Guest Post by K.A. Servian

Today I have the wonderful opportunity to host K.A. Servian, author of The Moral Compass book 1 of the Shaking the Tree series about a Victorian woman who moves to New Zealand after losing it all in Victorian England.  Today she is here to tell you about this longest journey from England to New Zealand.

The Moral Compass: An Immigrant Story

A Guest Post by K.A. Servian, Author of
The Moral Compass

The voyage from England to New Zealand was known as the ‘longest emigrant journey in the world’ with good reason. Some vessels did the 25,000km trip in as little as 83 days while others took as long as six months. Some called in at various ports along the way, but many did not stop with those on board not sighting land for several weeks at a time. The expedition to New Zealand saw the travelers sail south past the coast of Africa, turning east around the Cape of Good Hope then ride the ‘Roaring Forties’ to approach New Zealand from the South. This route brought a variety of conditions such as equatorial heat, the calm of the Doldrums and raging icy storms in the Southern Ocean. It was not a trip for the faint-hearted yet many thousands undertook it in the hope of making a better life for themselves and their families.

People from all walks of life were encouraged to emigrate in the hope of creating a new ‘little England’ in the South Pacific. There were two distinct classes of passenger onboard most ships: Cabin and steerage. The cabin passengers generally enjoyed comfortable accommodation and decent food. The steerage passengers were usually crammed together in bunkrooms in the bowels of the ship with very little light and fresh air. Despite this distinction between the classes, the fact that everyone was enduring the hardships of ship life together was a great leveler and a forerunner to the flatter social structure they would experience in colonial New Zealand.

Photo Credit: K.A. Servian

Having endured such a long journey, the new arrivals were faced a multitude of hardships in their new home forcing them to be resilient and resourceful. Disease, natural disasters, fire and conflict with the indigenous population resulted in numerous injuries and deaths amongst the colonists.
After reading many first-hand accounts written by colonial women, my aim was to convey the sense of a new world with its many dangers and possibilities in my novel, The Moral Compass. The heroine, Florence Thackeray, is forced to endure a long and arduous voyage only to find that everything is not as she expected upon her arrival. She realizes that the status she enjoyed back in England does not apply in New Zealand and she must struggle for survival along with everybody else. This reality faced many new arrivals who found that there was often no house waiting for them and the land they had purchased required years of backbreaking work to become productive.

Photo Credit: K.A. Servian

While it is a historical novel, the main theme of The Moral Compass is still relevant. The desire for a better life that drove many to leave Europe for the colonies in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds spilled over into the twentieth century. I am an immigrant, as are my husband’s family. Our parents saw possibilities in a new place that did not exist for them in their home countries. And millions of people today still make the decision to uproot their families and risk everything to travel vast distances in search of something more.

As a life-long creative, Kathy gained qualifications in fashion design, applied design to fabric and jewelry making and enjoyed a twenty-year-plus career in the fashion and applied arts industries as a pattern maker, designer and owner of her own clothing and jewelry labels.

She then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills accumulated over the years—design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.

Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Writing quickly became an obsession and Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from the original manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.

Kathy now squeezes full-time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing in around working on her novels, knocking out the occasional short story, teaching part-time and being a wife and mother.

Find K.A. Servian: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

Florence lives like a Princess attending dinner parties and balls away from the gritty reality, filth and poverty of Victorian London.

However, her world comes crashing around her when her father suffers a spectacular fall from grace. She must abandon her life of luxury, leave behind the man she loves and sail to the far side of the world where compromise and suffering beyond anything she can imagine await her.

When she is offered the opportunity to regain some of what she has lost, she takes it, but soon discovers that not everything is as it seems. The choice she has made has a high price attached and she must live with the heart-breaking consequences of her decision.
This novel is part one in the ‘Shaking the Tree’ series.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Tour-Wide Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away an eBook of Throwing Light by K.A. Servian! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.  Any questions please contact HF Virtual Book Tours.  Good Luck!

Giveaway Rules

• Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on January 31st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
• Giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only.
• Only one entry per household.
• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
• Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Follow the Tour

On the HFVBT Webpage or on Twitter: #themoralcompassblogtour

Monday, January 22
Feature at The Lit Bitch
Interview at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, January 23
Review at What Cathy Read Next
Feature at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, January 24
Guest Post at The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, January 25
Review at Linda’s Book Obsession

Friday, January 26
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Monday, January 29
Guest Post at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Wednesday, January 31
Review at Broken Teepee



Copyright © 2018  The Maiden’s Court

Two Sides to Every Story: The Women Who “Settled” The West

Today I have the opportunity to welcome not one, but two authors to the Two Sides to Every Story series!  I don’t get to do that every day!  I have had the great pleasure of working with M.K. McClintock several times in the past with her Montana Gallagher series and she brought Samantha St. Claire with her to discuss the two sides to the women who settled the western United States.  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have!

The Women Who “Settled” The West: For Good or Bad

Samantha St. Claire ~ The Good

Putting the morality of prostitution to the side, I’d like to consider how the institution made positive contributions to frontier development. Yes, positive contributions, by soiled doves and working girls.

