Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site.

# HHRW

Hearts Through History Romance Writers - RWA® Historical Online Chapter #189

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/blog/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” module_class=” et_pb_specialty_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.22″ inner_width=”89%” inner_width_tablet=”80%” inner_width_phone=”” inner_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” inner_max_width=”89%” inner_max_width_tablet=”80%” inner_max_width_phone=”” inner_max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”25px|||” make_fullwidth=”on”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ specialty_columns=”2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=”Row” module_id=”featured-post” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ include_categories=”all” meta_date=”F j, Y” show_thumbnail=”off” show_content=”on” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”on” show_pagination=”off” admin_label=”Blog: Featured Full Post” module_class=”featured-post-entry” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”40px” header_letter_spacing=”1px” meta_text_align=”center” background_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_enabled=”0″ header_line_height=”1.2em”
- [Meet Our Newest Member](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2024/01/11/meet-our-newest-member/) - Heidie Rosado Nieves Heidie first shared with us that she is from Puerto Rico. She is new to the publishing arena. She never studied writing. She simply decided to do it and self-taught her way to the first publication, based on true life. I reached out to Heidie with a few questions: Q: Do
- [Word of the Week: Charivari](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/07/28/word-of-the-week-charivari/) - If you've ever seen the musical Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein, this word is used when Curly and Laurie are given a charivari after their wedding that culminates in their attack by Judd. Charivari Pronounced shee-və-REE Part of Speech: noun Origin: French, mid-17th Century Definition: (historical) A noisy mock serenade performed by a group of
- [Memberspot Light: Kimberly Nielsen](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/07/25/memberspot-light-kimberly-nielsen/) - Hello Hearts Through History members, today I’m talking with HTH member Kimberly Nielsen. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been working on? Hi Everyone! I am from Colorado, although I am living in Pennsylvania right now. I have just returned to writing after a long hiatus. I am writing both
- [Word of the Week: Chinwag](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/07/21/word-of-the-week-chinwag/) - I love WordGenius' Word of the Day and often try to use them in something I'm writing as a challenge to myself. This one has appropriate connotations for us historical authors! Chinwag CHIN-wag Part of Speech: noun Origin: British English, late 19th Century Definition: A chat Usage in a sentence: "I love having a chinwag
- [Memberspotlight on Christa Walker!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/07/18/memberspotlight-on-christa-walker/) - Thanks for including me in this! I'm still an itty bitty, infant writer so I don't really know how helpful my answers will be to others. I've included them below just in case. Do you write full-time or part-time? Whatever time I can get! I have an almost 2-year-old and a full time job
- [Judges are almost through with RTTA!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/07/13/judges-are-almost-through-with-rtta/) - First round of judging is almost complete for the Romance Through The Ages Contest and it's looking pretty good! A bumper crop of excellent up and coming authors showcased in our inboxes! Reminder to all first round judges that your entries are due on July 23, 2021. So get those entries in!
- [Member Spotlight on Melanie Rose Clark!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/06/27/member-spotlight-on-melanie-rose-clark/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? First, thank you for having me. I am excited to share my writing journey with you. I write on and off all the time! I am a mother of five, which is a full-time job in itself (a wonderful one). I start writing at 5:30 in the morning, the
- [Member Spotlight on Ginny Flores!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/06/20/16595/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? Unfortunately, I have to ‘work’ so I write part-time What’s the hardest part of writing? Finding the time to write and not get distracted. What’s your favorite historical movie? Gone with the Wind and Frida Who’s your favorite historical figure? Isabella I Queen of Spain If you
- [Member Spotlight on Tracy Koppel!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/06/13/member-spotlight-on-tracy-koppel/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? I write part-time. What’s the hardest part of writing? Keeping track of all the things one has to—the plot, the characters, the setting, the pacing, the word choices—so many details! What’s your favorite historical movie? I don’t have ranked favorites in any category. I grew up loving Errol Flynn’s
- [Member Spotlight on Sarah McGregor!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/05/22/member-spotlight-on-sarah-mcgregor/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? I’m Sarah McGregor. I live with my husband of 37 years (!) on a small farm in southeastern Pennsylvania. I’m the mother of two grown daughters and the grammy of an eighteen-month-old. Right before Covid (BC?) I retired from working as a speech/language pathologist and now I guess I could
- [Member Spotlight on Minerva Liggons!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/05/30/member-spotlight-on-minerva-liggons/) - Hello Hearts Through History members, today I’m talking with HTH member Minerva (Michelle Liggons). Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been working on? Do you write full-time or part-time? I write part-time and work full-time. I write in the evening and on my weekends as often as possible.
- [Romance Through The Ages Contest-1 week left!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/05/26/romance-through-the-ages-contest-1-week-left/) - Entry Fee: $20 for HHRW members/$25 for non-members. Enter by May 31, 2021 Unpublished authors may enter any category. Published authors may enter any category in which they're not published, or in which they've not been contracted for publication or self-published within the past five years. Entry: First 15 pages (and optional two-page synopsis) Top
- [Member Spotlight on Lavada Martin!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/05/21/member-spotlight-on-lavada-martin/) - Everyone, welcome Lavada Martin to Hearts Through History. Lea, our intrepid interviewer, asked some questions and Lavada answered! Do you write full time or part time? I write as much as my schedule allows. Never enough, but I am improving on being more consistent. What’s the hardest part of writing? Hardest part of writing is the
- [Romance Through the Ages Contest LIVE!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/04/30/romance-through-the-ages-contest-live/) - 2021 Romance Through the Ages Contest for Historical Romance Sponsored by Hearts Through History Entry Fee: $20 for HHRW members/$25 for non-members. Entry Open: April 1, 2021 - May 31, 2021 Unpublished authors may enter any category. Published authors may enter any category in which they're not published, or in which they've not been contracted for publication or self-published
- [Need a critique group?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/04/27/need-a-critique-group/) - Hearts Through History members have an exciting new perk to membership! Critique groups have started with divisions for Ancient/Medieval, Regency/Victorian, and more. Contact President Claudine Gandolfi for more information on how to join! Don't know how to be a good critique partner? There are lots of resources out there. Take a look at these links
- [Member Spotlight on Val Fassnight](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/04/14/member-spotlight-on-val-fassnight/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? Alas, part-time. I honestly don't think I could handle it full time without heavy discipline. What’s the hardest part of writing? Discipline! Lol! I'm a plontser, so sometimes I know what I'm doing, sometimes I don't. I could use a dedicated personal space that is not my bed for
- [Member Spotlight on Laura Jack](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/04/04/member-spotlight-on-laura-jack/) - Hello Hearts Through History members, today I’m talking with HTH member Laura Jack. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been working on? Do you write full-time or part-time? Less than part time right now. Ugh the seasonal depression coupled with Covid19 burnout. What’s the hardest part of writing? It's
- [Member Spotlight on Cecilia Rene](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/03/27/16165/) - Do you write full-time or part-time? I feel like it’s full time, but it’s really part time b/c I work. What’s the hardest part of writing? Writing, actually writing is the hardest part. Then research, lol. But sitting down and not being distracted is the hard part. What’s your favorite historical movie? Really it’s hard,
- [Member Spotlight on LaQuette](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/03/16/member-spotlight-on-laquette/) - What’s the hardest part of writing? Since my kids started homeschooling? Finding a quiet moment during the day to collect my thoughts is probably the hardest thing about writing. Seriously, though, the most difficult thing is revising. Revisions are where the magic really happens. What’s your favorite historical movie? Hoodlum. It's a dramatization of the real-life
- [Member spotlight on Tracy Koppel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/02/25/member-spotlight-on-tracy-koppel/) - Lea Goad: Hello Hearts Through History members, today I’m talking with HTH member Tracy Koppel. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been working on? Do you write full-time or part-time? I write part-time. What’s the hardest part of writing? Keeping track of all the things one has to—the
- [Member spotlight on Grace Ann Kone (aka Blair Bancroft)!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2021/02/15/member-spotlight-on-grace-ann-kone-aka-blair-bancroft/) - Lea Goad (VP2 - Communications): Hello Hearts Through History members, today I’m talking with HHRW member Grace Ann Kone. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’ve been working on? Do you write full-time or part-time?Part-time What’s the hardest part of writing?Love it. It’s energizing even when I’m exhausted, though I no
- [Member Spotlight on Alyson McLayne!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2019/07/30/member-spotlight-on-alyson-mclayne/) - Minerva Spencer: Hello Hearts Through History members, today I'm talking with HTH member Alyson McLayne. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you've been working on? Alyson McLayne: Hi everyone! I’m Alyson McLayne. I live in Vancouver, Canada with my prop master husband, my twin seven-year-olds (boy/girl), and my chocolate lab-cross
- [Member Spotlight on Jane Rosebery](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2019/06/01/member-spotlight-on-jane-rosebery/) - Welcome HTH Member Jane Rosebery!!! Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Jane Rosebery: First of all, thank you for having me. I love reading the member spotlights and I feel lucky that I’m being spotlighted today. I love being a part of
- [Member Spotlight on Riley Cole!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/11/14/member-spotlight-on-riley-cole/) - Minerva Spencer: Hi Riley and thanks so much for joining me today! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Riley Cole: I’m a newly-retired psychologist who’s spent all her adult life living in Northern Nevada. Think high desert. Lake Tahoe. The rugged Sierra Nevada mountains.
- [Member Spotlight on Minerva Spencer, HTH's VP of Social Media](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/10/29/member-spotlight-on-minerva-spencer-hths-vp-of-social-media/) - Greetings HTH Members! This is Christy Carlyle, your HTH President, and I'm happy to introduce you to one of our board members, Ms. Minerva Spencer. Christy: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write? Minerva: I write Regency Era romance and my first book, DANGEROUS, came
- [Member Spotlight on Cynthia Owens!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/10/12/member-spotlight-on-cynthia-owens/) - Welcome to another edition of HTH Member Spotlight! Today I'm featuring Cynthia Owens. Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Cynthia Owens: I believe I was destined to be interested in history. One of my distant ancestors, Thomas Aubert, reportedly sailed up
- [Member Spotlight on HTH Member DONNA PORTER!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/09/26/member-spotlight-on-hth-member-donna-porter/) - Greetings HTH Members! Today I'm shining the spotlight on Donna Porter! Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Donna Porter: I live northeast of Houston, Texas, with my husband, two boys, and way too many animals. I always wanted to be a writer,
- [Member Spotlight on Bliss Bennet!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/09/17/member-spotlight-on-bliss-bennet/) - Today I'm introducing you to Hearts Through History author Bliss Bennet, whose latest book came out yesterday! Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Bliss Bennet: Despite being born and bred in New England, I’ve long been fascinated by the history of
- [Spotlight on HTH Member Michelle Jean Marie!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/09/03/spotlight-on-hth-member-michelle-jean-marie/) - Minerva Spencer: Welcome to the HTH Member Spotlight, Michelle! Michelle has a book coming out September 12, 2018 and here a shot of the lovely cover: MS: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Michelle Jean Marie: I’m a Midwest girl at heart, born and
- [Damon Suede Presentation at AGM in Denver](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/08/04/damon-suede-presentation-at-agm-in-denver/) - HTH member Barbara Bettis was kind enough to prepare this summary of Damon Suede’s AGM speech. You can also access a full transcript of Damon's presentation by clicking here. If you’ve never heard Damon Suede speak, you’ve missed an inspiring, insightful, and thoroughly delightful experience. And dynamic. And entertaining. He shares incisive advice on what
- [Member Spotlight on Debby Lee!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/07/07/member-spotlight-on-debby-lee/) - Welcome to the Hearts Through History Author Spotlight, Debby! Why don't you start us off by telling our readers a little about yourself and what you write. Debby: Thanks to HTH for having me here today! My name is Debby Lee. I’m happily married and have five children. We’re all from southwest Washington, state. I love
- [Member Spotlight on Christa Bedwin!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/06/27/member-spotlight-on-christa-bedwin/) - Happy Wednesday Gentle Readers! I'm excited and pleased to introduce you to a member of HTH who has made such a positive and energizing impact on the group! You might know Christa from her active presence in the forum and for introducing the highly popular Hot Topic Tuesday (or for her fascinating experiences as a
- [Irresistible Research Rabbit Hole: The Awesome Women of Lord Byron's Family, by Christa Bedwin](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/06/09/irresistible-research-rabbit-hole-the-awesome-women-of-lord-byrons-family-by-christa-bedwin/) - I'm on an insanely short deadline to get Idelle's Inheritance (a little time-travel novella in Englightenment Edinburgh) out the door... naturally that means I'm procrastinating down research rabbitholes that aren't even relevant to what I'm writing right now. But I just discovered the most amazing family, all descending from/related to Lord Byron, the infamous poet,
- [Rocket yourself back into the past: Go WWOOFing to research your next historical novel! by Christa Bedwin](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/05/14/rocket-yourself-back-into-the-past-go-wwoofing-to-research-your-next-historical-novel-by-christa-bedwin/) - Rocket yourself back into the past: Go WWOOFing to research your next historical novel! Out-of-the-Box Solution 1 How It Works 2 Other sample experiences 5 Writing schedule: 14 But . . . 14 Other Organizations 15 by Christa Bedwin I have been writer and editor for twenty years. (I now write time-travel romances with my
- [Win this Castle, by Christa Bedwin](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/05/06/castle-for-sale-by-christa-bedwin/) - Finding your setting… how about a castle? You could own this one for just five pounds sterling. There’s a special energy to being surrounded by old buildings. It’s one thing to dream of my red-haired heroine who might, abstractly, have been a baker in some village on this island where now I live, back in
- [Member Spotlight on Karen McAtlin!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/04/28/member-spotlight-on-karen-mcatlin/) - Today I'm talking to Karen McAtlin on our Member Spotlight. Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. My name is Karen McAtlin. I was born and raised in Colorado. I now live in rural Iowa with my third husband and three cats. I
- [Member Spotlight: Jennifer Bray-Webber](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/03/29/member-spotlight-jennifer-bray-webber/) - Thanks for joining us today, Jennifer! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Award-winning and multi-published author Jennifer Bray-Weber is a proud native Texan. She is a married domestic goddess/beach bum with two beautiful daughters. The type to take on dares, she has been able
- [Member Spotlight on Maddison Michaels!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/02/14/member-spotlight-on-maddison-michaels/) - Welcome to the Member Spotlight, Maddison! Maddison Michaels: Thanks, Minerva! Glad to be here! Minerva Spencer: First I'd like to talk a bit abut your writing process. Do you write full-time or part-time? MM: I wish it was full-time! But at the moment I still work as a Police prosecutor, so it is rather hectic
- [Meet HHRW Member Tammy Jo Burns!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/02/02/meet-hhrw-member-tammy-jo-burns/) - Dear Fellow HHRW Members: I wish I could say that I live some jet-setting life, but alas, I do not. I grew up in the Panhandle of Texas. My formative years were spent helping my parents (my dad was a farmer and custom harvester). This means I have driven a combine and a tractor and
- [RTTA CONTEST OPENS FOR ENTRIES TODAY!!!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/02/01/rtta-contest-opens-for-entries-today/) - Hearts Through History RWA contest for historical romance writers
- [History Podcasts: For Fun and Research by Jane Rosebery](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2018/01/28/history-podcasts-for-fun-and-research-by-jane-rosebery/) - History Podcasts Podcasts entertain me during my daily commute, but I also love podcasts because I use them as a research tool. There are several history podcasts I listen to that help me with my research and also teach me about other eras or subjects. There are a number of wonderful history podcasts that you
- [Welcome to Hearts Through History’s new home on the web!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2017/10/15/welcome-to-hearts-through-historys-new-home-on-the-web/) - We’re glad you’re here. Come in, take a look around, and see what we have to offer. Our New Look Our aim with this redesign is to make information about our chapter clear and easy to find. As you visit various pages, you’ll notice that our top header image changes. Our new visual look aims
- [Tribute Tuesday - January 20, 2015](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/20/tribute-tuesday-january-20-2015/) - Do you have some good news you want to share? Finished a book? Or even a chapter? Planned out your next book? Doing an interview or guest blog? About to have a book released? Tell us all your good writing news here (in the comments).
- [Ps & Ts](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/03/29/ps-ts/) - One of the worst things that can happen to a writer is a happy childhood, a functional family, an optimistic point of view. What can there be to write about with such poor resources, such fallow ground? And yet, we are driven, no less than our unhappy colleagues, to form words into sentences, sentences into
- [Napoleon III Marries Eugénia Mariá De Montijo De Guzmá](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/19/napoleon-iii-marries-eugenia-maria-de-montijo-de-guzma/) - A Very Short History By Anna Kathryn Lanier On January 29, 1853, Louis, Napoleon III, the new Emperor of France and the great Napoleon I’s nephew, wed Spanish aristocrat Eugénia in a civil ceremony. She was 22 and he was 44. She refused to consummate the marriage until after they were married in the church
- [Love Beyond the Grave](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/03/love-beyond-the-grave/) - Burial practices differ by region, by culture, and by religious beliefs. Some Vikings were buried in their boat. Important Egyptians were buried with their possessions. Hindus cremate their dead. Last week I read an article that brought tears to my eyes. During an excavation in a Romanian monastery's courtyard, archaeologists found a shocking burial. They estimated the
- [Tribute Tuesday - January 27, 2015](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/27/tribute-tuesday-january-27-2015/) - Do you have some good news you want to share? Finished a book? Or even a chapter? Planned out your next book? Doing an interview or guest blog? About to have a book released? Tell us all your good writing news here (in the comments).
- [Man's Best Friends](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/13/mans-best-friends/) - Once our son’s grew up and left home, my husband and I got puppies. So now we do agility with our dogs, a Scottish terrier named Smokey and a Pembroke Welsh corgi named Bandit. So now I’m thinking about how to incorporate dogs into my stories. Since I write (mostly) in the American west, there
- [The Wild Hunt](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/14/the-wild-hunt/) - A portent of disaster. Reports of the sightings have occurred since the Dark Ages, describing a frightening image many across Northern Europe had seen: They were once men. Great kings of men. Then Sauron the deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, they
- [Throwback Thursday - Places](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/05/throwback-thursday-places/) - It's Throwback Thursday and this week's question is - if you could go to any one place in history, where would it be and why? Ancient Greece? Medieval France? Czarist Russia? Paris in 1943? London in 1066? Tell us where you'd like time travel to....
- [Biography - The Seeds of A Story](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/18/biography-the-seeds-of-a-story/) - When I was reading about the War of the Roses, I became fascinated with Thomas Stanley.Born in 1435 to Thomas Stanley, Knight Lord of Lathom and Joan Goushill, he was a direct descendant of Edward I King of England.In 1457 Stanley married Elizabeth Neville the sister of the Earl of Warwick, a powerful English noble
- [Tribute Tuesday - February 3, 2015](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/03/tribute-tuesday-february-3-2015/) - It's that time again.....do you have some good news you want to share? Finished a book? Or even a chapter? Planned out your next book? Doing an interview or guest blog? About to have a book released? Tell us all your good writing news here (in the comments).
- [Was Baseball Invented in Russia?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/04/21/was-baseball-invented-in-russia/) - In truth, the game evolved over many decades, if not centuries, and its roots are, in reality, a tangled web of bat and ball games brought to this country by immigrants. – Frank Ceresi in The Origins of Baseball (Baseball Almanac, 07-2004) Yes, baseball is the American pastime, but its origins are difficult to trace.
- [A Historical Writer Goes Contemporary](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/13/a-historical-writer-goes-contemporary/) - As a member of Hearts Through History, I usually write historicals set in America. However, last spring my critique group (which is now more of a plotting/brainstorming group) got the chance to write a series of five novellas, one by each member of the group. Most of our group writes contemporary, so we decided the
- [Cultural History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/04/25/cultural-history/) - When I began writing my first manuscript, a time travel set in 1871 Wisconsin, my knowledge of the era came mainly from history books (like those read in school), from movies, or from other romance novels. It wasn’t enough. I needed to know more. In each scene, I struggled to imagine myself in my heroine’s
- [Love and Destiny - Irish Style](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/08/love-and-destiny-irish-style/) - It seems as if Ireland has always had a hold on my heart – even before I realized it myself. Growing up, I spent my summer vacations in a tiny little Eastern Quebec village called Irishtown, where my father was born. I can’t count the number of times I heard him sing Danny Boy, or
- [Catherine the Great](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/03/21/catherine-the-great/) - Good fortune is not as blind as it is generally thought to be. It is often nothing more than the result of sound, consistent actions that go unnoticed by the crowd, but which nevertheless make a particular event possible. Still more often it is the result of an individual’s characteristics, nature, and behavior. ~These are
- [Angelicamad](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/03/17/angelicamad/) - "The whole world is Angelicamad." The above-quote, attributed to the Danish envoy to London or an engraver (depending on who you ask) perfectly describes a superstar of Georgian England. Angelica Kauffman (1741 – 1807) was already famous on the Continent before her arrival in England. She was the daughter of an itinerant painter who early
- [Women and the Fourth of July](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/03/women-and-the-fourth-of-july/) - Tomorrow, Americans celebrate Independence Day. It’s a time for waving flags, marching in parades, and eating grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. We speak about our Founding Fathers and the sacrifices they made. We don’t hear very much about the women. How it started: Spurred by what the colonists considered unjustly levied taxes on imported tea, the
- [Johnson County Wars: A David and Goliath Story](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/08/07/johnson-county-wars-a-david-and-goliath-story/) - As with most disputes, both sides in the Johnson County War had some valid points, and perhaps this is the reason the Johnson County War stands as one of the most violent range wars in U.S. history. By the late 1880’s, public lands were being opened up to settlement and the ranges that once fed
- [Mother and Daughter Colonial Printers](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/03/19/mother-and-daughter-colonial-printers/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier I found a wonderful new reference book, 4,000 YEARS OF UPPITY WOMEN. How can you NOT get a book about rebellious belles, daring dames, and headstrong heroines through the ages? For Women's History Month, there are dozens of women to choose from, so I actually choose two, a mother and daughter
- [Gun Control in the Old West? Facts and Fiction](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/07/gun-control-in-the-old-west-facts-and-fiction/) - Guns were an equalizer in the West and required when there was little order and little visible presence of the law given the size of the territories that had to be covered and the lack of officers to handle it. Throw in the fact that in many counties and municipalities lawmen were in the pockets
- [Boudica - Celtic Queen](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/03/boudica-celtic-queen/) - Boudica (Boadicea) was queen of the Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the Roman army that took her kingdom. Boudica's husband, Prasutagus, was the ruler of the Iceni tribe. He had ruled his tribe as an ally of Rome. He intended to secure his land and the fate of his two daughters by bequeathing his
- [Witch Trials - Europe and Salem](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/06/03/witch-trials-europe-and-salem/) - I recently watched a History Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQGmy-pLRk) about the famous 1692 witchcraft trials for a class I'm taking on Magic in the Middle Ages. The discussion centered on a comparison of the witch trials in Europe and the United States. In many ways the results of the trials were similar. Religious fervor, desire to eradicate evil,
- [The First Book I Wrote](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/08/13/the-first-book-i-wrote/) - The first book I wrote was actually Kentucky Green. I know a lot of writers tell about the story they wrote in the first or second grade and how they always wanted to be a writer. But that’s not me. I always wanted to be a history teacher and ended up with a couple of
- [Iced Glissoires and Balançoires in St. Petersburg](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/21/iced-glissoires-and-balancoires-in-st-petersburg/) - On a recent trip to a used book store, I came upon a wonderful find in the architecture section. I visit the store periodically to hunt for research books, and because the various employees tend to classify things differently, there are several sections I check, including: history, fashion, furniture, architecture, travel, and art. The treasure
- [Historical Body Image](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/02/historical-body-image/) - So a while back I read this great post by Nancy Goodman entitled “How ‘Real’ Do We Really Want Our Romance?”. In it she hits briefly on the topics of PTSD, rape, abuse, and the like popping up in more and more romance novels these days. She goes on to wonder how much authenticity we
- [Calamity Jane: the story of a survivor](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/07/calamity-jane-the-story-of-a-survivor/) - Popular legend casts Calamity Jane as a tough character who chose to live her life more as a man than a woman. The question is why and the truth is much more nuanced. Martha Jane Cannary was born in 1852 to Missouri farming parents. She would become the eldest of six siblings. When Martha Jane was
- [The Mystery of the Amber Room](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/21/the-mystery-of-the-amber-room/) - Construction of the Amber Room began in 1701. It was originally installed at Charlottenburg Palace, home of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia. The room was designed by German sculptor Andreas Schlüter and constructed by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. The room was given to Peter the Great as a gift in 1716
- [Banished to the Far Country](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/14/banished-to-the-far-country/) - Banishment was best for the disposal of unwanted wives. In the eighteenth century, divorce and separation were scandalous matters for men with ambition in the British Isles. The next best thing, for the husband who discovered something objectionable in his wife, was banishment. Rachel Chiesley, Lady Grange, (1679-1745) had been married for some time to her husband James Erskine, Lord
- [Music to write by](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/13/music-to-write-by/) - Often times while writing I like to have music on in the background. I found the music needs to be instrumental. If there are words, I find that I’m actually listening to the music, and not using it a background. Music, like the sense of smell brings memories or feelings associated with the music. So
- [Nellie Cashman: The Miner's Angel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/07/nellie-cashman-the-miners-angel/) - Independent, resilient, determined, and savvy are all words that can describe this late 19th century woman who made her own way in the American West against tremendous odds. Nellie (Ellen) Cashman (O’Kissane before being anglicized) was born in 1845 in County Cork, Ireland and, like many poor Irish Catholics at the time, emigrated to Boston,
- [Did Medieval Parents Love Their Children?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/02/did-medieval-parents-love-their-children/) - A couple of weeks ago I ended up in an interesting conversation after a meeting. As per usual, I’d been talking about history to random people, and one of the guys in the meeting made the statement that before the modern era, child abuse was rampant. He stated that it was everywhere and that the
- [The History of the Nutcracker Ballet](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/21/the-history-of-the-nutcracker-ballet/) - One of our family holiday traditions when I was a child was to attend the Nutcracker Ballet every year. I first took my daughter to see the Nutcracker when she was three years old. Perhaps it was a bit early, but at the time she was taking a dance class and loved Angelina Ballerina, and
- [Marriage and Sex in the Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/02/marriage-and-sex-in-the-middle-ages/) - The concept of marriage that existed in the Middle Ages was a different thing entirely from what we think of when we think marriage today. Was it about love? Was it about happily ever after? Or was it a cold and heartless contract? Well, actually, the truth is that it was something both between those
- [Me and Bodiam Castle](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/13/me-and-bodiam-castle/) - In 2004 my husband and I took a trip to England & Scotland. This was one of my dream trips as I have a MA in History (specializing in Tudor and Stuart England) and taught Western Civilization at the college level. After a week in London, we rented a car and took off to tour
- [Napoleon III Marries Eugénia Mariá De Montijo De Guzmán](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/19/napoleon-iii-marries-eugenia-maria-de-montijo-de-guzman/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier On January 29, 1853, Louis, Napoleon III, the new Emperor of France and the great Napoleon I’s nephew, wed Spanish aristocrat Eugénia in a civil ceremony. She was 22 and he was 44. She refused to consummate the marriage until after they were married in the church the following day. According
- [The Victorian Honeymoon with Niagara Falls](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/07/the-victorian-honeymoon-with-niagara-falls/) - Remember when Niagara Falls was considered THE place for honeymooners? Would you be surprised to know that all started back in the early 1800’s? According to the website, www.infoniagara.com, Niagara Falls was established as the ideal honeymoon destination by the French in 1803. “It has been said that Napoleon’s brother, Jerome Bonaparte, travelled by stage
- [White Nights in St. Petersburg](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/21/white-nights-in-st-petersburg/) - It was a lovely night, one of those nights, dear reader, which can only happen when you are young. ~White Nights, Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1848~ From June 11th through July 2nd, St. Petersburg experiences White Nights (Beliye Nochi), where there is sunlight 24 hours a day. The phenomenon is caused by St. Petersburg’s northern location, which
- [Burial Battleground](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/14/burial-battleground/) - Things had come to a crisis in Victorian London. What to do with all the bodies? It had always been known that the occupation of grave digging held peculiar risks. Generally an unhealthy lot, those performing the task faced increasing risk of accidently striking a coffin already buried while making room for a new one.
- [Train Travel in 19th century America-Luxury or merely efficient?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/07/train-travel-in-19th-century-america-luxury-or-merely-efficient/) - I love traveling by train. The summer after 9/11 we had planned to go to Disney World but we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to board an airplane yet so we decided to go by train rather than disappoint our daughter. When we boarded a porter ushered us to the sleeping car we had booked and
- [The Beau Sancy - Relic of a Vanished Empire](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/04/14/the-beau-sancy-relic-of-a-vanished-empire/) - It was inevitable. Scarcely eight months since the Prince of Hohenzollern married and the new Princess is already cleaning out the attic. I'm teasing, of course. However, the Prince did mention that the decision to sell his family's heirloom was "not his alone." Hmmm. The Beau Sancy is also known as the "Little Sancy" --- one
- [The History of Wedding Gowns](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/04/03/the-history-of-wedding-gowns/) - Marriage is one of the great public occasions in a person’s life at which the principals can revel in being the center of attention. For the bride, it is Her Big Day. For centuries women have tried to make their wedding dress special and memorable. Medieval Brides Royal princesses were more ‘royal’ on the wedding
- [It's All in the Details](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/07/08/its-all-in-the-details/) - I'm in England today, in a small Devon village called Drewsteignton, so I've scheduled my blog to appear today. I hope it works, because I'm not near a computer and won't be able to check. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Okay it’s time for a quick pop quiz. What do you call a tool
- [You've Come a Long Way, Baby. . .](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/03/16/youve-come-a-long-way-baby/) - I’m jealous of my twenty year old daughter. Makes me sound mean and nasty, doesn’t it? Oh, I’m not jealous of her youth, or glowing skin. I invoke no envy at her lack of adult responsibilities, or good health, or pretty face. No, none of these things squeeze my green streak. What makes that said
- [A Woman Stagecoach Driver? Meet Charley Parkhurst](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/07/a-woman-stagecoach-driver-meet-charley-parkhurst/) - Charley Parkhurst was a well respected “whip”, as stagecoach drivers were often known, who had achieved a modicum of fame as both fast and fearless. What was not known about Charley until he died was that he was, in reality, a she. Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst was born in 1812 in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Not much
- [Love Letters from the Frontier](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/14/love-letters-from-the-frontier/) - Louis L'Amour is not known for having the frontier female as a main character. However, of all his voluminous novels of the West, the one I remember the most features the widow Evie Teale and her tumbleweed notes of love and longing, which seemed to find their way into men's hearts: Charlie McCloud, Stage Driver: Well, what
- [Avis and Effie Hotchkiss](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/19/avis-and-effie-hotchkiss/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier Effie Hotchkiss was not your average Victorian era girl—she had dreams, big dreams and though she didn’t intend it, her dreams landed her on the front page of newspapers across America and her name was etched into history books. The year was 1915 and Effie was already bored with her bank
- [Saratoga Springs: Playground of the Wealthy and Powerful](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/06/saratoga-springs-playground-of-the-wealthy-and-powerful/) - Bankers, stockbrokers, politicians and millionaires mingled at Saratoga Springs, New York in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. As with any age, however, it had its characters, some of whom made great fodder for the newspapers of the day. I mentioned last month about Florence Vanderbilt finding love in Saratoga Springs with Hamilton
- [Lord of the Manor](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/01/03/lord-of-the-manor/) - I love to read historicals. Even more than reading them, I enjoy writing them. You would probably laugh if you read one of my first drafts. My hero was totally buff. He had to be since every minute of his waking day he was either coming or going to the practice fields with his men.
- [The Reality of Gilded Age Marriages: Title for Money](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/05/07/reality-gilded-age-marriages/) - In Downton Abbey Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, married Cora Levinson, the daughter of a dry-goods millionaire from Cincinnati, after a whirlwind courtship during Cora’s first season in London. While it was ostensibly a marriage of convenience (Cora’s money for Robert’s title), the Crawley’s fell in love within their first year of marriage and we
- [Making Historical Fiction Accessible to the Modern Reader](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/18/making-historical-fiction-accessible-to-the-modern-reader/) - By Ashley York Sarah Woodbury, author of the Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries, recently commented in an article at Historical Fiction Daily that the challenge for authors of historical fiction was to make the past "accessible to modern readers without losing the spark that makes the story historical." I agree completely but began to wonder
- [Making Historical Fiction Accessible to Modern Readers](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/04/making-historical-fiction-accessible-to-modern-readers/) - Sarah Woodbury, author of the Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries, recently commented in an article at Historical Fiction Daily that the challenge for authors of historical fiction was to make the past "accessible to modern readers without losing the spark that makes the story historical." I agree completely but began to wonder what created "the
- [The Romance of Time Travel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/11/03/the-romance-of-time-travel/) - I was doing research for this week’s blog on time travel and found a wonder post from Jody Beck’s Women’s Forum. I was excited to see authors that I know and admire on Jodi’s lists. Here is her post. I've added it here below for your convenience. Time travel romance novels writers have carved out
- [Riding the Stage: Getting around in the Old West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/09/07/riding-the-stage-getting-around-in-the-old-west/) - Three benches (one at each end and one in the middle) with nine people squeezing into their allotted 15 inches of space, knees rubbing, thighs touching, babies crying, odors wafting, and dust swirling; riding a stagecoach in the nineteenth century Old West was an intimate affair. The stagecoach routes were established primarily to move around
- [Noah Webster - America's Lexicographer](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/19/noah-webster-americas-lexicographer/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier Noah Webster's (1758-1843) first edition of AMERICAN DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE was released on April 14, 1828. I remembering hearing years ago that Webster wrote his dictionary because whenever he would say something to his wife over the breakfast table, she would reply “Now, what's that supposed to mean?” I don't
- [Abducting the Medieval Heiress](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/14/abducting-the-medieval-heiress/) - In the fourteenth century, Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl Stafford, abducted Margaret de Audley, the heiress of Gloucester and forced her to marry him. She was worth a lot of money. Abduction was a serious problem in the Middle Ages. There were several statutes on the books, making abduction a felony as well as giving
- [Tea at Brown's Hotel, London: 175 years young](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/07/07/tea-at-browns-hotel-london-175-years-young/) - On one of our visits to England years ago, we found ourselves exhausted from shopping and in need of a pick-me-up. A proper English tea seemed just the thing so we headed for a quintessential English hotel, Brown’s. Brown’s hotel was started in 1837 by Lord Byron’s butler, James Brown, and his wife Sarah. Makes
- [Christmas Cards,  A Little History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/19/christmas-cards-a-little-history/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier Last week I signed, addressed and sent out my Christmas Cards. For me, that was a little late. I’ve been known to have my cards in the mail December 1st. Addressing the cards got me to thinking about the history of Christmas Cards. So I did a little research for Sweethearts
