And The Winners of A Medieval Yule Are...

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!

A Medieval Yule was such a heartfelt story to write. It began as a gift to my sister, and ended up published for the Holiday season. What a quick ride it was from submission in mid November to publication on December 19. For a bit of fun there was the medieval themed blog posts too. To say it was tough to release a book over the Holidays is an understatement. The medieval themes were so much fun to write only because of the extensive research I did for my upcoming SFR series, The Quantum Portal.


A big *Thank You* to everyone who enjoyed reading/commenting on the medieval themed posts during this December. It has been so much fun! 

A Medieval Yule
Burb

A fortnight ago she left him.

Marcus of Windom stood alone in an empty castle without Lady Liana by his side. The frigid winds brought forth by the Yule Season pressed upon him. He pulled the parchment from whence he carried it and read her chilling parting words once again. I can no longer live as your lady-wife… If ever she returned would her sensual warmth be enough to melt the ice she had caused to form around his broken heart?

Excerpt

As he warmed himself by the central fire, Marcus remembered Christmastides past. Castle Windom fairly bustled with kindled fires and crowded activity. The merriment echoed inside the walls and hid in dark rafters along side the pained memories of his Liana. 

Marcus downed a tankard of ale and held back the sentiment threatening to pour forth from him. A lonely Twelfth Night neared. Unbidden thoughts of Liana nudged him. Haunted as he was by the sensuous way her lithe body pressed into his naked skin, the touch of her hand slipping down to caress him, her eyes as they darkened when she opened and took him inside her.

But no more…

~~~~~~~

And now the first winner chosen by random.com is: 
Sarah Ahiers! Congrats Sarah! 
The second winner chosen is: Andrea, of Chicks of Characterization! Congrats Andrea!


Laurie Green won at Jessica Suject's blog when I was a guest on December 26. Congrats Laurie!
Nancy O'Berry won at LASR/WC on December 26. Congrats Nancy!


Congratulations to all the winners! Enjoy the story. 


Winners: Email Me if you haven't received your PDF of A Medieval Yule.


Have a wonderful safe and happy New Years Eve!


Kaye

Music & Dance ~ Medieval Heart and Soul

...From afar people visited, laughing and dancing about as troubadours sang  and played their merry tunes. ~A Medieval  Yule~

A medieval themed blog should never be without a post on music and dance! As it is today, so it was in the past the heart and soul of the culture. 

During the 12th century, celebrating Twelfth Night continued through the New Year until January 5th. Music often rang throughout the festivities, as musicians played their buoyant and cheery songs. Many musical instruments were heard, echoing throughout the castle, including lutes, recorders, horns, trumpets, whistles, bells, and drums.

There were two types of medieval musicians, the  Minstrels and the Troubadours. A minstrel was a servant employed as a castle or court musician. The name 'minstrel' means "little servant". Minstrels often created their own ballads but they were also famous for memorizing long poems based on myths and legends.


A troubadour was originally a traveling musician. The early troubadours went from one village to the next and some even journeyed to the Holy Land, accompanying the Crusaders. This allowed the troubadours to spread the latest news. The themes of the songs they sung mainly dealt with chivalry and courtly love. But they also told stories of far away lands and historical events.


Of course no festivities were complete without dancing. The Farandole was one of the many popular dances performed in times of celebrations. It started with a slow rhythmic measure to which the dancers moved around the floor. As the tempo increased the dancers followed with high kicking steps. 


I'd like to think the following dance scene from A Knight's Tale is similar to the kind of dancing my hero and heroine, Marcus and Liana would have experienced in A Medieval Yule at a Twelfth Night celebration. I've included it here for your enjoyment. When you watch, can you imagine how much fun it would be to step back into the past and join in the merriment?

This post on Music and Dance concludes the Medieval themed blog posts for now. Be sure to leave a comment here or on any of these themed posts and then stop by on December 31, New Year's Eve, to see who the winners are!

Continue to have a safe and happy Yule season!

Kaye

Twice The Medieval Cheer

The day after Christmas-- this is a fantastic time to be visiting Jessica Subject on her blog for Light Up The Holidays! I am honored to be involved. Many fantastic SFR authors are participating during the entire month of December.


Today is my day! So join me in celebrating the Holidays with my hero, Marcus. He has a few things to say that weren't in the book. By commenting on this blog post you could win a PDF download of A Medieval Yule.

Go Here to read my post and to leave a comment! 

