Category Archives: Appalachia

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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A Closer Look at “One Minute Past Christmas” by George T. Arnold and Regina Jeffers

I came to this story late in the aspect that the nucleus of it was written by my former journalism professor. When I read it, I liked it, but I had the feeling that something was missing. Even so, I … Continue reading

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Sadie Hawkins’ Day, not a Leap Year Event + a Giveaway

(Image from Sadie Hawkins’ cards at http://www.postcards.org) When I was a teen girl, I enjoyed the school sponsored Sadie Hawkins’ dances. We didn’t exactly go for the girl asking the boy to the dance (like a date). But we did follow … Continue reading

Posted in America, American History, Appalachia, Austen Authors, customs and tradiitons, dancing, film, giveaway, history, holidays, legends and myths, marriage, marriage customs, Pop Culture, romance, tradtions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

A Closer Look at “The Road to Understanding”

In my short eight years of writing fiction, I have written a variety of genres/settings: retellings, sequels, Regencies, paranormal, cozy mysteries, vagaries, contemporaries, and inspirational. I will admit many of my 34 novels fall under the big “umbrella” of Regencies, … Continue reading

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The Wilderness Road, Setting for “The Road to Understanding”

According to Ancestry.com, the Wilderness Road “was only a crude trail; only pack teams could cross the mountains. Pioneers coming from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas before 1796 found it necessary to unload their Conestoga Wagons at Sapling Grove … Continue reading

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Release of “The Road to Understanding” with an Excerpt and a Giveaway

Back in 1984, I went into labor 5 weeks early in the middle of my Theatre/Acting class. That early delivery was the joy of my life, especially as I had lost two previous children. Over the April 16-17 weekend, I … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Appalachia, book excerpts, book release, historical fiction, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

“One Minute Past Christmas,” a Holiday Short Story + a Giveaway

Are you sick of Halloween already? Dreading Thanksgiving? Are you ready for Christmas? Then I have just the thing to bring a bit of the HOLIDAY Spirit. In 2012, a gentleman friend released a Christmas-based eBook short story, which his friends … Continue reading

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