Less Than Three Blog Hop: The Way To Your Heart.

[misslj_author]

I've been giving this some pretty serious thought. I mean, I'm 40 now, I should know what the way to my own heart is by now, shouldn't I?

Well, it turns out that the answer is sort of. There are things that I love—books, films, TV, music (and music isn't just a love, it's *life*--for me, a life without music is not life), art galleries, travel, cooking, sleep, writing—but there is also one thing that I love to itty bitty pieces, and that thing is history.

Nothing makes me happier than to hear of new archaeological discoveries. I'm fascinated by Byzantine history particularly, and the histories of the Third Crusade, North and Southern Song Dynasty in China, the Silk Road before 1300AD, pre-revolution Russia, imperial Rome, and Three Kingdoms period in Korean history, to name a few.

Google Maps now has street view for the Via Appia, the original Via Appia, known now as Via Appia Antiqua, the road that led to Rome and which hundreds of legions feet marched on, where the rebels who followed Spartacus were crucified, and where the rich and powerful walked with the poor and enslaved. It's absolutely fascinating to take this virtual walk down the Via Appia Antiqua and I keep going back to look at it, not the least because Panoramio links photos of places along the Via Appia Antiqua to investigate. If you're like me, then the idea of walking the road without having to leave your home is the next best thing. So hop over this way and enjoy!

It's quite timely that I write this post, actually, as I'm working on edits for "City of Jade," my novel set in the 1130sAD from Constantinople to Hangzhou. I'm extremely invested in this book, prepared to go to great lengths to make sure I get the history right. Not just because I'm a history buff but because it's important to me to get it right for readers. When we think of the Silk Road, we think of deserts, camels and donkeys with goods and packs laden on their backs, of merchants wearing long robes. There's plenty of that, but there's also different foods, clothing, music, cities, market places and souqs and bazaars, fruit and precious stones, castles and houses.



There's something endlessly wonderful about castles, I think. From those of the Crusader states, like the incredible Krak de Chevalier in Syria to those in Europe and the UK, like Pevensey Castle in East Sussex (above) or those incredible abandoned and forgotten castles and chateaus that urbex photographers spend hours exploring and photographing for us all to see and wonder, wistfully, if these places will ever be saved and restored, the magic of the castle never dies.

China is doing something about its history and I could not be more excited. The ancient city of Chang'an, now modern day Xian, was once the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. The Chinese government are preparing to restore that ancient urban layout and I'm very excited to see what they end up with when they've finished. It's certainly increased my desire to visit Xian, that's for sure! The recent discovery of an urban center in Thesaloniki, Greece, of Byzantine origin, also has me excited, and a little fearful. Greece is in an economically precarious position right now, so I'm worried that the finds will be damaged. Another recent find is the discovery of the fourth century AD town of Myra and the church there. And another find at Ur (which appears in "No Shadows Fall," book three of the Archangel Chronicles) has me utterly delighted.

All wonderful things and things that will always fascinate me and keep me thinking and dreaming and hoping that one day, maybe, I can see these wonders for myself and walk among them on my own two feet, not just gaze at photographs with longing.



I've had the great pleasure to visit the Oregonian ghost towns of Bridal Veil, Antelope and Shaniko. I can honestly say that my glee and delight in hobbling around Shaniko was unparalleled. In fact, spending time in the town (what's left of it) of Centralia in Pennsylvania came a very close second to the time I spent in Shaniko. This place will be forever in my heart and it's such a great site and the history is so real and so vibrant, it was impossible not to be touched by it.

So that's the way to my heart. History.

As part of this blog hop, I'm giving away a pdf copy of "The Body on The Beach," my 1920 m/m whodunit, set in the city of Adelaide, where the people may be polite but murder never is. Leave a comment to this entry to go into the draw!

Blurb: In 1920, a body is found on Brighton Beach, Adelaide. Billy Liang has been living a respectable life as the representative of Adelaide’s Chinese community—with his lover, lawyer Tom Williams, discreetly at his side. When evidence seems to implicate the people Billy represents, he steps up to help solve the murder. He and Tom deal with illegal opium dens, fantan games and gambling, racism, and being shot at. Though Billy’s family accepts the love he and Tom share, Australia’s laws against sodomy and homosexuality pose a constant danger. Now, the body on the beach brings a whole new threat to Billy and Tom’s life in Adelaide.

