Happy Friday y’all! Today’s post is about Life in the 1500s – got this on the RAW Yahoo loop and found it fascinating!

Kind of interesting…

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house… This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, “dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the term “threshhold.”

(Getting quite an education, aren’t you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while.. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all “sit around and chew the fat.”

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a “wake.”

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a “dead ringer.”

And that’s the truth…now, whoever said history was boring ! ! !

I’ve got a three day meeting here at work with my whole team of tech writers. I’ll be scarce online as a consequence.

I went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen this weekend. Anybody else see it? My kids and DH love the original, watch it on the blu-ray/plasma with the stereo blasting all the time. The second movie had just as much action in it.

The 17 YO said he liked the first movie better. The 13 YO and my DH loved it. I was left dissatisfied by some of the loose ends (like what happened to the weird RC truck who humped the girl’s leg?), but I thought the action sequences were stunning. The CG and the non-CG both.

Shia was good as an 18 YO trying to make a “normal” life for himself at Harvard. His roommate is a bit of a weird geek (never a choice for the most part freshman year), and his relationship with the autobots keeps coming back to haunt him.

I thought that part of the story was well-done. I totally believed that he wanted to be normal, he struggled against what had become an integral part of his life, even to the point of leaving Bumblebee behind in California.

Anyone else see a movie recently and want to give me the 411?

So I can safely say most authors get a strange e-mail or two from people. Being in the public eye lends itself to scrutiny by all types of folks. I’m fortunate I’ve never had a stalker or any really bizarre wackos contact me such as someone sending a photo of their “parts” (yes, that’s true, it happened to someone I know).

I got an e-mail a few days ago from a man in Belgium, here’s the basic context of the e-mail:

I am one of your fans. I think you are a very good writer. I
especially appreciated The Redemption of Micah, The Prize and The
Gift. As I have a lot of admiration for you, may I kindly ask you to
send me a signed photo ? I would like so much to have your
autograph.
I thank you with all my heart.
Yours sincerely,

Now, I find this one kind of weird because I’m not an actress or anyone who would even have photographs of herself to sign and hand out. Aside from the fact it’s expensive to mail overseas (I do it all the time and will continue to!), it’s an odd request to make of an author, IMHO. Oh, and I forgot to mention the subject was “fan mail” – exactly like that in lowercase.

What do y’all think?

I’m hanging out at the Seductive Musings blog today. Swing on by!

However, I couldn’t miss posting today’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

Welcome to another Snippet Saturday!

Today’s Snippet Saturday topic is Opening of Story. Be sure to read everyone else’s snippet by following the links below my post. :)

Let’s be honest and admit that the opening of a story will make or break a book. If you have total suckage the first ten pages, nobody’s going to get to the last page and sigh. That is, of course, what we want them to do – read that last page and then caress the cover as they feel the cathartic rush after finishing a fabulous book.

I will raise my hand and tell you the first twenty pages I actually write of a book are total crap.

“Hi, my name is Beth and I write crappy opening scenes.”

‘Tis true whether or not you believe me. I almost always, always completely cut those first twenty pages, and sometimes (rarely) rewrite them so they work. The important thing is to get the story rolling and then the magic begins. The beginning of a book sets the tone, the voice, and really opens the door for the reader (or shuts it!).

After I’ve written the entire book, I go back and write the first twenty pages again or start the book on page 21. LOL. For this Snippet Saturday, I’ve chosen the opening scene of Devils on Horseback: Jake. My Devils books are dark, gritty and full of the emotional angst suffered by soldiers after a war. Jake’s book is no exception and the opening scene sets the tone of the book, exactly as it should.

Excerpt:

The dirt trembled beneath his breath, entering his mouth with each heated gust. Jake Sheridan shut his eyes and concentrated on being as silent as death. He didn’t dare move his head even as the insects began crawling across his skin and into his ears. The rest of his friends were nearby, lying with him beneath the cabin in the dark. They could have given Jake to the army captain who chased him with relentless enthusiasm. However, they chose to hide with him in the shadows and mud.

His head swam with pain as his stomach rolled with nausea. The bandages on his head were no doubt as filthy as he felt. It had been three days since they’d left Grayton and their friend Nate behind, needing to get as far away as fast as they could from Captain Nessman. He’d focused all his rage at Confederate soldiers on Jake and his friends. For some reason, Jake had caught the captain’s eye in Grayton and suddenly he had become the most wanted man in Texas.

They’d made it about twenty miles before Jake passed out and fell off his horse. Now a dislocated shoulder throbbed in tune with the other wounds he was still recovering from. Jake held his breath as the sound of horses passed by the cabin, close enough he could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath his ear.

A hand gently touched his. He wasn’t sure if it was Gideon, Zeke or Lee, but just knowing they were there, beside him, made him shake with emotion. So many nights they’d spent in the darkness and blood with only each other for company. The memories washed through him like acid, stealing whatever self-control he had.

Jake fought the panic, he truly did, but it overcame him. He started scrambling out from underneath the house, rocks and dirt scraping his skin as he clawed his way toward the light. The hand that had been a light touch grabbed his arm with enough force to make him moan.

“Shut up and stay still,” Gideon hissed from somewhere to his left. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Tears burned Jake’s eyes as he fought to shake off his friend’s grip. “Let me go, dammit. I can’t do this anymore.”

