Cj Fosdick March Newsletter

DID YOU KNOW? MARCH was originally the lst month in the early Roman Calendar, named after Mars, the God of Wa

r—father of Remus and Romulus, the legendary twins who gave Italia the name of their most famous city. March deserves a lot of cred for giving us legends in history and great colloquialisms to remember, along with some changes in weather. SPRING? (scheduled Mar. 20!)

The ominous warning about the "ides" first relates to a

soothsayer in Shakespeare’s famous play who warned Julius Caesar not to go to the Roman Senate the day he was assassinated on Mar.15, 44 B.C. (Actually, there are “ides” (mid-months on 15ths) in May, July and Oct. All other months have ides on the 13^th of each month.

ST. PATRICK’s DAY, on March 17 commemorates the death of Ireland’s patron Saint, who was actually born Maewyn Succat, son of a prominent Roman/British family who was kidnapped by Irish pirates when he was 16. In captivity as a slave, his fate and faith bloomed. After six years, he escaped and sailed back to his family. But a dream called him back to Irish shores to witness to the Irish heathen in the 5^th Century--supposedly using a shamrock to explain the Trinity. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and driving the snakes away. Actually, snakes were never found in Ireland. Same story with other snake-less islands: New Zealand, Hawaii, Iceland and Greenland.

AVOID THE PINCH ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY!? While Researching Ireland for my new book, I’ve learned as much about the Irish as I have about the history and setting. I love Irish humor and superstition, their gift of gab, honor and resilience —epitomized perhaps in their favorite response to almost everything. “I’m grand, tis grand, how about a cuppa tae?” It wasn’t a stretch to believe that wearing GREEN on St. Paddy’s Day makes you invisible to Leprechauns. And if you forget to wear something green, you just might feel a little pinch, they say. Perhaps my own bit of Irish blood, and a tour of the green isle inspired

characters in my latest work-in-progress. Robble, the charming full-blooded green-eyed Irish hero of The Accidental Stranger finds his roots, his honor and his love in jeopardy in The Accidental Heiress, telling Jessica “I’m Irish, not because I was born here, but because Ireland was born in me.”

MARCHING ON --with another avid reader profile, a Wisconsin cousin in hub's roots--who we reunited with at a Cracker Barrel in the Wisconsin Dells last fall.
KAY SARGEANT’s earliest recollection of veracious reading began with the Dick and Jane series. “ I kept asking for the next one, “ she says. “I LOVE BOOKS. I have an e-reader and yet to finish much of anything on it. I need a physical book jacket, chapters and page numbers.” (Print copies are still favored by those born in the 20^th Century, but price and convenience has lured many into the digital world.)
After college and a long career teaching deaf and hard of hearing students, Kay thinks she became a true novel junkie. Refining that category, she now includes non-fiction, historical, autobiographies and inspirational selections. “I stay away from gore and horror and sappy Harlequin novels.” Her historical readings, she admits, “evolved from being a Daughter of the American Revolution and a volunteer at the county historical society.” Now widowed, she enjoys her four kids, seven grandchildren and 11 greats. “I love having them all home for Christmas, cooking up a storm.” A native of Delavan, Wisconsin, Kay also enjoys travel/tour bus trips around the state and vicinity.
Ancestry research last year plugged in the cousin connection, and inspired Kay to explore a new genre with Cj's books. "I admire CJ for finding her way to her passion." Kay says. After reading --and reviewing--The Accidentals, she calls them “mesmerizing…a feel good read with a page-turner edge.”