Vicki Hopkins's Blog: Leighton Family Saga, page 7

My Flawed Women

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection about the stories I write. Often, I get caught up in author articles regarding various genres and what’s hot. Hot usually equates to more sales. And who doesn’t want more sales? Unfortunately, the lane I’ve traveled for my personal storytelling doesn’t seem to want to change even though I often think of attempting other types of stories and characters. My only stretch has been to Gothic romance once with A Portrait of Perfection, which was a challen...

World War I Posters

The call to war is evident by the myriad of propaganda posters encouraging the general public to enlist, serve as civilians, donate money, or to take in the downtrodden.

One of the scenes in Lady Grace touches on the heroine’s thoughts of a poster she sees at the train station depicted below, “Women of Britain Say GO!” Rather than inciting empathy for the cause, she questions the ability of any rational woman to encourage their husbands to join and face the probability of certain death. Writi...

The 1880s in Fashionable Gowns: A Visual Guide to the Decade – Mimi Matthews

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Mimi Matthews is my go-to expert for anything Victorian. She’s a fantastic resource for 19th-century etiquette, fashion, beauty, and more. It is worth subscribing to her newsletter and blog if you wish to learn more about the era.

Below is a link to fashionable gowns that will make you want to throw away your jeans and tee-shirts.  Enjoy!

“The 1880s ushered in an era of tailored, close-fitting gowns, some of which were almost masculine in appearance.  These gowns exemplified women’s chang...

Madam, it is my painful duty to inform you…

Letter Informing Next of Kin

As part of my research for Lady Grace, I needed to know how families were notified of the death of their loved ones. The next of kin of officers often received telegrams, while the families of non-officers received a letter. The link to the article below talks more of the sad process during World War One and contains examples of correspondence.

From looking at the demise of my distant cousins in the war, I discovered that their bodies were never returned to their...

World War One: Belgian Refugees

Britain was home to 250,000 Belgian refugees in WW1 so why is their story forgotten today?

Read the story below.

Source: World War One: How 250,000 Belgian Refugees Didn’t Leave a Trace – BBC News

When I set Lady Grace during World War I, there were two choices for her manor home. One was to take in wounded soldiers for recuperation like those in Downton Abbey, and the other was a lesser known occurrence during the war – the influx of 250,000 Belgian refugees integrated into society. In the...

Lady Grace – Update

Progress so far on Lady Grace – 12,192 Words – Chapters so far include:

1 – A World Turned Upside Down
2 – Shared Heartache
3 – Digging Trenches
4 – The World at War
5 – Welcome to Our Homeland
6 – Cozy Cottage
7 – Whales and Poets.

Two new posts on Ladies of Disgrace book blog – fashions of the era and the story of Belgian Refugees.

Women in Dresses  World War One: 250,000 Belgian Refugees

Men in Uniform – World War I (Lady Grace Research)

I really wanted to put a man in uniform on the cover of Lady Grace. Days – I spent days hunting pictures on stock photo websites. Only a few decent ones came up after searching World War One soldiers, most of which could not be used because they were editorial. (In case you don’t know what that means, they cannot be used for commercial purposes like book covers because there is no model release. For example, taking photos of men in uniform during a public re-enactment exercise.) However, I di...

Lady Grace & The Great War

I purchased one of the ceramic poppies placed at the Tower of London in 2014 to remember the fallen in the First World War memorial.

Researching this story timeline is an interesting and somewhat sobering journey.

I am aware of some things during that time period because my ancestors lived in the Manchester area during the war years of 1914-1918. I have a few reference books with newspaper articles that give insight into the times and struggles at home while the men were away fighting.

My anc...

Lady Grace – New Book In Progress

Lady Isabella is out for editing, and it should be ready for release February 1 in eBook and print.

After mulling over a few story lines and time eras, I felt compelled to backtrack to the time period of World War 1 for my next story entitled Lady Grace. I had thought about choosing other names for the title, but the name Grace stuck with me because of the personality of the young woman that I will be writing about.

In 1914, Grace has given birth to her first child and her husband, Benedict R...

Looking Back at 2016: Important Publishing Developments Authors Should Know | Jane Friedman

45% of all books purchased in the US in 2016 are digital In adult fiction, sales in the US are roughly 70% digital 30% of all US adult fiction purchases are books by self-published authors

Source: Looking Back at 2016: Important Publishing Developments Authors Should Know | Jane Friedman

An interesting article worth the read, especially that 30% of all U.S. adult fiction purchases are books by self-published authors.