Research History Story and Resources
Here is some of the most interesting Regency content I found today. Click the headline and you will be taken to our custom feed of delightful articles, the best from around the Regency World.
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Originally posted 2015-10-04 19:48:20.
The Regency Spy. He is such a popular figure in fiction that it can be difficult to know where the story ends and the truth begins.
Accounts of actual spies are vague and difficult to find. Not surprising, as they were spies. Undercover work wasn’t exactly respected at the time and was usually done by people acting as double agents: mistresses, traveling poets, scholars, diplomats, etc.
By most accounts, the French were a little better at it than the English, though it’s possible the English were simply a bit better at keeping their activities secret.
In my recent book, A Noble Masquerade, a Napoleonic spy had infiltrated England and our heroic English spy has to stop him. The spies in A Noble Masquerade are considerably more organized than the real Regency spies were, all being connected by a centralized War Office.
There was no organized spy office in England at the time, particularly not a government recognized one. Instead of having a centralized organization, if someone such as the prime minister, foreign minister, or even General Wellington needed information, they built their own slipshod network. Most spy work at the time was actually happening in France, which is where the spy in A Noble Masquerade got his start.
A Noble Masquerade is now available in eBook, paperback, and audio book formats. Find out more at Kristi’s website.
More about A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter:
Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother’s old school friend, a duke–with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she’s heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother’s new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned.
When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her growing feelings for two men–one she’s never met but whose words deeply resonate with her heart, and one she has come to depend on but whose behavior is more and more suspicious. When it becomes apparent state secrets are at risk and Marlow is right in the thick of the conflict, one thing is certain: Miranda’s heart is far from all that’s at risk for the Hawthornes and those they love.
Originally posted 2015-09-14 02:09:59.
Take a moment and sit with this:
A country can be both powerful and fragile at the same time.
We can be proud—and still be in the wrong.
And right now, we’re standing in the middle of a reckoning.
The question isn’t why anymore… It’s what we do next.
There’s a hard truth we don’t want to acknowledge. We are here because of apathy, arrogance, and anger.
And three things can be true at once.
First, the reckoning—the judgment on America—can be deserved. Our standing in the world, the fall from once being revered to a joke, is deserved. Our actions have impacted for the worse, the world economy.
Second, there are a lot of people getting caught in the gears of that reckoning.
And third, plain and simple, ain’t nobody got time for this kind of suffering.
So the real questions of why we are here are over. It’s time to focus on how we set things right.
I’m not here to say “I told you so.” That’s easy, and it doesn’t solve anything. But I do want to ground us in a quick lesson.
People died fighting for civil rights. Not centuries ago—less than seventy years. There are people caught in pictures screaming at little children, threatening violence because a child wants an education. Less than seventy years, they can still be alive. Their children who grew up with hate are still here, still carrying the hate. But now they are screamers, politicians, footstools in the patriarchy. Heck, they might be leading it.
The Voting Rights Act passed in 1965. So let’s round up, seventy years is supposed to make up for 400 years of slavery?
According to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) at least 4,400 lynchings of Black Americans occurred between 1877 and 1950.
The Southern Poverty Law Center and other National Archives, Civil Rights Movement records, estimate 60+ people were killed in direct civil rights–related violence between 1960 and 1965.
We know the famous names:
Medgar Evers (1963)
Herbert Lee (1961)
James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner (1964)
Jimmie Lee Jackson (1965)
Viola Liuzzo (1965)
Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley
They were between 11 and 14 years old, killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
When I research and one of those photos comes up, you know the ones with hordes of adults screaming and wishing harm on babies like Ruby Bridges.
I see eyes glazed over with hate, mouths open, screaming curse words, and words at children integrating schools. But I’m supposed to believe that these hateful people’s children and grandchildren miraculously have no more prejudice…you know, the prejudice that forced us to legislate decency and morality.
That these people in my neighborhood, near my child and other brown and Black children, have evolved.
The past isn’t gone. It’s merely buried. When no one is watching, hate has a way of rising back up.
Far too many of us got comfortable. We lived in neighborhoods that looked integrated on the surface. We worshipped in spaces where anyone could walk in. We shopped, ate, worked, and convinced ourselves that access meant equity—that if you were qualified, you could get the job; if you worked hard, you’d be fine.
That comfort made us forget the stakes.
We can’t be forgetful when others are already standing in unemployment lines. Some are choosing between medicine and groceries. Others were already relying on food banks just to make it through the week.
And now, more people are feeling that edge. Seventeen thousand people just lost their job as jet fuel prices spike. We had an economy that, for a moment, felt like it was rebounding—strong, even enviable. But instability, policy choices, and global tensions have brought us to a place where the cost of living is climbing fast. Safety nets are thinning. Healthcare is slipping out of reach for far too many.
There’s a widening gap between those who are managing and those who are barely holding on.
Yes—if you have a roof over your head, a working car, food in your fridge—you’re not doing so badly.
But that’s not the whole picture. It can’t be. Some folks are:
One paycheck away. One emergency away. One layoff away from disaster.
If you’re listening to this essay—on a podcast app, on Substack, anywhere—you have a degree of privilege.
Use that guilt. Bear our responsibility in this mess.
We were, at one point, moving—slowly, imperfectly—toward a more perfect union.
Then fear crept in.
Fear that equality meant loss. Fear that if everyone has a seat at the table, some people wouldn’t feel special anymore. And that fear dressed itself up in many forms—sexism, misogyny, exclusion, resentment, and yes, good old-fashioned racism.
You can’t put that genie back in the bottle. There’s no Superman coming to spin the world backward so we undo everything and make better choices.
This is the burden—and the beauty—of a fragile democracy.
We get to choose. Even when we choose poorly.
So now we’re here, in this moment, asking ourselves:
What else are we willing to lose?
How much more will be stripped away before we pay attention?
I am afraid. More afraid than angry. This is a new place for me. And I suppose for you too.
Since three things can be true at once, then we can do three things at once:
We can acknowledge the reckoning.
We can care for the people caught in it.
And we can decide, collectively, that we don’t have time to sit around and take things like voting for granted… that is, while we still can.
This week’s book list features books to help us process:
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi — Explains how neutrality and “not racist” thinking fuel systemic harm.
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis — A firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement that reminds us how recent—and costly—those gains were.
Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson — Argues that America operates under an unspoken caste system, explaining why inequality persists despite progress.
And if you just want to raise a sword and cut to the truth, consider purchasing Fire Sword and Sea, my latest release.
Or if you are in need of laughs and inclusivity, preorder or review at NetGalley, a Deal at Dawn. Step into a cliffhanger, where the Duke of Torrance is dying to finally be a father to his daughter but he must deal her with mother, the woman who humbled him and broke his heart.
All these books from The A Small Place Bookshop. They still have a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea.
You can also try one of my partners in the fight, bookstores large and small, who are in the trenches with me.
You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.
Hey. Let’s keep rising and creating together. That’s the truth, I need you. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to Write of Passage.
Thank you for being here.
I want you to come again. This is Vanessa Riley.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vanessariley.substack.com/subscribe
Hi all! Dana R. Lynn here. This is my first post on Christian Regency, so I decided to write about something that I had only recently discovered myself…the peerage in Regency England. Now I have been reading Regency romance since high school, when I discovered the works of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Dame Barbara Cartland. I devoured their books as fast as I could, and then moved on to others. But I never quite understood how all those Dukes and Earls fit together. And if the wife of a Duke was a Duchess and the wife of a Marquess was a Marchioness, what was the title of the wife of a Earl? An Earless? Didn’t think so.
When I decided to write Regency romance, I also began to keep track. So…
The highest rank below the monarchy is the Duke. His wife is known as a Duchess. Dukes are followed by Marquess, or Marquis. Their spouses are Marchionesses. Earl’s are next, and their wives are known as Countesses. Which makes no sense, except that an Earl and a Count are pretty much the same thing. Next, are Viscounts and Viscountesses. The final rung on the peerage ladder is held by the Barons.
My first regency novella, An Inconvenient Courtship, was released in October of 2014. It was a Pride and Prejudice variation novella. My next variation novella will be released in late 2015. I will tell you more about that one as it gets closer to the release date.
I hope this post was helpful! Blessings and happy reading!
Originally posted 2015-09-07 17:34:44.
