Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my Tuesday blog. I enjoyed it.
I put all the names in a fish bowl and Drew……….
TRUDY C.
Yippee, Trudy! I’ll email you in the morning. Decide if you want an ebook or print.
Linda Broday
An Odd Custom in the 19th Century and Earlier
One of the strangest customs that was pretty common in the 19th century and earlier was a married woman referring to her husband as Mister and whatever their last name was. I just think it’s so odd and kind of funny in a way. It makes it sound like they’re not even married and maybe complete strangers.
My grandmother used to call her husband Mr. Smith like they weren’t even acquainted.
But my grandpa always called my grandmother by her first name which was Becky and didn’t say Mrs. Smith. It seems it was only the women who did this.
Another thing had to do with sending any mail to my grandmother. It had to be addressed as Mrs. Robert Smith, not by her name. It almost seemed like an ownership thing and she wasn’t her own person, not like today.
I still have an elderly cousin who always wants Mrs. Ed Langley on every piece of mail I send her even though he’s been dead for over ten years. Somehow, she’s still unable to claim her own identity. I think that’s really sad.
Yet, when I try to write this into one of my stories, it makes it seem they’re strangers, so I give up and change it so the reader will know who I’m talking about.
These days, we have a fast-paced, very casual lifestyle and wives always use their husband’s first names when they speak to them and it seems more natural.
One of my pet peeves is that I do not like is a man referring to his wife as his “old lady or old broad.” And the wife saying, “My old man.” Just sounds awful disrespectful, but maybe that’s just me. Or when they call each other Ma and Pa.
My parents always used their first names when speaking to each other.
Now for book news. The McIntyre complete series is out now, and I think doing pretty well as far as I can tell. It has its own series page on Amazon.
CLICK here for the link.
The McIntyre siblings are on a quest to reunite their fractured family no matter the cost. As they search, each also finds a love that cannot be denied.
How about you? Have you ever heard women of the older generations calling their husbands Mr. so and so? I’ll give a copy of Book 1 in this series – Cade’s Quest – to one commenter. (Either ebook or print)
Linda Broday Has Winners
Wow, my thanks to everyone who commented on my superstition post Tuesday! It was fun.
I put all the names into a hat and two popped out.
LINDA R
ALISA BOISCLAIR
Congratulations, ladies! Watch for my email!
Angel Crowns and Other Superstitions
It’s really interesting how new information comes when I’m not looking for it. I was reading The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson (Book 3 of The Book Woman series) and how these people in the Appalachians were really superstitious. The main character in this book found an angel crown in her pillow and saw it as an omen that death was near.
So let me explain what an angel crown is. This phenomenon only occurs in feather pillows when the feathers swirl in a circle to form what appears to resemble a crown.
The character in this book found one of these dark omens and refused to sleep on the pillow. She threw it on the floor and slept without. To clarify, she does not die.
Angel crowns were also found in the pillow of a deceased and that was supposed to be a sign that the person went to heaven.
The main character in this particular book by Richardson is Cussy Mary and she has blue skin which is a real affliction by a select group way back in the hills and has been studied by a lot of scientists. Everyone believes if they touch her, they’ll die so they hunt her like she’s a wild animal. I really loved this story.
Anyway, I grew up with a lot of superstitions. A bird in the house is a sign that someone will die. Finding a hat on the bed meant bad luck, illness, or death. To break its curse, you were supposed to spit in the hat, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it. There were a million others. I think these people had way too much time on their hands.
In my new book, Jess’s Reckoning, they’re trapped in an outlaw town with a madman. He’s very superstitious so Abigail, the newspaper owner, plays on his fears by appearing at his bedside in white face paint, wearing a nun’s habit. She tells him he has to pay for his crimes and will face death. Scares him out of his wits. She and Jess McIntyre do finally wear him down and they’re able to get free.
This is a sweet romance. For an excerpt, CLICK Here.
I once had an uncle who was terrified to walk past a cemetery for fear a ghost would get him. He took a night watchman job but never got out of his car. Another time our family was in a flood and found a dead body. They left my uncle to stay there and went for the sheriff. As the water began to seep out of the person, the muscles began to contract in his arms and legs. My uncle took off running and never looked back.
Who still throws salt over their shoulder when they spill it? Or refuse to walk under a ladder? Or how about not crossing a black cat’s path or step on a crack? I don’t think I’m very superstitious but how about you? I’m giving away two copies (ebook or print) of Jess’s Reckoning so leave a comment.
