Category Archives: real life tales

A War Between the U.S. and the U.K. Over a Pig

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

We are all aware of the history of “disagreements” between the United States and England that resulted in the American Revolution and the War of 1812, but what do you know of the 1859 Pig War? Never heard of it? … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British history, England, Great Britain, history, military, real life tales, war | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Mechanical Turk, or the Chess-Playing Machine that Beat Napoleon, a Guest Post from Eliza Shearer

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

It was the year 1809. The Napoleonic Wars were in full swing, but the French general had other interests besides fighting the British over Spain and Portugal.  Around the time Jane Austen and her mother and sister moved to Chawton … Continue reading →

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Is Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth” Cursed?

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

As theatre was my minor in my undergraduate program, I often studied Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth,” and I have taught it many times. However, I have never performed in or directed the play. Even so, I know something of the “Curse … Continue reading →

Posted in acting, drama, Elizabethan drama, paranormal, playwrights, real life tales, research, theatre | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” – Who Are Catherine Morland and the Tilneys?

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

What do we know of Catherine Morland and the Tilneys in Austen’s “Northanger Abbey”? Much of the description of the Abbey and of the Tilneys come to us from Austen’s heroine, Catherine Morland. Catherine comes to Bath with dreams of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” – Literary References Found Within

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Previously, I looked at the history of the writing of Austen’s “first” and “last” novel. Today, we will spend a bit of time with the themes addressed, literary references, etc. Later, we will have a closer look at the main characters … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” – The Writing of the Novel

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Today, a bit of background of the novel… Many Austen fans are not aware that NORTHANGER ABBEY was the first novel Jane Austen wrote. It was true that Austen started what were later to be titled SENSE AND SENSIBILITY and … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

The “Filles du roi” or Women of the King

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Most of Canada during the 1600s was known as “New France.” French men had flocked to the new land with promises of wealth. However, few French women had done the same. This was a great concern to the French government … Continue reading →

Posted in history, marriage, marriage customs, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Great Hoax: Sawing Off Manhattan Island

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Whether this story of true or not, it does make a fabulous read. “Supposedly,” in 1824, a retired ship carpenter convinced the people of New York that the southern tip of Manhattan Island was getting too heavy because of the … Continue reading →

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The Real-Life Myles Standish’s Influence on “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst”

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

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’s Influence on the Release of “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst” + a Giveaway

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

My story, “The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst,” is heavily influenced by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” Many of the characters names, for example, derive from the poem. However, in Longfellow’s narrative, John Alden speaks to Priscilla Mullins because his … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, book excerpts, book release, British history, Dreamstone Publishing, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments