Victorian Women

In 2014, I read a book titled "Victorian Women" by Joan Perkin as part of my research for another novel.  I wrote a long blog post on my author site regarding the contents but thought since I'm back in the Victorian era again with this series, it might be useful to repost here on this …

A Series is Born

After finishing The Seaside Affair, I realized that the multiple characters and their open-ended stories would not serve well. After creating them, their existence demands resolution too. Meet the characters who take venturous risks to find love. The books border on the historical romance genre but include many other elements such as historical fiction and family relations.

Release Date – August 1, 2020

I have been working very hard on getting the book ready to send to Victory Editing in mid-June.  There have been a few changes here and there, and I've attempted to tighten the story in some areas, fix a few plot holes, and expand other chapters. This reminds me of why I like to write …

First Draft Finished

Writing a book is a long, arduous process. This particular story has not been an easy one for me. I started with a premise back in the fall and stumbled along the way to the end. Multiple times I had to put the book aside and ponder where to take the story.  Usually, it comes …

1840 Hats

Thank goodness for hats. They can hide the most unfaltering hairstyles, accentuate the shape of a lady's face, and make a fashion statement to turn the heads of the gentlemen. Here are just a few of the 1840 hats for women.  I'm not much of a bonnet person and frankly love the hats of the …

1840s Hairstyles Females

Okay, let's be honest.  The hairstyles of this era are unflattering. There is no individual thought as to how the style frames the face of a lady, according to its shape.  There are dangling "barley curls" down the side and harsh parting of the hair that reveals the white of the scalp. Those cute little …

1840s Male Fashions

In searching for pictures of male fashions on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's public domain collection, I find very little in the way of surviving male fashions on display. As I muse about that lack, I wonder why.  Were women more prone to save their favorite dresses and pass them down to …

1840s Female Fashions

Below is a sampling of dresses from the Metropolitan Museum of Arts from the early 1840s from America, England, and France. Necklines are up; sleeves are longer, skirts are a bit fuller.   The empire waist has disappeared. As the years progressed into the 1850s - 1860s, the skirts widen, as well as the sleeves.   Do …