Traveling Performers in the 1800s.
On the Texas frontier, justice is a long ride. And love is the most dangerous gamble of all.
Jess’s Reckoning is now up for preorders! Won’t be long until release day on May 12th. I had so much fun with this story as Jess and Abigail find themselves trapped in an outlaw town where death awaits around every corner.
One of the more humorous parts is the fact that newspaperwoman Abigail Farnsworth wears a black wig over her blonde curls in an effort to escape notice. She has access to all sorts of fake wigs, mustaches, and beards through a woman she meets who once traveled across America with an acting troupe.
Research proved extremely helpful and I learned that wigs and artificial facial hair were very prevalent back in the 1800s. Of course, the judges and lawyers wore white wigs like their British counterparts but others wore a variety of colors for different reasons. Hair loss was a big thing back then. Maybe due to bad water, medicines made with opium and alcohol, and lead that was often in food and their homes. They were made of horsehair and other animal hair, sheep’s wool, vegetable fibers, and human hair. Egyptians wore wigs because they shaved their heads. In fact, they were probably the first people to wear them.
There were two different kinds of traveling performers – the medicine show and what was called tent repertoire theater. The medicine shows traveled by wagon out west selling elixirs and mostly fake medicines. They used an actor or two to entertain the crowd while the salesman made the pitch. Tent repertoire theaters were just that—performances in tents that could be pitched anywhere.
In my book the wigs and hair pieces were needed for disguises that helped them move around the outlaw town of Diablo Springs. Once you entered, you were not allowed to leave. Something Jess and Abigail learn too late.
While they’re kept there, they discover Jess’s little sister, the last of his missing siblings to be found. And that only complicates things more. Jess has his work cut out for him and after he’s beaten severely on the head with a hefty club, he’s left with double vision, headaches, and intermittent dizziness. You get the picture. Scary times.
Have you ever worn a wig or hairpiece? If not, would you want one? I have a nice wig that I bought following a botched haircut. I learned firsthand that they’re not all that much fun and I couldn’t wait for my hair to grow out so I could retire the wig. Every so often I get it out for a special occasion. And I also have a purple wig I bought for Halloween. Here’s a picture.
If you haven’t preordered Jess’s Reckoning, CLICK HERE. And if you’d like to read an excerpt, CLICK HERE.
Linda Broday Has a Winner!
Thank you all for coming to make my St. Patrick’s Day party a success yesterday!
I chose a random winner from the commenters for my gift card and…….
The winner is:
CONNIE SCRUGGS
Yippe! Congratulations, Connie. I’ll email you so be watching.
Wearing of the Green
Linda Broday here. Hey, are you wearing green? Do you know why you’re supposed to? I grew up totally ignorant of the reason. I just knew I didn’t want to be pinched by the boys at school. I did know the holiday originated in Ireland and the Irish immigrants brought it to America but little else.
How about you?
Here’s the scoop. We celebrate to honor Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century.
But back up a minute. Patrick was abducted at the age of sixteen and brought to the Emerald Isle as a slave. He escaped and later returned to convert the Irish to Christianity. He used the three leaves of a shamrock, which grows wild in Ireland, to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost with the stem uniting all three.
That’s something I did not know.
But the Irish got on board with him and turned from paganism, which was a good thing.
Still, why is green worn?
Seems the custom is due to political origins that go back to the Great Irish Rebellion in 1641.This uprising was due to the Catholic leaders opposing the English crown and they adopted a green flag with a harp on it. Green also reappeared during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Yet, I wondered why it’s customary to pinch someone failing to wear green. The answer is folklore. Green is supposed to make you invisible to leprechauns. They can see those wearing different colors so the mischievous little things pinch them. It’s a lighthearted belief to inspire us to wear green. Boys especially love to pinch.
Today, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a global celebration. There are parades and other festivities meant to highlight Irish culture and nurture community spirit and pride. And to eliminate discrimination, which is always a good thing.
We celebrate with green beer, various clothing and hats, and the Chicago River is dyed green, among other ways we celebrate.
But in Ireland, it’s still a religious holiday and continue to pay tribute to St. Patrick. By the way, he established many, many monasteries, churches, and schools before he died on March 17, 461.
In all my 50+ published books, I’ve never written any around St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe I should remedy that. Who knows what will inspire me?
Do you do anything to celebrate? Maybe eat the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage or wear green? I’ll give away a $10 Amazon gift card in a drawing from the commenters.
