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Monday 10 December 2012

The King's Carver

CONGRATULATIONS to Susan who is the winner of The Lady's Slipper picked out of the hat today!
Many thanks to everone else who stopped by my blog and made the effort to enter, wasn't it a great idea of Amy's. Hope you might have won something in the other draws.


A short post today as I'm one of the stops on the Fantastic Historical Fiction Holiday Blog Hop.

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THE LADY'S SLIPPER 
Top Pick! Swift's eye for detail and language augment this atypical debut. Compelling and intriguing, this is a well-told story full of wonderful prose and surprising events. It's a vivid addition to the genre.
--RT BookReviews
To win a copy of my debut novel THE LADY'S SLIPPER please leave a comment below. 
Giveaway Open Worldwide. Don't forget to leave an email address. One extra entry if you follow this blog, and another if you tweet my post.

As for the Historical Holiday Blog Hop - Just look at the fabulous prizes you can win! Click on the banner above to follow the other blogs on this hop.Historical Holiday Blog Hop Grand Prizes - $25 Amazon or Barnes and  Noble Gift Card - Prize package(s) from SIXTY historical novels. 

GRINLING GIBBONS
Grinling Gibbons - such a wonderful name - was the "King's Carver", in the Restoration period and was famous for beautiful carved wood decoration for St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Windsor, and the Earl of Essex's house. Legend had it that his carving was so fine that the wooden pot of carved flowers above his house in London would tremble from the motion of passing coaches.

Walpole later wrote about Gibbons: "There is no instance of a man before Gibbons who gave wood the loose and airy lightness of flowers, and chained together the various productions of the elements with the free disorder natural to each species."

Grinling Gibbons was introduced to Christopher Wren by the diarist John Evelyn who spotted him at work and was impressed by his talent. He was able to make wood appear to flow and move and was thus one of the master carvers of the Baroque style. More information about this seventeenth century sculptor in wood can be found at wanderings in eden
 or in the book, The Work of Grinling Gibbons by Geoffrey Beard
A Man's cravat, carved in lime wood by Gibbons,
courtesy of the V&A Museum
I love comments!

41 comments:

  1. Thanks for the giveaway! Merry Christmas!

    Kendal
    kinxsbooknook (at) gmail (dot) com
    @kstegmann

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you a lot for the international giveaway

    happy holidays

    gfc follower:miki
    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks so much for the giveaway! I loved The Gilded Lily and cannot wait to read The Lady's Slipper!

    I am a GFC follower (Colleen Turner).
    I tweeted (@candc320).

    Thanks!
    candc320@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the giveaway! I've heard such great things about the book- I'd love to read it.
    s.asher135 (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for the chance to win. I am a gfc follower - griperang

    I posted on twitter too - https://twitter.com/griperang/status/278239749607682048

    griperang at embarqmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the giveaway!! I am a follower via GFC as CelticLady

    momkelly2003 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. thank you for the giveaway! I hope you enjoy your holidays :)
    Gfc follower - Lily B

    lilypondreads at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd love to win this one :D
    booksforlife01 (at gmail dot com)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think men look so sexy in a cravat... just sayin'.. haha :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    martinack_75 AT hotmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the giveaway !

    maric1993(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the giveaway and Happy Holidays :)
    I follow via GFC- Kirsten!


    aircdrewood(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the giveaway. I've got The Gilded Lily on my TBR list after reading positive reviews.

    nisethusfarATyahooDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  13. This was the neatest post! I love reading about something new to me. Thank you for the chance in the giveaway. :)

    GFC and FB follower

    leahweller(at)bellsouth(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  14. Many thanks for your international giveaway. I would greatly love the chance to win, the cover is lovely :)

    amandabarrett81 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    gfc mamabunny13
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. THE LADY'S SLIPPER sounds great! Thank you for this lovely giveaway! :D

    GFC follower: Giada M.

    fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is a great giveaway! I think the book looks especially interesting and I LOVE the cover art.

    I follow via GFC: Meghan Stith

    mestith@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'd love to win this one :)

    crimson_haze(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you so much for the giveaway! Keeping fingers crossed!
    GFC: Gisele Alvarado
    Tweeted: https://twitter.com/Gisselle_Alv/status/278607441082609664

    ilepachequin(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have always wanted to read this one! The library doesn't have it :(

    Thanks for the great giveaway!!

    lafra86 at gmail dot com

    I follow via GFC: Lara Frame

    ReplyDelete
  21. Please enter me in this giveaway! I have wanted to read this book for awhile and I LOVED The Gilded Lily.

    Thanks!

    dolleygurl[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for the giveaway!

    5678dancer(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sounds like a great book!
    gfc liss125
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/LzzMrtnz/status/278876217271259136
    thanks for the int giveaway!

    lissette_125 AT hotmail DOT es

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you for this giveaway! I look forward to reading one of your books!

    marieburton2004 at yahoo dot com
    +1 Tweeted https://twitter.com/BurtonReview/status/278898031749890048

    +1 New follower

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've wanted to read this one. Thanks for the chance to win.

    nanze55 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for this awesome giveaway! I just reviewed your book, The Gilded Lily, on my blog! I am a new follower too! GFC: Chelsey

    charmingchelseys@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks for joining this hop. Lots of fun blogs and lots of new books on my reading list!

    dmccabe911@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I would absolutely LOVE to win a copy. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.

    shoshanahinla(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Gibbons' carvings are AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing that!
    shermie40 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. book sounds interesting. My to read list just grew by many,many books

    annefitza at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for the chance!
    botezatu_paula at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'd love an opportunity to win - thank you!
    I am now a follower.

    joannemccabe9 (at) cox (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you for the nice giveaway!
    GFC follower: Jennifer Haile

    volta2173 at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for the giveaway!

    nirmalachandrasiri(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. That picture of Gibbons' cravat carving is just stellar! That is amazing work, and to think that he has not been surpassed...!
    Thanks for the giveaway, and please enter me.
    Kim
    kimberlyhathorn@bellsouth.net
    GFC follower: kimberlyhathorn
    I tweeted (@rokkergrl on Twitter)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you so much for the giveaway!

    ashley.l.mikowski@gmail.com

    GFC Follower: Ashley

    ReplyDelete
  37. Looks like a retelling of Cinderella? Very cool! Thanks for the giveaway!

    GFC as Abby

    reviewsbyabby at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your books look/sound amazing!! *hugs* to the new2me author!!

    Now stalking ya on twitter - @watijo3
    GFC - brbalways

    MERRY CHRISTMAS & thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thanks for the chance to win. Great choice. nrlymrtl at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks for the giveaway!
    I follow on GFC
    I tweeted: https://twitter.com/MaureenCE/status/280782284670529537
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks for participating. I'm looking forward to exploring this genre. katieamanda1(at)yahoo(dot)com
    GFC as Katie Amanda

    ReplyDelete