Category Archives: research

What is the Difference Between a Peerage That is “Dormant,” “Extinct” or in “Abeyance”?

I was recently looking for names and titles to use for characters in a list of extinct  and abeyant peerages in an online copy of  Debrett’s from the mid 1800s. Some of the titles in abeyance had been in that state since the … Continue reading

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Celebrating the Release of “Courting Lord Whitmire” + an Excerpt & Giveaway

  I have a new release which is part of the Regency Summer Escape anthology. In it illness we now call PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) plays a major role. The main character has spent 15 years in war, first … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, eBooks, estates, excerpt, family, Georgian England, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, marriage, Napoleonic Wars, reading, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, romance, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball and Waterloo, a Guest Post from Jann Rowland

On June 15, 1815, perhaps the most famous (or infamous) ball in history was held. The Duchess of Richmond’s ball is generally regarded as the event in which Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, was informed of the advance of French … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Great Britain, Guest Post, Ireland, Living in the Regency, Napoleonic Wars, Regency era, research, war | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nigel Lewis’s “The Cover Plan Conspiracy,” a Deception Created by the Allied Forces in WWII

On June 5 of this week, I posted an article on Exercise Tiger, which was a tragic rehearsal for D-Day. That article brought me to the notice of Nigel Lewis, who has written extensively on the subject. Therefore, I asked him … Continue reading

Posted in American History, book excerpts, British history, excerpt, Guest Post, history, legacy, military, real life tales, research, war, world history, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jonathan Martin, Arsonist ~ Full of Fury and Fire

Many of my Regency stories is set in Yorkshire, one of my favorite places in the UK. Today, I bring you a tale that occurred on 1 February 1829, in the town of York and, specifically, involved the Cathedral and … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, real life tales, religion, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jonathan Martin, Arsonist ~ Full of Fury and Fire

Using Austen as a Historical Resource, a Guest Post from Don Jacobson

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on January 30, 2019. Enjoy!  One of my favorite books is Natalie Zemon Davis’ The Return of Martin Guerre (1983) which heralded the advent of a new historical school: that of subaltern history—essentially the history of sergeants … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Austen Authors, book excerpts, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, Industrial Revolution, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, peerage, political stance, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, research, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Using Austen as a Historical Resource, a Guest Post from Don Jacobson

The Rice Portrait of Jane Austen? a Guest Post from Alexa Adams

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on January 25, 2019. Enjoy!  How clearly I recall writing this blog post in March of 2011. I was six months pregnant with my daughter and spent the bulk of the morning at a lab … Continue reading

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Clandestine Weddings and the Release of “Lady Chandler’s Sister” + a Giveaway

Clandestine/Irregular Weddings in Scotland  A clandestine wedding plays a key role in solving the mystery that occurs in my latest Regency romantic suspense, Lady Chandler’s Sister: Book 3 the Twins’ Trilogy. But exactly what constituted a clandestine or irregular marriage during … Continue reading

Posted in Black Opal Books, book release, British history, eBooks, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Ireland, marriage, marriage customs, publishing, real life tales, Regency romance, research, romance, Scotland, suspense, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Smuggling as a Plot Point in My Latest Release, “Lady Chandler’s Sister, Book 3 of the Twins’s Trilogy” + a Giveaway

 One of the “cottage” industries of the late 1700s and early 1800s in England and Scotland was smuggling. This was not just a single individual stealing a keg or two and then selling it to his neighbors; these were operations … Continue reading

Posted in Black Opal Books, book excerpts, book release, British history, eBooks, England, excerpt, food and drink, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, Great Britain, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, political stance, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Scotland, tea | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Irish Agrarian Societies: The Ribbonmen, Part of the Plot of “Lady Chandler’s Sister: Book 3 of the Twins’ Trilogy”

Whiteboyism, the subject of Monday’s post, essentially ceased to operate toward the end of the eighteenth century, although it never truly disappeared, for it resurrected its head in the Munster region (Counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford) in … Continue reading

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