Category Archives: Scotland

The Headless Horseman and the House of Dun

 We have all heard of the Headless Horseman. Surely, you know something of the tale written by Washington Irving in 1820: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” However, did you realize that the Headless Horseman had been a much used motif … Continue reading

Posted in British history, castles, Georgian Era, legends, legends and myths, Scotland, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Will-o’-the-Wisp + the PreOrder of My Upcoming Release of “Lyon’s Obsession” Book 2 of My Mystery/Romantic Suspense from Dragonblade Publishing (Arriving 17 September 2025)

Okay, 82% of my DNA is made up of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Scotland is one of the biggest chunks of that. One of my great grandfathers was John MacComie (Iain Mor), 7th Chief of Clan MacThomas. The Clan … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, Dragonblade Publishers, eBooks, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, holidays, Ireland, legends and myths, mystery, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Scotland, suspense, tradtions, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will-o’-the-Wisp + the PreOrder of My Upcoming Release of “Lyon’s Obsession” Book 2 of My Mystery/Romantic Suspense from Dragonblade Publishing (Arriving 17 September 2025)

What is a Glass Cone? And a Look Back at A Touch of Cashémere, Book 3 of the Realm Series

Next month, I hope to release a new romantic mystery/suspense series. This one is from Dragonblade Publishers, so I thought I might revisit my very successful Realm series and some of the history regarding each of the stories in the series. … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, Great Britain, Living in the UK, mystery, real life tales, Realm series, Regency era, Regency romance, research, romance, Scotland, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Proud Member of Clan MacThomas, Whose Blood Flows Through My Veins

When I traveled to Disney World with my son and his family several years back, I was quite disappointed for I only saw my favorite Disney princess once. That is Merida from “Brave.” One of things I like about Merida … Continue reading

Posted in castles, customs and tradiitons, family, Great Britain, heraldry, hero, history, legends, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Procedure for a Man to Claim a Peerage

This seems to be the month when authors and readers send me questions of “procedures” for those living in Georgian/Regency England. PROCEDURE ON CLAIMS Most claims are going to be straight forward and having the claim settled will only take … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, heraldry, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, peerage, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era, research, Scotland, terminology, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Procedure for a Man to Claim a Peerage

Mensa et Thoro? How it Differs from Divorce… + the Release of “Leave Her Wild” + a Giveaway

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you should be aware that in the Regency Period, divorce was a VERY messy affair – VERY public – VERY expensive – and almost impossible to achieve. It, literally, took an act … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, Regency era, Scotland, terminology, tradtions, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

All Hallow’s Eve During the Regency

For this piece, I pulled together bits of information on All Hallow’s Eve from a variety of sources, all of which are cited within the post. I hope you enjoy learning of some of Halloween’s traditions.  All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween … Continue reading

Posted in British history, history, holidays, Ireland, Jane Austen, legends, legends and myths, medieval, Northanger Abbey, real life tales, religion, Scotland, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All Hallow’s Eve During the Regency

A Closer Look at “Vampire Darcy’s Desire”

 In late 2009, at the height of the Twilight mania, Ulysses Press approached me regarding my writing a vampiric version of Pride and Prejudice. [Each book in the Twilight series was inspired by and loosely based on a different literary … Continue reading

Posted in gothic and paranormal, Jane Austen, paranormal, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits, romance, Scotland, vampires | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

Although Sir Alexander Chandler and Miss Alana Pottinger do not come to their Happily Ever After in Lady Chandler’s Sister through handfasting, it is a subject of discussion. They met in Scotland, and handfasting was a more common practice there. But … Continue reading

Posted in Black Opal Books, book release, British history, eBooks, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, romance, Scotland, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Fleet Prison Marriages of the 1700s

Marriage ceremonies associated with the Fleet Prison is London were many in the mid to late 1700s. It is estimated that in the 1740s over half of London’s marriage ceremonies took place in “marriage shops” surrounding the Fleet Prison. By … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments