Saturday was the official kick off of “Derby Season” here in Kentucky, so it seemed appropriate to devote myself to what is, without argument, the biggest yearly event to Kentuckians (and to horse enthusiasts everywhere in the USA). Today happened to be my scheduled blogging date on Austen Authors, and with thoroughbred horse racing indisputably an English invention,… Continue Reading
Is there a red-blooded woman out there who does not appreciate a fine looking man? I rather doubt it! Of course, I have the excuse of being a romance novelist – *wink, wink – Hence I can add to my Pinterest Board for “Hero Inspiration” without feeling too guilty. LOL! The truth is, a handful of… Continue Reading
Last year to honor April Fool’s Day I wrote an essay on the history of this “holiday” for pranksters. Check that out here: The Origin of April Fool’s Day… Maybe. I also shared a few of my favorite hoaxes from the past in this post: April Fool’s Day hoaxes in history The best place to… Continue Reading
Last year at this time (or rather, the second week of April) as the week marking Easter celebrations and remembrances commenced, I posted a series of blogs on the topic. Some were informational, some were for fun, but all were awesome! Instead of re-posting each one, I am providing easy links. Easter Movies – With… Continue Reading
Time for more origins of those bizarre phrases we utter. These are some unique phrases from the history of our friends across the pond. A Square Meal The saying “having a square meal” comes from the English Royal Navy during the time of Nelson. In order to stop the plates/ dishes slipping around on the… Continue Reading
Way back when I started blogging on a regular basis I frequently posted about the origins of interesting words I came across. I called those serial posts “Vocabulary Rocks!” Unfortunately many of those posts were lost due to transferring web servers, and I didn’t continue the series on a regular basis. It was tremendous fun,… Continue Reading
Time to test your knowledge of Christmas history and common traditions during the early decades of the 1800s. Reading my holiday stories and blog posts — the latter are in the Library at Pemberley — will finally pay off! I tried to keep it fun and easy, but there are prizes at stake so there must be some… Continue Reading
Are you planning a Thanksgiving party or family gathering? If so, it may help pass the hours while waiting for the turkey to bake if there are plenty of fun activities and games. Here are a few suggestions, some from the present and others from the past. High Energy Games Corn Gobbling Contest: Prepare a… Continue Reading
Want to impress your guests on Thanksgiving? Or, maybe a brain twisting trivia game to pass the hours while the bird cooks is on the planned entertainment agenda. Here are random bits of holiday-related minutia to help ya out. Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), who tirelessly worked to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday, also was… Continue Reading
Last week I highlighted novels mashing together Jane Austen with monsters of one sort or another, adding a bit of fun with two titles fabricated by me. Hehe…. That post is here: Austen Monster Mash and the fake titles & authors were #3 The Haunting of Pemberley by Elizabeth Drummant and #12 Anne Elliot: Vampire Hunter by Sam Morrison.… Continue Reading
Autumn Squash Soup 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 20 oz package precut) 1 tablespoon canola oil salt and pepper to taste 1 15 oz can pumpkin 1 cup vegetable broth 1 cup apple cider 1 cup half and half 1 1/2 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon curry 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/2… Continue Reading
Love ’em or hate ’em, Jane Austen mash-ups are everywhere! By definition, a “mash-up” is a derivative work consisting of two pieces of media conjoined together. In the Austen world this was originally attributed to movies like Clueless and Bridget Jones’ Diary where Austen characters and plotlines were set into modern situations. Lately the term has… Continue Reading
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing & Caramel Drizzle A cupcake that offers the best of both worlds—sugar and spice. ½ cups Vegetable Oil 1 cup Brown Sugar 1/3 cups Granulated Sugar 2 whole Eggs, Room Temperature ½ teaspoons Salt ½ teaspoons Cinnamon 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract 15 ounces, weight Canned Pumpkin ¾ cups Milk 2-¼… Continue Reading
Time for more movie trivia and little know facts. Yeah! Last time I covered Star Wars tidbits — that post is HERE if missed — and continuing on the trend of my geekdom, here are some fun and perhaps little-known facts from the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. … Continue Reading
I have a confession: After all this time I forget which of my novels a particular event happened in. Shhh…. Don’t tell anyone I told you! Perhaps you can answer these questions off the top of your head, but I’ll never know if you cheat and open the books. Heck, I had to. A. Mr. and Mrs.… Continue Reading
