Wish us well, folks, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the NC coast as a cat 4-5 and looks like it will move inland before heading north.Might turn and come right over us. It could inflict the hardest hurricane punch the Carolinas have seen in more than 60 years, with rain and wind of more than 130 mph (209 kph). North Carolina has been hit by only one other Category 4 storm since reliable record keeping began in the 1850s. That was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. It came north over New England, still as a hurricane – I remember going outside of my childhood home during the lull of the eye as it passed over. We have had our share of ‘F’ storms – Fran came ashore in much the same way and did more than a hundred thousand dollars damage to our house, cars and property. It was almost two years before everything was restored. We had one tree through the back of our house, three on the roof (which luckily didn’t break the main beam), all three cars flattened, and $40k worth of tree removal just to be able to get out of our driveway. No power for more than three weeks, a ton of water damage in the house, and a blue tarp roof for thirteen months. With Floyd we personally were more lucky – the main damage to the state was to the east with horrific flooding. Sadly, some towns have not recovered to this day. I am terrified of high winds… Say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed for us. And especially for the folks living on the coast. 0 0
Oops, I did it again. Garfield here, the handsome long-haired Maine coon cat whom everyone adores. I foiled my two legged when she tried to get me into a box. She didn’t say why, but I’m sure she was up to no good. She’s been picking me up while I ate, off and on for a week or so, and yesterday she swooped me up and tried to get me into the box. Well, I got the best of her – managed to squeeze out after she got me in. I wonder if she’ll try that again… In the meantime, I’m up to my usual tricks. Brought my mouse down from the bedroom this morning to play with. It’s getting a little worse for wear because I love it so much. I also am having fun scratching the glass on the shower door. I can do it for minutes at a time. That cat I see there needs to be taught a lesson. I love running up and down the stairs. I chase my two legged up at night and lead her down in the morning. I love stairs. I know I’m over a year old, but really, I’m still a kitten. At least that’s what she told me about Maine Coons. The one thing I’ve come to like is all that brushing she has to do. You see, I get something called mats and she has to de-mat me a couple of times a week so I can stay handsome and gorgeous. I also taught myself a new trick. When my two legged goes out by the back door, I charge the door. Wham! You should see her jump! I really just want to go with her, but it’s scary out there. Do you think she wants to take me outside in that box? With regard to that box, It’s Garfield 2 – Noelle 0. 0 0
Encounters: Relationships in Conflict was an thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking read and clearly the result of the author’s long career in business, on boards, and as Chair of the New Jersey Historical Society. His stories cross age groups and are set in different time periods, but all concern the conflict between people based on differing perceptions, and are written with a wisdom that comes only with age and experience. I found the stories oddly soothing and gentle and could directly relate to some of them myself. The Piano Recital concerns an amazing resolution of the conflict between a boy being bullied and the one doing the bullying. Bicycle describes the change in the relationship between a small boy and his much older brother. Harry is the poignant story of the deteriorating relationship between Harry, who is descending to dementia, and his caregiver and wife Shirley, whom he thinks is a waitress, through an old Duke Ellington song. It brought tears to my eyes as well as a chuckle. The Dan Flanders Column, about a man who decides to rewrite a published self-help column with which he strongly disagrees made me laugh out loud. Men… There are many more, but the constant among them is the compromise and adjustment necessary to resolve the problems between two people. Human relationships don’t change in this respect, no matter the time. I recommend this book for a lovely, short read that will make you think about your own conflicting relationships. About the author Fred H. Rohn is a life-long Madison, N.J. resident, has been married for seventy years and has four married children and nine grandchildren. One of those children you may recognize is Barbara Vitelli, whom I met via her blog, Book Club Mom. Now I know where she gets her writing skills. An English major at Colgate University, Rohn has an MBA degree in accounting from New York University and honed his writing skills at The New School in New York. His previous published books include the international award-winning How To Make Your Services Worth More and So You Want To Be An Accountant and a memoir, A Fortunate Life. Rohn retired as a senior partner in the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm and then served for many years as general partner of North American Venture Capital Funds, president of the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy, the public member of the New Jersey State Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors, president of the New Jersey Historical Society and president of the Madison Area YMCA. He presently serves as a director of four for-profit businesses. Rohn is especially interested in the relationship – conflict and reconciliation – which forms the basis of many of the stories in Encounters. You can find Mr. Rohn at http://fredrohn.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FredHRohn/ and this book on Amazon: 0 0
