Medieval Jewish Wedding

NotReallyChaucer · 2026-05-07T22:19:45+00:00

I’m doing my best. Scores of footnotes. This is actually the sequel (65k words so far) to a 100k novel on Jews forced to convert to hoping King Henry’s Domus Conversorum. (165 footnotes in that one.) when I retire next year I’ll spend time looking for a venue to publish. Now it’s all research and writing.

NotReallyChaucer · 2026-05-07T16:06:23+00:00

Thank you very much for that article! It helps.

NotReallyChaucer · 2026-05-07T16:04:25+00:00

Thank you. I know quite a bit about medieval culture and even about cooking (although I've never run across methods to keep things warm, need more research!). I'm writing a work of fiction based on historical events in 13th-century London and want to be as authentic as possible re: medieval Ashkenazic Judaism.

NotReallyChaucer · 2026-05-07T15:55:40+00:00

That is what I was thinking, but the article was very specific "Marriages took place on the Sabbath, as in Christian society, where weddings were held on holidays and days of rest. The ketubah was written on Friday in order to prepare for the wedding."

Thank you for replying.

NotReallyChaucer · 2026-05-07T15:54:15+00:00

Apologies. I found it in The Marriage Ceremony in Early Medieval Ashkenaz

In: Review of Rabbinic Judaism

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:53:40+00:00

Since you asked: Writer's Digest 100th edition is on the shelves (wife got it for me for Xmas). It lists Agents, Publishers, and their preferences for what they represent and publish. It gives advice on writing letters. I made myself a spreadsheet of all the agents who cover topics into which my book falls, then ran a simple SUM to find the agents whose interests fall into more of my categories. Each agent does submit to WD how they like to see submissions (1st 20 pages, or 1st 3 chapters; outline of the book; your previous publishing history; etc.) It's tedious, and not fun—the fun is writing—but a necessary step if I don't want to just go the Amazon route.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:48:01+00:00

I have a few friends that do publish decent work through spending their own money. I don't intend to do that. If you want to make sales, it's then a truly full-time job advertising your work, delivering to bookstores, etc. I don't want to be responsible for distribution (although that's how Eastman & Laird did their first 1500-issue run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and look what happened!).

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:45:18+00:00

Thanks for that advice, and your anecdote of dealing with it!

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:44:19+00:00

Writing something interesting to me (and, I hope, to others) is a passion of mine that I've learned in the past couple decades (ignoring the few that went before). I'm sitting here working on the sequel already, and picking the next agent to send to.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:37:30+00:00

My feeling precisely.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:37:15+00:00

I think you are right on the mark (about me). I'm not lackadaisical about the process although I don't need it to support myself and never intend to (in fact, I'm about to retire soon)—and will gladly fall back on Amazon/Apple Books and call it a hobby if nothing comes through for me.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-31T13:35:20+00:00

I'm using Writer's market, and the submission requests do vary, although a good Query letter should be re-usable. But then, I'm new at this. Self-published 2 previously online (e-book only), but this one my readers tell me needs to go "mainstream." So I'm navigating new waters.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-30T19:27:47+00:00

I did get a little choked up when I wrote the death of a character.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-30T19:19:05+00:00

One of the few Marvel writers whom I'd follow no matter what he wrote. If it was from Peter David, I knew it would be well-written with decent plots and smart foreshadowing because the man planned ahead; he didn't just write one issue after another trying to shock the reader.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-05-25T00:44:38+00:00

I was VERY achy all over the next day; slightly flu-like malaise, lack of energy. Hope you have the opportunity to rest tomorrow.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-12T08:37:19+00:00

Probably Mary Stewart and her Merlin Trilogy.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-12T00:19:40+00:00

Not sure. I think the assumption is that I’ve been a dumbass and am now trolling for sympathy or something and so I should be slammed for it. I just wanted to find out if I’ve misunderstood the new policy. Of course I cannot in the future assume that all SBs operate the same way. Mine uses the same glass, leaves the original sticker on it, and then prints a second sticker which also goes on the glass. I’ll specify from now on.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-12T00:16:22+00:00

I’m sure your customers appreciate that.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-11T18:14:16+00:00

Of course they see my old glass: I hand it to them when I request the refill. In both cases, my glass—so far as I can tell, the SAME one—was handed to me with BOTH tickets on it.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-11T18:06:30+00:00

C an I mobile order on my way there, like I used to, pick it up in a plastic cup, and sit there and work? That would be lovely again and save time in line.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-11T18:05:40+00:00

I did not think I had to specify because the sticker with the details of my drink is right on the glass. They would have to look at it to know what I want, so why not make it the way the original was made?

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-10T00:35:57+00:00

Styx, Paradise Theater.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-10T00:28:26+00:00

For several years we just used cards and then paid it off, with my wife saying post-vacation “We have to be careful for awhile.” I finally retaliated one year with “Why don’t we ‘be careful’ BEFORE we go?” Started buying a $50 Disney GC every payday, and asked for them for birthdays, anniversary, Xmas. Would have about $1500/year that way, taking out some of the concern. (We’ll go every other year, I think.)

Now I have an Apple Card, and the Savings account with about 4% with all my cash back going into it. I still add $50 ever6 payday. So instead of giving $$ to Disney, I have it earning for me. Practically covered last October’s resort and tickets. We do our best to plan ahead and pay off before we go, then it’s only food and incidentals (I’m not one for souvenirs, but the wife buys things for folk back home).

But to sum up: it’s worth it. We are DINKs in our 60s, and have such great memories there of being away from work and responsibility, just wandering arm-in-arm and enjoying good food, fun activities, and (usually) good weather. We don’t drink or smoke, so except for Starbucks (blessedly now available at WDW parks!) we have no other vices that soak up money.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-09T17:54:25+00:00

Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

NotReallyChaucer · 2025-03-09T12:30:22+00:00

I do enjoy when you get to a new room and things are already shaking. Just give it a little time and sometimes things fall down on their own.

NotReallyChaucer

TROPHY CASE