Beds and Blue Jeans is set in present day America. It is about a love affair between a young
couple - Sam.. a singer and Patti, his girlfriend....who drift into living together and having a baby, and how they make
things work. Its some time since I wrote a novella, but this is a favourite of mine. Its realistic, but light and I hope is heart warming....
Friday 31 August 2018
Thursday 30 August 2018
Louise De Keroualle Part II
Louise kept her
virtue for a time until she was sure that she had fascinated Charles and that
he had very strong feelings for her. Then
she yielded, possibly after a “mock marriage”.
Her son by him was born in 1672... Charles Lennox, later Duke of
Richmond.
Louise got a lot of
support from the French ambassador as she was seen as Charles’s chief mistress
and having influence over him. The French
King and Ambassador hoped to use her to promote French interests with Charles,
now that Minette was dead. Charles persuaded
Louis XIV to grant her a French title, Duchesse D’Aubigny… in 1673.
Louise in spite of Charles' love for her, does not come across
as very likable. Barbara Castlemaine was
not a particularly lovable woman, either… She was greedy, had a violent temper
and was arrogant and unpleasant.
However, she had more personality than “Weeping Willow’ Louise who seems to have been a very cool self regarding woman.
Charles loved her,
but her feelings towards him were probably simply gratitude for his generosity...
She was loyal to French interests, and keen to amass a fortune. She had a strong hold over her royal lover,
in spite of her unpopularity in England as a whole. Nell Gwynne mocked her; the people saw her as
a French spy and whore…
She had some protection
from Catherine of Braganza, who was grateful to her for her being polite and showing
her some respect. She survived the
Popish Plot, and maintained her hold on Charles’ affections. When he was dying, however she was not
allowed to go to him… but she worked behind the scenes to get a priest to
come to him so that he could at last declare himself a Catholic. Charles said
that he died loving her and she was in his thoughts at the end, though he did also
ask his brother to make sure that his other mistress, “Poor Nelly” did not starve.
James II ensured she had her pension, but Louise had no real protection in England and returned to
France. She visited England only once or
twice, turning up for the coronation of George I. She lost her money from Charles at the time
of the 1688 Revolution. She did however receive a pension from the King of
France…. and died there in 1734….
Monday 27 August 2018
Louise De Keroualle Royal Mistress Part I
Louise de Keroualle was one of Charles II’s most famous
mistresses. At the end of his life, he
was involved still with Nell Gwynne, who had been his lover for some years… He was still friendly with old mistresses like
Barbara Castlemaine and Hortense Mazarin and he was probably involved with other
occasional women but Louise was the one he deeply loved. However, she was not liked in England, because
of her Catholicism, her being French and the suspicion that she was a French spy.
She certainly was involved in pushing Charles
to favour French interests, and acted as a conduit between him and the French
King.
Nell mocked Louise, being sharp tongued and witty, calling her “Squintabella” (she had a slight squint) and the “Weeping Willow”, because Louise acted in a “little girlish”
way at times and tried to get her way with fits of tears. Louise was haughty and disliked the actress because of her low
origins and her skill at repartee. Nell
was popular with the London people, as one of their own. Louise was higher born and better educated but she lacked Nell's quick wit.
She was born in 1649 in Brittany to a noble family,
and got a post as a lady in waiting to Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orleans, Charles’
beloved sister whom he called Minette. When
Henrietta paid a visit to England, to negotiate a secret treaty between Louis
and Charles, Louise was part of her entourage. Charles was attracted to her and is reputed
to have asked Minette to let her stay with him but she refused, since Louise
was very young and she was responsible for her.
After his sister’s death however, Charles got his wish, and Louise came to court as lady in waiting to Queen Catherine. Unlike Barbara Castlemaine, she was polite and respectful to her mistress and Catherine was pleased to have her at court, since both were Catholics.
The French were pleased to see that
a French Catholic had attracted Charles’ interest… They were eager to push her
into becoming the King’s Mistress.
Louise held out for a time, protesting that she was too well born and virtuous
to become anyone’s mistress, even a king's -.
After his sister’s death however, Charles got his wish, and Louise came to court as lady in waiting to Queen Catherine. Unlike Barbara Castlemaine, she was polite and respectful to her mistress and Catherine was pleased to have her at court, since both were Catholics.
Sunday 26 August 2018
George Strait
George Strait was born in Texas, on a ranch and has remained true to
his roots. He is one of the most
popular and successful of current country artists, and was a pioneer of the neo
traditionalist style. He emphasises his
connection with the older artists like Hank Williams, Ernest Tubbs, and Kitty
Wells etc. and deprecated the trend towards ‘pop country” and the blandness of
much of Nashville’s output at times. He usually
dresses in the old fashioned “cowboy gear” of earlier country singers.
In 2000, he and Alan Jackson recorded a song called Murder on Music
Row, about the death or murder of traditional country which is the “real thing”…
which is being destroyed by the executives in the music business.
He grew to love country music as
a boy, and played in bands. In 1971, he
married his high school sweet-heart Norma.
He then did a stint in the Army, but on his discharge in 1975, he went
to college to do a degree in agriculture.
He retained a connection with the family ranch, but began to play in a country
band. He kept on trying, playing and looking
for a recording deal in Nashville… but with no success at first. But in 1981,
he recorded his first song and his conservative traditionalist style was noted and
liked. In the 80s he began to climb
towards success. One of his best known songs is the wittily titled
“All my Exes live In Texas”…
Sunday 19 August 2018
Kenny Rogers.. the Gambler
Kenny Rogers was born in
Houston Texas in 1938 and has had a long career, as a singer and musician. A year or so ago, he did his Farewell Tour...
I was unable to attend his concerts in the UK….which I regret very much….
His family were not very
well off, and he grew up in a poor community. Like many country singers, he showed early talent and played
music as a boy. After school, he began
to sing with a jazz band. In the early
60s he sang with the folk singing New Christy Minstrels, and after a few years,
ended up in Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, which sang a mixture of soft
rock, pop and country. This band was
very popular in the early 1970s, and Kenny had a big hit with “Ruby Don’t take
your Love to Town”, written by Mel Tillis.
Kenny’s laid back style and charm sometimes obscures the fact that some
of his songs cover very edgy material. “Ruby”
is about a wheelchair bound veteran, angrily and sadly begging his wife not to
be unfaithful to him.
The First Edition began to
lose popularity in the mid-70s, but Kenny did not let it stop him working. He
married again to a girl from the country show Hee Haw… Kenny’s love life has
been turbulent at times... and he has been married several times and had several children.
In 1977, he had another massive
hit with Lucille which was an immensely popular song, and sold over 4 million
copies. Again, it is about a tragic
situation... a hard working impoverished farmer trying to persuade his wife to return
to him, when she has gone off with another man, because she “finally quit living
on dreams…”
After that, he teamed up with
his good friend, singer Dottie West, for several duets, which were also big
sellers, including “Every time 2 fools collide.”
In the early 80s, he duetted
with Dolly Parton – one of their songs was Islands in the Stream, and the 2 of
them had great chemistry…as singing partners… His other big hits included the
Gambler and Coward of the County. He also used the character of the Gambler in 4
TV Movies. He has now had a good deal of fame as an actor, like many
singers. Another of his songs that was
used as the story for a movie was Coward of the County.
Kenny’s interests
have extended beyond singing and acting and producing records... He also has a
passion for photography, and what was a hobby has also become part of his working
life, with the publication of books of his photographs. He has also become a business man, with a
chain of fast food restaurants and a line of western type clothing. Now he is 80, with some health problems and
is resting on his laurels…
Saturday 18 August 2018
Eugene de Beauharnais Duke of Leuchtenberg Part II
On Napoleon’s return to France from Egypt, he was determined
to divorce Josephine for her infidelity.
He came home with Eugene and headed for Paris...
He had hoped that Mme Pauline Foures might give him a son, during
their affair, but she did not become pregnant.
Napoleon was uneasy about his lack of children. As an old fashioned “male chauvinist” Corsican
and a man with ambitions to rule in France, he hoped for male heirs. And he wanted a family for his own sake… he
had eagerly believed Josephine when she told him she was pregnant soon after
their wedding.
But the pregnancy proved a mistake or a lie on her part... and since his wife was 6
years his senior, it began to seem unlikely that she would provide him with a
brood of children. However, Pauline Foures also
did not become pregnant and he remarked that the “little fool didn’t know how
to have a child…” a remark that probably betrayed his uneasiness about whether
he could father children.
Josephine was aware of his anger, and that he wanted a
divorce, and she hoped to charm him back to their marriage. However though she tried to catch him before
he met with his relatives, who would press him to get rid of her... He was heading
towards Paris; she missed him on the road.
Eventually she got to Malmaison to find that her husband was refusing to
see her. Luckily Hortense and Eugene
were there and both of them spent hours outside his locked bedroom door, crying
and talking and trying to beg him to see Josephine.
Napoleon had grown to love both step children in the years
of the marriage and they both cared for him.
He found Eugene more loyal and supportive as a step-son than his own
brothers often were.
The children loved their mother dearly, and wanted to save
the marriage… for her sake. And they
also loved their stepfather. Under
their persuasion, he finally opened the door and let his wife in, to talk.
The following morning, Joseph Bonaparte arrived, gleefully
hoping that his brother was now about to throw out his wife and divorce her, as
the family still held onto their hostility towards Josephine. However, to his angry amazement, he found the
couple in bed together.
Josephine had saved her marriage, though it was never quite
the same. Napoleon still loved her but
not in the wild passionate adoring way that he had done before. He was frequently unfaithful to her… and
harsh with her when she complained.
However, she remained devoted to him, and to her children…
Eugene benefited from his step father’s patronage in his
army career and he was a good soldier.
Napoleon remarked that the step children were more loyal and affectionate
than his own siblings and that (later when Hortense had married Louis) he would
go out of a meeting to see Madame Louis if she asked for him, when he might not
for his sisters…
When Napoleon became Emperor, the marriage was under strain again, because in this position, he needed male heirs. He knew by then that Josephine would not give
him children, but she pointed out to him that he might not be fertile, since
she had had 2 children
.However, the marriage survived... and Eugene benefitted by being adopted by the Emperor, made an official member of the Imperial family, and given the job of Viceroy of Italy. He continued to prosper in his military career and in 1806; he married Augusta of Bavaria, a royal wife. The marriage was arranged by Napoleon, but Eugene agreed to it and he and Augusta grew to love each other. They had a happy and stable marriage. They were to have 7 children in all, 5 daughters (one of whom died in infancy) and 2 sons.
.However, the marriage survived... and Eugene benefitted by being adopted by the Emperor, made an official member of the Imperial family, and given the job of Viceroy of Italy. He continued to prosper in his military career and in 1806; he married Augusta of Bavaria, a royal wife. The marriage was arranged by Napoleon, but Eugene agreed to it and he and Augusta grew to love each other. They had a happy and stable marriage. They were to have 7 children in all, 5 daughters (one of whom died in infancy) and 2 sons.
Eugene was considered a good soldier, and an able
administrator, unlike some of Napoleons family who were placed on thrones as
subordinate rulers for the Emperor. He
was also a cheerful good natured man, and was loved by his mother and was
always popular as a visitor to her household.
When the couple divorced, he and Hortense were willing to retire into
the background, believing that it might be better for their mother to end the
marriage, and not torment herself over Napoleon’s infidelities and her fear
that she was going to be put aside…. And they felt that their first loyalty
must be to their beloved mother.
