Beau Brummell at Bonwit Teller

I’ve been working on a story that includes a secondary character who is an unabashed Regency Dandy. In his mind, appearance is everything. In writing the character, I wanted to make certain I accurately described his attire, so I turned … Continue reading

Downton Abbey and Simpson’s-in-the-Strand

Last week I saw the movie, Downton Abbey. It was wonderful and perfect and all I hoped it would be. In fact, I smiled like an idiot through the entire 122 minutes of the film (and, yes, I sat through … Continue reading

Musical Instruments in Regency England

When I first began reading Jane Austen’s and Georgette Heyer’s novels, the pianoforte seemed to be the musical instrument of choice for every Regency era heroine. Jane Austen often equated a woman’s ability on the pianoforte to her overall value … Continue reading

Smokin’ Hot Literary Characters

Back in the day when cigarette smoking was cool (and some physicians actually prescribed cigarette smoking to their patients!) tobacco companies invested heavily in advertising. One of the most successful and effective methods for spreading the word about cigarettes was … Continue reading

I’m Giving Away Books!

Shame on Santa. He brought me new books for Christmas, but neglected to bring the shelves to put them on. That means I have to get rid of some of my existing books to make room for my new treasures. … Continue reading