The Ethics of Blogging

I’ve been blogging since 2009 and have always tried to maintain my own high standards of ethics in how I present myself and the material that I cover – and it drives me insane when others don’t do that themselves!  Here are a couple of the things that I hold close to my heart with regard to ethical blogging:

• Indicating the source of my book when I share a review.  While for me, it doesn’t matter the source of the book as I’m still going to treat the material in the same manner and be objective and non-biased, it is important to me that everyone knows I’m being upfront and honest about it.  They can draw whatever conclusions they like about if the source of the book affected my review of it; although I will assure you that it has no bearing.  I have given both review copies and personally purchased books both glowing and scathing reviews.
• I don’t charge or accept a fee to review.  I don’t advertise on my site and no longer have any affiliate links that result in money to me (I spent a bit of time removing them as I edited some old review formatting).  I have no issues with advertising/affiliate links or other bloggers doing this, it’s just not for me and my blog and I personally don’t show via other’s affiliate links; I go out of my way to shop around them.
• No personal attacks – whether it’s on other bloggers or authors.  You should be discussing the material, not whether or not you like the person.  I will admit that I have a private list of authors/publishers that I will not work with based on interactions I have had in the past, but I’m not going to go posting about why or let that shade a review that I am writing.  If you leave an attacking comment toward myself, other commenter, or author I will remove the comment (luckily this hasn’t had to happen yet!)
• I will not sell ARC/unfinished review copies.  I actually have kept all of my review copies of any type.  The only way I would get rid of them was to offer a giveaway or gift to a fellow review/blogger.  It drives me insane to see how many ARC copies are for sale on Ebay – at least Amazon has an explicit policy about when it is okay to sell an ARC, Ebay doesn’t directly address it.  There is a reason that these books say on them somewhere (first pages or front/back cover) that they are not for sale – the author and/or publisher do not make any money off of the sale of these as they are given away for publicity purposes.  There are plenty of people out there who do not care about this, and I cannot support those who do this.

Amazon’s sale policy for ARC copies is very limited

For me, blogging is and always has been about my love of reading and the hobby.  I didn’t start blogging as a way to get free books or make money.  I didn’t even know it was a possibility when I started!  I simply started as a way to share the books that I loved with others and give my husband (boyfriend at the time) an out so he didn’t have to listen to all this history talk.  I love the relationships I have formed through this blog and look forward to continuing them with you into the future.  I just needed to re-state my stance on my personal ethics on blogging based on some less-than-above-board stuff I’ve seen around elsewhere lately.

You can find the full details of all my blogging policies in the tab above titled Policies, or via this link.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the ethics of blogging!

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Forever on My Nightstand

Do you have a book that has been forever on your nightstand (or wherever you keep books you are in the middle of)?  Something that you want to pursue, but can’t make it go away?  I do.

That book is The Summer Garden by Paulina Simmons.

There it sits in all its nightstand glory…waiting for the next time I attempt to read a few more pages.  See, I’ve a love/hate relationship with this book.  This is book 3 in the beloved Bronze Horseman series, and I DEVOURED The Bronze Horseman and Tatiana and Alexander and loved both of them.  However, I’m struggling hard with this one.  It just is lacking what made those other two great. 

Do you want to know how long this has been on my nightstand?  I started reading it on February 8…2014!!! It has made it through 3 moves!! According to my Goodreads updates (which I am religious about updating) I didn’t even pick it up in 2016.   In those 3 years I have made it exactly 277 pages of 752, or 36% of the way.  I know I could just give up on it, and really I sort of have, but I would have an issue with not completing this series that I loved the majority of so much.

Sigh…so there it sits taking up prime real estate.

Do you have anything like this?  Maybe not quite as dramatic, but who knows!  I would love to hear!

 

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Clubs? Love'em or Hate'em

I wanted to have a discussion today that is all about book clubs. I have always been interested in joining one or creating one, but none of my local friends read a lot. The apartment complex I lived at for several years was working on putting one together, but that fell apart, or at least I’m assuming so because after the initial solicitation email I never heard anything else about it. So, I tried going virtual. Goodreads offers a plethora of reading groups which host their own book clubs or group readings with discussion. I think I participated in one, but then lost interest in it because there were too many people in the group that the discussion got out of control. With so many authors doing virtual book club visits via Skype I think it would be so cool to be part of one these days!


So, I would love to know: Are you part of a book club, in person or virtual? What has been your experience? If you have a virtual one, feel free to give it a shout out here, especially if you are taking new members!

 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Romance When You Need It!

Here is something pretty special today - a cute promotion by Harlequin!  Many of you know I don't read a whole lot of romance books (and when I do, they are historical romances!), but there are certainly times when I just feel the need to read a little romance!!  And I have found that I tend to pick up a Harlequin (or one of their imprints) when I'm looking for a romance novel.  So I thought this was a really cool promotion that they have going on.

Whether a reader needs an escape from her hectic day, or has some unexpected time to herself—she can count on Harlequin for romance when she needs it, wherever she is! 

This March, Harlequin kicks off the Romance When You Need It campaign, with the launch of this awesome video:

 

 
AND if you sign up for their newsletter, you can get access to download up to 17 free e-book from a selection of their collection!  A great deal if maybe you are looking to try out a romance novel - there are a few historicals, westerns, contemporaries, inspireds.   Here is the link to their newsletter page.  

 

A few of my favorite (or most anticipated) Harlequin releases:

 
Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

The Author/Blogger Relationship

I’ve seen some posts going around the last few days talking about some blogger pet peeves and some best strategies for strong author/blogger relationships. I thought I would tip-toe into this discussion with my two cents on these subjects.

Anne Chaconas wrote an excellent guest post on Molly Greene: Writer about pitfalls to avoid when contacting book bloggers. She hits on two things that I think are really important when initiating that relationship.

• We are all pressed for time and sometimes we forget that there are real people on the other end of the line, but take the time to make a good impression. Individualizing an email is important. I have no problem being included in a mass email to all the bloggers on a list that I have signed up for with a publisher when they do their monthly book availability blasts – that’s to be expected – or when I already have a working relationship with an author and am on their reading team. However, if we don’t already have a relationship, I want to know that you are interested in me reviewing your book, not just because I am any blogger, but because you respect my site and my interest. 

• If you are going to pitch your book for my blog, please have reviewed my policies; it’s right at the top of the page. Most bloggers have one. The reviewing policy is mutually beneficial to blogger and author. It tells you right up front what I accept for review and what you can expect from me. This should help you make an informed decision as to if my site might be right for your book. It saves you time from reaching out to me (or others) who you would immediately know are not interested and allows you to put that valuable time into other sites. It also saves me time too from wading through as many emails. It’s frustrating to read an email that starts with something akin to “we think you might be perfect for this science fiction novel” when that is listed as a genre I do not review under the category of my policy stating “What I Will Not Review”. It just tells me that you did not take the time to find out anything about me and usually those emails do not get a response from me.

Photo credit: davis.steve32 via Visual Hunt / CC BY

Additionally, Stephanie at Layered Pages wrote a great post on how to support your book bloggers – which is important because this relationship should be a two-way street.

• For me the most important thing to remember is that almost all book bloggers do this on the side and have many other obligations in life as well. For me this means: full time job (which sometimes is more than full time when they enforce mandatory overtime), taking classes to work on my Masters degree, and family. My husband is pretty good about my blogging, but there are lines that get drawn from time to time! As much as I love reading and talking about books (and your book) all those other categories do come first. We do our best, but life can get in the way too.

• It’s always good to share posts from bloggers who feature your work to your social media platforms. First, it makes sure that your book gets exposure from yet another group of people from those that see my posts to social media. Second, it might help drive followers to the bloggers website, which we will all be appreciate for. Finally, it more firmly establishes that two-way street I mentioned above. If an author takes the effort to even just share my posts (about their work or others) it sets them apart in my mind as someone who appreciates the effort that I have put forward.

Photo via Visual Hunt

While none of these things are certainly required, if you are looking to make the best impression for yourself and your work, at least consider the things highlighted in these articles. Maybe try to integrate one into your practice. Overall the experiences I have had with the majority of the authors/publicists I have worked with has been very successful. I want us both to have success in the things we do. Let’s help each other out to get there!

 



Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

What Does 2016 Look Like?

Yay! 2016 is here! So what does that mean for this blog? Well a few things brought forth in the form of goals to accomplish this year.

