31. March 2010 by admin.

Modern Day highland games have a short history here in the United States and I have been fortunate enough to attend several over the last twenty or so years. I am also proud to be a long-time volunteer at the annual New Hampshire Highland Games, even though my husband and I moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina. We still go back each fall to help. It takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off a multi-day event attended by over 40,000 people!

The modern games incorporate so much more than athletic competition. People assume this is what is meant by the term ‘games’. They are so much more. Historically, the games came into being as a way to hone skills and build a sense of community when upheaval scarred the country. Scotland came under duress when it became illegal to bear weapons or wear ‘the plaid’ of one’s clan. Many of the athletic events require skill, stamina, or down-right determination to carry out. The use of simple tools such as stones, hammers, and even the occasion sack of hay, morphed into tremendous feats of prowess.

Take the sheaf toss, one of my favorites. Using a pitchfork, participants try to throw a sixteen pound sack of straw over a bar for height. Considering the bar gets raised again and again to well over their heads, this isn’t as easy as it looks.

The heavy hammer event introduces us to kilt-clad muscle men swinging a twenty-two pound sledge hammer around their heads while their feet stay put before giving it a gut-wrenching toss for distance. Ouch!

The most popular event is the caber toss where men, and a few women, attempt to throw a telephone pole end over end to have it fall as close to twelve o’clock on the ground as possible. They must balance it on their shoulder then run forward. Easy you say? Cabers are typically eighteen to twenty feet in length and weight over one-hundred-thirty pounds!

The kilted mile, generally open to all ages, is a popular event and some believe it came into being when clan members ran to prove the fastest, who was then chosen as the clan’s messenger during tribal wars. The only requirement during the modern day equivalent? The participant MUST wear a kilt. To see a six year old boy running his heart out in a kilt well below his knees tugs at your heart…until the men arrive. Honestly, there is something about a man in a kilt, especially when he tosses away his shirt and lets his long hair loose to fly free behind him and…oops, getting off-track.

What do the other athletic events have to do with the past? Well,

I’ve been told the hammer has the richest early history, being once called ‘casting the bar’ or ‘putting the stone’. All of the heavy events were the object of periodic royal bans as they might encourage the practice of military skills. It has been said Edward II (reigned 1307-1327) and Henry VIII (1509-1547) considered the events to be promoted as being essential training, so thinking changed now and then.

The Braemar games are said to have been derived from the contests introduced by King Malcolm Canmore in 1040 A.D. These events included a hill race, but it is uncertain whether heavy events were included. In twelfth century London, which may have influenced the nearby Scots, open spaces were provided so that the populace could practice “leaping, wrestling, casting of the stone, and playing with the ball”. Unfortunately, ‘The Scots Laws and Acts’ of 1572 banned many sports, which were said to interfere with church attendance and archery practice.

Also, the Act of Proscription in 1746 outlawed Scottish customs, including gatherings and dress. Yes, the colorful tartans seen predominately displayed at modern games were outlawed. Happily, the act was appealed in 1782, and so began the revival of the highland games.

In 1822, things improved immensely for the games when King George IV strutted about in Edinburgh dressed in Scottish garb. This event started a fad for all things Scottish, and many of the things regarded as ‘traditional’ at modern day Scottish games date from this period, including the vast majority of tartan patterns.

The wearing of kilts, kilt hose, sporrans, billowing ‘ghillie’ shirts, tams, and more (or less, if most men have their way) have become tradition. With a wool kilt made to order and costing upwards of six-hundred dollars, they are worn with pride and ceremony. My husband, Richard, looks sexy in his ‘Gunn’ tartan and will soon strut around in a new kilt, currently being hand-made in Scotland in the ‘MacBean’ colors, thanks to his wife (me!) buying a raffle ticket at a fund-raiser.

Many states, and Canadian provinces, host highland games and all are family-friendly with programs for children. Scottish dress is never required, nor do you have to be of Scottish descent. Any author contemplating writing a Scottish Historical ought to look into attending one to get the flavor and romantic vibes emanating from every clan tent, dance performance, and rock concert. Young men sporting leather vests and sassy kilts playing bagpipes and guitars? Heavenly!

Not to be missed, but that’s my opinion.

Written by Nancy Lee Badger and previously published April 27, 2009 on History Undressed:  http://HistoryUndressed.blogspot.com

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24. March 2010 by admin.

Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win. -Bernadette Devlin, political activist 

I have posted this quote because it relates to my last three years of writing. The road to publication has been long, sometimes lonely, expensive, thrilling, scary, and something I have waited too many decades to try. I am still re-tweaking my manuscripts that have not yet sold, am still hoping to get the agent of my dreams, and still taking workshops and attending conferences to hear what it is I AM doing right.

I must be doing SOMETHING right since two of my stories are slated for publication in the coming months.

Nancy Lee Badger

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24. March 2010 by admin.

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Ala Julia Child, this recipe is CHOCK FULL OF BUTTER! Still, it is a favorite of mine around the holidays because it is when I can use my antique cookie cutters to my heart’s content.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Gradually add this to the butter mixture and mix well.

Divide dough in fourths (4 balls).

Roll-out one ball of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Cut into desired shapes with a floured cookie cutter (to keep the dough from sticking). Place 1” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until LIGHTLY browned.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool (I like to bake them on a piece of PARCHMENT PAPER, which I easily slide off the pan and onto the rack or counter). Decorate. Yields about two dozen cookies, depending on how big the cutters. Serve up to your favorite hero, preferably one who works to protect our community for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Nancy Lee Badger

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18. March 2010 by admin.

