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HOTEL TO THE STARS: A tribute to an Old Timer That Couldn't Be Saved

9/28/2018

Photo Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador

While I was preparing a foreword to my contemporary murder mystery, The Last Weekend In October, which was released last July, I felt the need to explain the literary license I'd taken with the timing of story. Most readers won't notice the discrepancy between fate of the famed Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel in reality and the timing in the novel, but the explanation is there for those who know the history.

NIGHTCLUB of the HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES
One of the most glamorous places in old Hollywood was the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel, home of the famed Coccanut Grove Nightclub. A product of Hollywood's golden years, the Grove was THE place to rub shoulders with the royalty of Hollywood movie industry.

The Ambassador Hotel 1939    Entrance To Coccanut Grove Nightclub Coccanut Grove Interior
California Digital Library (1939) Sylvie Auger: www.pinterest.com/pin/    Photo In 01-04-2015 "Ambassador Hotel"
www.findinglostangeles.com/ambassador-hotel    www.findinglostangeles.com/ambassador-hotel
The Ambassador hotel, designed by architect Myron Hunt, opened in 1921. It was built as a part of the Ambassador Hotel Chain, but that dissolved in 1930 and was sold to Schine Hotels. Over the years it hosted six Academy Awards ceremonies, numerous other celebrity events such as the Golden Globe Awards, and seven presidents. Some celebrities, such as Pola Negri, actually resided there.

Mary Pickford–2nd Academy Awards Marilyn Monroe at 1960 Golden Globe Awards    1943 Academy Awards Banquet
Photo:www.pinterest.com/academy-awards    Courtesy of Herald-Examiner Collection -LA Library    Photo: www.pinterest.com/baker9144/
   www.kcet.org/shows/ambassador-hotel

During the 1920's the Coccanut Grove was frequented by celebrities like Louis B. Mayer, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Howard Hughes, Clara Bow, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, and others. Do you recognize James Cagney in the photo above?

In the 1930's the regulars included Norma Shearer, Irving Thalberg, Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Jimmy Steward, Marlene Dietrich, Lana Turner, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and more. During this period many movies were filmed there.

HOTEL of PRESIDENTS
For decades, the Ambassador was the hotel of choice for presidents, diplomats, and foreign dignitaries when staying the Los Angeles area. Seven US Presidents are said to have stayed there.

On June 5, 1968, after a victory speech in the Embassy Room, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, winner of the California Democratic presidential primary, was shot along with five other people. Kennedy died one day later.

This event, combined with a decline of the neighborhood in general, signaled the demise of the hotel. In the mid-1970's Sammy Davis, Jr., headed a renovation of the Coccanut Grove, to no avail, and in 1989 the hotel closed to guests. It did remain available for private events, such as the campaign dinner in my novel, and filming television and movies.

THE END OF AN ERA
That didn't end the celebrity status of the Hotel. It remained in the limelight another ten plus years.

For some time before the close of the hotel, the Los Angeles School Board had been looking at the 23.5 acre property for a high school. When it closed Donald Trump scooped up the property for $64 million and announced he would build a 125 story tower. The School Board voted to take the property by eminent domain.

I worked for the City of Los Angeles Planning Department at that time, and we occasionally saw Donald Trump roaming the hallways of City Hall during the early 1990s. Without going into the gory details of the "Dump Trump" and "Public need over private greed" war, Trump eventually dropped out of the deal without making a penny, and the School Board ended up with the property. Then there were several years of fighting with the historic preservation community who want to save the hotel and declare it a historic monument.

The School District eventually prevailed, and the hotel was torn down in late 2005 and early 2006 (and hence the discrepancy in my novel). Today the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, comprised of six autonomous pilot schools from kindergarten-through-12th-grade, occupy the property, attended by over 4,200 students. It is touted -- and widely criticized – as the nation’s most expensive public school costing over $578 million to build.

The kitchen where Kennedy was killed can still be seen in the school library, the Coccanut Grove has become the auditorium with new doors replicating the originals, and many of the other historic features have been incorporated into the school and preserved.

Another part of campus - Photo Source: Replica of doors to the Coconut Grove The Visual and Performing Arts High School
framework.latimes.com/ambassador-hotel Photo Source: Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press
www.findinglostangeles.com/ambassador-hotel www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/

Students participate in creation of murals
http://livefastmag.com/2016/05/rfk-mural-fest-the-most-inspiring-way-to-support-arts-education-in-schools/

THE LAST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER
Overview
Psychiatrist Mark LeBonge, driven by a strong sense of justice, arrives at the group home for convicted teenage sexual abusers, where his sister has worked the night shift…and finds her murdered. When police Lieutenant Art Krantz, primary on the case, ignores Mark's suspicions about one of the boys in the half-way house, Mark enlists his sister's roommate, Karen Mitchell, to help him identify the murderer.

