The Full Monty – How MR James Redefined the Ghost Story
He was a clergyman’s son born in Victorian England who grew up to write tales of the supernatural that still chill readers almost a century after his death. He was author M.R. James.
Matchmaker, Make Me A Match – A Brief History of Matchmaking
Using a matchmaker to find a spouse seems terribly old fashioned. And who’d use a marriage bureau? But were they really so different to using today’s online dating apps?
The Day The Border Closed
I take a trip back to another time the Queensland-New South Wales border closed - the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic.
It’s A Stitch Up!
Chronology snobs, words of wisdom and that 'infamous' Singer sewing book advice with a new/old interpretation. Elizabeth is a might peeved.
Tuesday Book Club: Renee Dahlia’s In Pursuit of a Bluestocking
My guest today is Renee Dahlia whose debut novel To Charm A Bluestocking, it was pleasure to feature here earlier this year. Today, we learn more about Renee and her new title In Pursuit Of A Bluestocking.
Maria – The Battle-Hardened Ballerina
This weekend marks the anniversary of a battle few people have heard of, The Battle of Lepanto of 1571, a maritime battle as important as the Battle of Trafalgar in the early 19th century or the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War.
Hugh Hefner, Playboy and the Realities of Harem Life
When writing Captive of the Corsairs and Revenge of the Corsairs, I thought long and hard about how to portray harem life. So much of it in romance (both contemporary and historic) is, well, highly romanticised – beautiful women, opulent surroundings, decadent pleasures and the sheik who loves one above all.
To The Shores Of Tripoli… The Birth Of The US Marines
The fledgling US Navy and Marines play a supporting role in my new novel, Captive Of The Corsairs, which is released on July 21 by Dragonblade Publishing.
The Rocky Career Of William Bentinck
Occasionally real life figures make an entrance in my historical romances. To me it seems an additional way to place my fictional characters in the living world of their time.
Counter Cultural
Copyright is the protection afforded by the creator of an original work. It doesn’t extend to the people who created the tools for that expression.