Literary Links November/December 2006

Literary Links

November/December 2006

Good News and Announcements

Available Now!--On shelves now from Pat White, is Silent Memories, her first Harlequin Intrigue. Also from Pat, the third book in her wrestling romance line, Love on the Ropes, from Dorchester. Catch up with William and Katherine Merritt from Victoria Bylin's Of Men and Angels in "A Son is Given," a story meant just for Christmas. It is part of the Stay for Christmas anthology from Harlequin Historicals. It's a new suspense by Martha Powers--Death Angel from Oceanview Publishing. Finally, pick up a copy of Here with Me by Beverly Long, her second time-travel romance from Berkley. Also, Bev is our guest contributor to the newsletter this month. Check out her article on writing time-travels below.

Coming Soon!--Look for these upcoming titles from Pat White. In January 2007 will be the first in a series from Harlequin Intrigue, The American Temp and the British Inspector. Then in February, the second book of the series is out--The English Detective and the Rookie. Both are sure to be great reads!

News--Michelle Prima is now a columnist. She and another writer will be alternating authoring a monthly column for the NAPO-Chicago chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Her first article "Network Like a Pro" appeared in the November 2006 issue of the newsletter.

Services Available--Need to get your writing organized? How about research for your new book? Michelle Prima, President of Literary Liaisons, is now offering organizing, research and errand services through her company, Prima By Design, Inc., a Professional Organizing business for residential customers. She currently works in the Chicago area only, but will provide research services on-line for others. Contact Michelle for more information.

New On Literary Liaisons

There are many new additions to Literary Liaisons. After reading about them below, check them out on the web site.

Bookstore:

Non-fiction:

English Maps: A History by Catherine Delano-Smith

Kings, Queens, Bones & Bastards by David Hilliam

Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historic Architectural Plans, Details and Elements by John Theodore Haneman

Roaring Boys--Shakespeare's Rat Pack by Judith Cook

Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers by Eva Shaw

Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals by Moira Anderson Allen

Feature Title:

A Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historical Architectural Plans, Details and Elements by John Theodore Haneman

The Video Library

"The Wings of the Dove"

Researching the Romance

English Maps: A History by Catherine Delano-Smith

Kings, Queens, Bones & Bastards by David Hilliam

Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historic Architectural Plans, Details and Elements by John Theodore Haneman

Roaring Boys--Shakespeare's Rat Pack by Judith Cook

Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers by Eva Shaw

Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals by Moira Anderson Allen

Writers' Resources Online

Christmas--How did it start?

The Ladies of Reenacting Victorian Page

Romance Notes

Royalty.nu: Queen Victoria

The Scrap Album

Feature Article

Critical Elements of a Time-Travel Romance

by Beverly Long

When Diana Gabaldon published her book, Outlander, I fell a little bit in love with Jamie Fraser and a whole lot in love with the idea of time travel. For me, it was the great “what if” question. What if I were suddenly transported back to 18^th century Scotland? What if I couldn’t find my way back? What if I met Jamie Fraser and suddenly didn’t want to ever go home again?

It was more than ten years later that I tried writing my own time travel romance. That book became Stay with Me, a 2005 Berkley Sensation release. It wasn’t Scotland that my heroine traveled to but rather the Old West.

In writing Stay with Me and the sequel, Here with Me, a November, 2006 release, I discovered that the sky (and sometimes not even that) is the limit with respect to some aspects of a time travel romance. An author can let her imagination run wild when determining how the actual traveling through time occurs. Will it be through a magical mirror? Or perhaps via great-grandmother’s locket? Or, will there be some kind of advanced technology that allows the heroine to guide herself through parallel universes?

For me, it was footprints. My modern-day heroine from California walks along a deserted beach and suddenly sees footprints in the wet sand. She steps into them and initially they’re too big. However, as she continues on, the footprints become a better match for her feet. Ultimately, when they are a perfect fit, she is transported back to 1888 Wyoming Territory.

The author also has her choice about time periods and locations. The character can travel back or forward in time, to locations that are known or completely unknown. Let the world building begin!

As different as these choices make every time travel romance, there are some common structural elements the author must include to sustain the story.

