Ah! Hello again...Yes, it's been a while.

Back to business? Am I into DIY? 

Actually I haven't stopped my writing, I've just been far too lazy about setting up blog posts on here.

I have been beavering away for months, working on my manuscript for Book 3 of my Silver Sampler Series but surprise, surprise! What I thought was going to be a 3-Book series will now be a 4-Book Victorian Saga Series. The eventful life of my character, Margaret Law, continues in Book 3 Fraying Skeins and will continue in Book 4 where, the plan is that, I'll be writing about the rest of her life-time.

In addition to writing the story of Book 3 (without the use of AI,  I've done all of the formatting myself  using Word for the Kindle eBook version and for the paperback versions for printing with both Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark

I've also tackled the designing of my front eBook cover, and done the design for the wraparound paperback cover files for both Amazona and Ingram Spark.  

Fraying Skeins eBook will launch on Friday the 28th August 2026, and the paperback will be published around that time  - as soon as I'm happy with the proof copies that are on order for me to check.

I had to relearn how to design the wraparound cover since I've only done that once before, and that was a year ago for Tailored Truths. 

I'm glad to say that I'm now a whole lot better at using Rulers and Guides during the preparation of my wraparound paperback covers using my trusty Paint shop Pro 2023 program.  

Cheers,

Ginger Beer anyone?

Hello!

I'm still dropping down the rabbit holes of research and finding out interesting stuff! For previously published novels, I've researched food and drink in the 1st Century Roman Britain era, and during the Victorian era for Books 1 & 2 of the Silver Sampler Series. Till now, I've not delved into the use of Ginger Beer as a popular Victorian drink. 

I was recently writing about my character moving to a brand new location in 1870. Margaret Watson (nee Law) was moving from a rented room in Aberdeen, to a rented cottage in St. Andrews. In previous chapters (and in Book 2 of the series) I've mentioned that ale was sometimes drunk, as well as tea, to avoid drinking water that was unsanitary. 

Having arrived by train to St. Andrews, Margaret gets some help to buy some basic second hand furniture, needed for the unfurnished cottage she is about to move in to. Food, and something to drink, is sought to keep Margaret and her friends going as they transfer furnishings using a horse and cart. As I wrote the scene I needed to find out what 'take away' possibilities existed in a provincial town. 

Since Margaret has a three-year-old son, she cannot go for a 'pub' meal since children weren't welcome in pubs at this time. And indeed women weren't regularly served in the main bar areas but could be served in dedicated 'snug' rooms. There were hotels in St. Andrews in 1870, which did provide meals for the visitors to St. Andrews  (and locals) but again these did not serve adults and children.

Some foods that were available over the counter in bakeries were variations of (Scotch) Pies which may have been still warm from a recent firing if early enough in the day, or they were eaten cold. Ale could be bought from the 'off licence' section of a pub and was generally sold in returnable ceramic bottles, glass bottles, or jugs. But something I'd not really thought of before was that an alternative to ale was Ginger Beer. During the Victorian era Ginger Beer was alcoholic but was regarded as less potent than some beers made from hops etc. 

Who sold Ginger Beer in 1870? 

Ceramic bottles (usually deposit/ returnable) could be bought from grocers (licensed), sometimes bakers, chemists (who sometimes brewed their own variety) and other small general stores. 

My character Margaret enjoys a still-warm pie and a bottle of ginger beer while out in the street, before she takes up residence in her new lodgings. Her son Jamie isn't so taken by the taste of ginger beer, though  a kindly grocer is persuaded to provided a glass of milk for him. 

This research makes me inclined to look out for some 'alcoholic' ginger beer in the supermarket today, since most ginger beer I've drunk during my lifetime is of the non-alcoholic variety that became the norm during the mid twentieth century. 

Slainthe! 

1884 Glasgow Research!

Hello!

How the days are flying in and it's almost March already. I do far too much research for a few lines of text in my novels, but I love finding out new information, or revisiting info I came across decades ago and have forgotten. 

CC Nancy Jardine

I'm currently loving the research of this fascinating badge which I inherited from my aunt. I'm not sure which person it originally belonged to, but my best guess is that it was my great grandfather, who was a cabinet maker/ joiner. The Great Franchise Demonstration in Glasgow, in 1884, was only one of many marches that were organised throughout Great Britain and Ireland that year. 

Some 70, 000 tradespeople marched from the Kelvingrove Park to the Glasgow Green on the 6th September 1884, the demonstration organised  through the Glasgow Liberal Association. 

Mitchell Library Glasgow

I spent a fantastic few hours at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, researching the newspapers of the day via the library microfiche system. I'd forgotten how hard that is on the eyes, not having used microfiche for ages. The staff on Level 5 Special Collections dept were superb, as was the assistant in the Archives Dept. I now have plenty to work on during the coming weeks regarding the research on the political reasons for the demonstration, but I'm actually more interested in the banners carried by the individual trade unions and how those were created. 

More to follow soon on the information I'll be using from a fabulous book- Banner Bright -  suggested by the Special Collections Dept. I managed to buy a second hand copy of it, and it's brilliant for the information I want to include. 

Till then,

Tak tent! 

Slainthe!