Working camps brought the men first; the women followed. Scattered shacks and tents transformed to towns upon arrival of the fairer sex. Money became the common denominator as both sexes came seeking fortune. The women, especially those serving as madams, often succeeded where the men did not. Many were shrewd business women investing their earnings in land and new businesses in these boom towns. Some even acted as loan agents, providing banking services.

However, it is their charitable acts that make these women noteworthy. Let’s start by considering Annie who as a young girl traveled west with her family in search of a better life. Both parents died of cholera, leaving the orphan to find a way to survive. With her tall, slender body and flaming red hair, she thrived the working girl life in a variety of camps. Moving to San Francisco, she came into the employ of the celebrated Madam Mina Hayman. The young woman, showing an aptitude for finances, soon became Madam Hayman’s protégé. Taking over the business years later, Annie, now calling herself Jessie Hayman, expands the business. When the San Francisco fire of 1906 ravages the city, she provides the victims food and clothing.

“Diamond” Jessie Hayman was not alone in her charitable deeds. Laura Evans of Leadville, Colorado fame was reputed to be “tough as nails” but stories abound testifying to her generous heart. She provided food to families of injured or out-of-work fathers. Most remarkable was how she disguised her girls in nurses uniforms during the flu pandemic of 1918, sending them to care for the sick.

Often, our obituaries say much about how we used our days. When Virginia City’s Madam Julia Bulette was murdered, all the mines and saloons closed out of respect and her funeral was attended by thousands. Like others, she was remembered best for nursing victims of influenza and donating to miners suffering hardship.

Julia Bulette, Virginia City Madam
Credit: Public Domain

MK McClintock ~ The Bad

Mary Katharine Haroney, Mattie Blaylock, and Molly Hall all sound like the names of respectable women, but names—and appearances—can be deceiving. These were the fallen women, soiled doves, and sportin' women in what we commonly call the “Wild West.”

Sure, some of these women who braved the west went onto become millionaires and national heroes, building towns and helping others, but at what cost? Some were outlaws and thieves like Laura Bullion, who joined the Wild Bunch gang. Many others died from childbirth and disease, plying their trade from the back of wagons, shacks, or grubby tents for little more than $0.25. If they were lucky, they might pull in up to a dollar or more. Many died violently, became addicted to drugs, or committed suicide, preferring that to a slow and miserable death.

Maggie Hall, a young beauty from Dublin, arrived in America and found it difficult to secure a job. She became a saloon girl then fell and love and married a wealthy man whose father cut him off when he found out. At her husband’s behest, Maggie started to entertain men so they could bring in more money. When she finally left her husband and became a high-priced prostitute, there are some who would say she was redeemed by helping a small town through a small-pox epidemic. Soon after, she died from consumption.

Maggie Hall
Credit: Public Domain

Most of these women were young and illiterate, though not all, and while it’s optimistic to think of the grand madams being respected and praised for their contributions to building the west, those powerful and wealthy were far and few between. Then there were the poor souls forced into the sex trade by family, captors, or husbands, with little choice to spend their short lives as working girls, addicted to opium.

The more populated the West became, the more respectable the women who arrived. With them came more close-knit communities, families, churches, and more respectable men. And criticism toward prostitution grew.

Would the “Wild West” have boomed and built up if these ladies of the night found another way to earn a living? There’s no denying that some of these women were in it for business and knew how to make a lot of money, earn respect, and become prominent citizens. But what about the young women who worked for them? Who searched for a better life out west, and instead of being told they were too good for that way of life, started on a path of misery from which few escape.

No matter which side of the story you choose to believe, there’s no doubt that the working women contributed a great deal to “settling” the West.

---

Samantha St. Claire is the alter-ego and pen name of an author of YA historical fiction. Kat's Law was her first venture into romantic historical fiction. With residences in both Washington and Idaho, she's spent long hours traveling the route of the old Oregon Trail, gathering inspiration for her novels along the way. The second book in The Sawtooth Range Series, High Valley Promise, released in 2017. She is currently at work on her next story.  Learn more at https://samanthastclaire.net/

In this thrilling and romantic conclusion to Kat's Law, Dr. Kathryn Meriwether must deal with a Cholera outbreak threatening the residents she cares for in Snowberry, Idaho, a killer not armed with a gun as the one whom ex-Texas Ranger Jonathan Winthrop pursues into the Sawtooth Range, but just as deadly and unpredictable. Once again, each will handle the crisis with the skills they've been given, but ultimately will find a greater strength in facing their future together. A high valley promise will unite them as an undeniable force to meet the challenges of their frontier home.

Buy the Book: Amazon

MK McClintock is an award-winning author who has written several books and short stories, including the popular "Montana Gallagher" series, the "Crooked Creek" series set in post-Civil War Montana, and the "British Agent" series. She spins tales of romance, adventure, and mystery set in bygone times. MK enjoys a quiet life in the Rocky Mountains. Learn more at www.mkmcclintock.com.

One woman's desperation to escape would become the greatest journey of her life.

Amanda Warren arrived in Briarwood, Montana with one satchel and a dream. After death destroyed her happiness, she fled, unwillingly to believe that was the end, yet her weary spirit thought only of survival.
Then she met the Gallaghers.

They took a chance and gave her a home and a family, but is she strong enough to make a new start?