Mark learns from Karen that Art Krantz and his sister had an affair several years ago, which she broke off because Krantz was married. To complicate matters, he also comes to believe the boy he suspected of the murder, is possibly innocent of the crime he was convicted for.

The complex twists and turns bring Mark and Krantz into conflict and put Karen in danger as they attempt unravel crimes and conspiracy starting at a group home and ending in high level politics.

Excerpt
   Wearily, Mark got out of the car, stretching his long frame as he did so, then shot his cuffs and adjusted the tweed sports coat. Last night's rain storm left the morning air a tad cooler than brisk, chilling him even with the jacket on.
   "Why'd you have to park there, Mark?" an irritable voice greeted him.
   He glanced up. His sister's partner, Ron Philips, was climbing out of his old Honda Civic parked at the curb. Ron had worked the day shift with Hollie for the last four months. He looked his usual unkempt self in blue jeans, an old sweater with a hole in one elbow, and a day's growth of beard.
   "Good morning to you, too, Ron." Mark shot him an insincere smile. "You're on time for a change."
He didn't care for Ron's lackadaisical attitude, particularly in a counselor for such disturbed youths as these teenage sexual offenders. Granted, the job didn't pay much, but the counselors were role models to these kids. They should at least take the position seriously for the short time they worked there.
   "What the..." Ron swore as he stepped in a puddle by his car. He kicked at the rain water, splashing it onto his jeans.
   "Watch your language." Mark frowned at Ron as the younger man walked up the driveway cursing.
Ron glared at him, his hands dug into his pockets, and ignored the comment. "Your car is in my parking spot. You made me get my shoes muddy, and I'll have to take the time to move my car later."
"Bummer." Like I really care. The two of them walked up the path to the house together. "Anyway, I'm not staying. As soon as Hollie's done, we're going to breakfast. You can move your car as soon as we leave."
   "Hollie?" Ron stopped short. His eyebrows shot up, then collapsed into a puzzled frown. "She's supposed to work with me today. I thought she just got here." He gestured toward her car.
   Mark shook his head. "She pulled an emergency shift last night. I'm surprised you didn't know. Something about the night man being sick."
   Ron pulled out his keys, inserted one into the lock, and turned it. "Damn, she'll be in a charming mood." The dead bolt clicked. "Or am I alone with these brats today?" He turned the knob, but the door didn't open. "Hey, what's going on?"
   "It must have been unlocked already, and you locked it."
At that moment, a twitch of anxiety rippled through Mark. A vague sense of unease settled over him like a black cloud. It wasn't like his sister to leave the door unlocked. She was meticulous about procedure, a residual habit from her three years as a Los Angeles City cop.
   Ron turned the key in the opposite direction. Again, the dead bolt clicked, and this time the door opened. Ron stepped into the unlit entry hall.
   Mark followed, his sense of unease building. The heavy air reeked with a strange metallic odor, hovering like a recent malignant presence. A shiver skittered up his spine.
Something was wrong.
   On the threshold, Ron paused and frowned at him, his face reflecting the premonition he felt. "Do you smell something?"
   "Hollie!" Mark called.
A few paces ahead of him, Ron hurried through the living room to the kitchen, the preferred spot for the counselors on the night watch, and skidded to a stop. "Holy shit!"
   "Oh, my God!"
   Hollie's body lay on the floor, butchered in a waste of dark blood, her head twisted at an odd angle. Blood everywhere. A desperate coldness flooded Mark's body. His heart pounded against his ribcage, and his own blood drummed in his ears. Blood seemed to splash in bright globules against the retinas of his eyes.
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TRAVEL TO FOREIGN LANDS FOR ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE
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Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_Hotel_(Los_Angeles)
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/ambassador-hotel
http://theambassadorhotel.com/
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Hotels/Ambassador.shtml
http://www.rfkcommunityschools.org/Information
http://www.rfkcommunityschools.org/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1308768166559
http://lahistoryarchive.socalstudio.org/resources/CommonGround/project_files/sites.html
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-trump-ambassador-20151220-story.html
HFPA   https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/marilyn-monroe
https://www.pinterest.com/baker9144/golden-globes-1960/?lp=true
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_Hotel_(Los_Angeles)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/25192079141370447/?lp=true
https://martinturnbull.com/2012/11/09/cocoanut-grove-nightclub-ambassador-hotel-wilshire-blvd-los-angeles/
https://www.findinglostangeles.com/all-content/2017/12/13/the-ambassador-hotel
http://framework.latimes.com/2010/09/12/new-schools-rise-from-ambassador-hotel-site/#/0
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Nation-s-most-expensive-public-school-578-729128.php
http://livefastmag.com/2016/05/rfk-mural-fest-the-most-inspiring-way-to-support-arts-education-in-schools/

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NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE: Greatest Love Stories Ever Told Series

9/21/2018

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WHAT COULD BE MORE ROMANTIC?
Napoleon Bonaparte (08-15-1769 to 05-05-1821) was the first emperor of France and is considered one of the world's greatest military leaders of all times.

He was sponsor of the Napoleonic Code, revolutionized military training, education, and organization, and established the long-lived Owner/ Source of Photo: Bruun-rasmussen  https://skeel.info/    Concordat with the papacy. What could be more romantic?

I can think of a lot of more romantic things. That Napoleon was a brilliant military strategist and politician, is the sort of information we all learned in school. He was the Emperor of France and Josephine was Empress. I’d never even imagined there was a great love story there.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
The story begins six years before our hero was born, in June of 1763, when Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie was born in the French colony of Martinique. Rose, as she was called by family and friends--Napoleon changed her name to Josephine because he didn’t like the name Rose--was the daughter of a moderately wealthy aristocrat who owned a sugar plantation.
La Pagerie Sugar Plantation - The house where Josephine grew up
  Photo source: Royalty and the Atlantic World 2: Napoleon, Josephine and the French
  Caribbean; 03-10-2013 by Carolyn Harris  http://www.royalhistorian.com/napoleon-josephine

However, after hurricanes destroyed the Tascher properties in 1766, the family was left with only their aristocratic name. Josephine soon realized if she wanted to defeat her destiny, some sacrifices would be necessary, and the best way to secure the family financial status was through marriage.

Her family arranged a marriage to the wealthy Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, not for Josephine but for her younger sister Catherine who was twelve. The Tascher family was depending on the liaison to end their financial hardships, but Catherine died suddenly. Thus, Josephine took her place and married the Viscount in 1779 at the age of 16.

They had two children, but the marriage failed eventually, and in 1794 she got court authorization to separate. It scarcely mattered, since her husband was accused of being a supporter of the royalists during the Reign of Terror and was sent to the guillotine. Josephine, also jailed for four months, was freed when Robespierre was overthrown and executed.

THE MEETING
Josephine, reunited with her two children, turned to her many well-heeled friends and continued to live an active social life. Not only was she well connected, she was charming, beautiful and, reputedly, expert at living the good life and spending money, particularly other people’s money.

Despite the taint left on her departed husband’s name, Josephine became one of the most prominent women in Paris society. She had many affairs with important political and military figures, and became the mistress of Paul François Jean Nicolas, Viscount de Barras, the most politically influential man in France.

There are several fanciful tales about how she met Napoleon, but historians tend to believe they met in 1795 at a social event while accompanying Barras. Apparently, Josephine didn’t particularly like Napoleon but she realized he was an ambitious man with a sharp intelligent mind.
Josephine Bonaparte de Beauharnais -by Andrea Appiani (1796)
Source of photo: https://culturacolectiva.com/history/

Napoleon, a mere general at the time, fell in love at first sight. He began courting her at once, and his passion is expressed in the many surviving love letters he wrote when he was on campaign. She wasn’t as enthusiastic. She was at the top of the social ladder, and her suitor was younger, penniless, and less good looking than Barras. However, one source indicated Barras arranged for Napoleon be appointed commander of the French army in Italy on the condition that he’d marry Josephine.

Whether that is accurate or not, Napoleon proposed. His family was against his marrying Josephine and thought he could do better. Josephine’s friends and daughter advised her not to marry him. Not in love, Josephine still hoped that General Hoche, whom she had met in prison and had an affair with, would leave his wife and marry her. When she realized he would never do so, she accepted the proposal.

THE MARRIAGE
They were to be married in a civil ceremony at 8 pm on March 9, 1796. The written accounts of their wedding are bizarre. Absolutely nothing was normal. The wedding party arrived on time. Napoleon was four hours late, his excuse being that he was so absorbed in planning a military champagne that he’d lost track of time. The official who was supposed to marry them had left after two hours of waiting, and the ceremony was eventually performed in the middle of the night by some junior civil servant.

Josephine’s ex-lover, Barras, served as witness. Both bride and groom had lied about their ages on the marriage certificate, Josephine taking off four years and Napoleon adding eighteen months.

On their wedding night, Napoleon discovered Josephine expected her pug dog to sleep with them in the bed. He objected but eventually gave in. According to J. David Markham, www.dummies.com/education/history/ “An unamused Napoleon nevertheless attempted to claim his husbandly rights (or perform his husbandly duties, take your pick), but the miserable dog, evidently unhappy with the competition, bit him on the shin.”

It sounds a bit like an “I Love Lucy” episode.

THE NOT SO HAPPILY EVER AFTER ENDING
Regardless of their beginning, most chroniclers indicate Napoleon and Josephine shared a love and passion throughout their marriage which was genuine and kept them together despite each of them having numerous affairs. She was a good and loving mother and was particularly close to her daughter, Hortense. Napoleon was a good stepfather despite his absences.
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
http://brewminate.com/the-romance-of-josephine-and-napoleon-bonaparte/

In 1804, Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France and Josephine was crowned empress. She almost did not attend because she’d caught Napoleon in bed with another woman just a few hours before the coronation.

