Trashed! Coffee please!

He who talks more is sooner exhausted. Lao Tzu   That must explain why I am completely trashed this Monday afternoon—much talking and dancing and costume changes and friend making and parties—many parties at the Historical Romance Retreat at the Mission Inn last week. I learned that there are right hand quills and left and […]

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 […]

Horses for Hire: Travel Over Land in the 19th Century

Highlighting Historical Romance today presents the brilliant Jude Knight’s research into nineteenth-century travel over land. Land travel in Regency England required negotiating rough roads and weather on foot, or on an animal or a vehicle pulled by an animal. Anyone with the money could purchase a seat on a stage coach, or even the mail […]

English Coastal Defenses: Martello Towers

Highlighting Historical Romance with Jude Knight today. Jude shares her research into Martello towers once used for the coastal defense of England. I saw them on a show about turning old historical buildings into homes for modern families and was impelled to go find out more. Once I did, I had to have a Martello […]

Squirrel Wars

I looked out this morning to see a squirrel hanging upside down on our new squirrel proof bird feeder. Because it is designed to close under the weight of a squirrel, he eventually got frustrated and jumped to the ground I wondered how he got on it, but when I saw him try a vertical […]

Beer, Science, and the 18th Century

  We’re Highlighting Historical fiction with Elizabeth Ellen Carter today. She explains how shape enhances our enjoyment of beer. This is important. After all, as Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said, “Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy.” When doing some research on ale glasses for my upcoming title […]

Travel in the Regency

We’re Highlighting Historical Romance today with Jude Knight, who brings us insight into the ways in which travel has impacted her Regency novels, and problems writers face regarding it. One of the first things I had to get my head around when I started writing stories set in the Regency era was how long it […]

What to write this year?

The Bluestocking Belles met yesterday. It is always a challenge to get everyone in a conference call due to the spinning earth. We have members in Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco, Florida, South Carolina and, of course, the urban wilds of Eastern Pennsylvania. We were plotting our next holiday anthology. Our overall story trope is […]