Quick Update on Our Travels

Cousins @ the Family Party

Sunset in Cambridge

Cambridge

Cambridge- original Tudor house

Cambridge

Buckingham Palace

Entrance towards Trafalgar Square

Now we are off to France!

-Julia

Hampton Court & Ghosts!

Not quite as imposing as Henry VIII, but still...

Today we visited Hampton Court, home to King Henry the 8th and then many of the Stuart rulers (William and Mary, etc...)

It was, simply, bloody freezing. Coming from 80-degree weather to rainy weather with nearly a 40 degree difference is quite a shock to the system. I made the silly mistake of wearing sandals. My toes have still not fully recovered.

Hampton Court is actually quite an enchanting castle, despite the dreary rain of today. In addition, there are GHOSTS, which naturally feeds my creative curiousity. I've come to terms with the fact that regular fiction will not be enough for me- I much rather prefer the supernatural. Mythology, lore, witchcraft, and hauntings are quite my cup of tea.

Jane Seymour

 So naturally, learning how Jane Seymour (Wife #3) wanders the hall above the chapel in which her heart, and possibly some of her other organs are buried is quite intriguing. It is said that the reason she is still here, caught between death and heaven, is because of the extremely guilty conscience over her role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn. She won't be at peace until Anne forgives her, which for obvious reasons, will never happen.

Catherine Howard

Or what about Catherine Howard (Wife #5) seen rushing through the Great Hall to the chapel where she stops suddenly and lets out an unearthly shriek before hurrying back towards the top of the stairs with a ghastly look of despair. Legend has it that on the night after she was arrested for treason, she ran shrieking down the gallery while Henry was hearing Vespers in the Holyday Closet. She begged him to spare her life but was caught by the guards who dragged her away to her execution. So it is a thought that this is a reinacting of the tragic scene right before her untimely death.

Anne Boleyn

Lastly, there is dear Anne Boleyn (#2), who is said to wander around Hampton Court, but not quite like the others. It is said that she appears beheaded in her appearances around her old home.

There are also another 7 ghosts that wander Hampton Court, including a phantom dog and a ghostly cat. Exciting!!

As an afterthought, it is a good thing King Henry the 8th didn't turn out to be a ghost. I think as he was so imposing and terrifying in life, as a ghost he would scare people to death!

Cheers!
Julia

Snippets and Clips

Quick little post for today, as I've decided to revive the blog. (I'm really bad at this, aren't I?)

Some things that have happened recently? Well, first of all...we are going to Europe!! And for being-a-lovely-person-who-loves-her-teachers, I'll be posting some photos on here while we are over there!! Exciting! 

We plan to do a lot. I have some places I want to visit as research for one of my novel ideas (The Royal Mews Girl, I believe I've mentioned it before.) So several museums which include things from the Victorian Era are on my list. We are also planning on heading down south to Devon, with a stop by Stonehenge. (Time to start the apocalypse!)

Also, we will be seeing family. That is probably the one thing I am most excited about. Not only because of the family tree, but also I haven't seen most of them in ages. Plus they inspired a novel idea!

Saintes, France

Then we are also going to be in France, in the town where we lived. That photo above? That will be my view every day. :) 

Something I hesitate to share on here is my growing interest in learning more about sexuality and researching it. As it is something close to my heart, (12 states and just over 13 countries to legalize gay marriage!) I find it a very fascinating topic. I have found a few people who have published work about it and I plan to read more about it. We'll see where it takes me.

(Let's not even talk about the new interest in drag queens, okay?)

Also, I've decided to make The Hazel Tree (aka Cinderella Wolf) part of my Capstone project, so talk about deadlines! Mr. Wilkey, my mentor, has been amazing though so it doesnt seem like quite such a daunting task. It still is though.....I'm just not looking at it directly in the eye. It's going to be fun though...right?

Here is the new cover!

Also, if you guys are interested, here is the link to my new Facebook page. All the cool writers have one now. Click here. It will have snippets of the chapters I write, not only for The Hazel Tree but also for other novels. Also, it will have information as to when The Hazel Tree will be available to buy and where, etc...etc.. :)

Cheers!

Julia

Time to reawaken the blog. First, shall we start with some theme redesigning? :)