Catch up on some long overdue reviews – What do I mean by this? Well, sadly, these are books I finished reading already and for one reason or another never had the chance to get the review written and/or posted. I have one that I finished reading in December 2014 that still hasn’t seen a review on this page yet! There are a total of 14 that need reviews still. Don’t worry, all of these were books from my personal collection so none are ones I missed a scheduled date for. I have notes on them, it’s just a matter of getting the review written. Expect a glut of these in January as I clean out the backlog.

Work on my Netgalley feedback ratio – Currently, it’s at a measly 29%. Netgalley would like you to have an 80% feedback ratio – which would mean I would need to read another 54 of the books I am approved for and leave feedback. I don’t think that is in the realm of possibility due to the fact I only read between 45 and 50 per year on average. Let’s be honest, Netgalley is addiction and I frequently bite off more than I can chew, but I will get them done! I’m going to shoot for getting my feedback ratio up to 50% this year – that is more reasonable to me, approximately 22 more to go for that.

I’m going to set out to accomplish this by prioritizing – starting with those books that are the shortest or short story collections (I do have several of these).

Work on notetaking while reading – I used to be really good at this, but then I started slipping. At the very least I’m planning to get back to making notes when I am finished with the book so when I pick it up to review I can refresh what I was thinking at the time.

Signature series posts – Another area that has slid recently, some of my signature series. Weekend Cooking and my perpetual President and First Ladies challenge. I will be starting at least the Weekend Cooking up again very soon.

Formatting – Probably not something you have noticed unless you have been back in my archives, but I have been working on cleaning up the format of old reviews to be more in line with my current format – no content changing though. Hoping to get that finished this year for my own sanity!

Overall Reading Goal – 50 books

Support the HF Reading Community - One of the things I love about blogging is this community we have all created.  Sure we love some of the same things, but we are all so supportive of each other's projects and it is heartwarming to have that camaraderie.  I am working closely with a great group of bloggers to see what we can do to raise each other up more and support each other to be the best we can be.

I can’t wait to dive in to this crazy reading journey! What goals have you set yourself this year?

 


Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

2015 In Review

Wow, 2015 is over!! From Thanksgiving everything just flew by, I apologize for the sporadic content; the holidays snuck up on me and so did my research paper for class. Insane is all I can say. 2 classes left and then the final exam and I will be done with my Masters – about 1 more year, can’t wait!! Tomorrow I will be sharing my goals for 2016, but I wanted to take a few minutes to review 2015.

I am so thankful for the relationships I have established and grown over this year in this crazy blog world! The Historical Novel Society Conference in June was such incredible fun with a fabulous group of ladies – loved getting to know Stephanie (Layered Pages) and Erin (Flashlight Commentary) better and seeing my good friends Amy (Passages to the Past/Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours), Meg (A Bookish Affair) and Sarah (Reading the Past) again. I’ve even recently engaged in community with a bunch of these ladies and more to share ideas and help each other be the most successful we can be and made some new friends. The Historical Fiction community is an excellent one to be a part of.

Here are some book stats for 2015.

BOOKS READ: 51 (this exceeded my goal on Goodreads of 45 and was more than I read last year too – so I call that a win!)

BOOKS REVIEWED: 46 (this is more reviews than last year, and includes 12 that I didn’t get reviewed in 2014 that I had read. However, to that end, I have 13 I read and I still plan on reviewing that I didn’t get to this year.)

PAGES READ: 13,104 (more than last year by about 3,000 pages!!!)ü

HOURS LISTENED: 199.88 (this tapered off with less time spent in the car commuting – now I have a 15 minute ride and it has been more difficult to listen at work with the incessant questions I am answering for new employees.)

TYPE: (some may overlap)

• Hardcover: 1
• Paperback: 16
• ARC: 25
• Audio: 13
• E-Book: 21
• My Personal Collection: 25 (of the 25, 9 of those I had to read for my classes, but they still count!)

GENRE: (may overlap)

• Historical Fiction: 29
• Young Adult: 6 (part of this is due to some re-reads of Gossip Girl and Little House books)
• Contemporary Fiction: 4
• Romance: 7
• Non-fiction: 17
• Comedy: 1
• Mystery: 1 (only if you count it as Historical Mystery – I didn’t read any of my regular mysteries this year)
• Fantasy/Paranormal/Sci-Fi: 1
• Western: 6

SETTING: (may overlap)

• England: 7
• France: 8
• Ancient Rome: 2
• Scotland: 3
• America: 18
• Ancient Egypt: 1
• Fantasy: 1
• Middle East/Africa: 4
• Germany: 8

MALE/FEMALE AUTHOR RATIO: 18/33

FIRST LADY READS/PRESIDENT READS:  0/1 (WOW I need to work on this one again!)

AUTHORS MOST READ:

• MK McClintock (4)
• Cecily von Ziegesar (2)

Favorite books Read in 2015: (in no particular order, not all released in 2015):

• The Conqueror’s Wife by Stephanie Thornton
• The Lake House by Kate Morton
• A Year of Ravens by Ruth Downie, Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, Russell Whitfield, E. Knight
• In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
• Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Rebel Yell by S.C. Gwynne

Most anticipated of 2016: (in no particular order)

• Titans by Leila Meacham
• Fall of Poppies by Jessica Brockmole, Hazel Gaynor, Evangeline Holland, Kate Kerrigan, Jennifer Robson, Marci Jefferson, Heather Webb, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig
• The Forgotten Room by Karen While, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig
• The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner
• The Dutch Girl by Donna Thorland

 
Well, I read A LOT of books about WWI, WWII, and the Nazis the year thanks to my classes – those reviews will be coming in January and February, get ready for them. I have noticed the trend over my time blogging that books set in England and France had held less and less interest for me (although they are still in the top tier of locations I read) and more unique locales have garnered more of my interest (such as Tibet, the Byzantines, Ancient cultures, and of course early United States). I have a feeling 2016 is going to find me reading a bunch of sequels or series continuations.
 
I enjoyed the survey questions from The Perpetual Page Turner that I used in my year-end review last year, so I wanted to explore them again for 2015.

Book you read in 2015 that you recommended to people most in 2015?

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – that is after it was recommended to me by several other bloggers. I loved the writing style and told many friends about this one after I inhaled the book on a flight back from the HNS Conference.

My husband will also attest to my unending discussion of Rebel Yell by S.C. Gwynne that has resonated with me long after I read it back in January. Stonewall Jackson holds me fascinated like Benedict Arnold does. Both are men that I am supposed to hate, but I find admirable qualities in them. I even had to hold off on reading further at one point in Gwynne’s book because I didn’t want Jackson to die and I knew it was coming.

Best series you discovered in 2015? 

The Montana Gallagher series by MK McClintock. There are 4 books out currently (a few were released in 2014, but I didn’t hear about them for the first time until this year) and at least 1, if not 2, more books on the horizon in this series. I love how the west is written and how the characters feel so true to life. I inhale each of her books.

Favorite new-to-me author discovered in 2015? 

Kate Morton – I actually have had two of her earlier books, The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton on my bookshelf for a couple years, but never had the chance to read them and didn’t know much about them when I picked them up at the bookstore at that time. I snagged The Lake House for review because I had heard good things about the author, and I couldn’t agree more!

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlan. I raved about this cover from the moment it was revealed. I love the bright colors and the beautiful reflection of the grand home in the water in the foreground. Gorgeous!!

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

Ok, so I didn’t really read anything in 2015 that I had been holding out for a long time to read – but I didn’t have any intentions of reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah at all until several blogger friends basically told me I was crazy and I picked the book up about 7 months after it was published after their thorough convincing!

Favorite Book You Read in 2015 from an author you’ve read previously?

This is going to sound like my answer from 2014, but The Conqueror’s Wife by Stephanie Thornton – she just brings any world she writes about to vivid life.

Best 2015 debut you read? 

The Sisters of Versailles by Sallie Christie – I loved how she brought the court to live through the 4 sisters and made me actually care about this time in French history.

 
What have you learned about your reading habits in 2015? Did anything surprise you?  Stay tuned tomorrow for what to expect in 2016 for The Maiden's Court. Thank you all for sticking with me through the years!! 
 



Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

And I'm Back!

Hey guys! I know it has been quite some time without some sort of regular postings from me - sometime like mid April!  That is the longest hiatus I have ever had from this blog, but it ended up being MUCH needed.  I was starting to feel burned out and really I wasn't excited about anything I was reading.  And that wasn't the fault of the books I was reading - I just had too much going on and by the time evening rolled around, all I wanted to do was go to bed.  And so I did - and I didn't feel one bit guilty about it.  Sometimes you just need a break and to get yourself back mentally.  And one of those things that did that was the Historical Novel Society Conference this past weekend in Denver.  Honestly, in the weeks leading up to the conference, I was excited to see some friends, but I wasn't in the blogging mood.  I thought that it might be the last conference I attended, didn't really know what direction I wanted to take.  But I knew it would be a fun weekend anyway. 

