Author of Historical Fiction and Nonfiction
In less than two weeks, I’ll be headed for the Amelia Island Book Festival at beautiful Fernandina Beach. Lots of books and book people, it benefits a terrific literacy program. I will be there, and hope to see you there as well! For more information, visit the website: https://www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org/2025-aibf-festival
Join me for The 7th Annual Winter Port St. Lucie, FL Art & Craft Expo on January 18-19, 2025, located at the beautiful Mid-Florida Event Center Outside on the Grounds!
Address: 9221 SE Event Center Place Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
I’ll be there with my books! Hope to see you there!
I will be attending the Flirty in Tampa book festival on October 5. It promises to be a great day, and I hope I will see you there! Eventbrite has all of the ticket information here: https://tinyurl.com/3x598fyf
The Sunshine State Book Festival and the Amelia Island Book Festival were both fantastic events. I look forward to next year’s events. My next scheduled event will be in Tampa in October-more on that later!
Summer is actually upon is here in Florida. Temperatures have already hit the 90s, and our winter birds (human as well as avian) have moved back to their normal territories. We’re even easing into our summer rains-it’s very grey at the moment, and there is a bit of thunder in the air. Our whistling ducks, however, came by for lunch. They are usually here in the morning. It was a treat to see them in the afternoon!
Thoughts of summer leads me to thoughts of vacation. I know I will be at the beach soon, and will be taking a new book to read, as well as a writing project. Maybe you will need a new novel for a beach read, or for that lazy day on the porch. Just a thought…
I wish you a wonderful summer, however you find yourself spending it.
It’s almost here! The Sunshine State Festival in Gainesville, Florida will be held on Saturday, January 27th. 2024, at the Hilton Conference Center. I will be among the attending authors present, and hope to see you there. For more information, visit the website here: https://sunshinestatebookfestival.com/
Back in the 1980s, necklaces called beggar beads were popular. Chunky pieces of quartz, agate, and semi-precious stones in irregular shapes were strung together with beads. I loved mine, and wore it frequently. Unfortunately, the string broke and the beads and stones scattered. I salvaged what I could but ended up giving the remnants to a friend to use in her craft projects.
A few weeks ago, I had a whim and googled “beggar beads.” Lo and behold, an array of similar necklaces popped up on various sales sites, and I found one very similar (if not identical) to my old favorite. Thanks to the miracle of internet shopping, my old favorite has been restored.
It was such a small thing, but I wear them with a great deal of pleasure. They remind me of fun times from the past, as I enjoy them now.
The Sunshine State Book Festival is coming up in January! On January 26 and 27, 2024, events will be held at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, Florida. I’ve just submitted my registration and hope to be there. The website is https://sunshinestatebookfestival.com/ and will be updated with more details. I look forward to seeing you there.
This weekend, February 17-18, 2023, is the Amelia Island Book Festival in beautiful Fernandina Beach, FL. Celebrity authors David Baldacci, Kate Quinn, Scott Turow, and Jeannette Walls headline the event, which benefits literacy in Nassau County, Florida. On Saturday, the Author Expo will feature numerous authors and genres (including me!). Visit the website at https://tinyurl.com/bdzjsmsa for more information. I hope to see you there!
It’s 2023, and we’re ten days into the new year. I hope this is a better year for all. I’ve been working on the new book. The research has been, and is, fascinating. It’s also book festival season! Coming up is the Sunshine State Book Festival in Gainesville, FL.
This year the festival will be held at the Trinity United Methodist Church. You can get full details about the location and events at the festival website: https://sunshinestatebookfestival.com/index.html
There will be 150 authors and books in 15 genres, so there will be something for all readers. I will be in space 117, and hope to see you there!
I have a new post on the English Historical Fiction Authors blog! Here is a taste…
The Hon. Frances Anne Vane Tempest was born January 17, 1800, in St. James’s Square, London. Frances Anne was admired and respected for her successes as a political and a society hostess, her business acumen, and her position in society. She capably ran estates in England and Ireland, and was known for being strong minded. Her background certainly prepared her to think for herself, to trust her own judgment, and to stand her ground. Her parents were fascinating people in their own rights.
Her father was Sir Henry Vane-Tempest of Long Newton, County Durham, 2nd Bearonet. He was born with the last name of Vane, and added Tempest by royal patent, after he inherited his late maternal uncle John Tempest’s estates in County Durham and Wynyard in 1793. This inheritance made him very wealthy, as the estates included significant coal mines. His uncle’s will required that the name Tempest be adopted. He replaced his uncle as M.P. for the City of Durham 1794-1800 and for County Durham 1807-1813. Also a sportsman, he owned a successful racing stable, including a horse named Hambletonian. (Henry gambled, and won, 3000 pounds on this horse to win at Newmarket in March 1799.) Sir Henry had a bad reputation as womaniser, and was known for having a bad temper. Henry Vane-Tempest’s father died in 1794, and he inherited the title, becoming 2nd Baronet. He had one sibling, his sister Frances, who married Michael Angelo Taylor, M. P. for the City of Durham. Frances’s marriage to Mr. Taylor caused an estrangement, but brother and sister eventually reconciled. Sir Henry also had an illegitimate son, named John, born about 1792, who apparently remained in County Durham. In April 1799, he married Anne Catherine McDonnell, Countess of Antrim.
To read more about young Frances and the drama that awaits her, visit the English Historical Fiction Authors blog here: https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-marriage-drama-of-frances-vane.html
Image through Wikimedia Commons (public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frances_Anne_Vane,_marchioness_of_Londonderry,_with_her_son_George,_future_5th_marquess_of_Londonderry.jpg