Hug a Medievalist Day giveaway!

I'll bet you thought next Sunday is Easter, and you would certainly be right. But it is also time to celebrate Hug a Medievalist Day again! I recently moved into a new house and in packing up the old one, discovered that I have two copies of Medieval Women. This slim book (112 pp) is a collection of lectures by medieval historian Eileen Power covering "...medieval theories of the woman's work and her place in the world." These lectures "...give a vivid account...of the lady, the peasant, the townswoman, the nun. A chapter on education surveys the schooling available to girls, as well as the subjects and skills that were taught."

(Your copy's book cover will not look exactly like this. I couldn't find a copy of the cover on the prize version.)

If this sounds like a book you'd like for Hug a Medievalist Day, just enter via the Rafflecopter form below and leave a comment telling me the name of a medieval character, real or fictional, that you would like to hug.

Deadline to enter is Hug a Medievalist Day (March 31), 2013. The winner will be drawn on April 1. (That that's no fool!) USA entries only, please.

OFFICIAL RULES: NO PURCHASE NECESSSARY. Entrants must be 18 years or older. Winners will be selected on April 1, 2013 and have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Questions? Contact me at jdipastena@yahoo.com.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Calling All Katies

The eldest surviving son of King Henry II of England shared his father’s name. In his lifetime, he was known as Henry the Younger, and after being crowned as co-ruler with his father in 1170 (in imitation of a custom practiced by the Capetien kings of France), was known as Henry the Young King, or simply, the Young King. Henry II allowed his son little actual power, influenced both by his own authoritarian nature and his son’s vain, irresponsible, spendthrift ways. Henry the Younger was nevertheless highly admired among his peers. The troubadour Bertran de Born called him “King of the courtly and emperor of the valiant[1]” for embodying the popular virtues of courtesy and liberality. He loved the tournament circuit and he loved extravagant gestures.

One of these extravagant gestures is related by Robert de Torigny, a contemporary of the Young King. Robert, a Norman monk and chronicler, tells of an occasion when Henry the Younger held a lavish feast and invited only knights named William to attend. A hundred and ten knights named William showed up for the party. (This story is related in Henry II, by W.L. Warren, and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings, by Amy Kelly.)

What has this got to do with my call for Katies? Well, as you should know by now, I am the author of three medieval romances, all set during the lifetime of Henry the Young King. In the course of a giveaway for some of my books on my JDP NEWS blog, I made a silly little mistake. A lovely lady named Katie won a copy of my newest romance, Dangerous Favor, but since I was also autographing a copy of Illuminations of the Heart for another winner, I inadvertently signed a copy of Illuminations of the Heart, instead of Dangerous Favor to “Katie”. Never fear. I caught my mistake and Katie got the correct autographed prize in the mail! But now I’m stuck with a copy of Illuminations of the Heart signed to “Katie” and no Katie to give it to.

So, like Henry the Young King, I too am sending out a call…but my call is for Katies, instead of Williams. If your name is Katie and you would like a chance to win a copy of my medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart, just leave a comment on this post WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so I’ll know how to contact you if you win.

If you’re not too picky about the spelling of your name, you may also enter if your name bears any resemblance to Katie, such as Katy, Kati, Kaity, Caty, Cati, or even Kaitlyn or Kathryn or anything similar. And hey, if you know a Katie (daughter, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, friend) who might enjoy this book, spread the word or you may enter on her behalf.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we wound up with a 110 Katie entries? However, since Katie isn’t as common a name as William was in the Middle Ages, my feelings won’t be hurt if we only get a handful of Katies.

You may click here to read a summary of Illuminations of the Heart, along with a few Amazon reviews.

Deadline for entries is May 7, midnight PST. Don’t forget to leave your email address! C’mon, Katies, let’s party!

---

[1] Lyrics of the Troubadours and Trouveres: an Anthology and a History, Translations and Introductions by Fredrick Goldin

Hug a Medievalist Day 2012

Last year, I completely missed Hug a Medievalist Day (this font is called trebuchet, which was a medieval siege engine similar to a catapult, so it seems appropriate to use it here) although we did hold a belated giveaway. This year I'm on top of this extraordinarily important date! We're celebrating here at Medieval Research with Joyce by giving away one of my all time favorite medieval novels, Walk with Peril, by D.V.S. Jackson. If you haven't read my review of this book, you can read it here.

Walk with Peril has long been out of print, but I've snagged an old used copy and I'm giving it away for Hug a Medievalist Day! This giveaway is going to work pretty much the same way last year's did: to enter, leave a comment telling me name of the medievalist you would most like to hug on Hug a Medievalist Day. It can be an actual figure from medieval history, a fictional character (like Robin Hood), a character from a medieval novel, a favorite teacher who taught you about the Middle Ages, a favorite character at your local *Renaissance Festival, or even your favorite *RenFest day companion (husband, sister, brother, child, friend). I'll give you an extra entry if you begin your comment with the word "Huzzah!"

(*I'm including Renaissance Festivals because that's the closest excuse some of us can find to play medieval dress up!)

Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!

The deadline is midnight PST on Hug a Medievalist Day, i.e., March 31. The winner will be drawn by Random.org.

USA entries only.

HUZZAH!

(Join Hug a Medievalist Day on Facebook and/or follow on Twitter)

OFFICIAL RULES:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

USA entries only

Entrants must be 18 years or older

Entries may be left in a comment or sent via email to jdipastena@yahoo.com

Winners will be selected on March 31. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.

Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawarded

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

Giveaway: "Magic in the Middle Ages"

I spent the weekend giving Medieval Research with Joyce a facelift. It literally took me hours, mostly because I'm so techie-illiterate. After all that hard work, my blog wants to celebrate, and it's no fun celebrating alone, so let's do it together!

Once again, my ill-luck is your good fortune. Yes, I've found yet another medieval research book that I already had a copy of in my collection. This one is Magic in the Middle Ages, by Richard Kieckhefer. Here's the back cover blurb. (Actually, it's the inside the front cover blurb. Sorry the book cover is so blurry. I promise it won't be blurry on your copy should you win!)

This text book deals with magic, both natural and demonic within the broad context of medieval culture. Covering the years c. 500 to 1500 with a chapter on antiquity, it investigates the way magic relates to the many other cultural forms of the time, such as religion and science, literature and art.


How can you win a copy of this book? Leave me a comment telling me why you want to win Magic in the Middle Ages, and INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so I can contact you if you win.

For additional entries, you may do any or all of the following:

+1 Become a follower of Medieval Research with Joyce (Google Friend Connect), then leave me a comment letting me know. (If you are already a follower, leave me a comment letting me know.)

+1 Subscribe to Medieval Research with Joyce via the Feedburner subscription box in the right hand sidebar. You must confirm the subscription. Then  leave me a comment letting me know.

+1 Become a NetworkedBlogs follower in the right hand sidebar, then leave me a comment letting me know.

+1 Vote in my Who Is Your Favorite Medieval King poll, then leave me a comment letting me know you voted. (You don't have to tell me who you voted for unless you want to.) I've repositioned the poll right below the NetworkedBlogs box in the right hand sidebar so you can find it more easily.

AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. (THANK YOU!)

Deadline for entries is October 17, midnight PST. I'll open this one up to International, as well as USA, entries.

(If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment on this post, you may email it to me at jdipastena@yahoo.com. Please type "Magic in the Middle Ages" in the subject line.)

Giveaway: "Who's Who in the Middle Ages"

So I’ve been hosting several blog hop giveaways over on my JDP NEWS blog lately (next one is coming up on December 21-22, “Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop”), and I feel kind of bad that I haven’t done any giveaways on this blog for awhile. I have a book I’ve been wanting to share with you for an awfully long time, but I’ve held back because it’s another one of those “out of print” titles, and I haven’t actually based a lot of my actual writing on the research in this book. It is, however, my ultimate “go to” browsing book on nights when I’m restless and have trouble sleeping. I literally keep it on my bedside table next to my bed and to date, I have never, never grown tired of reading the entries over and over again. I love this book and want to share it so much, that tonight, I went to Amazon and found an inexpensive used copy and ordered it, just so I can hold a drawing to give a copy to one of you!

The book is Who’s Who in the Middle Ages, by Dr. John Fines. Here’s the back cover blurb for it:

In trying to understand the complex and alien societies of the distant past the reader of history is often left without a key—without that intimate knowledge of personalities which can demonstrate this was a real situation, impinging on real people, who responded to pressures and reacted to other people in very much the same ways we do. The study of biography provides that key when our humanity is touched by that sudden mirror-glimpse of another human being in the toils and joys of life

The scope of this work is wide—the whole of Christendom is covered—saints and scholars, rulers and rebels, as well as the “infidels” whose influence on medieval affairs was significant. Among the personages this book helps to restore to full-size, fully fleshed human beings, are: Abelard, St. Thomas Aquinas, Attila, Roger Bacon, St. Thomas Becket, Charlemagne, Geoffrey Chaucer, Dante, Joan of Arc, Macbeth, Muhammed, St. Patrick, Marco Polo, Saladin, and nearly eighty more.

As noted above, Who’s Who in the Middle Ages is made up of 100 short biographies of people from the Middle Ages, many famous (such as those listed above) but also some lesser known names (such as Aefric, Abbot of Eynsham; Richard de Bury; and Nicholas of Cusa). Dr. Fines has a knack for including fascinating little tidbits in his biographies that leave you with a sense of a fully rounded, living, breathing person. And while he treats each of his subjects with respect, he often inserts a line or two of wry humor that leaves me grinning, if not laughing out loud. Just two examples:

After recounting a summary of the priest John Ball’s involvement in the Peasants Revolt of 1381, Dr. Fines devotes a paragraph to John Ball’s downfall and execution, ending with the line: “It had been, for him, an exciting month.” (Leaving the reader wondering whether John Ball thought the excitement was worth it!)

Under the entry for John Scotus Erigena, head of the palace school under Charles the Bald (9^th Century France), Dr. Fines includes this famed exchange: “One night at dinner Charles, finding John’s table manners hard to bear, said, ‘How far is a Scot from a sot?’ John quickly replied, ‘The length of a table,’ a joke even a court jester would have feared to make.” And Dr. Fines ends this entry with: “In 877 Charles died, and John took advantage of an invitation from King Alfred to go to England to teach at Malmesbury. Some years later, or so the chronicler William of Malmesbury would have us believe, his pupils stabbed him to death with their iron pens, ‘because he tried to make them think.’” (And let that be a warning to school teachers everywhere!)

Although the entry for each personage is necessarily short, most entries include a bibliographical note or two that will lead you to deeper study, if you are so inclined. (I bought the biographical reference book he suggested for Christina of Markyate, a biography written by one of her contemporaries, and thoroughly enjoyed it.)

Remember, this will be a used copy, but the seller promises it's in good-to-excellent condition, and what's more, it's a hardback copy! Mine is only paperback. I thought about keeping the hardback version and giving you my old copy, but I find I'm highly attached to my slightly rumpled paperback copy, so you'll get the nice hardback version. :-)

How can you enter to win a copy of Who’s Who in the Middle Ages? Simply leave a comment telling me why you'd like to win this book! Be sure to include your email address. I can't let you know if you won if I don't have your email address, so don't forget that part!


Want extra chances to win? Do any or all of the following:


+1 Bonus: Become a follower of this blog, then leave a comment letting me know. If you're already a follower, leave me a comment letting me know!

+1 Bonus: Subscribe to Medieval Research with Joyce via the Feedburner box in the sidebar, then leave me a comment letting me know.

Facebook (+1 Bonus), Twitter (+1 Bonus) and/or Blog (+1 Bonus) about this giveaway

We'll run this contest until midnight PST December 24. I'll draw the winner's name (via Random.org) on December 25. How's that for a Christmas present?

USA entries only

Christmas Contest for Yet Another Duplicate Book!

I just finished holding a contest over on my sister blog, JDP NEWS, and it hardly seems fair that I should neglect you, my faithful Medieval Research with Joyce followers, from a Christmas contest of your own. Fortunately for you, I have rounded up...yes!...another duplicate book from my medieval  library!

