Nicola here. There are a lot of old buildings in the UK and a lot of different names for historic types of buildings, whether it’s a castle, manor, hall, tower, mansion or cottage. A castle, though, conjures up very particular ideas of what a building looks like. The dictionary definition is “a fortified building as in medieval Europe” or “a large, magnificent house especially if the home of a prince or noble.” However, I think fortifications – crenelations, towers, turrets etc are essential for it to be a proper castle. Often a castle, which has been around for hundreds of years, is in ruins ..read more

Anne here pondering about weather and power and light... Recently it seems like people all over the world are having extreme weather, often accompanied by power blackouts. Whether it's blizzards and ice-storms, record heat waves, lightning strikes, wildfires, hurricanes, cyclones or floods, generally they have one think in common — no power.  (Image by eyasu-etsub on Unplash.) We're so dependent on electricity that we take it completely for granted — until it goes. And then, suddenly, you realize how very dependent we've become on it for all sorts of things and I don't just mean for serio ..read more

Anne here, announcing that Jennifer Kloester's new book,The Novels of Georgette Heyer is out as an e-book. I'm not sure whether or when it will be published as a paper book, but when I know, you'll know. In the meantime, I'm entertaining you (I hope) with a quiz about some of Georgette Heyer's books. The usual rules apply — note down your answers with a pen and paper and at the end, there's a link to the answers. 1) Who called his uncle a "platter-faced old fidget”? a) Sir Tristram Shield b) Viscount Sheringham c) Ferdy Fakenham d) Pelham Winwood   2) Who removed the gold tassels from so ..read more

Christina here and it’s time for our monthly roundup of what we’ve been reading! As always, we have a very varied selection and hope you will find something you like the sound of. And please add to our must-have lists in the comments below by letting us know what you have enjoyed as well. We’ve got our credit cards at the ready! We’re starting off with Patricia:- SPACE JUNK: HOUSTON, WE HAVE A HOTTIE by Sara L. Hudson. I wasn’t going to report on this one because it’s half hot sex, so I skimmed a whole lot. The sex scenes were fine. I’m just not interested. But the book’s premise and some of t ..read more

https://patriciarice.com/books/the-secrets-of-wycliffe-manor/ I am writing this on Sunday, August 20, for reasons, below. If you’re not interested in the fabulously glamorous life of a multi-published author, move on. Otherwise, hang around. I’d offer you a beer or glass of wine for my pity party, but it would have to be virtual… Today, I dumped 20,000 words of Book #4 of my Gravesyde Priory Mystery series into my “Maybe Next Time,” file. Six weeks of hard work, plotting, developing characters, writing, rewriting… out the door. Well, I never actually throw out that many words. I file them aw ..read more

Anne here, and last week I went to the first in-person conference I’ve been to since Covid hit in 2020 — the Romance Writers of Australia conference, which this year was held in Sydney. I even had a sliver of a view of the Sydney Harbour bridge from my hotel room. It felt quite odd, meeting and mingling with so many people after such a long time in relative isolation, but it was also very stimulating. I caught up with so many friends I hadn’t seen in several years, and met some new ones, which was lovely. I arrived in Sydney a few days before the conference opened, and over dinner, caught up ..read more

Andrea here, musing about family and some of the little memories that serve as touchstones from past to present, reminding us of fun moments that created connections and camaraderie.   This past weekend, my older brother and his son chartered a boat to go fishing out at the end of Long Island Sound, where it opens in the the Atlantic Ocean—a father-son experience that they have done over the years since my nephew was a little boy. (He is now all grown up!) The plan was for them to fish all day and then rendezvous with me and my my sister-in-law at my house for a fabulous fish dinner. (Yes ..read more

Susan here. Two hundred and one years ago this week, in August 1822, King George IV arrived in Scotland, landing at Leith Harbor and making his way into Edinburgh. The huge fanfare included not just thousands of people lining the streets to cheer and watch, but began with a greeting party of scores of dignitaries that included the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and civic officials, dukes, earls, peers of rank, clan chiefs, as well as Sir Walter Scott, who had organized much of the celebration that took place over the days of the king’s visit. King George IV Lands at Leith Harbor, detail. Alexander ..read more

Christina here. Have you ever travelled somewhere without any expectations whatsoever, just willing to go with the flow, explore and see what you find? That’s exactly what I did the weekend before last. Yes, I have been out travelling yet again – lately it feels as if I live out of suitcase permanently! – but this time it wasn’t for research or family purposes. My husband, elder daughter and I wanted to go to a specific concert which happened to be held in Brussels in Belgium. So we decided to take the opportunity to have a long weekend there to see the sights. Who wouldn’t? I had never been t ..read more

Nicola here. I’m in deadline territory so I’ve dusted down and added to a blog piece from 9 years ago on a topic that really interests me – books that make us cry. This is intended to be a cheerful blog, not a miserable one. It’s not about the latest craze in what has been dubbed “sad girl books” which are apparently about millennial women who are unhappy in their lives. I haven’t read any and the present time isn’t the right moment for me to start. No, it’s about authentic emotion and the way that can touch us. A while ago I spent a day on writing retreat with a very good friend of mine, also ..read more