He couldn’t hide anymore, live a life in the dirt and shit, always looking over his shoulder. His heart beat so fast, it started tearing through his ribs. Jake yanked at the arm holding him, desperate to escape from all of it.

“Let go.” Jake spit out a mouthful of dirt. “God, Gideon, just let me go.” The last word ended on a sob as he tore up his hands on the hard-packed earth beneath him.

“Never.” Gideon got one arm around Jake’s waist and held him down. Jake kicked and bit at his friend, not caring who heard or saw. He just wanted it over—he just wanted some peace.

Before he could free himself from Gideon, more arms surrounded him. All three of them put their strength into keeping him under the cabin. Jake could hardly move beneath their weight and combined force.

“Please, Jesus, just let it end.” Jake prayed for something, anything to halt his suffering.

“Corporal, stand at ease,” Gideon ordered, yet Jake for once did not listen to his captain.

Jake’s anger mixed with fear as he struggled in the dark against the demons in his mind. He fought against the bonds that held him down, against all the terrible things he’d done and had done to him. He howled inside for the boy he used to be, the man born into blood and the ghost he’d become.

“Jacob,” Gideon whispered. “Please stop. We’re all going to die if you don’t.”

Jake finally heard what Gideon said and he stopped struggling. The last thing he wanted to do was cause his friends’ deaths. God knows he was responsible for enough deaths during the war, and he couldn’t exist if anything happened to the Devils because of him.

He stopped struggling and slowly the arms slid away. Heavy breathing dominated the foot high space, along with the smell of sweat, fear and desperation. Jake pushed his forehead into the dirt and tried to tell the shaking to go away. His teeth chattered as the rawness of his emotions sank in.

Would life ever be normal again?

***

Don’t forget to read the rest of the Snippets!

Cynthia Eden

Elisabeth Naughton

Eliza Gayle

Jaci Burton

Jody Wallace

Kelly Maher

Lacey Savage

Lauren Dane

Marissa Scott

McKenna Jeffries

Michelle Pillow

Moira Rogers

Sasha White

Shelley Munro

Sylvia Day

Taige Crenshaw

TJ Michaels

Shelli Stevens

Victoria Janssen

Vivian Arend

Okay, I’m blogging over at Samhain today, but I just had to interrupt and squeeeeeeeeeeeeee! The Stranger’s Secrets is up for preorder on Amazon.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Whatcha think of the cover?

I’ll be posting an excerpt and related stuff next week. I have to confess y’all, when I was doing the copy edits last week, I wept AGAIN when re-reading the book. OMG, I am such a SAP.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

I’m blogging over at Samhain today – waxing nostalgic over my 17 YO entering his senior year. *sigh*

Okay, I admit it, I laugh at stupid crook news, and the crazy things people say and do. A friend of mine sent me a link to this article about 43 weird things people have said in job intereviews. Freakin’ hysterical – I totally bust a gut laughing at some of these.

Here are my favorites:

“What is your company’s policy on Monday absences?”

“When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?”

“My old boss didn’t like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!”

“I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won’t get mad at you.”

“I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement.”

“May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night.”

Read them here and tell me which one is your fav – then laugh at the stupidity of some job applicants along with my evil self.

I had a great time in D.C. at the Romance Writers of America conference. I was able to spend quality time with my agent Laura Bradford (the absolute best IMHO) and with my friends whom I don’t get to see but once or twice a year.

There were the wonderful, sweet and gifted fellow Bradford girls Cynthia Eden (my roomie), Lauren Dane, Ann Aguirre, Shelli Stevens, Juliana Stone and Jess Granger. Man I’ll tell you, Laura knows how to pick the best!

From left to right, Lauren Dane, Laura Bradford, ME, Cynthia Eden and Shelli Stevens.

I also was able to hang out with Lisa Renee Jones and her man Diego. Lisa invited me to the Harlequin party with her on Friday and we had a lot of fun – who knew she was a Madonna fan girl? :D

Then of course at the Samhain party there was amazing Maya Banks, Angie James, Isabo Kelly, Jennifer Haymore, and Gia Dawn.

I ran into Sylvia Day, Shelley Bradley, and Karin Tabke – three ladies that are part of my writers retreat in September. Oh boy are we going to love our retreat!

And then there were the wonderful folks I know online like azteclady who assisted me with the jewelry sale at the bazaar, Billie Jo Case from Romance Junkies, and a passel of Romance Divas like Jax Cassidy and Vivienne Westlake. I also finally got to meet Carrie Lofty who runs the Unusual Historicals blog and the lovely Beverly Kendall who runs The Season.

The Passionate Ink party was fun as well where I got to hang with authors Karen Erickson and Kelly Maher. Angie did a wonderful presentation on digital publishing and Laura B did one on trends in publishing. It was a good time!

Funny how I drove 250 miles to see my fellow HCRW members like Deb Marlowe, Mari Freeman, Cindy Holby, Samantha Kane, Sabrina Jeffries and Quey Williams!

There were a ton of others, but my brain apparently let all the information leak out. If I haven’t mentioned you, please forgive me and give me a shout out!

Check out my post on the Brava Authors Blog – I’m giving away my brand spanking new cover flats for The Stranger’s Secrets!