Celia Martin Blog

  Sometimes I like to just post some info about life in the 17th century. In this case, I put forward a little info on crime and punishment. If someone was accused of a crime, they were locked in jail until the trial came up. Might have to wait a month or more depending on when the judge might hold court. 12 men juries were selected (no women allowed) and when the trial ended the jurymen were locked up with no food or drink until they came to a unanimous decision. Up until 1670, if the judge didn't like the decision, the jury could be locked up until they reached the decision the judge wanted. You have to plead guilty or not or you will be slowly squashed until you plead or die. You aren't allowed a lawyer, but you can question the witnesses against you. You don't have the right to remain silent when questioned. The protection of land and property is of utmost importance. You can be hanged if found guilty of stealing something of 12 pennies of more - however, if you kill so...

  If you like romances with lots of adventure, check out this excerpt from my 17th century, Taking A Chance. Delphine Lotterby woke to muffled voices and the heavy tread of footsteps on the stairs. “Which door?” a grating voice demanded. She could not make out the frightened answer to the demand, but she did not need to know what was said. Her hand found the horse pistol on the small table beside her bed. “Mistress …” came her maid’s querulous voice, and Delphine hissed, “Keep low, Tatty.” At the same instant she heard her door latch jiggled, and the grating voice said, “Door is locked.” A second, deeper voice said, “I will take care of that.” Delphine raised the pistol, and holding it steady with both hands, pointed it at her door as it burst open with a loud crash. The lantern from the corridor showed her a bear of a man standing in her doorway. When he took a step toward her, she fired. Sparks and smoke belched from the pistol’s mussel and the report roared in her ears. With a y...

  Please check out this article I wrote for WWWB Historical Fiction and Accuracy http://booksbywomen.org/historical-fiction-and-accuracy-by-celia-martin/ by Celia Martin Historical Fiction and Accuracy BOOKSBYWOMEN.ORG Historical Fiction and Accuracy AND THE GROUND TREMBLED

 As I learn to use my blog, I mean to post many things. In this case, I am posting an excerpt from my first book, To Challenge Destiny. My books are set in the 17th century in England and Colonial America. They are romances, yes, but they are full of adventure and history. They have strong women, lots of fun characters, and sweet love stories. In this excerpt, you will get a sample of some of the adventure. Adler’s knees wobbled. His heart pounded in his ears. He had heard how the Indians tortured people. Dying at their hands would not come easy. But what had he missed? His guide had continued speaking. Had they been offered a reprieve? He heard Latty saying, “We accept the combat.” What combat? What had they accepted? The villagers started talking and shouting. They began moving away from the river and Adler found he and Latty were being swept along with the crowd. Again reverting to English, Latty said, “Shall you or I take on their challenger? To be honest, I have been in few ...