, they could all eat; and the beautiful pyramids of grapes, nectarines, and peaches soon collected them round the table. Pride and Prejudice

Back to early times, the Romans regarded peaches as a good mix with the savory (I’ve broiled pork chops with smushed up peaches, wine, and mint in my more carnivorous days and they were great). Here’s a recipe from Apicius, a collection of 4th- 5th century AD recipes which might be terrific. I don’t know … the Romans really loved their fish sauce, but really, fish sauce? Try at your own risk, Sister Mairi Jean’s Peaches in Cumin Sauce.

Jumping forward a few centuries–people like me should take note that King John of England died in 1216, some say from overindulging in peaches at a banquet nine days before. Here’s a recipe from 1597 for Peach Marmalade.

To make drie Marmelet of Peches.
Take your Peaches and pare them and cut them from the stones, and mince them very finely and steepe them in rosewater, then straine them with rosewater through a course cloth or Strainer into your Pan that you will seethe it in, you must have to every pound of peches halfe a pound of suger finely beaten, and put it into your pan that you do boile it in, you must reserve out a good quantity to mould your cakes or prints withall, of that Suger, then set your pan on the fire, and stir it til it be thick or stiffe that your stick wil stand upright in it of it self, then take it up and lay it in a platter or charger in prety lumps as big as you wil have the mould or printes, and when it is colde print it on a faire boord with suger, and print them on a mould or what know or fashion you will, & bake in an earthen pot or pan upon the embers or in a feate cover, and keep them continually by the fire to keep them dry. The Second Part of the Good Hus-wives Jewell, (1597); Thomas Dawson. From theoldfoodie.com

I couldn’t find a whole lot about peach recipes in England in the Regency period. There’s a possibility that quinces were more popular than peaches, according to historicfood.com (great pics here!). A lot of the historic recipes I did find were of the use them up quick variety and/or preserve them and if you’ve ever visited a pick your own orchard you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Closer to our own time, Thomas Jefferson embraced peach cultivation with enthusiasm, growing thirty-eight varieties at Monticello, compared to only two varieties at Washington’s Mount Vernon. Jefferson made mobby, an alcoholic drink from peaches, claiming that “20 bushels of peaches will make 75 galls. of mobby, i.e. 5/12 of its bulk” (The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello. Peter J. Hatch).

I’m fascinated by the wealth of varieties of peaches. Peaches are peaches, right? Unless they’re white peaches or doughnut peaches, which do have distinctive flavors. William Cobbett commented, “It is curious enough that people in general think little of the sort in the case of peaches though they are so choice in the case of apples. A peach is a peach, it seems, though I know no apples between which there is more difference than there is between different sorts of peaches.” (Quoted in Hatch, above).

Here are a couple of recipes from The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph, first published in 1825:

Peaches in Brandy. Get yellow soft peaches, perfectly free from defect and newly gathered, but not too ripe; place them in a pot, and cover them with cold weak lye; turn over those that float frequently, that the lye may act equally on them; at the end of an hour take them out, wipe them carefully with a soft cloth to get off the down and skin, and lay them in cold water; make a syrup as for the apricots, and proceed in the same manner, only scald the peaches more.

Peach Marmalade. Take the ripest soft peaches, (the yellow ones make the prettiest marmalade,) pare them, and take out the stones; put them in the pan with one pound of dry light coloured brown sugar to, two of peaches: when they are juicy, they do not require water: with a silver or wooden spoon, chop them with the sugar; continue to do this, and let them boil gently till they are a transparent pulp, that will be a jelly when cold. Puffs made of this marmalade are very delicious.

And here’s a Peach Pudding recipe from later in the century, adapted from Recipes Tried and True, compiled by the Ladies’ Aid Society of the First Presbyterian Church, Marion, Ohio, 1894.

peaches, cooked and sweetened
pint sweet milk
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
a little salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
cream

Fill a pudding dish with peaches, cooked and sweetened; pour over them a batter made of one pint of sweet milk, four eggs, one cup of sugar, one tablespoon of butter, a little salt, one teaspoon of baking powder, and two cups of flour. Place in oven, and bake until a rich brown. Serve with cream.


