The Tricks and Treats of Court Shenanigans--Then And Now

We both adore and abhor the campaign season.  The onslaught of TV ads for and against your political choice can be overwhelming. After 30 seconds of promises and denials you are often left wondering exactly what is true. Like is Hillary Clinton actually going to run for President or not?  When will we ever know?

While Americans like to believe we found a new way of running the political machine back in 1776 by dissing the antiquated monarchies of old, how different are the machinations of daily life when we are talking about the negotiations that take place in the Capitol vs. court life? Does anybody tell the truth now? Did they back then?

Don't you believe it. Instead of showing one's hand and heart, it has always been wiser to be the one holding the rabbit in the hat. Perhaps there is no better example of a monarch who enjoyed the art of manipulation more than Henry VIII. 

He desired Anne Boleyn, so much so he managed to trick the Church into annulling his marriage of 24 years to Catherine. It was more than a sleight of hand to persuade his court and the commoners to put aside their adoration of their pious Queen Catherine and take to the young and bawdy Queen Anne.  He did succeed--such was his powerful charisma. However, all that mattered little when Henry grew tired of Anne and talked his court into executing her on the grounds of adultery, incest and treason.  How much of those charges were true? What was false? What did it matter once he married his next wife Jane Seymour, who bore him a little son.

The fact is, those in power have only ever had one goal in life--more power. To climb higher, hold others in sway and elicit the trust of those who have the ability to raise them further up the political ladder, or toss them into the pit of despair.

By the time Henry VIII had married his fifth wife, his court was filled with the paranoia that only a whimsical man with the power of the chopping block can hold.  All the while, the great families of Europe rode a roller coaster hoping that this time as he stepped before the bishop, his tricks regarding his wives would only result in treats for them.

It simply doesn't matter whether you are discussing the next campaign for President or the power struggles associated with the history of Europe, there have always been and shall be some tricky people attempting to wrangle our beliefs when it comes to those in the most powerful positions.  Perhaps that is part of our fascination with the political process--it's a puzzle and we cannot help but try to see past the smoke screen.

~~~~

S.D. Grady is celebrating the release of her latest novel "The King's Mistress."

JOIN IN A TREASURE HUNT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A FREE ECOPY OF "THE KING'S MISTRESS"  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW  Full of desire and political intrigue, you won't want to miss it!

As a token of my gratitude for reading today's blog, click here for a FREE download full of fun facts and activities you can use at your next masquerade ball.

The Birth of a Book: The King's Mistress Releases!

Now Available

And so it happens, after years of angst and love, devotion and toil it finally happens.  Your book makes it out into the world wide web for the masses to feed upon.  This isn't the first go-round on the carousel, not at all.  Yet, somehow it always feels like the first time.

There's a great deal of anxiety waiting for the proof copies. Then even more worry as the buy links for the third-party sellers take FOREVER to come on-line.  Meanwhile you have this need to dance like a fool in public saying, "I did it! I freakin' did it!"

Because, no matter how easy it is to grab a copy off the shelves, sit down and devour a book in a matter of hours, the process of creating this thing--your book, your beautiful book--takes a little bit of your soul with each passing minute invested in it.

However,  just as the crest of achievement washes over you while you admire this gorgeous bit of creativity, your Oscar moment arrives.  A humbling wave crashes down. Maybe your name is gracing the cover, but there were a great many people involved in this creation.

And so, before I get down to the business of begging the public to buy my baby, I'll make sure the following people receive acknowledgement:

My husband, Richard.  Who on occasion must find food by himself and spend lonely hours talking to the person who nods an awful lot, but if her fingers are flying, she doesn't hear him. Thank you for your forbearance. If anyone thinks being a writer is a lonely profession, you ought to speak to their spouse.

My support group, EWAG  It's extremely relieving to talk to a fellow creative soul on a regular basis, just to check whether or not the voices in your head are normal. Apparently they are.  It's too bad the rest of the world can't hear them. It can be very entertaining.

My publisher and cover artist, Traci Markou.  It seems like forever since we "met" in the Novel Workshop on writing.com  Thanks for providing me the freedom to let my voice sing what it wishes, without worrying about the demands of pop culture. You are an inspiration!

My editor, Sandra Sookoo.  At long last  I found an editor who hears the historical notes in my work while beating the technical writing into submission. I am never a hollow husk after running through edits with you, I'm only confident the book and my writing just got better!

My beta readers, Wendy and Heather.  Before the editor, there comes the readers who prevent silly mistakes from making it past my outbox. You are invaluable!

Well, there you have it.  I'll just dance off stage now. Thanks for listening!

~~~

S.D. Grady is celebrating the release of her latest novel "The King's Mistress."  She'll be taking a Bewitched Blog Tour during the month of October.

JOIN IN A TREASURE HUNT ON THE TOUR FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A FREE ECOPY OF "THE KING'S MISTRESS"  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW  Full of desire and political intrigue, you won't want to miss it! 

As a token of my gratitude for reading, click here for a FREE download full of fun facts and activities you can use at your next masquerade ball.

Coming Soon: The King's Mistress by S.D. Grady

It is said life only brings you one great love. Not everything they say is true.

Bethina Lydia Fortescue, the Lady Godwin, adored her king as no other for twenty years.  But the king is dead, and as his mere mistress she is no longer welcome at court.

Sir Arthur Jeffries, newly appointed to Princess Meredith's Regency Council, needs help.  He begs the legendary Lady Godwin to return to the palace as the princess' tutor, hopefully to lead the gawky teenager through the political and romantic minefield of suitors and hidden assassins invited to attend her Debutante Ball.

Bethina and Arthur fight the undeniable surge of attraction between them. Bethina cannot bring herself to put aside the love she had for her king, and now concern for his heir. Arthur knows that he will only be able to serve the princess if he continues his life of solitude. Now is no time to take a courtesan to bed. 

Brought together as servants to Rushton's crown, but joined through a lifetime of bitter and shrewd experiences, Bethina and Arthur discover that when the princess finally takes a husband, and all the enemies of the land are vanquished, they will have only one thing left to live for: love. 

An Erotic Historical/Fantasy Romance coming September 26, 2014 from Purple Sword Publications

Elaina Lee: Music Monday with Author S.D. Grady

Come visit!



Elaina Lee: Music Monday with Author S.D. Grady: As an author who can't write without music I wanted to find like-minded (or like-bound) authors who shared my passion (or chains).  With...

Race Day Recipes: Seasoned Beef and Bean Burritos

Another one skillet meal, full of flavor and easy to bring together.  With rice & beans it turns into a classic Tex-Mex meal, but stand alone burritos can make a hearty lunch.  Built with lots of protein, it'll keep you fueled all race long.






Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 20-30 Minutes

Total time: 25-35 Minutes

Ingredients:  (Makes 6 wraps)

1/2 lb. 85/15 ground beef
1 medium onion--chopped
1 tblsp. Chili Powder
1 jalapeno--chopped
1 large green chile--chopped
1/2 cup cooked corn
1 can no-salt diced tomatoes
1 can no fat refried beans
2 cloves garlic--minced
Black pepper to taste
2 oz Monterey Pepper Jack cheese--sliced or shredded
Tabasco to taste
Salsa to taste
Sour Cream to taste
6 Fajita-sized flour tortillas

Preparation:

• Chop onions, toss into skillet with ground beef on med-high heat.  Add garlic, chili powder and black pepper.  Break beef apart and brown.
• While beef browns and onions turn glassy, chop peppers and add to mix. Let peppers begin to sweat.
• Add corn. Continue to mix everything together.  Corn should begin to sweat. Chili powder gives the blend a nice rusty color.
• Add tomatoes.  Mix through. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Let's the flavors blend while the tomatoes heat through. 
• Add beans and stir. Add Tabasco if more heat is desired. Once beans break down and mix into the blend, reduce heat to med-low. Stir occasionally. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until flavors have thoroughly blended.
• While the pot bubbles, shred or slice cheese. Place salsa and sour cream on table.
• Warm tortillas according to directions on package.  15 seconds in the microwave does it for me, but warming them in the oven will garner better results.
• Build your burritos!  On tortilla, place cheese on the bottom, so the warm beef & bean blend will melt it. Spoon desired amount of beef & bean over the cheese. Roll burrito.  Top with generous amount of salsa and sour cream.
• Serve and enjoy!

As always, you'll notice a minimum of salt added to the recipe. Your fresh veggies always give lots of flavor.  Salt arrives in the beans, tortillas, cheese and prepared salsa.



 

On the Road: Hidden Lake Gardens

Every vacation we have to find a scenic "brown sign" in which to spend a little time. Today was Hidden Lake Gardens.  A nice distraction.

