Kristin Holt's Blog, page 16

“Nineteenth Century Problems”

"Nineteenth Century Problems" is a bit of poking fun at today's "First World Problems" tongue-in-cheek humor...the challenges we face today because we have a life of ease. I came across the Nineteenth Century practice of allowing barnyard animals free run of the surrounding neighborhood--not a problem until their presence (and eating habits, and messes)--became an inconvenience of that growing town. Read vintage newspaper clippings about this challenge and the dangers it posed, along with a separate, serious threat of the late Nineteenth Century; now that's a serious problem!

Introducing: Made In Paradise by Donna Fasano

I’m delighted to introduce another friend among my Sweet Romance Reads associates, Donna Fasano, and her brand new release, Made In Paradise. USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden […]

Hat Etiquette of the Victorian Era

Etiquette governed much during the Victorian Era: courtship, marriage, mourning, letters, social calls, dancing, engagements and breaking of engagements, clothing...and men's hats. When reading fiction and nonfiction alike, I've wondered about men tipping their hats to ladies, removing their hats (or not), giving their hats over to the butler (or not), wearing a Stetson inside or during a business meeting... What did good manners demand? How did a cowboy show respect? How did a lady know if a man hoped to stay awhile when he paid a call?

Paralyzed Bridegroom: January 15, 1888

PARALYZED BRIDEGROOM: A vintage newspaper article published on January 15, 1888 in The Sunday Leader of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, shows the superstitious nature of one (Kentucky) widower...and a very odd set of circumstances. Note that the article takes care to explain both the effected bridegroom and the new bride are frugal, hard-working, well-respected people of common sense. Amazing what a bit of folklore, threats from a dying first wife, and "the power of suggestion" can do.

How to Attract Men: April 6, 1894

A vintage newspaper article (123 years old), dated April 6, 1894, was published in a Hamburg, New York newspaper (The Sun and the Erie County Independent). Titled HOW TO ATTRACT MEN, the brief advice encapsulates the late Victorian-era's social expectations for men and women--and sheds light on the etiquette of courtship...or how a woman might properly persuade a man to notice her (so a courtship might commence).

Old West Shootout–with a Rattlesnake

A vintage newspaper article from 1897 retells the harrowing experience of Sharkey, owner of the Copper Queen Mine outside Salmon, Idaho--a shootout, Old-West style--between himself and a 6-foot rattler.

BOOK REVIEW: Frankly, My Dear: Creating Unforgettable Characters by Melinda Curtis

My book review of Melinda Curtis's new title for writers, Frankly My Dear: Creating Unforgettable Characters. This "craft" book on the art of fiction is a unique approach (as far as I'm aware), steeped in current psychology, to instruct, inform, and enable novelists to create believable, unforgettable, and consistent characters whose reactions to conflict ring true to readers. 5 stars!

Victorian Blizzards, Nonstop in the 1880s

The decade of the 1880s proved among the most disastrous, desperate, life-threatening (and life-taking)--as winter in North America was at an extreme, the whole decade long. Climatologists have theories we understand today, but were unknown to our Victorian American ancestors. If you read a fictional book set in the 1880s, that touches on a mild winter, be surprised. Today, March 11th, is the anniversary of "the big one".

Victorian Dancing Etiquette

Etiquette governing balls and dances in the American Victorian era seems stuffy, old-fashioned, and strict to 21st century Americans. Every rule of decorum ensured good manners were in play, but most importantly, the moral purity and innocence of young women and young men were maintained. Etiquette governed everything from how a man asked a woman for a dance to how he could properly hold her hand while dancing, to how many dances that pair could have in one evening. This article contains the specifics propriety demanded, and the vintage sources where they may be found. Leap year turned some of the lady's restrictions upon the men; see the true-to-history newspaper article from 1888 that starred in Sophia's Leap-Year Courtship.

Law Forbidding Kissing…on the streets of Mountain Home?

Really? Did Victorian Americans forbid kissing in public? Was it unreasonable to think the fictional town of Mountain Home, Colorado (the setting of The Gunsmith's Bride (within GUNSMOKE & GINGHAM)) would have a "no kissing, no PDA" law? In 2017 U.S.A. it's hard to believe Victorians would be so prudish as to object to public displays of affection--or a little peck. The newspaper articles, snippets from vintage magazines, and decorum advice from the era might leave you speechless... Oh! Read part of a scene where the law breaks up the hero and heroine (The Gunsmith's Bride) kissing on the street--and threatens 48 hours in jail.