~~~~~~~ 

The second blog for the day is the Stuff Your Stocking With Books Blogfest at LASR/WC

I'll be here too! So stop on over for a look-see into Medieval life and still another chance to win a PDF Download of A Medieval Yule. 

Here's the link: BLOGFEST

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog and commented on the Medieval themes I've been posting over the Holidays. Due to the popularity of these blog posts I am extending the contest through December 30th. I will announce the winner(s) on New Year’s Eve. Between now and then, there will be more medieval themed posts and additional chances to win!

A Medieval Yule buy link is Here

Wassailing Glory

In Christmastides past, Castle Windom fairly bustled with kindled fires and crowded activity. Holly wreaths, ivy and mistletoe strung about in all the chambers, the great hall decked out in candle shine and wassailing glory. Wines and meats imported from foreign lands abounded. From afar people visited, laughing and dancing about as troubadours sang and played their merry tunes. ~ A Medieval Yule ~

The above passage from my story, A Medeival Yule mentions 'Wassailing Glory.' In the 12th century, celebrating with a good Wassail was a time honored tradition. Like many lasting customs, Wassailing is associated with an ancient legend that goes like this-- A beautiful Saxon princess named Rowena offered a Prince named Vortigen a bowl of wine while toasting him with, “Waes hael,” which is an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning “good health.”

In Medieval times you would have said “Waes hael,” (not Waaassup!) to greet or say goodbye to somebody; it literally meant, “be in good health.” By the 12th century, “Waes hael” had become the salutation one offered as a toast, to which the standard reply was, “drinc hael”, “drink to your good health.” Eventually, the word came to be associated with the alcoholic beverage used for toasting, especially the spiced ale or mulled cider that was drunk on Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night.


If you are having a traditional holiday party and want to incorporate this custom, here is the old way to share wassail. While everyone is gathered, shout "Wassail!" before sipping from a large, festively decorated cup. Then pass the cup to your neighbor. That person replies "Drinkhail," to you and takes a sip. He shouts "Wassail!" to the next person, and passes the cup along, giving a kiss to the recipient who says, "Drinkhail!"The will continue until everyone is well "Wassailed" or okay shall we say well lit?


As promised here is a recipe that you might like to use for your own Wassailing toast:

Fireside Yuletide Wassail

This can be cooked in a dutch oven sitting on the hearth with the fire blazing.

4 cups brown ale 

1 cup dry white wine 

3 oz brown sugar 

4 apples cloves 

peel of ½ lemon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

Wash the apples and peel them just around middle and stud with a few cloves. Place the apples, brown sugar, and 4 tbsp of the brown ale into a 3-quart or larger dutch oven. Cover and bake in the oven at 350° F for 25 minutes or place in an open fireplace and simmer until the apples are tender. Remove the apples to a plate and add the remaining ale or wine to the dutch oven. Stir in the lemon peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger and let simmer for a few more minutes. Put the apples back in the wassail and serve warm. 


There you have it! Enjoy your Wassailing toast!


Leave a comment on any of the Medieval themed posts to be in the running to win a PDF download of A Medieval Yule.


The Red Rose Publishing page link is Here


Have a wonderful Yuletide Season!

Kaye 

Feasting -- Medieval Style

This is the time of year our minds turn to family and friends, and celebrating the holidays with feasting and merriment. And so it was in the Middle Ages. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer  speaks of Yuletide feasts fit for a king and his entire court.

What did they eat to celebrate the Yule season in Chaucer's Medieval England? The traditional dinner that comes to mind today was unknown. And there wasn't one particular "traditional" menu to celebrate the season—there was just more of everything.

According to Chaucer, a feast would be served in courses, beginning with bread and cheese, along with a soup or broth. The next course would likely be vegetables and a lean meat dish with sauces. The feast would progress from there to heavier and more savory dishes, in decreasing portions, ending with dainties and desserts like plum pudding and mincemeat pie. 

Whatever was served at Yuletide feasts, a nice, warm drink was definitely a necessary part of the festivities. In winter there was nothing as warming as a mulled, spiced wine. 