Ben Stuart has seen more of life than he wants to remember, but with the Gallaghers he had found a place where he could forget times gone by and live the life he always wanted. When Amanda arrived at Hawk's Peak, Ben saw a woman hiding from secrets and running from her past. Will he be able to convince her that the journey is over?

Buy the Book: Amazon

Copyright © 2017  by The Maiden’s Court

Historical Board Game Spotlight: Bring Out Yer Dead

Bring Out Yer Dead

Designed by Aaron Watts

Published by Ginger Ale Games, Upper Deck Entertainment

2-5 Players ... 30-45 min ... Ages 12+

The head of your family is dead.  The will has been read, and you're last on the list.  The only way for you to get your share is for your family to find their final resting places in the most exclusive cemetery in the city.

Bring Out Yer Dead is a surprisingly upbeat game about the Black Plague in 14th century Europe.  As the only person left in your family, you have to clean out all of your late relatives from your hovel.  Depending on which cemetery plots you are able to bury them in, you will gain more influence in the city and more victory points.  You will need to negotiate with the gravedigger to get the best plots.  You will need to search for (and steal) valuables that the dearly departed have left behind.  You may even need to enlist the help of grave robbers, plague doctors, and fortune tellers to help you in your goals.

The board depicts the cemetery that lies just outside of town.  Grave plots are each associated with an amount of points that you will gain if you can bury your family in them.  Some plots can only fit one coffin while others can fit a pair of stiffs.  You will usually want to bury your kin in the highest valued plots, but you will also have to pay attention to gaining majority in certain areas and keep in mind that your opponents may dig up and move your coffins to less favorable areas!

The game board toward the end of the game.  Most grave sites are filled and some coffins ended up in the river.

Each round, players will play cards from their hand that either depict death certificates, valuable treasures, or special events.  Once all cards are played face down, they are revealed and they go into effect in order of their number.  Brown death certificate cards allow you to place coffins on the gravedigger's cart.  Green treasure cards gain you victory points.  Purple fate cards allow you to do many different things to mess with the current layout of coffins.

Some fate cards (top) and treasure cards (bottom)

The sooner you are able to get to the gravedigger with your recently deceased, the better your chances are of getting them into valuable cemetery plots.  If you wait too long, there may not be enough spots on the cart and the gravedigger may toss them in the river!  Caskets in the river deduct points from your point total.

Death certificate cards and the gravedigger's cart.  There aren't many spots left!

Play continues for a number of rounds.  After these rounds, players total up the points of their occupied cemetery plots and any bonuses they received from treasures.  The player with the most total points wins.

Bring Out Yer Dead is easy to learn and contains aspects of bluffing and reading your opponents. There is some strategy in deciding which cards to play.  You want to play your cards in such a way to ensure you bury as many of your coffins as possible, but if you push your luck too far, you may accidentally dump them all in the river.  The theme sounds dark, but the game pulls it off in a comedic way akin to the Monty Python skit that it is likely named after.  

If you like light strategy games, bluffing, and fun themes, give this game a try!

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Historical Board Game Spotlight: New Bedford

New Bedford, a Game of Historic Whaling & Town Building

Designed by Nat Levan

Published by Dice Hate Me Games

1-4 Players ... 30-60 min ... Ages 13+

Set in the mid-1800s, the historical age of whaling, New Bedford gives 1 to 4 players the chance to build the Massachusetts town of the same name into a thriving community.  Gather resources to add buildings with new actions, and launch ships to go whaling.  Go out longest for the best choice, but wait too long and the whales become harder to catch.  And don't forget to pay your crew when ships return!  Carefully balance risk management and timing to become a leader of industry in this medium-weight worker placement and resource management game.

New Bedford, Massachusetts was one of the prime whaling communities of North America in the 1800's.  The whaling industry allowed cities to crop up along the Atlantic coast and drew cunning business moguls and gruff tradesmen alike to the salty shores.  Whale carcasses were used for many things, the most important of which was the oil obtained from rendering the fat.  This oil was used to light houses and street lamps until the more efficient and environmentally friendly kerosene was discovered.  Many different species of whales were targeted, including the peaceful and blubber-dense right whale, the larger bowhead whale, and the sperm whale, whose head cavity was filled with a valuable liquid form of oil.  As time wore on, whaling ships served to drastically reduce whale populations and drive the animals further and further from the shore.

The game of New Bedford seeks to replicate the whaling and town building process that took place around these times.  Players adopt the role of business men in charge of whaling ships.  Using money and resources, they build and launch ships to collect whales and use their reputation and funds to construct buildings in the town and gain dominance over New Bedford.

Your Whaling Empire

You start the game with an individual player board.  This contains a warehouse to store your goods, depictions of ships where you place whales they have caught, and a scoring area where you place whales that have been returned and successfully harvested.  Each player also starts with two workers and two ships in their supply, which they use to complete certain actions and catch whales.

A player board mid-game, along with the ocean bag where whales are found

The Sea Side Town

A central board depicts the town of New Bedford.  At the start of the game, it is very small and houses only the most simple structures.  As the game progresses, players build more districts and expand its borders.  Each building represents and action that can be performed which will progress your whaling venture.  For example, the farm allows you to collect food, the forest allows you to collect wood, and the town hall allows you to build new buildings.  Players take turns placing their workers on the board and taking actions.  The player who uses an action first usually gains a bonus, so it pays to prioritize your actions!