On the Road: The Henry Ford and The Ford Rouge Factory Tour

 Somehow NASCAR knew we had chosen Michigan as our destination this year. Beginning in April, Pure Michigan ads kept appearing during race coverage.  Then it came to planning our day trips and we realized Brooklyn, MI is literally in the middle of farms. What to do? That's when we saw an ad for The Henry Ford--millions of artifacts. Acres and acres of museum. AND a factory tour where they build F150's. We were all in.

We'll start with Dearborn, the city Ford owns/runs/built/what have you. The bridge on I94 is a Blue Oval, for goodness sake. There's a manmade lake with the corporate name on it. Block after block loom research facilities, massive testing tracks, hotels clearly built solely for the Ford offices.  This isn't just about the car in your garage, but Ford runs a humungous part of Michigan. It's then that I actually began to understand why our government felt that car manufacturers had to be bailed out. Ford wasn't part of the handouts, but my point is that for the first time I got it. This was about the men and women who punch the clock creating cars--not just corporate greed.   If Dearborn had fallen, we were looking at an entire city in shambles.  What the rest of Michigan looks like, having greatly suffered through the economic collapse, I can only imagine.

Onto the factory tour:  We are both fascinated by "How Things Are Made." The intricacies of robotics, line work, logistics, etc. Yes, Ford has set up the tour to impress you with their Eco-friendly approach to factory life and it offers the opportunity for them to sing the praises of the latest model rolling off the line. But for me, that's all beside the point. We pretty much by-passed the propaganda films and headed to the factory floor. 

I'll be recalling the images of the flawless ballet being executed by the 1,000 person team for years to come. My respect for their labor increased ten-fold as they wired tailgates, installed moon roofs and bolted the truck beds to the frame rails. While modern technology has improved quality, consistency and speed, it is startling to realize where 100,000 people used to work this factory, only 3,000 do in this current day. How America can continue to employee its millions is a question posed to the tourist, even while we marvel at the trucks honking horns in the final inspection bay. 

Note: I have no pictures of the factory, not due to corporate secrets, but because the workers don't want their pictures plastered over the internet. The tourist in me grumbled--the caddies carrying car parts around were worthy of documenting. But I can't blame the employees for protecting their privacy in this day and ago.

Ronald Reagan's Presidential Limo--you can see where they fixed the ding the bullet left.

 The Henry Ford Museum:  The museum itself is built around innovation. Yes, transportation works into it significantly. But not only are you presented with the first Toyota Prius, but why it meant something to the American consumer.  Add to that Kennedy's limo--yes, where he was fatally shot--and THE bus where the Civil Rights Movement began and it is not merely a building with a collection of old things.  It all means something.

There's innovation in comfort, economy, technology and beauty. Even now, you cannot deny the glamour of the Bugati, but also understand that in the midst of the Great Depression, only the exceedingly rich could drive one. Sometimes creativity cannot be stymied by the exigencies of poverty.

I can't truly expound on the depth of the Henry Ford collection, as we only had a few hours to wander about before our feet gave out.  Days could be spent here.  We only scratched the surface of the complex, leaving the village for another year perhaps.

We found Trevor Bayne's Daytona 500 car--still covered in sticky soda and confetti.  His front and rear bumper were rubbed raw from his dance with Jeff Gordon that propelled him to an unfounded victory.  Fun stuff.  Next to him say Bill Elliot's 212 mph Talladega car (too fast! Much too fast!) and Bobby Unser's Pike's Peak Hill Climb machine. Salt flat rockets and IndyCar samples.  Accompanies with the random RV.


But let's not forget the trains.  Yes, trains. Fullsize engines, passenger cars, snow plows and even horse-drawn carriage conversions for the earliest attempts.  I pondered how the Allegheny Steam Locomotive got in the door, until we discovered the giant gates carved into the rear of the gallery.  And yes, the trains still sit on tracks.

To finish off the day we grabbed the requisite souvenirs:  a squashed penny, magnet for the fridge and a injection molded plastic car--made right before my eyes.  A pair of German gentleman kept shaking their heads. "We have nothing like that in Germany," they said as I pulled the warm, blue truck from the dispenser.

Quite clearly we are still crazy Americans.  But at the Henry Ford, you experience a multitude of ways that our enjoyment of the new and possible has created the world we live in.  Right down to the campy, plastic F150 I just bought.