- [Lady Murasaki Shikiba](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/19/lady-murasaki-shikiba/) - Lady Murasaki Shikiba (c. 973 to unknown) by Anna Kathryn Lanier THE TALE OF GENJI, a novel about the life and loves of the fictional “Shining Prince Genji,” is considered the first novel ever written. Penned more than a thousand years ago, it is even more inspiring to know it was written by a
- [Medieval New York](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/03/medieval-new-york/) - I’ve always daydreamed about medieval castles and valiant knights, even a few damsels in distress. Fortunately when I traveled overseas for business several years ago I had time over the weekends to sight see. I didn’t have to go overseas though, I could go to Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan, New York
- [Cymru, the Triple Crown and Dewi Sant](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/29/cymru-the-triple-crown-and-dewi-sant/) - This St. David’s Day, Cymru is celebrating its win of the 6 Nations Rugby Triple Crown – the first time in history that the Triple Crown has been won at the English rugby field, Twickenham. Scott Williams scored the try in an amazing run that left the English gasping. If you don’t follow rugby, this
- [Hearts Through History - Membership](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/14/hearts-through-history-membership/) - The RWA® Historical Chapter Online: Hearts Through History. Chapter #189 The only Romance Writers of America© devoted to all genres of history Hearts Through History members gather and discuss different aspects of historical romance, how they fit into the genre and how we, as writers, can further perfect and promote romance fiction. Hearts Through History
- [Walk the Walk to Talk the Talk](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/04/13/walk-the-walk-to-talk-the-talk-2/) - Walk the walk to talk the talk. I remember a comment a friend of mine made after reading a very inaccurate historical novel* (see below). She said there ought to be a rule that you can’t write a historical novel unless you’ve been camping at least once. I think she might have a point. I
- [Romance Over the Centuries](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/03/romance-over-the-centuries/) - A few weeks ago I found a great post on Sapphire Phelan’s Passion Center. She had a great overview of the history of romance over the centuries. She provided insight into the etymology (origin) of words, history of romantic practices, and how love and marriage has changed over the centuries. The need to procreate and
- [Twelve Days of Christmas](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/19/twelve-days-of-christmas/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier Okay, here’s a pet peeve of mine….those who don’t know when the twelve days of Christmas are. These days I’m seeing all sorts of references to the Twelve Days of Christmas. Between now and Christmas: get free books, recipes, or enter a contest. The only problem is that NOW is not
- [A Vision of the Cattle Trail](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/28/a-vision-of-the-cattle-trail/) - http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-150/Barbara-Scott-West-of/Detail.bokThe historic cattle trail from Texas to the railheads in Missouri and Kansas served as the core of much Western fiction and several epic movies. During TV's Golden Age, when Westerns reigned, Clint Eastwood followed the herd for more than seven years as trail ramrod Rowdy Yates in Rawhide. The cattle drive is still a
- [Confederate Memorial Day](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/25/confederate-memorial-day/) - A few weeks ago, my husband and I visited Charleston, SC for a family gathering. Several of us rented a beach house together in Folly Beach. We chatted, ate seafood, enjoyed the ocean, and toured the charming city. It was on a carriage ride through Charleston’s historic district that we came upon an event we,
- [If You Ever Go Across the Sea to Ireland...](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/10/08/if-you-ever-go-across-the-sea-to-ireland/) - Those words from the song "Galway Bay" evoke a yearning to be by that lovely, salt-sprayed seaside. Having visited Galway this past summer, I can fully understand why.The west of Ireland is filled with charm, and nowhere more than Galway, where each year, on a Sunday in mid-August near the feast of the Assumption of
- [Daughters of the King](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/08/daughters-of-the-king/) - A long time ago - a very long time ago - I had to take a course in Canadian History. Like a lot of compulsory history courses, it mainly consisted of names, dates and battles. Not particularly interesting.One of the groups we studied were "Les Filles du roi," the king's girls. I took a mild
- [Sightings of Anne Boleyn's Ghost](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/17/sightings-of-anne-boleyns-ghost/) - Ghosts and the places they haunt are interesting but not usually included in historical biographies. One exception is The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by, Alison Weir. Weir discusses some of the sightings of Anne Boleyn noting that sightings of Anne Boleyn occur on the anniversary of her beheading May 19,
- [Mary Hallock Foote - Pioneering Artist and Novelist](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/19/mary-hallock-foote-pioneering-artist-and-novelist/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier I learned of Mary Foote's story fromChris Enss and JoAnn Chartie in their book WITH GREAT HOPE: WOMEN OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. This book has a dozen or so stories of women who went “west with great hope for the future [and] left a legacy.” Mary Hallock went west with great reluctance. A
- [Setting as Inspiration](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/10/15/setting-as-inspiration/) - Setting as InspirationI love the Southwest and its history. When my delightful hubby wanted to visit New Mexico in August, I was pumped. Then he mentioned Roswell, graveyards, and alien space museums, not exactly my style. However, I saw my opportunity to visit a place I had waited patiently to see for thirty-seven years. After
- [Walk the Walk to Talk the Talk.](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/06/12/walk-the-walk-to-talk-the-talk/) - I apologise for the re-post of an earlier article, but family matters have taken the most of my time lately. Finally I'm back on track with my writing - so forgive me for re-posting.I remember a comment a friend of mine made after reading a very inaccurate historical novel* (see below). She said there ought
- [Walk the Walk to Talk the Talk](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/07/13/walk-the-walk-to-talk-the-talk-3/) - I remember a comment a friend of mine made after reading a very inaccurate historical novel. She said there ought to be a rule that you can’t write a historical novel unless you’ve been camping at least once. I think she might have a point. One of the goals of the historical writer is to
- [Nez Perce Indians and Pregnancy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/01/24/nez-perce-indians-and-pregnancy/) - I'm working on the second book of a trilogy set among the Nez Perce Indians of Idaho, NE Oregon, and SE Washington. In this book the heroine is pregnant, so I've been spending hours reading books about the Nez Perce customs and social living aspects to learn all I can about pregnancy and child birth.
- [The Wizard of Yester](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/08/14/the-wizard-of-yester/) - The Borders of Scotland have always been the inspiration of superstition. The Catholic Church and its successor, the Presbyterian one, never had strong influence there and commanded even less obedience. These are fertile grounds for tales of necromancers, long thought to be dead, easily resurrected by the fire of Romanticism. Sir Walter Scott loved tales of magic almost as much as
- [Falling In and Out of Love in the Wild West: Courting, Marriage and Divorce](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/07/falling-in-and-out-of-love-in-the-wild-west-courting-marriage-and-divorce/) - Being we are close to Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d do a post on falling in love western style. Despite Victorian mores, marriage and courting in the Wild West was a good deal less formal than the overarching norms of the period. This had much to do with the scarcity of women in the West,
- [History on Film](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/12/02/history-on-film-merry-farmer/) - I majored in History twice in college. Yes, one bachelor’s degree wasn’t enough, so I went back and got a second. In the pursuit of that second degree, I was blessed to take hands-down the best History class ever: Historiography. For those who don’t know, Historiography is the history of how history has been recorded.
- [Why and How to Contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/13/why-and-how-to-contest/) - Why and How to Contest©Why:If you read your RWR every month, you know there are a lot of contest out there. But before you enter a contest, you might want to think about what you’ll get out of the experience.If you have a manuscript or synopsis that you’ve gone over and over (along with your
- [What's in a Name?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/13/whats-in-a-name-2/) - Ok, I admit it, I was a history teacher. I taught American History and Western Civilization at the college level. I think being a history teacher was great preparation for being a story teller. After all, that what history is, the story of who we are and where we come from. It’s the story of
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Alanna Lucas](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/03/25/monthly-member-spotlight-alanna-lucas/) - Please help me welcome multi-published member, Alanna Lucas, into the spotlight this month! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. I grew up in Southern California, but always dreamed of distant lands and bygone eras. From an early age, I took an interest in history and
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Ashlyn Macnamara](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/05/06/monthly-member-spotlight-ashlyn-macnamara/) - Please help me welcome multi-published member, Ashlyn Macnamara, into the spotlight this month! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. I write Regency romance with a dash of wit and a hint of wicked. Starting next September, though, my publisher will release the first in a
- [Happy Labor Day](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/09/03/happy-labor-day-2/) - While you’re preparing for your Labor Day BBQ today, getting the backyard in order for your family and friends, and cheering that it’s time for the kids to go back to school, let’s not forget what the day is all about. It’s a day set aside to pay tribute to the achievements and contributions of
- [Happy Labor Day!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/03/happy-labor-day/) - While you’re preparing for your Labor Day BBQ today, getting the backyard in order for your family and friends, and cheering that it’s time for the kids to go back to school, let’s not forget what the day is all about. It’s a day set aside to pay tribute to the achievements and contributions of
- [Myths, Fables- all teach lessons](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/07/24/myths-fables-all-teach-lessons/) - My August release, Spirit of the Mountain is available already in print format at my publisher. The Wild Rose Press. It's my first attempt at a paranormal, but to me it feels like a historical. I did major research into the Nez Perce or Nimiipuu tribe to be able to write this story about the
- [Nez Perce Diet](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/08/24/nez-perce-diet/) - Spirit of the Mountain, my August release is the first book of a trilogy about siblings who were made spirits by the Creator. While I made up the spirit world and their shape shifting and powers, the day to day living of the Nez Perce I tried to keep as factual as the information I
- [How I come up with names for my characters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/13/how-i-come-up-with-names-for-my-characters/) - When I started to write Kentucky Green I had an idea of the time (1794) and place (Kentucky frontier) for the setting as well as some vague plot ideas. But the hero and heroine only become real to me when I find out, or give them their names. Part of the names came from
- [First Kiss - Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/24/first-kiss-colorado-silver-colorado-gold/) - Colorado, 1880s, at an outdoor city dance - He rested his hands on the wagon side just above her shoulders. Even in the dim light he saw the pulse in her throat beat. Close enough to feel her warmth, hear her slightly accelerated breathing. Her tongue nervously crept out to moisten her lower lip and
- [Yes, People of History DID Bathe ... Frequently!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/06/02/yes-people-of-history-did-bathe-frequently/) - Why??? Why must people persist in believing and spreading the falsehood that People of History didn’t bathe??? Why must my beloved Medieval citizenry be constantly slandered by the “common knowledge” that they threw the baby out with the bath water??? And how did this blatantly false and smelly “fact” come to be anyhow? Let’s take a
- [The Renaissance and Women](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/03/the-renaissance-and-women-2/) - It has long been held that the Renaissance began in Florence, Italy in the 14th century mostly because of the social and civic uniqueness of the city at that time. The Renaissance was a cultural movement that saw the rise of literature, science, art, religion, and politics. It was an intellectual transformation that bridged the
- [Mary Low Sinclair: Pioneer Extraordinaire](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/07/mary-low-sinclair-pioneer-extraordinaire/) - The period of the Old West fascinates me because I wonder if I would measure up to the men and women who risked everything, including their lives, for the chance at a new beginning. I love to research the women who made the journey, generally following their men folk . These women were determined, persistent,
- [Religious Life in the Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/02/religious-life-in-the-middle-ages/) - So what do you do if you’re a Medieval lord with twelve children and not enough land to divide between them all? You give your kids away, of course. And who do you give them to? The Church. One of the areas of medieval history that we in the modern world might find it the
- [Jacques de Molay, Last Grand Master of the Templar](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/19/jacques-de-molay-last-grand-master-of-the-templar/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier When I had to choose a day to do my monthly blog on Seduced by History, I choice the 19th, because March 19th is my birthday…so in honor of that, I’m going to give away a prize to one lucky commenter, an ebook copy of one my books (winner’s choice and
- [Egypt and Greco-Roman Art, Mystery, Adventure and Romance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/04/egypt-and-greco-roman-art-mystery-adventure-and-romance/) - Years ago I traveled overseas for business and was gone for two weeks at a time. I traveled alone and kept my suitcase filled with paperback books. It was the perfect way to spend the evening after finishing up my reports and preparing for the next city. On the long trip from New York to Egypt I
- [Tribute Tuesday - February 17](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/17/tribute-tuesday-february-17/) - Do you have some writing magic you want to share? Finished a book? Or just a chapter? Planned out your next book? Doing an interview or guest blog? About to have a book released? Tell us all your good writing news here (in the comments).
- [Hearts Through History's Pitchfest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/05/02/hearts-through-historys-pitchfest/) - Hearts Through History is pleased to host our first ever Pitchfest. This is a unique and exclusive opportunity for members of the Hearts Through History RWA chapter to pitch blurbs and the first 200 words of unpublished manuscripts to industry professionals. We welcome editors Erin Molta and Robin Haseltine of Entangled Publishing. Thank you for
- [How my characters got their names](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/13/3813/) - While you’re writing one book, ideas for other stories pop into your mind. So you make notes. The idea for Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold came from the location of Durango, so looking into Durango history, I chose the 1880s. To the location and time I added some general plotting. But a story is told through
- [Making A Collage - a help for the WIP](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/12/making-a-collage-a-help-for-the-wip/) - When I was starting to write Kentucky Green, I made a collage. This idea was suggested at one of our chapter workshop. I found it to be a good exercise as I’m a very visual person. Once I decided on Kentucky, and who my hero and heroine were and what they looked like, that’s when
- [The Brown Lady](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/14/the-brown-lady/) - "I will not spend another hour in this accursed house, for tonight I have seen that which I hope to God I never see again.” -- HRH George, Prince of Wales This was the first time we have credible documentation of a haunting at Raynham Hall in Norfolk. No wonder--this was about the time when it
- [Hurricanes: Cori and Sandy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/03/hurricanes-cori-and-sandy/) - We started a year ago with high energy and the storm began to build leading up to the grand event. Our daughter’s wedding was a week ago Sunday. Monday it was a storm of another kind. Monday we worried about friends and family getting home and being safe. I'm happy to report that all our
- [Major Blizzards in U.S. History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/03/03/major-blizzards-in-u-s-history/) - This has been a difficult snowy winter in the north east. My husband has used the snow blower more this winter than he has in a total of the last ten years. In researching a topic for today, I found this list on the History site and wanted to share it with you. For full
- [Happy Beltane](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/05/03/happy-beltane/) - May 1st, Beltane (bright fire), is an ancient pagan festival marking the end of the winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere. With the winter over, the lengthening of the days, and the first planting completed, farmers celebrated with great bonfires of purification and transition into the new growing season, all in hopes
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Becky Lower](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/08/01/monthly-member-spotlight-becky-lower/) - Please help me welcome published member Becky Lower into the monthly member spotlight! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. Thank you so much for inviting me here today. I’m Becky Lower, a woman with a passion for history. In particular, American history. I grew
- [Throwback Thursdays - Clothing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/22/throwback-thursdays-clothing/) - Clothing has changed a lot over the centuries. What piece of clothing have you researched for a book? Or find the most interesting?
- [Desiderius Erasmus](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/04/03/desiderius-erasmus/) - I've been getting messages about my upcoming high school reunion. Are you scratching your head? What does my high school reunion have to do with Desi? I am proud to say I went to Erasmus Hall High School, in Brooklyn. So, who was Desiderius Erasmus and why name a school for him? Born Gerard Gerards, October
- [A Short History of Paradise](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/02/a-short-history-of-paradise/) - Okay, I’ll confess. I’m not anywhere near a computer or the internet right now. I scheduled this post to appear way ahead of time. Why? Because as you read this I’m probably sitting on the balcony of the Atlantis Resort, staring out over the pristine beaches and crystal waters of the Bahamas. And it’s just
- [The King's Deception - Elizabeth I was a man!?!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/13/the-kings-deception-elizabeth-i-was-a-man/) - From MSNBC - "The King’s Deception," a new book by Steve Berry, has brought together evidence of what may be one of the most jaw-slackening deceptions in the history of the English monarchy. Berry alleges that Elizabeth I of England died from the plague at age 10 and her attendants, fearing a gruesome execution from
- [I've Been Runed!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/03/04/ive-been-runed/) - The first writing systems used by the Germanic people were runic alphabets. Like Egyptian hieroglyphics, runes were more letters each was an ideographic or pictographic symbol. To the Ancients, they were associated with the principles of power and write a rune was to invoke the force for which it stood. The word rune means ‘letter,’
- [Abrah-Cadabrah](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/03/abrah-cadabrah/) - Spells and spellcasting. The very first spell I clearly remember is salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Put them together and what do you get? Cinderella! A magic coach, horses, a footman, glass slippers and a beautiful ball gown and let’s not forget the handsome prince. What makes the fairy-godmother’s words a spell? A spell is much
- [My Carriage Please: Status Symbols of the Gilded Age](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/07/my-carriage-please/) - Just as cars tend to be status symbols today, so were buggies of the 19th century. There were several styles to choose from and they were all designed to send a certain message to the onlooker. First it was important that you had a carriage. Wagons and carts were for transporting goods so riding in
- [The Hand Written Word](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/08/03/the-hand-written-word/) - Hand writing, cursive, long hand, is a lost art. Because each person's handwriting is unique and handwriting is somewhat stable over time, it can be used as a verification tool. It's used on legal documents all the time. So, how did I get involved in handwriting? My work in progress is about a time traveling
- [Truly a Feminist!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/06/03/truly-a-feminist/) - Rest assured, dear friend, that many noteworthy and great sciences and arts have been discovered through the understanding and subtlety of women… The Book of the City of Ladies by Christina de Pizan Born in the late 1364 Christina de Pizan is the first woman known female author who made a living by writing. Truly a feminist, she
- [Dolly Varden](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/05/14/dolly-varden/) - Sometimes the name of a character becomes synonymous with things quite removed from the story in which she sprang. The Dolly Varden was generally known as a type of polonaise: a "petit casaque: that was really a tunic draped only in the back and tight-fitting. The material itself distinguished this polonaise from all others: "..of chintz
- [Victorian Medievalism](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/02/victorian-medievalism/) - You’ve heard the old saying that History repeats itself, right? Of course you have. But it’s not just the events of History that have a way of resurfacing every now and then. People have a tendency to look back to an earlier age for inspiration on both an artistic and spiritual level. At the end
- [How Conservative Were They?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/09/02/how-conservative-were-they/) - You know me. I’m a History Apologist. Any time someone says “And that’s the way things were”, I have to ask “Was it really?” That’s especially true when it comes to the assumptions that are made about what people’s attitudes were, how they deported themselves, and what society’s rules were in the historical time periods
- [When a History Teacher Goes to the Movies](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/13/when-a-history-teacher-goes-to-the-movies/) - When a History Major/Teacher Goes To The Movies.It can be really tough when a history major/teacher goes to the movies. A basic part of going to the movies is the ‘willing suspensions of disbelief’, that is, you believe what you’re seeing. But I have trouble when I see things in the movies that I’m unwilling
- [Kissing under a parasite???](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/12/24/kissing-under-a-parasite/) - I posted this on the Cactus Rose blog last week, but since it is Christmas and this is a timely topic, I'm posting it here as well. Happy reading and Merry Christmas!Mistletoe is one of the traditions of the Christmas Season. But did you know—Mistletoe is an evergreen. The traditions of displaying evergreens at Christmas
- [Lottie Deno: A Gambling Southern Belle](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/07/lottie-deno-a-gambling-southern-belle/) - A lady gambler who was also one of the founding members of her Episcopal church, the woman who went by the name Lottie Deno was an unexpected sight at the Post-Civil War Texas gaming tables of San Antonio, Fort Worth, and, perhaps the most notorious town of its day, Fort Griffin Flat. Where did this gorgeous,
- [Druid Heroes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/04/03/druid-heroes/) - The beauty of nature, whether it’s an awesome sunset, the color of the fall leaves or the striking beauty of lightning is breathtaking, mysterious and has a power all its own. To the druid, the sentry of the world, nature was the driving force and was dependent on the precarious balance of air, earth, fire
- [Was It An Arranged Marriage?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/10/03/was-it-an-arranged-marriage/) - My parents came from very similar backgrounds, Eastern European. My Mom’s family was from Rovna, Ukraine and immigrated here in 1900. Mom was born in New York City in 1908. My Dad’s family is from Snovsk, Ukraine and immigrated to the United States in 1910, when Dad was six. I’ve been thinking about my parents.
- [Excerpt from Knight of Rapture - NJRW 2015 Golden Leaf Finalist](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/09/03/excerpt-from-knight-of-rapture-njrw-2015-golden-leaf-finalist/) - Sunday morning calls from friends are always nice. My husband and I were on our way to a friend's barbeque when Nancy Herkness called and told me my book, KNIGHT OF RAPTURE, finaled in the NJRW 2015 Golden Leaf contest for Paranormal Romance. To say I was thrilled is an understatement. I was so excited, and
- [Researching How Manuscripts Are Made](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/08/03/researching-how-manuscripts-are-made/) - One of the tools a writer uses for authenticity in their story is research. Whether it’s how to disassemble and clean a Glock, which poisons are quick killing and leave no trace or what women wore in the 14th century it all takes research. The better you know your facts, the more authentic your story.
- [There's Magic in a Kiss](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/07/03/theres-magic-in-a-kiss/) - Close your eyes and imagine the perfect kiss. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Got the picture set in your mind? Good. Believe it or not a kiss requires 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles. The facial muscles are a given but postural? I’m serious. 112 muscles that relate to your posture are also involved. Of
- [Happy Beltane!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/05/03/happy-beltane-2/) - May 1st, Beltane (bright fire), is an ancient pagan festival marking the end of the winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere. With the winter over, the lengthening of the days, and the first planting completed, farmers celebrated with great bonfires of purification and transition into the new growing season, all in hopes
- [Snippet Saturday - Hooking It](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/31/snippet-saturday-hooking-it/) - For this week's Snippet Saturday, give us your best hook. Is it in the middle of chapter, at the end of a chapter? On the first page? No matter where it is your book, post it below in the comments section....and don't forget to link us to your website.
- [Tribute Tuesday](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/13/tribute-tuesday/) - Do you have some good news you want to share? Finished a book? Or even a chapter? Planned out your next book? Doing an interview or guest blog? About to have a book released? Tell us all your good writing news here (in the comments).
- [Skimmity Riding](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/06/14/skimmity-riding/) - "Come in, come in," implored Elizabeth; "and let me shut the window!""She's me—she's me—even to the parasol—my green parasol!" cried Lucetta with a wild laugh as she stepped in. She stood motionless for one second—then fell heavily to the floor. —Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge Rumors of a relationship between Lucetta and the mayor
- [The Role Of Female Authors Throughout History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/06/16/the-role-of-female-authors-throughout-history/) - Remember how you reacted when you found out that poet George Sand was a woman? You were probably in high school and astounded by the revelation. How about Harper Lee? Come on, show of hands. How many of you were misguided into believing the author of To Kill A Mockingbird was a man? Or, more
- [Ruminations On RWA Nationals](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/08/16/ruminations-on-rwa-nationals/) - I recently returned from the 2014 RWA Conference, and, after unpacking and trying to get back into my routine, I took some time to reflect on what my experiences were like. This was my third RWA conference, and each time, my choice of sessions, and what I considered important changed, as my career has progressed.
- [Hildegard of Bingen and Writing in First-Person](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/04/02/hildegard-of-bingen-and-writing-in-first-person/) - Every once in a while, Amazon gets it right. A few weeks ago I pulled my Kindle out of its cover and there, on the sleep-mode page, was a recommendation for Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen, by Mary Sharratt. Well of course I bought it! Hildegard is one of my favorite historical figures.
- [The Question of Historical Accuracy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/13/the-question-of-historical-accuracy/) - Before we discuss how accurate your historical novel should be, we should look at why we decide to write a historical novel in the first place (we know most of us aren’t doing it for the money). So why did you decide to write historical romance? From my perspective as a history teacher, I want a
- [St. Nicholas - Patron Saint of Spinsters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/14/st-nicholas-patron-saint-of-spinsters/) - Nicholas of Myra (circa 270 - 343 AD) was a Greek bishop hailing from an ancient province in what is modern-day Turkey. The acts attributed to him are so random and secretive, he has bedeviled many a hagiographer. He attended the Council of Nicaea and punched a heretic, only to be recorded as absent and without his mitre. The people
- [Writer’s Conferences](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/06/13/writers-conferences/) - Later this month is the Romance Writers of America’s National Conference in New York. And while I have to miss this conference I will be going to the Historical Novel Society Conference this month. If you are a writer you should make an effort to go to a conference. If you can’t make it to
- [Historical Conflicts that You Don't Find in Contemporaries](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/02/13/historical-conflicts-that-you-dont-find-in-contemporaries/) - Historical Conflicts that You Don't Find in ContemporariesThis topic came up when a friend of mine used the term illegitimate and her teenage nieces asked what it meant. So obviously being illegitimate wouldn't be a problem of conflict in a contemporary story.While today illegitimacy doesn't carry much weight, it meant a great deal in the
- [Old Rules for Marriage](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/04/28/old-rules-for-marriage/) - How many of these rules do you think William and Katherine will be following?Rules for Husbands and Wivesfrom A Primary Source written byMatthew Carey(1830) Having seen various sets of maxims for the conduct of married life, which have appeared to me to contain some very injudicious items, degrading to wives, sinking them below the rank they
- [Veteran's Day](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/19/veterans-day/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier I substitute teach during the school year and last year I was at the local high school for Veteran’s Day. In my school district, we don’t get the day off, but each school holds a Veteran’s Day program. I was subbing ninth grade English classes that day and I asked each
- [Women's Work: Making a living in the 19th Century](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/08/07/anne-carrole-3/) - Throughout much of the 19th century, the majority of women stayed at home, but there were significant exceptions. The reason most women stayed home was first and foremost that the U.S. was still very much a rural nation with almost 70% of the population in 1870 living on farms or in a small town with
- [Battling Author Envy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/02/battling-author-envy/) - Friends, today I’d like to talk to you about something not related to history, but rather related to the experience we all have of writing romantic stories about history. It’s not about research or about debates of historical accuracy or how much we should strive for it. It’s not about marketing or strategies for getting
- [What Your Historical Reading Choice Says About Your Personality](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/28/what-your-historical-reading-choice-says-about-your-personality/) - After ten years of study, biliotherapists at prestigious Dever University in Knob Knoster, MO have discovered a startling correlation in readers' choice of historical era romance preference and their personalities. "The stronger the preference, the more consistent the predictions we can make," says Alice Fleming, PHD, BMA, the initiator of the study. "We have been
- [Romancing the Scone](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/05/28/romancing-the-scone/) - Is it just me, or have historical romances gone anorexic?Think, when was the last time you reveled in a glorious meal enjoyed by the hero and heroine where the steaming dishes brought to the table reflect the steamy looks exchanged by the two? Is there a ban on food scenes circulating the critique groups? Are
- [Which came first?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/04/24/which-came-first/) - I put up on facebook the other day the question- Which came first the Easter Bunny or the Easter Bonnet? Of course, I received some interesting answers none of which answered my questions. LOL Which, made me dig into the history of both and found that they both go back much farther than I expected.
- [How Much Historical Accuracy?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/07/14/how-much-historical-accuracy/) - I joined several other authors for tea this last weekend, and one of the things we discussed was how much accuracy do we want or need in historical romance.Being a history teacher, i like stories to be as accurate as possible. At our tea we generally agreed that as long as the plot doesn't turn
- [A Valentine for You](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/03/my-valentine-to-you/) - This may be a bit early but today is my day to post :lol: This is a reprise, a Valentine poem I received from my husband but I really love it. I know you will enjoy it too. Love of the Sweetest Kind “Here?” she whispered to him sweetly. “We’re alone,” he said discreetly. “I’ve
- [Rape of the Sabine Women](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/01/14/rape-of-the-sabine-women/) - Forcible, yes, but not quite in the way you might think it was. The story of the Rape of the Sabine Women surfaces in a massive history of Rome written by the chronicler Livy. Livy was a contemporary of Emperor Augustus and served as advisor to Claudius, the Imperial grand-nephew. He was fond of recounting past deeds
- [The True Story of Richard and John](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/02/the-true-story-of-richard-and-john/) - Here’s a bit of real history for you in honor of the release of the final book of my “Noble Hearts” Medieval romance trilogy, The Courageous Heart. The underlying history of the trilogy surrounds the years from 1191 – 1194 when King Richard I was fighting the Crusades and then getting his butt captured and
- [Cancer and Medicine in the Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/02/cancer-and-medicine-in-the-middle-ages/) - In his book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee traces the history of cancer as it has been seen in the past and continues on through the innovations in cancer treatment in the 20th century and on to the exciting research going on now and the possible future of
- [Historical Detail: How Much is Too Much in a Romance?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/21/historical-detail-how-much-is-too-much-in-a-romance/) - The authenticity of a historical romance novel depends largely upon the author’s knowledge and use of historical detail. Since it can’t be assumed that a reader is familiar with the time period in which a novel is set, the author must include enough detail to ground the reader in the setting, but not so much
- [Locusta, The Poisoner](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/19/locusta-the-poisoner/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier Tired of waiting for rich Uncle Tom to kick the bucket? Ready to take over the throne, but daddy just won’t die? Upset with your wife for cheating? Then you need to call Locusta, Profession Poisoner. From the Roman province of Gaul (France), Locusta moved to Rome, where assassinations were
- [Happy New Year! 2014 is Here and the Possibilities are ... Unlimited](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/01/03/happy-new-year-2014-is-here-and-the-possibilities-are-unlimited/) - Happy New Year Pictures I don’t like making resolutions. They are too easily dismissed. Instead, I set goals and make up to-do lists. My goals for the New Year are simple: --to get butt in chair --to write, write, write --to finish the projects I’ve started --to submit often Also, I am not limiting my
- [Morgan le Fey through the Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/01/07/morgan-le-fey-through-the-ages/) - As I was researching King Arthur, I read a very interesting book about Morgan le Fey and the changing interpretations her through out the Arthurian tales. Carolyne Larrington in King Arthur’s Enchantress contends the differing images of Morgan le Fey represent changing views of gender in society from her first appearance in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s
- [The Prize of Sutton Place](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/14/the-prize-of-sutton-place/) - "The domestic annals of this unobtrusive manor form a rude outline of the history of England." -- Frederic Harrison Annals of an Old Manor-house, Sutton Place, Guildford Sutton Place in Surrey was originally the site of King Edward the Confessor's hunting lodge and for centuries St. Edward's Well could be seen in the manor's green.
- ["Thy Skull Discern a Deeper Hell"](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/10/14/thy-skull-discern-a-deeper-hell/) - Many readers of Regency-era literature recognize the name "Monk" Lewis. But who the devil was the fellow? Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775 - 1818) was the son of a wealthy Jamaican planter. His mother ran off with the music teacher when her son was six. He later supported her financially and socially, and then she became lady-in-waiting
- [Scotland Bound: The Maid of Norway](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/09/15/scotland-bound-the-maid-of-norway/) - The Referendum on Scottish independence brings to mind the fate of a little girl born to forge a much earlier Union. In 1283, some three hundred years before England and Scotland were joined under a single monarch, a daughter was born to the sea-king of the north, Eirik II of Norway. The little Maid of Norway, as the
- [The Christmas Dog](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/12/15/the-christmas-dog/) - From The Terrific Record and Chronicle of Remarkable and Interesting Events, Saturday, February 10, 1849, No. 1, a touching Christmas story: There were once two families in England who were very close, counting one another among their closest friends. The London family made it a habit each year to spend Christmas at the home of the other family, who lived in
- [Medieval Music With a Passion](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/09/03/medieval-music-with-a-passion/) - I really enjoy the Carmina Burana, a 1937 classical composition by Carl Orff. You may not realize it but it’s one of the best-known 20th century pieces. You’ve heard excerpts of the music selling everything from cars to aftershave. And the lingering images after the commercial are powerful. The music is based on a collection
- [Adventures in England](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/09/13/adventures-in-england/) - My experience at Bodiam Castle, one of our adventures in England. In 2004 my husband and I took a trip to England & Scotland. This was one of my dream trips as I have a MA in History (specializing in Tudor and Stuart England) and taught Western Civilization at the college level.
- [Double, double, toil, and trouble...](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/03/double-double-toil-and-trouble/) - … Fire burn and brimstone bubble. Witches and witchcraft date back through the ages to when people worshiped the Mother Earth or nature goddess. It was a time before traditional religion when the unexplained was called magical and people with unique talents were special. The Old Religion which existed since the Stone Age was far
- [The Yorkshire Witch](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/09/14/the-yorkshire-witch/) - They say she mixed with gypsies as a child. Mary Bateman (1768 - 1809) was born to a prosperous farmer and went into service at around age twelve. She was dismissed from her post for theft and soon employed her skill at concocting potions (and stealing on the side) to make a living. She made
- [Man's Best Friend](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/13/mans-best-friend-2/) - Man’s best friend Once our son’s grew up and left home, my husband and I got puppies. So now we do agility with our dogs, a Scottish terrier named Smokey and a Pembroke Welsh corgi named Bandit. So now I’m thinking about how to incorporate dogs into my stories. Since I write (mostly) in the
- [Viral Literary Device](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/14/viral-literary-device/) - In front of the Radley gate, Tim Johnson had made up what was left of his mind. He had finally turned himself around, to pursue his original course up our street. He made two steps forward, then stopped and raised his head. We saw his body go rigid. With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous,
- [The Unfortunate Death of Draco](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/07/20/the-unfortunate-death-of-draco/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier For the last two months, I have reposted blogs that from my own blog Chatting with Anna Kathryn. Both posts, as with this one, are from CURIOUS EVENTS IN HISTORY by Michael Powell, a little history book I came across several years ago. It contains information on more than three dozen historical events,
- [What Is Historical Accuracy?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/02/what-is-historical-accuracy/) - I had this idea in my head that in my blog post this month I would pick a fight about how historically accurate we really need to be in our novels. After all, a few weeks ago I attended Angela James, Executive Director of Carina Press’s workshop “Before You Hit Send”, and she made the
