Category Archives: America

Captain James Jack, Hero of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

James Jack set out on his famous ride in June 1775, stopping briefly in Salisbury, North Carolina, to have the document read publicly into the records of the district court session. After a journey of nearly 600 miles through the Appalachian mountains and flatland, he reached Philadelphia, where Jack presented the North Carolina delegates to the Continental Congress with the Mecklenburg County document. Although the delegates agreed with the document’s sentiment, the Continental Congress at the time still hoped for a reconciliation with England. They chose not to inform the other delegations to the Congress of the Mecklenburg action. Continue reading

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Abolitionism in the UK and the Rerelease of “Darcy’s Temptation” + a Giveaway

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a movement took root to end the practice of slavery in the United Kingdom, as well as the British empire, including putting an end to the Atlantic slave trade. Western Europe and … Continue reading

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September 17, 1787, the U. S. Constitution Was Signed ~ 235 Years Ago

On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the Constitution of the United States. The next step was to have nine of the 13 U. S. states ratify it, but that process was not so … Continue reading

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Major General Adam Stephen, Real-Life Model for Doctor Spurlock in My Tale, “Captain Stanwick’s Bride”

In my tale “Captain Stanwick’s Bride,” I based Elizabeth Spurlock on my own 8th great-grandmother, a Powhatan Indian Princess. But where did I find the inspiration for the lady’s husband? Easy enough to answer. I am from West Virginia originally, … Continue reading

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What Do You Know of Gail Borden, American Inventor of “Condensed Milk”?

Born November 9, 1801 in New York state, Borden spent parts of his childhood in New York, Kentucky, and Indiana. When his father expressed a desire for more fertile lands than he owned in New York, the elder Borden made … Continue reading

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Celebrating the Release of “Captain Stanwick’s Bride” with The Real Myles Standish

What do we know of the real Myles Standish of Mayflower fame? In truth, not as much as one might think. Much of his life before he traveled to America with the Pilgrims is laced with speculation. For example, where … Continue reading

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Myles Standish’s Career + the Release of “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst” + a Giveaway

As my previous two posts on John Alden and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow have indicated, my most recent tale, “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst” was inspired by Longfellow’s narrative poem, “The Courtship of Myles Standish.” Other than the knowledge of Standish … Continue reading

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John Alden and Celebrating the Release of “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst” + Giveaway

My story, “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst,” is part of the Regency anthology, Secrets and Soirees, being released 1 July 2020. It is heavily influenced by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” Many of the characters names, for … Continue reading

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Realities of Marriage in the Regency Era + the Release of “The Heartless Earl” + a Giveaway

In chapter six of volume one of Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas and Elizabeth Bennet provide us several tidbits regarding the success of a marriage during the Georgian era.  ~  “If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill … Continue reading

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The Great Valley Road, Setting for My Novel, “The Road to Understanding”

When I began writing The Road to Understanding, I needed a perfect route to take my characters across the mountains between Virginia and Tennessee in the late 1780s. Who Traveled Across The Great Valley Road? The majority of the settlers in … Continue reading

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