Part of the Under the Southern Cross anthology.

Comments

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I'm currently researching the wool trade between the east and midlands of England and former English-held territories in France on the one hand, and Burgundy and the Low Countries on the other. Less glamorous than the silk trade, but potentially vital for my saga's backstory.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

The history of trade is pretty interesting to me. So much depended on trade. What period in history is your book set in?

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

The main body of the saga takes place in the 1970s and 80s, but the family has history stretching back to the Norman Conquest (with a 'period of obscurity' from the early 1200s to the mid 1300s). The main periods I need to check are around 1470/1 (when William, who later became the 1st Duke of the original foundation, meets the exiled Edward IV in Burgundy) and during the interegnum (when Rupert, who later became the 1st Duke of the second foundation, was transporting wool and information to the exiled Charles II in the Low Countries).

This information is all going to be very vital to the young Viscount Ashover, who is on a treasure hunt during his school holidays.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Ohh. That sounds like it'll be a really interesting book. Treasure hunts!

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I included a small treasure hunt in the first book of the saga (about to go off for critique), but the second book will have lost treasure as its central mystery.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

These sound really intriguing. I'll be keeping an eye out on your blog for a release day. :)

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Did you see that I posted two extracts yesterday and the day before?

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't. Can you link me?

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Certainly:

http://stevie-carroll.livejournal.com/156532.html and http://stevie-carroll.livejournal.com/156954.html

Hope you enjoy.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll have a read directly. :)

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I got Street View working again at last, and I'm having far too much fun with your links.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Did you see the new treasure map view? I cackled like a hyena and then spent hours playing with it, hahaha.

[mizstorge.livejournal.com]

I love Google Maps street views of Pompeii, Rome, and Stonehenge. Body on the Beach sounds intriguing!

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Google Maps is so awesome these days.

And thankee! I had fun writing it. :D

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

Google Maps is awesome. I was very puzzled when I was in Montreal that I would look stuff up on Google maps and go to the street location only to not find the shop etc there. It took me a while to work out that a lot of buildings in the Montreal CBD had shops and other businesses in their basements. When in doubt, look down. I might have to go check out the Via Appia though. Did you watch Mary Beard's series about the Romans when it was on here?

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

And OMG. Go here: http://goo.gl/maps/3FNbX (It's Pompeii.) In the corner of the map, you'll see a golden looking thing marked 'Treasure'. Click it. It's amazing and I'm all OMG THIS IS AWESOME NEVER SLEEPING AGAIN, bc I'll playing with this for ages.

I did watch that, I found it interesting but her style as a presenter was a bit lacking, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

I forgot to add too, that instead of the little yellow man for street view, there's a little telescope, for pirate view!

[maderr.livejournal.com]

City of Jade sounds awesome! A tale of the Silk Road that is not lather rinse repeat would be spectacular. And man, I cannot wait to see Xian restored, that will be so fucking cool.

Thanks for contributing, this was an awesome post! <3 <3 <3

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Well, let's hope it's not lather, rinse, repeat! I'm always paranoid about that. >_<

God, seeing Xian as it was will be so amazing, I may actually have no words for it. :D

[onelinnovations.livejournal.com]

I adore ghost towns. There is a trio of them not far from where I live--old logging towns which haven't been more than a level place on a topographical map since the turn of the last century--and I've been actively seeking photos and oral histories related to them for a few years now all in an attempt to piece together an image of what they looked like.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. You're so lucky! I bet the digging into the history of them has been fascinating.

