Thanksgiving 2012 Myths and Facts
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| The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe (image from Wikimedia Commons) |
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Thanksgiving 2012 Myths and Facts
A fascinating list of myths and facts about Thanksgivings, past and present :0)
Thanksgiving 2012 Myths and Facts
Thanksgiving 2012 Myths and Facts
Monday, 19 November 2012
Giveaway ending soon, The Golden Age of English Food & Festival of Romance
Goodreads Giveaway
There are only a few hours left to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a signed copy of A Bright Particular Star. Just click on the widget below to enter before the deadline :0)
Goodreads Book Giveaway
A Bright Particular Star
by Elizabeth Hanbury
Giveaway ends November 20, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
BBC Four Calf's Head and Coffee: The Golden Age of English Food
If you are you in the UK, you might like to watch Calf's Head and Coffee: The Golden Age of English Food on BBC 4 at 9pm this evening. Food writer Stefan Gates delves into the past to discover the origins of British cuisine, focusing on an often overlooked golden age, some 300 years ago. He re-creates a host of recipes in his kitchen, although I'm not sure all of them will catch on in the modern domestic kitchen. Calf's Head surprise, anyone?!
In this clip, Stefan and food historian Ivan Day discuss puddings and why they are such an English thing (see also my earlier post about British Pudding Day).
Clip from BBC Four's Calf's Head and Coffee - why are puddings an English thing?
There are several recipes here, all taken from their original texts, including this one for Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream!
Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream
(taken from The Complete Confectioner by Frederic Nutt published in 1807)
Take six eggs, half a pint of syrup, and a pint of cream ; put them into a stewpan and boil them until it begins to thicken ; then rasp three ounces of Parmasan cheese, mix and pass them through a sieve, and freeze it.
Festival of Romance
The Festival of Romance was held during 16-18th November in Bedford. It was a fabulous event and although I only managed to attend on Saturday, I had a great time. My author friend and fellow Coffee Crew member Phillipa Ashley won best e-book award for Miranda's Mount - very well deserved as it's a great read!
You can view the official photo stream for the event, but here is my shot of the lovely Dan and Sarah from Tread the Boards Theatre Group, who played the perfect Regency gentleman and lady ;0)
Monday, 12 November 2012
Innocent Tears - Iris Blobel
I'm welcoming fellow Astraea Press author Iris Blobel to the blog today to talk about her latest release. Over to you, Iris! :0)
Blurb:
Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn, a
business lawyer in Melbourne, it almost pulls the feet from right underneath
him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight! He had no
idea about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when
he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, and his parents, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’, and Emma is voicing her opinion as well. And right in the middle is little Nadine, still grieving the loss of her mother and finding a wonderful friend in Emma. There’s no doubt she’s afraid where and with whom she will settle.
***
Hello everyone – First of all I’d like to thank Liz for having me on her
blog to tell you a bit about Melbourne. Why? Easy - my latest book “Innocent Tears” is set in this very southern city. We’re talking Melbourne Australia
– 4.1 Mio in population, currently buzzing with horseracing, soon host of
international cricket games AND host of the Australian Open every year in
January.
But this is not supposed to be an ad for Melbourne, but a bit of
background for my story. I live about 100 km west of Melbourne – small town,
but just right to raise children and just the right distance to be able to hop
to Melbourne and enjoy the international flair of the Arts, Sports or
Entertainment.
Melbourne is a constant buzz. A melting pot and has something on offer
for everyone. My favourite spot? Probably along the Yarra River, and I added a
little scene into the book, where Flynn, the main character, watches the world
go by as he looks over Southbank.
The city with four seasons in one day has a
lot to offer, not only the beach, but also the mountains, which are only an
hour or two away. The marine life, and one of the most popular surf beaches in
the world: Bells Beach where they filmed “Point Break” with Keanu Reeves
and Patrick Swayze.
For me that was the perfect setting for “Innocent Tears” where the two
worlds of Flynn, Business Lawyer, and little Nadine, only six years old,
collide.
