Courtney McCaskill joins us to day to give us surprising facts from her novel One Bed for the Bluestocking
Kit emitted a high-pitched scream as the Upper Museum’s most popular resident strolled over to greet them. He grabbed Nathaniel’s arm, pulling him toward the door. “Mr. Sterling! Run! There’s a lion!”
Apparently, several big cats lived in the Upper Museum during the early nineteenth century. Jardine also mentions a tame ocelot that he described as “excessively mischievous.” A print of the museum made by W.H. Lizars in 1822, which shows another resident puma relaxing beneath a display case, can be seen here. [Link: https://www.lindahall.org/Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction!
The Natural History of the Felinae by Sir William Jardine, published in 1837
The University of Edinburgh: An Illustrated History by Robert D. Anderson, Michael Lynch, and Nicholas Phillipson. University of Edinburgh Press, 2003.
About the Book
It’s the worst idea Kate Weatherby has ever had.
Back when Kate and her sisters were penniless and despised as the Weatherby Wallflowers, they made a pact to apply for whatever respectable positions they could find. Now, one of the employers who initially rejected Kate, an academic at the University of Edinburgh looking for a scientific illustrator, has written back, eager to hire her.
There’s just one problem.
The holder of the position must be enrolled at the University, which does not admit women. Kate knows that donning breeches and trying to pass herself off as a young man is a terrible idea. But the sting of her father stealing credit for her illustrations has never faded. Yearning to see if she can succeed in the scientific world on her own merits, Kate accepts the position and heads north to Scotland.
One problem? Make that two.
It’s hard enough passing herself off as “Kit Witherspoon.” But the naturalist who hired Kate, Nathaniel Sterling, isn’t the fusty old professor she imagined. Oh, no—Nathaniel is young, kind, brilliantly clever, and heart-stoppingly handsome in precisely the tweedy way Kate finds irresistible.
And, to make matters worse, an opportunity has just arisen—a trip to the Outer Hebrides, to document the flora and fauna particular to the islands. Nathaniel and Kate will be going alone.
And, academic budgets being what they are, they’re expected to share a room.
It is available here: https://books2read.com/One-Bed-for-the-Bluestocking
One Bed for the Bluestocking is book 3 in the Weatherby Wallflowers quartet. A Wallflower Never Surrenders (book 1) and Snowbound with the Scoundrel (book 2) are now available. Be sure to look for book 4, How He Won His Wallflower, coming soon!
About the Author
After reading Black Beauty for the 1,497th time, Courtney McCaskill was inspired to write her own stories. Reviews of her early work were mixed, with her fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Compton, saying, “Please stop writing all of your assignments from the point of view of a horse.” But Courtney didn’t give up, and today, her books have received prestigious awards including the Maggie and the HOLT Medallion.
She lives in Austin, Texas with the hero of her own story, who holds the distinction of being the world’s most sarcastic pediatrician. Her son informs her that she gives THE BEST hugs, “because you’re so squishy, Mommy.” In 2022, Regency Fiction Writers honored her with its Lady of the Realm award in appreciation of her volunteer work, both on its Board of Directors and as the longtime Coordinator of the Regency Academe. When she’s not busy almost burning her house down while attempting to make a traditional Christmas pudding, she enjoys rock climbing, playing the piano, learning everything there is to know about Kodiak bears, and of course, curling up with a great book!