On December 13, 1889, Franklin Benjamin Gowen will die in his room at the Wormley Hotel, in Washington D.C., with a single bullet hole in his head. His eulogists will refer to him as the former president of the Reading Railroad, attorney, philanthropist, and patron of the arts.
The obituaries will say that Mr. Gowen inherited the intellectual and moral characteristics of his father, James, a pious Protestant merchant from Northern Ireland. Sobriety and piety, of course, form the foundation of good society, and Franklin was alike his father in this way. But James was also a staunch Democrat, a character flaw for which I have little patience. Their home in Mount Airy was the only one in the neighborhood without crepe after President Lincoln was assassinated. And James Gowen went to his grave insisting that there was nothing to those nasty rumors about James Buchanan, with whom he was close. Well, I knew Aunt Nancy, too. I can assure you those rumors were entirely true, though such behavior coming from a Democrat is hardly surprising.
Today in Labor History January 31, 1606: Guy Fawkes jumped to his death moments before his execution for treason. Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Fawkes, who had converted to Catholicism, also fought in the 80-Years War for Catholic Spain against the Dutch. He later traveled to Spain seeking support for a Catholic rebellion in England. The English tortured him into confessing the names of his co-conspirators. Brits have celebrated Guy Fawkes Day ever since, usually accompanied by fireworks and burning effigies, traditionally the pope, but recently they’ve burned effigies of Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Margaret Thatcher, instead. James Sharpe, professor of history at the University of York, called Fawkes "the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions." Numerous historical novels and children’s books have been written about Fawkes, including William Harrison Ainsworth's 1841 historical romance “Guy Fawkes; or, The Gunpowder Treason.”
#Book 8: Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh -- a dual-time-line novel about two women connected in an unusual way. I especially like the chapters about the real-life Violet Jessop, who truly had luck on her side.
Thanks to the publisher for the #audiobook review copy.
We've moved to the reading phase early! The judges were chomping at the bit and rattling the bars eager to get to the books, so we let them in a little early and they're already busy at their reading and sharing their excitement.
Congratulations to all 99 finalists! Check them all out at https://indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-awards-2023
Today in Labor History January 21, 1525: Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz and George Blaurock founded the Swiss Anabaptist movement by baptizing each other and breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. The Anabaptists were considered Radical Reformers. They preached against hate, killing, violence, taking oaths, participating in use of force or any military actions and against participation in civil government. They also believed in separation of church and state. However, some Anabaptists went even further, like those in the Munster Commune, who called for the absolute equality of man in all matters, including the distribution of wealth. They called upon the poor of the region to join them in sharing all the wealth of the town. Many also believed in polygamy and free love. Not surprisingly, both the Roman Catholics and the nascent Lutherans persecuted them heavily. This history is wonderfully portrayed in the epic novel, “Q” by the Italian fiction collective, Luther Blissett.
#Book 6: Amil and the After by Verra Hiranandani -- A moving story of life in India after the Partition as told by a 12-year-old boy. Emotionally strong, the novel addresses several important & relevant issues.
Thank you for the glowing review, Charlie! And thank you to everyone who has left a review or contacted me privately. It warms my heart that the conclusion of the series has touched so many and exceeded expectations! If you haven't started the series yet and sapphic spies and the 1940s are your jam, this is for you! https://amzn.to/3icwd98 #SapphicReads#HistoricalFiction#WLW#Bookstodon
AUTHOR TAKEOVER coming this Monday, Jan 15, 2024!
Where I'll introduce my new novel, ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL, and you can ask me questions about the book, the historical context in which it takes place, my research, the characters, and other related questions. AND I’ll be giving away FREE copies of my novel!!!
About ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL: In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the story of one who escaped, Mike Doyle, a teenager trying to keep his family alive during the worst depression the nation has ever faced. Banks and railroads are going under. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has slashed wages and hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between rival gangs. But none of this compares with the threat at home.
Today in Labor History January 12, 1915: The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote. The first place in the world where women got the right to vote was New Jersey, in 1776. However, in 1807 this was repealed and it reverted back to white men, only. The first place to continuously give suffrage to women was Pitcairn Islands, in 1838. These were the descendants of Tahitians and Christian Fletcher and other mutineers from the HMS Bounty. The first sovereign nation to give women the right to vote was Norway, in 1913. The U.S. finally granted women the right to vote in 1920. Women won suffrage in Canada in 1917, Britain and Germany in 1918, Austria and Holland in 1919. Women could not vote in France until 1944, or in Greece until 1952, or in Switzerland until 1971, or in Saudi Arabia until 2015.
AUTHOR TAKEOVER coming Monday, Jan 15, 2024!
Where I'll introduce my new novel, ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL, and you can ask me questions about the book, the historical context in which it takes place, my research, the characters, and other related questions. AND I’ll be giving away FREE copies of my novel!!!
About ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLKILL: In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the story of one who escaped, Mike Doyle, a teenager trying to keep his family alive during the worst depression the nation has ever faced. Banks and railroads are going under. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has slashed wages and hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between rival gangs. But none of this compares with the threat at home.
@ronsboy67@bookstodon@thestorygraph
Reading the world is a huge commitment for me and it's made my reading super interesting and sometimes baffling. After George Floyd's murder, I committed to reading at least half of my books by authors with identities other than mine, including gender and sexual identities. It's been closer to 80% some years but I love #HistoricalFiction and that brings me back to my continent/ancestry from time to time.
Anyone game to read and comment on a short #HistoricalFiction story (around 4,800 words) that I'm planning to submit early this month? It's about ladies-in-waiting in the late 18th-century Korean royal palace being lesbian spies. The premise is drawn from Joseon-era records of sapphic and espionage activities among this class of women. #amWriting@writers
Story is formatted in .docx available for Google Docs sharing or email, drop me a line via reply or DM if interested. Any response time within a week would be perfect, both detailed and overview comments welcome!
I'm a bit strapped to pay fair rates right now, but can do an equivalent labor exchange. And if you're familiar with this account you know I give thoughtful and constructive comments about things I read ^_^
"Pompeii Fire" is proving to be The Little Book That Could. It is the gold medal novella in the 2023 Historical Fiction Company's Book of the Year Awards, and is short-listed for Book of the Year overall.
Congratulations to the other winners, and my thanks as always to the judging team.