Philadelphia 1882

My 2nd full-length story, Dark Desire of the Druids II: Sex & Subterfuge takes place in Philadelphia 1882. Philly was a much different city then than now, not the least of which is Society Hill. Now a posh expensive locale, it was originally named not after ‘the’ place to live, but the Free Society of [...]

Winter was the Good Season!

As I look out my window, it is dark, cold and blustery.  I’m so pleased to be inside where every room in the house is nice and warm.  I’m glad I don’t have to go anywhere because the roads are covered with ice, and snow banks make visibility at corners difficult. 
This isn’t exactly the same [...]

The Murder of Dr. Chapman

Anyone who’s read Slip Into Something Victorian for a time knows that I’m fascinated by murder.  Can’t tell you why, but I’m drawn to read about it, thus the Lizzie Borden blog and a few others.  Today, it’s Dr. Chapman, which isn’t technically a Victorian murder, having occurred in 1832.  But I figure that’s close [...]

Birthday Blog

 
 
 
 
 

It’s my turn to blog again on Slip Into Something Victorian and it just happens to be my birthday. I’m not saying which one.
Anyway, I thought I’d do a blog about how I came to write American Civil War romance. According to most publishers, Civil War romance isn’t a particularly popular genre. And I’ve heard readers [...]

More Societal Mores Victoriana

 
 
 
 
 
 

I’m delighted to be back for my monthly blog post. Again, an op-ed of topics on the front burner of several levels of business and social echelons.
 
Over the recent and hectic holidays I found myself engaged in an endless stream of dialogue on what everyone was doing or not doing financially about the holiday festivities [...]

The Great Depression Part 2 of 2

The worst depression in American History: 1873–1896. In Part Iof this depressing blog (pun intended) I posted some suddenly familiar happenings in 1873 that began with companies going bankrupt, banks folding, and the consumer bearing the brunt of the burden. You think CEOs and Robber Barrons went homeless? HA!
So what other effects were there from [...]

Civil War Hero: Mary Edwards Walker, MD

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Civil War hero?” For a lot of people, it’s probably a stone monument you’ve seen in a National park. Or maybe the black and white image from a school textbook of Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant or Stonewall Jackson.

What about Mary Edwards Walker, [...]

I’m over at Unusual Historicals

Check out my interview over at Unusual Historicals. Leave a comment there to enter for a free copy of Dark Desire of the Druids I: Murder & Magick.

The Presidential Inauguration of 1865

With a new American President about to be sworn in in a few weeks, I thought I’d take a look back at the 1865 inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. With the Civil War still raging, Lincoln hadn’t really expected to be re-elected for a second term. And on the assumption he wouldn’t be re-elected, Lincoln wrote, [...]

Lizzie Borden, Sensational Victorian Murder

Every year I take the week (or two) after Christmas as a vacation from Life. I play computer games, avoid family (all but those living at my house), friends, the internet, television, radio, newspapers. This year though, the vacation stretched longer and finally my husband and I decided we needed to get out of the [...]