Author Interview: Marlow Kelly and a Giveaway!

I am very pleased to welcome author Marlow Kelly, whose most recent historical romance, A Woman of Love, was released by The Wild Rose Press on March 4.  Thanks for visiting today, Marlow! Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing? Hi, my name’s Marlow. I Read More

Winter Escapes

Here in Northeast Ohio (and most of the rest of the northern half of the US), March is roaring in like a lion. We’re expecting another ten inches of snow today to add to the foot or two already on the ground. The piles of snow on the sides of the streets now exceed the Read More

On Valentine’s Day

It is February, that shortest of months which, at least here in NE Ohio, seems the longest. Winter is in full swing, with nary an end in sight. The snow is piled high and the skies are gray with more to come. It is perhaps lucky, then, that we have an opportunity to break up Read More

Christmas, Victorian Style

Christmas rapidly approaches, and I suspect no one who reads this blog will be surprised to see a post about Christmas in the Victorian era. Predictability is good, right? Although Christmas as we know it today does celebrate the birth of Jesus (even though there is evidence to suggest he was not born in December), Read More

Firefighting in the Victorian Era

In my first two novels, I burn down three buildings. This has provided a source of amusement to my critique partners. At our last critique group meeting, suggestions for marketing swag included matches (emblazoned with a suitably catchy saying, such as Light a Fire with Marin McGinnis) and candles that smell like burning wood. Ha. Anyway, as Read More

Drinking, Victorian Style

Everyone who’s ever read historical romance knows that there is very often alcohol featured somewhere. It’s typically consumed by the men in the story, although on occasion the heroine gets tipsy and does something stupid. Generally speaking, though, I prefer my heroines to be able to handle their liquor. Since my current heroine owns a pub in Read More

Weather and Other Curiosities

This is a recycled, and late (sorry), post from a group blog that is now defunct. But recycling is good for the planet, and it’s too damn cold to think of anything but how I wish I was somewhere where my car didn’t get stuck in the driveway, where I could venture outside without Arctic Read More

Mourning, Victorian Style

Recently I went to a DAR meeting (Yes, that is Daughters of the American Revolution, and I, with my distinctly un-blue blood, am a member). The wonderful speaker was from the Summit County Historical Society, and her presentation was on the Victorian Woman. She brought all kinds of artifacts from the Victorian era in the U.S., Read More