Posts Categorized: 19th century
Welcome to another installment of “Where my research takes me,” an eclectic mix of cool historical tidbits I’ve uncovered in the process of my book researches. Enjoy! 1. “From the Ballroom to Hell.” That’s one way to get a sermon written up in the newspaper: load it with fire and brimstone. *from The San…
Ever wonder what it was like to navigate a city street back in 1900? In researching my fourth book (tentatively titled Unseemly Haste, due out in the fall), I ran across this little gem: a video of San Francisco in 1900. There’s very little information on the video itself, but it looks like it was filmed…
With summer nearly upon us (in the northern hemisphere), our thoughts turn to vacation planning. The Victorians liked to play tourist, too. One of the most popular tourism companies of the day was Thomas Cook and Son, Ltd. Today’s post is a modification of one I wrote three years ago, when I was not as…
Happy Wednesday, and welcome to another installment of “Where my research takes me.” The cool thing about being a historical mystery author is all the research “rabbit holes” I find myself exploring in order to write my series. I discover all sorts of interesting things! I’m currently writing the fourth Concordia Wells novel (working title: Unseemly…
Happy April Fool’s, everyone! In honor of the occasion, I thought I’d provide a little snippet of what Victorians in the U.S. liked to do on this day, as seen through the eyes of some New York newspapers of the time. Below is an illustration of common pranks: the brick-under-the hat trick, the money-on-a-rope ruse,…
I have a new series coming out, and I wanted you all to be the first to know about it! Chronicles of a Lady Detective The series is centered upon a character many of you know from the Concordia Wells mysteries: Penelope Hamilton. You may recall that she served as lady principal of Hartford Women’s College…
I hope everyone is staying safe and warm this January day! East Coast-ers are currently dealing with a blizzard named “Winter Storm Juno.” The grocery and hardware stores have been raided, gas tanks have been filled, states of emergency have been declared, and roads have been closed. Snow totals of two to three FEET are…
Happy Winter! I thought you might enjoy this December 1896 article from The Sun, about the joys of indoor ice skating. Loved the comment: “…to say nothing of countless hordes of barbarians in the shape of small boys….” The advantages of indoor rinks were multiple. No worry about softening/cracking ice, no wind, no extraordinary cold or…
