History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

 Today’s guest writer is author Cathy Gohlke. Ms. Gohlke explores the tremendous value of women who form life-long friendship bonds with other women. Using examples from literature, the Bible, and her book Ladies of the Lake , Ms. Gohlke explores the meaning of friendship. She also describes the pitfalls that come between some friends and what steps may be required to overcome them. I hope you enjoy the article! Thank you, Ms. Gohlke!  THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AMONG WOMEN Women have always known that we need the friendship, companionship, mentoring and sisterhood of other women.  We not only live and thrive daily in those relationships but find them celebrated and strikingly painted in the Bible and in literature.   Don’t we love the close-knit bonds between Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi; between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her older cousin Elisabeth; between Mary and Martha of Bethany; and between the women who stood at the foot of the cross as they watch...

      Shelly Stratton is the author of She Wears the Mask .  This interesting guest post discusses how she incorporates realistic details and facts about streetcars from the early 20th century, which were common long before her birth. Mrs. Stratton describes her love of these older modes of public transportation as well as how she felt a joy and kinship with those who patronized these iconic symbols of urban transportation throughout the industrial age. Thank you, Mrs. Stratton! Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life By Shelly Stratton      Decades ago, whenever I visited my great grandmother and great aunt in NW Washington, D.C., they would always ask me, “Did you drive in or take the trolley car here?” As I removed my coat or stowed away my umbrella, I would politely correct them with “I took the metro.”  But after correcting them so many times and both of them persistently referring to the metropolitan transit ...

     Dave Tamanini sheds some light on a most fascinating subject - the Salem witchcraft trials. Several people are familiar with the basics of this disturbing period in colonial history. We’ve all heard about the false accusations, the outlandish interrogations, and the tragic executions. However, very few know how and why the witch hunts began. What, or rather, who, sparked them? Thank you, Mr.  Tamanini!   Who was Tituba? by Dave Tamanini      Ask just about anyone what they know about Salem in colonial Massachusetts and the most common answer is the witch hunts. But in the middle and late 1600s people knew Salem Town for its shipping. It was the first large seaport in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Salem seafarers and merchants played an important role as the Puritans grew wealth through trade between the mother country and the colony. As the town grew wealthier, it expanded as newcomers arrived and moved inland to est...

     This guest post by author D.K. Marley is extremely fascinating! She is the author of The Fire of Winter , which examines the life of the historical "Lady Macbeth". I have always been fascinated by this woman and wanted to know more about who she really was, and Mrs. Marley has been gracious enough to share her story with my readers! I am honored to have her as a guest post author. Thank you, D.K. Marley! The Real Lady Macbeth      When I first embarked on writing the novel about the real Lady Macbeth and her infamous husband, I must say that my knowledge of the two of them was entirely relegated to what I knew of them from Shakespeare’s play. Macbeth, the play, is one of my favourites of his tragedies, so I knew right off after finishing “Prince of Sorrows”, the historical adaptation of Hamlet, that this would be next on my list.     My repertoire of research links and hours spent on this dangerous couple is immense, spanning countles...

    Today's guest writer is Alexandra Walsh. She is the author of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , which is a historical thriller surrounding the infamous Tudor queen. In this guest post, Mrs. Walsh discusses the life of Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Isabel Baynton. This post will be sure to fascinate fans of Tudor era. If you enjoy her post, please pick up a copy of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy ! Thank you, Mrs. Walsh! The Ladies-in-Waiting – Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh     One of the most enjoyable things about writing an historical novel is discovering the tiny details that make the period real on the page. While I was researching The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , I spent a great deal of time hunting out the life stories of the women who surrounded the young queen in order to create a group of realistic friends and confidants.       There are some well-known names linked with Catherine and her downfall: Lady Jane Boleyn,...