Monday, November 30, 2009

Holiday Histories

Veterans Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the Germans signed the Armistice that ended World War I. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day. While it is still called this by several other countries around the world, in 1954, the U.S. Congress proclaimed Nov. 11th Veterans Day. This day has been set aside to celebrate the patriotism and courageous acts of those who have served in our armed services.

Veterans Day commemorations include services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. It’s a good day to thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice, as well as proudly fly the flag in their honor.



Thanksgiving

The first paragraph of George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation states:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

At the time, President Washington declared Thursday, November 26 as a day devoted to giving thanks and praise to God for his goodness, as well as ask for pardon from sin and blessings on our nation.

Americans usually look back the Pilgrim colony in Plymouth in 1621 for the origins of our traditional feast. Indeed, the Pilgrims had much to be thankful for. There first winter in the New World had been extremely difficult. Nearly half of the colony had been wiped out by harsh circumstances and disease. Their contact with Massasoit’s Wampanoag tribe had brought a new friend into their midst: Squanto.

This Pawtuxet native had been captured by an Englishman, first to be taught English so that information could be gotten about the tribes that populated New England. He was returned to his home, only to be captured again by a captain bent on selling him and others of his tribe into slavery. That time, he was rescued by some friars that shared the message of Christianity with Squanto. He was able to leave the monastery for England, where he found employment in the house of a merchant until he could find a way to return home.

Returning to New England, he discovered his own people had been wiped out. He found a home with the understanding Massasoit. Despondent over his loss, Squanto visited the Plymouth colony with Samoset and found a new mission. He was eager to help the Pilgrims survive in their new home. He taught them how to plant corn, stalk corn, refine maple syrup, plant pumpkins amidst the corn, discern what herbs were good for medicine and fish successfully. The abundant harvest gave the Pilgrims reason to rejoice.

Thankful for the friends they had found in Squanto and the Wampanoags, as well as God’s provision of food, Governor Bradford declared a public day of Thanksgiving in October. They invited Massasoit, who brought 90 of his people with him, arriving a day early with deer and wild turkey. The Pilgrims shared the fruits and vegetables from their gardens. The feasting was extended to three days.



Arriving home again in New England six months before the Pilgrims, a Native American from the Pawtuxet tribe who spoke English and shared in the Christian faith was there to walk alongside and help the Pilgrims just in time! Was Squanto’s presence just a coincidence? Or the grace of God? You decide!

President Washington seemed to remember that kind of grace as he made his proclamation. Many years later, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November of that year as a day of thanksgiving and praise, too. Individual presidents usually continued that tradition, as each year passed. It wasn’t until Congress decided in 1941 that the fourth Thursday of November would officially be the legal holiday we know as Thanksgiving.

However you see Thanksgiving and decide to celebrate it, whether with turkey and stuffing or tofurkey and salad, may you have much to be thankful for in the year to come.

If you’d like, please feel free to share your favorite Thanksgiving traditions in our comment section today. We love to hear from you!

For more information about America's Christian heritage visit: http://www.petermarshallministries.com/about/heritage.cfm

(PIctures in this post are from Wikipedia Commons
and are in the public domain. The painting above is
appropriately called "The First Thanksgiving" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.)

Friday, November 27, 2009

This Week's Winner

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This week's winner of Kathleen Y’Barbo’s The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper is Charity! Congratulations! I have already sent you an email.

Thanks for all the comments this week. See you all next week.

Cindy

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Review: Cleopatra's Daughter

Cleopatra’s Daughter
By Michelle Moran
Crown, September 2009

Synopsis

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two—the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander—survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in Cleopatra’s Daughter. Recounted in Selene’s youthful and engaging voice, it introduces a compelling cast of historical characters: Octavia, the emperor Octavian’s kind and compassionate sister, abandoned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra; Livia, Octavian’s bitter and jealous wife; Marcellus, Octavian’s handsome, flirtatious nephew and heir apparent; Tiberius, Livia’s sardonic son and Marcellus’s great rival for power; and Juba, Octavian’s watchful aide, whose honored position at court has far-reaching effects on the lives of the young Egyptian royals.

Selene’s narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place—the possibility of finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of the times. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is meted out with merciless authority.

Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is a fascinating portrait of imperial Rome and of the people and events of this glorious and most tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadows of the past, Selene, a young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.

