Miserable Day in More Ways Than One

This morning, I have no idea why the formatting on an important document changed. I struggled for over an hour to correct it. I then rewrote the entire document - 8 pages of single spacing with not wide margins. By then I was cross and more than ready to have breakfast. If my mother had not brought me up not to swear I can't imagine what I would have said.

The sun shone a little but it was very cold so I went shopping for groceries instead of getting on in either the greenhouse or the garden. I bought half of the items on my shopping list, had lunch, and then bought the other half. When I reach home hailstones rattled on the car, on the pavement and on me as I took the shopping in.

You up there far above the grey sky, if I pray very nicely, please may we have some nice weather.

Better Weather

My grandson, who has been poorly and did not go to school, went for a walk across the green behind my house and on into the woods. We took Oscar  with us. He is a small, delightful 6 month old puppy my grandson and his family are looking after.

The weather is mild, the air crisp but the ground underfoot squelchy after the recent heavy rain. The woods are full of birdsong and we saw squirrels scampering across the ground and in the trees. Oscar enjoyed it and barked for us to throw sticks for him to fetch.

As a historical novelist I imagined our experiences taking place in the past and made notes.

Time to be Honest

Ten regrets re:2013

1. Not being able to afford to buy every book on my want to read list.

2. My inability to manage on less than 8 hours sleep a night so that I could pack more into my already busy days.

3. Not meeting my target of swimming 3 or 4 times a week.

4. Failure to lose more weight in spite of low fat milk, only one sweet treat a week etc.

5. I should have signed up for more book blogs for my romantic historical novels.

6. Spending too much time on Facebook when I should be reading historical non-fiction and making notes for my novel.

7. Describing the hero helping the heroine to sit on his horse and then sitting in front of her. In order to do so he would have had to pass his leg over her head. Ouch! Neither my efficient copy editor nor my efficient line editor noticed this. No matter how hard I try it's really difficult to always get everything right.

8. I wish I had mastered the technique of growing indoor and outdoor winter salads.

9. Failure to finish my new novel by Christmas 2013.

10. I should have bought new carpet for the stairs and a new gas cooker.

2014

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year,

 

 

Rosemary

Historical Novelist

 

www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

 

Book Tokens

I'm delighted with the book tokens which I received from more than one person for Christmas.

My Christmas

My head's reeling with Christmas cheer. One of the highlights was watching my daughter's children delving into their stockings and the 4 year old repeatedly saying: This is the best Christmas ever. And the nine year old saying the same thing but adding: Because you're here, Grandma.

The most amusing was one of my 12 year old grandson telling his father that he no longer believes in Father Christm...as. To which my youngest son replied. "If you don't believe, you don't get." "I believe, I believe." Later, he told me. "I don't understand why parents would want a strange man to enter their children's bedrooms while they are sleeping."

I divided my time between my children's houses and loved every minute with each one, my daughters in law and my grandchildren.

On Christmas Eve we lunched at a favourite restaurant, I spent the night at my daughter's house, Christmas Day after stockings at presents at her house, I visited son No.3 and his family and then had a wonderful vegetarian lunch at his twin brother's house.

Boxing Day is on of my granddaughter's birthday. She and her cousins celebrated it playing bowls in the late afternoon. I enjoyed watching my grandchildren and two guests bowling before we went out to dinner.

I spent yesterday at my daughter's house and went to see The Hobbit 2 with my twin sons and three grandsons.

And now, after having such a happy Christmas, back to work on my novel Monday's Child the sequel to Sunday's Child.

Christmas Greetings

My prayers go out to all those who are afflicted.

I offer the compliments of the season to all of you who celebrate Christmas, and hope those who don't will have a peaceful time.

Ideas for My Novels

I'm sure many novelists are asked where they get their ideas for their novels. I am not an exception. My novels are often inspired by historical research, reading non-fiction or visiting a place of historical interest, after which my imagination takes over.

While writing I draw inspiration from many things, including poetry. Yesterday, after reading the following verse, I went to sleep with the words in my mind.

Her gentle motion and her smiles,
Her wit, her voice my heart beguiles,
Beguiles my heart, I know not why,
And yet I love her till I die.

Anon (17th century)

Christmas Read

I'm still staying at my youngest son's house and treasuring my time with his wife, two of my grandsons and one of my granddaughters. The Christmas lights and tree are up and we are enjoying each other's company.

I've dipped into one of the books I chose to read during the Christmas holidays The White Princess by Philippa Gregory. The fate of the Princes in the Tower is uncertain, and the personal relationship between Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth of York is speculative, but, so far, I'm enjoying the novel.

The Infant's Library - Georgian's Revealed Exhibition

At the Georgain's Revealed Exhibition at The British Library I fell in love with The Children's Library a collection of 17 small books published c.1800. They measure approximately 55mm by 45 mm. These tiny books are covered with pretty coloured paper. They are illustrated with woodcuts, some of which are hand-coloured. Originally they were contained in a box with a pink paper lining and a sliding front with "a pretty image of a glass-fronted bookcase".

The subjects of each book are diverse: the alphabet, reading and spelling, games for boys and girls, furniture and domestic items, etc.

Two of the books on display were open. The first two facing pages. Page 62 and 63 of the "History of England". A woodcut of "Our most gracious Sovereign George III" and another woodcut of "his amiable consort Queen Charlotte. The second book was open at a page with the text "I will practice a minuet, and when Harriet and Matilda come in the evening, they will dance to it." The woodcut is of a young girl practicing on a harpsichord.

Dates for Monday's Child

I am more than halfway through Monday's Child, the sequel to my novel Sunday's Child, set in 1814.

