Review of Carla Olson Gade's "Carving a Future" Novella

Colonial Courtships

Colonial Courtships

Carving a Future, by Carla Olson Gade

Romancing America collection

(Barbour 2012)

Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Nathaniel Ingersoll is determined to become a master craftsman, carving ship’s figureheads. He and his brother are Mrs. Ingersoll’s two grown sons.  She runs the Red Griffin Inn.  Nathaniel apprentices under his elderly arthritic uncle, a bachelor.  Heroic Nathaniel intervenes when Constance, abducted by a wicked ship captain, protests that she was kidnapped. Hearing her plight, he offers to purchase her indenture contract.  

With his father deceased, money is tight but Mrs. Ingersoll welcomes Constance into their inn, where the young woman has her first experiences in performing domestic duties.  Pitifully, in fact, considering that she was a young woman of higher social standing until her parents died and she became a lady’s companion. 

This was a delightful novella with lots of colonial details that history lovers will enjoy.  Readers who enjoy colonial era Christian romance will be THRILLED with the authenticity of the information included and the lovely heroine and strong hero.  Carla has created compelling characters and a lovely tight storyline for this novella.  Wouldn’t be at all surprised if it is nominated for an ACFW Carol award next year.

Colonial Courtships is available at CBD and on Amazon and through other book sellers.

Disclaimer: I read this novella on my Kindle as a download through NetGalley in return for my honest review.  My opinions are my own.

Giveaway: Winner receives a copy of this book in either paperback or ebook (international winner ebook only.)

Muster Day Gingerbread

Muster Day Gingerbread

 (A traditional recipe enjoyed on colonial Muster Day,
as seen in Colonial Courtships by Carla Olson Gade)

The following recipe is taken from The Art of Cookery made plain and easy by A Lady, 1747 (Hannah Glasse was discovered to be the authoress in the 19^th century).

To make Ginger-Bread. TAKE three quarts of fine flour, two ounces of beaten ginger, a quarter of an ounce of nutmeg, cloves, and mace beat fine, but most of the last; mix all together, three quarters of a pound of fine sugar, two pounds of treacle, set it over the fire, but do not let it boil; three quarters of a pound of butter melted in the treacle, and some candied lemon and orange peel cut fine; mix all these together well. An hour will bake it in a quick oven.

Muster Gingerbread
(A modern version for you to try.)

1/3 c  Shortening 1/2 c  Brown sugar 1/2 c  Molasses 1  Egg 2 c  Flour (all-purpose) 1 t  Baking soda

3/4 t  Ground ginger 3/4 t  Ground cinnamon 1/4 t  Ground cloves 1/4 t  Salt 1/2 c  Water; boiling

Cream the shortening and sugar until very light. Add the molasses and egg, beating well. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, soda, spices and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the boiling water, beating after each addition. Bake in a greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan at 350øF for about 50 minutes. Cool a few minutes before removing from the pan, and wrap. This cake mellows and tastes best the next day.

Authors note: The treacle mentioned in the first receipt, as recipes were then called, is Molasses. Muster Day Gingerbread, sometimes called Training Day Gingerbread or simply Muster Gingerbread, was usually prepared as a loaf cake. I discovered a variation of this recipe that was rolled out and baked as a cookie. Muster Gingerbread was traditionally washed down with rum after militia training, though I recommend a nice glass of apple cider or fresh milk.

Muster Day, Training Day — Huzzah!

To Arms!

Between 1620 and 1790 Muster Days served as a significant social event for colonists. With holidays few, especially in New England, these days would present an opportunity for men to take a day off from work. Several times per year (April, May, September, & October), men ages 16 to 60 would assemble on the town green for roll call, to show their guns for inspection, and participate in military training drills. The frequency of the training days varied among the colonies and also according to circumstances of impending threat The selectmen of the town would take account of stock in powder and ball to see if the town was ready to defend its people and its property. Each town company had its Captain, Lietuenants, and Corporals elected by their peers; each Battalion had a Major; and each Regiment, a Colonel. Some of the men were selected from among the general ranks to be ready for rapid deployment - called Minutemen. During times of peace the drills would be completed in the morning with the afternoon reserved for friendly competition. This was usually a rowdy affair with much drinking.

In my new release, Colonial Courtships, there was great enthusiasm for an annual event - the Fall Muster. This is when militia men of all the townships in the county would gather at the county seat for the large gathering of all. This annual muster accomplished actual enrollment of members. If a muster was missed, a fine of $1 was required to be paid by the absent party. Akin to a town fair, the annual muster welcomed the entire community, and then men would be better behaved while their families where watching.  

The exercises would begin about 8:00 a.m. and continue until about 12:00 p.m. when the noon meal would be served by the women. "Training Day Cake", also called "Muster Day Gingerbread", was served, with plenty of rum available for 3 cents per glass. Militia commanders often attempted to win their men's cooperation by providing them with the alcohol. In the afternoon companies paraded before the many spectators, and there was a great deal of rivalry between the companies as to who could march, shoot and make the best appearance. Contests such as drills and maneuvers, wrestling matches, and more between the champions of each company were common activities. Older men, women, and children would urge their favorites on. The Muster Field was filled with eating booths, tent shows, and auction carts with peddlers crying their wares.The day would end about sunset with a fine salute of guns into the air.

Under the militia act of 1792, in effect for more than a century, every able-bodied citizen between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was a member of the militia. Patriotic enthusiasm from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 carried over into musters, although by around 1830 many resented the required participation. By 1855 Muster Days were no long necessary.

For more information on Muster Day you might like to read Everday Life in Early America by David F. Hawke.

CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO OF A
NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL MUSTER DAY REENACTMENT


Look for a recipe for Muster Day Gingerbread from Colonial Courtships on Sunday.

Inspiration to Read and Write Colonial Fiction by Rita Gerlach

Frederick Barracks

Do you find inspiration in the town you live in, its countryside, rivers and streams, fields and mountains? Is there something about the atmosphere that gives you material to write about? Is there something about the history that motivates you to read fiction set in the Colonial era?

 
I live in a historical town in western Maryland. I love downtown --- the old buildings, the park, the promenade along the creek that runs through it, and the history. Oh, the history is rich here. Founded in 1745, Frederick, Maryland sits on the banks of Carrol Creek, in a valley once called 'Apple Valley' due to all the orchards. During the Revolution, the Frederick Barracks pictured above housed Hessian prisoners of war. Reading the accounts posted on the Facebook page, it was quite amiable and often times rowdy. 

 https://www.facebook.com/HessianBarracks1777

The Frederick riflemen were famous during the Revolution for their superior marksmanship, and the town sat on the fringes of the Indian War, also knows as Cresap's War, Lord Dunmore's War, or Logan's War. (I am revising two novels set in this period and will be reissuing them in the spring.) 

Central and western Maryland's countryside, especially along the Potomac, are huge inspirations for my writing. Here I found the inspiration for my historical series, Daughters of the Potomac, set in the days of the American Revolution and its aftermath. I've had moments where I've stood on the shoreline of the river, breathed in the air, gazed across to Harpers Ferry, and felt a kind of pull to write about what came before us. Indeed this area is significant to the Civil War, Antietam and Sharpsburg being close by, and overshadows the Colonial history. But the era of the American Revolution permeates the area. A few miles up river from these battlefields sits Fort Frederick, build during the French and Indian War.

If you are reading or writing a historical novel, or you just want to explore the history of your area, may I suggest you take a day and drive through the countryside down sideroads you've never been before?  Here's what happened to me on such a day. 

We were driving down Sunday's Lane, a very rural part of the county. I saw a stone jutting up on the edge of the road on a rise of ground and asked my husband to stop. I got out and discovered it was a Civil War grave marker. I walked further on. Here was a family's burial ground going back to the Revolution. As sad as it was, I read the inscription on a child's stone. "It is well with my child". I was so moved that I included this in my novel 'Beside Two Rivers'. 

Rita Gerlach: http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com

Tea Party Book Launch for Rita Gerlach and "Beside Two Rivers"

Beside Two Rivers

Welcome to our Colonial Quills party today, held in honor of author Rita Gerlach and her just-released book, Beside Two Rivers, second in the three-part Daughters of the Potomac series.

Rita Gerlach

BESIDE TWO RIVERS 

Book 2 in the ‘Daughters of the Potomac Series’ published by Abingdon Press, October 2012.

From the banks of the Potomac to the misty moors of England comes a tale of love won and love lost, and the faith to find it again.

Vaguely can Darcy Morgan recall the day her father returned home from fighting in the American Revolution.  When he discovers his unfaithful wife had borne a child in his absence, the marriage is broken, and Darcy’s quiet childhood along the two rivers was changed forever. 

She grows up believing her mother is dead and that her father journeyed west to the lands beyond the Blue Ridge. Her indulging Uncle Will, excitable Aunt Mari, and her five female cousins, cannot shield her from thinking of the mother she loved and the father she barely knew, nor can she escape the fleeting images in her memory of the babe Ilene and Ilene’s surrogate mother, Sarah, or the grandmotherly servant, Fiona Goodall.

Before the Scarlet Dawn

In this dramatic saga that began with 'Before the Scarlet Dawn', Darcy seeks to unravel a lifetime of memories unaware that the young Englishman who loves her holds the answers. Her search takes her far from her beloved home along the Potomac, to a manor house in faraway England. Soon the secrets of the past slowly rise to the surface. 

Will she be reunited with the most important people in her life? Will Hayward and Eliza find peace and reconciliation? Will Darcy's faith sustain her to make the difficult choices, and will the love she and Ethan share endure?

Beyond the Valley

Rita's next book in the series is "Beyond the Valley" all three books published by Abingdon Press.

("photo-shopped" picture of Rita Gerlach as our hostess today on CQ courtesy of  Face in Hole.com)


So glad you could all come to discuss my latest book and various and sundry other topics! Please feel welcome to enjoy a cup of tea brewed to your liking, hot apple cider or coffee and fresh blueberry scones, chocolate cake, lemon squares and other lovely desserts offered up by many of our guests. Thanks to you all!  

Enjoy our repast as we dine al fresco with our lovely hostess, Mistress Rita, overlooking the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers near the historic Hilltop Inn of West Virginia. 

*  *  * 

From Rita:  These books are not your typical formula romances. You will find romance, but you will also find stories about relationships between people. The stories are about forgiveness, redemption, loyalty, and the power of love. Each character has good points, but they are also flawed human beings that make mistakes and fall hard, and at some point struggle through the adversity, dust themselves off and move on. So the sugary sweet romances they are not. My agent called my writing 'romances with more meat on the bones'.


Read 'Evolution of a Novel Series', the story of how the Daughters of the Potomac Series came about.  http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com/p/evolution-of-novel-series.html

One reader that posts a comment with their email address, will win a copy of one of Rita's books. Paperbacks will be signed. (Format of your choice) You can preview them on her website at http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com/ 

In paperback:
Surrender the Wind (Colonial Romance)
Before the Scarlet Dawn (book 1, Daughters of the Potomac)
Beside Two Rivers (book 2, Daughters of the Potomac)

Only in Kindle:
The Rebel's Pledge (Colonial Romance)