A Snippet of This...

 

Here we are, already winging our way through May. So much has been going on here in my little writing room that I haven't had much time to jump on the socials, so, a little recap this morning. 

First of all, I have a book signing coming up on May 23rd at one of my favorite local book stores, Page & Palette in Fairhope Alabama. I'll be there signing copies of "Notable Women of Alabama" and a few other titles from 1pm to 3pm. I hope to see you there. 

It was a pleasure to attend the opening of the new Local Authors room at the Fairhope Public Library, and humbled to have my books on the shelf next to some of the great authors from the town. It's like our friend, cartoonist J.C. Crow says, there are so many authors in Fairhope that you can

The opening of the new Local Authors room at the Fairhope Public Library. There are so many amazing authors from the town that, as cartoonist J.D. Crow says, you can't sling a cat without hitting one.

That's just a brief - very brief - summary of what's been happening here at the Writing Ranch. But before I go, I thought I'd share a bit of a piece I wrote while I was working on my cozy mystery, "Dead Air." The mystery takes place at a radio station in 1943. While researching the book, I became fascinated with the subject of weddings in that time period, during World War II. I was especially interested in how couples managed a ceremony during a time when rationing made everyday life difficult, let alone planning for a wedding. Here it is. Enjoy, and have a wonderful week:

The number of weddings that took place between 1941 and 1945 increased dramatically. Couples felt a sense of urgency to get married before the groom was shipped off to fight in Europe or Japan. In 1942, for example, 1.8 million weddings took place in the United States alone, an increase of 83 percent from only 10 years prior, with two-thirds of those brides marrying men who were newly enlisted in the military.

In New York City, the Little Church Around the Corner in Manhattan held over 2,000 weddings between 1942 and 1943. The church’s rector, Rev. Dr. Randolph Ray, told reporters that if he presided over only three ceremonies in the morning and three in the afternoon, he considered that to be a quiet week.

Food rationing also significantly impacted weddings, particularly due to the reduced availability of sugar. Food ration coupons allowed families to obtain 26 pounds of sugar per year, roughly 8 oz. or half pound per week. Still, clever homemakers and bakers found ways around this restriction by creating low or no-sugar cake recipes, which became known as Victory Cakes or War Cakes.

The images below are actual 1943 Victory Cake recipes that appeared in newspapers around the country and promotional booklets produced and distributed by the Crisco company, makers of the famous shortening, and Swans Down Cake Flour. Many were adapted into war time wedding cakes.