The town board has been expanded and workers have been placed to take actions

The Open Ocean

Once you collect enough resources, you may construct a ship, hire a crew, and launch it into the ocean to seek your fortune.  The further into the sea you wish to send a ship, the more hardtack (food) you need to spend.  However, the best whales are found further out.  Every round, the ships you have sent out sail closer back to the harbor, and collect whales as they travel.  Tiles are drawn from the ocean bag which represent varying whale varieties as well as open ocean.  If your crew finds only ocean open and no whales, it will negatively affect your future earnings.  As the game goes on, there is a greater chance you will draw open ocean from the bag.  This mirrors the fact that historic whaling severely threatened whale populations.  When your ship, laden with whales, finally returns to harbor, you will need to pay the lay, which is a term for the wages of your crew.  If you can pay your crew, you can collect victory points for the whales they caught.  If you cannot pay the crew, you will sell the whales to your opponents.  You will get money, but they will get the points.

The whaling board, depicting players' ships returning to town

The game lasts 12 rounds.  At the end of the last round, players total up their victory points.  Points are earned primarily by bringing in whales, but can also be earned by building up the town as well as collecting and amassing a fortune.  Whoever has the most points wins!

New Bedford is a great game in that it combines strategic gameplay with historical value.  The rise and fall of the whaling industry was an important event in the history of the United States and the world, and this theme has never been explored in the form of a board game.  This game is relatively easy to learn but there is strategy behind every decision.  Even people who are not "gamers" will be able to find enjoyment in playing out the historical aspects that New Bedford brings to the table.

In a pinch, the box can be used as a cat bed!

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Two Sides to Every Story: Crusaders and Infidels by Jennifer Laam

Today I have the wonderful opportunity to welcome Jennifer Laam, author of The Secret Daughter of the Tsar and the just recently released The Tsarina's Legacy, to The Maiden's Court with an awesome contribution to the Two Sides to Every Story series.  Laam, whose novels are set in Russia, brings us today a guest post about two of the great men in the fight for the Crimea.  I hope you will enjoy it - I learned a lot from reading it!

Crusaders and Infidels: Grigory Potemkin, Ghazi Hassan Pasha, and the Rise of the Russian Empire in the Crimea

Grigory Potemkin

Image Credit: Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons {{PD-old-100}}

On the day Catherine the Great seized the Russian throne, a lowly member of the horse guards dared to approach her with an impromptu gift. Twenty-two years old and keenly ambitious, Grigory Potemkin noticed that to complete her dashing soldier’s outfit, his new sovereign needed a sword knot or dragonne. From that moment on, Grigory Potemkin, the product of a provincial family of the minor nobility, would rise both in his career at court and in the affections of his new monarch. 

Years later, Grigory and Catherine would enjoy a short, but torrid, mid-life romance. Even after the affair ended, Grigory Potemkin retained a unique hold on Catherine’s heart and mind. They continued on as friends and Grigory became Catherine’s most influential advisor, forging a powerful personal and political alliance. Over the course of his illustrious career, Grigory was awarded various titles, including Grand Admiral and Prince of Tauride, the ancient name for the Crimea.

Yet it was not personal charisma nor his chemistry with Catherine alone that allowed Grigory to rise. Prince Grigory Potemkin was a decorated hero of the first and second Russo-Turkish Wars, the ongoing conflicts between the Russian and Ottoman Empires which began in the eighteenth century. The first war took place when he was still a young man, affording Grigory a prime opportunity to stand apart from other ambitious courtiers and attain glory. He distinguished himself on the field and used this newfound stature as a means to elevate himself politically and rise in Catherine’s estimation. Russian victories meant strategic access to the Black Sea and domain over the Crimea, where Grigory’s greatest accomplishments occurred: the development of Russia’s formidable Black Sea Fleet and the establishment of towns and burgeoning industries in the region. By the time of the second war, when the Ottoman Empire attempted to regain control of the Black Sea, Grigory Potemkin was both a seasoned statesman and a veteran military leader who commanded forces and won brutally decisive victories against the Ottomans, further securing his hold on power.

To some extent, the Russo-Turkish Wars were viewed by Russians as a Christian crusade. From Grigory Potemkin’s point of view, the expansion of Russian territory to the south and east had a spiritual imperative. Grigory and Catherine were enmeshed in an intriguing if ultimately unsuccessful plot known as “The Greek Project” or “Greek Scheme” to reclaim Constantinople. If the plan had reached fruition, Catherine’s second born grandson, Constantine, would eventually inherit and reign over this part of the Russian empire.

Yet for all of these grand ambitions, Prince Potemkin was hardly a fanatical religious crusader. On the contrary, Grigory Potemkin had a curious, tolerant, and highly respectful attitude toward those of other faiths. He instituted protective measures for the Muslim Tatars of the Crimea who would prove to be strategic allies, made financial donations to mosques, and ensured that prominent Tatars were given titles and the right to own land. Both Catherine and Grigory took appointments with muftis. Eventually, Tatars used the Koran to swear allegiance to the Russian Empress Catherine. Furthermore, as part of negotiations near the close of the second war, Prince Potemkin proposed construction of a mosque in Moscow itself.

