Come With Me To Merry Olde England!

Readers of this blog know I have itchy feet. It doesn't take much for my wanderlust to kick in, and then I'm off on another adventure. So...

Last month I filed my taxes, figured out my refund, and immediately bought a ticket to the closest fun place I could think of to spend those dollars, er pounds... England!

So here I am in London for three weeks! I love England. Once out of the capital, the scenery is like a postcard! Last weekend I rented a car and hit the road. This is the countryside on the way to Poole in Dorset.

Ate lunch at this typical British pub… The Cleave

This is the main street through Poole…

Typical thatched roof cottages and stone cottages line the roads – so quaint!

The roads are pretty crazy out in the country… this one in front of the whitewashed cottage was actually a 2-way street!!!  Gives new meaning to “driving defensively” LOL!!

I hope these pictures came out okay, because I was (mostly) taking them from a moving car, LOL!  It was a rare sunny weekend (but COLD) and today (Friday) it’s predicted to be rainy (as usual) in London as you read this.

I'll be back home before next month's post, but I wanted to share these classic pictures with you!

Cheers,

Jenna

www.jennaives.com

New release: The Disciplinarian’s Daughter

I’m thrilled to announce that my erotic Victorian romance, The Disciplinarian’s Daughter, is part of the new Secrets Volume 31: Fantasies Fulfilled anthology released by Red Sage Publishing.

Here’s the blurb:

Only virgins need apply…

In sexually-repressed Victorian England, Dr. Trevor Markham is determined to prove that the condition known as ‘female hysteria’ is simply a woman’s sexual frustration. But when innocent Amelia Ashworth responds to his ad for a scientific study of virgins, Trevor’s sexual experiments produce results neither of their hearts expect.

A little background on the story:

Victorian England was a very sexually-repressed age. At one time, even table legs needed to be covered, lest they remind the male species of women’s legs! And a glimpse of an actual female ankle beneath a woman’s gown was considered scandalous.

Needless to say, female sexual satisfaction was a very low priority during this time. Sexual frustration among women – the irritability, short-temperedness, difficulty sleeping, and other symptoms that can result – was considered to be a medical condition which doctors called ‘female hysteria.’ In my story, doctor Trevor Markham recognizes hysteria for what it truly is, and sets out on a noble experiment to discover the toys and techniques women could use to satisfy themselves if their husbands neglected or ignored this marital responsibility. He just didn’t count on innocent Amelia Ashworth being the lady who responded to his ad for a virgin volunteer…  

In real life, toward the end of the Victorian era – and with help from the advent of electricity – Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville patented the first electromechanical vibrator around 1880. And women have been thanking him ever since! 

I hope you’ll enjoy The Disciplinarian’s Daughter, which is the much-asked-for sequel to my story, The Disciplinarian, in Secrets, Volume 15.

Until next month,

Leigh

www.leighcourt.com

England - touring castles, manors and ruins

Last month, Jenna Ives and I spent ten amazing days in England. I agreed to go to two Rolling Stones shows with her in Hyde Park in London, and she agreed to spend three days in the countryside touring old castles, churches and ruins with me (for research purposes, since I write historical romance). It was a win-win for both of us! 

I thought you might enjoy a vicarious tour of some of the sights we saw when we traded our dancing shoes for hiking boots…

St. Mary Magdalene Church, Stapleford Park

 

First stop was the church of St. Mary Magdalene, on the grounds of Stapleford Park in Leicestershire, the beautiful manor house where we stayed. This church houses the crypt of Stapleford Park owner William Sherard (who died in 1640 AD) and his wife Abigail. The top of the crypt has both of their statues carved into it, so lifelike that you can see what they actually looked like, even now after more than 370 years! There are also several statues of babies and infants carved into the edge of the crypt, representing their children. (Amazingly old stuff like this always raises the hair on the back of my neck!)

 

Belvoir Castle, Rutland

Our next stop was actually a drive-by:  Belvoir Castle (“beautiful view” in French, but pronounced “Beaver Castle” by the English because they couldn’t pronounce the French word ages ago) is the current home of the Duke of Rutland. The castle dates back to Norman times, and has been the ancestral home of the Manners family for five hundred years. The current duke is the 11^th duke. He lives here with his wife and five children. I have a passing acquaintance with the duke’s younger brother.

