Category Archives: reading habits

Happy 13th Book Birthday to “The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery”

On July 1, 2010, Ulysses Press released The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery. It was the first of my cozy mysteries, and it remains a favorite. In 2019, I received the rights to all my Ulysses Press titles back from the company. I have periodically been rereleasing them with new covers and to new readers.

I would love to share something of the historical tidbit that is the key to solving the mystery, but, what fun would that be for all those who love a good mystery and think themselves capable of spotting the clues early on. Moreover, as I skipped kindergarten (and a few other grades), I never learned to share properly. LOL! The whole “solving the mystery thing” revolves around one key clue all the characters miss. Hopefully, you will you be wiser than they are. Continue reading

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Guardianships During the Regency

So, who or what determined whether a person was a fit guardian? Guardianship during the Regency era had its strictures. For example, guardianship was not hereditary. If a guardian dies, someone had to apply to the Court in Chancery to be appointed the minor child’s next guardian. All children over the age of 14 had a right to suggest the person he or she wanted as guardian. Quite often two or three guardians were named in case one of them died before the child reached his/her majority. At one time, the guardians were the child’s godparents—2 males and 1 female for a male child and 2 females and 1 male for a female. The mother and her brother were often named. However, the mother lost her rights as guardian if she remarried. Continue reading

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Happy 4th Book Birthday to “Letters from Home”!!!

I particularly loved this story for I am a military brat and wife, and I adore a strong military hero. Major Lord Simon Lanford is just such a man. He is the “spare” in the Regency adage of “an heir … Continue reading

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The Pitfalls of Breaking an Engagement During the Regency Era

Only if a man uncovered a flaw in the morals of the lady to whom he proposed could he even consider calling off a marriage proposal. Once he spoke the words and the lady had accepted, there was no “take backs.” If the man left the woman standing at the altar as a no-show, it was thought he had discovered something of her low character, generally, that she had known another intimately. Continue reading

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‘Kinder- un Hausmärchen’ + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of their collected fairy tales in 1812 under the title Kinder- und Hausmärchen. By 1822, the brothers had published three volumes containing 170 tales total with subsequent editions bringing that number to over 200. Continue reading

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Could Longbourn Be Lost to Mortgage Debt? + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Only registered debts like mortgages and those on which the stamps and fees had been paid were legally enforceable. The law of the time said an heir was only liable for debts to the sum of the assets he inherited. Most mortgages could be continued, just by paying the interest. Continue reading

Posted in aristocracy, book excerpts, book release, British history, eBooks, estates, finance, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Inheritance, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, publishing, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

However, for this story, I chose Love’s Labour’s Lost. The reason for my choice deals something with the theme(s) of Shakespeare’s tale. First, we have the wise reluctance of women in believing in love at first sight, which likely makes sense for most of you who are reading this post. The second is the immaturity of men. Continue reading

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Happy 14th Book Birthday to “Darcy’s Passions,” the Book Which Made Me a “Fiction Author”

During the 2007-2008 school year, I complained to my Advanced Placement Language class about a particular novel I had been reading for “pleasure,” what we would now call Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF), a genre just building in popularity for … 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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Derbyshire and Well Dressings and the ReRelease of “Darcy Temptation” + a Giveaway

The origin of the practice of what is known as “well dressings” is a bit of a mystery. Most believe the celebration dates back to the Celts, but few places, other than Derbyshire and Staffordshire, England, have kept the tradition. … Continue reading

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