The Russo-Turkish Wars granted Grigory Potemkin an esteemed and constant place in Empress Catherine’s court and the chance to engage Muslim people in the life of the Russian Empire. It was a key component of his political strength and historical legacy. For those on the opposite side of the struggle, however the Russo-Turkish Wars had a far different effect.

By the mid-eighteenth century, the Ottomans still ruled a vast empire. In contrast to Russia, however, which had been energized by Peter the Great and his successors, including Catherine, the transnational empire of the Turks showed hints of decline. While still all powerful, sultans were limited by Islamic fundamentalism and their own military-political complex. The second Russo-Turkish War might never have happened were it not for the badgering of European powers hoping to limit the influence and stretch of the rising Russian Empire. Whereas the conflict allowed Potemkin first to rise and then to flourish, ambitious and talented men on the other side of the battle field were destined to be destroyed.

Ghazi Hassan Pasha

By Cobija (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Ghazi Hassan Pasha, sometimes referred to as “Hassan of Algiers” was one such great man. Once enslaved and a one-time pirate of the Barbary Coast, the ambitious and talented “Capitan-Pasha” or Grand Admiral had risen to the top of the Ottoman ranks. By the time of the second Russo-Turkish War, he was also known as “The Crocodile of Sea Battles,” a longstanding warrior for his sultan who had blockaded Acre and suppressed internal revolts against the empire in Egypt. In the first Russo-Turkish War, he saved his own forces from the otherwise disastrous battle of Chesme. The conflict took on a religious cast for the Ottomans as it had for the Russians, and the name “Ghazi” stuck to the admiral as the result of his honorable fighting against the “great infidels,” the Russians. Still, similarly to Grigory Potemkin, Ghazi Hassan Pasha’s personal view of religion was likely nuanced; his own father had been Georgian and reportedly of the Orthodox faith.

Like Grigory Potemkin, Ghazi Hassan Pasha left the battlefields of the first Russo-Turkish War a military hero. After defeat in that first war, Ghazi Hassan Pasha took charge of restructuring the Ottoman Navy. In a manner comparable to what Catherine’s historical precursor, Peter the Great, had undertaken in Russia, he sought to utilize the skills of the western powers to the benefit of his empire. Ghazi Hassan Pasha established new shipyards and schools, employed French engineers and English ship-designers, and hoped to professionalize the service. Though his Golden Horn Shipyard would later evolve into the Turkish Naval Academy, at the time his educational efforts met with limited success. For the most part, officers were still appointed not by virtue of merit or training, but via corrupt systems and political intrigue. This failure to install effective leadership would eventually return to haunt the admiral.

Ghazi Hassan Pasha understood the threat Catherine’s territorial ambitions posed and how severely Russia’s annexation of the Crimea had undermined Ottoman strength. His reforms were thus geared toward preparing Ottoman forces for reengagement with the Russian intruders. However, by the time political and popular opinion, bolstered by the European powers, swung once again, in favor of reengaging the “great infidels,” he advised caution. Ghazi Hassan Pasha felt, sensibly, that the empire first needed to contain internal threats. Furthermore, while Great Britain and Prussia were eager for the chance to weaken Russia, and had offered moral support to the Ottoman Empire, Ghazi Hassan Pasha argued, they had not offered manpower, nor treasure.

Nonetheless, when the decision was made to engage in war to regain the Crimea, Ghazi Hassan Pasha, now well into his eighties, was once again engaged in the thick of the battle. Despite his efforts to reinvigorate his naval forces, he suffered fatal losses, including a failure to protect the waters surrounding the crucial fortress of Ochakov, which was later subject to a prolonged siege and brutal attack by Russian forces commanded by Grigory Potemkin.

While the second round of the Russo-Turkish Wars helped solidify Grigory Potemkin’s hold on power, the elderly Ghazi Hassan Pasha was politically devastated by his humiliating defeats and lost the popular support he once enjoyed in Constantinople. Pushing for peace in his final role as grand vizier to the sultan, he was involved in negotiations with Grigory Potemkin’s agents. However, before a treaty could be finalized, Ghazi Hassan Pasha died in 1790 under suspicious circumstances. He is widely believed to have been poisoned by the sultan’s order, for his failures in battle and because the Ottomans had decided to abandon the peace talks with Russia. Upon news of the great admiral’s death, Catherine even advised Grigory Potemkin to take care lest he be the next victim of one of the sultan’s assassins.

 
As a novelist, I can only speculate as to the true nature of the relationship between these military rivals. I wonder if Grigory Potemkin had lingering guilt over his direct role in the brutality of the wars and his indirect role in his rival’s death. At the very least, I believe Prince Potemkin would have acknowledged how easily he might have been on the losing side of the conflict and suffered as a result, if not poisoned by his own empress for his shortcomings, then at least banished to a lowly civilian life outside the court. When the prince died in 1791, on a hillside in Bessarabia, he was surrounded by an entourage of religious figures that included muftis. I can’t help but think Prince Potemkin was quite capable of seeing both sides of any story.

Jennifer Laam is the author of The Secret Daughter of the Tsar and The Tsarina’s Legacy, as well as the forthcoming Lady Pushkin, all from St. Martin’s Press. She is represented by Erin Harris at Folio Literary Management. Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree in History and Russian Studies at the University of the Pacific, and her master’s degree in History from Oakland University in Michigan. She has lived in Los Angeles and the suburbs of Detroit, and traveled in Russia and Europe. She currently resides in Northern California, where she spends her time writing, reading, and line dancing.  You can find Jennifer on the following social media sites: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

 
Buy The Tsarina's Legacy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Book Blurb:

Then...Grigory "Grisha" Potemkin has had a successful long association with the powerful Empress Catherine of Russia. But Catherine and Grisha are older now and face new threats, both from powers outside of Russia and from those close to them. Haunted by the horrors of his campaign against the Muslim Turks, Grisha hopes to construct a mosque in the heart of the empire. Unfortunately, Catherine's much younger new lover, the ambitious Platon Zubov, stands in his way. Grisha determines that to preserve Catherine's legacy he must save her from Zubov's dangerous influence and win back her heart.

Now...When she learns she is the lost heiress to the Romanov throne, Veronica Herrera's life turns upside down. Dmitry Potemkin, one of Grisha's descendants, invites Veronica to Russia to accept a ceremonial position as Russia's new tsarina. Seeking purpose, Veronica agrees to act as an advocate to free a Russian artist sentenced to prison for displaying paintings critical of the church and government. Veronica is both celebrated and chastised. As her political role comes under fire, Veronica is forced to decide between the glamorous perks of European royalty and staying true to herself.

In Jennifer Laam's The Tsarina's Legacy, unexpected connections between Grisha and Veronica are revealed as they struggle to make peace with the ghosts of their past and help secure a better future for themselves and the country they both love.

 



Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Two Sides to Every Story: The Wicked Lady is Innocent & Giveaway

Today I have the wonderful opportunity to welcome Deborah Swift, author of the upcoming Lady of the Highway, book 3 of her Highway Series, to The Maiden's Court with an awesome contribution to the Two Sides to Every Story series.  Swift treats us to the story behind the highwaywoman legend of Katherine Fanshawe.  I hope you will enjoy it!

The Wicked Lady is Innocent

The Legend of The Wicked Lady, Lady Katherine Fanshawe vs. The Real Life of Lady Katherine Fanshawe.

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas…’

Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman

As far as I know, there has only ever been one female highwayman, and she was known as The Wicked Lady.  She has long been a legend in Hertfordshire, England, but was made a sensation by the 1945 film The Wicked Lady. The film starred Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman to relieve her life of boredom. The mystery of why she would take such an extreme action was the talk of its day –and the film had one of the biggest audiences ever for a film of its period, $18.4 million – a staggering number. I can remember my mother talking about it as one of her favorite films.

The Wicked Lady - 1945

It was such a hit that the film was re-made in 1983 and starred Faye Dunaway in the lead role, but that version was a disaster and earned Faye Dunaway an award for the Worst Actress. The film itself was based on a book by Magdalen King Hall, The Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton, but the novel was only loosely based on the real Katherine’s life. I have a copy and it is exciting reading, though rather long-winded in the telling by today’s standards.

The Popular Legend of the Wicked Lady

A beautiful lady of the manor, Lady Katherine Fanshawe, is bored with her humdrum life, and begins riding out secretly, dressed in men’s attire, as a highwaywoman. Her husband, meanwhile, is completely unaware of her perilous night-time exploits, because she creeps out from Markyate Cell (the Manor house) through a secret passageway. Katherine eventually meets another dashing gentleman of the road, a handsome farmer called Ralph Chaplin, and falls in love, but their affair must remain hidden. The pair perform a series of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ type robberies, until eventually Ralph is caught during a failed hold-up, and subsequently hanged on Finchley Common. Mad with grief at his death, the ‘wicked lady’ terrorizes the villagers in the area, burning down houses, and shooting the local constable on his doorstep.

The ‘wicked’ Lady Katherine is eventually caught when a trap is set for her, and a wagon that she holds up on the highway contains a group of armed men. She is shot, and fatally wounded. She rides back to Markyate Cell, but dies of her injuries before reaching the front door.

Many ghostly sightings have added to the legend. Her ghost has been seen riding her horse at full gallop on dark nights, and in 1840 when part of the manor was destroyed by fire, the blaze was blamed on Lady Katherine.  Whilst helping to put out the fire several locals said that they felt an eerie presence and feared they were being spied on by her unquiet ghost.

Lady Katherine Fanshawe is Innocent – The Research

Despite the romance of the legend, there is actually nothing of substance to link the real Lady Katherine Fanshawe with any sort of highway robbery, although it is likely that there was robbery and plunder on the roads at this period because it was a period of civil unrest. Many Royalists had been uprooted from their estates by the English Civil Wars, and in order to survive, took to the road and committed crimes that could have been attributed to her. The events of the English Civil War caused confusion and massive social unrest, and formed a plausible background for disenfranchised aristocrats.

Lady Katherine Fanshawe

Investigation of Anne Fanshawe’s diary, written at the time, has little of note to say on Katherine, her relation by marriage, and certainly nothing pertaining to robbery on the highway.