 

Next was Belton House (above) in Lincolnshire – a beautiful Elizabethan manor built in 1688. Belton was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Beltone’ meaning a village located on a dry piece of land farmed by families or groups of individuals. In the 1600’s, the Brownlow family began acquiring land in the area, and eventually built Belton House along with its fabulous gardens, orangerie and deer park.

Burghley House

 

Next up was Burghley House, considered “England’s Greatest Elizabethan House.” It was built in 1543 by William Cecil, chief minister to Queen Elizabeth I. Imagine all the history, intrigue, and royal machinations that have been played out here! The Cecil family still lives in one part of this amazing castle.

 

Of course, no trip to English castles would be complete without a visit to Nottingham Castle (above), home to the Robin Hood legend. (Jenna & I laughed out loud at the directions our GPS gave us to get there...) The original castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068, but everyone knows it mostly from around 1194 when it was besieged by King Richard I (Richard the Lionhart) who seized it from his evil brother John, who suppressed the poor people around Nottingham and gave rise to Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Nothing remains of that original castle except this entryway (above) and the castle wall. A manor house was built on this site in the 1800’s.

 

The only real “ruin” we saw that day was Kirby Hall in Northhamptonshire (above). It was started in 1570 by Sir Humphrey Stafford, but completed by Sir Christopher Hatton, one of Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite courtiers. It fell into ruin in the nineteenth century, but is now being restored by English Heritage. There’s a beautiful parterre garden, and a flock of peacocks that still live there to this day!

Jenna and I also tried to visit Rockingham Castle in Market Harborough, which was built in 1066 and was the oldest castle on our list, but unfortunately, it was closed to visitors that day!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this very abbreviated tour of Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. It’s just a small slice of the countless castles you can still see in England!

What about you? Ever been to England? Are you the ‘swinging Londoner’ type or, like me, more of the ‘walk back into history’ type?  Tell me about your experience!

Leigh

www.leighcourt.com   

 

 

 

 

England’s Stapleford Park manor

Cheers! As Jenna Ives mentioned in her blog post two weeks ago, she and I just returned from a wonderful ten day vacation in England, fulfilling both ends of the spectrum of our favorite things. I agreed to go to a Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in London with her (65,000 people dancing in the park, amazing energy) and she let me drag her to some fabulous old castles and ruins in the countryside. Since I write historical romance, my part of the trip was for research purposes. Yes, research. (Okay, and to have a little fun, too…)

Next month I’ll give you a tour of the most fascinating places we visited, but today I really want to share Stapleford Park with you, the magical place Jenna and I used as a home base for our forays into the countryside. Stapleford Park was like stepping back in time, literally.

Stapleford Park, Leicestershire

 

hotel lobby

The manor was originally built in 1066 on the orders of William the Conqueror. It passed through a succession of owners, but in 1402, the house was acquired from the Earl of Lancaster by Robert Sherard, a descendant of William the Conqueror, and for the next 484 years Stapleford remained in the possession of his family!

 

The Old Wing of the house was restored in 1633 and if you look at the right-hand corner of the picture above, you can see the inscription ‘Anno Domini 1633.’  There are still bedrooms in use in this part of the house!

The manor was renovated again (in the Edwardian style) in 1894 by John Gretton (I stayed in Lady Gretton’s bedroom, below). The house was eventually bought by an American in 1982 and opened as a country house hotel in 1988. It still has a private owner.

 

Two of my best memories of this amazing place are the archery lesson I got from Brian of the Kirby Muxloe Archery Club  near Nottingham (Robin Hood, anyone?)  I did eventually hit a bull's eye (after many, many attempts, as you can see…)

 

Then there was my memorable falconry demonstration… (That's a Harris hawk named Roland sitting on my hand...)

 

My brain is already buzzing with stories that could be set in this magical place! For more information on the manor, visit: http://www.staplefordpark.com/

How about you? Was there one vacation in particular that gave you memories that will last a lifetime? Please share!

Leigh Court

www.leighcourt.com

 

 

 

Off To England!

My fellow Fierce Romance blogger Leigh Court and I are off to England for a fun-filled (er, I mean research-focused) ten-day trip.

Leigh will probably have pictures for you by her next blog post on July 26.  Since Leigh writes historical romance, she’s insisting we take archery lessons and learn the finer points of falconry while we’re there. We'll probably be visiting ruins of old castles as well. On the other hand, she’s letting me drag her to a Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in London! This is why we get along so well J

Who knows? If we get really lucky, we may be in England when Duchess Kate gives birth! I’d love to be part of the country-wide celebrations.

