Celebrating the Release of “A Touch of Emerald” with “The Kids Are Back in School, Time to Read” Sale

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

Beginning today, through Wednesday, September 2, SEVENTEEN of my titles are available in eBook format, each for $2.50 or less. The titles can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. They include: 

The REALM Series:

ATOS eBook Cover ConceptA Touch of Scandal: Book 1 of the Realm SeriesATOV eBook Cover

 

A Touch of Velvet: Book 2 of the Realm Series

 

 

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ATOCcrop2A Touch of Cashémere: Book 3 of the Realm Series


A Touch of Grace: Book 4 of the Realm Series

 

 

ATOMCrop3ATOL4A Touch of Mercy: Book 5 of the Realm Series

 

A Touch of Love: Book 6 of the Realm Series

 

 

ATOHCrop2

 

A Touch of Honor: Book 7 of the Realm SeriesATOE eBook Cover - Green Text

A Touch of Emerald: The Conclusion of the Realm Series

 

Regency Romances:

HAHSUnknown-1His American Heartsong: A Companion Novel to the Realm Series

His Irish Eve

 

 

 

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The First Wives’ Club 

 

 

 

Austen-Inspired Novels:CFWP Crop2

DPNewCoverDarcy’s Passion

 

Captain Frederick Wentworth’s Persuasion

 

 

UnknownUnknown-2Elizabeth’s Bennet’s Deception: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

Mr. Darcy’s Fault: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

 

 

Contemporary Romances:

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Honor and Hope: A Contemporary Pride and Prejudice

Second Chances: The Courtship Wars 

 

 

Do Not Forget that The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery (published by Pegasus Books) is still available in eBook form for $4.99 on Kindle, Nook and Kobo. 

Posted in Jane Austen, Regency era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Celebrating the Release of “A Touch of Emerald” with “The Kids Are Back in School, Time to Read” Sale

Social Class in the Regency Period

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

During the Regency Period, wealth and social class separated the English citizenry. Beginning with the Royals, citizens found their place based on birthright and wealth. The nobility stood above the gentry, who stood above the clergy, who stood above the working class, etc. As part of the gentry, Jane Austen’s family held certain privileges, but also lacked political power. Although he was a rector, the Reverend George Austen was also a “gentleman,” meaning man of the gentry class. Austen’s novels are populated with those of the gentry. Occasionally, her readers encounter the “pseudo”-peerage, as in Lady Catherine De Bourgh [the wife of a baronet] and the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple [the widow of a viscount] or the clergy, as with Mr. Collins and Mr. Elton.

www.lostkingdom.net Social stratification of a Feudal kingdom (Part 1): The Base of the pyramid

http://www.lostkingdom.net
Social stratification of a Feudal kingdom (Part 1): The Base of the pyramid

The Social Classes were divided as such:

Cottagers and laborers ~ Cottagers were a step below husbandmen, in that they had to work for others for wages. Lowest order of the working castes; perhaps vagabonds, drifters, criminals or other outcasts would be lower.
Husbandman (or other tradesmen) ~ A tradesman or farmer who either rented a home or owned very little land was a husbandman. In ancient feudal times, this person likely would have been a serf, and paid a large portion of his work or produce to the land-holding lord.
Yeoman ~ The yeoman class generally included small farmers who held a reasonable amount of land and were able to protect themselves from neighbouring lords et cetera. They played a military role as longbowmen. Sometimes merchant citizens are placed between yeoman and gentry in early modern social hierarchy.
Gentry/gentleman ~ The gentry by definition held enough assets to live on rents without working, and so could be well educated. If they worked it was in law, as priests, in politics, or in other educated pursuits without manual labour. The term Esquire was used for landowners who were not knighted. Many gentry families were armigerous and of ancient lineage possessing great wealth and large estates.
Knight ~ The definition of a knight depends upon the century in which the term was applied. In very early medieval times a knight fought as a common soldier on foot; later as cavalry became more important the knight’s role became more associated with wealth. By the seventeenth century a knight was a senior member of the gentry, and the military role would be one of sheriff of a county, or organising a larger body of military forces, or in civil service exercising judicial authority. He was a large land owner, and his younger sons would often be lawyers, priests, or officials of some sort. [In Pride and Prejudice, Sir William Lucas was knighted at St. James.]
Baronet (hereditary, non peer) ~ A baronet held a hereditary style of knighthood, giving the highest rank below a peerage. [Lady Catherine is the widow of Sir Louis De Bourgh, a baronet.]
Peer (Noble/Archbishop) ~ The peers were generally large land holders, living solely off assets, sat in the House of Lords and either held court or played a role in court depending upon the time frame referenced.

Duke/Duchess; Marquess/Marchioness; Earl/Countess; Viscount/Viscountess; Baron/Baroness
Royal ~ A member of the royal family, a prince, a close relative of the queen or king. [Social Structure of the United Kingdom]

Gentlemen, Gentry and Regency Era Social Class - Random Bits of Fascination randombitsoffascination.com Of Gentlemen and the Gentry

Gentlemen, Gentry and Regency Era Social Class – Random Bits of Fascination
randombitsoffascination.com
Of Gentlemen and the Gentry

To be part of the landed gentry, the family must own 300+ acres of property. The Reverend George Austen was part of the gentry, but he came from the lower end of the class distinction, while Jane Austen’s mother came from a wealthier background. When one reads Austen, the reader meets the gentry. A member of the gentry was known as a gentleman, but not all members of the gentry acted as a gentleman.

Good manners defined a person during the era. Loosely based on Renaissance Italy and 17th Century French customs, the “rules” of engagement during the Regency Period were strictly enforced by members of the “ton.” One who did not adhere to the rules would be shunned by Society. 

A gentleman, for example, was expected to speak properly and to avoid vulgarity; to be dressed appropriately; to dance well; to be well versed on a variety of subjects and to have a university education or above; and to practice condescion to those of a lower class.

When addressing women the eldest daughter in a family would be referred to as “Miss” + her last name (i.e, Miss Elliot or Miss Bennet). The younger sisters would be “Miss” + the woman’s given “Christian” name (i.e, Miss Anne or Miss Elizabeth). Addressing males followed a similar form. The eldest son was “Mister” + last name (i.e, Mr. Ferras or Mr. Wentworth). The younger sons used both given name and surname (i.e., Mr. Robert Ferras).

People of lower rank were expected to wait to be introduced to someone of a higher rank. (Do you recall Catherine Morland and Mrs. Allen at Bath? They must wait for an introduction to Henry Tilney, who calls upon the evening’s master of ceremonies to do the deed.) Women of the period were to be obedient to their fathers and husbands, docile and without opinions, have refined qualities, and be attendant upon their families. Education was not a prerequisite for women. In Austen’s stories, her heroines often shun these predisposed qualities. One must remember that Darcy admires Elizabeth Bennet’s desire to “improve her mind by extensive reading.”

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Anglo-Norman Literature: Part IV ~ Ballads

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Regina Jeffers
5 Tips for Writing a Ballad | Power Poetry www.powerpoetry.org

5 Tips for Writing a Ballad | Power Poetry
http://www.powerpoetry.org

“A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally “dancing songs”. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa.

“The ballad derives its name from medieval French dance songs or “ballares” (L: ballare, to dance), from which ‘ballet’ is also derived, as did the alternative rival form that became the French ballade. As a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling that can be seen in poems such as Beowulf. Musically they were influenced by the Minnesinger. The earliest example of a recognisable ballad in form in England is “Judas” in a 13th-century manuscript.

“Many ballads were written and sold as single sheet broadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is now often used for any love song, particularly the pop or rock power ballad.” [Wikipedia]

Many English ballads arose from rustic festivals, moving in oral tradition from singer to singer. They conveyed tale sod love, adventure, and of the supernatural. Because they were developed for those who were not literate, they have a simple form, making them easy to the listener to remember. The refrain was customarily the first part of the ballad that the listener memorized. The refrain was the nucleus of the narrative, but more importantly it tied the story together for the audience. The concept of the “narrative lyric” is based in Elizabethan times. 

Ballads belong to three classes: Historical (i.e., Robin Hood cycle); Romantic (i.e., Douglas Tragedy), and Supernatural (i.e., Wife of Usher’s Well). 

Some popular ballads included: 

[1] “Riddles Wisely Expounded” is a traditional English song, dating at least to 1450. It is Child Ballad 1 and Roud 161, and exists in several variants. The first known tune was attached to it in 1719. [Riddles Widely Expounded] In it, a knight comes to the house of a lady in the country and picks the youngest of the three daughters for his bride. Before he extends his offer of marriage, the knight demands that the girl answer three riddles. 

Riddle 1 – What is longer than the way? [Love] What is deeper than the sea? [Hell]

Riddle 2 – What is louder than the horn? [Thunder] What is sharper than the thorn? [Hunger]

Riddle 3 – What is greener than the grass? [Poison] What is worse than a woman? [The Devil]

[2]”The Douglas Tragedy” is a ballad in Scott’s Border Minstrelsy. Lord William steals away Lady Margaret Douglas, but is pursued by her father (Lord Douglas) and his seven sons. Being overtaken, a fight ensues, in which the father and the sons are killed by William. Lord William, wounded, creeps to his mother’s house, and there dies; the lady before sunrise next morning dies also. [The Douglas Tragedy]

[3] “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne” or Child Ballad 118, is part of the Percy collection. It introduces and disposes of Guy of Gisborne who remains next to the Sheriff of Nottingham as the chief villain of the Robin Hood legend. This ballad survives in a single 17th Century copy, but is recognized as much older in content, possibly older than Robin Hood and the Monk. A play with a similar plot survives in a copy dated to 1475. “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne only survives in the folio manuscript acquired by Thomas Percy (British Library Add MSS 27879), which is dated in the mid seventeenth century and clearly is a collection of pre-existing materials; this is the only one of the six Robin Hood ballads in the manuscript that Percy printed in his Reliques of 1765. He gave it the title used here, though in other more recent versions of the title Robin’s opponent is called Sir Guy. This honorific is used frequently in the text, but Percy may have omitted it, as Child does, from the ballad’s title because the text states that he and Robin are both yeoman (line 87), and so the knightly title seems anomalous, though Percy did add a note that “Sir” was used outside the knightly class (1765, p. 86). He edited the manuscript version considerably for meter and comprehension, though in his fourth edition he reinstated some of the original readings; Ritson also edited the text fairly heavily for his 1795 collection.” [Middle English Text Series]

[4] “‘Robin Hood and the Monk’ is preserved in Cambridge University manuscript Ff.5.48. The manuscript is damaged by stains and hard to read and was, it seems, not known to Percy or Ritson, unlike all the other major Robin Hood ballads. It was first printed and given this title by Robert Jamieson in his Popular Ballads and Songs of 1806 (II, 54-72). The edition itself was quite heavily edited and erroneous, and a better text appeared in C. H. Hartshorne’s Ancient Metrical Tales in 1829. Nevertheless, Sir Frederick Madden wrote, in a slip preserved in his copy in the British Library, that this was “the worst edited text” he had come across, and he re-collated the whole edition; his version of this ballad then appeared in an appendix in the second edition of Ritson’s Robin Hood in 1832 as Robin Hood and the Monk. Although this title, like that of other early ballads, only refers to the initial enemy, not the sheriff who is the ultimate threat, it still seems better than “A Tale of Robin Hood” used by Hartshorne and Gutch.” [Middle English Text Series]

The Passing of Robin Hood by N. C. Wyeth, 1917 ~ Public Domain ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Robin_Hood%27s_Death

The Passing of Robin Hood by N. C. Wyeth, 1917 ~ Public Domain ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Robin_Hood%27s_Death

[5] “Robin Hood’s Death” is the 120th ballad of the Child ballads collection. The fragmentary Percy Folio version of it appears to be one of the oldest existing tales of Robin Hood; there is a synopsis of the story in the fifteenth century A Gest of Robyn Hode. A later broadside version of the ballad also exists, which includes the famous detail of Robin Hood’s last bowshot.

[6] “Sir Patrick Spens” is a confused echo of the Scotch expedition, which should have brought the Maid of Norway to Scotland in 1285. “In the reign of Alexander III of Scotland, his daughter Margaret was escorted by a large party of nobles to Norway for her marriage to King Eric; on the return journey many of them were drowned. Twenty years later, after Alexander’s death, his grand-daughter Margaret, the Maid of Norway, was heiress to the Scottish throne, and on the voyage to Scotland she died.” [The Ballad of Sir Patric Spens] 

www.tnellend.com/cybereng/poetry/poems/ the_ballad_of_sir_patrick_ spens.htm.

http://www.tnellend.com/cybereng/poetry/poems/ the_ballad_of_sir_patrick_ spens.htm.

[7] “The Wife of Usher’s Well” is a ballad of a poor woman whose three sons all perish at sea without her knowledge. Their ghosts return to spend one evening with their grieving mother…to bring her an evening of hope. “This ballad is also known in the Appalachians as Lady Gay and The Miracle at Usher’s Well. It first appears in print in Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802). Scott collected this tune from West Lothian.
This ballad is Child Ballad #79.” [Contemplator]

[8] “Edward, Edward” is “presented as a dialogue between Edward and his mother. The mother asks, why is there blood on your sword? The son replies that he killed his hawk. The mother doesn’t believe this explanation, and the son then claims he killed his horse. The mother doesn’t believe this either. The son finally confesses that he killed his father. Accepting this, seemingly without any sorrow, the mother then asks her son what he will do with his property, wanting to know what she will receive. A curse from hell, the son replies, and goes on to implicate his mother in the murder.” [Tragic Ballads]

[continued on Thursday, August 27] 

 

Posted in Anglo-Normans, ballads, British history, Great Britain | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Celebrate the Release of Genie Smith Bernstein’s “Act on the Heart” + a Giveaway

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

Today, I welcome another of Black Opal Books’ authors to my blog. A couple of things that caught my attention about Genie Smith Bernstein is that she is a faith-based author, who lives in Athens, Georgia. As I attended school in Athens years prior, we hold a “talking” point, essential to new relationships. Meet Genie and do not forget to leave a comment to be part of the Giveaway she is hosting. 

GeniePic2Genie Smith Bernstein began writing by falling out of the sky. After safely landing an airplane whose engine failed, she was unable to talk about the experience until capturing her emotions on paper. From that exercise came her ability to infuse writing with emotion and led her to the romance genre.

Originally from Eatonton, Georgia, Genie writes in an authentic southern voice. Swimming to keep fit she makes her home in Athens, Georgia, and shares with her husband their joyously combined family of six children and thirteen globe-trotting grandchildren.

Genie is a featured columnist for Georgia Connector, Georgia’s premier regional quarterly magazine. Winner of South Carolina’s “Carrie McCray Literary Award for Non-Fiction,” her short stories were also selected to appear in four volumes of “O, Georgia!” anthologies of Georgia’s newest and most promising writers.

Genie’s romance novel, Act on the Heart, was recently published by Black Opal Books.

What’s the craziest, bravest, or stupidest thing you’ve ever done? 
Learning to fly pretty much covers all three categories mentioned here. I say this because all I really wanted to know was how to land. Safely landing an airplane whose engine failed actually propelled me into writing, because I was unable to talk about the experience until I managed to capture it on paper. (Private Pilot Magazine, 2001; Georgia Connector, Winter 2015) This exercise of learning to infuse writing with emotion eventually led me to the romance genre.

How long have you been writing, and how did you decide this was a career you wanted to pursue?
I started taking classes and seriously writing in the 90s when I stopped working fulltime. The writer inside me awakened and has never so much as taken a nap since then.

What do you write? You’re welcome to include your latest title (shameless plug).
My fiction began in the mystery genre and moved to romance. Act on the Heart is my first romance novel, released this month by Black Opal Books, Inc. My first three books were mysteries driven by characters teetering on the brink of romance, so I naturally slipped into that genre.

Tell us about your new release.
The title of my new book, Act on the Heart, is the definition of the word “courage.”

Mired in grief and pain, three troubled people face a hard choice – to walk away and risk losing everything that matters or to act on the heart. The following cover blurb sums up the story quite well:

BOOKPLATE TEMPLATEGrieving the loss of her husband and child, she just wants to be left alone…
On the brink of depression, Kathryn Tribble abandons her New York editing career and flees home to Georgia, but one of her major clients, celebrity author Joe Butler pursues her, insisting she edits his first fiction novel. Kathryn reluctantly agrees, but the manuscript seems to be mined from her very own misfortune. Instead of finding the peace she longs for, Kathryn is once again pushed to the brink.

Hiding a sham marriage and caring for a seriously ill child, Joe desires much more from Kathryn than her editing skills…

Descending from Hollywood royalty, Joe’s first book was a successful biography of his family, but Kathryn recognizes his rare talent and challenges him to write fiction. Doing so, Joe transforms the raw courage he sees, in her efforts to reclaim her life, into what promises to be a blockbuster heroine. His hard work backfires when Kathryn refuses to have anything more to do with the book – or with him. Heartsick at the pain he unintentionally caused her, Joe abandons the project.

However, his megastar cousin, Colton Bennett, is determined to make it into a movie. Even worse, Colton becomes infatuated with Kathryn, convinced that, in his world of make believe, he can anchor himself to reality by making her his wife.

Purchase Link: Amazon 

What did you do with your earliest efforts? Did anyone read them? Do you still have them?
Early on, my writings took the form of descriptive letters. Family and friends constantly encouraged me to write a book. One dear friend who died unexpectedly became the inspiration for dynamic Donna Ray, a character in Act on the Heart.

Tell us something of the genre in which you choose to write. If you write in more than one genre is your approach different for each genre, in the manner you write, plot the book, or brainstorm ideas?
My novels, mystery and romance, are fiction and my short stories are non-fiction. In both, I write what I feel. I look for opportunities to blend past with present. I always know the ending but I don’t plot or outline much in advance.

What difficulties does writing this genre present?
In writing Romance, the difficulty is keeping myself and my characters where we are comfortable – romance vs sex. My characters are faith-based and lean more toward a Hallmark-type story than a bodice-ripper.

What do you enjoy most in the writing process? What parts of it do you really dislike?
I enjoy the fictive dream – that singular state a writer enters where characters speak, scenes become real, and time disappears. I have looked up at the end of the day to find my husband returning from work without remembering he’d even gone.
I dislike deadlines; I meet them, but I don’t like them.

How much time do you devote to writing each day?
There is a layering effect to my writing. In first-draft phase, I spend long spans of time getting the story out. I’ll write for days on end and then not write for a week. When I come back for a second pass, I need more long spans of time to deepen my knowledge of the characters and the story they want to tell. After that, I let it rest, work on another project, travel, live in the real world, until I can approach it again with fresh eyes. Subsequent drafts and rewrites of scenes add detail and polish.

Are you more of a plotter or a pantser, or does it change from book to book?
Pantser. I begin by knowing the ending, but how I get there is character-driven. My writing mentor, Harriette Austin at the University of Georgia, shared this example from “back in her day” at Yale – when driving through a dark night, you can only see as far as the beam of your headlights, but you can drive all the way across the country like that.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
Names either feel right or they don’t. Wrenn, the name of a child in Act on the Heart came from the name tag of a fast food server. I just liked the spelling and had no idea it would became a vehicle for the character’s father to show his love by calling her “Bird.”

What was your favorite chapter (or part) of your current project to write and why?
I really enjoyed writing the Joe Butler scenes. So much so that my critique group warned me he was going to take over the book. I loved putting him at Kathryn’s cottage for the first time, having him realize he could never have the simplicity of her life, yet wanting it. I cried when I wrote the chapter where he believes she is dead.
Why – because he’s handsome, powerful, and filled with empathy and love.

Share a quirky fact from your research.
Carvings made in tree bark don’t grow upward with the tree because tree growth comes from the top.

What characters are lying on your “office floor”? Why didn’t they come to life on the page and do you think they ever will? Or why not?
My WIP has picked up two characters from my “office floor.” I wrote three mystery novels where a couple come together to solve crimes. A romance never developed between them, but they were always on the verge.
Also, I have three characters to feature in a children’s picture book. Someday.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?
“There are no rules.” Those four words, spoken in my first writing class, were so freeing. I study the craft but don’t let myself get too wrapped up in research, outline, plot points, story engines, etc.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming projects?
I am happily at the midpoint of Trust, a work in progress featuring an interracial couple. Their sibling-type rivalry escalates over the care of an Alzheimer’s patient, while one deals with a failed business and the other a criminal son.

Now for the giveaway!!! Leave a comment below to be part of a giveaway of an eBook copy of Act on the Heart. The giveaway will end at midnight EDST on Tuesday, August 18, 2015. [Note!!! for those who purchase a print copy of Act on the Heart, send me an email at jeffersregina@gmail.com and include your mailing address, and Genie will mail you out a signed book plate to personalize your copy.]

FullCover

Posted in Black Opal Books, contemporary, Guest Post, romance | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Word Origins? Are These Ones You’ve Used Incorrectly?

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Regina Jeffers
sitsshow.blogspot.com

sitsshow.blogspot.com

We had some great discussions on Facebook over the last patch of words I included in a post on word origins. Let us see if you find any of these appealing?

Escort – This is a late 16th Century word coming to us via French and from the Italian word “scorta,” which is the feminine past participle of scourger, which means to conduct or to guide. The word is based on the suffix “ex,” meaning “out of,” combined with the root “corrigere,” meaning “to set right.” In its original sense, the word meant  a body of armed men protecting travelers. The idea of keeping company with a woman is of U.S. origin dating to the end of the 19th Century. 

The word Cote is of Germanic origin. It comes to the language from Old English to indicate a “cottage.” The word transformed to mean a shelter for mammals or for birds, such as pigeons. 

Scapegoat is a mid 16th Century word. The word comes to us from the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16: 7-10). 

7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. /8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. /9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. /10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. [King James Version of the Bible]

The idea of escaping death did not come into the language until the early 19th Century. 

Espouse – This is a late Middle English word coming to us from the Old French espouser, which came into the language from the Latin sponsare to be “betroth.” The context of “to make one’s own, adopt, or embrace” when thinking of a cause, a doctrine, or a way of life, etc., dates to the early 17th Century. In William Wordsworth’s “The White Doe of Rylstone,” we read in Canto II… 

All prayers for this cause, or for that I/ Weep, if that aid thee; but depend/ Upon no help of outward friend;/ Espouse they doom at once, and cleave/ To fortitude without reprieve.

Also from Wordsworth’s poem, we have Couchant. This is a late Middle English word coming from the late 1400s. It is of Middle French origin, the present participle of coucher meaning “to lay or lie.” It means “lying down or crouching.” In Heraldry, we often see an animal (customarily a lion) lying on its stomach with its hind legs and forelegs pointed forward and its head up.  

Of facts divulged, wherein appear
Substantial motive, reason clear,
Why thus the milk-white Doe is found
Couchant beside that lonely mound;
And why she duly loves to pace 

Emolument, which currently means “a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office,” is a late Middle English word coming to the language from the Latin [from the verb emolere] emolumentum, which was a payment made to a miller for grinding corn. 

A closely connected word to emolument is the word Salary. This one comes to us from the Anglo-Norman French word of salade, which comes from the Latin salarium. It originally came into the language to indicate the allowance provided to Roman soldiers to purchase salt. From [approximately] 1390 to 1520, people applied the word to the stipend afforded to a priest. 

Also related is the word Wage. It is an Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French word of Germanic origin. It is related to the Middle English word gage, meaning “pledge or warrant,” and the Scottish word wed, meaning a “pledge.”  Early on the word wage came to used in terms of “payment for services rendered.” The word is sometimes used in the sense of “waging war.” Surprisingly, this phrase has its roots in Middle English, meaning to “offer promises that something would be fulfilled.” 

Scandal is a Middle English word, coming to the English language from the Old French scandale, from the ecclesiastical Latin scandalum, meaning “cause of offence,” from Greek skandalon, meaning “snare or stumbling block.” It originally meant “discredit to religion, especially in reference to the poor behavior of a cleric.” In Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors (Act 5, Scene 1), we find…

Angelo. ‘Tis so; and that self chain about his neck
Which he forswore most monstrously to have. 1435
Good sir, draw near to me, I’ll speak to him.
Signior Antipholus, I wonder much
That you would put me to this shame and trouble;
And, not without some scandal to yourself,
With circumstance and oaths so to deny 1440
This chain which now you wear so openly:
Beside the charge, the shame, imprisonment,
You have done wrong to this my honest friend,
Who, but for staying on our controversy,
Had hoisted sail and put to sea to-day: 1445
This chain you had of me; can you deny it?

Combe is an Old English word, entering the language as cwm, a Celtic word referring to a rounded hollow in the Welsh mountains. It is found in charters dating from the period late 16th Century, appearing as the word cumb, meaning a small valley or hollow. The word survives, especially in southern England) to mean a short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline. 

Scamp comes to the language via Middle Dutch schampen, meaning “slip away,” via Old French eschamper. In the mid 18th Century, the word meant “highwayman.” It comes from obsolete scamp meaning “to rob on the highway.” It was a derogatory term whose early usage was found in West Indian English. The term is thought to be more “playful” than “vicious” in tone in the current usage. 

Many of the definitions and examples provided above can be found in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories (edited by Glynnis Chantrell, Oxford University Press, 2002).

Posted in Anglo-Normans, British history, Great Britain | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Word Origins? Are These Ones You’ve Used Incorrectly?

Anglo-Norman Literature: Part III ~ Romantic Verse Beyond “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Regina Jeffers
Four Romances of England: King Horn, Havelok the Dane, Bevis of Hampton, and Athelston www.goodreads.com

Four Romances of England: King Horn, Havelok the Dane, Bevis of Hampton, and Athelston
http://www.goodreads.com

The French epic arrived in England early on. Some historians believe that Chanson de Roland was sung at the Battle of Hastings. We have evidence of “chansons de geste” from the period, which serves even today. The chanson de geste, Old French for “song of heroic deeds,” are medieval narratives, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. Although they are considered “English” literature, many of the earliest manuscripts were written in French.

The Romance of Horn rose during the Anglo-Norman period. “Romance of Horn is an Anglo-Norman literature romans d’aventure (“adventure story”) tale written around 1170 by an author apparently named ‘Thomas.’

“The hero, named Horn, is the son of the king Aälof of Suddene (probably somewhere near Devon). Horn is orphaned after the Saracens kill his parents. He and twelve companions then set sail in a boat only to end up on the shores of Brittany, where he grows to manhood and falls in love with the king’s daughter Rigmel. There Horn defends the kingdom from invading Saracens, but the king banishes him to Ireland after Horn is wrongfully accused of trying to usurp the throne. In Ireland, Horn again proves his heroism and is offered the hand of the king’s daughter. Horn refuses it and after some time returns to Brittany to rescue and marry Rigmel. The story became the base for one of the earliest Middle English romances King Horn,” written around 1225 to 1250. (Wikipedia)

According to his legend, King Horn is the son of King Murry and Godchild, rulers in Suddene (the Isle of Man). The Paynim conquer the Suddenese and set Horn adrift in a boat with his companions. Eventually, Horn arrives in Almari’s country, where he takes up with the king’s daughter, Rimenild. Yet, before Horn and Rimenild can come together in marriage, he must prove his worth as a knight. Horn slays a hundred Saracens, but Almair learns of the alliance between his daughter and Horn, and he banishes Horn from the land for seven years. 

After seven years, Horn receives news that Rimenild is to marry another. Dressed in disguise as a beggar, he returns for her. Remenild recognizes him for Horn wears the ring she presented him. He kills Fikenhild, the man who would claim Rimenild and finally claims the woman to wife. 

Medieval manuscripts blog: August 2012 britishlibrary.typepad.co. uk Detail of a bas-de- page scene of a messenger approaching a king (King Horn?) and queen, from the Smithfield Decretals, southern France (probably Toulouse)

Medieval manuscripts blog: August 2012
britishlibrary.typepad.co.
uk Detail of a bas-de-
page scene of a messenger approaching
a king (King Horn?) and queen, from
the Smithfield Decretals, southern France
(probably Toulouse)

Like most pieces of romantic verse of the period, King Horn is simple, direct, manly, completely untouched by the elaborate analysis and courtly code of the later romances. In expression and feeling, King Horn foreshadows the popular ballads and was, in fact, reworked into ballad form at a later date. [History of English Literature: Part I – Early Saxon Through Milton, Hymarx Outline Series, Student Online Company, Boston, MA]

We also know something of Bevis of Hampton from the period. Bevis is the son of Guy, Count of Hampton (Southhampton) and his wife, a daughter of the King of Scotalnd. The Countess of Hampton asks a former suitor to kill her husband. The plot knows success, and the countess marries her co-conspirator, Doon. Although only 10 years of age, Bevis threatens future retribution for his father’s death. The boy’s mother plans to kill him also, but the child’s tutor saves him by selling the bod to pirates. Bevis reaches the court of King Hermin. While dwelling with Hermin, Bevis defeats Ascapart, woos the Hermin’s daughter, Josiane, makes a journey to King Bradmond of Damascus where he is imprisoned for several years. Eventually, Bevis returns to Hampton to kill his stepfather. Even so, Bevis is driven from his home and separated from Josiane. The story details his death and the rise of his two sons to power. 

The oldest extant version of Boeve de Haumtone dates from the first half of the 13th Century. It is some 3850 verses written in alexandrines, which is a line of poetic meter comprised of 12 syllables. 

Layamon's Brut and the Anglo-Norman Vision of History www.amazon.co.uk


Layamon’s Brut and the Anglo-Norman Vision of History
http://www.amazon.co.uk

Laymon’s Brut is a rimed chronicle of the history of Britain. Written by Layamon, a priest well renowned in the early 1200s, “Brut” is in Middle English and alliteration. In the “Brut,” we find “The Passing of Arthur,” which tells of Modred’s treachery. Modred was Arthur’s nephew, but he plots against Arthur. 

The story goes that Modred assembles 60,000 men to fight Arthur so Modred might claim the throne. This takes place at Whitsand on the French coast. During the battle, Arthur’s other nephew, Gawain is slain. Arthur laments Gawain’s death and discloses his earlier dream of foreboding determining Gawain’s passing. 

Thinking themselves doomed by the Fates, Modred and his men flee to London. Modred goes to Winchester, from where he manages to escape to Hamtone (Southhampton) and to steal ships for his retreat. Merlin prophesies that the earth shall swallow Modred. 

Thinking she lost her husband, Wenhaver [Guinevere], Arthur’s queen, departs Eouwerwic [Evorwic or York] to go to Caerleon, where she will become a nun. 

Modred manages to amass a new army, and he meets Arthur’s forces at Camelford, near the River Tambre. Modred is killed and Arthur severely wounded. Over 200,000 men lose their lives in the battle. On his death bed, Arthur presents his kingdom to Cador’s son, Constantine. Arthur will arrive in the heavenly Avalon, where he will be restored to health and dwell with fellow Brutten [Britains]. 

In the tale, the body of the wounded Arthur is borne away in a boat by two women. The women are wondrously clad [“wunderliche idihte”], and they bear Arthur across the river to Avalon.

 

Posted in Anglo-Normans, British history, literature, romantic verse | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Congratulations to the Winners of Jeanna Ellsworth’s “Inspired by Grace”

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

winner-is-badgeI would like to congratulate Becky C and Dung for being chosen as winners of Jeanna Ellsworth’s “Inspired by Grace” Giveaway. I will be contacting you, Ladies, on how to claim your prize. 

Posted in giveaway | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Bride Inheritance? A Cultural Allowance for a Widow or a Means to Control Property?

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

[PDF] Women's Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A ... www.landesa.org Women's Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A Study of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, etc.

[PDF] Women’s Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A …
http://www.landesa.org
Women’s Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A Study of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, etc.

Bride Inheritance or Widow Inheritance is a cultural practice sometimes related to a levirate marriage. In this practice, a woman must marry a kinsman of her late husband. This kinsman is often her brother-in-law. 

From Bible Study Tools, we learn, “Words that occur in the general semantic field of the term “widow” in the Bible shed light on both her personal experience and social plight. Weeping ( Job 27:15 ; Psalm 78:64 ), mourning ( 2 Sam 14:2 ), and desolation ( Lam 1:1 ) describe her personal experience after the loss of her spouse. Poverty ( Ruth 1:21 ; 1 Kings 17:7-12 ; Job 22:9 ) and indebtedness ( 2 Kings 4:1 ) were all too often descriptive of her financial situation, when the main source of her economic support, her husband, had perished. Indeed, she was frequently placed alongside the orphan and the landless immigrant ( Exod 22:21-22 ; Deuteronomy 24:17 Deuteronomy 24:19 Deuteronomy 24:20-21 ) as representative of the poorest of the poor ( Job 24:4 ; 29:12 ; 31:16 ; Isa 10:2 ) in the social structure of ancient Israel, as well as in the ancient Near East. With minimal, if any, inheritance rights, she was often in a “no-man’s land.” She had left her family, and with her husband’s death the bond between her and his family was tenuous.

“Nonetheless, the loss of a husband in ancient Israel was normally a social and economic tragedy. In a generally patriarchal culture, the death of a husband usually meant a type of cultural death as well. Although the denotation of widow referred to a woman whose husband had died, because of the social context the word quickly acquired the connotation of a person living a marginal existence in extreme poverty. The widow reacted with grief to her plight, and probably wore a distinct garb as a sign of her status ( Genesis 38:14 Genesis 38:19 ; 2 Sam 14:2 ; cf. Judith 8:5-6; 10:3; 16:8). Disillusionment and bitterness could easily result ( Ruth 1:20-21 ). Her crisis was aggravated if she had no able-bodied children to help her work the land of her dead spouse. To provide for her children, to maintain the estate, and to continue payments on debts accrued by her husband imposed severe burdens. Since she was in an extremely vulnerable economic position, she became the prime target of exploitation. The fact that she was classed with the landless stranger and Levite indicates that she was often unable to keep her husband’s land.

[PDF] Women's Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A ... www.landesa.org Women's Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A Study of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sir Lanka


[PDF] Women’s Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A …
http://www.landesa.org
Women’s Inheritance Rights to Land and Property in South Asia: A Study of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sir Lanka

“In general, the widow’s inheritance rights were minimal. Some scholars believe that Israelite widows could inherit land as was the case with their Mesopotamian counterparts. But the evidence is sparse. The general rule was that the land was inalienably connected to the family of the male to whom it was apportioned. The fact that an individual desired to marry the widow of a king did not assume that the woman had inherited her husband’s estate; it was simply an attempt to legitimize a claim to royalty (cf. 1 Kings 2:13-18 ). The fact that widows had land within their possession probably indicated that they held it in trust for their children ( 1 Kings 17:7-9 ; 2 Kings 4:1-2 ; cf. Prov 15:25 ). If a widow had male children, the land would pass to her sons when they reached maturity if she was able to maintain the land and the sons survived. If she had only female children, the land would be transferred to them provided they married within the tribe ( Num 27:8-11 ). If she was childless and of marriageable age (i.e., still able to reproduce), it was the duty of the closest male relative on her husband’s side (normally the brother-in-law [Lat. levir]) to marry her and provide an heir for the land of her dead husband, and to continue his name in Israel ( Deut 25:5 ). The story of Judah and Tamar ( Gen 38 ) is an example of this custom of “levirate” marriage. Later, Deuteronomy 25:5-10 codifies legislation for such unions. The Book of Ruth provides a historical example of the application of the law. If no relative would marry a childless widow, it seemed that she could return to her father’s house ( Gen 38:11 ; cf. Lev 22:13 ) and dispose of the land to the husband’s family ( Ruth 4:1-3 ).

“The distribution of the term ‘widow’ is found approximately one-third of the time in legal texts, one-third in prophetic texts, and one-third in wisdom and historical literature. But the vast majority of the contexts are legal in nature, either dealing with justice (the legal protection of the widow) or injustice (the exploitation of her status). In the former case the Old Testament is replete with legislation that attempted to provide a social security net for the widow: she was not to be exploited ( Exod 22:21-22 ; Deut 27:19 ); she was specifically permitted to glean the fields and vineyards during harvest time ( Deut 24:19-21, ; cf. Ruth 2 ); tithes were to be shared with her ( Deut 14:29 ; 26:12-13 ); provision was to be made for her at the main religious feasts ( Deut 16:9-15 ); her garment could not be taken as collateral for a loan ( Deut 24:17 ); and the levirate institution would not only provide an heir for the land for childless widows, it would help them be integrated back into society. Moreover, the supreme measure by which a ruler in Israel was to be judged was whether such powerless ones were cared for ( Psalms 72:4 Psalms 72:12-14 ; Jer 22:16 ).

“At the same time, the legislation acknowledged the fact of the vulnerability of the widow and many Old Testament texts indicate that she was victimized repeatedly ( Exod 22:22-23 ; Isa 1:23 ; 10:2 ; Ezek 22:7 ; Mal 3:5 ). The prophets were the champions of exploited widows. As far as they were concerned, repentance began with redressing wrongs done to such unfortunate women ( Isa 1:17 ; Jer 7:6 ; 22:3 ; Zech 7:10 ). Wisdom texts encouraged a benevolent attitude toward widows. Job’s comforters accused him of heinous crimes, particularly of oppressing the widow ( Job 22:9 ), but he countered with the argument that he never sent away a begging widow without food and he often made her broken heart sing ( 29:13 ; 31:16 ).”

Wikipedia explains that “It [widow inheritance] is common in certain African groups, for example the Luo in Kenya and Uganda around Lake Victoria. Households headed by widows are often one of the poorest groups. Under customary law, it is assumed widows and their children will be taken care of by the deceased’s kin. When there is a will, often all property is left to the children with the stipulation that the wife be taken care of. With no will, widow is allowed 25% of the estate and the children inherit the remaining 75%.

“In 1998, a study by FAO/IFAD in Ghana found that women’s access to land was through their husbands. When a husband dies, and the wife has no children or only daughters, women are likely to loose all rights to the land. Often, the deceased’s family do not take good care of the widow and her children and widow inheritance was identified as a major obstacle to household food security.” [ “Uganda, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire – The situation of widows”. http://www.ifad.org. Retrieved 2015-05-27.]

An excellent source of information is A Report by the Rural Development Institute(RDI) for the World Justice Project entitled Women’s Inheritance Rights to Land and Property In South Asia: A Study of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sir Lanka, December 2009. 

Posted in Africa, Levirate marriage, world history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bride Inheritance? A Cultural Allowance for a Widow or a Means to Control Property?

Celebrating the Release of “Inspired By Grace,” with Jeanna Ellsworth + Excerpt + a Giveaway

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

Today, I welcome one of compatriots on austenauthors.net with a non-Austen inspired release plus a giveaway of Inspired by Grace. 

Finale, Goodbyes, and The End!

Jeanna Ellsworth

Jeanna Ellsworth

Thanks so much Regina for hosting me on this final stop on the blog tour of Inspired by Grace. It has been a whirlwind month of stops and blogs, so much so that time has flown by!

I wanted to stop and talk a little bit about endings. There will be times in all of our lives that something will come to an end. It might be a relationship or a job or for me, the final chapter of a book. This week I am having not only an end to the blog tour but also an end of having all my kids under my roof. I just took my eldest daughter, Paige, who Grace, in Inspired by Grace is based off of, to Brigham Young University. It was a bitter-sweet moment, one that choked me up a few times. But I got to be thinking about endings, all kinds of endings.

I will, however, focus in this blog on writing an ending to a book. I feel like to really know how to write an ending, one must really know the beginning. As I write, I frequently will reread what I wrote dozens of times before the final chapters appear. I will make a final read through and jot notes about what needs concluded, what is only worthy of a short side note, which things require a full scene, and what should be the final moment. That final moment is one that leaves the reader with that fabulous book hangover feeling of fulfillment. I hope all my books leave readers with book hangovers, but it is not an easy feat to accomplish

But knowing where you began is more important than you realize, because if you can remind the reader of the growth in the characters, they will feel that they just went on a fulfilling journey and let’s face it, we all love to observe progress.

One of my favorite things  in books that I read is a sense of character progression. I like to see the reformed rake that turned into an honest gentleman. Or the distrustful widow who learned to love again. I really feel like when the reader can see where the characters started and be reminded of how they got to the present, then the reader will more fully appreciate the final happily-ever-after. The beginning is just as important as the end, but as humans, we forget about that. I might wax philosophical for a moment, but everyday really can be just a beginning of something great.

So I thought I’d share an excerpt with you that has to do with the ending of Inspired by Grace. It will be short, and I will admit that reading it out of context does not make it nearly as sweet as it is after reading the whole book from the beginning, but I promise it doesn’t contain any spoiler alerts. Just a sweet moment that I reread at times when I needed that swoon-worthy moment. I hope it has the same effect on you.

Here is the back cover intrigue to help you understand what the book is about too.

InspiredbyGraceFINAL
*****

“She was never the demure lady who was afraid of getting her petticoat dirty. He was never the calm and collected lad who coddled her. What started as friendship evolved into something quite tangible . . .”

A lady always hopes that the man she falls in love with will sweep her off her feet in a dramatic and graceful way. Well, for Grace Iverson, at least it was dramatic. Her childhood best friend, Gavin Kingston—now His Grace, the Duke of Huntsman—is still just as clumsy as ever.

Despite their painful separation as children, a chance encounter has offered them a second opportunity for happiness. But after ten years apart, they both carry hidden scars. Trust takes time. And soon, forces from the past threaten to destroy the love they both have hoped for all of their lives.

Can Grace’s best friend break down her emotional fortress and prove his love before she disappears from his life a second time?
This lovely Regency romance started well before either of them knew what they wished for in a partner; but it will surely be one that stands the test of time.

*****
EXCERPT

Gavin relished the sight of Grace coming toward him. She had changed into a gown that he had not seen before. It was pale ivory with a green ribbon around the waist, accenting her narrow form. She walked toward him, and he saw how she carried herself gracefully, entirely congruent to her nature. There was nothing more attractive than a woman who knew who she was and carried no airs.

Of course, Grace had her weaknesses. She was sometimes a bit hot under the collar, but he could not imagine his life without her passion and devotion. Her eyes were as honest and loyal as any he ever had ever seen. It matched her deeply compassionate heart. She was a prize that he was astounded he had won; he doubted he deserved her, but he would never take her for granted.

She smiled sweetly at him, igniting a warmth to counteract the chill that still lingered from the carriage ride. She glanced one way and then the other, and then went on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly.

She murmured softly, “I hope you have good news.”

“Hmm . . . I might. I might not.”

“Are you not going to tell me what happened?”

He smiled mischievously and tapped her nose with his finger. “I believe you must buy my secrets.”

She raised her eyebrow at him so temptingly that he had to pull her into his arms. She rested her cinnamon-scented head of hair on his chest, and he took the moment to inhale deeply, which sent ripples of pleasure throughout his body. It was going to be painful to have her return to her sister’s house. Painful, truly painful.

“And how shall I pay for such secrets?” she whispered. The flirtation in her voice was so thick he could touch it.

He lifted her chin toward his and with punctuated tender kisses said, “You. Must. Pay. For. Them. One. Kiss. At. A. Time.” Then he let his lips linger. She reached her hands up to his face and pulled him down to her. Her lips found a rhythm that was entirely to Gavin’s liking. A moment ago, in the carriage, he did not think he would ever be warm again; now he feared he would never be cool again.

*****

I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit. Thank you all for being a part of the blog tour and thank you for supporting me in my writing with all your fabulous comments and word-of-mouth advertising. I love hearing from a friend I trust that she just read a fabulous book that I must read. I hope that you all get a chance to share your latest find and spread the good word.

Since this is the final stop on the blog tour, I am going to pick two winners from the commenters! The winners have their choice of either a paperback (if they have a U.S. address) or an eBook (open internationally). So make certain to comment on the blog or the book or anything else to enter for a chance to win it free! Of course, if you simply can’t wait, it is available on Amazon.com.[The giveaway will end at midnight on Friday, August 7, 2015, EDST.]

Thank you Regina again for hosting me! Good luck everyone on the giveaway. Until my next release, which will not be until June 2016, farewell!

Posted in Austen Authors, giveaway, Guest Post, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

Introducing Black Opal Author, Jerry Otis + an Excerpt from “The Gaf Killer” + a Giveaway

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Regina Jeffers


BOBI believe many of you are aware that I signed a contract with Black Opal Books for a new Regency romance [Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep] to be release soon. In doing so, I am now part of a new group of authors, and I asked several of them to join us here. Hopefully, you will discover someone new to add to your TBR list. I certainly have. 

02 8-27-14First up, is Jerry Otis: Jerry Otis is a SAG Actor who turned to writing about a half dozen years ago. The entire publishing process has taught him one thing, “Never give up.” Even after getting over 40 rejection letters from other literary agencies or editors, he continued to forge ahead. He’s found out that if you have a good story, a literary agency, or editor out there somewhere will recognize your manuscript for what it is and decide to sign you.

Otis lives in northern California in the rural town of Pollock Pines. Although he’s now going to be a newly published author with Black Opal Books, it’s something that in his earlier years he would have never dreamed of becoming, considering the crappy grades he received in English classes, from elementary all the way up through high school. It wasn’t until he got into college that he found out he liked to write, and it was at that point in time he realized it’s not just the grammar that’s important, it’s the story telling. Remember this, “Without a good story, you have nothing but a bunch of rambling, mumbo jumbo, so no matter what kind of degree you have in Literature/English etc., that degree will get you nowhere unless you’re a good story teller. Grammar can be corrected, but story telling can’t be faked.” His novel The Gaf Killer ~ Son of Zodiac will be released by Black Opal Books on Saturday, August 1.

05 Postcard_FrontThe Gaf Killer

A serial killer, calling himself The Gaf, starts an interstate killing spree that quickly propels him to the top of the FBI’s most wanted list. Special Agent David Drake and his hand-picked team of agents drop everything and form a taskforce with one purpose—to track down this psychopath and bring him to justice. Crisscrossing the country from one crime scene to the next, Drake and his team can only hope the killer gets careless and makes a mistake. But this killer is no novice. His father, serial killer The Zodiac from the late 1960s and early ’70s, has taught him well and the taskforce has its hands full. How many more innocent victims must die before Drake and his team can track down this monster and stop the carnage?

Kindle 
00 bokmark off FBook

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

The Call

I was sitting in my office in Phoenix when the phone rang. “Special Agent Drake here,” I said.

“Agent Drake, this is Ms. Janson, from the director’s office in Washington, DC. Hold please, I’m transferring you to Director Becker.”

Director Becker and I went way back, once working as partners out of the Washington, DC office, tracking down and arresting several interstate and international murder suspects on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Director Becker was old-school FBI with several more years of experience than me, and for the last five years had been director of the FBI. He was gray-haired, slightly overweight, and never wore designer clothing. Becker bought his suits right off the rack at the local Walmart.