I loved this book, the first in the Hode’s Hill series by Mae Claire. It had all the things that make for a good mystery – a historical basis, an unknown murderous entity, a psychic, a touch of paranormal, a growing romantic relationship and great story telling. What’s not to like? It was a perfect summer beach read, only I read it on a boat circumnavigating Iceland… The story opens in 1900 with a dead-of-rainy-night visit by society woman Charlette Hode to a renowned spiritualist, Lucinda Glass, on whom she has come to depend. She’s been warned that the Fiend – a killer with seemingly supernatural abilities to kill and disappear – may be about, but she pays no mind… In the present day, Maya Sinclair, recently recovered from a car accident during which she was dead for two minutes, settles in to an old house in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania. She soon discovers the house was once owned by the renowned psychic Lucinda Glass, who was called the Blue Lady because of her blue-hued skin and who was killed by the Fiend. When sightings of a strange creature occur at the time of the annual ‘Fiend Fest’ and Maya begins to experience strange happenings in her house, she can’t help but try to learn more of the history of Hode’s Hill and the Blue Lady. She soon meets the son of the current Hode patriarch, who believes her account of the mysterious events in her house, and she also learns of a secret research facility located outside the town. I won’t say more because I want to leave other readers to the delight and chills of the story. Who was the Fiend? Has it returned to life or is it a more modern version of the legend? Mae Claire has crafted a gem of a creepy thriller about supernatural occurrences and a centuries-old monster. She creates the perfect turn-of- the- century ambience, and I liked the alternating point of view from the 20th century Lucinda Glass and the modern-day Maya. The author clearly researched spiritualists, who were so popular in Lucinda’s time, which lends authenticity top that aspect of the book. The tale, while chilling, is not gorey. There is no lurid blood-letting, and Maya and her friend Ivy are authentic characters. The author lays out the clues to the mystery in an agonizing precision – so I had to read faster – and I loved the way the twists and turns in the story came together at the end. A perfect paranormal cozy! I’m anxious to read the next in the Hode’s Hill series. About the author A member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, Mae loves creating character driven fiction in settings that weave contemporary elements of mystery and suspense with urban legend and folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania, and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats. You can find her On twitter: @maeclaire1 On the internet at: https://maeclair.net/ And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maeclairauthor/ Cusp of Night is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cusp-Night-Mae-Clair/dp/1516107306 0 0
This novel is set in the late eighth century and the queen of the title is Fastrada, the fourth wife of Charles, King of the Franks, also known as Charlemagne. This is a challenging era about which to write, given the constant upheavals and realignments in Europe amongst the various warring factions. King Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, became king of the Franks and made it his mission to unite all Germanic peoples into one kingdom and convert his subjects to Christianity. A skilled military strategist, he spent much of his reign engaged in warfare to accomplish his goals. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans. Charles had many wives and children. The reader is fortunate because the author has named the four wives, a forceful concubine, and the children, along with other major characters, both real and fictitious. Fastrada comes from lands east of the Rhine and is relatively uneducated when she arrives in Charles’ court. This puts her at a distinct disadvantage in serving as an advisor to Charles as well as mother to his children – the older three of which are well-read and educated in Latin, Greek, and other languages. Charles divorced his first wife, Himiltrude, who is now the abbess of a nunnery. Their son Pepin, his oldest, has profound antipathy to Fastrada and a major theme of the story is Pepin’s scheming to rid the court of her presence. His hatred is stoked by the preference of his father for his second son, Karl. Pepin is deformed with a crooked back, thought to be the result of his mother’s sin, and thus can’t be Charles’ heir. He is not allowed to carry a sword or fight and has been told he will take orders and inherit a bishopric, a fate he rails against. Fastrada also has to guard her tongue and her dignity in the presence of Kunigunde, Charles’ favorite concubine, who is heavy with child and living at court. The author does an excellent job in describing life in the eighth century court: food, clothes, social customs, and the profound religiosity of the king and his family. The reader can easily see the surroundings and feel part of this history. The metamorphosis of the naïve Fastrada to an educated woman and a crafty political advisor to her husband makes for a wonderful story. She becomes much more than Charles’ lover, but an intelligent, caring and formidable force. I am impressed that the author, knowing of Fastrada’s long bout with an illness that left her physically weak after the birth of her second child, portrayed her as suffering from anemia. Court life, with its politics, scheming, and back-stabbing are excellently described. There were a few negatives. Missing is some indication of positive things Charles did during his reign and of which Fastrada must have been aware, if not