Halloween Customs of Old

What a timely chance to share research I conducted for a stories based at this time of the year. My story, Wandering Home, was set in the week before Halloween in 1876. In addition to the overall plot of the Texas Ranger who was drifting and looking for a place to settle in for the winter meeting a widowed rancher owner, I wanted to include details that would have come from one of their heritages. Hero was of Norse lineage and heroine was of Irish descent. Another of my stories also set in 1876, Ginger Cake by Glynna, includes some of these traditions. Imagine my glee when I discovered all sorts of traditions involved with Samhain (translated to “summer’s end” and in Celtic religion marks the start of the Darkhalf of the year) and All Saints’ Day. The first being that October 31st was acknowledged as the day all the crops should have been harvested. The Irish believed crops left in the fields after November 1st belonged to the fairies. The day also marked the day of slaughter for grazing animals that weren’t breeding.

At nightfall on October 31st, belief is the earthen mounds can open and release the Sidhe and the dead to walk among the living. This is the time of year when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. To appease any dead and keep bad spirits from following them home, people dressed in white and blackened their faces. I also learned that scary masks were worn so the living would look the same as the dead.

Trick or treating was originally called ‘souling’ when children and the poor went from door to door and offered either songs or prayers for the souls of the dead. In return they were given flattened bread with fruit inside. The original vegetable used for carving was a turnip. An old Irish folk tale relates a deal a lazy blacksmith named Stingy Jack made. He trapped the Devil and would only release him when the Devil agreed not to take upon his death. Years later when Jack dies, he has lived a misspent life and refused admittance to Heaven. The Devil upholds his deal and won’t allow Jack into Hell so Jack is consigned to a life of wandering but he begs for a light to help see in the darkness. The Devil tosses him a flame that will not go out and Jack carves a turnip to hold it. And he became known as Jack Of The Lantern.

Traditional foods for the day were apple pies, toffee apples, colcannon (a dish of cabbage, potatoes, butter & milk), potato farls (potato bread), and barmbrack (bread or cakes with fruit baked inside). A bit of barmbrack would be left outside to appease any passing fairies. Coins would be placed in any of the dishes and the future was to be bright for the ones plucking out a “luck penny.” [Sounds a lot like a sixpence being hidden in a British Christmas pudding or a porcelain baby figurine hidden in a Three Kings Cake at Epiphany.] leave a comment by noon on 10/31 for a chance to win an ecopy of Wandering Home. *Note this post is updated from a 2015 post Upcoming release set in the fall

Butter Pound Cake by Berdina, Old-Timey Holiday Kitchen series Bakery manager Berdina Hulbard has big plans to expand the Riverside Bakery’s services to the growing Astoria community. She has visions of creating stylish wedding cakes and elegant petit fours, similar to what she produced at her previous job. During a marathon baking session, she’s interrupted by a blue-eyed brute of a man screaming “Fire” who douses the fire in the brick oven, sending ash over her inventory. Seeing black smoke billowing from a chimney, volunteer fireman Peder Stefansson bolts into the bakery to put out the fire. Peder is temporary squad captain and wants to prove he’s ready to take on the job permanently. When safety is restored, he discovers ruined baked goods, an irate baker, and an escaped canary. He likes the spirit of this spunky beauty with sparks in her brown eyes. What can he do to tame this chaos into cuddles? Releasing November 7 Preorder here Keep in touch with Linda Amazon BookBub Goodreads

Greetings Cards Through the Ages

During December, millions of extra envelopes pour into the United States Postal Service in the form of greeting cards bearing holiday wishes to friends and family. Years ago, I sat at a computer terminal in an encoding center and input information from an image on the screen to create a bar code label so the mail that was rejected by the optical scanner could be directed to its destination. Many hours of overtime were mandated in December to handle the increased volume. Even knowing that fact, I still send cards each year—I just make sure not to use colored or metallic pens that bleed and I’m extra careful with getting the address correct.

While plotting a Christmas novella, I researched the history of greeting cards. Interpreting the term loosely, the tradition can be traced to ancient Chinese who wrote New Year’s wishes and Egyptians who used papyrus to send greetings. In the 1400s, evidence exists of people in Europe making cards, especially for Valentine’s Day, and exchanging with friends. In the first part of the 1800s, Valentine’s Day cards were affordable and became popular. The first Christmas card is documented as being created in London in 1843. Sir Henry Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to create a card that Cole send to his friends.

In the US in 1849, Esther Howland became the first publisher/creator of Valentine’s cards. Her father owned a book and stationery store. Her mother wrote The New England Economical Housekeeper and Family Receipt Book, which was published in 1844 by her father’s company. At age 19, Esther received a Valentine’s card (which at the time had to be imported from England and were expensive). She determined a market existed in America and she convinced her father to order the supplies. Once she made several sample cards, she convinced her salesman brother to add the samples to the stationery wares for his regular route. Hoping for orders totaling $200, she was elated when her brother returned with pre-orders of $5,000.

Her company was born. Esther hired local women and started an assembly-line business in a spare bedroom in the family’s house. Esther designed and constructed the original and the employees copied her design. As the business developed, she also hired women who worked at home. A box of all the needed materials arrived at the woman’s home, and a week later a courier picked up the finished product. She incorporated as The New England Valentine Company in 1870 and was known as The Mother of the American Valentine. Her cards featured lace, hidden doors, ribbons, and gilded illustrations. Later designs included an interior envelope that might hold a lock of hair, secret message, or even an engagement ring. Over the years, the business moved to a factory-type location and she expanded the product line to include other holidays. Eventually the business grew to sales of $100,000 per year.