“Hello, David,” he said when he got on the line. “I’ve got an assignment I want you to head up. I’ll need you here at headquarters tomorrow morning, then I’ll fill you in on the details. I can tell you this, it’s a taskforce I want you to head up to track down and arrest a serial killer who’s now on our Most Wanted list. This case is the number one priority of the FBI, so drop what you’re working on at the Phoenix office, and catch the first flight out.”

“No problem, Director Becker, I’ll see you in the morning.”

I hung up the phone, and right away let my supervisor at the Phoenix office know that I’d been requested by Director Becker to meet with him and told him what I could, going on to add,

“That’s pretty much all I know right now.”

With that, I headed back to my duplex on the outskirts of Phoenix, and gathered up a few things I’d need for the trip, fully knowing I might be gone for who knew how long. I knew I stood a good chance of never coming back here.

I caught a non-stop flight on FTTA-Air to DC at three p.m., landing at ten p.m. DC time. By the time I picked up a rental car and made it to my room at the Hilton, it was midnight. I set my iPhone alarm for five a.m. It was going to be a short night.

***

I arrived at headquarters around seven-forty-five a.m. then went straight up to the director’s office on the fifth floor, checking in at Ms. Janson’s desk. Then she let the director know I was here. “Go right in, Special Agent Drake, the director is ready for you.” As she opened the door to the director’s office, I thanked Ms. Janson, walked toward Director Becker, shook his hand, and took a seat at one of the three, rather cushy-looking, cordovan brown leather chairs that were situated in a semi-circle in front of his huge desk. This office seemed as large as my thousand square foot duplex in Phoenix and was done in cherry wood paneling.

Both the director and I got right into it with Becker explaining to me that he wanted this sum-bitch tracked down and arrested ASAP.

“If need be, shoot and kill this lowlife scumbag no matter whether the killer’s a man or woman,” the director went on to explain. “Those are the perimeters. Are we clear, David? I want this motherfucker caught. It doesn’t matter to me how you do it, but make sure you don’t fuck up and kill some innocent person. If that happens, we here at headquarters, and that means me, we’re gonna declare you’re a rogue FBI agent out on some kind of vindictive payback.”

He paused and studied me, letting his words sink in.

“Any questions, David? Are we clear? You’re free to get up and leave this office with no hard feelings if you decide you don’t wanna head up this case.”

I had to admit, I thought about walking right out of the director’s office and kissing this assignment off, but I knew I wasn’t going to leave. After all, my job as an FBI special agent was to track down murdering lowlifes.

“No problem, Director. I’m on the case, but I do have one question and one request. First question is, do you have any leads on this case?”

“We don’t have much to go on, except for one female by the name of Sandy Bandfield living in Norfolk, Virginia, who escaped after being confronted by a burglar in the middle of the night, while sleeping, three nights ago. We think that burglar is the serial killer, mainly by comparing MOs of other unsolved murders with the MO of this attempt.

“What makes this attempt different is what was said to Ms. Bandfield just before she jumped up and bolted out of her condo. From what I understand from reading the police report, the burglar nudged her while she was sound asleep, at approximately three a.m. in the morning, telling her ‘I’m Gaf. Are you ready to die?’ I want you to meet with her and do an in depth interview. Get all the particulars and make sure nothing was missed, no matter how insignificant it may seem. That’s a start. And, by the way, what was your request?”

“My request is that I handpick my team of FBI agents for this taskforce. I figured this isn’t gonna be a run of the mill track down, so I have several FBI agents in mind who are all highly experienced in their fields, whom I’ve worked with in the past and would feel comfortable working with again. I have a list I’ve put together, narrowing it down to these three FBI agents.”

“Okay, who are they?”

I opened my briefcase and pulled out a list I had typed up on my laptop during the flight out, noting the fields these agents specialized in, and handed the list to the Director.

The director eyeballed the list. “It’s a rather impressive list. I know we’ve both worked with these three agents in the past, and I have to say they definitely are the ‘Cream of The Crop,’ as far as FBI agents go. They’re like bulldogs. They don’t let up. And, I might add, Carla Simmons is easy on the eyes. By the way, David, that last remark I just made stays in this office. That’s all I need–a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on by a female agent.”

The director then chuckled as he continued studying the list.

“FBI Special Agent Carla Simmons. Fifteen years of experience specializing in criminal profiling and also as an FBI sketch artist. FBI Special Agent Joe Vack. Has nearly twenty years of experience with the Bureau. Vack Believes in old-school gumshoe investigations–making calls, following up on every lead, and taking lots of notes in his small spiral notepad, while leaning on informants for info. Special Agent Vack’s an exact clone of TV’s Detective Columbo. FBI Special Agent Juan Martinez. Ten years of experience doing dual duties as an expert at analyzing crime scenes, and as a crime scene photographer with the Bureau.

“Okay, David, I like the list. Now go down the hall to a spare office and start calling these agents. I want them all here in my office by eight a.m. tomorrow morning, then we’ll start working on a plan. I want your taskforce to hit the streets running. I want this serial killer bad. Do you have any other questions, thoughts, or requests?”

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll need a spare office and any additional background you may have.”

“No problem, you’ll have total access to all FBI resources. Anything you need that’ll help in catching this sum-bitch, you got it. If you have any problems along the line in getting help from any of my divisions here–well, you know what to do. You have my cell number.”

With that, we both shook hands, with me knowing as I walked out of Director Becker’s office, that this would be a tough case to crack. But I was confident that I and my team of experienced FBI special agents would catch the serial killer the bureau had labeled the Gaf Killer.

I called all three agents and gave them the rundown on what little I knew. They all agreed to come on board and meet at headquarters tomorrow morning. I especially enjoyed talking to Special Agent Carla Simmons again. Unbeknownst to Director Becker, Carla and I did have a fling while working on a case in New Orleans a few years ago. It had just happened. It was a mutual attraction between the two of us at the time, with no commitments. It was just sex. Fuck Buddies would be a better name for it, I guessed.

Director Becker was right about one thing, she was easy on the eyes, but I’d put it in modern terms–Carla was a looker with a great personality, brains, and a smokin’ bod to match.

I knew I’d have to keep my cool as much as possible. After all, our main focus was to track down the Gaf Killer.

© 2015 by Jerry Otis

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Jerry extends his gratitude for the following for their assistance in bringing the idea for this book to a reality:

Proof reader and dear friend, Kimberly Lovoy 

Friend, Jacqueline Miu, who is an author, publisher, and book cover designer living in Milan, Italy
She designed the Gaf Killer Book cover

Editors at Black Opal Books, who did an excellent job turning Gaf Killer into a polished readable crime thriller.
Faith and Lauri at BOB

Now for the giveaway, leave a comment below for the chance to win an eBook copy of The Gaf Killer. The contest will end a midnight Tuesday, August 4, 2015, EDST. 

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