The title of this post, by the way is from Andrew Marvell. I do love the phrase “stumbling on melons”, and if I’d discovered these lines sooner I might have blogged about melons:

The nectarine, and curious peach,
Into my hands themselves do reach;
Stumbling on melons, as I pass,
Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass

What are your favorite peach recipes? Do share! I’m off downstairs where a bowl of fresh peaches awaits…

Today the news will be filled with weather reports, as we in the US discover if Tropical Storm Isaac turns into a hurricane and if it will hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, where Katrina did such devastating damage in 2005.

For my blog today, I went looking for extreme weather during the Regency period. And I found it! What amazing synchronicity.

Almost 198 years to this day, a storm figured in the burning of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.

On August 19, 1814, British warships sailed up the Patuxent River. The British army disembarked in Maryland and defeated the American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg.  The British marched on to Washington, D.C. on August 24, while government officials and residents fled the city, including, at the last minute, the First Lady, Dolley Madison, who rescued the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington.

Unfortunately for the British, there were no representatives of government left in the nation’s capitol to surrender, so, after eating a dinner meant for Dolley Madison’s party in the White House, the British admiral gave the order to burn the public buildings of the city. The White House and Capitol were still burning on August 25 when a severe thunderstorm struck. It is thought that a  tornado tore through the city, catching the British troops by surprise. Several soldiers were killed in the storm’s destruction, and the storm stopped the further spread of the fire.

Afterward the admiral asked a Washington lady, “Great God, Madam! Is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?”

“No, sir,” the lady replied. “This is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from our city.”

The British left hours later, returning to their ships, which had also suffered damage in the storm.

There is a more detailed account of the storm here.

Interesting note for those of us who love books. The Library of Congress which was then housed in the Capitol, was destroyed by the fire. One year later, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library to Congress to replace the lost books. More about Jefferson’s library here.

Are you in Isaac’s path? If so, stay safe. Do you have any storm memories? I remember driving in every direction after Hurricane Agnes, looking for a way to get home that wasn’t blocked by water.

I’ll select yesterday’s winner after midnight tonight. So there is still time to comment on guest Laurel Hawkes’ blog for a chance to win.

If you are near Raleigh/Durham, NC, on Wednesday Aug 29, I’m going to be doing a reading from A Not So Respectable Gentleman? at Lady Jane’s Salon. I’d love to see some Risky readers there!

Posted in Regency, Research | Tagged | 8 Replies
Diane here. I don’t think we Riskies have hosted an Inspirational author before, but I’m delighted to introduce my friend, Laurel Hawkes (aka frequent Risky commenter “Judy”). I met Laurel through a mutual friend. Actually both Laurel and her friend were readers who became friends of mine. As such I’ve been very lucky to watch as Laurel has gained her courage, developed her writing skills, and reached this great moment–her debut.
 
A Promise of Possibilities is an Inspirational Historical set in the Regency period. 
 
A Promise of Possibilities was released by Desert Breeze Publishing, an ebook publisher, so there aren’t the usual reviews. Here’s what one Amazon reviewer said of Laurel’s book (and you’ll see why I selected this one 😉 ):

I love Regency romances and in particular Diane Gaston, Anne Gracie, the earlier Lisa Kleypas …and this debut novel by Laurel Hawkes is amazing in its depth of characterization, its complexity (by that I mean its gritty realism — the ugliness, and beauty, of real life as opposed to the shallow plots found in so many romances), and in the heart-wrenching situation of its heroine and hero. I’d rather not give the plot away, that would be spoiling it– read the blurb!

Laurel will be giving away one ebook copy of A Promise of Possibilities to one lucky commenter. 
 
Now, without further ado, meet my friend, Laurel Hawkes.
 
Thanks, Diane, for asking me to be a guest at Riskies. I never in my wildest dreams believed I’d enjoy such an honor. 
 