- [The Trial of the Pig](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/20/the-trail-of-the-pig/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier For today's blog, I'm turning back to Michael Powell's book CURIOUS EVENTS IN HISTORY. It's a small book, but it's chockful of interesting historical events. "The Trial of the Pig," page 40, is about more than just one event. It's about several that took place during The Middle Ages, the prosecution of
- [Romantic Excess](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/04/14/romantic-excess/) - I was a God-fearing child, innocent and physically unattractive." -- Robert Schumann, Diaries Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) was the true Romantic pianist. He lived a life of excess in romance--closely chronicled in an environment of "devotion and tempestuous passion." Schumann originally started out studying law but left it for music, with the notion of becoming a virtuoso
- [Wentworth Woodhouse -- the Death of an Estate](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/14/wentworth-woodhouse-the-death-of-an-estate/) - Wentworth Woodhouse began as a Baroque mansion in the early eighteenth century, built in South Yorkshire, England by the 1st Marquess of Rockingham (1693 - 1750). His son, the 2nd Marquess, was a powerful Whig in politics and could not bear the fact his house was already old-fashioned. His friends thought it more suited to a Tory.
- [I love/hate technology](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/08/13/i-lovehate-technology/) - I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Those of us who write historical novels, are comfortable in a world with less technology. The pace of the day was slower in Medieval times, the seasons gave a rhythm to life. My farmer ancestors knew spring was for planting and the birth of livestock, summer for caring
- [A Walk Back in Time](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/04/07/a-walk-back-in-time/) - On one of my jaunts to explore local Texas history I stopped at the Heritage Village Museum in Woodville, Texas. From the outside I could see some old historic buildings. However, the inside of the museum and the exhibits which walked me through life in east Texas during the nineteenth and early twentieth century surprised
- [Dangerous Love](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/14/dangerous-love/) - "In truth, he bore nothing of the name Christian; he was, as everyone knows, an ardent lover of women, and therefore unstable in all his actions." -- a Limousin monk, early 12th century That was what they wrote about William IX of Aquitaine (1071 - 1126), "the first troubador." If he had spent more time concentrating
- [Downton's Destruction](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/01/14/downtons-destruction/) - In Dowton Abbey, Tom, Downton's agent, disagrees with Lord Grantham's plan to sell off bits and pieces of land to pay the estate's death taxes. Lady Mary considers his argument, and the inescapable conclusion that without the land, how will the cost of the house be borne? Tenant farmers pay rent--that's how the great house
- [Women Who Work](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/08/13/women-who-work/) - When I first started reading romance – OK I’m one who didn’t grow up reading romance, but historical novels – I often encountered something that became one of my least favorite themes. A historical heroine with no domestic skills. I’m was always asking myself, why would the hero want a woman who couldn’t help him
- [Researching your characters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/10/24/researching-your-characters/) - I prefer researching and writing about the U.S. in the 1800's. Specifically the western U.S. However, I find myself time and again having to research farther back and overseas to fully develop my characters.A character's roots tells a lot about that character and I find that by going back on the family tree I can
- [Stories ideas aren't hard to find, just look around](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/13/stories-ideas-arent-hard-to-find-just-look-around/) - One of the things a writer friend of mine says that people always ask her is where she gets her idea. If you're like she and I, it's not getting the ideas, it finding the time to write them all. The story for Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold grew out of the location. Having driven through
- [Have Wagon will Travel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/10/24/have-wagon-will-travel/) - The "soiled doves" of the wild and wooly west needed vacations, too. In the summer when the cities were hot and the men busy tending crops and cattle, some of the brothels would load up their "girls" and head to the mountains where it was cooler and they could entice the shepherds and cowboy tending
- [Stage Makeup](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/06/24/stage-makeup/) - Now you're saying to yourself what's a western author doing talking about stage makeup?Since I've run out of historical things to write about that pertain to my current release, Miner in Petticoats, I decide to write about what I discovered while working on my current WIP.The heroine in the next Halsey brother book has a
- [Inspiration from other novels](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/13/inspiration-from-other-novels/) - People often ask how I decided to write Kentucky Green, as it set in an unusual time period, the frontier in 1794. I grew up reading historical novels, which I now realize contained a definite ‘romance’ element even though they weren’t labeled as such. When I took a ‘how to write’ class the advice
- [A Rose By Any Other Name](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/02/13/a-rose-by-any-other-name/) - A Rose By Any Other NameWhen starting a story, one of the things I really put thought into is the names of my characters. And when writing a historical, you want to get names that fit your characters as well as give some authenticity to the time period you’re writing. Always consider the impact of
- [Fact or Fiction: Writing about Wales](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/01/29/fact-or-fiction-writing-about-wales/) - I first began writing romantic fiction about Wales after my first visit. I little understood the country or the culture - definitely not the language - but I was inspired by the astonishing fact that, in a country which is so little known outside its borders, a vibrant culture in a Celtic language that has
- [The Games Children Played](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/16/the-games-children-played/) - Recently I read a blog about the Black Plague. Briefly, the author mentioned the nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosy.” I always knew it came from the Black Plague, but for some reason it hit me just then that it had been passed down child to child for over 600 years! A long time for
- [Teaching history with stories](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/13/teaching-history-with-stories/) - Two things happened last week that prompted this blog. There was a discussion on our loop about the lack of history knowledge in today’s students, and I watched one of my favorite movies. The movie was Red River (1948), a western staring John Wayne and Montgomery Cliff. As a history professor tried to make history
- [When will Christmas be over?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/14/when-will-christmas-be-over/) - Heaped up upon the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam.
- ["Mom, you're Grammarific!"](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/08/mom-youre-grammarific/) - By Cynthia OwensAs a writer, words are the tools of my trade. Putting them together properly is important to me. And as a parent, I want to hear my kids speak properly, without any of the grammar errors so prevalent in the vocabulary of today’s teenagers.So here are ten simple grammatical errors that are like
- [Double, double, toll and trouble ...](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/11/03/double-double-toll-and-trouble-2/) - ... Fire burn and brimstone bubble. Witches and witchcraft date back through the ages to when people worshipped the Mother Earth or nature goddess. It was a time before traditional religion when the unexplained was called magical and people with unique talents were special. The Old Religion which existed since the Stone Age was far from
- [On the Duchess of Gordon's Reel Dancing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/14/on-the-duchess-of-gordons-reel-dancing/) - "She kiltit up her kirtle weel tucked/To show her bonie cutes sae sma' And walloped about the reel/The lightest louper o' them a'! While some, like slav'ring, doited stots/Stoit'ring out thro' the midden dub, Fankit their heels amang their coats/And gart the floor their backsides rub. Gordon, the great, the gay, the gallant/Skip't like
- [The Holly, the Ivy, the Yew](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/29/the-holly-the-ivy-the-yew/) - While researching for my family saga, Pendyffryn, I read several interpretations of The Mabingoi – including Gwyn Jones and Elizabeth Walton. My 1955 copy of Welsh Legend and Folk-Tales is tattered and spent but gave me a fresh look at one story I thought I knew until I read the source legend. I included this
- [The Red Lady and Bells of the Deep](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/29/the-red-lady-and-bells-of-the-deep/) - In 1822, on the Gower Peninsula, Daniel and John Davies, two of many 19thC Victorian archaeologists, discovered the bones of strange animals and a mammoth’s tusk in Goat’s Hole Cave. The following year, William Buckland (Professor of Geology at Oxford and Dean of Westminster Abbey) discovered the skeletal remains of a human who became the
- [Happy Birthday Birthdays](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/28/happy-birthday-birthdays/) - When I began participating on this blog, I was asked to pick a day for my entry each month. I picked the 28th because July 28th is my birthday. How could I forget the 28th? With this memory trigger and the several reminder alerts handily provided by the blog, remembering should be assured, right?Not necessarily.
- [On Writing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/03/on-writing-2/) - In Mesopotamia, somewhere in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, dating back to 3700 B.C., someone put stone to tablet and hammered out a message and we’ve been hammering out messages ever since. What is the love affair with the written word? They have the power to move people and even nations; people
- [The Way to a Cowboy's Heart](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/06/28/the-way-to-a-cowboys-heart/) - An army travels on its stomach. Whether or not Napoleon was the first to say this, it is a long accepted truth. A truth that could be justifiably applied to the cowboy on the cattle trail. The wise cattle owner recognized this and gave just as much consideration to the hiring of the cook as
- [Gene Autry's Cowboy Code](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/24/gene-autrys-cowboy-code/) - I received a brochure in the mail the other day promoting the Cowboys and Indians magazine. Inside they had Gene Autry's Cowboy Code and it is pretty darn close to the original cowboy code only modernized.Gene created this code in response to young radio listeners who wished to be like him.1. The cowboy must never
- [10 Reasons Why I Love British History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/07/03/10-reasons-why-i-love-british-history/) - This is a long post. Please, get a cup of coffee or glass of wine (personally I would get the wine) and enjoy. I was reading Katherine Longshore’s blog post, 10 Reasons Why I Love British History and found myself in agreement. With her kind permission, I’ve used her post as a framework and added
- [How Ready Are You?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/03/13/how-ready-are-you/) - The horrible earthquake in Japan reminded me of how natural disasters can impact all aspects of life.Here's an article I wrote for our chapter's new letter several years ago, right after one of the large brush/forest fires that routinely hit Souther California.How ready are you?As I’m sure you all know, the San Diego area has
- [Entertainment or History Lesson?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/02/24/entertainment-or-history-lesson/) - I'm currently writing the third book in my spirit trilogy series that is set among the Wallowa Lake Nez Perce. I've enjoyed the research about this band of the Nez Perce tribe, but with this book I have to also take into account the the army that is chasing them from their home to Canada
- [New Year's Resolutions](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/03/new-years-resolutions/) - Happy New Year! The champagne is finished as well as the party food. I watched the ball drop at Times Square, via television, and welcomed in the new year with those I love. I’ve thought about the past year, what I accomplished and what has been left undone and even ignored. It’s time to look
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Collette Cameron](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/05/27/monthly-member-spotlight-collette-cameron/) - I have to admit I am not at all objective when it comes to our member in the spotlight this month. Having known Collette for years, I can assure you she's as lovely in person as she is in her photos, and she's a sweeter, kinder person than you can imagine. Please help me welcome multi-published
- [Heidelberg Castle: Evolution to a Palace](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/18/heidelberg-castle-evolution-to-a-palace/) - Like most medieval castles, Heidelberg Castle was built in stages reflecting its owner's needs and status. Originally constructed by the bishops of Worms, the castle passed into Karl Hohenstaufer's possession with his inheritance of the Rhine-Frankish territories in 1155. As Konrad consolidated his holdings, the town of Heidelberg became the territories' center and his family
- ["Mrs. E. is my murderer"](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/14/mrs-e-is-my-murderer/) - Virginia Clemm (1822-1847) was thirteen when she married her twenty-six-year-old cousin, Edgar Allan Poe. "Mrs. Poe looked very young; she had large black eyes, and a pearly whiteness of complexion, which was a perfect pallor. Her pale face, her brilliant eyes, and her raven hair gave her an unearthly look. One felt that she was
- [Music hath powers -](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/10/13/music-hath-powers/) - Music hath powers –At one of our chapter meeting we had a workshop where we listened to music and wrote a paragraph or two in response to the music. This was a new experience for some of the members, but I’ve always listened to music as a background when I write. Mostly, I choose music
- [American Marines Land on Iwo Jimo](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/19/american-marines-land-on-iwo-jimo/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier One of the most famous photographs in the world is of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jimo, four days after three divisions of U.S. Marines had landed on the island 700 miles south of Tokyo. But the action captured on film was not without a price.
- [I Am Already Sick of Love](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/14/i-am-already-sick-of-love/) - The first Valentine written is credited to Charles, Duke of Orleans (1394 - 1465). He was captured by the English at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years War between England and France. During his twenty-four year captivity, he composed over five hundred poems, many of them he translated into English from French. Charles
- [Finding Inspiration: The Life and Times of H.H. Halsell](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/04/07/finding-inspiration-the-life-and-times-of-h-h-halsell/) - I enjoy reading firsthand accounts of the Wild West to get the “feel” of the time period. One of my favorite authors in this regard is H.H. Halsell. Texas born Harry H.Halsell was five years old when the Civil War ended. As a boy of six he and his brother O.D. Halsell were chased by
- [Regency Tomb Raider](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/03/14/regency-tomb-raider/) - When he wrote his famous history of the English Civil War, Lord Clarendon related the great ignominy that surrounded the execution of Charles I. He also noted that it was the great wish of the restored Charles II to have his father's body exhumed from its burial in Windsor and reinterred in Westminster. This was thwarted when no one
- [Lady Hamilton - The Bacchante](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/14/lady-hamilton-the-bacchante/) - Lady Emma Hamilton (1761 - 1815) was famous before she became Admiral Horatio Nelson's lover. One could argue she was the only girl in the late eighteenth century that the casual viewer could identify by sight alone. It was a remarkable feat in the days before mass media. In western Wales lies a natural harbor that had been
- [They Could be Twins](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/03/15/they-could-be-twins/) - These two cousins looked exactly alike. Their mothers were sisters, daughters of Christian IX of Denmark. Who were they? Now, guess which is which. Sometimes the families could not tell them apart when they were wearing each other’s uniforms, or in this case, Willy’s Prussian guard outfits. Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon when
- ["The Most Beautiful Woman in Europe"](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/01/14/the-most-beautiful-woman-in-europe/) - ---quoted from a letter written by Victoria, Crown Princess of Prussia of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary So much has been written about Sisi that she has been practically elevated beyond the realm of reality. Some call this phenomenon a cult of personality. When we are confronted with this circumstance, it becomes almost
- [The Month's History and a Few Prizes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/27/the-months-history-and-a-few-prizes/) - What a month! Followers of the Seduced by History Blog have been treated with a treasure chest of historical gems this month. From Egypt to the Wild West, from Tudor England to Medieval Italy. We celebrated Easter and Hunt the Gowk Day, learned the intricacies of writing historicals with heat, and discovered that much of
- [Something old, something new ….](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/09/something-old-something-new/) - I thought since this has been our year for weddings – both our sons married this year, I’d blog about weddings. The standard wedding traditions are fairly well know. How true the background and reason for these customs, I leave up to you. The wedding ring symbolized eternity, as it has no end. The third
- [Did Medieval Peasants Eat Better Than Modern People?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/02/did-medieval-peasants-eat-better-than-modern-people/) - Something really interesting happened to me when I set out to research what Medieval Peasants ate. I found a lot of contradictory information. On the one hand, there are websites and books out there that suggest that the peasant diet was mean, people didn’t get enough nutritional value from their food, and food itself wasn’t
- [A Day in Your Life in the Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/08/02/a-day-in-your-life-in-the-middle-ages/) - Good morning, medieval peasant! Rise and shine! The sun is rising and it’s time for you to get to work. You roll out of bed, which you share with your spouse, yawn and stretch, and trudge across the room to wake your three children. Your house has just one bedroom that everyone shares, but you
- [Medieval People - What Where They Thinking?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/02/medieval-people-what-where-they-thinking/) - Last month my medieval post generated a lot of discussion, and while some of it set me off, other points set me to thinking. One point that was made was that you can’t judge the mindset of medieval people using modern worldviews and values. True. Very true. So, curious as ever, I dove into my
- [Shazam!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/03/shazam/) - Spells and spellcasting. The very first spell I clearly remember is salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Put them together and what do you get? Cinderella! A magic coach, horses, a footman, glass slippers and a beautiful ball gown and let’s not forget the handsome prince. What makes the fairy-godmother’s words a spell? A spell is much
- [The Irish Brigade in the American Civil War](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/06/08/the-irish-brigade-in-the-american-civil-war/) - Cavan Callaghan, the hero of my recent release from Highland Press, Coming Home, is a veteran of the Irish Brigade who fought bravely at Antietam. I've always found the Irish Brigade fascinating because it was comprised of immigrants who fought for a country that offered them refuge from famine and tyranny. There's too much history
- [The Irish Invade Canada!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/08/the-irish-invade-canada/) - No, it's not a belated St. Patrick's Day parade, or even a ceilidh given by a local branch of the Irish Society. The Fenian invasion of Canada actually happened, and it was one factor that contributed to the Confederation of Canada in 1867.The famine of the min-Nineteenth Century decimated the population of Ireland. Many fled
- [Working From A Synopsis](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/12/16/working-from-a-synopsis/) - I just began work on a new manuscript—the next in my Cotillion Ball series. This is a different approach for me, since I have already done a synopsis for the book and presented it to my publisher. I do have permission to stray from the synopsis as needed during the course of writing the book,
- [Can You See Me Now?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/02/16/can-you-see-me-now/) - Eyeglasses were invented more than 700 years ago, by some unknown and unnamed person. Before that time, people who were either near or far sighted could do little to aid in their eyesight. Imagine heading out on a search for game and not being able to see more than five feet in front of you.
