In my latest historical mystery, Widow's Peak, the characters are seated at the dinner table, engaged in conversation. One of the women asks about the beaches in Scotland because she loves to go sea-bathing. Many might believe, because of the modesty of our British predecessors, that they would never dare strip down to go swimming at the beach. Especially in mixed company! Perish the thought! Well, that's both wrong and right. Sea-bathing was a favored past time, as well as

Widow's Peak , the last book in the Widows & Shadows series, takes place in 1803 in the height of the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution began around 1760 when inventions, science, and technology began making great strides to make our lives easier and more comfortable. However, as a result, those in the working classes were the most deeply affected as they lost jobs to advancing technology. As they lost work, they often lost homelands too as they migrated from

Mary King's Close A few years ago, I had the great fortune to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. One of the sites I visited was a place called Mary King's Close, which was essentially an underground village of sorts. I'll have to write a blog post about that someday because it certainly deserves attention. Mary King's Close was the most fascinating things I'd ever seen and it has stayed with me ever since. To my dismay, after my return home, I discovered that I had completely missed

Deacon Brodie's Tavern on Edinburgh's Royal Mile Edinburgh, Scotland was a major source of inspiration for Widow’s Peak , the final installment in the Widows & Shadows  historical mystery series. I had the chance to visit in 2023 and fell completely under its spell—so much so that bits of the real city found their way into Ravenna’s latest adventure. One spot that stood out was The Deacon Brodie Tavern on the Royal Mile, which I reimagined as Brodie’s Docket in the book. It’s

King Arthur's Seat In the last book of the Widows & Shadows series, Widow’s Peak , I drew inspiration from an actual place in Edinburgh, Scotland: King Arthur’s Seat. As the highest peak in Holyrood Park (822 feet), it was the perfect muse and location for my fictional Iverloch Hall.  Arthur’s Seat isn’t just any hill. It’s an ancient, extinct volcano that has stood sentinel over Edinburgh for centuries. This scenic site has also been a popular destination for hikers and tour

In a few days, the third book in the Small Batch Mystery series will release. This series is a story of amateur sleuth Rook Campbell ...

In my last post I discussed the Irish alliance with the French in order to reinforce their arms against the British Crown in the Irish...

When I think of lace, I think of an intricate, delicate fabric, thin as spiderwebs, adorning bridal gowns or fancy cocktail dresses. The...

In the past couple weeks, I've had the great pleasure of attending two fascinating lectures. One was at the public library in my town and...

Hey everyone! I just wanted to announce that today is a BIG DAY for me! My first ever book is being released by Level Best Books! I have...

In my last blog, I wrote about the Dancing Plague, a mass psychosis of mysterious origin. Since then I’ve become fascinated by other...

No, we're not talking about the David Bowie song here (though the song is now stuck in my head.... "Put on your red shoes and dance the...

Cynthia Ann Parker’s story is a tragic one. She was born to Silas Mercer Parker and Lucinda Parker (née Duty) in Crawford County,...

I became interested in learning more about Quanah Parker after discovering the book Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise...

In April, on one of our many trips to Louisville for my husband’s medical concerns, the headstones and American flag on the side of the...

D-Day in WWI is commemorated every June 6th. An unknown number of thousands of men died that day when U.S. soldiers with other allied...

I have just a few more Kentucky-related posts and I swear I’ll move on because there’s a whole world of Mystery and History out there to...

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., also known at "Lutie" among his friends and loved ones descends from American "royalty," so to speak. His...

Widely known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” because of its approximate duration, The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held...

I know I recently promised that I’d stick to Louisville-related posts for a few entries, however I fell down down a rabbit hole, so bear...