Travels through my jewellery box

Some time ago, we wenches were talking jewellery (or jewelry depending on where you live.) It was inspired by this blog by Mary Jo.  And I mentioned some of the little pieces I was given in travels when I was a child.

ScottishBrooches

Mary Jo said: “Travels through my jewellery box” would be a fabulous blog! And so, since I'm scrambling to meet a deadline, and don't have time to do a research-heavy blog, here it is. 

I was very fortunate to travel quite widely as a child, and at many places we visited, I was given a little souvenir. Mostly they are cheap little things, but I've never equated monetary value with personal value, and these little items are precious to me.

PiskieDonkeyKellsI took the photos today, using a piece of plain white paper as a background. Bizarrely it turned out blue! No idea why. Sorry about that.

In this photo at the top left, there's a little brass Cockington Piskie—yes, that's the correct spelling—from Cockington Forge in Devon. Ugly little fellow, isn't he, but he's supposed to be lucky. I vividly remember visiting that big dark old forge.

Next to it is the letter A from the Book of Kells which is in Dublin. Beautiful, isn't it? I used to wear this on my  favourite blue jumper until the jumper fell to bits. I visited the Book of Kells later on as an adult, and fell in love with it all over again.

Read more

Sir Sean Connery – A Tribute

“Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile.” Sir Sean Connery (1930-2020)

Sean in a kiltAs we mentioned in our recent newsletter, the Wenches were all very sad to learn about the loss of the wonderful actor Sir Sean Connery, the inspiration for many romantic heroes. We started to reminisce about our favourite memories of the roles he had played, and felt it would be a fitting tribute to this real-life Scottish hero if we shared them here:-

Mary Jo – Sean Connery was one of the most charismatic and compelling actors ever, and while his recent death at 90 wasn't cutting him off prematurely, he will certainly be missed.

I've seen him in any number of movies, including various James Bond films and a memorable turn as Indiana Jones Senior in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where he was the father of the younger Indiana Jones, memorably played by Harrison Ford. But perhaps my favorite movie role of Connery was a brief, uncredited appearance as King Richard in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. When he appears at the end to Robin Hood and his men, it's as much a surprise to movie viewers to see that unmistakable face as it would have been for the forest bandits to see the real Richard. It's quite a moment, and Sean Connery played it to the hilt!

Read more

Of Weddings and Arrows

Susan here, with a two-fer: two backlist ebook releases, and two behind-the-scenes stories about them. At last, THE STONE MAIDEN and THE SWAN MAIDEN, two of my classic Scottish medieval romances, are now available in ebook! They're freshly edited and redesigned with gorgeous covers by Kim Killion (scroll down to see how pretty!). The “Maiden” series has an official series title — “Celtic Nights: Lady of Legend I, II and III.” The third book – THE SWORD MAIDEN – will be available soon as well. Each novel in the trilogy was inspired by Celtic legends.  THE STONE MAIDEN is one …

Read more

A Professor Studies Scottish Romance

Susan here. The Word Wenches are so pleased to welcome Dr. Euan Hague, associate professor of Geography at DePaul University, to the blog today! Professor Hague has a special interest in historical romance—-he's currently researching the phenomenon of Scotland-set literature among the Scottish-American diaspora, focusing on novels written by authors exploring Scotland and Scottish culture in their work—which includes the wide array of Scottish romances. Euan Hague is not only an academician—he is a Scotsman transplanted to the U.S. Throughout his career he has closely studied the aspects and expressions of the Scottish-American diasporic community. And, fancy words aside, it's …

Read more