Compelling Reason to Return:

Absolutely essential to the success of a time-travel romance is that the traveler must have a compelling reason to return home. The traveler, who has fallen in love in the new time, wants to stay but if he or she does, there will be serious consequences, usually not to himself or herself, but for others. In Stay with Me, right before the heroine stepped into the footprints, she received vitally important information that must be conveyed to the family of a dying child. In Here with Me, the hero, a sheriff, must return home to stop a terrible villain from harming someone.

Compelling Reason Must Be Satisfactorily Resolved:

The compelling reason to return home can’t just conveniently disappear. If it’s easy to get rid of, then it’s not compelling. In Stay with Me, the heroine couldn’t suddenly discover that the sick child had gotten well and her information was no longer important. What I needed was a way for the necessary information to get back to the child’s family without the heroine having to take it there. I did this by writing the story so that it was logical that a secondary character took the heroine’s place.

So, wind up your imagination and take it out for a spin. Choose any time and any place. Create a fabulous hero for your equally fabulous heroine. Just remember that without the compelling reason to return home and the satisfactory resolution, your time travel romance will fall short of meeting reader expectations.

Beverly Long had her first time-travel, Stay with Me, published by Berkley in 2004. Her second time-travel, Here with Me, also from Berkley, is in stores now. Visit Beverly's web site, www.beverlylong.com, for more information and a change to win her monthly contest.

Editor's Note

Here we are, approaching the holidays, as well as the end of the year. So many exciting things are happening at once! Many of our authors have new releases out for you to present as gifts to friends and family. The list is above in our "News" section. Any of these books would make a great gift. Also, I'll be starting my own new venture writing a column for a local organization I'm affiliated with. Called "Nice Advice", the column will help fellow Professional Organizers run their businesses. As we as writers know, any business is so much more than just the product you are selling, or writing in our case. There are so may facets to a small business, including accounting, marketing, advertising, networking, education, etc. It's not just ideas placed on paper. It is keeping track of expenses, reader information, bookstore opportunities and research. The list is endless. Being involved in organizations such as RWA are very helpful. You can learn from people who have been there. People who have gone through, or are going through, the same experiences you are. Get to know the writers in your area, as well as online communities, who can help support you in your writing ventures.

--Michelle Prima

President, Literary Liaisons, Ltd.

Q&A Column

Q: Do you have any VICTORIAN WEDDING SERVICES? What is the proper attire for a VICTORIAN WEDDING? Is a VICTORIAN WEDDING service different from the normal type of wedding ceremony of today. Please let me know the answers to the two questions I have asked of you. My friend is opening a VICTORIAN TEA ROOM and has asked me to perform VICTORIAN WEDDINGS there...

Melvin B., Justice of the Peace

A: What a wonderful opportunity for you!

While I do not have the actual wording for a Victorian Wedding Ceremony, here is some useful information. The ceremony could take place at home or in a church, depending on religious preferences. Either way, the ceremony could be as private or elaborate as the family or couple desired. Sometimes only close friends and family attended, while others had hundreds of guests at the ceremony.

Whether the ceremony was in church or at home, there were always flowers--again, from simple to elaborate. Brides chose a flower to designate the theme.

Most church weddings were formal and followed traditions. The master of ceremonies (an appointed usher) was responsible for preparations in the church. He also made sure no one entered without an invitation at large social events. Ushers escorted guests to their seats. Their relationship to the bride or groom determined how close they would sit to the altar. Guests in mourning had to enter quietly and sit inconspicuously near the back.

The wedding procession changed over the years. For more detailed information, see Romantic Victorian Weddings: Then & Now by Satenig St. Marie and Carolyn Flaherty, a wonderful resource for Victorian Weddings.

At home ceremonies could be a small, private affair, with the bride dressed in her traveling gown, or a formal event with a procession and attendants.

There is more information about church and home ceremonies and the responsibility of the minister in the book mentioned above.

As for actual wording of the ceremonies, that I don't have. It was most likely determined by the religious background of the couple, whether at home or in church. And of course, the church ceremony may have included a mass as well, depending on the religion.

IO hope this information was useful. Do find a copy of the book I mentioned. It will be most helpful.

Good luck in your new venture!

Michelle Prima

President, Literary Liaisons, Ltd.

