Last week I was finally able to watch the 2017 season of The Great British Bake-Off. (Online, of course, as PBS seems not to have the ability to broadcast it in the US since the show said goodbye to the BBC.) It was as brilliant as ever, and though I loved Mary, Mel, and Sue, Read More
Tag: Victorian era
It’s Valentine’s Day!
And you know what that means. Yes, friends, it’s time for another round of Victorian Valentine’s verses from my two favorite sources: Hymen’s Rhapsodies (for gentlemen), and The Lady’s Own Fashionable Valentine’s Writer (for the ladies, obviously). I realize I’ve been neglecting the blog for a while–I should probably just admit that winter depresses me Read More
Victorian Food: The Delectable Sausage Roll
This post is a reboot of one published on October 1. The original disappeared after a website snafu, but thanks to my RSS feed on Goodreads, the sausage roll recipe is not gone forever, and I have received a helpful reminder to back up my blog posts… ***************** As the weather turns cooler, my poodles Read More
Why So Many Dead Bodies?
I’ve been sick for a few days with a nasty head cold. Sitting in bed with the dogs and my iPad for company, I’ve been thinking about a question readers sometimes ask me: why do so many people die in your books? In truth, not that many people die in my books, but there are definitely Read More
Trying New Things
So for the last couple of months, I’ve been querying literary agents for my new series. Although I’ve had some interest, I’ve racked up quite a few rejections. The most recent one, a kick in the teeth disguised as a pleasant form rejection, arrived Friday night. Although some writers prefer personalized rejections, I actually prefer Read More
Over the Sea to Skye
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may remember my last post, in which I mused about which of several settings I should choose for the next book. Perhaps subconsciously influenced by this year’s RITA historical finalists–many of which seem to have involved dukes and Scotland–I did opt to send my duke Read More
Winter Blog Hop, Day 12 – Victorian Cookies
Today’s scheduled guest is unable to be here, so I’m filling in with a Victorian era recipe for Cinnamon Cakes, which are actually cookies. I found it in Eliza Acton’s Modern Cookery, and featured them in Secret Promise. Here’s an excerpt: Zachary was curled up in a chair in the sitting room, reading. “Zachary,” Anna said, “I have Read More
Victorian Food: Divided by a Common Language
One of the things I’ve encountered in British recipes–both old and new–is an entirely different vocabulary. Spelling is also an issue: I just spent ten minutes looking for pudding molds in Mrs. Beeton before I remembered it’s spelled moulds in the UK. There are different terms for so many things in baking, and finding out what they Read More
The Victorian Diet
Last October I turned 50. My sixth decade began with shingles on my face and in my eye, which took about 6 months to vanquish. I gained ten pounds and was diagnosed with high blood pressure, started a new law firm, and finished a book, so it’s safe to say there have been ups and downs. A Read More
New Blog Series! Victorian Food
So lately I have been watching the early seasons of The Great British Bake-Off. Of the five seasons aired so far, only the last three made it to network TV in the US, but the first two are available on YouTube, and they are so worth the watch. Each episode contains historical snippets about particular Read More