And nowhere in the real historical records is Katherine’s lover, Ralph Chaplin, traceable, although he always features in the retelling of the legend as the person who persuaded her to robbery in the first place.

Markyate Cell certainly existed though. It was called a ‘cell’ because the original site was a hermitage, which housed the nun Christina of Markyate, and eventually became a priory. The priory did not fare well during the Dissolution and was demolished in 1537, and the much more elaborate Markyate Manor was built on its footprint, although it is still sometimes known as Markyate Cell - the cell being the original hermitage. George Ferrers retained the name ‘Cell’ when he bought the land in 1548. The Ferrers family controlled this land when Markyate Manor was supposedly the home of Katherine Ferrers, the Wicked Lady.

Markyate Manor - Photo Credit

Born 4th May 1634, Katherine was the daughter of Knighton Ferrers of Bayfordbury, and his wife Katherine Walter. After the death of her husband, George Ferrers, Katherine’s mother re-married Sir Simon Fanshawe, a neighboring landowner. When her mother died, Markyate Manor was soon in the iron control of Katherine’s step-father. Worse, at only twelve years old, Katherine was forced into an arranged marriage with his nephew, Thomas Fanshawe, so that The Fanshawes could retain control of the estate, thus Katherine Ferrers became Katherine Fanshawe.

However – although the house belonged to her husband, it has never been proved that Katherine Fanshawe actually lived at Markyate Manor during the time she was supposed to have been a highwaywoman, and evidence shows the manor was sold well before her death. After Cromwell came to power, Markyate Manor was sold by her husband to ‘three Londoners’ in 1655.

Nomansland Common, where she was thought to hold up the highway, is a long way from Markyate Manor – half a day’s ride, surely impractical for hit and run robberies?

Records show that Katherine Fanshawe died aged 26, and was not recorded as having any children, which was highly unusual for a married woman her age in those times, although can be explained by the war. Her husband and stepfather actually spent much of the war exiled in France or Ireland.

Katherine was buried not in the Fanshawe family vault, as might be expected, but at St Mary’s Church, Ware, so perhaps the real Lady Katherine Fanshawe was residing close to there when she died. So with Katherine’s probably undramatic death, the Ferrers line died out.

John Barber, on his excellent website on Lady Katherine, poses the idea that her life may have been confused with the story of ‘Maude of Allinghame’ (1833), a Victorian ballad that tells the story of a noblewoman who robs the Mayor of Redbourne. She too has an illicit affair, and she too dies on the steps of her manor house, Allingham Hall. Coincidentally Katherine’s mother was related to a family called Allinghame.

This seems to be the most likely explanation, although parts of Katherine’s legend are undoubtedly true. She was forced to marry tragically early; her stepfather did squander her fortune; the real Markyate Manor does have a secret passage, because in the 1820’s builders discovered a secret passageway at Markyate Manor.  It ran from the kitchen to a chamber above, and was most likely a priest hole – as both the Ferrers and the Fanshawes were closet Catholics.  Also possible as a source of the legend is Wicked Lord Ferrers, who was hanged at Tyburn in 1760 for the murder of his servant. His name and his story could easily have been grafted on to Katherine’s history.

So, was Katherine a wicked lady? Probably not. But the legend is still irresistible, and my three books for young adults have made full use of the known history, along with selected elements of the legend.

 
Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!) Shadow on the Highway and Spirit of the Highway are available now.  The third novel in the Highway Trilogy, Lady of the Highway is out soon. Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.

She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. 

You can find Deborah on the following social media sites: WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | GOOGLE+ |PINTEREST

Buy the Books: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Book Blurb:

England 1652

Seventeen-year-old Lady Katherine Fanshawe (Kate) has lost everything in the civil war that has torn England apart. Determined to build a community of friends, she invites Owen Whistler and the radical Diggers sect to make their home in her manor house.

When her stepfather unexpectedly returns, he evicts the Diggers with no pay, despite their months of labour on his land. Wilful, and determined to regain Owen’s trust, Kate has to repay her friends the only way she can – by turning to secret highway robbery.

But Kate is not the only one riding the highway at night, and her rival for the road is intent on bloodshed and murder. When he unleashes a reign of terror, Kate gets the blame. Will she be able to clear her name, and save the one person she loves from his lust for revenge?

Giveaway!!

I have an excellent giveaway that is open internationally. It is for a signed Paperback Copy of Shadow on the Highway and an Ebook Copy of Spirit on the Highway, both books so far published in Swift's Highway series. Entries thru Rafflecopter below. Open thru May 31st!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
 


Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Two Sides to Every Story: The Descent of Anne Boleyn and the Ascent of Jane Seymour

Today I have the wonderful opportunity to welcome Hunter S. Jones, author of Phoenix Rising, to The Maiden's Court with an awesome contribution to the Two Sides to Every Story series.  The perspective here is of the rivalry between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and it is presented in such a creative manner.  I hope you will enjoy it!

The Descent of Anne Boleyn and the Ascent of Jane Seymour

Anne Boleyn

We walk down the steps from the queen’s apartments. Sir Kingston walks with me and the ladies walk behind us. The morning sun kisses my face. The daffodils are in bloom and the birds sing like any other radiant spring morning. Surely even Nature would know if the hour of death was approaching for an anointed Queen Regnant of England. It must be a sign of hope for me. I will be rescued at the last moment. This is all part of the public humiliation Henry wishes. He wants all to witness as I bow to his greatness, then he will pardon me for sins against the Crown and banish me to a nunnery, much like Cranmer promised.