Originally, mulling was a term for warming the spiced wine heated in the fire. The spices were cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, white pepper, cloves, nutmeg, caraway, spikenard, which has sedative effect. After boiling the wine and spices, the mixture was left to sit overnight to settle and steep. Then it was strained through cheesecloth. Once it had aged properly, it could be served as a sop for bread, or it could be mulled for a hot treat.

In A Medieval Yule, heroine Lady Liana naturally notices the mulled wine near the hearth as she traverses about the chamber, “…And a bracing nip of warm mulled wine before sleep still, I see?” Her smile grew as she gave the contents of the pitcher a light flick with her small finger, and then brought it to her mouth to taste the dark liquid.

However you celebrate the Yule season, keep in mind that many of our traditions originated in our medieval past. 

Have you ever had mulled spiced wine or ale? Would you like to try it? In the next Medieval themed post I will feature a traditional recipe for mulled wine. 


Leave a comment on any of the Medieval themed posts to be in the running to win a PDF download of A Medieval Yule.


The Red Rose Publishing page link is Here


Have a wonderful Yuletide Season!


Kaye


Related Post: Foods Ye Olde Medieval Way

A MEDIEVAL YULE Released Today!

A Twelfth Night Tale for the Twelve Days of Christmas

So this is it! Release day for A Medieval Yule. This is part of the Twelve Days of Christmas  releases from Red Rose Publishing. I am excited about this short little tale. It is emotionally charged with a touch of sad. But not to worry. Things do work out for the best by story's end. Since I shared the blurb on Sunday, December 11 (Post: Lovely New Book Cover) I will now share the excerpt. I hope you enjoy this little tale as much as I liked writing it.

A MEDIEVAL YULE

Excerpt

As he warmed himself by the central fire, Marcus remembered Christmastides past. Castle Windom fairly bustled with kindled fires and crowded activity. The merriment echoed inside the walls and hid in dark rafters along side the pained memories of his Liana. 

Marcus downed a tankard of ale and held back the sentiment threatening to pour forth from him. A lonely Twelfth Night neared. Unbidden thoughts of Liana nudged him. Haunted as he was by the sensuous way her lithe body pressed into his naked skin, the touch of her hand slipping down to caress him, her eyes as they darkened when she opened and took him inside her.

But no more…

 ~~~~~~~~~

If you would like to purchase this story

Go Here

To celebrate this release, I'll be giving away a PDF download of A Medieval Yule. To be in the running, just leave a comment on any of my medieval themed posts from now through December 23. And tell of a special tradition you celebrate this time of year.


Thank you so much for hanging out with me in 2011! I wish everyone a wonderful Twelfth Night and Yuletide Season.


Kaye

The Winners Are...

Congratulations to the two winners of 
The Stuff Your Stockings Blog Hop!!

And they are

Julie W 

and 

Stacey

I'll email each of you very soon

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog for this fun hop!

Christmas Blog Hop

I'm participating in the Stuff Your Stockings Christmas Blog Hop Contest. Two winners will receive their choice of A Medieval Yule or Forbidden Love which are up for grabs on my blog. All you have to do is comment between now and midnight December 18th to be eligible. Click here to find the complete list of other participating blogs and see what great gifts are offered.

Release Date

THE RELEASE DATE FOR

A MEDIEVAL YULE

IS MONDAY 


DECEMBER 19, 2011

LOVELY NEW BOOK COVER

A Twelfth Night Tale

A MEDIEVAL YULE

Blurb

A fortnight ago she left him.

Marcus of Windom stood alone in an empty castle without Lady Liana by his side. The frigid winds brought forth by the Yule Season pressed upon him. He pulled the parchment from whence he carried it and read her chilling parting words once again. I can no longer live as your lady-wife… If ever she returned would her sensual warmth be enough to melt the ice she had caused to form around his broken heart?

~~~~~~

About this little tale...

The publication of A Medieval Yule was a surprise, as I hadn't planned to submit it.  This short is set in the 12th century, and is  from the hero's point of view. It was originally created as a gift for  family. 

When I began research on all things medieval history for my  SFR/Time Travel books,  The Quantum Portal Series, I also wrote this one. Unlike the series, this isn't SFR. It is purely a historical romance.  A few parts have made it onto my websites in the past. But it has now been revised and updated for publication.

