Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Book Blog Tours: Will Write For Wine & Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard by Sara McBride

Uncategorized 7 Minutes

Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard is a collection inspired by Venetian history. The fictional character, Alexis Lynn, wrote these stories in the novel Will Write for Wine by Sara W. McBride, but they are fun stand-alone adventures to be enjoyed with an excellent glass of Italian wine.

https://www.puckpublishing.com

Giveaway

In addidtion, to the awesome guests posts, interview, and reviews at each tour stop, Sara is offerin a chance to win a digital copy of each book, Will Write For Wine & Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard. Leave a comment and click on the link below to enter for a chance to win:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9280cae1/?

Inspiration for the story ‘The Secret Vault’ – Guest post by author Sara W. McBride

Image of Soave with Castle in background
Credit: Photo by Michael Martinelli on Unsplash

What inspired the story, “The Secret Vault?”

            The story, “The Secret Vault,” was inspired by Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. But how did I get from the elevated ramparts of Soave castle to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto? The history behind this short story spans decades, but the story takes place in less than 72 hours. This was definitely the most challenging story to write in the collection and it also had the double duty of leading to an argument between the two main characters in the novel Will Write for Wine, where Alexis Lynn is the “author” of these stories.

          On my first visit to Venice in 2005, I was shocked by the fact that the leading cosmopolitan trading city of the Renaissance, with its extreme religious tolerance—by 16th century standards—established the first Jewish ghetto. Actually, the first was in Frankfurt, Germany, but the second was in Venice, and the Venetian ghetto became the template for all other ghetto’s around the world. The word “ghetto” was founded by Venice, as ghèto was the word for the copper foundry that originally stood on the small seven acre island in the Cannaregio district, which in 1516, became the Gheto Novo, or New Ghetto.   

In the 15th and 16th century, Venice was a safe haven for Jewish refugees escaping many parts of Europe, including other regions of Italy. Jews were allowed to operate businesses in Venice, but were not allowed to reside in Venice. Why?

In this story, I speculated that the patricians, the noble families of Venice, often led by Francesco Cornaro’s father, Giorgio Cornaro (1452-1527, aka: Corner), might have had personal financial reasons for suppressing Jewish freedom. The wealth of the Cornaro/Corner family was created by their money-lending practices, amongst other pursuits. I speculated that if Giorgio Cornaro’s son, Francesco, returned with a story of military loss and murder, orchestrated by a Jew, then it might persuade the other members in the Council of Ten to continue their suppression of Jews and oppose residency.

However, in 1516, the Jewish community in Venice negotiated for residency within the city of Venice, and the Senate designated the old copper foundry, the ghèto, as a Jewish residence, and the bridge gates surrounding the island were locked each night. It was an interesting way to simultaneously include and exclude the Jews from Venetian society. After only twelve short years, the Jews felt secure enough in their new residence to build synagogues, so even if they had to wear a yellow insignia or hat to distinguish themselves from Christians, Jews embraced their city residence. Their community grew, and they created more living spaces by building upwards on their small prison island.

I speculated that the old Venetian Patrician families were not anti-Semitic, but felt financially threatened by some of the Jewish merchants and moneylenders. Many of the Patrician families owned and operated banks. Several other powerful families had amassed enormous debts, and some were indebted to Jews. Suppressing the Jews meant maintaining power within the wealthy Patrician class.    

So how does Soave Castle fit into this and does it really have secret tunnels?

The fabulous Castle of Soave really did have a tunnel connecting its main keep to a wine vault. Whether an additional tunnel led from the vault, under the city wall, and eventually opened in a monastery a half mile away, is speculative based on other European castles where such escape tunnels existed.

The general outline of the events in this story is true. Maximillian I, who the Warrior Pope, Julius II (Papal reign 1503-13–the Pope who tortured Michelangelo under a famous ceiling), declared as the Holy Roman Emperor without a proper church coronation, led the League of Cambria, essentially armies gathered from Europe, against Northern Italy. Soave Castle was a stronghold protecting the Veneto region and Venice from invasion. The castle is a gorgeous sight to behold, especially at sunrise or sunset. You should check it out and partake in some excellent wine tasting within the walled city of Soave.

From the history page of the castle’s website:

https://www.castellodisoave.it/en

It was the year 1509 when the army of the Lega di Cambrai, led by imperor Massimiliano I° d’Asburgo, defeated the fortress resistance.

