Family ~ the Third Week

Continuing my analysis of the families of the characters in my books, we come to the Haydens. This is a very different bunch than the others I’ve written about. They are wealthier, more powerful, better connected, and—dare I admit it—less happy. If have read any of my books you’ll have met the Marquess of Glenaire—later […]

Family Stories and Train Robbery in Texas

  Highlighting Historical Romance with Wareeze Woodson The beginning of Bittersweep needed no research. Yellow fever swept though Texas in epidemic proportions around 1880. Being placed in the wagon and forced out of town actually happened to my grandmother at age five. I imagined the setting and the fictitious town of Bittersweep, but something like such a place did […]

Family~Week Two

Last week I wrote about family, about the role it has played in my books, and about the role it will take in my next series. You can read that post here if you missed it. This week I’m mulling the family of the Earl of Chadourn, the Landrums. This one is complicated because the […]

Upheaval in Scotland 1706

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jane Stain The Scots are feisty and fiercely independent. Have you ever wondered how England got Scotland under its power? The story of Scotland’s surrender to England went something like this: The Scots Parliament saw England and Spain colonizing the world and bringing home treasures imagined. They wanted in on that […]

Family

I generally like to tell people I have a few great passions: faith, history, travel—and family. I use all of them in my books. In the process of writing the Dangerous Books I started with four friends, but I created five families almost by accident: the Wheatlys and the Landrums (A Dangerous Nativity), the Mallets […]

Setting, Characters, and Mail-order Brides

Highlighting Historical Romance with Caroline Clemens I love to write and to read mail-order bride stories. Like most romance readers, I read to relax and dive into another world that guarantees a happily-ever-after ending. After all, if I wanted to be depressed, I could watch the evening news. I strive to be factual as far […]

But Life Happens

You may have noticed The Unexpected Wife has been on one of those arranged blog tours. I’m giving gifts to folks who participate. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here. In the meantime…the Bluestocking Belles are preparing a cover reveal party for September 8. Our 2018 holiday box set features prodigal sons, horses, […]

Culloden: Light After Darkness

Highlighting Historical Romance with Laura Strickland. To anyone who loves Scottish Historical Romance, the Battle of Culloden looms large. In fact, for many of us the entire Bonny Prince Charlie legend more or less epitomizes the bittersweet, double-edged sword—or claymore—of valor and loss, about which we love to read and write. The heart longs to […]

Taking Stock

I’m taking stock of my assets. As a writer, my greatest assets are story ideas and characters. I’ve taken a step back to look at what I have going for me. Let me explain. Now that The Children of Empire Series is well on its way, I have a confession to make. I don’t have […]