Thank you all for stopping by. I appreciate it!
Blurb:
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, and his parents, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’, and Emma is voicing her opinion as well. And right in the middle is little Nadine, still grieving the loss of her mother and finding a wonderful friend in Emma. There’s no doubt she’s afraid where and with whom she will settle.
But in the end, it’s a letter Flynn receives that helps him figuring out what
to do.
Where you can buy “Innocent Tears”
Where you can find me online:
***
Thank you, Iris - very best of luck with Innocent Tears, it sounds a fabulous read and I would love to go to Melbourne one day.
Friday, 9 November 2012
Happy British Pudding Day
Today (9th November) is British Pudding Day! In these times of calorie counting and healthy eating, the popularity of the good old British pudding has suffered. Even during the winter months, not many people indulge in a proper pudding after their main meal.
But Britain has a unmatched reputation, dating back to the 17th century, for making steamed, boiled and baked puddings. We are famous for comforting dishes like bread and butter pudding, apple crumble, sponge puddings, the gloriously-named spotted dick and treacle tart.
Today is a chance to celebrate this wonderful British tradition and help to keep it going, so throw your guilt and your calorie counter out of the window and celebrate with a gorgeous hot British pud! They are the ultimate comfort food and just the thing to warm you up on a cold night ;0)
Here's a favourite pudding receipe of mine:
Treacle and Lemon Sponge
Butter a 1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basin and pour in a small can of golden syrup and the juice of a lemon.Make a basic sponge mixture:
Cream 4oz butter with 4oz white sugar. Beat in 2 eggs and 4oz white flour.
Add the grated zest of another lemon and stir its juice into the mixture.
Put into the basin on top of the lemon and syrup. Make a close fitting top with aluminium foil and stand in a pan of boiling water.
Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Serve with cream or custard.
Enjoy!!
PS: there's still time to enter the Goodreads giveaway for a signed copy of A Bright Particular Star, just click on the Giveaway widget below :0)
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Goodreads Giveaway & Ice Angel offer
Ice Angel has been selected by Amazon to appear in
their special promotion for November.It’s currently just 99p on Amazon UK/$1.56 on Amazon.com !
And I'm also running a Goodreads giveaway for a signed paperback copy of the sequel to Ice Angel, A Bright Particular Star.
Just click on the link below to enter :0)
Goodreads Book Giveaway
A Bright Particular Star
by Elizabeth Hanbury
Giveaway ends November 20, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Hallowe'en
The modern festival of Hallowe'en developed from the two closely linked Christian Festivals of All Saints (1st November) and All Souls (2nd November) both of which were concerned with the dead.
The Festival of All Saints, known in English as All-Hallows or Hallowmas (Hallow from the Old English word for holy man or saint) commemorated all the Christian saints and martyrs. The Feast of All Souls was added later to commemorate the faithful departed. In particular, the early Church believed that souls who had died without proper preparation or who died without final rites could be helped towards Heaven and their sufferings relieved by the actions of the living. All Souls was therefore an important feast at which special masses were held and pious acts were encouraged. One of the most tangible methods of assisting souls was in the ringing of church bells and this went on for hours at All Souls. The idea of Purgatory and the living interceding on behalf of the dead was rejected during the Reformation and All Souls was excluded from the English Religious Calendar.
Thereafter Hallowe'en became generally known as the time when spirits and the spirit world were close to the living. Old texts often describe the games and love divinations (a popular pastime at any time of the year, it seems! :D) that were carried out. This description is from 1825...
The virgil of All Saints' Day on which it is customary for young people in the North of England to dive for apples, or catch at them upon one end of a kind of hanging beam, at the other extremity of which is fixed a lighted candle and that with their mouths only, their hands being tied behind their backs.
And this one from the early 20th century...
It was also the custom on All Hallowe'en to peel apples, then whirl the peel three times around the head and then throw it over the left shoulder to the floor. The letter formed on the floor by the apple peel would be the intitial of the future husband or wife. Mrs. H assured me that her apple peel always formed the letter J, and she eventually married a man called Jack.
