Category Archives: spooky tales

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

Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, British history, excerpt, George Wickham, Georgian England, Georgian Era, heroines, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, legends, legends and myths, marriage, mystery, paranormal, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading habits, Regency era, royalty, spooky tales, suspense, tall tales, Ulysses Press, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gibbeting, A Grotesque and Very Slow Means of Death

A gibbet is an instrument used as part of a public execution. Gibbeting refers to the gallows-type structure used in the execution. A dead or dying body would be hung on public display to deter other potential criminals from committing similar crimes. A gibbet could also be used as the means of execution, essentially leaving the condemned person in a small cage, with no means of escape, to die from exposure to the elements or from thirst and starvation.  Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, spooky tales | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Craigievar Castle, the Inspiration for Walt Disney’s Trademark Castle and a Ghostly Experience

  Are you still looking for the ghosts and goblins of Halloween? Permit me to introduce you to Craigievar Castle in Scotland, where you might hear ‘Red’ Sir John tell of ancient feuds between the clans and the murder of … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, history, legends, medieval, paranormal, real life tales, Scotland, spooky tales, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Happy Book Birthday to my “Vampire Darcy’s Desire” – Entering Its Teenage Years!!!!

Vampire Darcy’s Desire: A Paranormal Pride and Prejudice Adaptation Vampire Darcy’s Desire:  A Paranormal Pride and Prejudice Adaptation   by Regina Jeffers (Released October 1, 2009; Rereleased October 4, 2016) Vampire Darcy’s Desire presents Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a heart-pounding vampire romance … Continue reading

Posted in birthdays, British history, eBooks, excerpt, George Wickham, Georgian England, gothic and paranormal, historical fiction, history, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, religion, research, romance, spooky tales, suspense, Vagary, vampires, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Book Birthday to my “Vampire Darcy’s Desire” – Entering Its Teenage Years!!!!

Book Review – The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery

(by Kelly Yanke Deltenar of http://www.examiner.com) The Phantom of Pemberley by Regina Jeffers is a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with a murder mystery twist. And although I’ve read Jeffers before (all of her other books, as a … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, book release, books, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, paranormal, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading habits, Regency era, Regency romance, research, spooky tales, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Book Review – The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery

Mudeford, an English Spa Favored by King George III + an Excerpt from “The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy”

With the onset of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the idea of a European Grand Tour for English aristocratic class lost its appeal. Instead, English men and women turned their sights on popular British destinations, such as Brighton, … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, books, British history, buildings and structures, Dorset, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, kings and queens, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, medicine, mystery, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, romance, royalty, spooky tales, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

On Friday, we had a closer look at Deadman’s Island, and its part in the setting for Losing Lizzy: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary. Like Deadman’s Island, Burntwick can be found in the estuary of the River Medway in Kent. … Continue reading

Posted in book release, British history, eBooks, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, research, spooky tales, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Was Sawney Bean Truly a 14th Century Scottish Cannibal or Was He a Legend? + a Giveaway of “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy”

Was Sawney Bean Real or a Legend? Alexander Sawney Bean was reportedly the head of a cannibalistic family residing along Scotland’s Ayrshire/Galloway coast during the 14th Century. According to the legend, Sawney was born in a small East Lothian village, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian Era, giveaway, gothic and paranormal, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, medieval, mystery, publishing, reading habits, real life tales, research, Scotland, spooky tales, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Scotland’s Merrick Murder Hole and The Old Grey Man

  This article first appeared on the Dark Jane Austen Book Club Website on March 11, 2013.  The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy Shackled in the dungeon of a macabre castle with no recollection of her past, a young woman finds … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, gothic and paranormal, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, mystery, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, Scotland, spooky tales, Ulysses Press, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scotland’s Merrick Murder Hole and The Old Grey Man

UK “Real” Estate: The Isle of Portland and Nanny Diamond Fairies

The Isle of Portland and Nanny Diamond Fairies The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Dorset, Living in the Regency, real life tales, spooky tales | Tagged , , | 2 Comments