In 1856, Louis Prang opened a lithographic business in Boston and created the first Christmas cards in the US. In fact, the Greeting Card Association’s highest annual award is called the LOUIE.

In 1879, Esther published a thirty-one page book of verses that provided alternatives to what came on the original card.

That fact gave me the idea that the verses had to come from someone. My heroine, Fiona, was one of those authors who penned sentimental sayings for a greeting card company. By the time of the story 1883, Esther’s company had been bought out, and several companies were in the business of providing greeting cards to the American public.

BLURB for A Promise For Christmas, book 29 in Spinster Mail-Order Brides multi-author series:

After a decade serving as a governess for a wealthy Chicago family, lively Fiona Carthage is ousted from her job and their house. She turns to the Matrimonial News and responds to an ad from a Colorado storeowner. Anson Lorentz, a man who prizes routine and a quiet life, sees the happiness a mail-order bride brought his friend and takes a chance on bringing a bride to Gunnison City. Fiona works to make his house into a real home. Her arrival sets his household upside down, which causes friction for this new couple.

Will Anson stand by his promise to provide Fiona a secure home, or will his newly discovered family ties sway his allegiance?

FREE on Kindle Unlimited

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EXTRA

One name will be chosen from those who leave a comment to win a copy of A Vow for Christmas, book 7 in the Spinster Mail-Order Brides multi-author series.

I’m participating in N.N. Light’s Christmas and Holiday Book Festival. Learn about holiday titles in daily spotlights and enter for a chance to win one of five possible Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift cards. This title is featured on December 31, the last day of the festival.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/christmas-holiday-festival 

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Research Trip To The Past

Last month, my husband and I enjoyed a short, four-day vacation to the Grand Canyon. We’d visited on a car trip with two of our children years ago but found driving through the South Rim frustrating because of the high volume of traffic. Well, lots had changed. Not about the canyon itself--the gorge is still as beautiful and majestic as ever. Plus we were reminded more than once that the Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. 

The tour package included a night at a historic hotel with dinner and breakfast buffets in Williams (the closest city to the national park), a bus tour of the sights, a night in a hotel inside the park, and the feature we looked forward to most--the train ride. In our minds, the two-hour-and-fifteen-minute ride would pass quietly as we either viewed the scenery or read our chosen books. The ride itself went off like clockwork, but the management of the company must believe the passengers need entertainment for almost the entire ride.

Once I realized the tone, I settled back and listened to cowboy banjo music, entertaining facts shared by the conductor, accordion music by an energetic senior citizen, and a pseudo train robbery. (The conductor even coached us on how to respond and what to say.)  We got into the spirit and played along.

The shuttle buses running within the park allow visitors to see the exhibits at their pace. I enjoyed not hassling with traffic and having to avoid unpredictable pedestrians. Clouds and a cold wind arrived close to sunset so we viewed the spectacular color display from inside a restaurant.

Theoretically, I knew the canyon was long--approximately 275 miles. But listening to the bus guide give the facts and figures made me realize what a shock early explorers must have felt when arriving at the edge. Depending on where in its length they encountered the gorge, they might have had to travel for almost two weeks to get around it. Think of the native peoples and the stories they created to explain such a geological feature.

The Grand Railway Hotel (Williams) is a great example of the accommodations provided to travelers many years ago—high ceilings, detailed woodwork, huge dining room, and efficient, friendly staff. Built in 1905 on the canyon’s south rim, the El Tovar Hotel is a national landmark and was originally a Harvey House (the subject of a future blog post). Just sitting on the porch made me feel like I’d been transported in time--especially as I listened to the Hopi flute player and let the plot ideas float in my head.

I’d love to hear suggestions for great spots to visit in the western states. One lucky commenter wins an ecopy of my only historical romance set in the same state as the Grand Canyon: Libbie, Bride of Arizona.

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Release Day for Perfectly Unacceptable by Linda Carroll-Bradd

This novella is my third in the series and book 13 overall. Although a stand-alone story, Perfectly Unacceptable features cameos of characters from the first two stories, Perfectly Mismatched (Book 1) and Perfectly Unscripted (Book 9).

BLURB: Jared Manning was left wanting on two prior marriage attempts, and this time he wants to be assured of a bride. So he commits to a correspondence courtship with only one potential mail-order bride and anticipates the arrival of Dina Valdis, a retiring schoolteacher, in time for the town’s Harvest Dance. He knows just how he wants his picture-perfect married life to be and assumes he’s found the perfect woman to fulfill the role.

                Dina is passionate about being a schoolteacher who sparks the love of learning in young minds. An incident in her hometown of Kingston, New York forces her from her job, and her reputation is smeared. Not wanting to become a hermit, Dina is reminded how her cousins, Aurelia and Rilleta, found happiness with their husbands in Jubilee Springs. Thinking this is her only option, Dina heads west as a mail-order bride. Seeing the size of the tiny town almost sets Dina running, but an attraction for this handsome miner keeps her there. When she learns the town’s children have no teacher, she starts a campaign to educate the townspeople. Soon, she’ll have to decide if the attraction she feels for Jared is stronger than her passion for teaching.

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GIVEAWAY: One lucky commenter will win his or her choice of either Perfectly Mismatched or Perfectly Unscripted (or a backlist title of your choosing).

~**~

As a child, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about characters having exciting adventures in places far away. In later years, she started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession story. Now Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor.

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