Copyright Infringement

It’s a problem writers have struggled with for eons. And I do mean that literally. It’s probably just as well all those illuminated manuscripts were so hard to hand copy, but there were forgeries even then.
Patrick Ross’ recent blog about eSnips brings attention to a problem all writers (or potential writers) face. What happens when [...]

IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW CONTEST
To celebrate the release of my first historical romance, IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW, I’m hosting a contest. To enter, just visit my website (http://pages.videotron.com/cowens/index.html) and click on the contest page. E-mail me with your NAME and MAILING ADDRESS and the answer to the question below.
FIRST PRIZE: A lovely sterling [...]

Mary Ann Shadd

Mary Ann was remarkable. Born in 1823, she managed to be the first woman publisher of a newspaper in North America, the first woman to enter Howard University Law School, the second black woman to obtain a Law Degree, and the first black woman to cast a vote in a National Election. In addition, she [...]

Susan’s Update to New Year’s Goals

I thought I’d post a follow-up on how I’ve done so far with the New Year’s goals I posted to this blog. I won’t call them resolutions, because I’m not making changes, just moving forward.
1) I finished my self-revisions of Erin’s Rebel and sent a partial to Medallion Press in early January. While waiting to [...]

Gilded Age Opulence

For reasons I’d rather not examine, the amazing opulence and extravagance of the gilded age fascinates me. The book(s) I’m working on right now are about one (purely fictional) high-society American family during the Victorian age, which has lead me to research how they lived. This particular family is from Boston, who by in large [...]

Women In the Ranks – Part II

Jennie Hodgers
Jennie Irene Hodgers was born in Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland in 1843 or ‘44.
No one knows why or how she came to America or why she was living in Boone County, Illinois in the summer of 1862.
Unable to read or write, Jennie overheard volunteers talking about the cursory medical examination being given by [...]

Victorian Icon to Close

In the mid 1800s, Atlantic City was the place to holiday on the East Coast. Next came the railroad, and by 1878 A.C. was so popular a second line needed to be built. Visitors by boat also arrived, and it wasn’t long before Atlantic City became the premier resort city. The first ‘official’ road from [...]

Update on My New Year’s Resolutions — or How I Took Procrastination to New Heights

I’ve been meaning to post this blog, but like everything else in my life, I keep putting it off. Probably because I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s. Or resolutions. Most years I resolve not to make any resolutions because it’s just one more thing to keep up with.
But this [...]

Victoria & Eugenie

Queen Victoria’s deep and abiding friendship with the Empress Eugenie set standards within the mercurial arenas of Victorian society. Their circumferential lifestyles connected, because they took care to nurture an unexpected friendship.
Their marriages were both under magnifying lenses, critically. Yet, the very differences between Victoria’s monogamous and faithful Prince Consort and Eugenie’s notoriously and regularly [...]

Plotters vs. Pantsers

I decided to take a break today on the revisions of my time travel romance, Erin’s Rebel, to do some work on my Civil War historical romance, Katie Rose.
I’d worked out a detailed plot and wanted to make some changes after taking a plotting workshop a while back. I think my “Women In the Ranks” [...]