Vanessa Riley's Blog, page 65

Austen’s World Wrap Up. October 12, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Advertisements in Newspapers & MagazinesWhen you look at surviving copies of 19th-century periodicals (typically bound in volumes) today, you will perhaps notice a distinct lack of advertisements. Ads were printed on the wrapper (the cover) of single issues as well as on additional pages, … Continue reading →Heat and Light in Austen’s Novels (Part 2): Candles, by Rachel DodgeJust as fire was the centerpiece of most evening gatherings in Jane Austen’s time, candles also played a vital role in Regency life and culture. Today, family members work or read in separate rooms in the evening and go to bed at different times (due to the advent of electricity), but people in Austen’s day […]

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Originally posted 2017-10-12 06:20:11.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. October 12, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. October 5, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

A Peek Below Stairs – Kitchen and CellarsThe last great house we visited on my friend Kristine Hughes Patrone‘s Number One London Tours Lake District tour was Tatton Hall. Tatton Park is a historic estate in Cheshire, England, that had been in the Egerton family from 1598 … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-10-05 06:22:28.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. October 5, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 21, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Jane Austen Movie NightI’m planning what must be one of the most fun “Dining for Dollars” church-fundraisers ever—a Jane Austen movie night, with period foods. I love working out all the details for events like this. I’m working on a date and figuring … Continue reading →Beyond Gunter’sIf you’re an avid reader of Regency romances, you’re likely very familiar with Gunter’s [N0. 7-8 Berkeley Square], the famous pastry shop which was one of the few places a lady might dine when out and about. While the cafes … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-09-21 06:20:48.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 21, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 14, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Do you love fairy tales?My new book Yuletide Truce, which comes out next week, starts with dueling reviews of a collection of fairy tales: The Fairy Ring, published on 9 December 1845 (though the title page gives the year of publication as 1846), in … Continue reading →Heat and Light in Austen’s Novels (Part 1): Fires – Rachel DodgeAt the heart of every household in Jane Austen’s time, a fire burned. Fires provided a fixed source of heat and light, around which people gathered and moved, cooked and cleaned, lived and socialized. And while it’s lovely to imagine that families in Austen’s day gathered together in the evening simply because they enjoyed one […]

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Originally posted 2017-09-14 06:21:27.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 14, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 7, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Regency Picnic or a Labor Day?Happy Labor Day! This US federal holiday celebrates the economic and social contributions of the American worker. It was first observed in New York in 1882 and became a federal holiday in 1894. Today it has also become the traditional … Continue reading →Ch-ch-ch-changesThis past weekend I dropped off both daughters to college (the younger for the first time). It’s a very strange experience to become an empty-nester. I miss them so much! But I’m also an introvert recovering from a challenging phase … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-09-07 06:20:19.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. September 7, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. August 31, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Cool things from the 1780sI love strange little bits of real history to decorate my books with. Sometimes you stumble across them randomly and jot them down for later use, and sometimes you’re in the middle of the book and you can’t stand to … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-08-31 06:21:07.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. August 31, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. August 10, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

English Cottages Rock!So much of the time, our Regency stories evolve in the settings of the elegant mansions, grand townhouses and large country estates of the rich aristocrats who people the stories. There’s good reason for that, for certainly the elegance helps … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-08-10 06:20:18.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. August 10, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 27, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Jane Austen on the GoDear Readers, Once again I found myself traveling between Richmond and Baltimore to visit family. In theory, the route over I-95 should take only 2 hours and 45 minutes. Hah! This time the trip took 5 hours due to heavy traffic and a thunderstorm or two. While driving, I love to listen to my favorite […]

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Originally posted 2017-07-27 06:20:07.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 27, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 20, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Exploring Jane Austen’s PrayersExploring Jane Austen’s Prayers, by Rachel Dodge As we reflect this month on the beautiful written treasures Jane Austen left behind her in this world, we also celebrate the wonderful life that she lived. Though she has been gone 200 years now, her novels are a continual gift we can enjoy again and again. And […]Animal Characters and a Sale!A lot of my favorite romance authors include animals in their romances. In Regencies, we often have horses, but other animals, usually pets, can add fun to a story. Laura Kinsale usually (always?) includes some sort of “mascot animal” in … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-07-20 06:20:26.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 20, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.

Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 13, 2017

Looks What’s Brewing in the Regency

Visiting Jane Austen’s Home: Celebrating 200 Years in Hampshire, Rachel Dodge“Ah! there is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” This line from Mrs. Elton in Emma is quite humorous, but the quote itself holds an eternal truth for most of us. There really is no place like one’s own home. For Jane Austen, “home” was in Hampshire, a lush, green county in the […]On Research & Rabbit HolesI know you understand the issues –I think all of us here tend to be research geeks. Sometimes it’s hard to pull ourselves away from the endless journey of searching out more information, more fascinating details –just a little more … Continue reading →

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Originally posted 2017-07-13 06:20:09.

The post Austen’s World Wrap Up. July 13, 2017 first appeared on Vanessa Riley's Regency Reflections.