But it’s really hard for us to know in this day and age just how much of an impact Masonry had on the founders of our country. Like the mythology surrounding the Knights Templar, it’s intriguing for those of us who write fiction, but it’s a fine line between fiction and fact.

One interesting site I found stated: “Benjamin Franklin was a Freemason whose unique socializing skills included attending gatherings of the English Hell Fire Club, a secret society focused on sex, pornography and politics.” (Darn, talk of the Hell Fire Club gives me ideas! But I digress.) So, according to legend, one of our best-known founding fathers was not only a pious Freemason and serious student of the sciences, but also a bit of a bad boy. Interesting. (Thanks to the Unencyclopedia for the hilarious image.)

Now I have to admit to not having read the Da Vinci Code. Mea culpa. I figure I’ll catch the movie someday on cable. (LOL) But I did read Two Crowns for America by Katherine Kurtz a long time ago. She’s not the first, nor the last I’m sure, to intermix real history with interesting ideas that came from the writer’s imagination. I think some of the best fantasy mixes real history - or ideas from it - with fantastical ideas straight out of the imagination. Hence the success of things like the Da Vinci Code, Kurtz’s Adept series (which I love) and so many other works of fiction including the popular National Treasure movies with Nicholas Cage.

So in that spirit of mysticism and adventure, Happy Birthday America! ]]> http://biancadarc.com/blog/2008/07/03/july-4th-fantasy/feed/ http://biancadarc.com/blog/2008/05/26/the-phoenix-has-landed/ http://biancadarc.com/blog/2008/05/26/the-phoenix-has-landed/#comments Mon, 26 May 2008 12:39:39 +0000 Bianca D'Arc Space Holidays http://biancadarc.com/blog/2008/05/26/the-phoenix-has-landed/  

It was a beautiful by-the-book landing for the Phoenix last night on Mars. Just think of it, we landed on another planet. How cool is that?

I guess what I forgot in the hustle and bustle of life on Earth is that we already have a bunch of stuff going on on Mars. There are two American sattelites orbiting the planet already, in addition to at least one from Europe. (Not sure who else might have something orbiting around up there.) And there were those two rovers - Spirit and Opportunity - that were rolling around, taking samples and photos of rocks. So Mars is becoming something that we’re beginning to know a lot more about.

This latest mission is a stationary unit that will dig into the Martian soil and analyze what it finds. It’s up near the pole, so chances are good it might encounter Martian ice. This would be the first time a human craft encounters water on another planet. Again, I have to ask - how cool is THAT???

Aside from the goings on in space, I also just wanted to take a moment to remember our servicemen, veterans and POW’s on Memorial Day.

I went to a concert over the weekend with my parents (I bought the tickets as a gift) where a group of foreign-born musicians surprised the crowd by playing “America The Beautiful” in a coliseum packed with probably somewhere around 30,000 people. Many of the attendees at this concert were like my Mom - born in another country - so I didn’t expect them to really respond. I have to tell you, I was surprised and touched when every single person in that coliseum rose to their feet and sang along. And people say New Yorkers aren’t patriotic!

Congratulations!

Please email me with your choice of book from my backlist and thanks to everyone who played.

It’s that weird day that only happens once every four years, so to celebrate, I’m doing an impromptu giveaway!

To enter: Send me an email at: BIANCADARC AT GMAIL.COM with the subject line “Leap Day Giveaway” and the answer to the following question: “Who are the main characters in Davin’s Quest?”

I’ll pick one winner at random tomorrow - deadline is midnight Pacific time tonight (to give everyone a chance to enter) - and announce it here. The winner gets to choose one free PDF download of one of my backlist books. Good luck!

To celebrate my 2nd anniversary as a published author, I’m giving away a free PDF download of my very first book, Maiden Flight, to one lucky winner. So if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to enter!

To enter, send an email to: biancadarc AT gmail.com with the subject line “Maiden Flight” and just tell me how you found my blog and anything you might like to see more of on the blog, in the newsletter (if you receive it), or on my website or my chat group (if you’re a member). Really, just any observations or comments on my web presence and how to make it better would be much appreciated.