I wrote this post almost exactly two years ago. I thought I’d bring it forward, because it has a lot of the information in it and all the far more interesting asides (like Oded Fehr). I’m digging back into the history of the Legion once more, this time not just because my curiousity bump was […]
Héros de la Légion étrangère française, oh mon dieu! Read More »
In the first part of this long post, I described the long process involved in turning any type of fiber (wool, flax, silk, cashmere, cotton) into strands for weaving, to produce cloth, and how labour intensive it was in the past, when machines didn’t do all the work for us. All That Was A Woman’s
Making Cloth – Part 2 Read More »
Look Around You In a second, I’m going to ask you to lift your head up and look around your current location. I want you to take a quick tally of everything you can see that has a textile component. That is, any fabric, anything woven. Okay, take thirty seconds and have a look. …
Making Cloth – Part 1 Read More »
Igor OvsyannykovOn this day in 1169, Salah ad-Din or Saladin became the emir of Egypt. He was a Kurdish Fatimid and highly educated. He preferred studying and religion to military affairs, but he would go on to conquer Syria and take the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the Levant Christians, effectively making him the leader of one of the greatest Muslim dynasties.
The Most Well-Known Muslim Leader in Western History? Read More »
I first published this post on March 19, 2011. It was a little post about some of the cool historical research I was doing at the time, for a book I was planning to write that would later become Kiss Across Chains. This little nugget post ended up being one of the most popular posts on
Really Cool Historical Vacation Spots: Constantinople — Redux Read More »
Check your inbox for this week’s newsletter, “New Historical Romance, Hot RS, Free SFR and Sexy Vampires, too!” The newsletter includes survey results from last week’s survey (and they’re a surprise!), discount codes and freebie deals. Cheers, . Get the news that no one else does. Sign up for my newsletter. For a short while, you
New Historical Romance, Hot RS, Free SFR and Sexy Vampires, too! Read More »
The Hotel des Indes, Batavia, during WWII. A white hotel on a tropical island, in a time of war. Does that remind you of anything?* _____ By Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures, CC BY-SA 3.0.On this day in 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army captured Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East
A White Hotel on a Tropical Island in a Time of War… Read More »
Check your inbox for this week’s newsletter, “Tell me what you think, so you get to read what you want.” This weeks, I’m asking for your feedback, to help shape future book releases. Also, what do you think about science fiction romance? Tell me! Check the newsletter for the survey links. Cheers, . Get the news
Tell me what you think, so you get to read what you want. Read More »
We’re all used to seeing typos and grammar mistakes in published work. Although, we tend to trust dictionaries completely. They’re the ultimate authority for publishers, authors, and Scrabble players. Yet, even Websters has been known to oops. On this day in 1939, it was discovered that the Websters New International Dictionary, Second Edition, did have
Even Websters Dictionary can have typos! Read More »
475 years ago today, Catherine Howard was beheaded, after being found guilty of adultery while married to Henry VIII. Historians argue over whether the queen was really guilty, or a merely bubble-headed object manipulated for political gain. The verdict on that question is still out. I have a tenuous connection with Catherine Howard, as I
Was She Guilty? Or Was She A Victim? Read More »