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 Welcome to RomCon's™ Historical World Blog! You’ll find information, tidbits and announcements related to the historical romance subgenre. Browse the listing of tags for entries that pique your interest (below left), and feel free to comment on blog posts.
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| Posted by Administrator in Historical, Giveaway with the tag giveaway, Gayle Wilson |
| Posted date: 02 Sep 2010 |
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 In my September historical, Major Rhys Morgan, late of His Majesty's Light Dragoons, hopes, despite his wounds, to continue his service for king and country. The consequences of his heroic rescue of a little girl pitch him instead into the midst of a Romany camp and into the arms of Nadya Argentari, a beautiful and mysterious Gypsy healer. The last thing Nadya wants or needs is a romantic involvement with an Englishman—a relationship they both know will never be accepted in the either of the very disparate worlds they inhabit.
Claiming the Forbidden Bride is part of Regency Silk and Scandal, an eight-book continuity that was developed by the participating authors, rather than by the editors. When the Romany element was suggested during one of our brainstorming sessions, I jumped at the chance to incorporate these fascinating people into my story.
As I researched and then began to write the book, these colorful characters seemed to leap off the page for me. In addition to my heroine and her intriguing brother Stephano, Nadya’s grandmother, Magda Beshaley, completely captured my imagination.
During the course of the novel, several references are made to Magda’s ability to foresee the destinies of her two grandchildren. Magda also seems to know a great deal about the Englishman Rhys Morgan, which leads her to make a seemingly prescient prediction about his future as well. There appears to be some question, however--at least in the mind of her granddaughter--about how the old woman comes by this knowledge.
In addition to her role as her people’s phuri dai or wise woman, Magda also contributed to the group’s resources by practicing the art of palmistry, which has long been associated with the Rom. Cave paintings in Spain offer some historical evidence that even Stone Age people were interested in what the lines on the human hand might reveal about a person. Most experts, however, trace the roots of this ancient practice to India, which would certainly tie in with the Roma’s origins in that country. It may well be that the practice of palm reading itself spread throughout the world as the nomadic Rom travelled from country to country.
Palm readers such as Magda examine not only the lines on a subject’s palms, but many other factors such as the shape of the hand itself, the mounts or bumps at the base of each finger, and even the colour and texture of the skin. The three most important lines that are considered in a reading are the heart line, the life line, and the head line, although there are at least four others lines that may be considered to have significance. In addition to these lines, markings such as stars or crosses or even circles may be present on the palm. To skilled practitioners these supposedly provide valuable insight about their subject’s character or future actions. The mounts, or bumps, found below each of the fingers are named for various planets and supposedly correspond to their astrological influences. Palmists combine all the information provided by these features to make predictions and/or offer advice to those willing to “cross their palms with silver.”
Most people today acknowledge that successful palm readers apply a healthy dose of psychology to any knowledge they may gain by an examination of someone’s hand. Magda’s deep understanding of human nature almost certainly played a greater role in her skill in guiding her beloved grandchildren than did whatever markings she found on their palms, but for those who concede the possibility of extrasensory abilities, there are instances in my story where this wise woman does seem to possess a foreknowledge of events beyond that which she could have acquired by any rational means.
Whether or not you’re a believer in the kind of skills Magda seems to have, I believe you’ll find these Rom characters as entertaining as I did. And I sincerely hope that if you do read Claiming the Forbidden Bride, you’ll also enjoy learning about their rich and historical culture.
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» Michelle Willingham
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» Gayle Wilson at RomConInc
Gayle Wilson is guest blogging at RomConInc! |
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2009