My Review

Cleopatra’s Daughter pulled me into another world during the time period right before Christ was born and held me there until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story reminds me a lot of Francince Rivers’ series The Mark of the Lion, however, the focus and characters in Cleopatra’s Daughter and the theme of the novel was totally different. The culture of the times was very different and yet also similar to the perversion in our society today. This was very realistically portrayed without being disgusting. I loved how the setting was so rich with detail that you truly do escape back in time while flipping the pages.

I didn’t want to stop reading and was up until midnight for the past four nights reading this wonderful portrayal of characters rarely mentioned in historical fiction (at least that I’ve heard of). If I had realized at first that the story was mostly told from a pre-adolescent’s POV, I may not have been interested in the book, however, it captivated me to the end. There were no slow spots, no places where content dragged, and fantastic twists and turns along the way. I feel like I learned a little more about the time before Christ and even a bit more about the ruler, Tiberius Caesar, who reigned during the time of Christ. And it was also edgy enough to hold me until the end. Bravo!

Michelle Sutton
http://www.michellesutton.net/
http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Welcome back for Day 2 of our interview with Kathleen Y'Barbo!

Kathleen is a prolific writer, with more than 850,000 copies of her books currently in print in the U.S. and abroad. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, the Public Relations Society of America, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and Authors Guild and is also a degreed paralegal specializing in criminal and family law. A native Texan, Kathleen has three grown sons and a teenage daughter. In addition to her work as an author, Kathleen is the exclusive publicist for Books & Such Literary Agency. Thus, the girl who only dreamed of books, now writes them herself, and tells the world about other authors.
One of Kathleen’s latest releases is The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper, which one lucky commenter will win a copy of this week.


Kathleen, you’ve written fiction and nonfiction, historicals and contemporaries, full-length titles and novellas. How do you decide what to work on next, and how do you keep so many projects going without confusing them?

Two words: Wendy Lawton. My wonderful agent is my guiding light and prayer warrior. She leads me through the maze of publishing with a firm but gentle hand. We decide together what to do next, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.


What advice can you share with novice writers?

Enjoy the writing! The time will come when you’re facing deadlines, making time for marketing, and doing any number of other things that can steal the joy if you allow them to.


What is the biggest challenge or obstacle you face in protecting your writing time? How do you deal with that challenge?

Procrastination is the greatest obstacle. This is not to be confused with all the other things vying for your time that the Lord has allowed into your life. Working a day job, caring for children or aging parents, or any number of other time-consuming things usually not a choice; procrastination is.


What is your most memorable or humorous moment as a published author?

I was with another author at a book signing once and a man came to our table with his son. He pointed to my friend and say, “That there is a real arthur.” If that wasn’t enough, he stepped forward a bit and said, “I read a book once. Teacher made me.”She and I still laugh about that.

What a great story! Writing your own books is enough to keep anyone busy, but you also work as the publicist for Books ’n Such Literary. What tips do you have for balancing the “real world” with the “writing world”?

I’m still learning! Truly I’m gradually deciding what I can do and what needs to be set aside. It’s a process and I’ve got far to go before I can say I’ve got it perfected.


Reading fiction can be a way to escape reality for a while, but those stories can still teach some valuable lessons. What points do you hope readers take away from your books?

I want readers to have fun! We serve a God who has a sense of humor – as witnessed by that eye-of-the-camel reference along with many more – and if I can show a reader that God is good and so is laughing, then I’m happy.


That is so true -- and what a great goal to have in your writing. Anything else about yourself, writing, or your books that you’d like to share?

Books are my love, both in reading them and writing them. May your readers find those books they love and cherish them.


Kathleen, we've enjoyed having you join us here at Favorite PASTimes, and want to thank you for your time. We're looking forward to those new books!

Visitors, leave a comment with your email (in the form of name [at] provider [dot] com to avoid spam) for your chance to win a copy of The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper. The winner will be announced Friday morning.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Interview with Kathleen Y'Barbo

This week we welcome Kathleen Y’Barbo to Favorite PASTimes as our featured author.

Kathleen first discovered her love of books when, at the age of four, she stumbled upon Granny Simpson’s set of World Book Encyclopedias. Letters became words, and words became stories of far-away places and interesting people.

Today, Kathleen is a best-selling author of more than thirty books. In all, over 850,000 copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad. She has been named as a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year contest every year since its inception in 2003, often for more than one book.

In addition to her prolific writing career, Kathleen is also a publicist at Books & Such Literary Agency. A native Texan, Kathleen has three grown sons and a teenage daughter.

