Category Archives: Living in the UK

Smugglers in Kent, UK, a Plot Device for “Losing Lizzy: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary”

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

In my latest Austen-inspired story, Losing Lizzy: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary, smugglers in Kent were mentioned several times. Yet, what do we know of these smugglers? Daniel Defoe wrote a poem about smugglers in Deal, Kent, who turned the … Continue reading →

Posted in book release, British history, British Navy, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the UK, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, research, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Exercise Tiger, a Tragic Rehearsal for D-Day

Posted on June 5, 2020 by

Most of us know something of D-Day. On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British history, Great Britain, history, Living in the UK, military, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Deadman’s Island, Setting as Character in “Losing Lizzy: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary”

Posted on May 22, 2020 by

Deadman’s Island, located at the mouth of The Swale, opposite the town of Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey, off the north Kent coast, plays a major role in my new JAFF story, entitled Losing Lizzy: A Pride and Prejudice … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, book release, British history, eBooks, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits, Regency era, Regency romance, suspense, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The “Churching” of Women After Childbirth

Posted on May 6, 2020 by

 Although it has largely fallen out of favor with Western religion, the concept of “churching” in the Church of England can be traced well into the 20th Century. (Margaret Houlbrooke. Rite out of Time: a Study of the Ancient Rite of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, England, Great Britain, history, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, medicine, religion, tradtions | Tagged , , , , , ,

Dukes: a Dime a Dozen… British Peerages

Posted on April 24, 2020 by

Those of us who write historical romances love our dukes. We create them left and right. I have two, which is not a large number when one considers I have 50 novels available: Brantley Fowler from A Touch of Velvet: … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, kings and queens, legacy, Living in the UK, peerage, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Proxy Marriages: Valid or Invalid?

Posted on April 22, 2020 by

Upon occasion I have come across a plot line in a Regency historical novel where the couple is married by proxy. Unfortunately, such a marriage was not valid. Today’s interpretation of a marriage by proxy tells us that it is … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British history, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, the U. S., and Canada

Posted on April 17, 2020 by

Young girls who set out for Australia to earn a living as a domestic servant, opportunities to marry were not out of the question. In England, seduction ruled, but these young girls entered a different world, where they could consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Living in the UK, real life tales, servant life | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

School Terms During the Regency Era

Posted on April 10, 2020 by

Many schools, universities and law courts had Easter terms.  The fact that Easter was a moveable feast meant that one could not always tie the terms to the calendar nor have them be the same length every year. All schools … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the UK, Regency era, Uncategorized | Tagged , , ,

“Old Lady Day” ~ No It is Not My Birthday!

Posted on April 6, 2020 by

Quarter Days are the four dates in each year that align with religious festivals. The days are roughly three months apart and are close to the two solstices and the two equinoxes. In British history, these days were the ones … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Chaucer, Christmas, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the UK, real life tales, research, servant life, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Celebrating the Release of “Courting Lord Whitmire: A May-December Regency Romance” + a Giveaway

Posted on March 25, 2020 by

The hero of my latest Regency tale has spent fifteen years of his life is service to the Crown, first upon the Continent in the Napoleonic Wars and then upon the Canadian front, in what was known as Rupert’s Land, … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, reading habits, Regency era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments