Dear Friends of Abbey Mead,
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
I have excellent news!! The Lady’s Prayer will be released as a paperback verra soon. I will let you know as soon as I have the exact date! Stay tuned…
The COVER of The Lady’s Prayer was a finalist in the Alaska Romance Writers 2019 Book Cover Contest. Attendees at their recent conference judged 37 entries. The Lady’s Prayer won 3rd place or Honorable Mention. See the attached link to the organization’s website: https://akrwa.com/contest-1. The conference attendees in Alaska have good taste!!! Bytheby, I cannot take credit for the cover. Fiona Jayde is the awesome artist! Fiona also created the cover for The Lady’s Desire!
Upcoming Local Author Event in February, 2020!
I would love to meet you at this event at Riverstone Books (8850 Covenant Avenue in McCandless north of Pittsburgh). February - what a great month to celebrate Romance books when love is in the air! I will be joined by Stephanie Keyes aka Gemma McKay, another local author. She writes New Adult Romance novels set in Ireland. Stephanie/Gemma is awesome! More details and exact date to follow!!!
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AND NOW FOR SOMETHING ELSE: THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY 101
Part of The Lady’s Desire and most of The Lady’s Prayer are set in India where William serves as a cavalry officer for the British East India Company. Many of you have commented that you enjoyed that setting.
But what was the East India Company? And why were the British interested in India? One word: TRADE.
The British East India Company received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600. The EIC was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region to include India, the East Indies, and later China.
The British came late to this trading venture, following the very successful efforts of the Portuguese and the Dutch in the region.
But ultimately, the EIC accounted for half of the world’s trade in basic goods, including cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, spices, saltpeter (many uses including as an essential ingredient in gunpowder), tea, and opium.
Imagine that… HALF of the world’s trade! Consider just how much staggering wealth that generated for the British…
And remember, officers for the EIC were trained at the Addiscombe Military Seminary in Surrey, England where William and Anne first meet.
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RANDOM FUN DATES IN NOVEMBER:
November 1 / National Author’s Day
November 11 / Armistice Day (1918) commemorates the end of WWI
November 14 / National American Teddy Bear Day – Aww…
November 15 / I Love to Write Day!
November 22 / Random Acts of Kindness Day
November 25 / Shopping Reminder Day / one month until Xmas!
November 28 / Happy Thanksgiving!
November 30 / Small Business Saturday / Shop Local!
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