Today, the guest blogger is my chapter mate, Barbara Monajem, who writes paranormal and historical romance, and currently has a short out for Harlequin in their Historical Undone line. Please extend a warm welcome to Barbara.
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FUNKY HISTORY
Patrick needs a respectable new wife to be a mother for his daughter.
Notorious Eliza paints nudes to support her young son.
They should resist the attraction. (They don’t.)
They dare not fall in love. (They do.)
They must not marry… for one day Eliza’s most scandalous secret will surface and destroy them all.
Many of the blogs I’ve written to promote my Harlequin Undone, Notorious Eliza, ended up talking about another book instead: William Manchester’s A World Lit Only by Fire. At first glance, there’s not much connection. Notorious Eliza is a short Regency romance; A World Lit Only by Fire is non-fiction, and it’s about the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. I adore this book, because it’s full of what I call funky history. That’s the kind of history we are deprived of in school, because it’s… hmm. Sometimes it would be called inappropriate. Sometimes it’s not considered factual. Sometimes it’s downright gross.
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Notorious Eliza
Author: Barbara Monajem
Publisher: Historical Undone
Pub. Date: January 1, 2010
Format: E-book
Price: $2.69Eliza Dauntry was infamous. Most people assumed she was a wanton because she supported herself and her son by painting portraits of courtesans. Yet Eliza hadn’t been tempted by a man since her husband’s death…until she met Patrick Felham. An old friend of her husband and a one-time rake, Patrick awakened a yearning in Eliza that demanded to be satisfied at once….
Patrick was looking for an upright woman to become his wife and stepmother to his daughter, not a siren like Eliza Dauntry! But Eliza had aroused his desire ever since he saved her scandalous self-portrait from the auction house. The chance of an affair with the alluring widow was irresistible, but this notorious woman could also turn out to be his perfect bride…
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Regardless, it’s the fun stuff, such as, for example, the medieval belief in incubi (and succubi), and that impregnation by an incubus could be a legitimate excuse for a pregnancy when one’s husband was away. It’s the wild orgies in the Vatican held by a Borgia pope. It’s the pagan superstitions and bizarre visions of the great reformer, Martin Luther. Maybe this stuff isn’t appropriate for high school history courses, but I can tell you one thing—the kids would remember it.
I certainly did. The friend who gave me A World Lit Only by Fire does wonderful trompe l’oeil work, and the combination of that book and the paintings on my friend’s walls inspired me to write Notorious Eliza—about a woman hired to disguise the scandalous paintings on the walls of a ballroom, and man who has to go through his own private renaissance to realize what he really wants in a wife. It’s my little piece of made-up funky history, and I had a blast writing it.
What funky history did you learn, either in school or after you graduated? Were you shocked? Did it make history come more alive for you?
Your story sounds fabulous! I, too, love the pieces of history that make it interesting. I often tell my students when we’re discussing an author’s bio–“If your textbook will include ‘that,’ you can only imagine what his real life was like.” Some of them go on to find out. 🙂 I can’t really remember the most scandalous thing I learned, but I will say that I love how ol’ Ben Franklin lists the 13 virtues he wanted to acquire from the easiest to the most difficult. Chastity is number 12; humility is last. I think that certainly tells us something about ol’ Ben. 🙂
Hi Barbara my favorite piece of funky history has to be the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy of 1919.
I swear I’m going to work that into a book. Victorian settings are getting more popular these days it could happen.
Best of luck with your new short!
Bryanna – Thanks for that tidbit about Ben! I wonder if he succeeded in acquiring all those virtues…
Chloe/Noelle — Molasses Tragedy? I’d never heard of it, but of course I googled right away. Wow. I seem to remember reading about a similar incident in London, only it was beer that got spilled, and I don’t think it was anywhere near as tragic.
Or maybe I read about it in a historical romance! Either way, definitely funky stuff.
Ha! Funky history you say…my dad is a historian. Needless to say, growing up I knew all the funky history that the teacher didn’t or wouldn’t discuss. Even if I brought it up LOL! I knew which monarchs were pedophiles, which were homosexual or bi-sexual. Dad was a plethora of unwanted historical facts! The best was in high school I was dancing the Cancan in a ballet. He asks, is it the real cancan. I’m all, well yea. He goes, I hope not or you won’t be wearing any underwear. I think my eyes almost popped out of my head! Uh, we’re in high school. I’m pretty sure we will be wearing underwear. 🙂 Thanks dad! For funny memories and my love of history!
Danielle – LOL! Your father sounds wonderful.
Another bit of funky history in AWLOBF was about one of the kings of France known for exercising the droit de seigneur a little too often (no, actually, a LOT)… and (what surprised me even more) was that many, many virgins were happy to be deflowered by the king. Ick!
For the first 8 years of school I couldn’t stand history, then in the 9th grade I had this wonderful teacher at Central High School, Barrie ON named Mrs. Turner. SHE brought history alive for me. And it was Greece that did the trick. The gods, the Acropolis, the Parthenon. Nothing particularly funky, but that’s when I really started to love history.
I was always interested in history from reading novels — Thomas B. Costain, Rosemary Sutcliff, Georgette Heyer — but my 8th Grade teacher (in Vancouver) really brought it alive in the classroom. I think that was history of Canada and the US, which I’d never been too keen on — I preferred European history — but Mrs. Beckett was so fabulous that many girls stayed after school to talk to her about anything and everything.
Same here, Barbara. It was European history that hooked me. I didn’t really have any American History until college. It was Canadian and European.
Hi Barbara. Love your funky historical blog, and funky history in general. My favorite!
Thanks, Beth. I think funky history gives a much more realistic view of humanity.
I had just learned something really cool this past year when my husband and I went to Gettysburg. We live in Minnesota and the first infantry to be sent to Gettysburg were actually from Minnesota, volunteered by our govenor! Hence the name The First Minnesota Infantry! So strange I paid attention in history and I NEVER learned that!
Jane L — Cool indeed! (I hope I get to visit Gettysburg some day.)
My favorite professor in College was focused on Russia, he would march across the room and imitate the Tzar ordering mice and rats to be executed by decapitation! Love history, it is my favorite subject.
Scarlet – Oh, wow, what a fascinating prof he must have been. Sigh. One course I absolutely adored was the history of China. That course filled a huge gap in my general knowledge.
Never cared much for history until our American history teacher in high school had us read an historical novel. I read Lydia Bailey by Kenneth Roberts. It went into detail on slavery, the uprising in Haiti, the Barbary Pirates, the style of women’s clothing during napoleonic times, and a lot more. Have been interested in all the wonderful stuff they don’t cover in school ever since.
Your book sound like a good read. Good luck with the release. I’ll be looking for it.
librarypat – I learned most of my history from historical novels. History courses in school mostly helped me put all the pieces together. I just looked Lydia Bailey up on Amazon – the price varies from 49 cents to almost $70!
The most funky peace of history i would have to say traps on the sewage pipes in homes.And how bad the odor was without the traps
I learned my history from historical novels I read in high school. You girls are a trip! I can’t wait, Barbara!!
I didn’t learn any funky history in school….and maybe that is why I never had an interest in history??? If I had been lucky enough to have a teacher that gave the (behind the scenes) lessons that were…unconventional….maybe learning about the past would have been more interesting.
I sometimes wonder if that is why I devour historical romance novels 30+ years later??? I love reading about the differences between then and now….even though I know most of my favorite books represent the upper class way of life…and that was for the few….not the majority.
I just want to say — WELCOME BACK!?!?!? We (I) readers missed you. Can’t wait to read this book.
Hello, Barbara! “Notorious Eliza” offers a very intriguing romantic story line. The jewel tones of the book cover are also very pretty. In Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Fantine is a seamstress unjustly fired once her employer learns about her scandalous past. Abandoned by her lover, she is hungry, destitute, and unable to care for her daughter, Cosette. First she sells her hair, then her teeth, before finally prostituting herself. My Lord, sell your teeth! I had no idea of such practices until I read Les Miserables!
I usually enjoyed history classes, but they never fired my imagination like reading my mom’s copy of ‘The Proud Tower’ by Barbara Tuchman in junior high. Her essay about the eccentricities of Victorian statesmen revealed a world of stories *not* mentioned in textbooks, lol!