So ‘cheerio’ until next month!

Cheers,
Jenna
www.jennaives.com

 

Most Romantic Getaways

Maui, Hawaii – the essence of romance, right? But it’s really a restaurant I’m focusing on. The Swan Court at the Hyatt Regency on Kaanapali Beach. Doesn’t that just sound romantic? My husband and I ate here when we were youngsters and it was so special and romantic, we never forgot it. The restaurant was a big splurge then, and there was no way we could have actually stayed at the hotel. Though we dreamed…Then, lucky us, we have lots of frequent flier miles. So last summer we returned to Maui for a family vacation, stayed at the Hyatt and, with more than a little trepidation, returned to the restaurant. Sometimes things don’t seem as special the second time around. But the Swan Court more than fulfilled our expectations. It was even lovelier than what you see in the picture.

As for the Hyatt itself, the lobby is rated #2 on all of Maui and it deserves the rating. (I think the Four Seasons is #1.) It’s a huge tropical space open to the outdoors. Quite unique. The hotel rooms are standard and the Kaanapali Beach itself mediocre (sad to say with a name like that), but the Hyatt is at the end of a string of hotels lining the beach with lots of restaurants and shops so there is plenty to do. At night, the whole stretch is supremely romantic with the ocean on one side, and twinkling lights and happy vacationers cuddling on the other.

Another favorite romantic getaway is the Hunstrete House near Bath, England.
A true country manor turned hotel, it is a quintessentially British country house type experience. The rooms are huge and furnished with beautiful antiques, the grounds spectacular, and the food wonderful. I almost felt like someone might curtsey to me! It’s very quiet, secluded and, well, romantic!

Finally, one of the most romantic experiences I ever had with my husband was dining at a mom and pop restaurant by the ocean on the way to the Florida Keys. It was called MacDonalds, which I only remember because it’s a family name of mine. We stopped when the endless drive to the Keys finally defeated us. We were starving. They brought us out to a deck right on the water, which swayed and murmured all around us, black as the night. The stars shone overhead. Candles flickered in the breeze. They served us plastic baskets of pink shrimp (which my husband determined were steamed in beer). We peeled the shrimp ourselves. Not a fancy place according to most definitions. But we both remember it as one of the most romantic experiences of our lives together. A perfect, starry night on the water with good food.

Which proves that serendipity, and the person you’re with, rather than money, is the key to the most romantic events!

What is your most romantic getaway? I’m always looking for good ideas!

And don’t forget to join the blog to win a chance at a gift basket Nicole is giving away this month!

Workshop: The Castles of England & France

Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Academy is proud to announce an upcoming online workshop for April.

Workshop Title: The Castles of England & France 1100 - 1500

Presenter: Sharron Gunn

Date: April 3 - May 13

Description: Castles! Romantic? Yes! Shrouded in mystery? Yes, but this course will help you lift the veil a bit and take a peek at medieval life. Castles still dominate the landscape of England and France from the magnificent ruins of Chinon to the more humble Hever Castle. The number of people in a medieval household varied from about a 100 to over 500 for the monarch. The kings and the most powerful nobles had several residences and moved through the medieval countryside from one to the other to eat up their food rents and impress all with their wealth and power. Castles were centres of government and justice, but also the good life. Learn about their evolution and the people who lived in them; learn how knights, originally not free or noble, improved their status until knighthood became the epitome of chivalry. Enrich your writing with detailed descriptions of castles and biographies of the Middle Ages.

Discussion and questions are encouraged, and there will be handouts and assignments.

Course Outline:

Society:

1. Kings and Magnates

2. Queens and Ladies

3. Knights

4. Daily Life: Hunts, Tournaments, Feasts & War

5. Daily Life: Servers, Attendants & Artisans


The Castles:


6. The Norman Tradition: The Motte and Bailey

7. The Great Age of Castles - 13th & 14th centuries

8. Tower Houses & Fortified Manors

9. Castles in a Changing World: Gunpowder

10. Palaces


About the Presenter:

Sharron Gunn lives in British Columbia, and teaches Gaelic as a non-credit university course, and French in high school. Of Scottish, French and Irish origin, she was born on the east coast of Canada where there are many people of the same background. Some knowledge of the Gaelic and French languages and cultures was inevitable.

