Monica Goes to 1066 Country

On a recent trip to England, my family and I visited Battle (as in "of Hastings"). It was one of the highlights of the trip. English Heritage has put in a new visitor center near the Abbey (seen in the picture above) where the kids were able to watch a good video explaining some of the history behind "1066" country and then they played with a few interactive exhibits (swords, etc). But the highlight by far was walking the actual battlefield. It was drizzly and cold, and I think we were the only people there, but it was amazing to listen to the audio guide and really "feel" what it must have been like all those years ago. My kids (8 and 10) loved it.

When we were there one of the guides mentioned that every year they re-enact the battle. I would love to see this some time. I think they do something similar here in the US for the Battle of Gettysburg.

I have a good fellow writer friend who is big time into costume re-enactment, but it's never really something that's interested me. I've always thought it would be fun to dress up one time for a party or renaissance faire, but the amount or work and expense keep me away. But it does seem like a fun way to really experience history.

What about you? Have you ever been or participated in a re-enactment?

I'm blogging over at the Divas tomorrow (Thursday 17th) about a new book that is all the buzz around the internet called THE SPYMASTER'S LADY by Joanna Bourne. I had a chance to read it this past week and LOVED it. One of the things I noted in my blog over at the Divas was that I really loved the heroine. Usually I read romances for the sexy Alpha Heroes--and her hero is certainly that--but it's the heroine who really stuck with me.

So what about you...do you read romance for a sexy hero or for a strong heroine? Have you had a chance to read TSL yet? Any new books you recommend?

Happy (belated) New Year!

I hope you all had a nice holiday "break." The reason I put that word in quotations is that having the kids home for two weeks while on deadline doesn't feel like much of a vacation. By the time January 7th rolled around even they were ready to go back to school. LOL.

We usually head up to Tahoe over Christmas, but this year we decided to stay home. It was actually really nice, and I was glad not to add the stress of travel to an already hectic schedule. I was even more happy to be home when Northern California was hit with some pretty crazy storms last week. Most of my Diva buddies were without power at some point of another, but we were lucky.

The good news is that I'm about half-way through with Book #2 of my next back-to-back trilogy--right on schedule which is always a nice place to be. Now let's hope it stays that way!

Did you have a boring holiday like me or did you do something exciting? Anyone do any traveling? And if you went to Hawaii, I DON'T want to hear about it. :)