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Cynthia Owens](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/06/24/monthly-member-spotlight-cynthia-owens/) - Please help me welcome multi-published member, Cynthia Owens, into the spotlight this month! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. I believe I was destined to be interested in history. One of my distant ancestors, Thomas Aubert, reportedly sailed up the St. Lawrence River to
- [Monthly Member Spotlight: Callie Hutton](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/02/26/monthly-member-spotlight-callie-hutton/) - We're starting a new spotlight feature on the HHRW blog, and hope to feature a member on the last Friday of each month. To kick things off, please help me welcome Callie Hutton! Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write. USA Today best selling author
- [The Importance of Research](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/08/the-importance-of-research/) - Every writer knows how important research is, but in a historical novel, next to the hero and heroine, research is the story. Sure, it’s important that the protagonists fall in love and eventually reach the happily-ever-after, but how they do it, and where and when, is just as important. Some of us are lucky enough
- [Hearts Through History's Pitchfest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/11/15/hearts-through-historys-pitchfest-2/) - Hearts Through History is pleased to host the second and final Pitchfest of 2016. This is a unique and exclusive opportunity for members of the Hearts Through History RWA chapter to pitch blurbs of up 200 words of unpublished manuscripts to industry professionals. We welcome editor Chris Keeslar of Boroughs Publishing. Thank you for taking the time to
- [Something About Welsh](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/02/something-about-welsh/) - As you have no doubt noticed over the past months, I have a particular preference for any and all things Welsh. So, as a treat, I am going to give a short lesson on the Welsh language. I thought you might enjoy learning a few phrases to slip into your conversations when you visit this
- [The Staff of Life in the Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/07/the-staff-of-life-in-the-middle-ages/) - This is where it all started, the 1963 movie, Tom Jones. Albert Finney (Tom Jones) licks his chicken bones and Joyce Redman (Mrs Waters) looks like she's making love to an apple. It showed that playing with your food could be fun and anything edible will do! But what was a banquet really like? The
- [Afternoon Tea](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/03/afternoon-tea-2/) - Afternoon tea is a tradition we associate with Great Britain. Traditionally, dinner was served at 8:30 or 9:00 pm – a long time after the morning meal which was served between 7:00 and 9:00 am. To fill the gap, and stop the grumblings of many tummies, tea was served. High tea, an early evening meal,
- [Born Behind the Veil](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/05/03/born-behind-the-veil-2/) - Some children are born with a mask, a birth caul, made of a thin membrane that covers their face. While these births are very rare, they do hold special significance. Stories and myths abound about the caul. Many are pure fabrication. The correct name for children born with a caul is Caulbearer. Because the member
- [The History of Storytelling](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/03/the-history-of-storytelling/) - Stories are an important part of our society and culture. We find stories in the books we read, movies we watch, paintings we study, music we listen to, even in the news of the day and the liturgy of our religion. You can see its impact on the people in every culture whether being listened
- [The Magic of Storytelling](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/03/the-magic-of-storytelling/) - Stories are an important part of our society and culture. We find stories in the books we read, movies we watch, painting we study, music we listen to, even in the news of the day and the liturgy of our religion. You can see its impact on the people in every culture whether being listened
- [What I Did This Thanksgiving](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/12/03/what-i-did-this-thanksgiving/) - I hope everyone (in the US) had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I am recuperating! Paul and I are empty nesters. Our daughters, Staci and Cori, and their families live about thirty minutes away and our son, Ari, lives in Boston. For the holidays they all move back home for the weekend. They decided ten years
- [The Conundrum of the Scottish Stone Balls](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/07/03/the-conundrum-of-the-scottish-stone-balls/) - Over 400 Scottish Carved Stone Balls have been found spread out in Scotland, primarily around Aberdeen. These balls are uniformly three inches in diameter, made from a wide range of materials, sandstone to granite, and sport a variety of patterns and knobs that range from the basic to the more ornate. Archeologists have dated the
- [Double, double, toll and trouble...](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/11/03/double-double-toll-and-trouble/) - ... fire burn and brimstone bubble. Witches and witchcraft date back through the ages to a time when people worshiped the Mother Earth or nature goddess. It was a time before traditional religion when the unexplained was called magical and people with unique talents were special. The Old Religion which existed since the Stone Age
- [My Thanksgiving](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/12/03/my-thanksgiving/) - I hope everyone (in the US) had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I am recuperating! Paul and I are empty nesters. Our daughters, Staci and Cori, and their families live about thirty minutes away and our son, Ari, lives in Boston. For the holidays they all move back home for the weekend. They decided ten years
- [Who Are (Were) You?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/14/who-are-were-you/) - If you’ve seen the movie Patton staring George C. Scott, you might remember the part where Patton goes out to visit the ruins of Carthage in North Africa. And he tells his companions about how the Romans destroyed Carthage, as says that he, Patton was one of the Carthaginians talking about his past lives.
- [Terry vs. Technology](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/12/13/terry-vs-technology/) - OK, if you’re reading this, then I won my latest battle with technology. You see, the way to post to this Hearts Through History blog changed from when I blogged last. And if you’ve read my previous blog “I Love/Hate Technology” you know I often have trouble with technical things. One of my problems
- [Living the dream](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/07/13/living-the-dream/) - I’m not one of those that always wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a history teacher, and did so at the college level. And teaching history is a lot like story telling with all the characters and events. Everyone said, “You know all these stories. You should write a book.” Since I’m
- [Elizabeth I, Queen of England](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/11/13/elizabeth-i-queen-of-england/) - Elizabeth I Elizabeth had always been a hero of mine, probably why my MA in History is a specialization in Tudor and Stuart England. Elizabeth’s greatness lies in two parts. The first that she survives to become Queen, and second that she guided England from the disastrous state she inherited to a wealthy and stable
- [How I Named My Characters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/12/13/how-i-named-my-characters/) - The idea for Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold came from the location of Durango, so looking into Durango history, I chose the 1880s. To the location and time I added some general plotting. But a story is told through the character, so they must have names. I already had the name of my heroine, Julie (a
- [Saratoga Springs: Grand and Gilded](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/11/saratoga-springs-grand-and-gilded/) - Looking for a great setting for your gilded age historical? I found one for mine when I recently visited Saratoga Springs, NY. For much of the 19th century, Saratoga Springs was the “Queen of the Spa” resorts with the added attraction of horse racing and a first rate casino along with proximity to New York
- [Home Is Where the Heart Is](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/01/07/home-is-where-the-heart-is/) - Tent Home, Library of Congress Our forefathers were quite adept at making a home anywhere and out of anything, it seems, particularly those who went west. Tents were a common sight, especially when new towns were in the making. With canvas sides and roofs, they served the purpose for the mostly male dominated boom
- [The Dukes of Manchester: When being a Noble doesn't mean you are noble](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/07/the-dukes-of-manchester-when-being-a-noble-doesnt-mean-you-are-noble/) - Perhaps one of the worst example of noble excess throughout the last two hundred or so years can be claimed by the House of Montagu aka the Dukes of Manchester. The title, Duke of Manchester, came into being under George I. The family’s origin is Italian by way of France. The family's fame came during the Normandy Invasion and under
- [Saloons: Fun time in the Old West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/10/07/saloons-fun-time-in-the-old-west/) - It’s where trials, town meetings, and elections were often held. Where men could test each other’s mettle. And it held the promise of luck and good fortune even if the results were often the opposite. In the West, no enclave would call itself a town without boasting a saloon, and usually several of them. Some had
- [Battle of Gettysburg: The Aftermath Part 1](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/11/07/battle-of-gettysburg-the-aftermath-part-1/) - We hear a lot about the strategies, the skirmishes, and the troop movements of the important Battle of Gettysburg, but what about the aftermath of a 3-day conflict that left over 7,000 bodies to be buried and over 33,000 wounded to tend to? What did it mean to the sleepy little hamlet of Gettysburg, PA,
- [Gettysburg: the Aftermath Part 2](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/12/07/gettysburg-the-aftermath-part-2/) - Though the battle of Gettysburg ended on July 3, 1863, the suffering did not. Over 33,000 wounded, 21,000 of those seriously wounded, needed care and attention. How could just 106 Union doctors and a handful of Confederate surgeons in a town with a population of just 2400 minister to this multitude? Where would they put
- [Victorian Ladies' Magazines: The Cult of True Womanhood](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/02/07/victorian-ladies-magazines-how-to-be-a-proper-woman/) - Ladies Magazines played a pivotal role in the lives of women in Victorian times just as Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, Vogue, and Vanity Fair do in our time. However, while modern magazines for women tend to specialize, e.g. Vanity Fair and Vogue for fashion, Ladies Home Journal and
- [The Princess Diana Connection](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/04/07/the-princess-diana-connection/) - My research into the Victorian Gilded Age revealed that from the late 1800’s through the Edwardian era, more than a 100 American heiresses were married off to British nobility with the result that most of the great British noble families can now trace their ancestry through American bloodlines. And that includes the Royal family. Princess Diana’s
- [Afternoon Tea: The History and Ritual](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/07/afternoon-tea-the-history-and-ritual/) - The English love their tea, or at least did. Being a tea drinker, when I boarded a plane for my first trip to England many years ago, I remember teasing my husband (a coffee drinker) that finally we were going to someplace where my choice of hot beverage would be primary. Imagine my surprise on
- [Croquet for Coquettes: History of Croquet](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/08/07/croquet-for-coquettes-history-of-croquet/) - Where did Croquet come from and what made it so popular in the mid-19th century? With summer upon us, outdoor games come to mind and croquet, easy to learn and fun to play, has been a popular pastime since the 19th century. Like many sports, its popularity has waxed and waned but in the mid
- [Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair: Rich, adventurous, and a heck of a business woman.](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/11/07/cornelia-wadsworth-ritchie-adair-rich-adventurous-and-a-heck-of-a-business-woman/) - Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair was a woman who lived her life in two distinct worlds—the Wild West of the Texas panhandle and the elegant ballrooms and salons of England and Ireland. Born into a prominent and wealthy Genesco, New York family in 1837, Cornelia married her first husband, the politically-connected Montgomery Harrison Ritchie, in 1857
- [Women's Work: Teaching in the 19th century American West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/11/07/teaching-19th-century/) - Our state’s Teacher’s Convention takes place this month, so I thought it fitting to look back at teaching in 19th century America. As wives and children moved west, following the footsteps of their men-folk, the number of children in western states and territories grew exponentially as did the need to educate them. Initially, that task
- [Mrs. Child’s General Maxims for Health](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/04/19/mrs-childs-general-maxims-for-health/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier A few years ago I came across a reproduction copy of THE AMERICAN FRUGAL HOUSEWIFE. DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT ASHAMED OF ECONOMY by Mrs. Child, originally printed in 1828. This reproduction is of the 12th addition, published in 1833. THE AMERICAN FRUGAL HOUSEWIFE “was an extremely popular nineteenth-century manual
- [Wu Zetian, Sacred and Divine Empress of China](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/11/19/wu-zetian-sacred-and-divine-empress-of-china/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier It’s been awhile since I’ve done a post using LADIES FIRST: history’s greatest female trailblazers, winners and mavericks by Lynn Santa Lucia. Today, I’m doing one on the only female Empress of China, Wu Zetian. In comparison to her male contemporaries, Wu was not much different from the Emperors, but the
- [Empress Theodora of Byzantine](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/01/19/empress-theodora-of-byzantine/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier I found a very interesting book a few months ago, GREAT STORIES FROM HISTORY 365 FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR by W.B. Marsh and Bruce Carrick. As the title suggestions, there are 365 short essays on a historical event, one for each day of the year. So, here it is,
- [Trotula, Medieval Medical Doctor](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/09/19/trotula-medieval-medical-doctor/) - By Anna Kathryn Lanier First, my apologies for not posting a blog on Seduced by History since May. I have had a very difficult summer, which I won’t go into, but I look forward to posting my monthly blogs for now on…hopefully, life will cooperate with my plans! Today, I am writing about Trotula, also
- [Omens That Changed History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/06/19/omens-that-changed-history/) - by Anna Kathryn Lanier For this week's The Friday Record, I'm turning once again to Michael Powell's book CURIOUS EVENTS IN HISTORY. It's a fascinating little book with dozens of interesting historical facts. On page 36, Powell has an chapter on Edward IV's Magic Vision. Now here's my disclaimer....I don't know much of the War of
- [2014 Annual General Meeting in San Antonio](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/07/10/2014-annual-general-meeting-in-san-antonio/) - The 2014 Hearts Through History Annual General Meeting, Thursday, July 24, 6:00-8:30 p.m. Just a couple of blocks from the hotel. A speaker from The Alamo's Volunteers will give a talk on The Alamo/San Antonio. Mix business with pleasure. Meet new friends, reconnect with old ones. Full buffet dinner! Door prizes, games, recognition and
- [Throwback Thursday](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/15/throwback-thursday/) - Welcome to our very own installment of Throwback Thursday, with a real historical twist. Today's question: if you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
- [Saturday's Snippets - First Paragraphs](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/17/saturdays-snippets-first-paragraphs/) - Share your story with us....historicals only (we are Hearts Through History, after all). Today, give us your opening paragraph of your WIP, recently published story or one from your backlist.
- [Saturday Snippets](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/01/24/saturday-snippets/) - Last week, we asked for your opening paragraph. Today, let's share the first kiss between the hero and heroine.
- [Snippet Saturday - Page 77, Line 7](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/07/snippet-saturday-page-77-line-7/) - Share with us Page 77, Line 7 (include a paragraph or two if you want).
- [Throwback Thursday - Inventions](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/19/throwback-thursday-inventions/) - What do you consider to be the greatest invention developed in the time period in which you write?
- [Saturday Snippet - First Conflict](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/21/saturday-snippet-first-conflict/) - Give us a sample of the first conflict between your hero and heroine, post in the comments below or as a new blog post.
- [Flame-Haired Pharaohs & the Desert of Death](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2016/01/18/flame-haired-pharaohs-the-desert-of-death/) - The title for this post sounds like a good book title, but in fact, I'm referring to historical facts about ancient Egypt. Who were these flame-haired pharaohs? What is the desert of death? Read on to learn the surprising answers. The stereotypical image of an Egyptian pharaoh depicts him black-haired and bronze-skinned. These ideas arose
- [Wandering Pearl](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/10/18/wandering-pearl/) - La Peregrina is one of the most famous pearls in the world. Found by a slave in the Spanish colony of Panama, circa mid-sixteenth century, it was delivered to King Philip II of Spain. At that time, the jewel was the largest pearl ever discovered, pear-shaped and weighing nearly fifty-six carats. The king gave it to his affianced
- [England's Best Born and Best Bred Lady](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/03/14/englands-best-born-and-best-bred-lady/) - She was "the best born and the best bred" lady in all England and heiress to the vast estates of the earldom of Northumberland. She was also someone to die for. Lady Elizabeth Percy (1667 - 1722) was the daughter of the eleventh earl and one of the "Beauties of Windsor," Elizabeth Wriothesely. An intimate of hers noted with sadness how
- [The Bermondsey Horror](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/05/14/the-bermondsey-horror/) - At times there is a suddenness in the manner of Mademoiselle Hortense so like a bodily spring upon the subject of it that such subject involuntarily starts and fails back. It is Mr. Tulkinghorn's case at present, though Mademoiselle Hortense, with her eyes almost shut up (but still looking out sideways), is only smiling contemptuously
- [Witchcraft in her Lips](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/04/14/witchcraft-in-her-lips/) - You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate: there is more eloquence in a sugar touch of them than in the tongues of the French council, and they should sooner persuade Henry of England than a general petition of monarchs. -- Henry V, Shakespeare This kiss in Act V was "greeted by cheers from
- [The Most Haunted House in London](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/07/14/the-most-haunted-house-in-london/) - The Beast. The Thing. What was inhabiting No. 50 Berkeley Square? Very bad ton, I daresay. The stories varied, but a dandy had a dashed good notion to test the on-dit that No. 50 harbored a ghost. Full of blue ruin and holding a pistol, he spent the night in one of its rooms only
- [A Terrible Woman - Artemisia Gentileschi](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/11/14/a-terrible-woman-artemisia-gentileschi/) - She had been raped as a teenager by an associate of her father. She was tortured to test the veracity of her accusation. She was physically examined in public to test the veracity of her virginity. She was also an artist. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593 - 1656) was of the school of Caravaggio, whose Biblical paintings featured
- [To His Coy Mistress](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/08/14/to-his-coy-mistress/) - A brilliant poem, "To His Coy Mistress," was written in the seventeenth century by Andrew Marvell. A friend and supporter of John Milton, Marvell was a deadly fencer and could speak a variety of foreign languages. Some thought he might be a double agent. His father was a Calvinist preacher, who drowned while crossing the Humber
- [Thanksgiving - It's Still Ours Today](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2014/11/14/thanksgiving-its-still-ours-today/) - Eilenburg was known as a center for German Reformation, prosperous and even boasting a walled exterior by the late sixteenth century. It was greatly favored by its Duke, George of Saxony. Martin Luther called it a blessed lard pit. Then came the Thirty Years’ War. By that time, Martin Rinkart (1586 – 1649) had become one of four pastors
- [The Medieval Love Story](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2015/02/14/the-medieval-love-story/) - After years of reading and recycling books, I still have this one on my shelf: "Born in a fierce, feudal world as cruel as it was courtly, theirs was the rapturous love destined to change the face of the Irish nation forever." The heroine is history's Aoife Macmurrough (c. 1145-1188), a princess who was not given the chance to
- [The Mysterious Death Of Tsar Alexander I](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/02/21/the-mysterious-death-of-tsar-alexander-i/) - While researching my current work in progress (which takes place in St. Petersburg in 1815), I came across some very curious information about the death of forty-eight year old Russian Emperor Alexander I. Alexander reportedly died on the morning of December 1, 1825, in the remote Crimean town of Taganrog, yet many claim he appeared
