tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89452335563718532922023-11-16T02:53:04.398-05:00Regency WranglesLife of a mechanical engineering professor who also writes novels set in the Regency era (early 19th century England) and who loves to knit.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-48045880262234918252015-06-20T16:23:00.000-04:002015-06-20T16:56:24.374-04:00Maps of Central Europe, 1789-1815: The Effects of French Revolution & Napoleon's AmbitionMaps of central Europe, showing France's annexation of territory during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.<br />
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Map of France before the Revolution. (Double click on any image to enlarge.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaB4nxJzPOBhqW_FDtPk325RSuaxk4b0-kESgTNlm1poah_b5zyro5OW07-yTg5NEuTqIOi6jckRdEKFinhlgGca-WkgK4LltzYCfbBEfiSJo098Ph9H-Seu3afPvaiAsu0EqiIk8Vyhv/s1600/map-France-before-the-Revolution-1789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaB4nxJzPOBhqW_FDtPk325RSuaxk4b0-kESgTNlm1poah_b5zyro5OW07-yTg5NEuTqIOi6jckRdEKFinhlgGca-WkgK4LltzYCfbBEfiSJo098Ph9H-Seu3afPvaiAsu0EqiIk8Vyhv/s400/map-France-before-the-Revolution-1789.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The countries of central Europe in 1789, prior to the Revolution, had the borders shown below. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFwa8PdvSTOycTK_QVWYLWc1SovJTRg8d4ibBeOxk1QocWXYL_eubwbwEPXyasyJ_Jrw-mDPMbQ0d2xK9_aoBvccp_H4zVjKlkSm7_h94jQHQGoiFqdohs01uObkCXbt2E8PU8cRa9Rpe/s1600/map-1789-central_europe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFwa8PdvSTOycTK_QVWYLWc1SovJTRg8d4ibBeOxk1QocWXYL_eubwbwEPXyasyJ_Jrw-mDPMbQ0d2xK9_aoBvccp_H4zVjKlkSm7_h94jQHQGoiFqdohs01uObkCXbt2E8PU8cRa9Rpe/s400/map-1789-central_europe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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From 1789-1799, the borders of France expanded, as shown below. The map shows territory "acquired" during Napoleon's Italian campaigns of 1798 and 1799 (prior to his becoming First Consul).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_VL-KVtLvPVz1Lc9q1PVk3-1thROrMRqpFX4dhRJo_TmfaDEZpN5GefsEKZoD4O4mWVPPr-pieqmas2zXVOv8s_EHpMXt6w23aOjFGLtmOoGqICGXAM5OZmezeeSSDWFbZIHPGShhjeu/s1600/map-FranceExpands-1789-1799.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_VL-KVtLvPVz1Lc9q1PVk3-1thROrMRqpFX4dhRJo_TmfaDEZpN5GefsEKZoD4O4mWVPPr-pieqmas2zXVOv8s_EHpMXt6w23aOjFGLtmOoGqICGXAM5OZmezeeSSDWFbZIHPGShhjeu/s400/map-FranceExpands-1789-1799.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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In 1811, the French empire had expanded, as shown below.<br />
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A comparison of the boundaries of France in 1810 and in 1815, after Napoleon's abdication and the treaty.<br />
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<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-12079997139296202792015-06-16T05:51:00.000-04:002015-06-16T05:51:40.557-04:00Short StoryThe final week's assignment was to write a short story between 750 and 1,000 words. To my mind, that's barely enough words to set up a story and describe a character, but that was the requirement.<br />
<br />
Here's my story. The first part bears a marked similarity to the character sketch found <a href="http://regencywrangles.blogspot.com/2015/06/creating-characters.html" target="_blank">here</a> because it's the same character, just better developed than in the earlier, shorter sketch.<br />
<br />
***Warning: there are two strong curse words in the first part in the story.***<br />
<br />
I started life all over again when I was forty-seven years old.<br /><br />
I know what you’re thinking—and you’re right. It is a strange thing for a responsible adult to do, but at the time, it seemed like the only thing to do.<br /><br />
The events leading to my rebirth were unexpected. I was relatively happily married, gainfully employed as a computer programmer, successful and respected. But after a seriously bad day at work, I came home and found my husband, an attorney, packing a suitcase. A large suitcase.<br /><br />
“Unexpected trip?” I asked.<br /><br />
“No. I’m leaving you, Charlotte.”<br /><br />
“Leaving me?” <br /><br />
“Yes. I’m leaving you and filing for divorce.”<br /><br />
My knees gave out and I sank onto the bed, staring at him. We’d made love just the night before—for the first time in a long time. “But…why?”<br /><br />
“Because I’ve fallen in love with someone else. Someone who makes me happy.”<br /><br />
“I thought we were happy, Jack.” I thought I made him happy is what I meant.<br /><br />
“For a long time we were. And I haven’t been unhappy, Charlotte. But I want…something more.”<br /><br />
“You want to marry your mistress.” It was a shot in the dark—I wasn’t absolutely certain he had a mistress, but in the past year or so I’d begun to suspect he did. There had been a few too many “business dinners,” although seemingly no more overnight trips than usual. But what else could “something more” mean?<br /><br />
“Yes and no. I do plan to marry the woman I’ve fallen in love with, but technically, she isn’t my mistress.”<br /><br />
I didn’t care about technicalities. All I could think of was the previous night. “You sorry bastard! If you don’t love me anymore, what was last night? A farewell fuck?” I’d never said that word in my life, but nothing else fit.<br /><br />
To his credit, he seemed chagrined. “Of course not. I do care for you, Charlotte—”<br /><br />
“You have a strange way of showing it.” Anger suddenly deserted me. Tears quickly followed in its wake, but I was determined not to cry in front of him. “You also don’t have grounds for divorce.”<br /><br />
“Grounds haven’t been required for…” He waved a hand. Jack was a corporate defense attorney, not a divorce attorney. “For years. Now divorce is just a mutual decision to end a marriage.”<br /><br />
I could have pointed out that <i>we</i> hadn’t decided anything—<i>he</i> had—but I had no desire to be married to a man who didn’t want to be married to me.<br /><br />
“You can have the house, and I’ll be generous with the alimony. You’ll need an attorney to handle the divorce. Jim Shallcross, Charlie Becker, and Mo Solomon are all good. So are Maggie Crutcher and Liz Kielewski.”<br /><br />
I didn’t say anything—couldn’t say anything—and he resumed packing. Five minutes later, he closed his suitcase. “I’ll arrange to have the rest of my things moved later this week. Get a good attorney to handle the divorce for you.” He paused long enough to kiss the top of my head on his way out. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”<br /><br />
And that marked the end of our marriage. Twenty-two years together, and the rotten man had ended it with five minutes of conversation and an apology.<br /><br /><br />Two months later, I was no longer Mrs. Jackson Alexander Morris, III. I’d been Charlotte Morris for twenty-two years, Charlotte Emily Pratt for twenty-five years before that, but now I wasn’t certain who I was. Now that Jack was gone, I didn’t feel like Charlotte Morris any more, but I no longer felt like Charlotte Pratt, either.<br /><br />
I thought about that at night, alone in the house we’d shared for the past fifteen years. Jack had chosen the house shortly after he’d made partner, and I’d decorated it. It was a big house, in a prestigious neighborhood surrounding a golf course. I’d liked it well enough when we’d been married, but now it didn’t feel right. Too many memories, perhaps. Or maybe the fact that it wasn’t the house I would have chosen, then or now.<br />Two weeks later, before I had decided who I was, or whether I should sell the house and buy another, the second event leading to my rebirth occurred. I was fired.<br /><br />
It was as much of a shock as Jack’s announcement had been. I’d had a glowing yearly evaluation only a month before, and my boss, Tim Chen, had hinted that a promotion was in the works. Now he informed me that the company was “downsizing” and my position as Manager of Development was being eliminated. Like Jack, Tim promised a generous severance package. And like my reprehensible ex-husband, Tim ended the interview with “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”<br /><br />
In the space of two and a half months, I’d gone from being married, employed, and successful to being an unemployed divorcée who, apparently, was not a success at anything.<br />
<br />
That night, I sat in the house that didn’t feel like mine and thought about what to do with my life. About who I had been, who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. Thought about where I was, and where I wanted to go. I made a list of things I was good at and things I didn’t do well. I wasn’t sure where marriage belonged on the list. I’d been good at it for a number of years, but in the end, I hadn’t been good enough.<br /><br />
The result of all that thinking—it took the better part of a month—was my resurrection. Charlotte Emily Pratt Morris, a formerly married and employed computer game designer living in Kansas City, became Eleanor Elizabeth Newly, a divorced, self-employed website designer who lived in a pretty little cottage on Oval Lake near the town of Littleton, in Clinch County, Georgia.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-91094697194957108062015-06-15T12:58:00.000-04:002015-06-15T12:58:04.021-04:00Character PortraitThis task was to create a 250-300-word self-portrait of one of your characters, or to describe them through the eyes of another character (a narrator). I chose the latter method. <br />
<br />
I chose to elaborate on the character of Will Masterson, who was developed <a href="http://regencywrangles.blogspot.com/2015/05/generate-something-new.html" target="_blank">here</a>. He's described by an older rancher who lives nearby.<br />
<br />
Will Masterson is a good man. His life hasn’t been easy, losing his mother when he was not much more than a toddler and his paternal grandmother a decade later, but his granny brought him up properly and instilled in him a respect for family and a love of the land. His father, Hank, and his older brother, Charlie, didn’t have either, and did their best to gamble away everything. Will’s father and brother mortgaged the Rocking M to get a stake for a big poker game, then lost their shirts and would have lost the ranch, if Will and me hadn’t barged in and told the other participants that Hank and Charlie did not own the ranch they’d staked on the final hand. Hank and Charlie didn’t learn their lesson: they continued gambling with money they didn’t have and eventually were killed in a dark alley. Will has worked hard to pay off that damned mortgage since before he was old enough to shave.<br /><br />
Will’s wife, Shelby, was a bitch, plain and simple. She could look a person in the face and lie to them; she repeatedly broke her marriage vows, and when she left, she stole a bundle of money from Will. He’s never said how much, but it must’ve been nearly all the ranch’s reserves. The past few years, he’s worked harder than ever, his determination to keep the ranch his great-great-great-grandfather and great-great-great-uncle homesteaded driving him like a locomotive.<br /><br />
My wife says Will needs a helpmeet, but she tends to think people belong in pairs. In Will’s case, she might be right. An understanding, supportive wife could make a world of difference in his life—and if she had a little money to help with the mortgage payment each month, so much the better. <br />
<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-21600545228813686042015-06-08T22:52:00.001-04:002015-06-08T22:52:32.791-04:00Creating CharactersThis task was to create a character using a method you don't normally use. (The four methods for creating characters are imaginary, autobiographical, biographical, and mixed.) I usually create my characters from my imagination, but this one is biographical---based on a partially overheard conversation in a restaurant last week when I was at a conference.<br />
<br />
My inclination was to write in first person, which would be a total departure from my usual method, but the instructions were to write 300-500 word character sketch in third person. So that's what I did.<br />
<br />
Here's my character sketch. If this becomes the start of a novel, I'll call it <i>Starting Over</i>.<br />
<br />
Charlotte Morris started life all over again when she was forty-seven years old.<br /><br />
The events leading to her rebirth were unexpected. She was relatively happily married, gainfully employed as a computer programmer, successful and respected. But after a seriously bad day at work, she came home and found her husband, an attorney, packing a suitcase. A large suitcase.<br /><br />
“Unexpected trip?” she asked.<br /><br />
“No. I’m leaving you, Charlotte.”<br /><br />
“Leaving me?” Surely he couldn’t mean…<br /><br />
“Yes. I’m leaving you and filing for divorce.”<br /><br />
Her knees gave out, and she sank onto the bed, staring at him. They’d made love just the night before—for the first time in a very long time. “But…why?”<br /><br />
“Because I’ve fallen in love with someone else. Someone who makes me happy.”<br /><br />
“I thought we were happy, Jack.” <br /><br />
“For a long time we were. And I haven’t been unhappy, Charlotte. But I want…something more.”<br /><br />
“You want to marry your mistress.” It was a shot in the dark—she wasn’t absolutely certain he had a mistress, but in the past year or so she’d begun to suspect he did. There had been a few too many “business dinners,” although no more overnight trips than usual. <br /><br />
“Yes and no. I do plan to marry the woman I’ve fallen in love with, but technically, she isn’t my mistress.”<br /><br />
She didn’t care about technicalities and legal mumbo-jumbo. All she could think of was the previous night. “You sorry bastard! If you don’t love me anymore, what was last night? A farewell fuck?” She’d never said that word in her life, but nothing else fit.<br /><br />
To his credit, he seemed chagrined. “Of course not. I do care for you, Charlotte—”<br /><br />
“You have a strange way of showing it.” Anger suddenly deserted her. Tears quickly followed in its wake, but she was determined not to cry in front of him. “You also don’t have grounds for divorce.”<br /><br />
“Grounds haven’t been required for…for years.“ Jack was a corporate defense attorney, not a divorce attorney. “Now divorce is just a mutual decision to end a marriage.”<br /><br />
She could have pointed out that they hadn’t decided anything—<i>he</i> had—but she had no desire to be married to a man who didn’t want to be married to her.<br /><br />
“You can have the house, and I’ll be generous with the alimony. You’ll need an attorney to handle the divorce. Jim Shallcross, Charlie Becker, and Mo Solomon are all good. So are Maggie Crutcher and Liz Kielewski.”<br /><br />
She didn’t say anything—couldn’t say anything—and he resumed packing. Five minutes later, he closed his suitcase. “I’ll arrange to have the rest of my things moved later this week. Get a good attorney to handle the divorce for you.” He paused long enough to kiss the top of her head on his way out. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”<br /><br />
And that marked the end of their marriage. Twenty-two years together, and the sorry bastard had ended it with five minutes of conversation and an apology.<br /><br />
<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-75085308882380351552015-05-24T02:07:00.000-04:002015-05-24T20:15:46.915-04:00New Character DevelopmentThis task was to look at story ideas you'd written in your notebook and choose one, then develop one character for it.<br />
<br />
My character, Duncan Tremaine, is a former professional basketball player. After the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law five months ago left him to raise their four-year-old daughter, Duncan retired and moved from Boston to a small Georgia town that needed a high school basketball coach and history teacher. There, he is raising his niece, who is more interested in art and ballet than sports.<br />
<br />
Here's the opening scene.<br />
<br />
Duncan Tremaine was out of his league, out of his depth, and so far out of his comfort zone that he wasn’t even on the same continent. A confirmed jock who was also a confirmed bachelor should not be standing in the middle of the little girls’ department at the city’s largest department store. Or even its smallest one.<br />
<br />
But Duncan was.<br />
<br />
He was also, in addition to all the other outs, going out of his mind. His four-year-old niece, Lizzie, had been in the dressing room for more than fifteen minutes trying on a dress—a fancy, frilly dress—and the sales clerks, knowing a clueless male when they saw one, had scattered to the four winds. Or, at least, to the far reaches of the store.<br />
<br />
Duncan was trying to decide whether it was less of a social infraction to invade the dressing room area, stand at the entrance and bellow for Lizzie to come out, or accost some poor, unsuspecting female and ask her to check on the little girl. The latter seemed the best choice, except that—natch—there were no females, unsuspecting or otherwise, in sight.<br />
<br />
He checked his watch. Checked the dressing room doorway—no Lizzie. Looked around, just in case a sales clerk had wandered into view. <br />
<br />
At the sound of a woman’s voice saying, “Come on, Droopy, just pick a pair. They’re gym shoes, not the crown jewels,” his head whipped around in time to see a slender blonde across the aisle in the shoe department yank up her son’s baggy, drooping jeans, despite the fact the boy towered over her.<br />
<br />
Duncan muffled a laugh. In the three months he’d been a high school history teacher and basketball coach, he couldn’t count the number of times he’d wanted to do the same thing to the kids at school.<br />
<br />
“Not gym shoes, Aunt Jul, <i>basketball</i> shoes.” The boy mimed a jump shot, and even just goofing around, the height of his jump was remarkable.<br />
<br />
“They’re shoes, you wear them to run around the gym. That makes them gym shoes in my book.”<br />
<br />
<i>Hallelujah!</i> Duncan thought, walking toward the pair. And wondering if the City Fathers had declared today Take Your Niece or Nephew Shopping Day. For him, however, for the past five months—and the next twelve or so years—every time he needed to go to the store was Take Your Niece Shopping Day. <br />
<br />
“Aunt Jul, that’s like saying Freeds and Capezios are the same.”<br />
<br />
“Bite your tongue, Charlie. You know better. Or you should.”<br />
<br />
“I’m just sayin'. It’s a…whatchamacallit. A simile—I mean, an analogy.”<br />
<br />
Duncan didn’t know what Freeds or Capezios were—some kind of fancy, high-priced ladies’ shoes, no doubt—but the kid had made his point.<br />
<br />
The woman reached up and cupped the kid’s cheek. “I’m really proud of you for making the varsity team.”<br />
<br />
The boy bent over until he was eye level with her. “But…?”<br />
<br />
Oh, yeah. There was definitely a but—a big but—at the end of that sentence. Duncan glanced back toward the dressing rooms to see if Lizzie had finally emerged.<br />
<br />
The woman hesitated, as if debating whether to answer. “But I almost wish you hadn’t because unless the games are on Mondays or Tuesdays, I won’t be able to watch you play until after the first of the year.”<br />
<br />
Duncan wondered what the woman did that she only had two free evenings a week. And what was going to change the first of the year. A nurse on the three-to-midnight shift at the hospital, perhaps. Or maybe she worked the dinner shift at a restaurant.<br />
<br />
“See me warm the bench, more like,” the teen said with a grin as he straightened. “But”—he pointed back and forth between himself and the woman—“the same goes, Twinkletoes.”<br />
<br />
“It’s not the same thing, honey.”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, it is. And some of the games are on Tuesdays.”<br />
<br />
Now that he was closer, Duncan recognized the boy as the freshman with the incredible jump shot who’d made the varsity team. Charlie Marsden or Casden or Something-den. Tryouts ended yesterday, practice didn’t start until Monday, and learning the boys’ names was still on Duncan’s to-do list.<br />
<br />
He looked over his shoulder to see if Lizzie had reappeared, but she hadn’t, so he interrupted, opting for an error-free greeting. “Well, if it isn’t the newest player on Dunrath High’s basketball team.”<br />
<br />
Charlie jumped like he’d been poked with a cattle prod, then grinned. “Hey, Coach!”<br />
<br />
The boy’s manners were better than most. Instead of launching into a conversation about basketball, he made introductions. “Aunt Jul, this is Coach Tremaine. Duncan Tremaine. Coach, this is my aunt, Julia Willoughby.”<br />
<br />
Up close, the woman was smaller than she’d appeared. Maybe five-four and slim as a willow, she had the most regally erect posture Duncan had ever seen. With a smile, she extended a slender hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tremaine. I’ve heard a great deal about you this week.”<br />
<br />
“I imagine you have.” Duncan gently clasped her hand and shook it. She looked like she’d blow away in a stiff breeze, but her grip was firm. “You’ll probably hear more in the coming months.” She obviously had a good—and close—relationship with her nephew, and Duncan wanted that kind of relationship with his players and their parents, or other significant relatives.<br />
<br />
“I imagine so.”<br />
<br />
Without further ado he made his request. “Miss Willoughby, I wonder if I might ask a favor. My niece, Lizzie, has been in the dressing room for about twenty minutes, and I’m worried about her. The sales clerks have all disappeared. Would you go in there and check on her?”<br />
<br />
“Yes, of course. How old is Lizzie?”<br />
<br />
“She’s four.”<br />
<br />
“Oh my. I’d be worried, too, in your shoes.” To the boy, she said, “Stay right here. I’ll be back in a minute.” <br />
<br />
As she turned to leave, she inquired, “Do you and Lizzie have a secret word or phrase? So she’ll know it’s okay to talk to me.”<br />
<br />
“Yes. It’s ‘Purple popsicles and lima beans are icky.’”<br />
<br />
“I quite agree. Especially together.” She made a face, and the boy laughed. After a moment’s hesitation, she suggested, “Perhaps you can help Charlie find basketball shoes while I’m gone.”<br />
<br />
Although he’d planned to go with her, Duncan stayed where he was. Basketball shoes he knew; frilly dresses were as alien as Martians.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-39955565870640444322015-05-16T16:53:00.001-04:002015-05-16T17:49:15.488-04:00Developing PlotToday's assignment to develop your plot by asking yourself questions about why the character was in a particular place, why s/he looked the way s/he did, where s/he was going, etc. This assignment had no length restrictions, so no excessive cutting was required (as it was in the last assignment).<br />
<br />
I chose to continue the story with the rancher, linking him with the little girl I created last week. I chose to develop the plot through the eyes of another person, who will be one of the main characters in the story.<br />
<br />
<br />
Jenna Dunlevy had admired the view when Mr. Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous climbed out of the fire engine red subcompact and settled his hat just so. But now that he was inside and wearing that horror-stricken expression, he didn’t look quite as handsome. Still sexy enough to stop traffic with those long legs clad in form-fitting blue jeans—and it was a form well worth a second look, or a sixth—but definitely shell-shocked, his wild-eyed gaze pinging from Frank Quiggley to her to little Maggie.<br />
<br />
Maggie, who was holding Jenna’s hand like her life depended on it, skootched so close she might as well’ve been plastered to Jenna’s side, and asked again, “Wh-who are you?”<br />
<br />
Cowboy Bob swiped off his hat, hunkered down in front of Maggie, and attempted a smile. “I’m Will Masterson. Who are you?”<br />
<br />
Maggie’s gaze ponged from him to her to Frank Quiggley and back. “Margaret Elizabeth,” she whispered, then buried her face against Jenna’s side.<br />
<br />
Will Masterson extended a hand, which Maggie didn’t see because she was busy trying to tunnel through Jenna’s ribs, then sorta sighed and pulled it back. “Pleased to meet you, Margaret Elizabeth.”<br />
<br />
Jenna was impressed, but Maggie wasn’t buying. The poor kid wasn’t even window shopping, which was more—a lot more—than Jenna could say. She was definitely looking, and the display was…very fine indeed. Eye-catching. And sexy as hell, among other things, none of which she should be thinking about with a seven-year-old try to burrow under her skin. But since looking and admiring were all she could do—she’d sworn off men several years ago—Jenna intended to enjoy the view. Strangers, handsome or otherwise, were rare in Noblesville. <i>Who is this guy?</i><br />
<br />
Then he leveled those gorgeous but still slightly shell-shocked violet-blue eyes at her, and a little voice inside her shouted, <i>Sexy as hell doesn’t begin to cover it, girlfriend! Not unless hell is the size of North and South America, with China—or maybe Africa—thrown in to balance things out.</i><br />
<br />
“Ma'am.” Still hunkered down in front of her and Maggie, he nodded, but apparently didn't expect an introduction—which was a good thing because Jenna wasn’t sure she could speak without panting or squeaking or sumthin’ equally embarrassing. “Did you and Margaret Elizabeth also receive bequests from Shelby?”<br />
<br />
Frank, who had been avidly watching the proceedings while pretending to sort through some papers, leaned back against his desk. “Maggie is your legacy, Mr. Masterson. Your daughter.”<br />
<br />
Cowboy Bob—or rather Cowboy Will—fell on his very fine ass. Maggie burst into tears. And Jenna had to grip the lumpy leather sofa with the hand that wasn’t cuddling Maggie to keep from leaping like a hurdler over the downed cowboy and strangling Frank Quiggley.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-63052032652178855422015-05-15T18:57:00.001-04:002015-05-16T17:48:06.014-04:00Generate Something NewTask: Generate something new. Limit of 350 words.<br />
<br />
I created a character to pair with the little girl I wrote last week. I have an idea for a novel in which they will be two of the three main characters. I had to edit down what I originally wrote because it exceeded the word limit by about 50 words, but I think the man's character is still apparent.<br />
<br />
<br />
Will Masterson was an expert in the art of making commitments.<br />
<br />
He made commitments to himself. To his family. To the people he worked with.<br />
<br />
He’d commit his time, his money, and his energy to worthy projects.<br />
<br />
But he did not make commitments to women. No sir, no way, no how.<br />
<br />
He’d been there, done that, and had the scars to prove it, and he would never return.<br />
<br />
Which begged the question of why he’d traveled halfway across the country to receive, in person as demanded, whatever the heck his ex-wife had bequeathed him.<br />
<br />
Since she couldn’t lie to him, or cheat on him, or steal from him again, he figured she couldn’t hurt him again, so he’d agreed to come. But unless she left him a letter of abject apology and a check, he intended to throw the bequest back in Franklin J. Quiggley the Third’s face. The attorney could do whatever he damn well pleased with whatever the hell it was.<br />
<br />
Spotting Quiggley's office, Will pulled over and parked. As he uncoiled his lanky frame from the rental car and clapped on his Stetson, he reminded himself that Shelby and all her problems were behind him now. Seven years, eleven months, and thirteen days behind him.<br />
<br />
And yeah, he’d been counting.<br />
<br />
A wise man learned from his mistakes and held fast to his principles. Will had been slow to wise up, but he’d nailed the learn-from-your-mistakes part on the first attempt. But since it was better to be safe than sorry, he mentally girded his loins as he yanked open the door of Quiggley’s office.<br />
<br />
Dead silence greeted his entrance. Then he heard a little girl say, “Wh-who are you?”<br />
<br />
Even as he wondered what a kid was doing in a lawyer’s office on a Thursday afternoon, Will’s gaze snagged on a pair of tear-drenched blue eyes—the same navy-rimmed violet-blue eyes he saw in the mirror every morning.<br />
<br />
Will’s rule about commitment reared up and bit him in the ass. And he swore he could hear Shelby laughing.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-63634799550478651682015-05-11T00:28:00.002-04:002015-05-16T17:46:45.798-04:00Ideas for a StoryTask: Turn on the radio and take note of the first thing that is mentioned. Use it as the basis for either the start of a story or an entire story---whichever, it should be no more than 500 words.<br />
<br />
(The first thing I heard, on the radio in a hotel room with the station chosen by a previous guest, was three curse words in the middle of a rap song.)<br />
<br />
Maggie glanced up when the man said three bad words. He didn’t say ’em real loud and he hadn’t perxactly said three of them, just one. But he’d said it <i>three times</i>. Funny thing was, though, Miss Jenna and Mr. Quiggley—who was stupid, even if he was an adult—didn’t yell at him for sayin’ a bad word, like the teachers at school always did when kids said words like that on the playground, or threaten to wash his mouth out with soap if he said it again, like Jimmy Albertson’s mother was forever doin’. But you could bet that if <i>she’d</i> said that word, Miss Jenna and Mr. Quiggley would’ve had plenty to say to her.<br />