My husband and I headed out to Denver at the beginning of the week - we decided to make it a week long vacation - he had vacation days to use and it was right after our wedding anniversary, so we thought we could get some mileage out of this conference trip.  We made some day trips to: Rocky Mountain National Park (Bear Lake), the Denver Zoo, the Molly Brown House (I was insistent on getting some history in - more on this stop later), the Denver Art Museum, and ate at some AMAZING restaurants!  I highly recommend Fruition Restaurant if you happen to be in the mood for a creative meal.  They had such good food and amazing customer service - we celebrated our anniversary in style there.  We also had a not-so-fun tornado scare while there.  For those of you that don't know, I was directly involved in a tornado in 2011 that hit Massachusetts, so I get a tiny bit freaked out by warnings - and there did end up being a tornado touch down in east Denver that day.

Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Then Thursday rolled around and people started trickling in for the conference.  We had just walked in the door to our hotel room following dinner when I got a text from Amy from Passages to the Past/Historical Fiction Virtual Books Tours.  She had arrived at the hotel and did I want to hang out? Ummm, Yeah!  So I went over and hung out in her room until Erin from Flashlight Commentary showed up and the 3 of us stayed up late into the evening talking about everything!  My HF mojo was back, at that very minute! 

Amy and I

Friday evening was the start of the conference - the meet and greet, opening speech, and dinner.  There were over 400 people there, so there were a lot of people to see!  I was thrilled to finally meet Stephanie from Layered Pages and Jenny Q from Historical Editorial and catch up with Meg from A Bookish Affair and Sarah Johnson from Reading the Past again.  Love all of these ladies!!  And caught up with some of my author friends as well!  C.C. Humphreys gave the opening speech and was WONDERFUL! He has such a stage presence.  If you want to read his opening poem, he put it online based on the many requests.  So far, his speech and that of C.W. Gortner in previous years, have topped my list of conference speeches.  During and after dinner I got to catch up with Marci Jefferson (SO looking forward to Enchantress of Paris!), C.W. Gortner, Amalia Carosella (we actually chatted thru much of the conference! Love me Herc butt magnet!), Leslie Carroll, and some I know I'm forgetting (the conference is a total blur of activity)!  Following dinner I hung out with the "blogging girls" at the bar where it was hopping with conference attendees.  So much fun.

Bloggers!
Top Photo: (L to R) Me, Amy, Jenny Q, Erin, Meg, Stephanie
Bottom Photo (L to R) Nick (my husband), Erin, Me, Amy, Sarah, and Meg

Saturday was the day of panels.  I attended some fascinating ones and among my favorite was the discussion on the gender divide in the genre.  From the topics that are perceived to be of interest to women vs men, the types of covers that draw certain attention, and the topics pitched by authors for books that have been shot down that we as readers in the room would LOVE to see!  Honestly, I would love to see something set in a court other than England or France and would LOVE some male protagonists - regardless of what agents/publishers/etc think! 

The Gender Divide Panel: (L to R) Vicky Alvear Shecter, C.W. Gortner,
C.C. Humphreys, Stephanie Dray, and David Blixt

The lunch speaker was Karen Cushman, whose book Catherine, Called Birdy, was among the very first historical fiction books I have read.  I was excited to see her in person, just for nostalgia sake.  Just before dinner was the author signing - and it was like slightly organized chaos.  I would have loved to have been able to purchase a few more books at the book shop, but they had a minor (read that as major!) ordering snafu.  There was a HUGE line for Diana Gabaldon, so my husband was wonderful and waited in that line for me while I scurried around collecting signatures and chatting with authors.  I picked up another copy of Day of Fire and had all of the authors of the book (minus Ben Kane, who wasn't there) sign it.  That was a special treat.  Then I also got Anne Girard (Diane Haeger) to sign Madame Picasso (another book I loved) and Sharon Kay Penman signed A King's Ransom.  This was also the time I finally caught up with Donna Russo Morin - and we got to chatting about setting up a local HNS chapter for the New England area (which I am in progress of doing).  During the dinner, Diana Gabaldon gave a short speech about what we all wanted to know, the Outlander show of course!!  Then there were the evening festivities - awards, historical fashion show, sex-scene readings and then it was off to an early bedtime because we had to catch a flight VERY early Sunday morning.

Diana Gabaldon signing my book - and I didn't faint!

Thanks to some awesome recommendations from Erin, Amy, and Stephanie, I purchased and dove into The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah on my flight home and am LOVING it so far.  I so much love attending these conferences and sharing some delightful conversations with book-minded people (and we talked about so many other things too!).  My husband even picked up a couple HF books for himself and got one signed too!  Thank you to the conference planners for putting on this conference and I look forward to the next one!  And I'm looking forward to getting back into a more regular blogging pattern.  I appreciate you all!!!

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

Livestream and George Washington's Mount Vernon

Do you live in an area where authors never seem to visit, so you do not have the opportunity to go out an listen to them talk about their newest book?  Are you a fan of non-fiction or presidential history?  Well, if so, I may have found an awesome thing for you to check out (I love it!).

George Washington's Mount Vernon hosts many authors of presidential history and early American history.  They recently have joined Livestream to share their book talks and other events with the wider audience - LIVE!!  As I am composing this post (Thursday night) I am preparing to watch/listen to their talk by Laura Auricchio about the Marquis de Lafayette.  So you don't even have to wait until the video happens to appear on their website or found randomly during a Youtube search!  Additionally, they keep an archive of the past videos, so even if you miss it live you can watch it later.  I have to check and see if any other locations are using Livestream.

Livestream is fairly easy to use - they even have an app for your smartphone where you can watch the video (it will alert you to when an event you are following is scheduled to begin and you can even add the event to your calendar.  I think the biggest complaint is that it seems to take a few minutes to load up after going "live", but I can live with that.

Here are some of the events that George Washington's Mount Vernon has coming up:

• March 23 - Annual Martha Washington Lecture with Cokie Roberts, author of Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation
• April 1 - Michelle Smith Lecture Series with Lorri Glover, author of Founders as Fathers: The Private Lives and Politics of America's Revolutionaries
• April 16 - Ford Evening Book Talk with Lynne Cheney, author of James Madison: A Life Reconsidered
• May 5 - Michelle Smith Lecture Series with David O. Stewart, author of Madison's Gift: Five Partnerships that Built America
• May 14 - Ford Evening Book Talk with Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, author of For Fear of an Elective King: George Washington and the Presidential Controversy of 1789
• May 19 - Michelle Smith Lecture Series with Libby Haight O'Connell, author of The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites
• June 23 - Ford Evening Book Talk with Aaron David Miller, author of The End of Greatness: Why America Can't Have (and Doesn't Want) Another Great President
• July 23 - Ford Evening Book Talk with Cassandra Good, author of Founding Friendships: Friendships Between Men and Women in the Early American Republic
• August 25 - Ford Evening Book Talk with David and Jeanne Heidler, author of Washington's Circle: The Creation of the President
• September 16 - Ford Evening Book Talk with Andrea Wulf, author of The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

You can find George Washington's Mount Vernon on Livestream under the name gwmountvernon.  Hope you check them out sometimes.  Do you watch anything else on Livestream?

 

Disclaimer: This post is not a promotional piece, but a post based on a really cool site/feature that I found.  I have not been compensated in any way for my post/opinions.

 

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

A Special Book Promotion

A year or so ago I had the chance to meet a local author, Robert McMaster, who was writing about the area that I was living in at the time - Central Massachusetts around the turn of the 20th century.  At that time he was releasing the first book in the trilogy, Trolley Days.  At the end of last year he released book two, The Dyeing Room and there is a third in the works, Noah's Raven.  In an effort to get his book into the hands of more readers, McMaster has a promotion going on for the next couple weeks.  Here are the details:

If you would like to receive a free e-book copy of either Trolley Days or The Dyeing Room, visit the Trolley Days website, and click on the button that says "FREE eBOOK GIVEAWAY", then follow the instructions provided. You will receive a free copy of the book of your choice in whichever format (Kindle, Nook, or Kobo) you choose.

How cool is that?

I encourage you to check out these wonderful books for a little bit of New England Americana.

Trolley Days (Book 1)
Available in Paperback & E-book
Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Book Blurb:

Trolley Days is the story of an unlikely friendship between two boys growing up in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in its industrial heyday. Jack Bernard is the son of a mill worker who emigrated from Canada, Tom Wellington the son of the mill owner. Jack is shy and socially a bit awkward, Tom self-assured and smooth-talking. But for all their differences, the two boys have much in common. They love fishing, sports, and all manner of youthful tomfoolery. Each has suffered the loss of a sibling, tragedies that have affected both families deeply.

In the opening chapter a blizzard is approaching as Jack boards a train for the long trip to Boston. He has received a cryptic letter informing him that Tom is in a Boston jail. Despite a recent falling-out between the two, Jack still considers Tom his best friend, and he refuses to allow a snowstorm to prevent him from going to Tom's aid. Soon Jack will be plunged into a mystery that calls on all his courage and determination to solve, even as Tom's freedom, perhaps his very life, hangs in the balance. To save his friend, Jack will need the assistance of Tom's sister, Anne, but that will require Jack and Anne to reconcile their fractured relationship.

Does friendship have its limits? Can bonds of trust, once broken, be repaired? Can we learn from life's tragedies and move on, or must we carry them like lead weights on our hearts forever? In Trolley Days, it seems it is the young who bear the heaviest of life's burdens and must marshal the strength to free themselves and their parents.

The Dyeing Room (Book 2)
Available in Paperback & E-book
Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Book Blurb:

Spring - 1917. War is raging in Europe and America has just cast its lot against the German war machine. Back home, the nation is reeling with social strife: workers marching for their rights, immigrants demanding fair treatment, suffragettes clamoring for the vote.

In Holyoke, Massachusetts, 17-year-old Jack Bernard has begun a new job at one of the city's largest textile mills, hoping to save money for college. Meanwhile, his friend, Tom Wellington, appears to have taken control of his demons and set himself on a new course.  Soon the lives of both young men, their families and friends, will be torn asunder by forces and events far beyond their control.

The Dyeing Room, Book 2 of the Trolley Days Series, is an absorbing blend of adventure, mystery, and romance. Readers young and old will be captivated by this story from a century past, the world of our forebears, an era that, however distant, still speaks to us across the generations.

Noah's Raven (Book 3)
To Be Released in 2015/2016

Book Blurb:

The grim realities of the Great War in Europe are beginning to hit home across America. In Holyoke, Massachusetts, Anne Wellington and Jack Bernard befriend a scientist excavating fossil dinosaur tracks along the banks of the Connecticut River. Soon dark secrets will be revealed, some buried in ancient rock, some hidden deep in the heart of their mysterious new acquaintance.

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

Help an HF Author (Kate Quinn) in Need

Good morning everyone.  I write today to bring your attention to an author who could use whatever help we can provide.  The historical fiction community is such a tight knit community of authors/readers/bloggers that I know so many will want to know/share/do what they can.

Kate Quinn, author of several books, Mistress of Rome among my favorites, suffered a devastating house fire this past week.  She had a brief stint in the hospital, but otherwise everyone made it out safe (doggie included) - however, the house is a disaster.  I have met Kate several times and she is such a sweet, hilariously funny lady - my heart goes out to her. 

So here is how you can help (in whatever way you are able/wish to):

• Fellow author, Stephanie Dray (who has written a series on Cleopatra's Daughter, including Lily of the Nile) has set up a Go Fund Me page where all of the funds raised will go to Kate and her husband to help get them back on their feet.  Any amount you can give, no matter how small, is appreciated.
• Pre-order Kate's upcoming novel, to be released March 3, 2015 - Lady of the Eternal City (or buy any of her other books, links below)
• Spread the word - Twitter, Facebook, blog about it.  The more who know, the more who can help.

Kate, we wish you a speedy recovery and hope you can get back on your feet fast!

Kate's Novels:

Empress of Rome Series

Mistress of Rome (Book 1)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

Daughters of Rome (Book 2)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

Empress of the Seven Hills (Book 3)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

Lady of the Eternal City (Book 4)

Where to Pre-Order (releases March 5, 2015): Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

 

The Borgia Chronicles Series

The Serpent and the Pearl (Book 1)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

The Lion and the Rose (Book 2)

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia | IndieBound

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court