The dates are important so I checked my chapters and added one at the beginning of every scene. When I submit the novel to MuseItUp Publishing I shall remove them, but while I'm writing they ensure I'm not in a tangle - so to speak -  with fast moving events.

Miracle of Christmas

The shops are flooded with baubles,  tinsel and many other decorations. Small children visit Santa's grotto. The competition for shopper's money is fierce. Articles about what to buy and cook for Christmas are profuse. Credit cards purchase goods which too many people will struggle to buy. So where is the miracle of Christmas? It was in the faces of the pre-school children, who enacted the nativity today, including that my four year-old granddaughter, who represented Mary and rocked the baby doll standing in for Jesus with real tenderness. 

Christmas Greenery

My eldest granddaughter and I decorated my Christmas tree. It's something she enjoys doing with me every year.
I picked assorted greenery from my garden some with berries on it, arranged it in a large glass vase and hung small baubles on the branches. It looks gorgeous and the cuttings from evergreen trees smell gorgeous. And now to think about making a wreath for the front door using material from the garden.

Choosing a Title for my Novel

I have a  title for my medieval novel set in Edward II's reign but after reading an article by Alison Baverstock in Writers & Artists Yearbook 2013 I'm dissatisfied with it. She quotes: Heather-Holden Brown of the hhb agency says: "The title matters hugely I want something that excites me, and that will draw a similarly instant reaction from any publisher I mention it to." So go for something that is topical, intriguing or witty and to the point."

My characters and I have settled on 'intriguing' but I didn't appreciate them waking me up in the night giving me their input while I was half asleep. They suggested something on the lines of 'When once you practice to deceive what a tangled web you weave,' but  I told them that 'it ignores the romantic elements in my novel.' On the other hand... However, my protagonists needs to understand I am the boss and they are acting under my direction!

What is on my Mind

First of all the Hindhu Wedding Service in which the bride and groom understand they will be joined in marriage for seven births. I've always thought that's risky. Suppose the marriage is unhappy and continues to be so for six more births.

This week I've dressed warmly and got on in my garden and greenhouse. I've sown micro greens which can be snipped when they are four inches high, and peas for shoots to be added to salad.

I cut the yellowing lower leaves off my Brussel sprouts and tied the plants to stop them from toppling over. I then raked and weeded the bed, fed the Brussels with a liquid feed and covered them with horticultural net to protect them from the beady-eyed wood pigeons that visit my garden. I have also spread manure around my fruit trees in the hope they will give the same bumper crop as last year.

Today, I hope to do a little more in the garden after a writing session followed by tidying up the house.

Father of the Bride's Farewell

At the end of the long Hindhu wedding ceremony that I attended on Sunday the bride's father spoke the following words.

"When you wake tomorrow morning there will be an empty place at our breakfast table. We will always remember you. Please, never forget us."

I admit his words brought a tear or two to my eyes.

Word Pictures

I enjoyed Sunday lunch at my youngest son and daughter-in-law's house with their three children, my daughter and her three children. The conversation turned to my paperback which they are very excited about, particularly because it is dedicated to my grandson, Harry. They asked me questions about how I write and I mentioned word pictures. Curious they asked me what I meant so I quoted from my new novel, Monday's Child the sequel to my e-book, Sunday's Child.

"The sun was low in a sky streaked with pale gold and powder-pink as though painted by God’s almighty hand."

This sparked their imaginations and they commented on it.

A Hindhu Wedding

I attended my youngest nephew's wedding in a beautifully decorated conference room at a large banqueting centre.

There were approximately 500 guests to witness the bride in a magnificent white silk sari beautifully embellished with red and green beadwork and embroidery, and the bridegroom in a white heavy silk tunic worn over matching trousers, tight at the ankles.

All the ladies and little girls were resplendent in colourful outfits and jewellery, and the men, many who wore slippers with pointed toes reminiscent of Aladdin, and colourful tunics and trousers were equally resplendent.

I met people I had not seen for many years including a couple of ladies who I taught at secondary school in Nairobi.

The wedding ceremony was followed by a formal lunch - flat breads, curries, a savoury, rice, sweets and much more.

I returned home tired but happy.

The Eagle of The Ninth Chronicles by Rosemary Sutcliffe

As an avid reader and a historical novelist I enjoy giving books as Christmas presents.
I wracked my brains trying to decide what to give a 12 and 10 year old for Christmas. Both of them are keen readers and are interested in history so I chose The Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles by Rosemary Sutcliffe.

In her foreword she writes:

"Sometime in about the year 117 AD, the Ninth Legion, which was stationed at Eburacum where York now stands, marched north to deal with a rising among the Caledonian tribes and was never heard of again.

During excavations at Silchester nearly eighteen hundred years later, there was dug up under the green fields which now cover the pavements of Callleva Atrebatum, a wingless Roman Eagle a cast of which can be seen to this day in Reading Museum. Different people have different ideas as to how it came to be there but no one knows, just as no one knows what happened to the Ninth Legion after it marched into the northern mists.

It is from these two mysteries, brought together, that I have made the story of The Eagle of the Ninth."

Titles and Forms of Address

I treated myself to a copy of Titles and Forms of Address A Guide to Correct Use from the publishers of Who's Who, A & C Black, London. "A reference book for the desk that shows how to address (in speech and on letters and envelopes) men and women with ranks, honours ...etc.,".

I am pleased to have corrected a mistake I made in Monday's Child, the sequel to Sunday's Child. A character introduced another character as Colonel, Viscount Langley, instead of as Colonel, Lord Langley. I have corrected my mistake in the novel. Phew! I do like to be accurate.