<br />
That just didn’t seem fair, but Maggie was learning that sometimes life wasn’t fair.<br />
<br />
Maybe Miss Jenna and Mr. Quiggley didn’t fuss at the man—Will Somethin’-or-Other—because he was so big. He was as big as the giant in <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i>, but he didn’t look mean. He didn’t look very happy, either, and since Maggie was pretty unhappy herself, she wondered if maybe they could feel bad together. She had to do sumthin’ while they waited for her dad—which was whole ’nuther dose of unfair, ’cuz her mom’d said he was mean and hated her, and dads weren’t s’posed to hate their kids. But since there was nuthin’ else to do, and since Miss Jenna had been telling her all week that things didn’t seem as bad if you talked about ’em, Maggie pushed off the couch and walked over and stood in front of the man. But not too close. He was a stranger, and kids had to be careful around strangers.<br />
<br />
She couldn’t ask him why he was unhappy—that would be pryin’ and pryin’ was rude—so instead she said, “Are you a cowboy?” She thought he might be; he kinda looked like the ones on TV.<br />
<br />
Will Whatever-His-Name-Was stopped shoving his fingers through his hair, which was really mussed up now, with little curls sproinging up all over the place, long enough to look at her and smile. “Not exactly. I’m a rancher and a horse breeder, but I do have a lot of cows.”<br />
<br />
He had a nice smile. Smiling put little crinkles at the corner of his eyes—which were purplish-blue, just like hers—but it was kinda hard to see the crinkles unless you were looking close ’cuz his skin was real suntanned, like he’d just gotten back from vacation in Florida or sumplace like that.<br />
<br />
Maggie wondered if there were ranches in Florida, but before she could ask, his smile disappeared like it’d never been there. He looked over at Mr. Quiggley and asked, “What next?”<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-85327438791544046182015-05-11T00:13:00.002-04:002015-05-16T17:45:48.488-04:00Writing Venues & Original DescriptionsTask: Imagine two different venues for writing – one that seems most suited to you, and one that you would find bizarre or too difficult. Write a paragraph describing two writers at work, one in each of the venues.<br />
<br />
Writer A works at home, the moment she wakes up. As she walks past the kitchen, she pours a glass of iced tea, then sits in her favorite armchair, props her feet on an ottoman, picks up her laptop, and starts typing. Dressed in a nightgown, her hair curling wildly, her glasses sliding down her nose, she spills words onto the page for an hour or three, until the words stop flowing. Writer B wakes up, dresses for the day, tucks her notebooks into her bag, and walks to the coffee shop. Once settled into her chosen seat (which may or may not be in her preferred corner), she pulls out her notebook and her current favorite pen, sips her coffee, and begins writing. Some mornings, she writes frantically in her right-slanted script with its occasional calligraphic letters; other mornings the words come slowly, reluctantly, but they do come.<br />
<br />
<br />
Task: Try describing something familiar with one or two ordinary words that you wouldn’t normally use in that context.<br />
<br />
Hank Jones had not been known for using his head for anything but a hat rack.<br />
<br />
On yet another hand—assuming that she’d suddenly sprouted one, which she hadn’t, but an octopus had nothing on Jenna Dunnley when she was wrestling with a thorny problem. On this third hand, how deep was his preternatural acceptance? Was it something that would wear off in a few days or weeks, like a cheap veneer? Or was it bred-in-the-bone, time-tested, forged by fires hotter than hell, and absolutely unshakeable?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-41510805190426364692015-05-11T00:11:00.003-04:002015-05-16T17:44:32.096-04:00More About the Girl in the Striped Knit CapEllen Wilder’s hair was the bane of her existence. She didn’t count bad hair days, she counted good ones. And she was lucky to get two, maybe three, of those a month. She’d tried every product her friends recommended to tame her wildly curly mop, but nothing seemed to work. Her aunt’s often-voiced opinion was that Ellie was too impatient, that she didn’t that she didn’t take the time necessary to make the most of her hair. But since Aunt Catherine spent a good ninety minutes preparing herself to leave the house—time Ellie didn’t have to spare, and wouldn’t use primping even if she did—Ellie gave that particular bit of advice the same attention she gave the rest of her aunt’s admonitions: She ignored it.<br />
<br />
From time to time, Ellie had given serious thought to cutting her hair, but she’d never succumbed to the impulse. In the South, the length of a woman’s hair was sometimes viewed as an indicator of her femininity, and with her beanpole figure, Ellie figured she needed any advantage her dusky shoulder-length curls, wild or not, gave her.<br />
<br />
Thinking longingly of short, wash-and-wear hairstyles, she glanced at her watch, yelped, then gave up on her hair and grabbed her toothbrush. Her boss had been at his desk at 6:50 a.m. yesterday, and she wanted to get there before he did. At the rate he was going, though, soon she’d have to start sleeping at the office if she wanted to win the get-there-first battle.<br />
<br />
For her, it was a matter of pride. He, however, didn’t have a clue that they were engaged in an ongoing war.<br />
<br />
It was probably the few things Ethan Montague <i>didn’t</i> know.<br />
<br />
Today, she thought, straightening the cuffs of her coral blouse, he would discover another.<br />
<br />
Yesterday her diagnosis of an extremely aggressive cancer had been confirmed by a second doctor. Monday she started chemotherapy and radiation. This morning, she had to tell her boss, then her mother and Aunt Catherine tonight. Ellie strongly suspected that the corporate mogul was going to take the news better than the two former beauty queens, despite the fact that he was likely to lose his administrative assistant and translator for the duration.<br />
<br />
After a final look in the mirror, Ellie buttoned her grey suit jacket, then turned off the light. In a week or so, she would not have hair to worry about.<br />
<br />
It was a daunting, and rather frightening, realization.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-3511840345988687282015-05-11T00:09:00.001-04:002015-05-16T17:43:54.856-04:00The Girl in the Striped Knit CapThis vignette was inspired by a video in which one had a brief glimpse of a young woman wearing a white knit cap with stripes of varying shades of red. The description could not exceed 200 words.<br />
<br />
Ellen Wilder’s hair was the bane of her existence. She didn’t count bad hair days, she counted good ones. And she was lucky to get two, maybe three, of those a month. She’d tried every product her friends recommended to tame her wildly curly mop, but nothing seemed to work.<br />
<br />
From time to time, Ellie had given serious thought to cutting her hair, but she’d never succumbed to the impulse. In the South, the length of a woman’s hair was sometimes viewed as an indicator of her femininity, and with her beanpole figure, Ellie figured she needed any advantage her shoulder-length curls, wild or not, gave her.<br />
<br />
But yesterday the diagnosis of cancer had been confirmed by a second doctor. Monday she started chemotherapy and radiation. Today, she had to tell her boss, then her mother and aunt. Ellie strongly suspected that the corporate mogul for whom she worked as administrative assistant and translator was going to take the news better than the two former beauty queens.<br />
<br />
With a final look in the mirror, Ellie straightened the cuffs of her coral blouse, tugged at the hem of her grey suit jacket, and walked out the door.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-68756230835472026962015-05-11T00:05:00.002-04:002015-05-16T17:42:49.546-04:00Fact and FictionThis assignment required writing a paragraph that contained one fact and three fictions, then to write a paragraph that contained one fiction and three facts.<br />
<br />
One fact, three fictions:<br />
<br />
A medical examiner is an objective presenter of evidence. While not a law enforcement officer, Paul Hindemith was as much of an investigator as any detective, but his deductions were intellectual, his witnesses dead. His work area often stank, and he had not seen the burled maple writing surface of his desk in years. But his grandfather’s words of wisdom (memorialized in the sampler lovingly stitched by his grandmother) had proven true time and again: “When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not unicorns.”<br />
<br />
Three facts, one fiction:<br />
<br />
Waterloo was a ferocious battle: the defeat of an empire, inflicted on a Sunday afternoon on a field of battle a mere two miles long and two-thirds of a mile across. After the fighting, Napoleon blamed his marshals for the disaster, while officers of rival regiments on both sides bickered over which was the most heroic. Much has been written about the commanders and their strategies and tactics, but little about the men and their reasons for being there.<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-18896560549586827372015-05-11T00:03:00.001-04:002015-05-16T17:41:51.664-04:00Neglect and Resurrection<span style="font-family: inherit;">After ignoring this blog for more than two years (due to a string of family- and work-related events that required nearly all of my time and effort), I am resurrecting it to post assignments for an online class I'm taking that requires me to write various things. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of these </span>assignments<span style="font-family: inherit;"> are likely to be contemporary, not Regency era.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next four posts are for assignments already completed.</span></div>
SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-34568798167214141702013-01-01T14:01:00.002-05:002013-01-01T14:01:55.277-05:00End of the 100 Books in 2012 ChallengeAlthough I haven't updated my blog recently, I have been reading. Here are the final additions to my 100 Books in 2012 Challenge update.<br />
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->79.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJbAtf2t0ATkDPutRPoMgWAUQL8MCcnDJb-mGugoXwIzvBAT6JHZsLptLfb-dHI4rtipongqdzMXORU3W1ipEu7muLfd1gcrvvHm_Vres4MOrLgcBKgUxga4ViuBq39DKoQ_grGgVqcwO/s1600/bluemoonbay-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJbAtf2t0ATkDPutRPoMgWAUQL8MCcnDJb-mGugoXwIzvBAT6JHZsLptLfb-dHI4rtipongqdzMXORU3W1ipEu7muLfd1gcrvvHm_Vres4MOrLgcBKgUxga4ViuBq39DKoQ_grGgVqcwO/s200/bluemoonbay-cover.jpg" width="128" /></a>80.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockmann</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->81.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag (reread from 10 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->82.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag (reread from 8-10 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->83.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Falling Home by Karen White</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->84.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Following the Drum: Women in Wellington’s Army by F.C.P. Gage</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->85.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Jane Austen and Ghosts by David W. Wilkin</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->86.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->87.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->88.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The Days of Summer by Jill Barnett</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->89.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->90.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Love Will Find a Way by Barbara Freethy</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->91.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Almost a Bride by Patricia McLinn</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->92.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The Witness by Dee Henderson</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymPFRssgYw5f50-HbVjE3TFKgKZk57DqzZIhtbz1dVVbYr4c3kklL9eBhck7JLbFdsw5fVjW22i7vA8zoA0e8V0frlj_0LTtDNrioqrCuU1EA5J2GEpQM6oINLH_P29k4IP9Oxgf6HLEy/s1600/CarolinaHome-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymPFRssgYw5f50-HbVjE3TFKgKZk57DqzZIhtbz1dVVbYr4c3kklL9eBhck7JLbFdsw5fVjW22i7vA8zoA0e8V0frlj_0LTtDNrioqrCuU1EA5J2GEpQM6oINLH_P29k4IP9Oxgf6HLEy/s200/CarolinaHome-cover.jpg" width="125" /></a>93.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Cry Uncle by Judith Arnold</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->94.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Sing Me Home by Jerri Corgiat (reread from 10-15 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->95.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->True Devotion by Dee Henderson</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->96.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My Man Pendleton by Elizabeth Bevarly</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->97.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->98.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Sleepwalker by Karen Robards</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->99.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The Angel Knight by Susan King (reread from 10-15 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->100. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate (read 3 times in 2 months)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->101. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Silken Threads by Patricia Ryan (reread from 10-15 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->102. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>The Poisoned Serpent by Joan Wolf</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->103. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>The Earl by Cecilia Holland </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->104. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->105. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (reread from 4 or 5 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVs2xGSeJ2k5YKmeUZXaZdotFb6as-RdmQCpaDZ2aeJcXiOuG82lPkAty67mj9S3LFh9sL-2V0kNM-BdmWopTx_kUcKnk9vm4SbsgiYiKnnOnen-lPYAolXdFqIEWO2bhdyxUJm_ySmKEK/s1600/lonestarbook-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVs2xGSeJ2k5YKmeUZXaZdotFb6as-RdmQCpaDZ2aeJcXiOuG82lPkAty67mj9S3LFh9sL-2V0kNM-BdmWopTx_kUcKnk9vm4SbsgiYiKnnOnen-lPYAolXdFqIEWO2bhdyxUJm_ySmKEK/s1600/lonestarbook-cover.jpg" /></a>106. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (reread from 4 or 5 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->107. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs (reread from three years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->108. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>The Last Hope by Nora Roberts</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->109. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->110. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Spinning Forward by Terri DuLong</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->111. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Sunrise on Cedar Key by Terri DuLong (again)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwv5yzS14W9_jMnqy7BrcWLCQj8ogwti1cjQBPxCvRJS9nW3AzWqXDUGsv2YNdD3P_ePJXzjCtfXQ1lV7lm85OoXCj9XeHEj5e8NQjDN1kxjASW1R_K8__JF5fjOkKslXkS6aVDCtkusy/s1600/mischiefandmistletoe-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwv5yzS14W9_jMnqy7BrcWLCQj8ogwti1cjQBPxCvRJS9nW3AzWqXDUGsv2YNdD3P_ePJXzjCtfXQ1lV7lm85OoXCj9XeHEj5e8NQjDN1kxjASW1R_K8__JF5fjOkKslXkS6aVDCtkusy/s200/mischiefandmistletoe-cover.jpg" width="132" /></a>112. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span><!--[endif]-->Postcards from Cedar Key by Terri DuLong</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->113. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Tangled Up in Love by Heidi Betts</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->114. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span><!--[endif]-->Lone Star Cafe by Lisa Wingate (reread from 8 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->115. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Lisa Wingate (reread from 6 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->116. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Texas Cooking by Lisa Wingate (reread from 8 years ago)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->117. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Under the Kissing Bough by Shannon Donnelly</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->118. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Mistletoe and Mischief by Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Nicola Cornick, Cara Elliott, Anne Gracie, Susan King, and Patricia Rice</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->119. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>See Jane Score by Jane Gibson</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->120. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"></span>Regency Christmas Magic by Amanda McCabe, Allison Lane, Edith Layton, Barbara Metzger, and Sandra Heath (a reread from 8 years ago)</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
I enjoyed all these books except two (Jane Austen and Ghosts and The Earl). My favorite books, aside from the rereads (which I wouldn't have reread if I didn't really like), were the books whose covers are shown on the right.<br />
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I don't know what my favorite book of the year was. Narrowing the choice down to one single book is almost impossible. Did you have a favorite among the books you read this year?<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-66092528235529980892012-11-12T12:53:00.001-05:002012-11-12T12:54:09.197-05:00Cleaning in the Regency EnglandNowadays, there are many---almost too many---cleaning products to choose from. Two hundred years ago, that was not the case.<br />
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Today, Maria Grace talks about cleaning on the English Historical Fiction Authors' <a href="http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2012/11/ashes-tallow-and-turpentine-coming.html" target="_blank">blog</a>.</div>
SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-79549625050740324762012-09-15T16:29:00.000-04:002012-09-15T16:29:55.872-04:00Jane Austen: Unexpected BenefitsResearchers at Stanford University have discovered that reading Jane Austen may improve your attention span and focus.<br />
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Read the article <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/september/austen-reading-fmri-090712.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-7252319507518751202012-08-16T17:21:00.000-04:002012-08-16T17:21:41.941-04:00Celebrating Georgette Heyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18erFoJa3jG_MM3Dqe-FNzrwNsaa89jVf73RY7heY49soZ3a3aY3VJE8ft-93XXD-BgQLoP96cnxkqp6Mmb46rTS6a5YHq0wy4B9IUvH3LHVUeVvC1bphTkhI4iK1TZ6OrFeQVlWWWjEF/s1600/Georgette_Heyer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18erFoJa3jG_MM3Dqe-FNzrwNsaa89jVf73RY7heY49soZ3a3aY3VJE8ft-93XXD-BgQLoP96cnxkqp6Mmb46rTS6a5YHq0wy4B9IUvH3LHVUeVvC1bphTkhI4iK1TZ6OrFeQVlWWWjEF/s320/Georgette_Heyer.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>