Short after, the castle was regained by Venetians guided by Paolo Gradenigo, but just until the spring of 1510, when the imperial troops reconquered it.

In September of the same year, Soave’s people, led by Antonio Marogna, revolted and after, as chronicle states, ‘having chopped to pieces’ the imperial guards they handed over the fortress to the Venetians by opening its doors.

Massimiliano I, d’Asburgo (aka: Maximillian I of the house of Habsburg) passed the “Imperial Confiscation Mandate,” which ordered the destruction of all Jewish literature apart from the Bible. So, did a Jew really work for him? Yes!

The character of Abraham is a real figure from history. Abraham ben Moses Jaffe of Bohemia (1450-1535) was a prominent 16th century Bohemian Jewish banker and money lender and lent money to European and German royalty and nobility—like the House of Habsburg—in exchange for social privileges. He is known to have leant money to Maximilian I during the League of Cambria wars. It is also true that Abraham’s mother, Margolioth bat Samuel HaLevi, was considered an extremely educated woman, and so respected in the Jewish community that some of her descendants, like Abraham’s brother, adopted the second surname Margolioth.

Instead of following his mother’s example of studied wisdom, in 1512 he persuaded the King of Poland to pronounce him Prefect over the Jewish community and to become the tax collector for the Jewish poll tax in Poland. This enriched both the King and Abraham. The Jewish community of Kraków was so disgusted by Abraham’s mistreatment of his own people, they banned him from their society.

For the story, I speculated that Abraham was a man who solely protected his own self-interest and not that of the Jewish community, as his historical actions demonstrated shortly after the battle at Soave in 1510.

While visiting Venice or Northern Italy, I highly recommend a day trip to Soave. The landscape is breathtaking and the wine is delicious. And perhaps you’ll meet a ghost from one of the many bloody battles fought within Castello di Soave.

Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

“If you’re wondering about the story that made Manu so angry he banished me from Venice, it’s in here.” –Alexis Lynn

Get ready for a fun evening of stories inspired by Venetian history. Thrill to the adventures of money-laundering plague nuns, a pregnant Renaissance man, a demonic Doge at the Devil’s Bridge, and other tales of ghosts, art, and love. 

Following in the footsteps of Lord Byron’s obsession with Venetian history, Alexis Lynn wrote these stories in the novel, Will Write for Wine. We proudly share these standalone stories with you over the objection of her paramour Manu, a modern-day Casanova and illegitimate descendent of Lord Byron himself. 

So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite vino, let your dog or cat curl up at your feet (or let your cat do whatever it wants), and settle into these mostly … partly … somewhat true tales. 

In vino est fictio.

Purchase Link:https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Stole-Lord-Byrons-Bastard-ebook/dp/B0B27TS5GL

Will Write For Wine

Alexis Lynn is tired of living for others. She chucks her twenty year scientific career, and possibly her marriage, to write full time in Venice, Italy. But when Alexis gets involved with a flirtatious Venetian, a man who champions her writing, events spiral out of control. The old Alexis knows she should salvage her marriage, but the new Alexis is quickly falling for the charms of this modern day Casanova. And she doesn’t know which Alexis will prevail. This is going to require a whole lot of wine.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Write-Wine-Alexis-Novel/dp/0990767043

About Sara W. McBride

Sara W. McBride, like many modern-day biological researchers, invents new swear words to sling at million-dollar machines while locked in a dark hole of a decaying academic hall. This has caused her to witness ghosts and create a romantic fantasy life within her head, which she now puts down on very non-technological paper with her favorite Jane Austen style quill pen. 

Her first novel in the Alexis Lynn series, Will Write for Wine, and the companion short story collection, Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard, both set in Venice, Italy, were recently released by Puck Publishing. She’s hard at work on the second Alexis Lynn novel, a Regency mystery series, and a haunted play. She strongly feels the world needs more haunted plays.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, June 27 – Opening Day Post – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for the Devil’s Bridge” & Review of Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

Tuesday, June 28 – Showers of Blessings – Guest Post: Inspiration for “Stealing Georgione’s Mistress”

Wednesday June 29 – Carla Loves to Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Masked Kiss”

Thursday, June 30 – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for “A Dowry for Safron” & Interview with Sara W. McBride

Friday, July 1 – Zigler’s News – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Pregnant Man” & Review of Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

Saturday, July 2 – Annette Rochelle Aben– – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Haunted Palazzo”

Sunday, July 3 – Roberta Writes – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Secret Vault”

Monday, July 4 – Wrap-Up Post – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for Will Write for Wine & Review of Will Write for Wine

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

60 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Book Blog Tours: Will Write For Wine & Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard by Sara McBride”

    2. Hi John, your blog is hilarious and entertaining. I’m also a huge Michael Caine fan! Have you ever seen “The Trip,” starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon? They spend half the movie doing imitations of Michael Caine. It’s fabulous!
      I like to think of Lord Byron as the Michael Caine of the Regency era.
      Thanks for commenting! – Sara

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  2. Reblogged this on Writing to be Read and commented:
    On Day 7 of the WordCrafter “Will Write For Wine” & “Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard” Book Blog Tour, we’re over at “Roberta Writes”, where we have another inspirations guest post by author Sara W. McBride. Join us to learn about the inspiration behind her story “The Secret Vault” and learn more about her fabulous books!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  3. Hi Robbie. Thank you for hosting. You’ve set up a lovely post. 🙂

    Sara, your inspirations are – inspirational! But seriously, learning the inspirations behind all of your stories has been truly enlightening. It seems that you see stories everywhere you go, which is really cool. Thanks for sharing with us. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hi Priscilla, I just subscribed to your blog! I love horror and I’m excited to follow your horror writing journey. This collection has a couple of fun ghost stories you might like. The novel, Will Write for Wine, in which Alexis Lynn writes all the stories, is a romantic comedy with the occasional ghost. After all, it’s Venice. Every part of Venice is fabulously haunted.
      Both books are up on Kindle Unlimited until mid-July.
      Thanks for you comment! – Sara

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. Hi Priscilla. Lol. That is the major question throughout the novel, “Will Write for Wine”. If you’d like to know more, join us tomorrow for my review of that one and Sara’s inspiration for it. Thanks for visiting here and supporting Sara and the tour. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. Hi Robbie, thanks for following so much of the blog tour and for today’s beautiful post. This is the story that led Manu, the modern-day Casanova in Will Write for Wine, to banish Alexis, the heroine, from Venice. LOL! I think it’s the most thought-provoking story in the collection. I really enjoy researching people from history and finding the gaps that aren’t recorded, like their motivations, then speculating on how their views were formed. That’s this story.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. What fascinating history. I never did and still don’t get the discrimination against Jewish people. It’s never made any sense to me at all. The books sound interesting and highly creative. Congrats to Sarah on her new releases and her tour. Thanks for hosting Robbie.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for dropping by and commenting, Diana. Discrimination never really makes sense, does it. I think many people are just afraid of what they don’t understand. I really love Sara’s portrayal of this segment of history. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    3. Human behavior is endlessly perplexing. I totally agree. Venice has a 1000 years of well documented history. What also greatly interests me, and also interested Lord Byron, is when the documents were distinctly missing.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  10. The castle looks great. Interesting story about the Jewish people in that historical period. I have a special sentiment about Jewish people. Congratulations to Sara on her new books. Thank you for hosting, Robbie.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  13. Pingback: Wrapping up the WordCrafter “Will Write For Wine” & “Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard” Book Blog Tour | Writing to be Read

    1. Hi Liz, that is also new to me. The Jewish people have had a very difficult time throughout history it seems. I remember reading up about the Russian pogroms as a young girl (about 12) after watching Fiddler on the Roof and learning about the persecution of the Jews from that story. I already knew about WWII through readings books like When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (I still have a copy) and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I am still disappointed that I didn’t get to visit Anne Frank’s house in April.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. Yes, it would have. A book like that is not to be taken lightly by any reader. Other books that influenced my thinking as a youngster were Fattipuffs and Thinifers by Andre Maurois, Helter Skelter (now Child of Satan, Child of God) and I am David. Interestingly, these books were all provided to me when I was 10 and 11 by Sister Agatha at the convent.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          4. Ah, okay, I didn’t recognise the name. It is a long time since I read either the old version or the new version. Maybe I had the original name wrong but I did think the original copy I had was called Helter Skelter and it was definitely by Susan Atkins.

            Like

          5. I found a book by Atkins with the title The Myth of Helter Skelter. What I remember of her from news reports at the time was that she was as scary (and twisted) as Manson. *shudder*

            Liked by 1 person

  15. Pingback: A Shard of Beauty by Traci Kenworth | Loleta Abi Romance Author

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s