- [Peterhof: The Russian Versailles](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2012/08/21/peterhof-the-russian-versailles/) - Here in Texas, we are deep in the dog days of summer. Most days the temperature soars over 100 degrees, the grass is brown, and the water in the swimming pools is same temperature as a hot bath. I'm originally from the north, so I'm always ready for the fall weather to move in (usually by the first of July). There
- [Scavenging for Research Books](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/10/21/scavenging-for-research-books/) - Like most historical writers, I do a lot of research before, during, and sometimes even after I write a book, so I’m always on the lookout for research books and other resources. Half Price Books held a huge warehouse sale this weekend at Dallas Market Hall. All books were two dollars or less, which was
- [Pavlovsk Palace and the Spoils of War](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2013/11/21/pavlovsk-palace-and-the-spoils-of-war/) - The city of St. Petersburg , founded by Peter the Great in 1703, became the new capital of Russia in 1711. As the city grew, both the imperial family and aristocrats began to build grand summer residences just outside the city. Dubbed the Versailles of the North, Peterhof was built for Peter the Great
- [Weddings](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/13/weddings/) - I thought since this has been our year for weddings – both our sons married this year, I’d blog about weddings. The standard wedding traditions are fairly well know. How true the background and reason for these customs, I leave up to you. The wedding ring symbolized eternity, as it has no end. The third
- [My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys – or what I learned from western movies](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/05/22/my-heroes-have-always-been-cowboys-or-what-i-learned-from-western-movies/) - Yes, I admit, my heroes have always been cowboys. My love of cowboys came from old western movies. Here were men who were larger than life, who stood up for what they believed in, who’s word was their bond, who were willing to do what had to be done. And when they fell in love,
- [Living Next Door to Hitler](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/10/living-next-door-to-hitler/) - We've all heard the saying that if a child does not like an adult, pay attention. Their innocent minds have the ability to see through the layers of falsehood. I have two friends, who, as children, were forced to gaze into Hitler's eyes. They did not like him. Gerlinde was six years old when she
- [Tips and Tricks](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/01/27/tips-and-tricks/) - of a moderately prolific writerBy Ann LethbridgeI hear a lot of authors say they are slow writers. I don’t see anything wrong with that at all. Some of the best writers describe themselves this way. Your process is your process. These tips and tricks are merely ideas I have honed for myself, which I am
- [Openings](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/11/29/openings/) - by Ann LethbridgeNo, I'm not talking about job opportunities. Or am I? I'll let you be the judge.Last week I had the privilege of reading a few five-hundred word story openings provided by aspiring authors. I was not being asked for a critique, so I was unable to offer advice and I didn't know their
- [Our First All-Blog Contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/03/26/our-first-all-blog-contest/) - Time to celebrate. It's just past our Seduced By History 1st Monthiversary. Thanks to all our bloggers, followers, and visitors, we're off to a bang-up start. And to cap it off, we have Kimberly Killion's Rita nomination for Her One Desire to raise the roof about.Winners of our first all-blog contest were chosen randomly from
- [Romance and Readability](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/03/27/romance-and-readability/) - A while ago the issue of readability caught fire on a few chat loops and spread out of control. It seems an editor told a writer in a pitch that they were looking for manuscripts written on the fourth to fifth grade reading level for their adult audience. The writer was shocked and interpreted this
- [Irish Connections](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/05/08/irish-connections/) - Ireland has always held a special place in my heart. My first novel, In Sunshine or in Shadow, is set in Ireland. I’m married to a man who is half-Irish. And there’s a very special connection between Ireland and my hometown of Montreal, Canada.During the Great Famine of 1845-1850, thousands of starving Irish refugees fled
- [A Papery Pastime](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/06/08/a-papery-pastime/) - In one of my current works in progress, the hero has a young daughter who adores paper dolls.A paper doll is such a simple thing, when you think about it. A small, flat piece of paper, cut into the shape of a girl, a young lady or a gentleman, complete with an accompanying wardrobe of
- [A Little Inspiration, Please!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/08/08/a-little-inspiration-please/) - Every writer has days when the words aren’t flowing, the scenes aren’t unfolding as they should, and you’re sitting staring at a blank computer screen. Those are the times when you just want to say “Forget it!” “I’m going to start something new,” and sometimes even “Why did I think I wanted to be a
- [Secondary Characters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/11/09/secondary-characters/) - In a romance novel, it's the hero and heroine - and their love story - that are the main focus. And that's how it should be. We all love to close that book with a contented sigh at that "happily ever after."But along the way to the ending are many stumbling blocks for our couples.
- [Photography in the Victorian Era](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/01/08/photography-in-the-victorian-era/) - There's a scene in Coming Home, my upcoming historical romance release from Highland Press, in which my hero is staring at a photograph of his former girlfriend. It's something that seems so simple today, but this story takes place in 1867. What kind of photograph would he have had?So I took a deep breath, and dove
- [A Castle By Any Other Name ...](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/02/08/a-castle-by-any-other-name/) - “They” say that everything happens for a reason. “They” say that there are no coincidences in life. I don’t know if I really believe that, but certainly I’ve begun to believe in destiny over the past year or so.Some time ago, I began an e-mail friendship with an Irish actor whom I’d written to on
- [Stage Fright](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/07/08/stage-fright/) - Stage Fright. It has been called an actor’s worst nightmare. But actors are not the only people who experience stage fright. And with the upcoming release of my second novel, Coming Home, it’s something I have to start thinking about – again. I spoke with the director of my local library, and she wants me
- [The Legend of the Claddagh](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/09/08/the-legend-of-the-claddagh/) - There are so many myths and legends springing from the misty, romantic island of Ireland I can’t even count them. Some of my favorites include Finn MacCool and the Fianna, Oisin and the Land of the Ever Young, and the Children of Lir.But my absolute favorite Irish story is the legend of the Claddagh Ring,
- [A Sense of Time and Place - The Importance of Research, by Lisbeth Eng](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/10/16/a-sense-of-time-and-place-the-importance-of-research-by-lisbeth-eng/) - Seduced By History Welcomes Guess Blogger, Lisbeth Eng, author of In The Arms of the Enemy.Nothing can jolt a reader out of the “zone” of your novel faster than an egregious error in the text. Such blunders by an author are more likely to be found in historical fiction, where accuracy in both era and
- [Civil War Trauma](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/04/08/civil-war-trauma/) - Post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a timely subject, considering how many young men and women are serving in the military all over the world today. But what of the men who fought during one of the bloodiest conflicts of the time, a war that pitted brother against brother, father against son?What of the American Civil War?
- [The Ecclesiastical Year and the Sacred Liturgy: The Division of the Ecclesiastical Year](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/06/25/the-ecclesiastical-year-and-the-sacred-liturgy-the-division-of-the-ecclesiastical-year/) - Writing Historical Romances often means not just knowing a local culture, but knowing a world-wide one. Unfortunately, some people do not know where to go or how to research the Roman Catholic Faith prior to Vatican II due to the Creation periti and others who have rewritten not only the Bible, but the rest of
- [The Rough and Tumble (and Romantic) Historical West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/11/the-rough-and-tumble-and-romantic-historical-west/) - My love affair with the historical western started when I was about 8 or 9 and my dad began reading me the “Little House on the Prairie” books. I was obsessed with watching the TV show when I got home from school and Dad wanted to share with me the stories that inspired the show.
- [GHOST SHIPS OF THE GREAT LAKES: THE EDMUND FITZGERALD](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/08/09/ghost-ships-of-the-great-lakes-the-edmund-fitzgerald/) - by Joan K. MazeWhen searching for another legend to write about, I found an article about Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes, which captured my interest, one of the most famous being The Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The Fitzgerald cleared Superior, Wisconsin on November 9, 1975 with a
- [Medieval England: When was it?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/08/31/medieval-england-when-was-it/) - When you want to write or read an English medieval, what assumptions do you make about medieval times? That there will be castles, kings, and knights in shining armor? That no one will bathe, people will die of the plague, and women will wear tall headdresses? By any definition “medieval” encompasses hundreds of years. So
- [Head Coverings of Medieval English Noblewomen](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/25/head-coverings-of-medieval-english-noblewomen/) - When we watch movies set in “medieval times,” the fashions we see can be authentic or a muddle of the medieval period, which spanned more than 400 years. Many costume research sources delineate periods of fashion development by decades or centuries. I prefer to use each king’s reign (John Peacock’s approach in Costume 1066-1990s). Eighteen
- [Christmas in Medieval England](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/12/25/christmas-in-medieval-england/) - Since my day to post fell on December 25th, highlighting some Christmas traditions in my favorite time period and location seemed appropriate. The word Christmas: came from the Old English “Cristes Maesse” and Middle English “Christemasse,” or Christ’s Mass. St. Nicholas day was celebrated on December 6, but the popular saint had no connection with
- [Give or take a year?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/01/25/give-or-take-a-year/) - Two of the challenges of writing historical romance and fiction are knowing when things were invented and word choice. When words or phrases came into common usage can differ depending on the source. Obvious anachronisms show not only poor research but a lack of attention to detail and can pull a reader right out of
- [Writing a Historical Inspirational](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/05/15/writing-a-historical-inspirational/) - A friend who sold by turning a historical into an inspirational kept suggesting I give that a try. We’re often advised not to write to market trends...to write the books of our hearts. On the other hand, the inspirational market has been growing. For example, Love Inspired Historicals recently went from two to four books
- [Research ya gotta love it!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/03/24/research-ya-gotta-love-it/) - I like research. Really what historical writer doesn’t? You have to have a curiosity for why they did things this way and how that worked to really tell a story that pulls the reader in and makes them live the life of your characters.Nothing is more fascinating to me than visiting a museum in the
- [Pickin' your hoss.](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/24/pickin-your-hoss/) - Cowboys on working cattle ranches had a string of horses they picked for their use while working a ranch. The same horse couldn't be used every day chasing critters and traveling great distances, so they had a string to take care of and use. A "choosin' match" would be held at the beginning of the
- [Why We Like Cowboys](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/05/24/why-we-like-cowboys/) - Who hasn’t thought about the cowboys of yesteryear driving cattle across the prairie, a lawman riding for justice, a modern rodeo cowboy, or the cattle rancher down the road and sighed. There’s something about a man in boots, denim, and a cowboy hat that makes a woman’s heart increase speed and her mouth go dry.Is
- [Makin' the Bed and Doin' the Laundry](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/07/24/makin-the-bed-and-doin-the-laundry/) - Back before there was a Sleep Center or Laundromat people had to make do with what they had. Making a rope bed:If wood and hemp weren't available to make a rope bed, they would make a pallet on the floor. A rope bed consisted of a bed frame made of four posts and four side
- [How far would you go?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/08/24/how-far-would-you-go/) - We seem to be on a research binge. How far would you go to get the information you need for a story? Do you dig and dig until you get the answer or do you give up when it looks like it will be a lot of work? Especially knowing you may only use a
- [Mining- It isn't for the lazy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/09/24/mining-it-isnt-for-the-lazy/) - My newest release is Miner in Petticoats. It's a story about a man building a future for his brothers and their families. The story is set in the gold country of NE Oregon. I used a well known creek in the area, Cracker Creek, and had the hero build a stamp mill. There were stamp
- [Foxfire books and my blog tour](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/06/24/foxfire-books-and-my-blog-tour/) - My blog day here happens to fall during my blog tour so I hope you don't mind if I tack on the details of my blog contest to the end of this post. I think I've found the best books for learning how things were done in the 17 and 1800's. When I find a
- [Ghost Towns](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/09/24/ghost-towns/) - What makes a ghost town? A friend bought a book about ghost towns at a thrift store and gave it to me knowing I like to use ghost towns in my books. But I had to laugh. The book was first printed in 1971 and it stated that a town my school (Jr. High and
- [Maize an Amazing History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/11/24/maize-an-amazing-history/) - The first Thanksgiving in 1621 corn was there. It was one of the new found foods in the Americas.Europeans didn't know corn existed until Columbus discovered America and brought it back. It's believed corn was developed 7000 years ago in Central Mexico and Central America. Corn is a crop that has to be cultivated, it
- [Prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/12/24/prettige-kerstdagen-en-een-gelukkig-nieuwjaar/) - Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I receive several Christmas cards with this greeting every year. My husband's family is from the Netherlands, and we receive Christmas cards from many of his aunts, uncles, and cousins this time of year. The first Christmas card was commissioned in 1843 but Sir Henry Cole.
- [My Winner!!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/12/28/my-winner/) - CJ send me an e-mail at patyjagatgmaildotcom with your snail mail address and which of my books you would like. You'll receive that along with a box of Country Christmas cards. Thank you for commenting.Paty
- [The Indian Wars Cavalry](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/01/24/the-indian-wars-cavalry/) - Doing research for the third book in my spirit trilogy I had to do research on the plains cavalry. This was the mounted army used to curtail Indian uprisings and make sure there was safe passage for the people populating the west. After the Civil War Southern cavalry officers were demoted to privates. There was
- [Fiddles, Drums, and Flutes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/06/24/fiddles-drums-and-flutes/) - I like to have a sort of sound track for the books I write. Not handpicked songs put on one cd but rather several cds that play mixed together- all day long- or the whole time I'm writing one particular book. It's my trigger to get into the book faster when I sit down to
- [Wagons, Trains, and Sternwheelers](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/24/wagons-trains-and-sternwheelers/) - Travel in the west was done by horse, coaches, wagons and buggies, sternwheelers and later on by train. Learning what conveyances were used where and when is always an ongoing process for me. My first published book, Marshal in Petticoats, I'd set the date and wrote the book with a train scene only to find
- [Egypt—my grand passion](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/03/23/egypt-my-grand-passion/) - I fell in love with Egypt when I went to see the Yul Brynner movie, The Ten Commandments. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Egypt of course, I was supposed to be rooting for the other side, but the moment I saw pharaoh’s court, I was a gonner.I devoured Egypt for many years.
- [WOMEN IN ANCIENT EGYPT](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/04/23/women-in-ancient-egypt/) - If you were a woman travelling back in time, ancient Egypt would be the best place to land.Pharaohs ruled from approximately 3000 BC to 300 BC and they made Egypt a rich and powerful nation, admired throughout the ancient world. They built great temples for their gods and elaborate tombs for themselves.The mark of a
- [Washington DC](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/07/13/washington-dc/) - Welcome to Washington DC.This week is the RWA National Conference, this year held in Washington DC. Luckily, I’ve been able to visit our Nation’s capital several other times. It’s a wonderful place to visit and to have a history lesson, and I’d like to tell you about some of my favorite sites.There are no Revolutionary
- [I (heart) reserch](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2009/12/13/i-heart-reserch/) - I confess I love to do the research for writing historical romance. History had always been part of my life. I was lucky enough to grow up in an extended Midwest family with a rich oral tradition. Family reunions were filled with tales of adventures of frontier life that they’d heard from their families, as
- [Another Time and Another Place](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2010/01/13/another-time-and-another-place/) - One of the workshops I teach is called Another Time, Another Place, Writing the historical romance that transports the reader.This is my idea of what a historical novel should be – to take the reader to another time and another place – to so create the feeling of the historical era that for the reader
- [Writing Historical Romance and Who to Invite for Dinner](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/04/13/writing-historical-romance-and-who-to-invite-for-dinner/) - I found this interview I did a few years ago, and thought it had some good information on writing historical romance, as well as one of my favorite questions about who to invite to dinner. Hope you find it interesting. 1. Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold is your second historical romance. Would you tell us a
- [2011 HHRW Awards - 2011 Presidential Award for Meritorious Service](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/05/2011-hhrw-awards-2011-presidential-award-for-meritorious-service/) - At the discretion of the standing President of HHRW, the Presidential Award for Meritorious Service may be conferred upon any member who has contributed outstanding service to the chapter during that president's term of office. The award will be bestowed at the annual meeting. The recipient will receive silver HHRW chapter pin and framed certificate.
- [Romance through the Ages Winners for 2011](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/05/romance-through-the-ages-winners-for-2011/) - Ancient/Medieval/Renaissance1 The Secret Daughter Leanne T. Farrell 2 The Bruised Sky Jennifer Bray-Weber 3 Jerusalem's Harlot Wanda Thomas Georgia/Regency/Victorian 1 An Autumn for Seduction Jennifer McQuiston 2 Imperial Guard Elaine Schwerz 3 Ella Virginia Taylor Colonial/Western/Civil War1 Gray's Managerie Nancy Connally 2 Hart's Desire Chris Fullerton 3 Night Angel Marlene Urso Post Victorian/World War II1
- [2011 Chapter Service Awards](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/05/2011-chapter-service-awards/) - As you all know, HHRW could not function without volunteers, and we should take every chance we get to tell them thank you. Chapter Service Appreciation Certificates and Chapter Service Pins are awarded to: Leigh Verrnill-Rhys Julie Hill Shumway Christina Rich Leslie Jean Horwood Keena Kencaid Jennifer Bray-Webber Megan Applegate Anne Bergeron Rebecca Lynn Catherine
- [2011 Legenda Aurea Service Award & Scholarship](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2011/07/05/2011-legenda-aurea-service-award-scholarship/) - Definition: The Legenda Aurea is the highest service award presented by HHRW. Translated from the Latin, Legenda Aurea means the golden legend and is an apt name for a chapter member who has provided outstanding service to Hearts through History Romance Writers, and thus has become a legend among us. Method of Selection: The Executive Committee