Georgette Heyer was the first Regency romance novelist, although the also wrote books in other time periods. I discovered Ms. Heyer's books, and Regency romances, at the ripe old age of 33 or 34, when I finished grading a set of truly abysmal final exams, then visited the main branch of the Detroit Public Library (which was just across the street on the far side of the campus) to find something interesting to read over Christmas break.<br />
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<i>Regency Buck</i> was my introduction to Regency romances. Fortunately for me, the library had a large selection of Ms. Heyer's books and of Regency romances. (Does anyone remember Walker Regencies, the hardcover library editions? The DPL had a large collection of them, to my delight.)<br />
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It's hard to choose a favorite book by any author, but especially hard with Ms. Heyer's books---mostly because I can't make up my mind. Most days or weeks I choose <i>The Talisman Ring</i>, but sometimes I choose <i>The Reluctant Widow</i>. Occasionally, I pick <i>The Toll-gate</i>.<br />
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Georgette Heyer was born 110 years ago today. In honor of her birthday and her achievements, romance authors are discussion her books and their favorites, at <i>USA Today</i>'s Books blog.<br />
<a href="http://books.usatoday.com/happyeverafter/post/2012-08-15/georgette-heyer-birthday-celebration/825497/1" target="_blank">Celebrating Georgette Heyer's Birthday</a><br />
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What is your favorite Georgette Heyer novel?SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-72834139700098307902012-08-04T11:57:00.002-04:002012-08-04T11:57:40.460-04:00100 Books in 2012 Challenge: UpdateThe latest additions to my list of books read this year.<br />
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54. The Witness by Nora Roberts (2 times)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSk1ZlZa9mqKQ2gRpOgMjcFkM6SkZDzRltUZ4S0Ft1HITjICDGmksPRRrqZcMFvopyPyvmSuyeE4aQtqtityhpO0-PyFk9vlw5DaukGedE_cEuIXLabzlkJJi_q0D7J2ZRPWp88P586-Wz/s1600/prior_bad_acts-hoag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSk1ZlZa9mqKQ2gRpOgMjcFkM6SkZDzRltUZ4S0Ft1HITjICDGmksPRRrqZcMFvopyPyvmSuyeE4aQtqtityhpO0-PyFk9vlw5DaukGedE_cEuIXLabzlkJJi_q0D7J2ZRPWp88P586-Wz/s200/prior_bad_acts-hoag.jpeg" width="121" /></a>55. Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2 times)<br />
56. Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2 times)<br />
57. Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (reread from 10-15 years ago)<br />
58. Acts of Mercy by Mariah Stewart (2 times)<br />
59. Shattered by JoAnn Ross<br />
60. Dark Side of Dawn by Merline Lovelace (reread from 15 years ago)<br />
61. After Midnight by Merline Lovelace (2 times) (reread from 10 years ago) <br />
62. Against the Law by Kat Martin<br />
63. Count to Ten by Karen Rose<br />
64. Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag<br />
65. Hide by Lisa Gardner<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUq6V9nNW9n9exis2FAF1slEGzHbujZA-6V6E2dGraSgEXswJpmw3X_ZMmlEVNPdzH29qu9s-sh6uIicCVaVzCEO1e1U1a-4u1vTu47Gw4sieUgZK1GPUg7rML6YQo-GPwyMrU1gSpSKr/s1600/birthright-roberts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUq6V9nNW9n9exis2FAF1slEGzHbujZA-6V6E2dGraSgEXswJpmw3X_ZMmlEVNPdzH29qu9s-sh6uIicCVaVzCEO1e1U1a-4u1vTu47Gw4sieUgZK1GPUg7rML6YQo-GPwyMrU1gSpSKr/s200/birthright-roberts.jpeg" width="124" /></a>66. The First Mistake by Merline Lovelace<br />
67. Bad Medicine by Eileen Dreyer<br />
68. Haunting Rachel by Kay Hooper<br />
69. Brown-Eyed Girl by Mariah Stewart<br />
70. On the Run by Iris Johansen<br />
71. Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline<br />
72. Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline<br />
73. Sleep No More by Susan Crandall<br />
74. The Prey by Allison Brennan<br />
75. The Hunt by Allison Brennan<br />
76. The Kill by Allison Brennan<br />
77. Birthright by Nora Roberts (2 times)<br />
78. Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlUkVyl1zfh-dLO-wHm5XPxclDUVj2-gV0_UXV3x2ThsL4Mx4o7mpdY9uFw5O7xQX0GnXTKGvTd6XmfN-2yFgjMdPgyBXxWBz77UX5z_mCWrvVoVPcSdkTUiqf0tdgGKpKCRAMaCRQkBj/s1600/smoke_screen-brown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlUkVyl1zfh-dLO-wHm5XPxclDUVj2-gV0_UXV3x2ThsL4Mx4o7mpdY9uFw5O7xQX0GnXTKGvTd6XmfN-2yFgjMdPgyBXxWBz77UX5z_mCWrvVoVPcSdkTUiqf0tdgGKpKCRAMaCRQkBj/s200/smoke_screen-brown.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div>All of the books were good. My favorites were <i>Prior Bad Acts</i> by Tami Hoag, <i>Birthright</i> by Nora Roberts, and <i>Smoke Screen</i> by Sandra Brown. Why were those three books my favorites? Hard to explain, except that I had a difficult time putting them down.<br />
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The three books in Allison Brennan's Predator Trilogy were also very good, but scary enough that I needed to put them down several times in mid-read. <i>Dead Ringer</i> by Lisa Scottoline was very good, too. It's been a while since I read a book by Ms. Scottoline, but this book reminded me why I liked Ms. Scottoline's books. <br />
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The books on the list I liked the least: <i>Glitter Baby</i>, which is an generation-spanning saga that hasn't aged well, and <i>On the Run</i>, which seemed over-the-top throughout.<br />
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What have you been reading? If I don't respond to a comment, it's because I can't. I reported the glitch to Blogger weeks ago, but they still haven't solved the problem.<br />
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SusannahSusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-59350753312103846612012-07-18T15:25:00.000-04:002012-07-18T15:25:03.577-04:00Jane Austen<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21oi-QypbqM5PNiV3tM_3qNsUp9I6qZTtLM07aEgt5Sc96X6Wb6bUYV1jRVObXKc6Em2A9mVtiPyzuVBuX1lxBjTnCZXWg7WA6w4Ua-X2sbGtbq54kuYOYaPbwcwneb-T_NuZlUmgaGAa/s1600/JaneAusten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21oi-QypbqM5PNiV3tM_3qNsUp9I6qZTtLM07aEgt5Sc96X6Wb6bUYV1jRVObXKc6Em2A9mVtiPyzuVBuX1lxBjTnCZXWg7WA6w4Ua-X2sbGtbq54kuYOYaPbwcwneb-T_NuZlUmgaGAa/s320/JaneAusten.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
Today, 18 July, is the anniversary of Jane Austen's death. The 195th anniversary to be precise. Although she only wrote six novels, her books have inspired and influenced more writers in the past 40 years than her more prolific contemporaries. An entire genre of books, comedy of manners novels, was inspired by Jane Austen's books. All of my books, as well as those of nearly every other traditional Regency romance author, are comedy of manners novels.<br />
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To honor Jane Austen, the Austen Only website has posted an article showing memorials of Jane Austen <a href="http://austenonly.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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What is your favorite Jane Austen novel? Depending on when you ask, mine is either <i>Persuasion</i> or <i>Sense and Sensibility</i>.</div>SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-9093986532198249812012-07-14T16:29:00.001-04:002012-07-14T16:29:42.031-04:00Why Do You Read Romance Novels?Here's one writer's opinion on why smart women read romance novels. Mine's slightly different, but the author covers many of my beliefs.<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-browning-walker/romance-novels-smart-women_b_1660308.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-browning-walker/romance-novels-smart-women_b_1660308.html<br />
</a><br />
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As for women with Ph.D.s writing romance novels, I can add three more: Eloisa James, Katherine Ashe, and me. Most romance-writing Ph.D.s have degrees in literature or history, however, not engineering. Ah well.SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-45645873139409375342012-06-16T15:22:00.001-04:002012-06-16T15:22:21.104-04:00Solder MIA a Long TimeAn interesting article about the remains of a British soldier found behind the British lines at Waterloo.<br />
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rare-remains-soldier-found-waterloo-104121877.html" target="_blank">Rare Remains: Soldier Found at Waterloo </a>SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-28717377117509539372012-06-06T18:18:00.001-04:002012-08-04T11:58:41.484-04:00100 Books in 2012 Challenge: Update<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was an avid reader long before I ever thought about writing a novel. I'm still an avid reader. I took up the challenge to keep track of the books I read this year, and to try to read 100 books. So far, I'm making good progress toward my goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a list of the books I've read since I last posted an update.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLafquXrjaSt9PuDaxcjnbPtfUXWmDsVsb9EHQDwQKWTnTOSKy26vuO1ghEXPlgcWr4qrdJ4s_Ncu1k1hqoNArZxuS8tlG7seBznWssYPf2_MV7op2G7Pgc8AFZ9CGxjBu7TGRt_GmE5d3/s1600/girls_of_summer-bretton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLafquXrjaSt9PuDaxcjnbPtfUXWmDsVsb9EHQDwQKWTnTOSKy26vuO1ghEXPlgcWr4qrdJ4s_Ncu1k1hqoNArZxuS8tlG7seBznWssYPf2_MV7op2G7Pgc8AFZ9CGxjBu7TGRt_GmE5d3/s320/girls_of_summer-bretton.jpg" width="190" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">37. When Dreams Come True by Cathy Maxwell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">38. Blame it on Bath by Caroline Linden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">39. One Night in London by Caroline Linden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">40. Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">41. Once Around by Barbara Bretton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">42. Sleeping Alone by Barbara Bretton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">43. The Day We Met by Barbara Bretton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">44. Maybe This Time by Barbara Bretton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">45. At Last by Barbara Bretton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">46. A Soft Place to Fall by Barbara Bretton </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">47. Girls of Summer by Barbara Bretton (read it twice)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">48. The Penalty Box by Deirdre Martin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">49. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50. Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">51. Here to Stay by Catherine Anderson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">52. Home for the Summer by Mariah Stewart </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">53. Moonshell Beach by JoAnn Ross (read it twice)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of all these books were good. The best of the bunch was Barbara Bretton's <i>Girls of Summer</i>, which is my all-time favorite contemporary romance. Also excellent were <i>Home for the Summer</i> by Mariah Stewart, the fifth book in her Chesapeake Diaries series; <i>Moonshell Beach</i> by JoAnn Ross, the fifth book in her Shelter Bay series, which I was fortunate enough to read before its release due to an advanced reading copy I won in the weekly contest on her website; and <i>The Last Boyfriend</i> by Nora Roberts, the second book in her Inn Boonsboro trilogy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
I'm on a contemporary romance kick at the moment, and I plan to start reading Ms. Roberts's new book, <i>The Witness</i>, tonight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What have you been reading?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Susannah</span>SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-86073088973298178502012-05-23T15:49:00.001-04:002012-05-23T15:49:37.355-04:00How Well Do You Know British History?: Part 2<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the next nine groups of questions from Part 1 of last year's Townsend-Warner Preparatory Schools History Prize.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Answer these questions on brothers in history:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a)</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who were the mythological founders of Rome?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) What was the supposed fate of Edward V and his brother, Richard?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) What did Humphrey Gilbert and his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, have in common?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Who were the nineteenth century writers of children’s fairy tales, based on European folk tales?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Which brothers are credited with the first powered flight?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) What was the surname of brothers Jack, Bobby and Edward, who played a major role in American politics in the last fifty years?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Explain briefly what historical understanding you have of the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) Lollards</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) Pilgrimage of Grace</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) Dissolution of the Monasteries</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Pilgrim Fathers</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Popish Plot</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) Hundred Days</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) Crystal Palace</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) Miracle of Dunkirk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) Bletchley Park</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Answer these questions on world history:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) Who became the ruler of the Franks in 771 and was crowned in Rome as Emperor in 800, uniting much of western Europe for the first time since the Romans?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) Who ruled a North Sea empire in the early 11th century, which included Norway, Denmark, southern Sweden and England?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) What name is given to the series of religious wars waged over more than two centuries for control of the holy lands of the Middle East?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) What famous city was first called New Amsterdam by the Dutch, before being captured by an English fleet and renamed in honour of their commander, the future James II?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Which modern European state was officially created on 18th January, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) What was responsible for the deaths of up to 70 million people worldwide in 1918-1919?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. With what do you associate the following individuals?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) Alexander Selkirk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) James Wolfe</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) Thomas Jefferson</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Henry Hunt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) David Livingstone</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) ‘Chinese’ Gordon</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) Robert Louis Stevenson</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) Cecil Rhodes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) Vincent van Gogh</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">j) James Keir Hardie</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">k) Millicent Fawcett</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">l) Sir John Jellicoe</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">m) Mrs Wallis Simpson</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">n) Anne Frank</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">o) Pandit Nehru</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">p) Fidel Castro</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. What events in British history took place in these years?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) 1485</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) 1588</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) 1688</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) 1707</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) 1832</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) 1914</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Identify the following individuals:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) The Queen of the Iceni tribe who led a revolt against Roman occupation in AD 60?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) The priest who is reckoned to be England’s first Christian martyr, killed for his faith?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) The priest who wrote The Ecclesiastical History of the English People<\i>, finished in 731?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) The king who defeated the Danes at the battle of Edington in 878?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) The prince who drowned in the wreck of the ‘white ship’ in 1120?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) The first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) The grandson of James I, who was born in Prague in 1619, served his uncle as a cavalry leader in the English Civil War and later his cousin as an admiral?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) The leader of a failed rebellion in England in 1685 against James II?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) The general for whom the architect Vanbrugh designed Blenheim Palace in the early 18th century?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">j) The landscaper of parkland in 18th century England?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">k) The youngest Prime Minister, appointed at the age of 24?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">l) The 19th century engineer and designer of tunnels, railways and ships?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">m) The first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Answer the following questions on British history:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) What event in 1666 destroyed 13,000 homes in London and perhaps left 70,000 homeless?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) What trading company collapsed in 1720, causing thousands of individuals to go bankrupt?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) With what revolution do you associate the slogan ‘No taxation, without representation’?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) What was the purpose of the Luddite Riots of 1811-1812?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Between 1788 and 1868 about 150,000 people were forced to leave Britain and were transported to work in harsh conditions overseas. Where were they sent?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) Which bridge collapsed in 1879, whilst a train was crossing it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) For the last ninety years what has been the flower symbol used each November to remember the dead of World War One?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) What began in 1936 by transmitting from Alexandra Palace in north London to about 400 households?</span>< <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) What name is generally given to the period between September 1940 and May 1941, when Britain was under serious aerial bombardment?