[brenopa.livejournal.com]

I love old buildings and places with history in their bones! Can't you just feel it! Thanks!
brendurbanist at gmail dot com

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

That's exactly it - feeling the history in the places. Great way of putting it. :D

[crissy morris (from livejournal.com)]

I love history. In America we have history, but it's a young history. What I love is travelling, especially to Europe, to see the old castles, the temples, the old churches. I love the ambiance. I love the pyramids of Egypt. The ruins in Greece. There's so much that I've seen and yet so much to be seen. I haven't seen a lot of Asian history, some but not a lot. That's something that I look forward to seeing.

morris.crissy@gmail.com

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Australia's the same - young history. It's interesting and sometimes completely amazing, but there's none of that ancient castle or ruins, as you say. Just amazing what's survived to educate and thrill us and still give us pleasure to this day. :D

[crissy morris (from livejournal.com)]

I haven't been to Australia yet...but I'd love to go someday... :D

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Just don't come in summer! :)

[crissy morris (from livejournal.com)]

LOL! I'll keep that in mind. :D

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Summer is awful here - daily average of 104oF, with night being around the 100 mark. And humid. And this year, we had bush fires in the south and south-west, cyclones in the north and north-west, and flooding in the north-east and east.

[ext-1653280.livejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I am not a world traveller but I have been to a few distant lands in my 40 years here on earth: Australia, New Zealand, all of the United Kingdom and Ireland. I admit I have a thing for castles as well (and stone circles). My favorite history to research is Scottish history.

Thanks Karl
slats5663(at)shaw(dot)ca

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Did you enjoy visiting Australia and New Zealand? (I'm a bit biased, being Australian!)

Stone circles! Yes! They are absolutely fascinating and so beautiful.

[acosmistmachine.livejournal.com]

oh wow, we both wrote about history. I hadn't realized that until just now. Share the love! Plus I really want to read your knew story.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Ha! History buffs unite! :D

[acosmistmachine.livejournal.com]

falls of the Song Dynasty too. I'm beginning to think we are super, secret history twins or something.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

We should get super dead language decoder rings with that.

[af henley (from livejournal.com)]

Such indepth research; that's awesome. Love the concept of the novel too. Brilliant.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had a lot of fun putting it together. :D

[cecille.livejournal.com]

Yay history!

I personally would love to visit Machu Picchu, the Pyramids of Giza, the temples of Kyoto, and the Terracotta Army someday.

Would love to read a story set down under, since my shelf (actual & virtual) is sadly lacking in that department, especially a mystery set in the early 20th century!

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

I'd love to visit those too. Especially Giza and the Terracotta Army in Xi'an. That would be so awesome.

Good luck in the draw!

[mage424.livejournal.com]

I haven't traveled a lot and the pictures you've shared look amazing. The info provided was also interesting. Maybe one day we'll have our traveling moments to the places we've always wanted to go.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

I've been all around Australia and over to the US and Canada, but there are so many other places I'd love to visit. It would be wonderful to have that dream fulfilled. :)

[kaylabainvrba.livejournal.com]

My fav archeological discovery has to be when they discovered the ruins of ancient Troy in Turkey. One day, I will see them!

I would love a chance to read your book!

kaylabainvrba@yahoo.com

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes, that's a great discovery. And so many layers to the ruins, too. Fascinating.

Good luck in the draw. :)

[http://openid.aol.com/vitajex (from livejournal.com)]

Archeology always fascinates me...it's so cool to be able to puzzle out an object's link to history, and the whole hidden aspect is so intriguing!

Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

(Sorry for the delay in replying, LJ didn't send me the notification.)

It really is - there's been a new discovery of a painting of a man beneath a Roman fresco, which is just incredible. Adds a whole new level to archaeological finds!

[harperkingsley.livejournal.com]

Ooh, "City of Jade" sounds good (is very interested) and I really want to read "The Body on the Beach" :)

I love reading about history and interesting places, though I haven't had the opportunity to travel as much as I want to.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty proud of "City of Jade," I have to say. Though it took me forever and sometimes felt like pushing rocks uphill! :D

I haven't, either. I'd love to see more of the world.

(Thanks for the link back too - muchly appreciated. :D)

[cassie821.livejournal.com]

Ooh. Google maps is amazing. They've spent the last couple of years detailing Lagos so well. Now I have the assurance that should i be in an area of the city that I'm not familiar with, I just simply check the map. Awesome stuff :D.

siteno.ebulu@gmail.com

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

In Portugal? (I had to google maps that!) What a beautiful city and surrounds. They've just done Pompeii, which is *amazing*. It's almost as good as being there for real. Just an incredible job, my hat's off to them. :D