## Pages

- [Welcome to the RWA® Historical Chapter Online: Hearts Through History. Chapter #189](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/) - Welcome to the RWA® Historical Chapter Online: Hearts Through History. Chapter #189, an international community of historical romance writers.
- [Re-join Underpayment Remittance Form](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/re-join-underpayment-remittance-form/)
- [HHRW Join or Renewal](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/hhrw-join-or-renewal/) - PLEASE NOTE: If you are a new or renewing member of Hearts Through History, you must first fill out a Chapter Request form on the RWA website here. Hearts Through History cannot accept the below membership or renewal form until the RWA request form is filled out. Thank you.
- [Our Board Members](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about/our-board-members/) - Our current and past board members are displayed on this page.
- [2026 Romance Through The Ages Contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/) - The Romance Through The Ages contest is now open! Before registering: Please read the Rules & Guidelines to prepare your entry. See our Frequently Asked Questions for help on formatting your entry. If you have any questions, please contact the Overall Coordinator. Thanks for considering Romance Through The Ages! If paying by paypal, please indicate your name/RWA # (if applicable) and the email you are using for this contest (if different from your paypal email address) during your paypal transaction. This will allow us to easily match your payment with your entry. Thank you. You will be taken to paypal after filling out the entry form unless you select "pay by check".
- [RTTA First Round Judge Sign-Up](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/first-round-judge-sign-up/) - We've taken feedback from last year's contest into consideration and made adjustments to our judging and timeline. PUBLISHED: You will have from June 1 - September 1 to read and judge 2 books (word length of each varies from novella (40k) to historical novel (90k)). Because these books have already been published, we will require
- [2026 RTTA Contest Rules](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/contest-rules/) - Note: Categories may combined with another category at the discretion of the RTTA contest chair if fewer than 3 entries are received. Official Rules: Entries must be historical romance. According to industry and RWA definitions, a romance novel features a love story that's both essential to the plot and the main focus of the book,
- [2026 RTTA Entry Form](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/entry-form/) - Hearts Through History is proud to present the 2025 Romance Through The Ages contest for published and unpublished authors!
- [Workshop Proposal](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/workshop-proposal/) - Do you have a proposal for a new workshop? We are always looking for new, exciting, and educational classes on writing, research, marketing, pitching, and all ways of creating a novel from concept to promotion. We would also LOVE to have more classes on any and all time-periods. Please fill out the form below and
- [About HHRW](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font_size=”30px” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”25px||0px|” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”10px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px”
- [2026 HHRW Renewal Form](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/2026-hhrw-renewal-form/)
- [Volunteer Recognitions](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about/volunteer-recognitions/) - The Legenda Aurea, Latin for “the golden legend,” is the service award presented by HHRW to a chapter member who has provided outstanding service to Hearts Through History Romance Writers and who has become a legend among us. 2011 - Denise Patttison 2016 - Ashlyn Macnamara & Elaine Brady 2017 - Margaret Breashears 2022 -
- [About Our Workshops](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about-our-workshops/) - Click here for video of these instructions. Workshop Registration and Access by Ann Peterson
- [How to Sign into Community Portal](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/how-to-sign-into-community-portal/) -  How to Sign into Community Portal by Ann Peterson
- [Membership Levels](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-levels/) - [pmpro_levels]
- [Log In](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/login/) - [pmpro_login]
- [Your Profile](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-account/your-profile/) - [pmpro_member_profile_edit]
- [Membership Account](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-account/) - [pmpro_account]
- [Membership Billing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-account/membership-billing/) - [pmpro_billing]
- [Membership Cancel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-account/membership-cancel/) - [pmpro_cancel]
- [Membership Checkout](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-checkout/) - [pmpro_checkout]
- [Membership Confirmation](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-checkout/membership-confirmation/) - [pmpro_confirmation]
- [Membership Orders](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/membership-account/membership-orders/) - [pmpro_invoice]
- [Regular Payment Receipt](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/payment-receipt-page/)
- [2024 RTTA Contest Winners](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/contest-winners/) - Following are the winners of the 2024 Romance Through the Ages Contest in the Pre-published and Published Categories: Prepublished Ancient - Medieval - Renaissance Precious by Susan Chapek* Mask of Fortune by Annemarie Schiavi Pedersen Destined Hearts Dangerous Secrets by Anthea Laurelton Final Round Judge: Kathryn LeVeque, CEO/Editor with Dragonblade Publishing Colonial - Western - Civil War Haunted Heart by
- [Seduced by History: New Release Submission Form](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/seduced-by-history-new-release-submission-form/) - Do you have a historical romance coming out in the next 2 months? Please let us know by filling out form below for the Seduced by History new release listing. Promote yourself! You do not need to be a HHRW or RWA member to participate. Please submit by the 28th. Seduced by History comes out
- [Test Ninja Form 3](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/test-ninja-form-3/) - [ninja_form id=76]
- [Test Ninja Form 2](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/test-ninja-form-2/) - [ninja_form id=75]
- [Test Ninja Form](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/test-ninja-form/) - [ninja_form id=74]
- [2023 Romance Through the Ages Finalists](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/finalists/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font_size=”30px” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”25px||0px|” hover_enabled=”0″ border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”25px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Finalists Annoucement” _builder_version=”4.22.1″ hover_enabled=”0″ z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Hearts Through History Romance Writers is happy to announce the finalists in the 2023
- [Our New Releases](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about/seduced-by-history/) - [et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Subscribe to Seduced By HistoryJoin our mailing list to receive monthly updates of Historical Romance Releases by Hearts through History's published authors. We also have a member's only Newsletter, The Bard's Scroll, that is automatically sent to all members every other month. SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row]
- [Events](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/events/)
- [Terms of Service](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/terms-of-service/) - IMPORTANT This is a legal agreement between you and the Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) Historical Online Chapter #189: Hearts Through History. Before accessing or using any part of this website, you should read carefully the following terms and conditions contained in this Terms of Service agreement (TOS) as they govern your access to and
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/privacy-policy/) - Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Hearts Through History Romance Writers (HHRW) are very aware of the critical need for security and privacy for our users and members. To that end the following document describes how RWA and HHRW control private information on www.rwa.org, www.myrwa.org and heartsthroughhistory.com. In our privacy statement we will outline: What personally
- [Site](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/site/) - Copyright The site was designed by Croco Designs based on the Divi theme by Elegant Themes. You may not distribute, exchange, modify, sell or transmit any part of the design without permission. All cover art and copy is copyrighted by the respective publisher, and all rights are reserved by the respective publisher. All book excerpts
- [Published Authors Awards](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/about/published-author-awards/) - 2015 Romancing the Novel Published Authors Contest Winners! Hearts Through History Romance Writers is proud to announce the winners of its published novel contest. Georgian / Regency / Victorian: Lady Beauchamp's Proposal, Amy Rose Bennett Paranormal / Futuristic / Fantasy / Time Travel: Magic of the Nile, Veronica Scott Colonial / Civil War / Western:
- [Contact](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/contact/) - [ninja_forms id=4]
- [Log In](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/login/) - [pmpro_login]

## Events

- [Midcentury Modern Madness!](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/midcentury-modern-madness/)
- [Cancelled - Screenwriting Concepts a Novelist Can Use](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/screenwriting-concepts-a-novelist-can-use/)
- [Victorian Dress](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/victorian-dress/)
- [Writing in First Person](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/writing-in-first-person/)
- [Layering as an Editing Tool](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/layering-as-an-editing-tool/)
- [Using Your Character's Emotional Wounds for Character Development](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/using-your-characters-emotional-wounds-for-character-development/)
- [Writing a Series: Are you serious?](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/writing-a-series-are-you-serious/)
- [Writing the Romantic Novella](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/writing-the-romantic-novella/)
- [Weaving History into Your Novel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/weaving-history-into-your-novel/)
- [Promote Your Book Without Social Media](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/promote-your-book-without-social-media/)
- [Marketing Your Book with Key Phrases](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/marketing-your-book-with-key-phrases/)
- [Witchhunting in Britain](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/witchhunting-in-britain/)
- [Outlining Your Novel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/outlining-your-novel/)
- [Advanced Historical Research](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/advanced-historical-research/)
- [Creating a Living Setting](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/creating-a-living-setting/)
- [Prep for NaNoWriMo the Bare Bones Way](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/prep-for-nanowrimo-the-bare-bones-way/)
- [Keeping the New Releases Coming: Rapid Release for Hybrid and Indie Authors](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/keeping-the-new-releases-coming-rapid-release-for-hybrid-and-indie-authors/)
- [The People We Meet: Using Body Language to Show Character and Emotion](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/the-people-we-meet-using-body-language-to-show-character-and-emotion/)
- [Fictionalizing Your Holidays](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/fictionalizing-your-holidays/)
- [Fears & Desires](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/fears-desires/)
- [Define Your Characters with Dialogue](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/define-your-characters-with-dialogue/)
- [Is Your Dark Moment Gray? How to Make it Black and Keep Your Readers Interested](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/is-your-dark-moment-gray-how-to-make-it-black-and-keep-your-readers-interested/)
- [Hook Your Reader to Your Story](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/hook-your-reader-to-your-story/)
- [Romance Perspectives - Intensive - 12 Sessions](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/romance-perspectives-intensive-12-sessions/)
- [LGBTQ+ Through History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/lgbtq-through-history/)
- [Neurodivergency and the Creative Process](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/neurodivergency-and-the-creative-process-2/)
- [Is Self-Publishing Right for You](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/is-self-publishing-right-for-you/)
- [Writing the Historical Mystery](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/writing-the-historical-mystery/)
- [Take Your Characters From Flat to Fabulous](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/take-your-characters-from-flat-to-fabulous-2/)
- [Painfree Synopsis Writing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/painfree-synopsis-writing/)
- [Be Your Own Developmental Editor](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/be-your-own-developmental-editor/)
- [Vanquishing Your Villain: Conquering Writer's Block](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/vanquishing-your-villain-conquering-writers-block/)
- [How to Design and Teach an Online Workshop](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/how-to-design-and-teach-an-online-workshop/)
- [Running on Empty](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/running-on-empty/)
- [Writing for Anthologies](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/writing-for-anthologies/)
- [Romance in the Renaissance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/romance-in-the-renaissance/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Blog](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/blog/)
- [Ruth A. Casie](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/ruth-a-casie/)
- [Kathleen Bittner Roth](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/kathleen-bittner-roth/)
- [Terry Blain](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/terry-blain/)
- [Anne Carrole](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/anne-carrole/)
- [Cynthia Owens](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/cynthia-owens/)
- [Joan K. Maze](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/joan-k-maze/)
- [Margaret Breashears](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/margaret-breashears/)
- [Anna Kathryn Lanier](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/anna-kathryn-lanier/)
- [Paty Jager](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/paty-jager/)
- [Deb Maher](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/deb-maher/)
- [Mary McCall](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/mary-mccall/)
- [Ann Lethbridge](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/ann-lethbridge/)
- [Barbara Scott](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/barbara-scott/)
- [Lily Dewaruile](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/lily-dewaruile/)
- [Jean Drew](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/jean-drew/)
- [Ruth Kaufman](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/ruth-kaufman/)
- [Colleen Mold](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/colleen-mold/)
- [Angelyn Schmid](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/angelyn-schmid/)
- [Anna Durand](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/anna-durand/)
- [Ashley York](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/ashley-york/)
- [Merry Farmer](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/merry-farmer/)
- [Jennifer Bray-Weber](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/jennifer-bray-weber/)
- [Christy Carlyle](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/christy-carlyle/)
- [Callie Hutton](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/callie-hutton/)
- [Becky Lower](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/becky-lower/)
- [member content](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/member-content/)
- [RTTA CONTEST](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/rtta-contest/)
- [Tammy Jo Burns](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/tammy-jo-burns/)
- [Members](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/category/members/)

## Tags

- [Research](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/research/)
- [historical romance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/historical-romance/)
- [western historical romance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/western-historical-romance/)
- [gold rush](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/gold-rush/)
- [medieval](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/medieval/)
- [movies](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/movies/)
- [food](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/food/)
- [characters](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/characters/)
- [cowboys](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/cowboys/)
- [contests](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/contests/)
- [winners](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/winners/)
- [Scotland](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/scotland/)
- [recipes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/recipes/)
- [Texas](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/texas/)
- [Regency](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/regency/)
- [Middle Ages](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/middle-ages/)
- [domestic skills](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/domestic-skills/)
- [time-travel](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/time-travel/)
- [music](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/music/)
- [Medicine](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/medicine/)
- [Thanksgiving](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/thanksgiving/)
- [holidays](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/holidays/)
- [names](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/names/)
- [American West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/american-west/)
- [paranormal](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/paranormal/)
- [western](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/western/)
- [Victorian Era](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/victorian-era/)
- [castles](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/castles/)
- [Christmas](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/christmas/)
- [American Civil War](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/american-civil-war/)
- [plotting](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/plotting/)
- [1800s](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/1800s/)
- [marriage](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/marriage/)
- [Wales](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/wales/)
- [setting](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/setting/)
- [historicals](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/historicals/)
- [publishing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/publishing/)
- [conferences](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/conferences/)
- [grammar](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/grammar/)
- [runes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/runes/)
- [mythology](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/mythology/)
- [Renaissance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/renaissance/)
- [dogs](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/dogs/)
- [China](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/china/)
- [Knights](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/knights/)
- [American History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/american-history/)
- [fiction](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/fiction/)
- [Hundred Years War](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/hundred-years-war/)
- [Imperial Russia](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/imperial-russia/)
- [marketing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/marketing/)
- [Wild West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/wild-west/)
- [Prussia](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/prussia/)
- [Russia](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/russia/)
- [Ancient Rome](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/ancient-rome/)
- [Germany](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/germany/)
- [World War II](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/world-war-ii/)
- [St. Petersburg](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/st-petersburg/)
- [Labor Day](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/labor-day/)
- [frontier](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/frontier/)
- [Baroque](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/baroque/)
- [architecture](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/architecture/)
- [Natural Phenomena](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/natural-phenomena/)
- [witches](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/witches/)
- [books](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/books-2/)
- [The Old West](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/the-old-west/)
- [Native Americans](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/native-americans/)
- [Fantasy](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/fantasy/)
- [Magic](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/magic/)
- [Gothic](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/gothic/)
- [Self-Publishing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/self-publishing/)
- [Thirty Years War](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/thirty-years-war/)
- [Family](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/family/)
- [Legends](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/legends/)
- [Inventions](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/inventions/)
- [Salem](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/salem/)
- [writing](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/writing/)
- [England](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/england/)
- [romance](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/romance/)
- [history](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/history/)
- [pirates](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/pirates/)
- [Resources](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/resources/)
- [storytelling](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/storytelling/)
- [Ancient Egypt](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/ancient-egypt/)
- [military](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/military/)
- [Worldbuilding](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/worldbuilding/)
- [Canadian History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/canadian-history/)
- [Irish History](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/irish-history/)
- [World War I](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/world-war-i/)
- [wedding](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/wedding/)
- [Tudors](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/tudors/)
- [soundtrack](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/soundtrack/)
- [murder](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/murder/)
- [Britain](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/britain/)
- [battles](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/battles/)
- [art](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/art/)
- [1900s](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/1900s/)
- [women](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/women/)
- [TV](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/tv/)
- [poetry](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/poetry/)
- [France](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/france/)
- [graves](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/graves/)
- [facts](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/facts/)
- [religion](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/religion/)
- [reading](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/reading/)
- [POV](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/pov/)
- [authors](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/authors/)
- [druids](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/druids/)
- [Celts](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/celts/)
- [craft](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/craft/)
- [fashion](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/fashion/)
- [Gilded Age](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/gilded-age/)
- [fairy tales](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/fairy-tales/)
- [rights](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/rights/)
- [sports](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/sports/)
- [new website](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/new-website/)
- [writing classes](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/writing-classes/)
- [history podcasts](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/history-podcasts/)
- [the history chicks](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/the-history-chicks/)
- [european history](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/european-history/)
- [world history](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/world-history/)
- [rwa contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/rwa-contest/)
- [historical romance contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/historical-romance-contest/)
- [writing contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/writing-contest/)
- [Member Highlight](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/tag/member-highlight/)

## Categories

- [Online Workshop](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/online-workshop/)
- [Featured](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/featured/)
- [Writing Challenge](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/writing-challenge/)
- [Critique Group Zoom](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/critique-group-zoom/)
- [AGM](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/agm/)
- [Board Meeting](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/board-meeting/)
- [Zoom Mixer](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/zoom-mixer/)
- [RWA National Event](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/rwa-national-event/)
- [RTTA Contest](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/rtta-contest/)
- [Frugal Conference](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/frugal-conference/)
- [Cabin Fever Conference](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/cabin-fever-conference/)
- [The Bard's Scroll Newsletter](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/the-bards-scroll-newsletter/)
- [Seduced By History New Releases](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_category/seduced-by-history-new-releases/)

## Seasons

- [Oct 2023](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/oct-2023/)
- [Nov 2023](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/nov-2023/)
- [Dec 2023](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/dec-2023/)
- [Jan 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/jan-2024/)
- [Feb 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/feb-2024/)
- [Mar 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/mar-2024/)
- [Apr 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/apr-2024/)
- [May 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/may-2024/)
- [Jun 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/jun-2024/)
- [Jul 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/jul-2024/)
- [Aug 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/aug-2024/)
- [Sep 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/sep-2024/)
- [Oct 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/oct-2024/)
- [Nov 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/nov-2024/)
- [Dec 2024](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_season/dec-2024/)

## Venues

- [Online](https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event_venue/online/)