The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort in Downtown Las Vegas Visiting the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort I finally made it to the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort in Downtown Las Vegas. I’ve been living in the Las Vegas area for nearly 20 years now and this is the first time I’ve visited the Mormon … Continue reading Researching The Oregon Trail: The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Research
Creative Inspiration On The Oregon Trail
Researching the Oregon Trail Now that I’ve spent some time building up my general knowledge about the Oregon Trail, I’m starting to learn more about the culture of the era, which is always one of the most fun parts of writing historical fiction for me. I enjoy discovering how people lived during whatever era I'm … Continue reading Creative Inspiration On The Oregon Trail
What Did They Eat On the Oregon Trail?
Searching For Recipes From the Oregon Trail One of the first things I did when I began researching life on the Oregon Trail was look up the recipes they cooked on the trail. Since they had limited ingredients and limited supplies to cook with, the food had to be simple to make yet still filling. … Continue reading What Did They Eat On the Oregon Trail?
Bookish Inspiration About The Oregon Trail
Revisiting the Loving Husband World It's crazy how much fun I'm having going back to one of my favorite worlds, James and Sarah Wentworth's world in the Loving Husband Series. And here I thought the story was done with Her Loving Husband's Return! Where Down Salem Way was a prequel, the new book, titled The … Continue reading Bookish Inspiration About The Oregon Trail
It’s Here: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction
I’m so happy that I can finally share my first nonfiction book—Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction—with everyone. Already, on its first day of release, Painting the Past has been named the #1 New Release in Authorship. Amazing. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen. I came up with … Continue reading It’s Here: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction
Mrs. Beeton’s Recipes For a Perfectly Proper Victorian Christmas
Mrs. Beeton Was the Martha Stewart of the Victorian Era Most fans of the 19th century are familiar with Mrs. Isabella Beeton, the Martha Stewart of Victorian England. Although I used her recipes and household management tips as resources for both Hembry books, I admit that I didn't know much about Mrs. Beeton herself until … Continue reading Mrs. Beeton’s Recipes For a Perfectly Proper Victorian Christmas
What Were Some Popular Victorian Christmas Traditions?
Many of Our Favorite Christmas Traditions Were Made Popular By Dickens Thanks to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, many of us have a specific vision when we refer to the perfect Christmas. In fact, most of our Christmas traditions originated or were revived during the Victorian era. Queen Victoria’s German-born husband, Prince Albert, brought many … Continue reading What Were Some Popular Victorian Christmas Traditions?
Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth
Since the recipes in my last post about eating in Biblical Jerusalem were such a hit, I decided to add one more recipe that is a traditional Jewish food and something the Woman of Stones might have made—cholent. Cholent is simply a hearty beef stew. Traditionally, cholent is cooked overnight, beginning Friday afternoon before sundown … Continue reading Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth