Time-Told Tales, Volume Two

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
B08BW431QL/

Time-Told Tales, Volume Two, is now for sale. Loosely based on some of the classic fairy tales, I’ve set this series of books in the Middle Ages and removed much of the make-believe and magic in the stories to make them more realistic, believable, and suitable for adults. It was my intent from the very beginning to have a number of these tales. This then is the second volume of Time-Told Tales. Volume One of the print and audible books contains the ebooks Roslyn’s Rescue (Little Red Riding Hood redone) and Glenda’s Gold (Rumplestiltskin redone). This Volume Two has Patricia’s Prison (Rapunzel rewritten) and Jack’s Jewel (Jack and the Beanstalk (rewritten). They have such different titles because they are completely different stories than you’ve ever heard before.

In Patricia’s Prison, Patricia’s parents want her to marry an older duke for his title and wealth, but her interest is drawn to Charles, one of her father’s knights. When she defies them, her stubborn, unpredictable father will have none of it. The unforeseen occurs, and there is nothing Patricia or Charles can do about it.  https://www.amazon.com/Patricias-Prison-Time-Told-Tales-Book-ebook/dp/B085LM7VZ8/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
B089WC1HC2

Then, when Jack’s mother sends him to sell their cow, he can find no one to buy it, so he trades the animal for some remarkable beans in Jack's Jewels. His mother is not pleased, however, and demands that he leave. He heads south, hoping to find a home. In Fairleigh, the earl agrees to let Jack plant his beans in one of the castle's fields, but Jack cannot help but notice the earl's beautiful daughter. However, he will have to use all his wits if he's ever allowed to court Pearl.

I tried to use only vocabulary words found in the Middle Ages. Looking up so many words, often five or more per sentence, has been more time-consuming and laborious than I would like. However, as a history major, it’s important to me to be as accurate as possible. I took care to maintain the flavor of the period in both the setting and the language, while still trying to keep an easy flow to the story. So, join me on a trip back into the romance of a much earlier time in this new Time-Told Tales.

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National Camera Day

First daguerreotype camera

June 29th is National Camera Day. The first permanent photograph from a camera came in 1825 from Joseph Nicephore Niepce. He used a sliding wooden box developed by Charles and Vincent Chevalier in Paris. In the 1830s, William Henry Fox Talbert in England also worked on photographic techniques. The first photographic camera developed for commercial production came in 1839 when Alphonse Giroux produced a daguerreotype camera. Many others also worked on improvements to photography around this time. By the time of the American Civil War, the camera had progressed enough to give us good images of the soldiers and the war.

Box camera (CC BY-SA 3.0, httpscommons.wikimedia.
orgwindex.phpcurid=222433)   

Another great advance in photography came in 1885 when George Eastman started manufacturing a paper film for cameras. He switched to celluloid film in 1889. His first "Kodak" box camera came out in 1888. Over the next years, the camera had many improvements with single-lens reflex cameras being a big one. Instant photography, developed by Polaroid in 1948, came into vogue for a while.

We have come a long way in photography. Today, we not only have digital cameras, but our cell phones are also capable of taking photos. According to Business Insider, over 1.2 trillion digital photos were taken in 2017. We can but wonder what will happen to cameras and photography in the future.

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In the Light

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5b)

The Bible tells in several places of God being light. Most people prefer light over darkness. When people are cooped up in a place for a long time without enough light, we talk of cabin fever. God dispels our spiritual darkness, making everything better. When Moses came off Sinai after being in God's presence, he glowed. We also need to radiate God in our lives.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1).

You must have noticed how flying insects flock to the light. They are drawn to it with an irresistible urge to get closer. That's how we should be with our Lord. We should have a burning desire to get closer and know more of Him. We should never be satisfied, never stagnate, but always be moving forward and growing in our faith, growing in Christ. 

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

It is amazing to watch how quickly our pupils grow small when in bright light. That's how we should be in God's light. We should grow smaller so that He will be glorified. As John wrote, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (3:30). We must learn that life is not all about us but all about Him. When we live for Him, we become the people He means for us to be.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

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Consequences of Audible Royalty Changes

With ACX (the production arm of Audible) changing their policy and no longer paying royalties on promo codes given out for Audible books released from April 2020 on, there have been several consequences. Obviously, there will be fewer royalties for both the author and narrator, making producing Audible books less profitable for them. 

Because of this, authors and narrators are less likely to find it worth their time to offer the promo codes for new books to listeners. It takes time that they have far too little of as it is. It might also take away some of the customers who would have paid for the book if they weren't offered the free code. In addition, listeners may find fewer books being produced for Audible.

As an author, I am also finding it harder to find quality narrators for my books. Since all my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children, I only do royalty sharing with the narrator, and without the revenue from promo codes, many are no longer accepting that method of payment. Thankfully, I have a great male and female narrator I have worked with and can turn to, but I do occasionally need a narrator with a different accent, and new ones are getting harder to find. As time goes on, there may even be other repercussions. I would love for ACX to take another look at the change and decide to reinstate royalties for promo codes, but I don't think that's likely to happen. 

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Pushing Pins

A workhouse

John Ireland Howe invented the first practical machine to make straight pins on June 22, 1832. Trained as a doctor, he worked at the New York Almshouse and saw people there trying to make straight pins by hand which required eighteen separate steps. He started to work on a machine that would do the tedious job. Howe's machine has been called, "one of the most ingenious and beautiful pieces of mechanism."

After receiving a patent for his idea for the pin-making machine, Howe secured the backing of some New York businessmen and formed Howe Manufacturing Company.  The company stayed in New York for three years before moving to Derby, Connecticut, the state of Howe's birth. After some struggles, it became one of the largest pin manufacturers at that time. In 1839, the company was producing around 72,000 pins a day, making them readily available to tailors, seamstresses, teachers, and other people who needed them.

Howe built a home on Caroline Street in Derby and retired from manufacturing in 1865. He died in 1876 and was interred in Oak Cliff Cemetery in Derby. His house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. His invention may seem insignificant at first glance, but it wasn't. Just think of all the ways the pin was used over the decades. As a teacher, craftsperson, homemaker, and quilter, I would not have wanted to do without them.

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God, Our Father

One God and Father of all, who is above all (Ephesians 4:6a)

The Bible refers to God as our Father. In fact, the Lord's Prayer opens this way, "Our Father who art in heaven...." This is true in the Old Testament, as well in the New. Whether or not we have an earthly father, we can always have a heavenly one if we just accept Him. God has many characteristics, but being our perfect Father emphasizes that He wants a personal relationship with us, while not being seen as an equal.

Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? (Malachi 2:10a).

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of God and made coheirs with the Son. We then have a divine inheritance, including eternal life, and untold blessings. We have a Father who will always be there for us and wants only the very best for us.

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8a).

As children, we expect our fathers to provide for our needs, protect us from danger, and encourage us through the hard times. This is exactly what our heavenly Father does and more. Why anyone would reject such a Father is incomprehensible, but some do. Perhaps, they need someone to tell them about Him. Will you?

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089WC1HC2

Jack's Jewel

I am pleased to announce the release of my fourth story in the Time-Told Tales series. This one rewrites "Jack and the Beanstalk," taking out the make-believe and magic and making it an inspirational romance. Jack's Jewel is a Kindle ebook (and also on KU), but I will soon combine it with Patricia's Prison to make the paperback, Time-Told Tales, Volume Two for my readers who prefer a print book. It should be out toward the end of the month.

In Jack's Jewel, Jack's mother sends him to sell their cow, but he can find no one who wants to buy her. Just before the town market closes for the day, he trades the animal for some remarkable beans. His mother is not pleased, however, and demands that Jack leave. He heads south, hoping to find a home. In Fairleigh, the earl agrees to let him plant the beans in one of his fields, but Jack cannot help but notice the earl's beautiful daughter. However, he will have to use all his wits if the earl allows him to court Pearl.

Pearl is the youngest daughter of the Earl of Fairview and the only one not married. After he regretted that he'd secretly imprisoned Patricia in a remote tower because she refused to wed the duke he chose for her, Father promised Pearl he would not force her to marry a man she didn't want. However, that doesn't mean he will approve the man she does. Thankfully, her brother, Keynan, married a commoner by tricking Father into thinking she really did spin straw into gold and is willing to help Pearl. But is her interest in Jack for naught, or will love prevail once again?

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