involved in. His impressive construction projects are mentioned, but there is also his wide support of education, scholarship, literature and art and the development of a common currency. The emphasis of the book is on the many battles he waged to unite the country, and although the brutality and bloodiness of warfare at the time are well wrought, I did become confused with the various warring factions. A minor point: there are nagging repetitions of Pepin’s scowling, which seemed to be his only expression, and the references to the rushes on the floor and the herbs scattered with them. All in all, this is a very satisfying historical read, and I plan to read the author’s other books, which should give a strong indication that I liked this one! About the author (from Amazon): If it weren’t for feminism, Kim Rendfeld would be one of those junior high English teachers scaring the bejesus out of her students, correcting grammar to the point of obnoxiousness. Instead, her career has been in journalism, public relations, and fiction. Kim grew up in New Jersey and attended Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English, with a minor in French. She was a journalist for about 17 years at Indiana newspapers, including the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, The Muncie Star, and The News and Sun in Dunkirk, and won several awards from the Hoosier State Press Association. Her career changed in 2007, when she joined the marketing and communications team at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and she is proud to have been part of projects that have received national recognition. Kim, a member of the Historical Novel Society, lives in Indiana with her husband and their spoiled cats. The couple has a daughter and four grandchildren. You can find the author at kimrendfeld.com On twitter: @kimrendfeld And on Facebook: facebook.com/authorkimrendfeld Her blog is: kimrendfeld.wordpress.com You can find Queen of the Darkest Hours on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZ65PB7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 0 0
Well, it’s my birthday and I am spending it doing what I like to do: research for The Last Pilgrim. I don’t feel any older but do hope I can finish this book before I shuffle off… However, there are there are nagging details I can’t pin down. For example: Did the Pilgrims have pipes and smoke tobacco? The Virginia colony was harvesting tobacco by then. Did Pilgrim women cut their hair upon marriage? What were the practices for birthing? I found a book by a 17th century midwife for this one. Aside from the lack of sterile practice, things haven’t seem to change much. Where were the bull and heifers kept? Three heifers and a bull arrived in 1623. When did the colony have its first milk? How was it apportioned? Who cared for the cows? Were they affectionate in public – hugging for example? Did the shake hands? Would they have called their friends by their first names? Luckily, I have found someone at the Pilgrim Museum in Plymouth who said she would find me people to answer these questions, but I can see a visit to Plymouth to rummage around and make contacts is in my future (not that I would object.) Nevertheless, I find myself doing research on the oddest of things: sassafras (much prized by the English), ramp (a type of wild onion they would have eaten), samp (a cornmeal mush), rival colonies to Plymouth (Wessagusset, Cape Ann and Merry Mount), a coiff (the adult woman’s head covering) versus a biggen (a child’s). Add to this the fact I am suffering from labyrinthitis and am dizzy unless I am sitting or standing straight up, and you have the perfect formula for the rending of hair. Life is good…dontcha know? Here’s a golden oldie from Leslie Gore on the subject: 0 0
I do love books about old houses, having grown up in one myself. This book details the history of the different form of a house and its main occupants from the Victorian times of the 1880s, to the time of witches in the 1660s, to medieval times of the 1300s, in that order. Llys y Garn is an estate in Wales with a history that goes back centuries, and the author has woven tales of the estate at these three different time periods. The first story, The Good Servant, is set in the Victorian era, when the house is a rambling Victorian/ neogothic amalgam of many rooms. There is a distinct upstairs/downstairs, where the survival of a servant, with endless days and nights of back-breaking labor and a bleak, loveless future, hinges on the good will of their employer – who can dismiss them for any perceived transgression, even a minor one. The tale follows the career of Nelly Skeel, an ugly woman who works her way up through the hierarchy of life below the stairs. She is not loved or even liked, but when she encounters the orphaned and unwanted nephew of the manor’s owner, she eagerly takes on the task of being his mother, giving him the love no one else will and only hoping for his love in return, while scheming to avoid dismissal. The Witch is the second tale and takes place in the 17th century; it tells of another strong-willed woman, whom her father plans to use as a pawn in marriage to advance himself. Llys y Gar is a Tudor residence with a crumbling great hall. Devereux Powell’s daughter Elizabeth is isolated there with her two brothers to be raised by her grandmother, who is devolving into madness fixed on the dark doings of the Devil. Clever and strong-willed Elizabeth loves Llys y Garn and wants to remain there but is unsure of whether her life is at God’s will or the devil’s. She manipulates her father into accepting her betrothal to a childhood friend, Huw, who is of poor nobility and lives on a nearby farm. She assumes her dowry will be Llys y Garn. But it seems the devil has other plans for her, and tragedies ensue. The third and final story is set in