Two nuts could also be chosen to represent two potential lovers and placed side by side on the fire shovel over the flames of a fire. The future for the couple could be gauged by whether the heated nuts jumped apart or together!
Another tradition was if you brushed your hair in front of the mirror at midnight, it was said the face of your future spouse would appear over your shoulder. In some areas, Hallowe'en was also known as Mischief Night when misbehaviour and trickery was encouraged and allowed. Perhaps the origins of trick or treat!
Whatever you're doing this Hallowe'en, stay safe and have fun!
PS the Kindle edition of my debut Regency novel The Paradise Will is now only £3.35 on Amazon UK or $5.40 on Amazon.com - great to relax with after all that trick or treating;0)
And hurry...for a limited time only I think Ice Angel is available for just 99p on Amazon UK and $1.59 on Amazon.com !!
Jack O'Lantern image by Toby Ord, from Wikimedia Commons
Snap-Apple Night (1832) by Daniel Maclise, from Wikimedia Commons
Early 20th Century Hallowe'en card, from Wikimedia Commons
Monday, 29 October 2012
A warm welcome to Lisa L Greer
I'm delighted to welcome author Lisa L. Greer to my blog today! Lisa writes gothic romance and she's here to tell us more about her new venture, the Sorrowmoor Kickstarter project. Over to you, Lisa!
***
***
Thanks
for having me as
your guest today, Elizabeth!
It's the spooky time of year, autumn, and
I think it's a perfect time for me to work on a set of shiver worthy stories...
This
coming year, I’m
doing something different—a Kickstarter project.
I really enjoy writing
serials, and I like
rolling them out as
serials were meant to
be done: in quick
succession. These are mini-stories with
cliffhangers at the end.
They compose a larger
tale—in this case,
a spooky one set
in the mid-1800s that
follows the inhabitants of
the Sorrowmoor estate. I love
to include all kinds
of gothic romance tropes
in my work like
secret chambers, diaries, curses, ghosts,
spooky graveyards, family secrets, heroines
in distress, Byronic heroes, and
more. If that's your
speed, I think you'll
enjoy these serials.
The
goal I’ve set
for funding for the
project is where it
needs to be to
cover the rewards, cover
art, editing, formatting and
other expenses. And it is
pretty reasonable for a Kickstarter
project goal from what
I can tell. I
want to have enough
money to complete the
project in a way
I’m happy with
and in a timely
manner, and most importantly, to
give value to readers.
That
isn’t always possible
unless as an author,
I have control over
the publishing process. That’s
where my project, Sorrowmoor, comes in.
I’m planning at
least twenty historical gothic
romance serials over the
course of 2013. My
motto is under-promise and
over-deliver in terms of
what I’ve outlined
for the serials. So,
it’s likely I’ll have more
than twenty serials or
that they’ll be
lengthier than the minimum
of 2000 words each.
These will land in
backers’ inboxes (unless backers
don’t want them
in that format), and
I’ll also put
the serials in a
combined e-book edition with
a fabulous cover and
a print edition that
looks equally great. I’m planning lots
of other cool stuff,
too!
So,
how can you get
some good reads and
back the project? If
you have a dollar,
that’s a start.
There are all sorts
of levels to back
Sorrowmoor, so
please take a look.
If you don’t
like gothic romance (which
is romantic suspense, just
with paranormal elements), you can support
the project and gift
your rewards to a
friend who will enjoy
these serials. It’s
like a year-round Christmas
gift. :o)
I
appreciate the backing I
have so far, and
I’m really excited
about this project! Check
it out if you
have a minute, and
tell a friend who
might enjoy reading these
stories. You can see
the video about Sorrowmoor and
learn more here:
Thank
you all for reading
and supporting my endeavors as
a working writer! :0)
***
Thank you, Lisa - the project sounds fabulous, very best of luck with it!
You can find out more about Lisa, her writing and the Sorrowmoor project at Lisa's website:
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