2. May 2010 by admin.

Research is a big time-consumer when I write a historical romance novel. I set my adventures in ancient Scotland and the marvelous bits of information, found in books and the internet, get me excited. Researching beer and ale for my work-in-progress, ‘Spellbound Highlander’, set in 1598 Scottish Highlands, I thought about the area skirting the eastern shore of the North Sea. Did the harsh climate let them grow the necessary ingredients?

In order to answer my questions, I scoured the internet and came across an interesting website. I have asked John DeMasi of www.ProhibitionHomebrew.com to help me understand more about this naturally made beverage.

Nancy: Thanks for joining me John

John: Hi Nancy, I’m glad to be here.

Nancy: Tell us a little bit about your business.

John: Prohibition Homebrew is an online retail store for home brewers and home vintners, as well as those interested in adopting the hobby. We have the ingredients and equipment necessary to brew your own beer and wine, as well as information on how to brew it.

Nancy: My research shows Scotland has produced beer and ale for thousands of years. Is there a difference between beer and ale?

John: Well, yes and no. An ale is a type of beer. In the most rudimentary sense, “beer” is broken down into two broad categories: ales and lagers. An ale is a type of beer which is created using top-fermenting yeasts, while a lager is produced using bottom-fermenting yeast. There are numerous subsets of each, and even hybrids between the two. There are Belgian ales, Brown ales, Pale ales and of course– Scottish ales! Similarly, Lagers include various Pilsners, American Lagers, and Bocks to name a few.

Nancy: I was amazed to hear Scotland’s method of using bittering herbs is older than Europe’s. I read where organic remains found inside pots gave modern brewers the ability to recreate today’s ale with the same taste. Are any of your products able to recreate something akin to ancient Scottish brews?

John: Yes. Unfortunately, we do not have a specific “ancient Scottish” brew kit (containing all the ingredients for a specific recipe). However, we carry many of the ingredients which were used in ancient Scottish brews. Before the advent of hops in beer a variety of different herbs and spices were used. The heather plant is common to the Scottish countryside. Its tips were, and still can be, used to add a floral and aromatic character to beer. Similarly, sweet gale is a deciduous shrub found abundantly in the Northern Hemisphere, especially on the Scottish moors and bogs. It was historically used for beer flavoring before hops. We also carry herbs used in European brewing before the use of hops.

Nancy: I found one website selling something called Froach Heather Ale. They state leann fraoich means heather ale, made from boiling malted barley, sweet gale, and then adding flowering heather. Anything like this in your catalog?

John: Unfortunately, not at this time. We carry the ingredients necessary however and a simple Google search for “Heather ale” will bring up tons of different recipes which other home brewers have posted on homebrew forums.

Nancy: ‘Drop Your Kilt’ Scottish Ale caught my eye as it is promptly touted on your webpage. You share the recipe with readers. Do you sell all the ingredients? Can anyone make this at home?

John: We sure do. One of the recipe kits we sell is our ‘Drop Your Kilt’ Scottish Ale. Like all our recipe kits, it contains all the ingredients (hops, grains, yeast, etc.) that you need to make a batch of beer as well as detailed instructions on how to brew it. Truly anyone with the ambition can make it at home! However, there is some basic equipment you will need. You can check out the ‘Equipment Kits’ section of our website to get a better idea of some basic kits and general pieces of equipment you will need.

Nancy: Second only to single malt Scotch Whisky, my husband loves a product from a local brewery with a Scottish name. It is not a true Scots product, and he was thinking of trying to brew his own. Do you carry everything he needs?

John: We should. If there is any particular item your husband cannot find already on our website he, or anyone else, can email us at: Customers@prohibitionhomebrew.com and we will do our best to special order it. I am also happy to answer any questions, and can be reached directly at: John@prohibitionhomebrew.com.

Nancy: How long until his homebrew would be ready to taste?

John: Going back to your original question, it will depend on what style of beer your husband is trying to make. The temperature of fermentation and the quality of yeast will determine when a beer will taste its best. However, it takes around four weeks for many types of ale.

Nancy: Any other interesting things you can tell us about your business? 

We are working on a recipe-sharing forum, known as the Speakeasy, so that home brewers can trade their own recipes, as well as a custom label making section so that individuals can make customized labels right within our site. Our staff loves home brewing and is very knowledgeable. We are willing to answer any questions people may have and no question is too great or too small. I hope your article sparks some interest in potential future brewers because this is an incredibly enjoyable hobby. The Scottish ale has a deep copper color. The hardy, rich character of this ale is much a reflection of its own people and it is not surprising that after thousands of years these characteristics have endured.

Nancy: Wow! You sure have raised my interest in the possibility of home brewing. I am still in awe that flowers and bits of shrubbery work together with yeast and come up with such a worldwide favorite like ale. My research shows it was a staple of life in the less-than-hospitable Highlands of Scotland, where I base some of my stories, such as ‘Dragon’s Curse’ coming out June 25th from Whispers Publishing. Thanks for helping me understand the language and I hope my readers will visit your website, http://www.ProhibitionHomebrew.com. Make-your-own beer kits sound like a great gift idea!

(all photos shown today were taken by and copywrited by Nancy Lee Badger)

Nancy’s article first ran December 4, 2009 on http://HistoryUndressed.blogspot.com

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23. April 2010 by admin.

SCARLETT JAMESON

Today I’m interviewing debut romance author, Scarlett Jameson. Her book, STELLAR HEAT, is a futuristic erotic romance and was released on April 23^rd!  

