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Hi - nice to have you stop by! K.B. Owen, Historical Mystery Author …Chasing the Cozy Thrill If you're here, I'm assuming you want to know a little more about me. I have a Ph.D. in 19th century British literature and used to teach college lit and writing courses. These days, I'm a historical mystery writer, and just finished the first two books in a series that I'm really excited about. The series is set in a nineteenth-century women’s college in Hartford, Connecticut - world filled with quirky and beguiling characters and mischief mixed with murder. Why Hartford? I fell in love with Hartford and its history while I was at Uconn (one of the top 7 party schools at the time – I got some work done, really!) Why a women's college in the 19th century? Well, you know what they say: go with what you know (and like!). My years teaching college literature and writing provided some interesting classroom experiences. Who can resist such good material? Thankfully, unlike my main character, Professor Concordia Wells, I didn’t have to lecture in a bustle and full skirts. Besides writing and blogging, I read as much as I have the time for (especially mysteries, my first love), and share a house with a husband, three sons, and an assortment of small, furry pets. Chat with me on Twitter! @kbowenwriter

   
Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple Miss Marple rivals Hercule Poirot as Agatha Christie’s most famous fictional detective.  An elderly spinster living in a tiny village in England called St. Mary’s Mead, Jane Marple’s primary occupations are knitting, trading gossip, and armchair detection.  She first appeared in a 1927 short story, “The Tuesday Night Club.”  Her…

   
Today is “Fashion Friday,” where we take a look at an interesting 19thc fashion trend or clothing item, selected for its relative smirk-worthiness.  But be careful what you smirk at – we all have fashion “skeletons” in our own closets.  Just imagine what they’ll be smirking at a century from now. The female silhouette, 1870s-1890s Be…

   
Okay, so you’re an ordinary citizen, making your way in the late-19th century world (specifically the American corner of the world).  Let’s say you’re a cautious and astute person: you keep a tight grip on your wallet or pocket-book in crowds, to the chagrin of those sly pickpockets out there; you don’t fall for those…