Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter! I’m excited to bring you bonus content each month with a special inside look at my novels and the history behind them.
New Year’s Resolutions, but Religious
Have you made a New Year’s Resolution? How about chosen a Patron Saint of the Year? In the Catholic Church, each saint is the patron of a particular area of life, usually based on how they lived their own life, but not always. This basically means that, when we are going through a similar situation, we ask them to pray for our needs, similar to how we ask any of our friends or family to pray for us. In this way, we honor the saints, but only pray to and worship God.
I have many patron saints in my personal life and also patron saints for each of my book characters (if my characters were real people and needed to pray for things.) The graphic below shows only a few of the many saints I love. If you’d like to learn more about any of these saints, or about the patron saints for my other series, reply to this email and let me know!
If you want to choose a personal saint for 2024, but don’t know where to start, Tiny Saints has a Saint of the Year generator on their website. Tiny Saints offers miniature versions of the saints that can be attached to a keychain, purse, backpack, etc. Sign up for Tiny Saints’ emails to receive frequent coupons. (Note: I’m not being paid to promote this company. I just love their products.)
Which saint did you get? Reply and let me know! Mine was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who encourages devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and is fitting as the Catholic Church is currently within our National Eucharistic Revival.
Lighting the Way
A few weeks ago, my son’s school visited a site where they roleplay in different careers and learn how the various areas work together. He was assigned the role of an electrical line worker, which led to some good conversations about trades.
Trades such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and bricklayers are in high demand because they are typically under-appreciated, despite their importance to society. Trades keep things going, especially electricians who are essential to lighting, computer mainframes, HVAC units, the internet, etc. Without electricity, we would literally be left in the dark. (Ask me about my favorite post-apocolyptic novels and movies. No, seriously, ask. I love those things.)
Before electricity, lamps had to be filled with oil, candles were handcrafted, and a sharp axe helped chop wood for the fire. From the 16th to mid-20th centuries, lamplighters were employed specifically to light and maintain street lamps. There are still a few places that have lamplighters, but they are rare.
I like the poem above by Robert Louis Stevenson, because it speaks of a world when society not only depended on lamplighters, but when children aspired to have such a role. My novel, Across Oceans, set in 1912, notes that, “The lamplighter emerged right on schedule. His nightly routine flickered the roads into life with dozens of glowing pools under the moon’s waning form.” After this, the lamplighter isn’t mentioned again, but this tiny detail would have been extremely important to the characters. After this quote, two of the characters have an intimate discussion that changes the course of their futures. Without the lamplighter, they wouldn’t have ventured out into the darkness, stayed home instead, and it all would have ended much differently.
Who else always shoots more than they can carry?
Does anyone else see the black screen with the bright green and get a little nostalgic for grade school computer class? I know I do. While researching For a Noble Purpose, I discovered an online version of the popular Oregon Trail computer game listed on Oregon’s Tourism site. They also have a link to purchase the card game version, which I own and recommend. This type of research may not be very “researchy,” but it sure is a fun blast from the past.
Until next month, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey
Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com
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