While living over eight years in Europe, she studied the languages and history of Great Britain and France. She has a diplôme from the University of Nancy, France, a B.A. in French and a masters degree (2nd first degree) in Scottish History and Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. She has just finished her first novel, an historical fantasy set in Scotland.

Deadline to register: March 31

Fee: $10 CHRW members; $15 non-members. RWA Membership isn't required; anyone can take our courses. Celtic Hearts members receive 2 free workshops a year.

Where to sign up: http://www.celtichearts.org/chwksp.html
Please fill out the online form.

Thank you for considering our workshops!!
Vonda Sinclair
VP & Education Coordinator

Excerpt from Winning the Highlander's Heart

5 Angels!!! (FAR)
5 Beacons!!! (Lighthouse Literary Reviews)
5 Hearts!!! (Romance Studio)
4.5!!! (Romance Junkies) Winning the Highlander's Heart

ISBN: 0-9785368-3-5

Deceit, Intrigue, Romance in Medieval Scotland and England during the reign of King Henry I.

Determined to avoid King Henry I's randy advances, Lady Anice of Brecken attempts escape, wishing to find a Highlander to escort her home to her castle in Glen Affric where she will rule until she can find a laird worthy of her hand. Laird Malcolm MacNeill desires an English bride to improve his standing with those in power. But rescuing the Scottish lass from an escape attempt casts him into deadly political intrigue when the king sends Malcolm and his brothers to escort the lady home and investigate the disappearance of some of her staff. Now he must protect the king's ward without losing his heart to the willful lass, or he could very well earn His Majesty's wrath...and lose far more.

Excerpt from Winning the Highlander's Heart:

Later, the sound of men’s voices stirred him from his ragged sleep. For a moment, he lay muddle-headed trying to discern what it was he’d heard. Was it his brothers? Then they spoke again. He quickly sat up. ‘Twas not his brothers’ voices. Instantly, his body went on high alert.

Was it the owner of the croft then? If so, would he be angry to find they’d used his dry wood for the fire and used his blankets, too?

Malcolm covered Anice’s face with the blanket, then grabbed his damp trewes and shoved them on, when four men stepped out of the byre into the house.

They appeared to be knights, not a farmer and his family, bearded, wet, and bedraggled. The situation couldn’t be worse. “How now,” Malcolm said in greeting, but edged in the direction of his sword.

“We got caught in this storm and beg your charity, good man,” a black-haired man said, his voice dark, but attempting cheerfulness, his blue eyes icy. He pulled off his rain-soaked cloak, handed it to a stockier man, then glanced at the body buried underneath the blanket.

“Aye, there is a fire here to warm ye.” Malcolm motioned to the hearth, trying to be cordial, though he felt less than charitable if these were some of the baron’s men.

The other three men began to pull off their wet clothes, hanging them around the room to dry.

The first said, “If those are your horses in the byre, methinks you are not the owner of this farm.”

“Aye, the owner was not here when my wife and I came upon the place in the storm.”

“Wife?” The man’s thin lips turned up slightly, but his eyes remained hard. He cast another glance at Anice. “I am Baron Harold de Fountenot. You must be a knight to own such a fine horse, and the lady a daughter of a knight, perchance?”

Malcolm’s heartbeat pounded fiercely to hear that this was the very baron who wished to marry Anice. “Aye, Laird MacNeill.” But he couldn’t give away Anices’s identity. If they knew who she was, they’d kill him, just as they’d planned to do using their mercenaries earlier on their travels.

“We will take the place by the hearth,” the baron said, stripping out of his clothes.

The baron was shaking, undoubtedly cold to the bone like he and Anice had been. Too bad he wouldn’t die from a chill. Mayhap he would still. “My wife is still sick from the chill she had taken.”

The baron’s mouth turned up. “Then I will warm her. ‘Tis the only way, do you not agree?”

Malcolm grabbed his claymore. He would kill all of them if any laid a hand on Anice.

The men were half naked and trembling from the cold so hard, he assumed he could easily kill all three of them. A part of him wanted to, to protect Anice from this murderer. But how would he explain his actions to the king if he should act on his feelings? That he had killed the king’s first choice of a husband for Anice because the baron had found them bedded together naked?