St George's Day Quick 5*

by Anna Sugden

*Actually, I'm a day early.

Still, as this is my day to blog and I am English *g*, I'm making it a special celebration for tomorrow's official St George's Day.

I'm sure you all know that St George is the patron saint of England and have heard one of the many versions of the tale about him and the dragon.

Some of you will be surprised to know that the flag which represents England is not the Union Jack, but the flag of St George. The Union Jack is the flag of the United Kingdom - each of the countries within, have their own flag.

In recent years, the flag of St George has grown in popularity and you'll often see it associated with sporting events or occasions of national pride.

Also, did you know that while we sing God Save the Queen as our National Anthem, that too is for the United Kingdom. When we want to sing the anthem for England, we sing the rousing hymn Jerusalem.

As for England's national dish, many would say it is either fish & chips or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding ... I'm happy with either choice *g*, though I'd be happy with a Devonshire cream tea too!

And, of course, our national flower is the rose, the national animal is the lion (because we have so many of those roaming our fields!) and I think the national bird is the robin.

So, in honour of St George's Day, here is a Quick Five about where you live:

1. Does your state (for state, you can have province, region or country if that suits better) have a flag and what does it look like?

2. Does your state have a hymn or song?

3. What is your state's flower?

4. What is your state's signature dish?

5. Does your state have a bird and/or animal to represent it?

What's more, I'll throw in some Cadbury's for one lucky commenter!

What I Did On My Easter Vacation by Terri Brisbin

with Anna Sugden

Way back in January, the fabulous Terri Brisbin visited us in the Lair. A number of you asked if she would return and tell us all about her then upcoming trip to England and Scotland ... and she agreed!

I'm delighted to be able to welcome Terri back, so that she can share the details of her wonderful trip with you all. So, without further ado, here's Terri!

Hello, Banditas and visitors!

This was my fourth trip to the UK and it was a very different one from my previous ones – I began by accompanying my son and daughter-in-law’s high school group to London, stayed on with a friend for more time in London and other areas and finished with five days in Edinburgh on my own. It was, in a word, fabulous!

The week with the high school group (from Charter Tech High School in Somers Point, NJ!) was so much fun and a real challenge for me as I tried to keep up with these energetic and enthusiastic kids. Their tour guide was relentless and gives new meaning to the phrase “a leisurely 10 minute walk”. Apparently tour guides have their own universe when it comes to walking distances just as some publishing professionals have their own universe when it comes to getting back to writers on submissions.

Anyway, the highlights of that week were our five-mile walk around London on Easter Sunday in the SNOW on our first day by Westminster, along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, then over to Piccadilly Circus, through Chinatown to Covent Garden and on and on until I think I collapsed at our hotel near Regent’s Park. My favorite places were Hampton Court, (photo 1) where they were preparing a real medieval feast and where I met King Henry VIII, my day alone at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London! Many wow moments there…as we watched a ceremony that has happened every night for the last 700 years.

Once the group left, I stayed on with a writing friend who took me to the most picturesque historical manor house in Kent outside London – Ightam Mote was wonderful, all different layers of history in its rooms and buildings. (photo 2)

Then I took a train out to Bath! Roman baths, medieval cathedrals, Regency streets and stores! (photo 3) Jane Austen country!! Lovely day, lovely town, lovely tea at the Jane Austen Center and visits to the Museum of Fashion in the former Assembly Rooms which was THE place to be in Regency England. (photo 4)


My next train experience was The Flying Scotsman – from London to Edinburgh, along the east coast and the North Sea! It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day and I actually caught sight of Lindisfarne, AKA The Holy Island, off the coast as we flew by. Edinburgh was stunning – I spent the better part of a day meandering from the Castle, high on an extinct volcano, down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, stopping to look in shops, visit some historical buildings, search fruitlessly for men in kilts and have tea at a wonderful tearoom called Clarinda’s. (photo 5)

BUT, two things I did stick out in my mind as truly remarkable experiences in Scotland – one was my visit to the Signet Library and one was walking the scaffolding around Rosslyn Chapel! The Signet Library is from the early 1800’s and is stunning inside as some of the most beautiful architecture of its time (ours, too!). I can see Regency era balls being held there. . . and expect to see it in one of my stories, too. (photo 6)

At Rosslyn Chapel, they are still working on renovations and preservation and after taking a tour inside the chapter (yes! There really are American maize and aloe cactus carved into the walls, and strange pagan symbols and Templar artifacts….wooooooo!) The best part was climbing the scaffolding up three stories to the roof – ohmigosh – I was within reach of exquisitely-carved medieval flying buttresses! Okay – that’s probably not very exciting for most people but for history lovers or writers, but the views and the stonework took my breath away. . . or maybe it was the height? Part of the view was the ruins of Roslyn Castle, to the south of the chapel, and made with the same rose-colored stone that gleams pink in the sun. (photo 7)

So, did I exhaust you with that? Whew! It was a busy almost-three week adventure that could only be topped by. . . a 23-hour long trip home from Glasgow to London to Chicago to Philly. But, it was such a wonderful trip that I’ve already begun a list of things I want to see on the next trip….

Like men in kilts!


Terri has been writing romance fiction since 1995 and has had 16 historical and time-travel romances published by Berkley-Jove and Harlequin Historicals. When not living the glamorous life of a romance author in the southern NJ suburbs, Terri spends her time being a wife to one, mom to three boys as well as a dental hygienist to hundreds. Active in several RWA local chapters, Terri currently serves on the Board of Directors of Romance Writers of America.

To find out more about Terri and her books, please visit her newly redesigned website: http://www.terribrisbin.com/

You certainly exhausted me, Terri! Other than the flight back, it sounded wonderful. I bet there are loads of people here who would love to have gone with you.

So, for a bit of fun ... and some fab prizes ... we're asking you to give us your pitch for why Terri should pack you in her suitcase and take you along for her next trip. The best ones will win a goody from Terri's trip or an autographed book or an ARC of her forthcoming book POSSESSED BY THE HIGHLANDER.