Events in March

As this month MARCHed on I realised there were many events that occur which we can identify with.

I searched out a few, but you may know others!

 

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH!

So where did this saying come from?

Well ... first we have to venture back into history (my favourite place) to the times of the Romans, where the ides simply meant the 15th day of four months of the Roman calendar- March, May, July and October!

"That is not so bad." I hear you say.

Then why does it have a sinister ring to it?

Because in 44 B.C. on  March 15 the Roman General, Julius Caesar was brutally stabbed to death by a group of conspirators in the Roman Senate.

Apparently a seer had foreseen that Caesar would be harmed no later than the Ides of March. So on the way to the Theater of Pompey (where the grizzly act took place) Caesar met the seer and joked, "The ides of March have come."

To which the seer replied, "Ay, Caesar, but not gone."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March

ST PATRICK'S DAY - 17th MARCH

ST PATRICK is one of Ireland's patron saints, who died on March 17th around the year 493. He worked tirelessly as a missionary in Ireland. There are many events and traditions held here in Australia to mark the anniversary of his death as well as remember the Irish settlements in Australia's early history.

The Irish were among the first Europeans to settle here. And although many arrived in the late 1700's as convicts, there were more than 300,000 Irish settlers who migrated to Australia between 1840-1914 as (non convicts) free settlers.                                                   

About 30% of Australians are believed to have some Irish ancestry today. I know my mother's family are from Irish descent. Their family name was McKeirnan.

One way of preserving Irish traditions and customs in Australia is to celebrate St Patrick's Day each year.

According to Legend, Saint Patrick used the Shamrock, a three leafed plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish People. 

For more info:

 http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/st-patrick-day  

HARMONY DAY - 21st MARCH

Managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Harmony Day is the promotion of tolerance and a celebration of cultural diversity in Australia.

Begun in 1999, it coincides with the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and offers an opportunity for everyone to come together.

There are many organised activities in major cities, towns and schools, where communities can share and enjoy dance, food, parades and festivities.

In 2011 alone there were over 6,500 events registered for Harmony Day.  The colour chosen for Harmony Day is Orange, and Australians everywhere are encouraged to wear something orange to show their support for the cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia.

For more information of events in your area you can visit :

http://www.harmony.gov.au/ 

Last but NOT least - My Wedding Anniversary - 1st March .

We chose the first day in March mostly because it was a Saturday, and it would be dead easy to remember.Well one would think so.... and I know exactly what you are thinking. But you're wrong! For it is I who forgot once. So never let it be said we women remember ALL dates ALL the time. Occasionally I am reminded of this one time digression. But that's OK!

 

Are there any dates that are special to you in March?

Why Are Our Heroes and Heroines Rich?

As a writer or reader of romantic fiction, has this thought ever crossed your mind? It has mine Hmmm...

Recently I finished one of the Carpathian Novels and it left me wondering over this phenomenon. Of course, characters and story arc come first. And in reality the main characters can be as rich as royalty or as poor as peasants, but as long as their struggles against life lead them to a happy future together, then I’m happy.

For me as a writer it is all in the struggle. Some of the journeys they take will be ones, only they themselves can figure out, and when they do the relationship will be so worth the wait.

When I am plotting a story (yes, I am a die-hard plotter not a pantser), usually one of the leading characters steps up and declares they will be the one with the money. Now whether that means the character(s) will be rolling in the cash by various means such as:

* they worked hard for it

* married for it

* were born into wealth

* had it left as an inheritance

*stole or acquired it by some other ill-begotten means

As a writer this is entirely a matter for my muse to figure out. It may be that one or both are rich, so they can fund their adventures, journeys, and lifestyle expected for the story and move along smoothly.

I know, most people are saying, “Real life isn’t like that?” And perhaps you are right, perhaps not. Many people in real life do work exceptionally hard and save to aquire what they want/need/aspire to have. Some inherit generous amounts from relatives, while others are lucky enough to have ‘old money’ in the family. But in all reality we read stories for the enjoyment of it. A good story gives us pleasure because we go along for the ride and most of those characters need exorbitant amounts of money to live in their world and to carry out what is needed for them to get to the happily ever after.

A Duke for instance who lived between the eighteenth and twentieth century, may own many estates and be responsible for his relatives. In reality we do know this was the case of many of the upper-peerage during the 1800's.

Now, for the story's sake, if he was destitute then he may lose his homes, carriages, servants, the list is endless, but in other words his ‘lifestyle’ would be over and he would have to think of doing something radical to turn his situation around. A lot of the time this meant selling assets not entailed, like carriages, horseflesh estates or he would have to marry a woman who was wealthy in her own right.

And it seems there were plenty of those about, a widow, an heiress, distant cousins, rich daughters of business men from other countries, were often the go or perhaps the ugly, ‘rich’ woman next door.(Plenty of story plots there) But why does it make sense to us as the reader, that we want money to be no object for our hero/heroine as they go about their lives? I mean, even the blasted romanticized Pirates were loaded. *grin* But of course, who'd have it any other way.

So far, for most of the leading men in the books I want to write, money is no object, *wink* only two of them will fall under the captive spell of wealthy women. But we'd be interested in your thoughts on the topic. 


Do you rather a wealthy hero or heroine in your historical stories you write or enjoy to read and why is that? Or perhaps it does not really matter, as long as it works! 
Let us know your opinion on the way you feel about our heroic characters' financial positions?

Sources:

sketch from: http://www.stephanieboles.com/Regency_Glossary.html

Historical Hearts Launch Party - Day 3

Welcome to the Historical Hearts and the seventeenth century world of me, award winning writer Alison Stuart.

Roundheads and cavaliers, heroes in bucket boots, lace collars and broad-brimmed hats? My passion for the English Civil War began in childhood and spills into my writing world. The ripples from this short, violent period of English History are still felt into today's democratic parliaments and I love nothing more than sharing this passion with my readers. I just wish I could convince more publishers of its worth as a rich source of romance and conflict.

Fortunately my two published English Civil War novels, THE KING'S MAN and the award winning BY THE SWORD are available in digital and print form at all reputable online sources. See my website www.alisonstuart.com for details of my writing. While the English Civil War is my passion, I love all periods of history and as I am currently working on a Regency and a World War One set novel, my blogs could be on any subject!

To celebrate the launch of Historical Hearts, I am offering a critique of the first 3 chapters of a historical novel (can be any period). Just enter the Comments section below and provide me with an alternative ending to the first sentence of my novel THE KING’S MAN. It begins “Thamsine Granville had not begun the day with the intention of killing Oliver Cromwell, but.........................”

The most outrageous answer will win but everyone who enters my contest will receive a prize of an ebook of THE KINGS MAN.

Looking forward to sharing history with you!

Good Luck!
Alison.



Welcome to the Historical Hearts launch party!

I’m Dana Scully. I write historical romances set around the tenth century in Wales. I’m currently unpublished, but that will change. As an unpubbed (and even once I am pubbed—LOL), I’ll be blogging inspirational pieces. Little somethings to keep you going on your own personal journey—whether it be in writing, reading, or life in general. Yes, my blogs will be writing related, but you’ll be able to take the main point and apply it to your own life and hopefully receive a bit of a boost from it too!

To get the ball rolling, I’d like to hear what inspires you. Is it the end of a good romance—that ahhhh happily ever after moment, is it hearing a feel good story on the nightly news, or perhaps a walk in the woods, or playing with your children...? What makes you feel good about you, about life, about the world in which we live?

I have a beautiful carved Welsh love spoon to give away to one of you wonderful bloggers. (I’ll be writing more about these tokens of love and affection in a few weeks...) So get blogging!

What inspires you? I hope to chat with you soon!

Good Luck!

Dana.

Hello and Welcome to our new Historical Blog site, where we hope you shall visit whenever the mood to enjoy fun and interesting things from our past takes your fancy. Or just come and cruise through the authors' works to see what's new with our books and writings.

My name is Mary deHaas and I am a devoted romance writer, who is currently unpublished. If it takes place in a drafty old castle, in the dry desert sands or upon the wild open seas, as long as a story spans the tyranny of time and conjures up the past, then it's the genre of history that I love to write about the most. I am also an artist--who paints pretty much all the above as well. I have a saying: "stay still long enough; I will paint you".

I have many favorite time-periods and thanks to my characters, I get to venture wherever I wish with each new story I write. My current WIP is a ST (single title) set off the Ivory Coast, during the 1850's. Allow me to share a little of my imagination with you through my love of art and my passion for writing.

I have a lovely hand-painted porcelain coaster and gum-leaf bookmark to give-away for a lucky person who knows where the *Ivory Coast* refers to in the history books.

Good luck!

Maryde.

Note: For your chance to win today's prizes, when answering the trivia questions or replying, please leave your name, email address and what draw you'd like to enter. Of course, you are more than welcome to enter all prize draws up for grabs. Good Luck!