The cover artist is the talented Nika Dixon. I think this cover is beyond gorgeous! This book is part of the Red Rose Publishing 12 Days of Christmas stories. RRP is offering a Kindle Fire as a giveaway for one lucky buyer.

Release date -- Monday December 19, 2011!

Kaye

Blood Red Moon Eclipse

A total lunar eclipse like the one on December 10 is a rare event. If you can see this in your area, it is one not to be missed. If you can't get a good view, then catch this unusual total lunar eclipse event Live at: events.SLOOCH.com

According to Space.com

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, casting the moon completely in shadow. The eclipse will start at around 7:45 a.m. EST (4:45 a.m. PST, 1245 GMT), when the shadow of the moon inches across the lunar disk.

The celestial show will be visible from parts of North America, with those in the western portions of Canada and the United States particularly well placed for the event. People in Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and central and eastern Asia should also be able to catch sight of the reddened moon.

The celestial show will be visible from parts of North America, with those in the western portions of Canada and the United States particularly well placed for the event. People in Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and central and eastern Asia should also be able to catch sight of the 

"For people in the western United States, the eclipse is deepest just before local dawn," NASA scientists said in a statement. "Face west to see the red moon sinking into the horizon as the sun rises behind your back. It's a rare way to begin your day."

By 9:05 a.m. EST (6:05 a.m. PST, 1405 GMT), the moon will be fully engulfed in a glow that could range from light orange blood red. (Video: Return of the Blood Red Moon) 

Skywatchers in the central time zone may get only a short glimpse, as the moon will set while it is only partially eclipsed, before the total stage begins, Alan MacRobert, senior editor of the magazine Sky & Telescope said in a statement. Unfortunately, people farther east will also miss out on the opportunity due to the setting moon and rising sun.

Photo by David Paleino

NEW BLOG DESIGN

This isn't your mama's blog anymore! So I decided to try a Science Fiction type design that is found in the blogger templates. I've seen similar blogs like this before, and though I love it, I hesitated because my old blog matched my website--needs new design too,  maybe!  This one is more spacious and I think easier to read even with the dark colors. The stationary backdrop can be changed even to something from my own files. I'm still tweaking it so be aware of that if changes happen. But I'm happy for now. What do you think?


And for my next post, I'll share something new and exciting for me -- Stay tuned!


Kaye

Geeks On Call

Speaking of the Geek Girl or Guy in all of us... Here's something to check out:

Entangled Publishing announced a call for submissions for their new geek collection anthology. (We touched on this subject in the Geek Girls Tell All post comments on December 4th.) The submission deadline is April 15, so If you are interested in writing a story with a geek as your hero/heroine -- anything from a computer programmer to a starship engineer --  the time limit is close so don't hesitate to check this out Here. Kudos to Entangled Publishing for this submission call!

And here is yet another Geek Girl post. This one by Heidi Ruby Miller. Check it out. It features several SFR Geek Girl authors we know!

NASA Confirms Alien Planet in Habitable Zone

How Exciting!

Kepler-22b -- planet known to comfortably circle in the habitable zone of a sun-like star!

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft telescope has confirmed the discovery of its first alien world in its host star's habitable zone, the just-right range of distances that could allow liquid water to exist. It has also found more than 1,000 new exoplanet candidates, researchers announced December 5th.

The new finds bring the Kepler space telescope's total haul to 2,326 potential planets in its first 16 months of operation. These discoveries quadruple the current tally of worlds known to exist beyond our solar system, which recently topped 700.