Cowgirls in the Kitchen With Linda Broday
Hi everyone, I’m Linda Broday and welcome to my little kitchen. I am not the best cook and I have to confess I don’t even really like to cook. My mama, God bless her heart, sure did try to instill some of her love for cooking in me but it just wouldn’t take. She was one of the best cooks and everyone loved to go to her house and it wasn’t for the candy she hid under the sofa. LOL My mama sure did love her sweets, and unfortunately, that got passed on to me. I’ve made these cookies so you know they aren’t very difficult. I did get some a little bit brown. Ha!!! Typical.
POTATO CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
2/3 cup (133 g.) light brown sugar- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65 g.) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 3/4 cups (145 g.) crushed kettle-style potato chips, divided
Directions
Step 1 In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in egg, vanilla, and baking soda until combined, then reduce speed to low and beat in flour just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and 2 cups potato chips. Cover bowl and refrigerate 1 hour.
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 3/4 cup potato chips in a small flat dish.
Scoop dough into balls about 3 tablespoons (2 ounces) each. Roll in potato chips, gently pressing to adhere. Arrange on prepared sheets, spacing about 1″ apart. With a clean palm, flatten balls into pucks about 2 1/2″ in diameter.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets top to bottom and back to front after 7 minutes, until puffed and golden brown around the edges, 11 to 14 minutes.
Let sit 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Enjoy!
These will store in an airtight container for 3 weeks. I tell you they are so tasty. But don’t expect a soft cookie. These are crunchy sweet goodness.
What are your cookie favorites? Have you ever made any unusual kind?
Linda Broday Has WINNERS!
Oh my goodness! Thank you all for coming to read my post! I’ve decided to give four books away–two each of the mentioned books!
The two Winners of Summer’s Heart are:
CRYSTAL STEWART
LOIS IMEL
The two Winners of Saving the Mail Order Bride are:
SARAH GUNTER
SONDRA WEAVER
Congratulations, Ladies!! Yippee. I’ll be contacting you all so watch for the email.
Handcuffs and Criminals
As an author of historical western romance, I’ve written a lot about criminals and bad men. Even jails on occasion but lots of lawmen. The fact is, I like writing about them.
If you think handcuffs originated in the 18th Century, think again. The earliest metal handcuffs were used during the Bronze and Iron ages with new improvements as the centuries have passed. Maybe you already knew this but I did not. It never occurred to me that metal ones existed before the 18th Century. I assumed they used rope or leather bindings, not metal.
Inventor John J. Tower patented a pair of cuffs in 1865 that were widely used in America. They were ratcheted and therefore adjustable to the size of the criminals’ wrists which was a remarkable adaptation. They allowed a lawman to carry only one pair of cuffs whereas he used to have to carry multiples in various sizes.
The picture below is of Tower’s design and is the courtesy of The Science Museum.
Here is a set of Old West handcuffs that were widely used. Again, courtesy of The Science Museum.
As I said above, I’ve written about a lot of outlaws and criminals. One of my favorite stories was Saving the Mail Order Bride. It was 2nd book in my Outlaw Mail Order Bride series. Outlaw Jack Bowdre finds himself handcuffed to a lawman on a stagecoach on the way to jail when the stage overturns and kills the lawman. There’s one passenger on board, a woman named Nora, who panics and tosses the key to the handcuffs out the window. Jack would like to have wrung Nora’s neck. He’s never able to find the key. This story has so much humor and I just loved writing it. This is not a sweet romance though since it has love scenes.
What makes a book truly memorable? If you’d like to get your name in the drawing for one copy of Saving the Mail Order Bride, let me know in the comments. I’m also giving away one copy of Summer’s Heart which is my latest sweet romance.
Summer’s Heart, Book 2 The McIntyres, came out in January.
Texas, 1882. A suffocating blizzard locks Summer McIntyre inside a small town just as her world blows apart. A strange woman emerges from the storm carrying a baby and a damning accusation—Sheriff Dan Bodine fathered her child. The man Summer meant to marry suddenly seems like a stranger.
While the town is paralyzed under snow and suspicion, Summer receives even more staggering news: her missing little brother is alive, but being held by a deranged woman somewhere in the frozen wilderness. Summer and Dan want nothing more than to ride out and save him, but the storm has sealed every trail and turned the hills into a death trap.
With time running out and trust shattered, Summer must decide whether Dan is the ally she needs—or the heartbreak she can’t outrun.