Monthly Archives: September 2012

A Piece of Cake

Updated on October 15, 2022 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

Lately I have been thinking about many things wedding (as well as many things deadline and many things revision-y). My favorites so far have been dresses (of course!), and, since I have a terrible sweet tooth, cake. I think I want to go for something chocolate, or at least white with chocolate filling, but haven’t made up my mind yet. So today I decided to take a quick look at some cakes of the past.

In ancient Rome, a barley cake was broken by the groom over the bride’s head for good luck. (Like so many other wedding things we do and don’t know why–it’s for luck). In medieval times, there was something called a “bride’s pye” (one recipe of which calls for cockscombs, lam testicles, sweetbreads, oysters, and–thankfully–spices). The traditional French wedding cake is a croquembouche, sort of like glazed profiteroles glued together with spun sugar) is said to come from another medieval tradition where the bride and groom had to kiss over a large pile of cakes. Why? Luck!! (or superstition–much like the tradition of bridesmaids taking a piece of cake home to put under their pillow so they will dream of their own future husbands. This sounds very messy to me)

Like so many wedding things, cakes became more elaborate in the Victorian era. Sugar had become more plentiful and affordable, and after Victoria had a white wedding cake, white icing became known as “royal icing.” In Carol Wilson’s article “Wedding Cake: A Slice of History” she says that elaborate whorls and decorations of icing and fresh flowers and columns were “a status symbol, a display of family wealth.” (I tried to link to this, but it doesn’t appear to be available any longer). I think this notion is still valid, considering how expensive cakes have become. I have friends who have spent over $1000 for a cake; a new trend is having a cake made of styrofoam, with the guests served discreetly from a cheaper sheet cake. (my own wedding is very small, so I probably won’t need to resort to quite this level of subterfuge…)

The queen’s daughter Princess Louise (the one who married a “commoner”) had a piece of her wedding cake sold at an antiques fair a few years ago for $215. A bargain compared to the piece from the 1937 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, which sold for $29,000.

The English traditional cake is a plum or fruit cake (which I think Will and Kate had at their wedding…), in the US we consider a white cake traditional. When Elizabeth II married in 1947, her cake weighed 500 pounds; Princess Diana’s cake, encrusted with marzipan Windsor coats of arms, was 5 feet tall. (I wonder if they served sheet cake on the sly??)

These are a few I am thinking about:

(The ones with pink roses look like my parents’ cake 40 years ago, so I was going to try and reproduce it for my own wedding…)

What is your favorite kind of cake?? What is the best cake you ever had at a wedding?

Posted in Former Riskies, Frivolity, Research | Tagged Cakes, Weddings | 7 Replies

Monument

Updated on October 15, 2022 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

Today, of course, is September11. It seems impossible that 11 years have gone by since that day, which no one here will ever forget. As the building goes on for monuments in NYC and elsewhere, I thought I would take a quick look at another memorial built to commemorate a terrible event–the Great Fire monument in London.

The Great Fire started in a Pudding Lane bakeshop on September 2, 1666, and nearly wiped out the entire city (old, brittle, and built mostly of wood) before it was contained several days later. The Rebuilding Act of 1669 specified that some sort of memorial be built “the better to preserve the memory of this dreadful visitation.” It wasn’t until 1671 that the City Council approved a design, and 6 years before it was complete (plus another 2 before the inscription was finished!). The final cost was 13,450 pounds.

It’s a fluted Doric column of Portland stone topped with a crown of gilded flames at Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, 200 feet tall and 202 feet from the spot where the fire started (it’s said if the column topples that way it would land on the exact spot). It’s on the site of St. Margaret’s, Fish Street, the first church destroyed in the fire. The top is reached by a narrow winding staircase of 311 steps (a cage was added in the 1840s to prevent suicides). I am very claustrophobic, and have never tried this myself, but I hear the view is amazing!

The base is inscribed on 3 sides–the south describes the actions King Charles II took following the fire, the east how the monument was built and the mayors who oversaw it, the north how the fire started and was finally contained (a line about “Popish frenzy” was erased in 1830), and the west is a bas relief sculpture of Charles II and his brother the Duke of York, surrounded by Liberty, Architecture, and Science, directing the restoration of the city.

