He paced across the room once more. “It should be Wesley offering to marry you. But he is not likely to come back for several months, if not longer. I haven’t time to wait that long, and neither have you. I cannot offer love, of course, as we are barely acquainted. However, I can offer you marriage in name only…” She stared at him blankly, then her face curdled in incredulity or repugnance. “You … [Read more...]

Did you know that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world (besides water)? Nope—I didn’t either. Even though I write novels set in tea-centric England, I confess I am a tea novice and drink more coffee than tea (shhh! :)). But I do enjoy drinking tea in comfortable solitude now and then, or at social gatherings. And lately I’ve been learning more about this quintessentially British … [Read more...]

Recently I attended the Jane Austen Society of North America’s  Annual General Meeting (JASNA AGM), held this year in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The 4+ day event is a literary conference and celebration of author Jane Austen, attended by hundreds of men and women. (Ok, mostly women.) Because I write novels set in the Regency time period when Austen’s novels were published, I see the conference … [Read more...]

As I mentioned the last time I wrote, I recently decided it was time to pursue a second Regency-era dress, to wear to the JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) annual conference, held this year in Louisville, Kentucky. You can see that post and photos of the initial design process and fabric selection here. Now on to the promised Part Two. After settling on a style (modified court dress) … [Read more...]

For the last five years, I have owned only one Regency-era dress, which I have worn to several events and balls. So, with another JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) conference coming up in October (in Louisville this year), I decided it was time to pursue a second “Jane Austen-style” gown.   I was spurred on by my agent, Wendy Lawton, founder of The Lawton Doll company. … [Read more...]