This one is called A Medieval Herbal. It is a small gift book size (5" X 6.5"), hard bound, and to quote from the back cover blurb: "With lavish period illustrations and engaging lore from authentic botanical texts, A Medieval Herbal offers a fascinating glimpse into the traditional art of herbal healing." (See my prior post on Gift Books for more information.)

From what I can tell on Amazon, this book is out of print, so this isn't something you'd have the good fortune of stumbling across in a bookstore, like I did several years ago!

How can you enter to win a copy of this book? It's Christmas time, we're all busy, so I'm going to keep this one simple! Simply leave a comment on this blog telling me why you'd like to win this book. AND either include your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win, or if you'd rather keep that personal, email me your email address (mailing address are good, too!) to jdipastena@yahoo.com, with "Medieval Research with Joyce Contest" in the subject line. Deadline for entering will be midnight PST, December 24th, with the winner announced on December 25--Christmas Day!

Book Drawing for "Medieval Women" by Eileen Power

I've just been cleaning out my closet, where I found a box loaded with medieval research books I apparently didn't have bookshelf space for and had "temporarily" stuffed into my closet....a "temporary" stuffing that lasted long enough for me to completely forget I owned this lovely stack of books.

The good news is, I am now (at this very moment, except for the time that it's taking me to type this post) making room to finally display these books on a well-earned shelf where they might actually be able to help me with my research now!

The bad news is, once again, I discovered that I bought a duplicate copy of a research book I already own. This one is called Medieval Women, written by Eileen Power, edited by M.M. Postan. But once again, my bad luck is your good luck because rather than give my extra copy away to the library, I've decided to hold a contest and give my extra copy away to one of the followers of Medieval Research with Joyce instead!

Here is a description of Medieval Women:

"Throughout her career as a medieval historian, Eileen Power was engaged on a book about women in the Middle Ages. She did not live to write the book but some of the material she collected found its way into her popular lectures on medieval women. These lectures are now brought together, edited by M.M. Postan, and reveal the world in which women lived, were educated, worked, and worshipped. Power gives a vivid account of the worlds of the lady, the peasant, the townswoman, and the nun. The result is a historical yet intimate picture of a period gone by yet with resonances for today. It offers an intimate portrait of the writer and social historian."

How can you win a copy of this lovely research book? By doing one of the following. If you do all three, you'll receive three entries in the drawing!

(1) Leave a comment on this blog telling me why you would like to win this book.

(2) Become a follower of Medieval Research with Joyce, then email me at jdipastena@yahoo.com to let me know you've become a follower. (If you're already a follower, email me to let me know that and you'll be automatically entered in the drawing.)

(3) Subscribe to Medieval Research with Joyce (this is different than becoming a "follower") via the Subscribe/posts feature just beneath the "About Me" box in the right hand sidebar of this blog. Then email me at jdipastena@yahoo.com to let me know you've subscribed, otherwise I won't know that you have! (Again, if you're already a subscriber, email me to let me know that, too, and you'll be automatically entered in the drawing.)

And remember, if you do all three, you'll have three chances to win, instead of just one!

The deadline to enter this drawing is midnight PST, October 18th. I will draw the winner's name on October 19, and once I announce the winner he/she will have one week to send me their email address so I can arrange to send them their prize. If you do not contact me within one week (7 days!), I will choose a new winner. So if you enter this contest, be sure to check back here on October 19 to see if I post your name as the winner!

Let’s Have Another Drawing!

I’ve been running drawings recently on my website and JDP NEWS blogs, and it occurred to me that medieval research with joyce readers might be feeling a little left out. So let’s have another drawing of our very own!

I have here a 17-page chapbook entitled, A History of Feasting in the Middle Ages, With 25 Authentic Recipes, filled with mouth-watering information on…well, feasting in the Middle Ages…but with print so small that my aging eyes can barely read it. (Actually, that’s not the real reason I’m giving it away. It’s really a brand new chapbook that I picked up at the Arizona Renaissance Festival especially for a medieval research with joyce drawing, but then forgot to ever hold the drawing. The small print, however, does make it easier for me to give it up and not succumb to temptation to keep it for myself.)

If there is anyone out there with young eyes (or a magnifying glass) who would like to win this very useful research chapbook, send an email to jdipastena@yahoo.com. Type “Medieval Chapbook Drawing” in the subject line, and then type, “I want a grene apple pye for dessert!” (watch the spelling!), along with your name and mailing address, in the body of the email.

Deadline for entries: June 20, 2008.

I hope at least one of you out there is hungry enough to enter!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Loyalty's Web is being reissued with brand new cover art by my brand new publisher, Leatherwood Press, in July. I have a handful of "old cover" copies that I'm offering at a 30% discount to anyone who is interested. They are available for $13.25 (a $5.70 savings off the cover price) plus $2.00 shipping. Email me at jdipastena@yahoo.com to reserve a copy, since this offer is only good for as long as my supplies last, and I will email you back with details on payment options. International orders will have to pay the full cost of shipping, minus $2.00/USD.

Winner of Medieval Wordbook Drawing

Congratulations to Melissa Keith of Rhode Island! Melissa has won my "spare" Medieval Wordbook copy. The book will be on it's way to you soon, Melissa!

Thank you to all who entered my drawing. Keep an eye on this site. You never know when I'll run across another duplicate research book in my house!

I'm off next week to attend the Storymakers Writing Conference in Sandy, Utah, where my medieval novel, Loyalty's Web, is a finalist for a Whitney Award. The winner will be announced at an awards gala next Saturday night (March 22). Wish me luck!

Since I'll be in Utah the next two weeks (staying to visit with my sister), my next medieval research blog will be posted on April 4th. See you all then!

Research Book Drawing

Most writers who build up extensive personal research libraries of their own, will eventually find themselves with accidental duplicates of valued research books. This was exactly the dilemma I found myself in recently when going through a disordered pile of books in my house. Somewhere along the way, I inadvertently purchased a second copy of Medieval Wordbook, by Madeleine Pelner Cosman. My first thought was to donate my second copy to a library, but since our own very small public library is unlikely to make room for so specialized a research book on their shelves, I came up with another idea.

I presume that most of you who read this blog, do so because (1) you are interested in writing, and (2) you are interested in the Middle Ages. And since I maintain this blog out of a desire to assist others who fall into the above two categories, therefore, I have decided to hold my first medieval research with joyce book drawing, in the hopes that my extra Medieval Wordbook will fall into the hands of someone who will actually use and appreciate it.

First, let me offer you a brief description of the book, by quoting from the back of the book jacket:

“Terms and expressions that have worked their way into our everyday speech are at the heart of Medieval Wordbook, a perfect reference for word lovers… Generously illustrated with elegant period drawings, the book explains all aspects of medieval life and language. Included in this work are such words as : bezoar [any Harry Potter fans out there?], blackmail, coroner, patter, hodge podge, and folio. Fully cross-referenced, [this book] is a boon companion to all of medieval culture, including expressions drawn from art and architecture, sex and science, costume and cookery, literature and magic, liturgy and astrology, warfare and ceremony. Medieval Wordbook is an ideal guide for anyone interested in the full panoply of medieval history.”

The entires are arranged alphabetically, in easy to read print, the exception being the index. If you and your eyes are over 40, you might want to be sure you have your reading glasses on hand.

You can read more about Medieval Wordbook on Amazon.com (type in “Medieval Wordbook Cosman”, and you’ll go right to it), but the book no longer appears to be in print, so I’m offering one of you a good deal here. All you have to do to enter my drawing for a FREE copy of Medieval Wordbook is to send an email to:

jdipastena@yahoo.com

Type: “Medieval Wordbook drawing” in the subject line, and include your name and mailing address. Since I don’t know how many people actually read my blog, I’m going to set a deadline of March 14, with the winner to be drawn and announced on March 15 here on this very blogsite! If I haven’t heard from at least one of you by then, my local library will be receiving a donation for their next book sale.



P.S. Not only am I offering you a free copy of this book, I’m going to let you have my hardback version, which aside from a slightly rumpled-around-the-edges book jacket, is still in excellent condition!