(For more info on the fire itself, look here…)

Have you ever seen this monument? What is the most moving/interesting/beautiful memorial you’ve seen??

Posted in Former Riskies, Research | Tagged Great Fire, Monuments | 9 Replies

Tea Redux

Updated on October 15, 2022 by carolyn

The Day Job Project from Heck has been woefully behind on every aspect of my life. I’m having a hard time catching up.

So, today you get a post from 2010 on tea. Enjoy.

As most of you probably know, the English drink tea. Tea was introduced in England after 1650. I’m sure that most of us have read a historical in which the phrase “a dish” of tea is used rather than the more familiar “cup” of tea. This site tells us that the first tea cups were Chinese in origin and were shallow saucers, and did not have handles. From the same site:

100 years after the introduction of tea in England, handles were not yet seen on tea cups, but English potters had introduced saucers to the bowls. The tea-drinkers thought the saucer was there to pour the tea into to cool it and then they would sip the tea from the saucer. Later the saucer was used to hold spillage and the use of the cup and saucer became the tradition used today with the addition of handles.

Britain Express has a good overview of the history of tea and coffee houses. Tea was taxed by 1676. A hundred years later, we know how that taxation thing worked for the British when they were across the pond. According to this site, the tax rose to 119% and guess what?! Tea smuggling, that’s what. And guess what else! People put stuff that wasn’t tea in the tea. What’s that thing the French say about change and the same old thing?

Check out The United Kingdom Tea Council for their amazing History of Tea, including the The London Tea Auction

And there’s this from 1826:

My favorite tea ever is Lapsang Souchang. I love the smoky flavor. At work, however, I drink Lipton. It gets my day going. What about you guys? Do you drink tea? What kind? If you were a tea smuggler where would you hide your tea?

Posted in Former Riskies, Research | Tagged An oldie but a goodie, tea | 10 Replies

Happy Release Day! Not Proper Enough

Updated on October 15, 2022 by carolyn

Not Proper Enough

It’s release day for me. This time, book two of my Reforming the Scoundrels series. I hope you’ll join me in the fun and perhaps rush out to get your hands on the book!

Because of the way I write, I never know what’s going to happen for sure until I have the words on the page. I was nervous knowing, while I was writing the first book (Not Wicked Enough), that I was going to have to write this second one with some facts already established. Ack!! Things I can’t change when it’s their turn?

In Not Wicked Enough I wanted to keep some things vague as to Eugenia and Fenris so as not to write myself into trouble with them. But I couldn’t be so generic that they weren’t interesting. They also needed to serve the needs of Not Wicked Enough. That had to come first.

As I was writing Not Wicked Enough, I had (for me) a fairly definite idea of who Eugenia was, not a huge surprised since she’s my heroine’s best friend. She had a good amount of page time. But Fenris? In Not Wicked Enough, he wasn’t anyone’s friend. Nobody liked him. I knew he’d done something unforgivable. I just didn’t know what.

That’s right. I started writing Not Proper Enough under a wicked tight deadline and without knowing what my hero had done that was so awful. I knew it would work itself out, because, after 16 assorted books, stories and novellas, it just does. My writer’s brain is always hard at work for me. I just have to give it room and not panic for long.

About Not Proper Enough

The Marquess of Fenris has loved Lady Eugenia from the day he first set eyes on her. Five years ago, pride caused him to earn her enmity. Now she’s widowed, and he’s determined to make amends and win her heart. But with their near explosive attraction, can he resist his desire long enough to court her properly?

After the death of her beloved husband, Lady Eugenia Bryant has come to London to build a new life. Despite the gift of a medallion said to have the power to unite the wearer with her perfect match, Eugenia believes she won’t love again. And yet, amid the social whirl of chaperoning a young friend through her first Season, she finds a second chance at happiness.

Unfortunately, the Marquess of Fenris threatens her newfound peace. Eugenia dislikes the man, but the handsome and wealthy heir to a dukedom is more charming than he has a right to be. Constantly underfoot, the rogue disturbs her heart, alternately delighting and scandalizing her. And when their relationship takes a highly improper turn, Eugenia must decide if the wrong man isn’t the right one after all.