After fourteen years of marriage, six after he was crowned emperor, Josephine had not produced an heir. In 1810, Napoleon gave in to pressure, had the marriage annulled, and married Marie Louise of Austria (who did produce him an heir).

Napoleon loved Josephine deeply for the rest of his life, and after the divorce he ordered that she keep her title as Empresses of France. She retired to Malmaison, her estate outside Paris, alone but with considerable resources.

Without her, Napoleon’s career began to fail. When he was imprisoned in 1814, she took the news badly, fell ill, and lost the will to live. She died in May, 1814 and was buried in the church of St. Pierre-St. Paul in Rueil.

He died seven years later and his last words were for Josephine. His tomb is located in the Josephine’s Manor House Malmaison is now a
Dôme des Invalides, Paris. museum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Malmaison
AFTERWORD
Biographers and historians often slant their opinions of Josephine in the direction of her being just another opportunist or of being a victim of the times which valued women only for their ability to have children, males specifically.

I don’t believe we need to feel sorry for Josephine on any level, even if she was dumped by the emperor. She lived her life as she wanted, enjoyed more freedom than most women of the time, and achieved the position in society and politics that she desired. Together, Napoleon and Josephine are considered one of the most famous and powerful couples in history.
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Sources
http://amolife.com/reviews/top-20-most-famous-love-stories-in-history-and-literature.html
https://culturacolectiva.com/history/empress-josephine-napoleon-paintings/
https://www.dummies.com/education/history/world-history/napoleons-josephine-a-rose-by-any-other-name/
https://www.biography.com/people/groups/napoleon-and-josephine
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/chateau-malmaison-napoleon-josephine-bonaparte
https://shannonselin.com/2016/04/marriage-napoleon-marie-louise/
https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/napoleon/c_house.html
https://www.biography.com/people/jos%C3%A9phine-de-beauharnais-9358328
https://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-9420291
http://wedoitfortheloveofmusic.com/the-greatest-love-stories-in-history-napoleon-and-josephine/
http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/martinique/
http://www.royalhistorian.com/royalty-and-the-atlantic-world-2-napoleon-josephine-and-the-french-caribbean/z
http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/dome-des-invalides-tomb-of-napoleon-i.html
http://brewminate.com/the-romance-of-josephine-and-napoleon-bonaparte/

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THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: The Next Big Thing

9/14/2018

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I NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED…
When I first started writing romance novels in the mid-1980’s, the “rules” were so restrictive an author couldn’t write about women in traditionally male professions, much less about a heroine in the entertainment business or sports. “Readers can’t relate,” Harlequin told my agent.
Photo: http://www.westword.com

Phooey. I was an architect and urban planner, and I didn’t want to read about nannies.

At the time, I never would have believed someday we’d be writing romances including vampires, but now they’re crawling all over the shelves in the book stores [if Amazon has allowed any brick and mortar bookstores to survive]. Along with vampire romances there are romances about werewolves, zombies, shape shifters, demons, angels, dragons, aliens, witches, ad infinitum.

So, what will be the next big thing? We need something new and fresh, your editor will tell you. I was at a loss for ideas until I remembered the bogeyman [also spelled bogyman, boogeyman, bogieman, and boogieman].

“IF YOU DON’T BEHAVE, THE BOGEYMAN WILL GET YOU!”
Did you ever hear your parents use those words when you were a kid? I’m not sure whether I learned about the bogeyman at home or somewhere else, but I grew up knowing this monster meant business.

Today’s parenting doesn’t buy into the concept of frightening children into good behavior, but for thousands of years it has been a main stay. After all, throughout history parents around the world have wanted good behavior from their children although, I’m sure, what constituted good behavior varied a lot.

According to Melissa Breyer*, “Creating compliance in children is surely a universal desire, and there’s no easier way than to scare the bejesus out of them. Although it seems somewhat cruel to intensify the fears that are already part and parcel of childhood, as long as there are benevolent Santa figures used to affect behavior, the malevolent counterpart will remain alive and well. Because when the promise of presents and candy doesn't work, the threat of being eaten by a monster can be rather persuasive.”

Photo:https://kadampalife.org/2012/11/10/there-is-no-boogey-man-under-the-bed/ Photo: http://warriorsofmyth.wikia.com/wiki/Boogeyman
WHAT DOES HE/SHE/IT LOOK LIKE?
What I didn’t learn growing up is what this Bogeyman monster looked like. It was a non-specific incarnation of terror which leapt out of nowhere on the days when a child had been particularly difficult, ornery, mischievous, or just plain “bad.” It usually lived under the child’s bed or in the closet, and preferred to appear at night after the child was alone in the dark. Not knowing the appearance of the monster makes it even more frightening. You don’t know what to expect. You don’t have any clue what to look for. Eh, eh, eh!