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11. What is the link between each of the following?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) John Ball, Richard II, Wat Tyler </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode, Thomas Minton</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) John Burgoyne, Charles Cornwallis, William Howe</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) 1807, Olaudah Equiano, William Wilberforce</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) William Howard Russell, Florence Nightingale, Inkerman</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">12. Link up these famous individuals with the ships they sailed in:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) Francis Drake </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) James Cook </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) Horatio Nelson </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Charles Darwin </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Robert Scott </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beagle</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Endeavor</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Golden Hind</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Terra Nova</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Victory</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I missed a couple questions in sections 5, 7, 9 and 10, and one in section 11. Maybe I don't know quite as much British history as I thought. I did quite well with the medieval, Georgian, and Regency questions, but not as well with the 20th century questions.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How did you do? Would you win the prize?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Susannah</span>SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-40620536418460718102012-05-17T15:13:00.000-04:002012-05-17T15:15:46.263-04:00How Well Do You Know British History?: Part 1<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year in Britain, the test for the Townsend-Warner Preparatory Schools History Prize is given to students at prep schools all over the country. The prize was the idea of a housemaster at Harrow, who wanted students to enjoy the study of history. The test is in two parts. The first part is a series of 100 questions requiring one-word or one-sentence answers, with a time limit of two hours. The second part is of the test is in essay form, and students can choose to write on a wide variety of topics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the first three groups of questions from Part I of last year's test.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.Answer these questions on past English or British monarchs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) 1066 was the ‘year of three kings’. Two of them were Harold and William the Conqueror. Who was the third?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) Which English king was responsible for the murder of Thomas Becket?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) Which English king spent less than six months of his ten year reign in the country?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Which English king, who lost lands in France, was given the nickname of ‘Softsword’?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Which English king married the French king’s daughter and was accepted as heir </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and regent of France in 1420?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) What name is given to the lengthy power struggle in England between two branches of the royal family between 1455 and 1487?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) Which English ruler was known as the Virgin Queen?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) Which king had ruled his country for 36 years before replacing the English ruler responsible for the execution of his mother?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) Who was restored at the Restoration of 1660?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">j) Who was the first reigning British monarch to visit Scotland (in 1822) since 1650?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">k) Who was the British monarch from 1910 to 1936?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Identify the historical link between the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) Woden, Thor, Freya</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) Miccosukee, Seminole, Creek</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) Marengo, Ulm, Austerlitz</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) Maxim, Lewis, Vickers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) Magersfontein, Colenso, Spion Kop</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Answer the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a) What is the modern name of Camulodunum, the first capital of Roman Britain?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b) What structure marked the northern boundary of the Roman empire in Britain for most of the period of Roman occupation?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c) What religious meeting took place in 664?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d) A raid in 793 on which ‘holy island’ off the Northumbrian coast started the Viking era?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e) What document was begun in 1086?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f) What royal Order was started in 1348 and is the world’s oldest Order of knighthood in continuous existence?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">g) What book was begun in 1387 and contains 24 stories about a group of pilgrims, travelling from London to visit Becket’s shrine?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">h) Which medieval English port perhaps once had a population of 5,000 and is now Britain’s most famous drowned city?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i) What was first established in England by William Caxton in 1476 and led to the production of mass-produced books?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How did you do? I knew all but three of the answers. (I missed 2d, 2e, and 3a.) My husband, not being an amateur historian, missed a lot more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final group of questions will appear in a few days.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945233556371853292.post-80211086057214396842012-04-27T17:15:00.000-04:002012-08-04T11:59:51.713-04:00100 Books in 2012 Challenge Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FzdgeBuMQc8LuO1GajmglmSwKkYfczi2fr2f5R2XjenwxSmTzbpP9uhPF9rxr9z6lAMGfBpnYErJ7LeGA7zmxSXLsFZTSiE9jL1F3l8fBfVrFqjIEcH4ybhVB12F31GEzY8E2xLRVNTp/s1600/LadyOfTheEnglish-Chadwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FzdgeBuMQc8LuO1GajmglmSwKkYfczi2fr2f5R2XjenwxSmTzbpP9uhPF9rxr9z6lAMGfBpnYErJ7LeGA7zmxSXLsFZTSiE9jL1F3l8fBfVrFqjIEcH4ybhVB12F31GEzY8E2xLRVNTp/s1600/LadyOfTheEnglish-Chadwick.jpg" /></a>An update on my progress in the 100 Books in 2012 Challenge, which has just been thrown a complication (as have my knitting and writing challenges) by an upcoming job change and a move across the country. Most of the chaos will occur next month, which may mean I don't post as often as usual. I have several Georgian and Regency posts to finish up, when I have a little spare time.<br />
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The books I've read recently are:<br />
28. <i>Celebrity in Death</i> by J.D. Robb<br />
29. <i>Shattered</i> by Karen Robards<br />
30. <i>Justice</i> by Karen Robards<br />
31. <i>Hometown Girl</i> by Mariah Stewart<br />
32. <i>Lady of the English</i> by Elizabeth Chadwick<br />
33. <i>Captive Queen</i> by Alison Weir<br />
34. <i>Marrying the Captain</i> by Carla Kelly (re-read from last year)<br />
35. <i>The Surgeon’s Lady</i> by Carla Kelly (re-read from last year)<br />
36. <i>The Garden of Happy Endings</i> by Barbara O’Neal (2 times) <br />
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I liked all of the books. My favorites were Mariah Stewart's <i>Hometown Girl</i> and <i>The Garden of Happy Endings</i> by Barbara O'Neal, which was compelling enough to start reading again as soon as I finished it.<br />
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The most informative book was <i>Lady of the English. </i><i>Captive Queen</i>, while interesting, was a bit of a disappointment. I read the author's biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine a few years ago, and liked it. In this novel, however, she used as fact rumors that most historians discount (including, if I remember correctly, herself). Maybe Ms. Weir's ideas about novel writing are different than mine, but I believe novels should be rooted in fact.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL9NU8UrAQYPuK1gk9orygr_PlvCaoWwy9gTmJRVNQSxOnyyeAolmvwEYPsYIul_dKMckzcUcNu__upmpsNHZcg-dNuOsycH16kMdyGk5PBjGhD3OuJacq8t0ACgMjS6uzSUxtXKjt8t8/s1600/GardenOfHappyEndings-ONeal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL9NU8UrAQYPuK1gk9orygr_PlvCaoWwy9gTmJRVNQSxOnyyeAolmvwEYPsYIul_dKMckzcUcNu__upmpsNHZcg-dNuOsycH16kMdyGk5PBjGhD3OuJacq8t0ACgMjS6uzSUxtXKjt8t8/s1600/GardenOfHappyEndings-ONeal.png" /></a><i>The Garden of Happy Endings</i> is not, as its title might lead you to suspect, a romance. (I'd call it mainstream fiction with romantic elements.) It's a story of sisters, faith, friendship, community, and love. With gardens, dogs, and recipes. I found it riveting.<br />
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What are you reading?<br />
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Susannah<br />
<br />SusannahChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11194996797992843070noreply@blogger.com0