But Napoleon persuaded his stepson and daughter to remain in
their positions and to retain a close relationship with him, as well as to
Josephine. She retained the title of
Empress and was given a handsome income, though she still got into debt. Her children remained close to her, but
Eugene retained his public roles until the empire finally collapsed.
Then in 1817, after his mother’s death and Napoleon’s defeat
at Waterloo, Eugene was given the title of Duke of Leuchtenberg, by his father
in law, Maximillian of Bavaria and was treated as a member of the family. He and Augusta lived together quietly, until
Eugene died at the early age of 42, in 1824.
Their children were Josephine, Eugenie, Amelie, Theodolinde
and Caroline Clotilde, and the 2 sons Maximilian and Auguste. All of the
children, (except Caroline who died as a baby) made marriages into the royal families
of Europe. Josephine became Queen of Sweden,
and Amelie married the Emperor of Brazil...
August married the Queen of Portugal, Maria II but died only 2 months
after the wedding. His brother
Maximilian married a Russian Grand Duchess.
So as the son of 2 French aristocrats, Eugene managed to attain a position where he married a Princess and his children's blood was passed on in many other Royal families....
Sunday 12 August 2018
Kathleen Winsor Part II
In the 20s and 30s, historical novels had become more
popular, among women readers. During the Depression, they were an escape from
the dullness and hardship of day to day modern life. Gone with the Wind was probably especially
popular because its heroine was unusually feisty and independent. The book was racist, in many ways, but I
think that women readers liked it because Scarlett’s struggle to keep her
family home and to survive during a war – was an inspiration to people trying
to survive the Depression.
Winsor’s first marriage broke down, and she then married
Artie Shaw, the band leader. Ironically,
he had scolded his previous wife, Ava Gardner, for reading such a “trashy” book
as Amber…
However, her marriage to Shaw didn’t last long, and she
ended up marrying her divorce lawyer.
She continued to write, but she never achieved the wild success of Forever
Amber again. Her next novel was based on
her experience of becoming a bestselling novelist. But the public wanted “more Amber”... and none of her other novels achieved the same massive
success. She had peaked too early...
Publishers were interested in Winsor’s lengthy draft of
Forever Amber, because they were hoping for a new Gone with the Wind. However, it needed editing and re writing,
and took time to prepare. But they realised that Winsor had
produced a best seller. It was published
in 1944, and was a runaway success.
It was much more “sexy” than the earlier novel, with Amber
taking numerous lovers, becoming pregnant by Bruce (who returns to London
periodically) while married to another man.
Unlike Scarlett O’Hara, who does
work in her own businesses to achieve success, the only job that Amber ever
does is acting – which she uses as a way of attracting richer lovers.
Also, the book references abortions and “perversion”, and
Amber is often unfaithful to her various husbands. She seduces Philip, the son of her third
husband. This husband is an elderly and impoverished Earl, who has come to
dislike her and to be determined that she is not going to cuckold him. He removes her from London to his country
estate. Bored, Amber starts an affair
with Philip, and remarks that “adultery isn’t a crime, but an amusement.”
This scandalous story aroused plenty of horrified opposition
in 1944 America, from the churches and conservative commentators. It was banned in many states as “pornographic”… Of course this
only increased sales, as the public were aware that this was a “naughty” book
and fun to read. Winsor had done a lot
of research, and while it was by the standards of the day a raunchy read, she
did create a reasonable accurate picture of Restoration London, its court and
its impoverished citizens…She wrote in events like the outbreak of Plague, the
Great Fire of London, and the intrigues of Court life…
She made a fourth marriage which was happy and lasted till
her husband’s death, and went on with her writing…
Saturday 11 August 2018
Kathleen Winsor and Forever Amber Part I
Kathleen Winsor - famous as the author of the “bonk buster”
novel Forever Amber - was born in Minnesota in 1919. Her father was a real estate dealer and she
went to college….
She married young, to a football star, Robert Herwig, and during
her marriage to him, she worked as a sports reporter for a newspaper. Herwig was at college, and Kathleen, bored
one day, picked up one of his books about Restoration England. She became interested in the period, and began
to research it. Herwig was soon away at World
War 2, and during that time, Kathleen continued to read about Charles II’s
England... Reputedly, she read over 300
books on the era…though she had never travelled outside the USA.
She had always wanted to write, and during her husband’s absence,
she wrote several drafts of the novel Amber...
She was working on it, soon after the runaway success of
Gone with the Wind. Mitchell’s novel was
probably an inspiration.. it also had a historical background, was set during torrid
times of war and disaster and had a feisty independent glamorous heroine. Amber is much more scandalous than Scarlett O’Hara...and
rises from poverty to affluence and high status, mainly by the use of her physical
charms. She becomes eventually the mistress
of Charles II. Scarlett, on the other
hand, is never very sexual. She does fascinate men, and is willing to flirt to
get ahead, but never goes further than that.
She makes her way in the world through business smarts, willingness to
work hard even picking cotton, and being good with handling money…. Although she
does marry three times.
Amber is the illegitimate daughter of Royalist gentry, but
her parents had died and she was taken in by a decent but not very rich farming
family. Amber’s beauty attracts Bruce
Carlyon, a Royalist lord who is trying to rebuild his life after the Civil
Wars. He seduces her and takes her with
him to London, but he dislikes court life and wants to go adventuring abroad…
Amber, however, is fascinated by the world of the rich, and London. Some of the novel was clearly inspired by Moll
Flanders, by Defoe. Amber is left poor
when Bruce leaves her, and she marries a con man, to get a father for her
unborn baby… She ends up in jail, and
becomes a thief and the mistress of a thief…
Friday 3 August 2018
Eugene De Beauharnais
Eugene De Beauharnais was the brother of Hortense and the stepson of Napoleon.
Born in 1781, he was the only son of Alexandre de Beauharnais, by his
wife Marie Josephe Rose...
His father was a liberal aristocrat who was sympathetic to the
Revolution, but was later executed for military failures…during the Reign of
Terror…
Eugene’s parents separated when he was a child, and he was given into
his father’s custody, while Josephine (then called Rose) had Hortense.
Josephine was a devoted mother, and her children adored her. However they often had to undertake the parental
role as she was flighty and extravagant. She and her husband achieved a certain friendly
relationship in their last few years, but she was imprisoned and only escaped
the guillotine by luck… After her release
from prison, she had her two children to support. She became the mistress and hostess
for Paul Barras, who was one of the Directorate, which was the ruling council
of France.
Josephine was only moderately pretty but she was elegant and very
charming. She met Napoleon in society,
but he was shy and awkward with women. According to some reports, Eugene met Napoleon
when there was a directive to hand in weapons, and his father’s sword was to be
handed in to the authorities. Eugene,
out of loyalty to his father, wanted to keep the sword and Napoleon permitted
this. Josephine called to thank him and
a romance began between her and the young General…
Eugene soon grew to love his stepfather though Hortense did not like
him so much at first. He wanted to be a
soldier, so he joined the army and when Napoleon went to Egypt, he served as
his aide de camp.
While in Egypt, Napoleon discovered that his wife was having an affair
back in Paris with Hippolyte Charles... a Hussar captain. At the time, her feelings for Napoleon had
been somewhat lukewarm; she had married him for security... while he was
passionately in love. When rumours of the affair, which had been going on for
some time, reached him, Napoleon was enraged and crazy with jealousy. He determined to find a mistress himself, and
swore that he would divorce his wife once he returned to Paris. He started an affair with Pauline Foures, a young
Frenchwoman who had accompanied her husband to Egypt, and who was bored and flattered
by his attentions.
Eugene was unhappy about the affair - and protested to his stepfather
about having to escort Madame Foures in her drives around town... Napoleon
excused him from this duty but he still intended to get a divorce….
Eugene was torn between loyalty to his mother, whom he loved dearly, and
to his step father.
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