Although the bogeyman is usually thought of as masculine, he/she/it can be anything. “The bogeyman himself varies in appearance. It’s common belief he will embody the fears of the person he has targeted. If you’re afraid of spiders, he could appear as a giant arachnid. If you’re afraid of a specific person in your life, he could appear as that person. The possibilities are endless.” https://9thcircleofhorror.com/2015/11/01/the-legend-of-the-boogeyman/

O.M.G. WE’RE SURROUNDED!
It’s no surprise, then, that nearly every culture in the world developed its own equivalent of the Bogeyman. If you want to know more, go to Wikipedia and search under Bogeyman.
Here are just a few of the ones I found interesting.

● Sack Man
In Spain , Portugal, Brazil, and other Spanish American countries, Sack Man [Hombre del Saco] carries away naughty children.

The inspiration likely comes from a very real person who, during the 16th and 17th centuries , was in charge of collecting orphan babies to take to the orphanages. He put them in bags or wicker baskets and carried them through the province. Most of them died before reaching the orphanages.

Photo: http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Skin_and_Bones

● El Coco / El Cuco / El Cucuy
El Coco is also known in folklore as Cuco, Coca, Cuca, Cucuy. It is a mythical dragon or a ghost monster which is said to appear in many different shapes and forms. So, there is no description of the beast which can be applied to all the places where it appears.
Photo: http://www.ancient-origins.net/
The origins of Coco are in Portugal and Spanish Galicia, and it then appeared as a monster with a pumpkin head, two eyes, and a mouth. In medieval times in the same area, it transformed into a female dragon, which used to take part in different celebrations. In Portugal it has remained popular until today.

In Spain, parents sing lullabies or tell rhymes to children, warning them that if they do not sleep, El Coco will come to get them. The rhyme originated in the 17th century has evolved over the years, but still retains its original meaning.
Photo: https://aminoapps.com [El CuCuy by C.A.Christensen March 2016]

El Cuco is the more common name in most of South and Central America, and among Mexican-Americans, El Cucuy is portrayed as a monster that hides under children's beds at night and kidnaps or eats the child who does not obey his/her parents or go to sleep when it is bedtime. However, the Spanish American bogeyman does not resemble the shapeless or hairy monster of Spain: social sciences professor Manuel Medrano says popular legend describes El cucuy as a small humanoid with glowing red eyes that hides in closets or under the bed.

● Babau or L’uomo Nero [The Black Man]
This Mediterranean monster is depicted as a tall man wearing a heavy black coat and a black hood or hat. Sometimes parents knock loudly under the dining table [like someone knocking at the door] and say “Here comes the Black Man. He knows a child who doesn’t want to drink his soup.”

The Italians version of L’uomo Nero is a demon appearing as a man or ghost without legs. In different parts of the country, the bogeyman is known as “Babau.”

Photos: 15 Boogymen from around the World, Listverse Staff October 24, 2009

● Schwarze Mann [The Black Man] / Butzemann / Buhmann
Der schwarze Mann [the black man] is known as the most famous child’s monster in Germany, hiding in dark places, under beds and in closets, and carrying children away. Depending on the region and time, the Schwarze Mann was depicted with different features: a dark shadowy figure, a man with black clothes or a face blackened with ashes.
Photo: https://europeisnotdead.com/ Article by Helmut Kohl
But “Schwarz” doesn’t refer to the color of his skin but to his preference for hiding in dark places, like the closet, under the bed of children or in forests at night. There is also an active game for little children which is called Wer hat Angst vorm schwarzen Mann? [Who is afraid of the black man?] or an old traditional folk song Es tanzt ein Bi-Ba-Butzemann in unserm Haus herum [A Bi-Ba-Bogeyman dances around our house].

● Mörkö / Marrän / The Groke
In the Scandavian countries the Bogeyman is substantially different. She is a large, scary, dark blue, ghost-like creature. She was created as a fictional character by Tove Jansson in the Moomin stories, and is depicted with a shapeless body, two staring eyes, and a wide row of shiny teeth.
Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Groke

She isn’t malicious but so lonely that wherever she stands, the ground freezes and plants die. How she became known as the Scandavian Bogeyman is not explained, nor did any reference mention which came first, the bogeyman or the fictional character Groke.

● Lulu-khorkhore (لولو)
In Iran, children are warned about Lulu who eats naughty children. The threat is usually to make children eat their meals.

photo:Lulu - Originally shared by zahra lotfi

● Namahage
In Japan the Bogeyman is a demon spirit who warns children not to be lazy or cry. He visits each house on New Year’s Eve and asks if the children have been lazy. If the parents can say “no”, then he moves on to the next house. I don’t know what he does if the parents say “yes.”

Originally hailing from the cold parts of the Oga Peninsula, the name comes from the blisters that form on one’s feet when they are close to the fire for too long, indicating the person was too lazy to move. There are many festivals where villagers don demon masks and pretend to be these spirits.

Drawing: By Yuko Shimizu from Pinterest By Emerald Fury
https://emeraldfury.deviantart.com/art/
● Kotgahm
Kotgahm, the Korean bogeyman, is named after the Korean word for persimmon. The legend is that a mother told her child if he kept on crying, she would feed him to a tiger. A nearby tiger overheard the mother and decided to wait around for his dinner, since he didn’t believe the child would stop crying. Instead, the mother gave the child a persimmon, and the child stopped. The tiger was convinced the Kotgahm/persimmon was a fierce monster to be feared more than a tiger, and he left in a hurry. Today he is pictured as an old man with a mesh sack who carries off children.

● Torbalan
Torbalan is the evil partner of Baba Yaga, the Bulgarian Anti-Santa Claus, who hides in the forest and in the shadows, waiting to carry away naughty children in a sack. [Very similar to Sack Man]

Photo: http://listverse.com/2009/10/24/15-bogeymen-from-around-the-world/

● Bubak
This scarecrow-like monster roams the Czech Republic and Poland, hiding on riverbanks and making sounds like a lost baby to lure both children and adults into his clutches. He drives a cart pulled by cats and weaves clothes for the souls he has stolen.
Photos: http://listverse.com/2009/10/24/15-bogeymen-from-around-the-world/

● Boggart
In Scotland the bogeyman is a malicious fairy who causes big and small disasters for people. If you name it, it will follow you and your family everywhere you go. I don’t know if naming it means giving it a proper individual name or just calling it a Boggart. A horseshoe over the door protects you from Boggarts.
Photo: Fandom / http://boogeymen.wikia.com/wiki/Boggart

● Baboulas
In Greece the bogeyman is named Baboulas" [Μπαμπούλας], pronounced babulas. It is used by parents to scare their children into behaving. Baboulas is some kind of cannibal that eats children.

Photo:https://europeisnotdead.com/video/images-of-europe/european-monsters/

● Abu Rigl Maslukha
The Egyptian bogeyman is "Abu Rigl Maslukha" which translates to the "Man With Burnt Leg." It is a very scary story that parents tell their children when they misbehave. The "Abu Rigl Maslukha" is a monster who got burnt when he was a child because he did not listen to his parents. He grabs naughty children to cook and eat them. The same as al-Bu'bu', who is more popular and relevant to this topic. He is often depicted as a night creature dressed in black, who haunts children that misbehave.
Photo: https://emeraldfury.deviantart.com/art/Oct-3-Abu-Rigl-Maslukha-330592619

● Bicho Papão and Sarronco
Even though one source indicates Sack Man is the Portuguese Bogeyman, another suggests that the Portuguese brought to Brazil the bogeymen Bicho Papão [The Eating Beast] and Sarronco [Deep-voiced Man]. In Brazil they use the names interchangeably with Sack Man. The only difference between the two is that Bag Man comes during the day and The Eating Beast comes during the night.
Photo: Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/290411875962782524/?lp=true Bicho Papao

There are plenty more: every country has a bogeyman. There are a number of good sources listed below for looking at other locations.

THE CHALLENGE
Go ahead. Start the next big thing. I challenge you romance authors to pick one of the prototype bogeymen and make him the protagonist of a your next romance novel.□

Sources
http://warriorsofmyth.wikia.com/wiki/Boogeyman
http://www.destinationamerica.com/thehauntist/the-true-origins-of-the-boogeyman/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyman
https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/where-did-the-bogeyman-come-from
https://9thcircleofhorror.com/2015/11/01/the-legend-of-the-boogeyman/
https://rottenink.wordpress.com/tag/monster-under-your-bed/
http://www.playbuzz.com/genedjinn11/which-boogeyman-will-kill-you
https://kadampalife.org/2012/11/10/there-is-no-boogey-man-under-the-bed/
http://janonomar.blogspot.com/2011/02/el-origen-de-la-leyenda-del-hombre-del.html
http://listverse.com/2009/10/24/15-bogeymen-from-around-the-world/
http:/janonomar.blogspot.com/2011/02/el-origen-de-la-leyenda-del-hombre-del.html
http://www.ancient-origins.net/
https://aminoapps.com [The Coo Coo (El CuCuy) by C.A.Christensen March 2016]
https://europeisnotdead.com/video/images-of-europe/european-monsters/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Groke
http://boogeymen.wikia.com/wiki/Boggart
https://brickthology.com/2014/10/31/bogeyman/
https://hubpages.com/family/the-bogeyman
https://emeraldfury.deviantart.com/art/October-6-Namahage-331328703
https://emeraldfury.deviantart.com/art/Oct-3-Abu-Rigl-Maslukha-330592619https://bizarre-and-amazing.blogspot.com/2016/09/el-sacoman-sack-man.html
http://cryptozoology.wikia.com/wiki/Bogeyman

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THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS: The Greatest Love Stories Ever Told Series

9/7/2018

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Every culture has great loves stories: myth, legend, literary, and real. The Butterfly Lovers is a legend that, for the Chinese culture, is similar to the Romeo and Juliet love story. A legend of an ill-fated romance so beloved that the story has been replicated in movies, music, operas, plays, reenactments, stories, and dance for over a thousand years.

Photo source:
ttp://www.femalearts.com/node/1138

"The hero of the legend, Liang Shanbo, and the heroine, Zhu Yingtai, are often equated to Romeo and Juliet, but the story is less similar than it may seem on the surface. “The duels and poisons of Shakespeare’s impulsive romantics have given way to disguises, leading metaphors, and unbreakable family arrangements.” http://www.chinawhisper.com

Since Liang and Zhu are actually last or surnames, I’ll refer to them as Shanbo and Yingtai, the equivalent of first or given names. Drawing http://aminoapps.com ▼

THE LEGEND 梁祝
Our heroine, Zhu Yingtai, is the only daughter of the nine Zhu family children. She is very bright and has been educated by her wealthy father. She reads, writes, has studied the classics and history, and admires the great women in China’s past, but craves more education. Unfortunately for Yingtai, Chinese schools don’t accept female students. Finally she convinces her father to let her travel to an academy in Hangzhou disguised as a boy, to continue her studies.

▼Photos:https://www.wattpad.com

In her camoflage on her way to the academy, she meets Liang Shanbo, a scholar from Kuaiji. They feel an immediate kinship, and after chatting the whole way there, they take an oath of fraternity in the pavilion of a thatched bridge.

For three years, as sworn brothers, they live, study, debate scholarly topics, write poetry, and play together. Shanbo is so consumed by his studies that never suspects Yingtai is a girl. On the other hand, Yingtai falls in love with Shanbo and attempts to show her affection, but Shanbo never gets the picture.

Then Yingtai receives a letter that her father is ill and she needs to go home. She has to leave but loves Shanbo and is determined to be with him for the rest of their lives. To pave the path she wants to follow with Shanbo, she discloses who she is to the headmaster’s wife. Yingtai asks her to tell Shanbo and to give him a jade pendant as a betrothal gift.

Unknowing, Shanbo accompanies his "sworn brother" several for miles to see her off. During the journey, Yingtai again hints she is actually a woman by comparing them to a pair or mandarin ducks, in China the symbol of love between a man and a women. He is only confused and questions her comparison. [This guy is really dense. I wonder what she sees in him.]

In the mean time, Yingtai she learns her parents have already arranged a marriage for her with Ma Wencai, the son of a wealthy and powerful provincial governor. In the Chinese culture, marriage is not simply a union of man and wife, but the act of joining two families as one. In this case, the Zhu and Ma families had a history of amiable relations, and both were of high social standing. To cancel the engagement at this time would be unthinkable.

After Shanbo returns to the academy, the headmistress gives him the message and pendent.

When Shanbo finally arrives to ask for Yingtai’s hand in marriage, the answer has to be “no.”

Shanbo is so devastated that he becomes ill and dies.

Yingtai is also heartbroken, but her marriage to Wencai is a family commitment and she can’t have Shanbo. Finally she agrees to marry Wencai on the condition that the marriage procession pass by Shanbo’s grave and that she be permitted to make a sacrifice at his tomb. On the day of her wedding, dressed in funeral white (red is the usual color of Chinese wedding dresses), as the procession approaches the tomb, the weather became stormy. Yingtai is standing before the grave in the rain, weeping over the loss of her true love, when a bolt of lightning splits open the grave. Off balance, Yingtai falls into the hole, and then the chasm closes over her.
▼Photo: www.pinterest.com

As suddenly as the storm came, it lets up. Before the family can dig Yingtai out, two large, colorful butterflies flutter out of the tomb, dancing and weaving, the ill-fated couple now rejoined in the afterlife.

LEGEND OR REALITY
Origins
The Butterfly Lovers is one of four Chinese Legends considered in that culture as The Greatest Love stories. Like most legends, there is usually a kernel of truth somewhere in the story since the character are also mentioned by name in written historical records.

The earliest dates back to the late Tang Dynasty, around 600 BC. Author Liang Zaigan wrote in Shidao Sifan Zhi, “The righteous woman Zhu Yingtai was buried together with Liang Shanbo.” http://www.chinawhisper.com

Also, a work entitled Xuanshi Zhi by author Zhang Du (Assistant-director of the Left in the Department of State Affairs, Tang Dynasty) tells 250 stories including that of Liang and Zhu.
References indicate the story became well known on a broad scale in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 - 420 AD), and it is often credited to that time period or said to be set in that period. Also like most legends, there are many versions of the story.

While none of my research says specifically these were actual people, apparently Liang Shanbo was a magistrate of some nearby town. Several reference indicate the Liango Shanbo Temple was built in 347 (no reference to AD or BC but I’d guess the earlier) by locals in his memory primarily because he “contributed greatly in his term of office as magistrate to resolving the problems cause by the flooding river.”