Read Chapter 1 of Not Proper Enough

Berkley Sensation
September, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-425-25097-6

What They’re Saying

I love how blunt this romance is too. It’s dirty and fierce. Eugenia almost revels in the fact that she hates him, yet can’t seem to shake him off. They take pleasure from each other, sometimes rough, sometimes drawing it out as long as they can. The romance in this book is so intense that you can’t help but feel the chemistry between these two. I feel like this is where Carolyn Jewel shines. Not just her amazing sexual relationship she builds for her characters, but their overall interactions. Their banter is so smart and fast. Humor, put downs, sarcasm, it all comes through so well. These are two mature people who have been through a lot in their life and watching them come to terms with each other is really a treat.

I found this book to be a clever, very sensual romance. Well done.
Mandi – Smexy Books Romance Reviews

With her engaging, complex characters, knowledge of the era and a sharp ear for dialogue, Jewel creates a nicely written, highly sensual and emotional love story.
RT Magazine

As always, Carolyn Jewel’s writing is polished and her characterizations delightful. With a story that is by turns very hot and very emotional, I found myself relishing the experience of reading this book.
Lynne Spencer, All About Romance

This was another delicious, detailed, smoldering romance from Carolyn Jewel.
Rogues Under the Covers

I highly recommend all historical romance lovers go out and pick up this book. You will not be disappointed.
Fiction Vixen

OH MY GOODNESS! What an awesome book! I loved every minute of it. Talk about a page turner that I couldn’t put down. First off, the story line was moving and shocking at the same time. Not Proper Enough kept me wanting more. To be honest it would be one of those books to re-read again. That right there says a lot. So, I hope that you all get a chance to check this book out when it comes out. Plus, you all want to know if Fenris is able to change Eugenia’s opinion of him.
The Cutest Blog on the Block

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I hope to have the file ready to go fairly soon!

Posted in Former Riskies, Risky Book Talk | Tagged books, Not Proper Enough, Promotion | 6 Replies

Miscellanea Plus A Question for You-All

Updated on October 15, 2022 by carolyn

Today is my father’s birthday. His 81st. He’s a retired physician who worked so many hours during his working life that he never had time for all the things he wanted to do around the house. “Projects” piled up that he was going to get to some day, although I suspect we all do a bit of that “someday” thinking.

I will fix the flibberty-gibbet when I have time…

Only when you do have some time it’s more fun to take a nap or read or do something that is less like work. And now, for various reasons, he cannot do the things he was saving up to do.

Anyway, he loves to read. He doesn’t read on a Kindle, so it’s paper for him all the way. Which gets me into the bookstore pretty often. I try to think of books he might like, but he’s a tough cookie. Very picky. Sometimes I give him a dud, and I feel terrible.

A while back, after I read my first Lee Child book, I knew my dad would love Jack Reacher. And I was right.

Unfortunately, eventually, I had both of us caught up with his backlist. At that point, my dad actually started trolling the internet looking for information about the next Jack Reacher book. He would duly print out whatever he’d found and bring it to me with instructions to please get that book for him. So cute. Then I signed him up for Child’s newsletter. Smash hit. I think I am his favorite daughter whenever a newsletter arrives.

I went to Bouchercon a couple years ago and, as it happens, Lee Child was a speaker and doing a signing. I brought the penultimate hardback with me, and purchased the new book Child was signing, and I stood in a very, very long line and got the books signed for my dad. Child was completely gracious. And my dad was tickled pink to get personally autographed books.

Now my Dad prints off all the newsletters and brings them to me to make sure I get the book for him right away. But I get the newsletter too, and I’m faster on the ‘Net and always have the book on order at the local independent for him.

Dad likes (I’m pretty sure) Navy SEAL books; I got him the bin Laden op book and a couple others and he seems to have liked them. I get him political thrillers because he’s got some rather looney political conspiracy theories himself. (Fiction for us, non-fiction for him?)

My Question to you

Dad loves mysteries and I’ve been thinking that I should possibly get him some of the Heyer mysteries. But I have not read any of them. Have any of you? Which would you recommend? Please let me know in the comments!