Crazy Customs from the Past Blog Hop and Book Release

by Debra Brown

To our way of thinking, people of the past have had some crazy customs. Packing a picnic lunch to attend and cheer on a hanging comes to mind. Or is it that different than a jumbo popcorn in the center seats to see the gore in full color and best of all, larger than life?

We are used to doing things our way, as people were Then. It comes with practice. I was always confounded by the fact that ladies once wore dresses that dragged in the mud. Surely society would have understood if just a tad of ankle showed to keep the spendy fabrics from becoming filthy and ragged? Or not? It was unfathomable to me until I attended a Renaissance Faire in full dress (to the top of my foot, thank you) and watched more realistic women dragging their acres of fabric in the dust. As my contract required me to hang out for the duration, I adjusted to the sight and with practice learned to accept it as if it were fully normal. I may adjust my social standing for the next event and drag some velvet in my train.

Time traveling is fun. One of the fabulous EHFA writers mentioned the convenience of relieving oneself when attending a Regency banquet--since there were no rooms set aside for the purpose as we have today, a duke or duchess might (would, actually) simply step behind a partition and make use of a chamber pot. How handy is that?

For those of you who enjoy stepping into the past from the safety of your modern day reading room just down the hall from your flushing toilet, we proudly present the beautiful Volume Two of Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors, edited by myself and Sue Millard and published by Madison Street Publishing. As an extra treat, several of our contributors and friends have shed light on various customs, from "Hunting the Wren in Wales and Ireland" to the "17th Century Marriage Day". See below for links to their blogs. We hope you enjoy this blog hop in celebration of our new release.

An anthology of essays from the second year of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book transports the reader across the centuries from prehistoric to twentieth century Britain. Nearly fifty different authors share the stories, incidents, and insights discovered while doing research for their own historical novels.

From medieval law and literature to Tudor queens and courtiers, from Stuart royals and rebels to Regency soldiers and social calls, experience the panorama of Britain’s yesteryear. Explore the history behind the fiction, and discover the true tales surrounding Britain’s castles, customs, and kings.

Volume I
          Amazon
       
Volume II
          Amazon


The Kindle copy and links from other venues will be available soon.

Celebrating the 4th Anniversary of the EHFA Blog!

by Debra Brown

Thank you for joining us for this anniversary today, and of course, for joining us for the daily posts, many of you for four years now. At this writing, the little knights at the bottom of the blog have admitted nearly 685,000 unique visitors, and we appreciate every one of you who have brought us to our nearly 2,700,000 page views.

This year has seen many interesting topics. Did you miss:

(Probably) Charles, the Spare

The Spare Child of James I of England: a Tragedy in the Making by Linda Root?

Death by Quill, the Parliamentary Act of Attainder (another tragedy) by Beth von Staats, our not-so-much-Henry but equally fascinating 'lesser known Tudor matters' expert? or

Social Mobility in Medieval England by Helena P. Schrader?

(One author is a self-taught history buff, one is a diplomat in a far-away country, and another is a professional in another field. You can get acquainted with these authors in our Facebook group and find out which is which!)

Perhaps you knew all this history, but there are 362 other posts..... besides the ones from the years before.

And neatly packaged in one beautiful new book are 186 essays from the second year, Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors Volume II, to be released on September 30, 2015.

In 2013, we launched Volume I with a Castles themed blog hop. On the 30th of this year we will have a Customs themed hop. Come by and follow links to blogs that will discuss the sometimes laughable (now), sometimes strange (to us), and sometimes saddening customs of the British past.

Comments on Volume I included:

"I think this will appeal to people across the board.  It’ll make a perfect stocking filler for history buffs for Christmas.  It’s companionable to read with a variety of different subjects, writing styles and approaches to history and historical research and can be dipped in and out of at leisure." – Elizabeth Chadwick

"This is an  'I didn’t know that' book,  guaranteed to inspire and intrigue - you’ll find yourself absorbed in the fountain of knowledge penned by wordsmiths who have a passion for the past.” – Helen Hollick

"It's an amusing trot through British history and excellent bedtime reading.... It was literary comfort food – a recollection of childhood, warm and satisfying." – Tom Williams.

Volume I is available in print, digital formats, and audio book.

Our Most Popular Posts

Unfortunately, our Blogger statistics don't give us a breakdown on the most popular posts for one year. However, our all-time most popular posts include:

Seven Surprising Facts About Anne of Cleves by Nancy Bilyeau. Interestingly, we receive far more Google search hits asking about Anne of Cleves than any of our other fascinating topics. A hint to authors!

Little Ease and the Tower of London by Nancy Bilyeau. A torture post. Brrr.

Who Placed the Earliest Roman Footprint in Scotland? by Nancy Jardine. Certainly one to rouse curiosity.

And, curiouser and curiouser, even the author cannot explain the intense interest in this topic:
Stand And Deliver ... Your Tolls? The Rise and Fall of the Turnpikes by J.A. Beard. When it came out, I blamed the interest on the UK Olympics being held about that time. I thought perhaps people, in their concern about tangled traffic, were looking into such things. But no, the post continues to attract attention. If you can explain it, please do.

Our visitors? The largest numbers come from, in this order, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Ukraine, Australia, Spain, and China. Thanks to you all, and if you are from another land, welcome!

I really want to thank those who promote the blog. There are a number who do so regularly, and many, too, who retweet or Google share for us on occasion.

Please stay with us for another wonderful year, and invite your history loving friends who have not yet cut across our path. We love to hear from you in the comments section of every post, and don't forget to join us on Facebook to share your thoughts there.