Welcome, Laurel! Tell us about A Promise of Possibilities
 
In England, 1816, spinster Elizabeth Thorn has been more slave than servant as her father’s housekeeper. The courageous war stories shared by author Paul Silver inspire her to correspond with him. But after years of heartfelt letters, he stops replying… 
 
Jonathan Silverton blames himself for the brutal death of his best friend. When he moves to the countryside and unexpectedly meets his correspondent, he chooses not to reveal his secrets. But he cannot deny his desire to marry her, while hoping she’ll never discover the truth. Shattered trust and faith may tear them apart…until they each learn a vital lesson.
 
Yes, I know, it’s the blurb, but I worked hard on it, had some help from some amazing writers, and I’m proud of it. LOL!
 
What gave you the idea to write this book?
 
Funnily enough, my friend Constance Wagner enjoyed my Lord of the Rings fan fiction and thought I should try a historical romance. My first response was a no, because I didn’t believe I could. I thought about her request for a half hour and emailed her again telling her I’d give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen?
 
A Promise of Possibilities is your debut book. Tell us about your journey to publication, especially how writing fan fiction (like another mega-best-selling author) led you to this moment.
 
I actually started with writing short essays, telling the story of the Lord of the Rings “Through Frodo’s Eyes.” I wanted to explore Frodo’s journey from a personal perspective. A dear friend wrote her own romance for Frodo, wishing he’d had an HEA. I offered to edit, and the next thing I knew I was writing my own bits. I told her she’d have to write the romantic parts and the dialogue because I couldn’t. It became a running joke once I discovered how much I enjoy writing both. I started writing contemporary romances, with no real plan for publishing, and then I was asked to write APoP with an eye toward publishing. I kept taking the next step.
 
A Promise of Possibilities is an Inspirational Historical Romance. Tell us how an Inspirational Historical differs from an Historical.
 
The characters’ faith plays a significant role in the story. Both the heroine and the hero explore how God fits into their lives and their relationship.
 
Your bio says that someone told you that you would never succeed as a writer. How did that affect you and how did you overcome it? 
 
I believed them and put writing on the shelf. Years later, in 2002, I was profoundly affected by the LOTR movies. I felt very much like Frodo’s story was my own in many ways. I started making significant changes in my life. The first was realizing how cut off from my feelings I’d been. Because of my love for LOTR, I became involved in the community and discovered a lot of amazing people. We shared ideas, silliness, and our writing. Some of them are truly gifted writers, with no desire to move beyond the fandom writing. I had a few ideas floating around in my head, and risked sharing them. They were incredibly supportive. The next thing I knew, I was writing all hours of the day and night. There are people in my life with whom I don’t share my writing. I’ve been blessed with a lot of people who have been wonderfully supportive. I joined my local RWA chapter, Desert Rose, in 2007, still not truly believing I’d ever publish, simply taking the next logical step and the next step.
 
Your bio says you lived in Thailand and England. How was it you lived in those very different countries?
 
I was a missionary in Thailand, an amazing experience. When I returned home I attended travel agency school. We had a field trip planned to Mexico. I landed in the hospital, unable to travel. The cost to Europe wasn’t much more. I stayed the summer with family friends, taking a bus tour to Scotland and hopping across the channel to Holland and then France.
 
What is next for you?
 
A Promise of Possibilities is the first of three books in the Endless Possibilities Series following the Thorn siblings. Matthew’s story, Hidden Possibilities, releases in March 2013, and James’s Unexpected Possibilities releases in October 2013. I also have a contemporary series, The Silver Locket Sisterhood, with the first book, Luck in Love, coming out in November 2012.
 
When I find an author I love, I’ll read anything they write, no matter the genre. Obviously, I’m writing in two different genres and toying with a time travel idea. What about you, do you read only one genre or do you delve into other genres as well?
 
Thanks again for inviting me to Riskies.
Thank you for being our guest! And, Readers, don’t forget. Comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of A Promise of Possibilities