Winners!
Name the Thornleighs’ House Contest
The winner:
Pat Larke for "Rosethorn Manor"
(It's an odd but lovely coincidence that Pat's last name is the same as that of my character Honor Larke. Many names that people submitted played on "Larke," which delighted me.)
1st runner-up:
Hollye Patterson for "Larkeleigh"
2nd runner-up:
Linda Lefler for "Thornbloom"
3rd runner-up:
Lynne Deragon for "Larkston Place"
4th runner-up:
Col. Elmer Follis for "Haven Hall"
Congratulations to all!
My thanks go to everyone who sent in name suggestions. There were scores of you, and most sent in multiple names. Choosing the winners was hard!
I'll now use the winning name "Rosethorn Manor" for the Thornleighs' house in the book I'm currently writing, which will be published in late 2012. Also, in the book's acknowledgements when it's published, I'll thank Pat Larke for the name.
All 5 winners will receive an autographed copy of “The Queen’s Gamble.”
***
There was a building boom in the mid-16th century. The Elizabethan aristocracy and wealthy gentry loved creating palatial homes like "Longleat," "Burghley House," "Hardwick Hall." They especially enjoyed grand pleasure-grounds: gardens with terraced flowerbeds and fountains, mazes of curving yew hedges, man-made ponds and lakes, hunting parks stocked with deer.
Here are a few examples of Elizabethan manor homes:
This contest closed on September 1, 2011.