BOOK BLURB

Jak of House Midori, has found his heart mate, that one person he can connect with on a soul level. Only problem is, as a twin from the planet Zaphron, Jak must share his mate with his brother. But Qwin wants to wait until they are more established in their careers as Star Flight officers.

Petty Officer, Lily Buchanan has whiplash from trying to figure out Jak’s intentions. At the pub he’s charming and flirtatious, but his aloof attitude on campus leaves her confused–and burning up with sexual energy.

When the three are assigned to repair a satellite in the Helix Galaxy, they are attacked by enemy star fighters. Seriously outgunned and their craft crippled, the three are stranded alone on an uncharted planet. Will Qwin agree to ease the mating fever consuming Lily, or will Jak be forced to initiate the mate-claim and exclude his brother from their union forever?

Thanks for joining us this morning, and good luck with your amazing book. Readers, you can find more information about Scarlett Jameson and her book, ‘STELLAR HEAT’ by visiting her publisher, The Wild Rose Press, or her website www.scarlettjameson.com or blog www.rileyquinnauthor.blogspot.com.Nancy Lee Badger

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21. April 2010 by admin.

Do what’s in front of you as well as possible.

Keep going until you realize what you’re best at. 

-Helen Gurley Brown, author and publisher 

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11. April 2010 by admin.

Scottish mythology is actually quite entwined with the Irish. One such example expounds on how settlers from Greek Asia Minor sailed across the sea to a place they called “the mountain of Ireland”. These settlers warred with Picts, invaded an area known as Britain, conquered the people, and renamed the land ‘Scotia’. When the Gaelic world assimilated the Picts into their fold, some history was lost and subsequently filled-in with myths and folklore. The people of present day Scotland grew from a diversity of cultures and their individual influences.

Myths are often considered an aspect of folklore, but not all. Mythology might include the belief in the supernatural, where as folklore and folk tales derived when people had the need to explain mysterious events. Pre-Christianity might have had a hand in old world myths and folklore. A people’s yearning to believe in the hereafter, or in some type of entity, lived on through stories passed generation to generation. Once Christianity became widespread, mythological creatures, such as the “Fairies”, faded away.

Scotland has a rich Celtic History going back over 2,000 years, at a time when superstition was rife and where unusual events were ‘explained’ by legends and whimsical stories. It is therefore not surprising that Scotland has an extensive heritage of myths and folklore. Many objects, including castles, have accumulated their share of myths and legends, such as circles of stones or cairns. These standing stones, and megalithic remains, highlight these reminders of the ancient inhabitants of Scotland.

Some believe that religion was an adaption from stories and memoires or evolutionary biology. In other words, religion evolved as byproduct of psychological mechanisms that evolved for other reasons. These mechanisms might have told early people how to watch for things that could cause them harm (omens). This morphed into an ability to come up with causal narratives for natural events (folk tales) while other people had minds of their own with their own beliefs, desires and intentions (mythology and the precursors of organized religion).

Unexplained observations (thunder, lightning, movement of planets, and other complicated events of nature) were the basis of stories. These word-of-mouth explanations changed with the frequency of their telling which is why one myth could have many different descriptions or endings.

The distinctive features of Scottish Folklore are filled with the characteristics of Scotland’s varied scenery. The serene lap of the deep mountain loch, the trickling of a tiny creek, the harsh splendor of the mountains, the solitude of the moor, reflect in their folk tales and myths. The fairies, the brownies, and the bogles of Scotland are similar to those the Irish believe live in their own hills. Their Irish nooks and crags, streams and meadows might be different, but many legends are told with similar aspects except, maybe, for how they dress.

An example of the similarity between the land of the Highlands and the land of the four-leaf clover is the legend of the Selkie. In Scotland, this mythical Selkies are shy marine creatures in the shape of a seal, usually found near the islands of Orkney and Shetland. A female can shed her skin and come ashore as a beautiful woman. If found, a man could force her to be his wife. Of course, as the legend goes, if she recovered the skin, off she’d go. Male Selkies are said to be responsible for storms. What better explanation for the sinking of a ship?
Selkies of Irish lore are said to come from Co. Donegal in Ireland, which happens to be where many people made their living from the sea. Living by the sea might cause people to craft stories as a way to explain its mysteries. The Irish considered the Selkies to have the same characteristics as those of Scotland, even though they considered other sea creatures more malevolent. Most scholars believe the seals and sea lions from which these myths evolved had sweet, non-threatening dispositions. This might have allowed them to easily be transformed by myth into non-threatening Selkies. At least, the females!

Religion changed much of the thinking of the people who listened or read the more popular beliefs which were often rammed down their throats by the hierarchy of a given land. Myths and folklore slipped to the back burner, but never disappeared. Many tales are quite popular today and have thousands of followers. Think of the legend surrounding the Blarney Stone in Ireland or the Loch Ness Monster. Even Girl Scout troops around the world call their youngest recruits ‘Brownies’ after helpful creatures that do good deeds.

Myths and folk tales live on because people need to believe in them. There are hundreds of wonderful stories out there about kelpies, fairies, banshees, and the like. I recommend the following websites if you would like a taste. You might even recognize one or two stories!

www.compassrose.org/folklore/scottish/Scottish-Folktales.html
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ 

Written by Nancy Lee Badger and previously published September 2, 2009 on History Undressed:  http://HistoryUndressed.blogspot.com

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9. April 2010 by admin.

I never painted dreams.

I painted my own reality. 

          -Frida Kahlo, artist

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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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