The potentially habitable alien world, a first for Kepler  named Kepler-22b, orbits a star very like our own sun. The discovery brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet like our own — one which could conceivably harbor life.

~~~~

This is such exciting news! What do you think? Do you believe intelligent life exists on other worlds? How about aliens who are much the same as we are? 

Kaye

GEEK GIRLS TELL ALL

A few weeks ago, SFR author, Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express and I got into a few interesting email conversations about Geek Girls. We realized that many SFR readers are in fact Geek Girls too. We talked about exploring this somewhat obscure geeky world, bring it out, talk about what a Geek Girl truly is and maybe isn’t. Today, Heather will focus on Geek Girls too. Be sure to hop on over and see what TGE has to say. Also take another hop to SFR author, Melisse Aires blog. She has a fantastic Geek Girl post up today.

I’d like to share a little about how I knew I was a… Geek Girl? Me? Yeah, I am.

I actually discovered my own Geek Girl self while in college. Needless to say, I was a bit different-- president of the archaeology club even though my major wasn't archaeology? Yeah. Editor of the school paper (okay my major was journalism). Aside from loving any new technological or scientific discoveries, I loved, and I mean loved hanging with the geeky physics majors and intellectuals. Nope, I wasn’t even a math girl then. 

Those guys (girls too) had their own little sacred geekdom and I was thrilled to eventually be invited in. We would spend hours talking ideas and theories, quantum mechanics being a very popular subject then. Even though I did a lot of listening I could at times add to their conversations with smart ideas. Impressive for a non-physics girl like me. And great stuff for my future SF/R work as an author. 

Many were guys, but a few geek smart girls were allowed to enter the sacred geekdom. Of course it does go without saying that I loved science fiction, and that aspect in me appealed to them a lot. I could talk movies, books and games with them endlessly. Most of us have now gone separate ways. But I’ll never forget those days and how much influence the geekdom had on my life. As time passed I enjoyed spending more time reading or watching science fiction than I did anything else. 

That Geek Girl emerged full bloom. Now it’s kind of an honor to admit that yes, I am truly a living breathing Geek Girl! A bit later, I’ll reveal my all time long term secret Geek Guy crush, but first I’d like to introduce you to few more real life Geek Girls I know…

Geek Girls talking...

A.R. Norris, author of Revelations of Tomorrow published by Desert Breeze Publishing talks about the geek girl in her. 

She says,

"A geek girl gets more excited about the latest science breakthroughs than she does the newest season's fashions. She doesn't set boundaries on herself, needing to prove she's "techno" enough to hang out with the IT squad or "girlie" enough to hang with her non-techie female friends. She's comfortable in both worlds but, like any geek, if she's deep in a "geek" moment, you'll find her in dingy sweats and a stained shirt with her hair in a haphazard ponytail."

T.K. Toppin author of The Lancaster Rule trilogy published by Champagne Books  has this to say about being a geek girl,

“As a geek girl I know random bits of information that in a practical sense I'll never to use. However, you never know when you're going to need to know how to recalibrate a ray gun, right? Or evade those pesky aliens that like to prod you with tubes and wires. My interest in why, how, and what if consumes a large portion of my mind when I’m not letting my imagination run wild. My geek creed ranges from rebooting smart phones without taking the batteries out to knowing the difference between a space ship and a generation ship. (Don't let me start on my fascination with SF and F movies, books, and video games!)

Rae Lori, author of many books including Cimmerian City  available on Amazon kindle, and the upcoming science fiction romance Intergalactic has this to say, 

“Smart is sexy, and confidence is the icing on top. I think these traits are what make a geek girl. She knows what she wants and what she likes. She's not afraid to show her inner goddess when an obscure reference pops up somewhere. Nor is she afraid to step outside the mainstream to pave her own way--Geek Girls are a force all their own.”

And finally, my friend and fellow author Linda Banche who enjoys science fiction and publishes romance with The Wild Rose Press. Her science fiction romance, Lady of the Stars was a finalist in the 2010 Epic awards. Here’s what she says,

“Geek Girl! An intelligent woman who has expertise in a technical field usually dominated by men, like science, math or engineering. A Geek Girl has a brain and isn't afraid to show people she has one. I've been a geophysicist and a software engineer, so I'm a geek girl. And my software engineer husband is a geek guy. Geek power!”

~~~~

As promised I will now reveal my all time secret Geek Guy crush. I suppose it isn't any wonder that Stargate SG1 plays a significant role in my geek status development, and to this day my heartthrob crush is... 

Daniel Jackson, that sexy geeky scientist on 

Stargate SG1 played by Michael Shanks. For over ten years this geeky guy has been my secret crush! Wow, there I said it!  (big surprise-- not!)

   

Okay now it's your turn. 

Are you a Geek Girl or are you not? Think about it. Your answer may surprise you.

Kaye
(Geek-Girl poster and comics by Sam Johnson used with permission. Check out Sam's Geek-Girl site. His Blog also mentions this post and links back.Thanks Sam!)