Kristine Hughes's Blog

Is It Haunted? Of Course It Is – It’s England!

Generally, in England Halloween is not the celebrated holiday it is here in the United States. Of course, as happens all too frequently, it has crept Across the Pond and become more Americanized, but until recently there was simply no need to celebrate things that go bump in the night on one night of the … Continue reading "Is It Haunted? Of Course It Is – It’s England!"

HOW TO CREATE AUTHENTICITY IN REGENCY HISTORICAL ROMANCE? RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! – PART TWO

The Lives and Deaths of London’s Climbing Boys Louisa Cornell Andrea and I decided early on in writing our third series together that we wanted to bring the world of London’s darker side to life for our readers. To do so we had to delve into the very real and horrifying world of London’s East … Continue reading "HOW TO CREATE AUTHENTICITY IN REGENCY HISTORICAL ROMANCE? RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! – PART TWO"

HOW TO CREATE AUTHENTICITY IN REGENCY HISTORICAL ROMANCE? RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

The Horrors of Baby Farming in Nineteenth Century England Louisa Cornell One question with which I am certain all authors are familiar is “How do you come up with story ideas?” Those of us who write receive this question from both readers and fellow writers. I will confess I never know when or where a story idea … Continue reading "HOW TO CREATE AUTHENTICITY IN REGENCY HISTORICAL ROMANCE? RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!"

REMEMBERING VENICE – THE GONDOLAS

REMEMBERING VENICE – THE FOOD

REMEMBERING VENICE – THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE

REMEMBERING VENICE – THE PIAZZA SAN MARCO AND FLORIAN’S

After dinner on our first night in Venice, Victoria and I decided to stroll on to St. Mark’s Square, or Piazza San Marco as it’s known locally. For a description of the Square and its buildings, I’ll quote Wikipedia: “The Square is dominated at its eastern end by the great church of St Mark. “The church is … Continue reading "REMEMBERING VENICE – THE PIAZZA SAN MARCO AND FLORIAN’S"

REMEMBERING VENICE – ARRIVAL

Back in January of 2018, I was at Vicky’s condo in Naples, Florida, spending the week with her as at the time, I was living in the Panhandle. We sat in the living room, discussing plans for our upcoming trip to the UK in order to undertake some Wellington research at several archives in the … Continue reading "REMEMBERING VENICE – ARRIVAL"

A Scots Happy New Year !

Louisa Cornell   As the Christmas celebrations slow down, Scots gear up for Hogmanay, the celebration of New Year’s Eve. A Scots word of uncertain heritage, Hogmanay (pronounced, roughly, HUG-ma-nay) might come from ancient Greek (“holy month”), French (“the new year”), or Gaelic, or Norse, or… Whatever etymological theory you subscribe to, the holiday itself … Continue reading "A Scots Happy New Year !"

What Christmas Is In Country Places by Charles Dickens

If we want to see the good old Christmas— the traditional Christmas—of old England, we must look for it in the country. There are lasting reasons why the keeping of Christmas cannot change in the country as it may in towns. The seasons themselves ordain the festival. The close of the year is an interval … Continue reading "What Christmas Is In Country Places by Charles Dickens"