Would You Like Some Milk with That Serial?

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, magazines were a large and thriving industry. But the word “magazine” referred to something quite different than the shiny, advertisement-filled publications found on racks today. Around the turn of the century, popular monthly magazines such as Everybody’s, McClure’s, and Munsey’s ran from around 100 to 150 pages, sometimes including thirty or more stories, articles, and poems, and cost ten or fifteen cents per issue. Though fiction has largely disappeared from today’s magazines, in those days it was a staple—besides publications that combined fiction and nonfiction, there were many all-fiction magazines, some devoted to specific genres—love stories, adventure stories, Westerns, mysteries, and more.

Prince Edward Island: What Other Island is There?

“When I’m on Prince Edward Island in the summer I always understand an old Scotch Islander I met once in Winnipeg. He was always talking of ‘the Island.’ Somebody once asked him, ‘What island do you mean?’ He simply looked at that ignorant man. Then he said, ‘Why, Prince Edward Island, mon. What other island is there?’”

~ from Kilmeny of the Orchard

Lucy Maud Montgomery's Birthplace

Not many authors can claim to have single-handedly put their home on the map. But when most people hear the name Prince Edward Island, the first thing likely to come to their minds is Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her Anne of Green Gables series made her famous around the world and made Prince Edward Island one of the most beloved literary landmarks ever. Is there anyone who hasn’t longed to live in Avonlea after reading those books?

The Ettrick Shepherd and the Ballad of Kilmeny

In Lucy Maud Montgomery's Kilmeny of the Orchard, the title character owes her name, and perhaps a bit of her air of tragedy and mystery, to the ballad "Kilmeny" by Scottish poet James Hogg. The poem appeared in a collection published in 1813, The Queen's Wake, which catapulted him into stardom and earned him the nickname "The Ettrick Shepherd."

The ballad is well known to the characters of the story and is referenced several times, notably after the hero of the story, Eric Marshall, first encounters the beautiful and mysterious Kilmeny in her hidden orchard and learns more about her from the townsfolk:

Vintage Happy Hour with Jenny Q: Old-Fashioneds in the Orchard

In Kilmeny of the Orchard, Prince Edward Island is an idyllic little summer getaway for Eric Marshall. A place to relax and enjoy the rustic isolation from the worries of the mainland, to embrace a slower pace and a more simple style of living, and to wander into an old orchard and fall in love beneath the boughs of an apple tree.

We've had a gorgeous little two-day reprieve from the scorching heat and stifling humidity here in Virginia, and it's shaping up to be the perfect evening to sit outside with a refreshing beverage, so I thought for this edition of Vintage Happy Hour I'd serve up some fruity twists on an old classic in honor of Kilmeny, Prince Edward Island, and lazy summer days! The Old-Fashioned is one of the earliest known cocktail recipes, and in fact, in 1806, the definition of "cocktail" was the recipe for an Old-Fashioned: "a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar." Though the term "Old-Fashioned" wouldn't come into use until the 1880s.

Extra! Extra! England Crowns a New King, Zeppelins Fly, The Fight of the Century Sparks Riots

Our sweet romance release, Kilmeny of the Orchard, was written in 1910 and set on Canada's Prince Edward Island. It's easy to get lulled by the idyllic isolation of the island in the novel, but in reality the world in 1910 was becoming more and more connected, and events occurred across the globe that would have far-reaching repercussions. Here's a sampling of headlines from other parts of the world in 1910:

May 6:  George V becomes King of the United Kingdom upon the death of his father, Edward VII. He wrote in his diary, "I have lost my best friend and the best of fathers ... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief but God will help me in my responsibilities and darling May will be my comfort as she has always been. May God give me strength and guidance in the heavy task which has fallen on me."

Enhanced ebook: Kilmeny of the Orchard by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Get it today for 99¢!

A sweet and moving romance from the author of the beloved

Anne of Green Gables series!

Eric Marshall, recent college graduate, has the world at his feet. He’s handsome, popular, wealthy, and surprisingly, single. Living the bachelor lifestyle with his widowed father, he’s never given much thought to romance. When an old school friend asks Eric to substitute teach for him on Prince Edward Island while he recuperates from an illness, Eric thinks, why not? He’s got some time to kill before diving into the family business with his father, and the rustic island may be a good diversion for him.

Eric falls into the easy routine of island life, and his status as eligible bachelor endears him to the locals. Eric is still not thinking of romance, but he’s about to find it in a most unexpected place…