Historical Calendar of Events

1894

Births

Aldous Huxley--English author

J.B. Priestley--English author

James Thurber--American author

Harold Macmillan--British statesman

Nikita Khruhschev--Russian statesman

Deaths

Oliver Wendell Holmes--American author

Robert Louis Stevenson

Czar Alexander III of Russia

Anton Rubinstein--Russian composer and pianist

Marie François Sadi Carnot--French president--assassinated

Politics

Death duties were introduced in Britain.

Uganda became a British protectorate.

Britain's fourth Gladstone ministry ended March 5 after Gladstone shattered the Liberal party with his fight for Irish home rule. The Liberals retained power with Archibald Philip Primrose, earl of Rosebery, as prime minister.

The Dutch East Indies rebelled against the government of Queen Wilhelmina.

Strikes across the country crippled U.S. railroads.
August 18-- U.S. Congress passed the Carey Act, granting 1 million acres of federally-owned desert lands to certain states on condition that they irrigate the land, reclaim it, and dispose of it to settlers.

June 28--U.S. Congress voted to make Labor Day a legal holiday, setting aside the Monday after the first Sunday in September to honor the contribution of labor.
July 4--The Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed with Judge Sanford Ballard Dole as president. The republic gained U.S. recognition August 7.
U.S. Congress created a Bureau of Immigration.

August 27--The Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act became law without President Cleveland's signature. It reduced U.S. tariff duties by roughly 20 percent, and included an income tax on incomes above $4,000 per year.

French army captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested for treason.

Jean Casimir-Perier succeeded Carnot as president of France.

Nicholas II succeeded Czar Alexander III of Russia upon his death.
Korea and Japan declared war on China.

The Arts

Paintings:

Aubrey Beardsley did drawings to Oscar Wilde's Salome

"Morning Glory" by Matthew Corbett

"Femme a sa toilette" by Degas

"Anxiety" by Edvard Munch

Fiction:

Trilby by George du Maurier

Diary of a Nobody by G. and W. Grossmith

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Under the Red Robe by S.B. Weyman

Trilogy of the Three Cities by Emile Zola

Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw

The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Non-fiction:

Social Revolution by Benjamin Kidd

History of Trade Unionism by Sidney and Beatrice Webb

History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I by Pollock and Maitland

Wealth Against Commonwealth by Henry Demarest Lloyd

Popular Songs:

"Humoresque" by Anton Dvorak

"The Sidewalks of New York" by Charles B. Lawlor

"I've Been Working on the Railroad" by John Lang Sinclair (published under "Levee Song")

Opera:

"Thais" by Massenet opened in Paris

"Guntram" by Richard Strauss opened in Weimar

Theater:

"The Passing Show", a musical by Ludwig Englander premiered at the Casino Theater on Broadway

"How to Get Rid of Your Mistriss" by Georges Feydeau premiered in Paris January 9

"Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw premiered April 21 at London's Avenue Theatre

Ballet:

"Afternoon of a Faun" by Claude Achille Debussy premiered in Paris 12/23

Daily Life

The Yellow Book began publication with London artist Aubrey Vincent Beardsley as art editor.

Billboard had its beginnings in an eight-page monthly begun by Cincinnati publishers James Hennegan and W. H. Donaldson as Billboard Advertising.

A. C. W. Harmsworth acquired London's conservative Evening News and reorganized the paper.

Boston's $1 million Keith Theater opened with Weber and Fields who made $400 per week.

Louis Comfort Tiffany trademarked favrile glass.

England's Marks & Spencer department store chain had its beginnings in the Penny Bazaar ("Don't ask the price, it's a penny"). It opened at Cheetham Hill, Manchester, by Polish-born merchant Michael Marks in partnership with Thomas Spencer.

New manager Richard Burlidge of Harrods at London inaugurated 7 o'clock closing hours (4 o'clock Thursdays), ended the penny-halfpenny fines for late employees, installed display windows, and arrived himself by 7 each morning to make "Harrods Serves the World" more than a slogan for the Knightsbridge store.
Gimbel Brothers of Milwaukee opened a Philadelphia store that will be the city's largest retail establishment.
Radcliffe College for Women opened at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Queen's Hall opened in London's Langham Place.
The Penn Relays were held for the first time in April at Philadelphia.
Joshua Pim won in men's singles at Wimbledon, Blanche Bingley Hillyard in women's singles; Robert Wrenn won in U.S. men's singles, Helen R. Helwig in women's singles.
The first U.S. Open golf tournament was held at St. Andrew Golf Club in Yonkers, N.Y., at the initiative of Scots-American golfer John Reid, who helped organize the U.S. Golf Association (USGA).
World chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz was defeated by German chess master Emanuel Lasker, who would hold the world title until 1921.