If not, then I face the morning with courage. If I am to be punished, it is for my own sins. The last few years swiftly pass before my mind’s eye. What had caused the change? Certainly the miscarriage of a son had been a part of Henry’s outrage. But what made him turn against me in such haste? Again, the unseen troubadour’s voice pleads for the love of his lady; his song is as sweet as the one sung by the birds around me, yet as mournful as the questioning of my own heart.

Surely today was not brought on by the fight I had with that silly Jane. Why had I ever allowed her to bother me? She is nothing more than an empty-minded maid. She has no style and knows nothing more than to follow instructions. She must be the instrument of my enemies. She could otherwise never capture the heart of a king. If I would’ve allowed Henry his flirtation, she would be gone and I would remain in good standing.

The air crackles around me and I breathe in slowly, filling myself with a new energy and a prayer. I must balance and maintain a sense of equilibrium. Courage and strength are to uphold me; that is my silent prayer.

They laughed the way lovers laugh. Henry surely hasn’t pledged himself to her, although he has always been much like a crow, in that anything dangled before him that glimmers will capture his eye. My heart breaks at the thought. If he had fallen for a woman of wealth, taste, or great nobility, I could forgive. But Jane?

Bringing myself from the daydream, I see the crowd that awaits us as we move closer to the edge of the White Tower. One way or another, either death or escape await me. I am ready to face whatever God wishes for me. All I pray for is an answer that will serve the greater good of the king, and an end to my pain.

Jane Seymour

“So sorry for waking you, my great and beautiful lady,” she whispers. I hear the trembling of fear in her voice.

“Oh, there is no need to worry yourself, my dear girl. This is the best of days to wake early. Thank you for waking me. I couldn’t be more delighted. Today is the day for which we have longed! You do me a very great favor. I am to be fitted for my wedding dress on this very morning.”

“Thank you, Lady Jane. May I bring you anything from the kitchens?” she asks.

“Not at this time, but would you move the covering from the window? I wish to invite the beauty of this day into our home and into our hearts. This is the day all of England has waited for. Today, a traitor dies and the king will be free to see his will done for the greater good of us all,” I say.

As the window opens, I hear the spring nearby bubble and churn as the water flows freely over the rocks. The sweet spring fragrances and sounds fill the garden and dance into my room, as all of nature joins together much like a sacred chorus to celebrate this most remarkable of days.

That hateful Anne will be given her punishment as a traitor to her king and country at some time this morning. Henry has promised me. How had a king most good and kind ever loved a woman as hateful as Anne Boleyn? She has style and charm, yes. However, her spirit is harsh. There is little of her that is as a lady should be. She is generous to charities, but her wicked ways outweigh any good she might ever do. The sun rises and I feel my new life begin.

“Is there anything else you wish, milady? May I send your ladies to prepare you for the fitting?”

“Oh, yes, please. That would be a lovely gesture,” I reply. No need for me to waste a smile on someone so lowly. She should be honored to serve me.

Whilst I await the ladies, I wonder how someone like Anne ever captured the king’s heart. She is so selfish. She is too wayward. I know we are cousins, yet we are nothing alike. Why did she ever learn to read and write? Those things are of no use to a woman. We are to do as the men of our families wish.

Even in France, she was so different. I learned the art of flirtation just as she did, yet she took matters to the extreme. That has been her problem her entire life; she simply does not know any limitations to her brazen ambitions. She is so relentless in her pursuits. Now fate has led me to today. It is the wish of God and the king. I am to become the wife of the King of England.

How could any woman think to maintain the affections of a man if all she did was meddle and rant about his business? This is an especially tiresome trait when his business is the future of England.

 Deb Hunter writes fiction as Hunter S. Jones, publishing as an indie author, as well as through MadeGlobal Publishing. She is a member of the prestigious Society of Authors founded by Lord Tennyson, Historical Writers’ Association, Historical Novel Society, Society of Civil War Historians (US), English Historical Fiction Authors, Atlanta Writers Club, Atlanta Writers Conference, Romance Writers of America (PAN member), and Rivendell Writers Colony which is associated with The University of the South. Originally from a Chattanooga, Tennessee, she graduated from a private university in Nashville and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her Scottish born husband.  You can find Hunter on the following social media sites: Website | Twitter |Facebook | Pinterest | Amazon |Goodreads.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 
Book Blurb:

Phoenix Rising

The last hour of Anne Boleyn's life...

Court intrigue, revenge and all the secrets of the last hour are revealed as one queen falls and another rises to take her place on destiny's stage.

A young Anne Boleyn arrives at the court of King Henry VIII. She is to be presented at the Shrovetide pageant, le Château Vert. The young and ambitious Anne has no idea that a chance encounter before the pageant will lead to her capturing the heart of the king. What begins as a distraction becomes his obsession and leads to her destruction.

Love, hate, loyalty and betrayal come together in a single dramatic moment... the execution of a queen. The history of England will be changed for ever.

 
So, are you Team Anne or Team Jane?!




Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court