medieval times, which despite the chattel status of women in the previous two tales, is yet more harsh in their treatment. Little is known of what stood on the land of Llys y Garn in the 1300’s, but it was occupied by the family of the loud and brutal Owain ap Elidyr. Angharad’s story opens with a birthing gone horribly wrong, leaving her and her older sister Marged and younger brother Ieuan motherless and subject the whims of the despotic father, an impoverished descendant of a royal line. Angharad’s one joy in life is attending Curig’s fair, where she meets a girl of her own age, Johan, daughter of a cloth trader. Their meeting becomes an annual thing and Angharad longs to live Johan’s life, traveling to distant lands, eating exotic food and wearing nice clothes. Like Marged, however, she will be used as an asset in marriage as her father plots to expand his land and recover old rights. In overcoming horrible odds, Angharad has the happiest outcome of the three women. The author has written a book with a sweep of time similar to books by James Michener, but much more limited in scope and place. I had expected the three women would be bound by an explained lineage, but instead found the link was their resistance to the roles demanded by society. This, even more than Llys y Garn, binds the narrative. The female characters are well-limned and compelling. Their strength in the face of implacable norms and demeaning roles sticks with the reader. It is unfortunate the men, with one exception, are depicted as priggish, selfish, self-serving, brutal and bullying – this certainly elicits fear and loathing, but I longed for a few sympathetic or kind men. This author is known for her historical research, and it shows. The detail is impeccable and sets three distinctive scenes. The dialogue is crisp and reasonable for each of the time periods. While the brutality and gore of some scenes might drive away a few readers, it is appropriate to the stories and the times. I would definitely pick up another book by Ms. Moore. About the author (from Amazon): Thorne Moore grew up in Luton, near London, but has lived in Pembrokeshire in West Wales for the last 35 years. Her father was a Labor councilor and her mother once got the sack for calling her boss a male chauvenist pig, so she developed strong views about the way the world works. Her headmaster advised her to study law, but that implied a career in law, and the only career she wanted was as a writer. So she studied history instead, and nine years later, after a spell working in a library, she returned to Wales to run a restaurant with her sister. She did finally get her law degree, but these days, she writes. When she’s not writing, she makes miniature furniture, through her craft business, Pear Tree Miniatures. Thorne Moore is a member of the Crime Writers Association and Crime Cymru, and, with fellow author Judith Barrow, organizes the Narbert Book Fair. She writes psychological crime, or domestic noir, with an historical twist, focusing on the cause and consequences of crimes rather than on the details of the crimes themselves along with historical and family dramas. You can find Thorne Moore On twitter: @ThorneMoore At: https://www.thornemoore.co.uk/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thorne.moore.7 Or on her blog, Thorny Matters: https://thornemoore.blogspot.com/ Long Shadows: Tale of Llys y Garn is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Shadows-Tales-Llys-Garn-ebook/dp/B07CQRXKBL 0 0
Almost everyone who visits my blog knows the redoubtable Sally Cronin, author, blogger and one of the most supporting and caring bloggers I know. She just did an interview with me, and I am honored and overwhelmed with what she wrote: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/08/19/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-sunday-interview-getting-to-know-you-with-author-n-a-granger/ Thank you, Sally, and mega hugs from me! 0 0
Ordinarily, I would celebrate a Friday. When I was working, Friday evening was when the whole family could take a sigh of relief: no hassles over homework, no lunches to pack. Pizza for dinner! Sports to look forward to the next day. Now Fridays are not much different from Saturday and Sunday, although we do tend to go to movies more on weekends. Next up: The Meg. I love sharks and hope to cage swim with some great whites sometime soon. And soon it will be football season again (soccer has already started at UNC), so we will be gorging on UNC sports on the weekends, too. We’re so lucky to live in Chapel Hill, where we have a smorgasbord of top notch athletic competitiion at UNC. So maybe a little less writing on Saturday and Sunday this fall. I’d like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU all the new followers who have joined me since the beginning of the year. I used to be able to post their blog sites and say a few words about them, but I’ve become overwhelmed since January with people generously and kindly following my blog. So again, thanks so much for your interest. Your readership is what keeps me writing. And with regard to the blogs I myself follow — I do wish I could follow everyone back, but I get roughly 90 emails a day with posts from the blogs I am currently following, and I can’t even keep up with that! So apologies to all my blogging buddies whose posts I can’t read every day and more apologies to the wonderful bloggers out there whose posts I can’t follow. I know I missing a lot! Lastly, a little advertising: my fourth book in the Rhe Brewster mystery series came out in June and I’d love it if all y’all would consider reading it and writing me a review. I’ve had lots of readers, but the reviews are slow coming in. Heck, I know are all busy! But I would esteem it a huge favor. Have a great weekend! P.S. Next up: an excerpt from my new novel: The Last Pilgrim. 0 0