Satisfaction doesn’t always come from your job, but it does come from a job well done.–anonymous

I agree whole-heartedly with this sentiment. After three years of struggling–and two years without a paycheck–my bumpy road to publication is smoothing out.

Nancy Lee Badger

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12. March 2010 by admin.

As a new author who struggled for 2 1/2 years before her first contract, I tried something different. After writing four full-length contemporary romances, I then used my knowledge of present day Highland games, witchcraft, and Scottish Highlanders to write a 90,000 word Scottish Historical. A month after I began sending out queries concerning ‘Spellbound Highlander’, I sold my contemporary romance titled SECRET LOVE MATCH, which is scheduled for release on 25 June from Red Rose Publishing as an e-book with a possible release in print, at a future date.

While awaiting word on the longer historical, I thought I’d try my hand at something short. I have done 55,000 words for submissions to Harlequin, but I set my target at something between 25-30k. Difficult! It came out about 34,000 words long so I went through and SLASHED AND BURNED.

Words flew off the cliff faster then my shape-shifter dragon hero. DRAGON’S CURSE sold to Whispers Publishing within two weeks of submitting it to them. I am very excited even though the work to come will test my skills as a new author. The contract is signed and I have filled out numerous bits of paperwork. Everything from pay info to tax forms to cover art. Book blurbs, my hook, and more made me think more about how much I love my story. (Visit www.nancyleebadger.com to read an excerpt)

DRAGON’S CURSE will also come out as an e-book and I expect it to do very well. After all, what’s not to love about a dragon, a witch, a seer, a deserted island, and love? Happy ever endings are a must, but there is also a dark side to my story, which incorporates real historical tidbits concerning feuding clans, murder, and revenge.

I have six completed manuscripts under my belt and have over 32,000 words completed on my next project. I cannot wait to break the news about DRAGON’S CURSE to the writers who join me once a month at my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. (Check out our marvelous authors at www.heartofcarolina.org)

Nancy

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6. March 2010 by admin.

As I promised last time, there are several helpful websites and blogs out there that I really wished I’d known about before I quit my full-time job and became A WRITER. I was lucky to be in a place in my life where the opportunity to move to an area offering a lower priced quality of living presented itself. I also have a marvelous husband who is in my corner and gets up five days a week to trudge off to work. Thanks, Honey!

Back to basics, since I digress. When a new writer wonders about how to word a query letter or what to include in a synopsis, I am smart enough to suggest those who offer better advice. Two sites that come to mind? http://Kristualla.wordpress.com & http://www.lisagardner.com.

Krista has pages and pages of helpful hints and she explains the whys and hows in an upbeat, get-it-done flair. I love Lisa’s Tricks-of-the-Trade section full of helpful points for any aspiring writer. Check both out. Better yet, add them to your favorites! (Like mine)

Or, join another chapter. Romance Writers of America has numerous sanctioned on-line chapters. Do you love a vampire or werewolf saga? Do dragons and faeries make you tingle. How about avenging angels and sexy urban fantasy demons? You might consider joining the FANTASY, FUTURISTIC & PARANORMAL Romance Writers. Check them out at: www.romance-ffp.com.

Do your heroes wear kilts? Are your heroines swept away by regal Irish Dukes? Do Highland castles and Welsh maidens fighting off marauding bans of warriors fill the pages of your manuscripts? Do present day witches fall through time or fall in love with contemporary Scottish farmers? Then you should look into joining THE CELTIC HEARTS ROMANCE WRITERS: www.celtichearts.org.

Maybe you are curious about what agents are looking for. One of the best blogs out there is http://blog.nathanbransford.com.  Agent Nathan Bransford, of the Curtis Brown Agency, has a place where you can sign-up to automatically get his new blog posts in your e-mails. He keeps on top of comings and goings and has written several blogs on e-books versus big NY City publishers. He does the work, and we reap the rewards.

Some people who start out in this gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, how can I get so many rejections in one week business want to know if it’s worth it, money wise. (Of course, YOU don’t care about the money…right?) Well, there is a website for you, too. Check out SHOW ME THE MONEY at http://www.brendahiatt.com. What Brenda has done is compile volunteered info about how much an author received as an advance, and how much a book sold in total. This information is worth its weight in gold, but remember that it might take up to three years for one book to go through enough sales history and return compilations to get an accurate showing, but this really helps. As you will notice, the large NY publishers are the ones offering the big advances for a new author signing with their house. Smaller e-pubs offer no advances, but the writer’s share of each book is greater. This chart, updated every few months, is a start.

Before I send my query letter to a publisher I have not followed closely, I check their credibility on a site which gathers the dirt. Check out: http://pred-ed.com.  Again, take every report listed on Predators & Editors with a grain-of-salt. People who grumble about something make the biggest noises, so posting something derogatory soothes them but hurts the agent or publisher. The best way to gather helpful information is to ask around and find people who work with these people. They will be able to tell you more, and with straight talk.

The point is, this is a business and you must arm yourself with the best information possible in order to come out on top as a successful writer. But, please do not forget the most important aspect of this whole business.

YOU MUST GET YOUR SEAT IN THE CHAIR AND WRITE!

Check back with me for some more good news in my work to be a successful, published, writer. 

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