The New York Jockey Club was founded.

Baron de Coubertin founded a committee to organize the modern Olympic games.

A London Building Act voted by Parliament limited the height of buildings to 150 feet. A development called Queen Anne's Mansions has disturbed Queen Victoria's view, and no skyscrapers will be erected in London for nearly 60 years.

The Royal Poinciana Hotel opened at Palm Beach, Florida with 540 rooms.
Thomas Edison opened his Kinetoscope Parlor in New York.

Some 6,576 New York slum dwellers were found to be living in windowless inside rooms. Landlords had installed air shafts to circumvent an 1879 law passed to ban such inside rooms, but the shafts were used in many cases as garbage chutes.
Gustave Caillebotte's collection of impressionist paintings were rejected by the Musee Luxembourg in Paris.

Swedish explorer Sven Hedin traveled in Tibet.

The price of wheat in the United States dropped from $1.05/barrel in 1870 to 49¢ barrel.

Ralston Purina had its beginnings in the Robinson-Danforth Commission Co. founded by St. Louis feed merchants George Robinson and William H. Danforth.

California's Irvine Co. ranch was incorporated by James Irvine, Jr.
Texas gunslinger John Wesley Hardin was killed while playing poker August 19 at El Paso. He insulted Marshal John Selman, who shot him in the back of the head at the Acme Saloon.
Our Pet evaporated cream was introduced in a 5¢ miniature can by Helvetia Milk Condensing Co.
U.S. ice-making plants produced 1.5 million tons of machine-made ice.
German-American café owner William Gebhardt at New Braunfels, Texas ran pepper (capsicum) bits through a small home meat grinder three times and dried the ground pepper into a powder, the first commercial chili (or chile) powder.
Van Camp pork and beans were advertised in U.S. magazines in the first full-page food ad to appear in a national publication.
Hershey Chocolate Company was founded as a sideline by Milton S. Hershey, whose caramel business was booming.
August Escoffier created Pêche Melba at London's 5-year-old Savoy Hotel to honor the Australian grande cantrice Madame Nellie Melba (Helen Porter Mitchell), who was singing at Covent Garden.

A study of children in London's Bethnal Green district showed that 83 percent received no solid food besides bread at 17 out of 21 meals per week. Scurvy, rickets, and tuberculosis were widespread in these districts as they were in many British and European industrial centers.
The Southern Railway System organized by New York financier and traction magnate Thomas Fortune Ryan linked the Richmond and Danville and the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia systems.
The Sunset Limited began service on the Southern Pacific between New Orleans and San Francisco. The once-a-week express averaged 33 miles per hour to make the run in 75 hours.

Technology

Louis Lumiere invented the cinematograph.

Yersin and Kitasato independently discovered the plague bacillus.

Chicago's new Reliance building designed by Daniel Burnham was "a glass tower 15 stories high."

Berlin's Reichstag building was completed after 10 years of construction; the German parliament moved into its new home.

Flagstaff Observatory was erected in Arizona.

Union Station opened at St. Louis. Its design was adapted from that of the medieval French walled city of Carcasonne.
Boston's North Station opened for the Boston & Maine Railroad.
Newport's Belcourt Castle was completed on Bellevue Avenue as the Rhode Island summer resort for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont.

New York physician Hermann Michael Biggs introduced the diphtheria antitoxin developed by Emil von Behring into U.S. medical practice.

New York surgeon Charles McBurney developed a muscle-splitting incision for appendectomies.
Berliner used a horizontal gramophone disc instead of a cylinder as a record for sound reproduction.

Lord Rayleigh and William Ramsay discovered argon.

Oil was discovered at Corsicana, Texas, as a well being bored for water suddenly began spouting oil.
The first railroad opened across the South American Andes.
Cable cars in U.S. cities hauled 400 million passengers, but trolley lines will rapidly supplant the cable cars.
London's Tower Bridge opened to span the Thames. The £1.5 million bridge had a 200-foot center span that can be raised to permit passage of vessels; its chain suspension side spans are each 270 feet long.

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