If you are longing to go to Britain like I am, but can’t (or aren’t ready) to travel abroad yet, here are 15 places in the U.S. that might tide you over until we can all travel again safely: Unsurprisingly, New England tops the list, with all of its beautiful, historical cities originally settled by the British. For example, walking the cobbled streets of Boston’s historic section could … [Read more...]

There’s nothing quite like book mail, is there? I thought I’d start 2022 off right by ordering some new-to-me books (from Baker Books and Christian Books). Here’s what I ordered and why: Jesus Always by Sarah Young:  I kept seeing a woman I follow on Instagram posting pages from this book with many meaningful phrases highlighted—phrases that struck me so hard I found myself taking screen … [Read more...]

Hello friends. I hope your 2022 is off to a good start. I have only a few days left until my next manuscript is due, so today’s post will be short and sweet. As a historical novelist, I spend a fair amount of time checking to see if words were in use during my time period and sometimes end up discovering new words along the way. For example, I recently consulted my favorite online etymology … [Read more...]

As you may know, I write historical fiction set in early 19th century England, a period called the Regency era.  A large part of writing fiction set in another country more than 200 years ago is research, which I (thankfully) enjoy. I have especially found it interesting to discover similarities and differences between how the British used to celebrate Christmas—and in many cases still do—compared … [Read more...]

It has been one week since the release of my latest novel, Shadows of Swanford Abbey. It’s been a busy time of preparing for the in-person launch party as well as participating in online chats about the new book, and writing a talk I will be giving at a women’s Christmas event in a few days. All good things and I’m thankful (and a wee bit tired :) ). Hosting an in-person launch after two … [Read more...]