Comparison to Romeo and Juliet
I was surprised by reader comments in some of my sources. Many seemed offended or indignant that The Butterfly Lovers is even mentioned in the same article as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (even though the R&J legend was in writing before Shakespeare wrote his play).

None the less, Verona, Italy (the setting for Romeo and Juliet) and Ningbo, China (the setting The Butterfly Lovers), became Sister Cities in 2005. In 2007, a delegation from Verona presented Ningbo with a bronze statue of Juliet which stands today in Liang Cultural Park. The next year, in September, 2008, the two cities co-sponsored the Sino-Italian love culture festival in Verona, during which Ningbo reciprocated with a white marble statue of Liang and Zhu which was placed in front of the Juliet Museum. Somebody must see a connection.

Statue of Juliet, Ningbo China Liang Temple at Liang Cultural Park Butterfly lovers, Juliet Museum
Photo: www.wuxitravel.com Photo: www.chinaholiday.com Verona, Italy
Photo: www.theepochtimes.com

According to http://meammi.blogs.wm.edu, “The most significant difference between the romantic story lines in these three works [includes The Butterfly Lovers and two other legends] is that the Chinese iterations offer a happy ending.

All three feature tragic deaths, but while Romeo and Juliet become solemn examples of the perils of blind hate, their Chinese companions are resurrected to enjoy an eternity together. The Eastern audience (or reading public) is reassured that love really can overcome all obstacles. While the Western audience learns from tragedy, Chinese audiences traditionally thought that no lesson could be learned unless justice was served in the end. In romantic tragedies, a story that ended with lovers unfairly parted by social or realistic constraints would not be tenable to the purpose of art: to positively educate.”
□

Sources
https://www.chinaholiday.com/scenic-of-cixi/cixi-butterfly-temple-cixi/
https://chinesemusicworld.com/media/erhu%E4%BA%8C%E8%83%A1/the-butterfly-lovers-%E6%A2%81%E7%A5%9D-liang-zhu-erhu-%E4%BA%8C%E8%83%A1/
https://macaulifestyle.com/culture/arts/macao-arts-festival-5-shows-we-dont-want-miss/attachment/the-butterfly-lovers/
http://aminoapps.com
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-butterfly-lovers-a-look-at-chinas-romeo-and-juliet_1059681.html
https://kingofsadness.deviantart.com/art/The-Butterfly-Lovers-Liu-Shan-x-Xingcai-568773978
https://www.lunastardesign.com/single-post/The-Butterfly-Lovers
http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/Jan/85062.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Lovers
http://www.chinawhisper.com/10-greatest-chinese-love-stories-ever/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2011-03/15/content_12175140.htm
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://lesscdn.com/twitter.php
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.352205331597131.1073741832.315170288633969&type=3
http://www.chinaflower214.com/posts/four_chinese_folk_love_stories.htm#.WjdAMminHcc
https://hubpages.com/literature/Romantic-Love-Stories-in-Chinese-Mythology-and-Literature
https://www.datehookup.com/singles-content-tales-of-love-from-china.htm
http://blog.eteacherchinese.com/learn-chinese/chinese-traditional-love-legends/
http://www.absolutechinatours.com/china-travel/Top-Four-China-Folk-Love-Stories.html
http://www.uexpress.com/tell-me-a-story/2017/2/12/one-true-love-a-chinese-legend
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2011-03/15/content_12175140.htm
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://lesscdn.com/twitter.php
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.352205331597131.1073741832.315170288633969&type=3
http://www.chinaflower214.com/posts/four_chinese_folk_love_stories.htm#.WjdAMminHcc
https://hubpages.com/literature/Romantic-Love-Stories-in-Chinese-Mythology-and-Literature
https://www.datehookup.com/singles-content-tales-of-love-from-china.htm
http://blog.eteacherchinese.com/learn-chinese/chinese-traditional-love-legends/
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http://www.uexpress.com/tell-me-a-story/2017/2/12/one-true-love-a-chinese-legend
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/article-famous-love-stories-chinese-valentine-day.htm
https://scholar.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1010&context=asia_gradetds
http://www.femalearts.com/node/1138
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001473/147344E.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Butterfly_Lovers
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hangzhou-china-marco-polos-city-of-heaven-is-as_us_589a24aee4b0985224db5af0
http://www.wuxitravel.com/liang-zhu-legend/
http://www.chinesetimeschool.com/en-us/articles/ancient-wall-in-changting-county-se-china-fujian/
http://meammi.blogs.wm.edu/2009/10/10/for-neer-was-there-a-story-of-more-woe-than-that-of-liang-shanbo/

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HOTEL TO THE STARS: A tribute to an Old Timer That Couldn't Be Saved

NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE: Greatest Love Stories Ever Told Series

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: The Next Big Thing

THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS: The Greatest Love Stories Ever Told Series

Author R. Ann Siracusa

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