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This post is a special New Year's eve's eve gift, the next in that series of writers and their history. I have some gentle reminding to do for posts next year. Jeri emailed me her guest post about the time 451Press (and my blog there) kicked the bucket: she's been wonderfully patient.
If you're intrigued by Jeri's post, there are the books, of course, but you can also friend Crispin Guest on Facebook. The new time travel is way more fun than the new black.
I'm going to sit back and let you read. Me, I'm going to dream wistfully about Jeri's husband's mead.
It’s probably obvious by now that it is most difficult to consume a four-course meal while writing. The operative thing would be to have something easy to hold in one’s hand while typing with the other (is my keyboard a mess? Er…yeah, kind of.) Sometimes I simply do not have time to stop and eat a meal but would much rather continue to write. In those instances, a simple sandwich will do or leftover slices of pizza; nachos; beef jerky; mozzarella sticks…
You know, I think this is depressing me at how un-nutritious this all is. But perhaps I can redeem myself with this offering.
A few years back, I asked my husband to brew some mead for me. He’s a homebrewer and I thought it would be swell to sit, sip, and type to get me in the proper medieval mood. And since my particular brand of medieval mystery is styled a “medieval noir”—hard-boiled detective fiction set in the middle ages—it was even better since the practitioners of classic hard-boiled detective fiction were also hardened drinkers. Though mead is not bourbon we can make an exception.
My husband, always the sport, took to the task (and in fact, for the last several years, he’s been winning blue ribbons and best of shows in county fairs with his mead—I take full credit for that!) When I finally got my mead, it was a wonderful thing. If you have ever tasted the kind you can buy in liquor stores, it simply doesn’t compare.
Sipping mead and writing would, on the surface, seem like a good idea. In fact, what I wrote while in the throes of my mead-drinking seemed absolutely brilliant…until I looked at it cold stone sober the next day. What the heck...? What was I thinking? Hmm. So perhaps mixing alcohol and writing is not such a grand idea.
But what is this mead, you say? It is often referred to as honey wine, but strictly speaking, it is not a wine. It’s cooked, which puts it in the brewing category and therefore takes up shelf space with beers and ales. Mead goes way back. To China in 7000 BC and in Europe to about 2000 BC. The Ancient Greeks liked it. The Danes liked it and brought it to England for their mead hall festivities.
The keeping of bees was a necessity if one wanted some sweetness in one's life. Fruit didn't go that far and sugar--considered a spice--was priced that way. Keeping your own bees assured a few sweet treats, including mead.
It is said that young married couples would be supplied by the in-laws with enough mead for the first month of wedded life, hence the term “honeymoon,” but I don’t have a citation for that. It might just as well refer to the sweetness at the beginning of the month, but that the sweetness wanes as does the moon. Since mead is so ancient a drink I suspect such etymologies would be difficult.
The kind of mead I like best is of the sweet, slightly effervescent variety, and, of course, tastes strongly of honey. It is a fermented beverage made without fruit—as in wine--or grain—as in beer. The honey and the yeast provide the flavors. Fruit and spices can be added to make different varieties of mead.
It’s a great beverage to drink when I write and when I don’t. And I know that my mead, at least, is a winner...as is the brewer.
_______________________
When Jeri writes, she tries not to drink too much while she works on her Crispin Guest Medieval Noir novels. The second in this medieval mystery series, SERPENT IN THE THORNS, will be released on September 29th. You can read more about it on her website.
If you're intrigued by Jeri's post, there are the books, of course, but you can also friend Crispin Guest on Facebook. The new time travel is way more fun than the new black.
I'm going to sit back and let you read. Me, I'm going to dream wistfully about Jeri's husband's mead.
It’s probably obvious by now that it is most difficult to consume a four-course meal while writing. The operative thing would be to have something easy to hold in one’s hand while typing with the other (is my keyboard a mess? Er…yeah, kind of.) Sometimes I simply do not have time to stop and eat a meal but would much rather continue to write. In those instances, a simple sandwich will do or leftover slices of pizza; nachos; beef jerky; mozzarella sticks…
You know, I think this is depressing me at how un-nutritious this all is. But perhaps I can redeem myself with this offering.
A few years back, I asked my husband to brew some mead for me. He’s a homebrewer and I thought it would be swell to sit, sip, and type to get me in the proper medieval mood. And since my particular brand of medieval mystery is styled a “medieval noir”—hard-boiled detective fiction set in the middle ages—it was even better since the practitioners of classic hard-boiled detective fiction were also hardened drinkers. Though mead is not bourbon we can make an exception.
My husband, always the sport, took to the task (and in fact, for the last several years, he’s been winning blue ribbons and best of shows in county fairs with his mead—I take full credit for that!) When I finally got my mead, it was a wonderful thing. If you have ever tasted the kind you can buy in liquor stores, it simply doesn’t compare.
Sipping mead and writing would, on the surface, seem like a good idea. In fact, what I wrote while in the throes of my mead-drinking seemed absolutely brilliant…until I looked at it cold stone sober the next day. What the heck...? What was I thinking? Hmm. So perhaps mixing alcohol and writing is not such a grand idea.
But what is this mead, you say? It is often referred to as honey wine, but strictly speaking, it is not a wine. It’s cooked, which puts it in the brewing category and therefore takes up shelf space with beers and ales. Mead goes way back. To China in 7000 BC and in Europe to about 2000 BC. The Ancient Greeks liked it. The Danes liked it and brought it to England for their mead hall festivities.
The keeping of bees was a necessity if one wanted some sweetness in one's life. Fruit didn't go that far and sugar--considered a spice--was priced that way. Keeping your own bees assured a few sweet treats, including mead.
It is said that young married couples would be supplied by the in-laws with enough mead for the first month of wedded life, hence the term “honeymoon,” but I don’t have a citation for that. It might just as well refer to the sweetness at the beginning of the month, but that the sweetness wanes as does the moon. Since mead is so ancient a drink I suspect such etymologies would be difficult.
The kind of mead I like best is of the sweet, slightly effervescent variety, and, of course, tastes strongly of honey. It is a fermented beverage made without fruit—as in wine--or grain—as in beer. The honey and the yeast provide the flavors. Fruit and spices can be added to make different varieties of mead.
It’s a great beverage to drink when I write and when I don’t. And I know that my mead, at least, is a winner...as is the brewer.
_______________________
When Jeri writes, she tries not to drink too much while she works on her Crispin Guest Medieval Noir novels. The second in this medieval mystery series, SERPENT IN THE THORNS, will be released on September 29th. You can read more about it on her website.