One of Kathleen’s latest releases is The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper, which one lucky commenter will win a copy of this week. She’ll soon be adding nonfiction books to her credits as well.



Welcome, Kathleen! Let’s start with a little about what you write and what drew you to historical fiction.

I began writing in 1996, and I was first published in a novella in 2001. That first novella was historical, with the story taken straight from my aunt’s genealogical research. I took the true story and made the good guys win, which was fun.


Tell us a bit about the main characters in The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper.

Gennie Cooper is a New York heiress looking for one last adventure. Daniel Beck is a British-born owner of a mining company. Daniel’s daughter Charlotte is a ten-year-old terror who needs a governess to teach her how to be a lady.


Can you share what you’re working on now?

I’m finishing edits on Anna Finch and the Hired Gun, the story of Gennie Cooper’s best friend. The story brings together Pinkertons, newspapers, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt Earp. Here's a sneak peek of a line I'm hoping will stay in the completed manuscript: "Mr. Beck,” she said slowly, “a Deringer is not my pistol of choice. It is, however, the pistol in my skirt pocket.” ~~Anna Finch

And for those of you who’ve read The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper, the Beck she refers to is not Daniel. :-)


Research and attention to detail can help make or break any novel, but that’s especially true for historicals. What are some of the best resources you’ve found for helping ensure your stories are accurate?

There are so many specialized websites that I couldn’t possibly name them all. I love firsthand information like diaries and photographs from local libraries and historical societies. They are the best, in my opinion, for capturing the flavor of the time.


How much time does it take to research your stories – what balance would you say there is between research and actual writing?

That depends. While I do a lot of research before I begin writing, I find I’m doing research throughout the book. Always there must be more writing than research, although I will confess it’s far too easy to read an interesting book on a historical topic than to write one!


Do you find a particular theme recurring in each of your stories? If so, how does that theme relate to your personal life experience?

I seem to have characters constantly being reminded of who God is and what He is capable of. I’m going to guess that’s because I need the reminder.


You’ve written fiction and nonfiction, historicals and contemporaries, full-length titles and novellas. How do you decide what to work on next, and how do you keep so many projects going without confusing them?

Come back tomorrow for Kathleen’s answer and more insights about her life as a writer. Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address for your chance to win a copy of The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper. (Leave your email in the form of name [at] provider [dot] com to help reduce spam.) The winner will be announced Friday morning.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Research Resources - November

Brrr.....it's November in the mountains, and I can feel the chill signaling winter. Snuggling under some warm blankets, holding a cup of hot tea or cocoa and building a roaring fire to stay warm.

As much as I'd love to just relax and snuggle, I still have work to do. And that work requires research. So, here are this months top 5:

Acclaim Stock Photography - Browse stock photos to find a picture of your character and make it easier to describe. Also features a host of other stock photos on a variety of topics.

Association of Renaissance Martial Arts - If you have a need for describing the art of fencing or a sword using in a fight, this is a great site.

Costume Site (period clothing) - This page is an excellent resource of links to other sites for period clothing research.

Historical Home Designs - Need to describe a period home? These house plans include the authenticity of homes from days gone by, with all the modern conveniences. But, you can stop at the general layout and framework without all the indoor plumbing and electricity. :) Homeplans.com is another great place.

How to Become a ... (job manual for characters) - This is an index of FabJob Dream Careers with booklets and resources on how to work in the dream field. Perfect for determining the skillset and temperament required for a certain job for your character. See if it's a good fit, then include little scenes and snippets of your character working in that job.

That's it for this month. I'll be back again in December with thematic resources for Christmas. As always, feel free to share your own fabulous research sites or resources in the comments. If they're important to you, they're important to us too! We'd love to hear about them. :)



Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing specialist and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author in beautiful Colorado Springs. They celebrated the birth of their first child in April and have a vivacious puppy named Roxie, a Border Collie/Flat-Haired Retriever mix. She has sold eight books so far to Barbour Publishing. Other credits include writing articles for various publications, five short stories with Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to the books: 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage and Grit for the Oyster. Read more about her at her web site: http://www.amberstockton.com/.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Book Winners

Happy Friday!
Last week's winner failed to contact me, so I drew another name. The winner of Linda Weaver Clarke's Melinda and the Wild West: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho is Renee! Congrats. I have already sent you an email.

This week's winner of Andrea Boeshaar's Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky is adge! Congrats. I have already sent you an email.

Thanks, everyone for your support of these authors. See you all next week.

Blessings,
Cindy