Dame Barbara Cartland wrote over 723 books. Known for setting her novels in the Victorian era, she was an exceptionally popular novelist, peaking in the 1970s. (I remember my mother reading her novels.) After recently picking up two Cartland books at a used book sale, I was pleasantly surprised to find The Curse of the Clan (published in 1977) to be quite satisfying.
Imagine my further delight that the novel is set in 1822. Set in the late “Regency” to be sure, the tale follows an orphan who is elevated to the title of Scottish Duchess. Her fearsome, yet handsome husband marries her to gain revenge upon a neighboring clan who foisted an adulterous, now-dead, wife upon him.
The story boomed along with vivid action and upon reflection, would make an excellent movie, if historical films were popular. The scenes at the orphanage, a carriage accident (which affected the plot), a shooting attack, revelation of her true parentage, then the winning over of the husband…all would make for a delightful, picturesque movie.
I got a real kick out of finally trying a Cartland book, and wouldn’t hesitate to read more –especially if I can ferret out which were set in the early 1800s.
Have you read any of Barbara Cartland’s books? What do you think?
Originally posted 2015-09-05 09:00:00.
Helloooo, thank you to the Regency authors for letting me join your lovely group. My first Regency is releasing from Love Inspired Historical in September and it was a hoot to write. So much so that I’m at work on another.
A great regency involves just a bit of ruination…at least for the heroine in my current manuscript. But how canI go about ruining her so that she’s forced into a marriage of convenience?
As someone who has enjoyed regency romances since I was a teen, I still have so much to learn. I needed a ruination that was palatable for a Christian audience but still severe enough to force my heroine into the arms of my delectable yet decidedly anti-marriage hero. So the first place I looked was, of course, Google. My dear friend Google.
The search yielded many interesting titles but no specific reasons on why or how a lady could be ruined. I really wanted something concrete. Something unarguable. But that showed my misunderstanding of the Regency period. Thank goodness for writing friends! A dear author friend named who has been writing regencies for years informed me that all it could take is some gossip to rip my heroine’s reputation into tatters.
And so I got to work in creating ruination. After all, my hero and heroine belong together, even if they don’t know it yet!
Has gossip ever hurt you or ruined your reputation? How did you recover?
Originally posted 2015-08-17 05:00:10.
Vanessa here,
It’s my pleasure to have Kristi Ann Hunter on my porch today to talk of her latest novels. Really, I should have had you here sooner since we are both Georgia Peaches, but we’ve both been a little busy.
Please have a seat on the pollen free chair. So Kristi Ann what made these stories come to life in your head?
There are always stories in my head. It’s a very noisy place.
Isn’t that always the way. Please continue.
There are a few things I do to streamline my thoughts enough to actually pull a coherent tale together, though. Usually I start with a question, a “What If” sort of scenario, or I start with a character that I’d really like to explore. Once I have both of those pieces, I know I’ve got the basis for a real story.
In A Lady of Esteem I started with the idea of Amelia. On the surface, Amelia had everything she needed to make a good connection – respectable family, connections to aristocracy, and a home in a fashionable area of town. Even though she had the necessary elements, they were useless because she had no way to utilize them. She’s a Cinderella figure oppressed by circumstances instead of people. The big question then was what do I do with her?
That’s where the big What If question comes into play. What if the servants of London decided they wanted something to happen? These people are so deeply embedded in the lives of the aristocracy that it’s hard to believe they couldn’t do something is they put their collective minds to it. That was the birth of the story.
She said free everyone. Please go find this free romance. http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!a-lady-of-esteem/c2407
What do you want people to think about when they read a Kristi Ann Hunter book.
While they’re reading it I hope they’re not thinking much of anything. My books are meant to be an enjoyable escape. I hope the story takes them into the world of Regency England until they’re completely immersed. A laugh or two would be good. Mostly I want them to enjoy the story. Once they’ve closed the book is another story. If an element of the story resonates with them and gets them to think about life a little differently or come to a better understanding about God and how much He loves us, then I consider that a success.
A Lady of Esteem is available now as a free eBook!
Miss Amelia Stalwood may live in London at her absent guardian’s townhouse, but she’s never actually met any nobility, and instead of aristocrats, her closest friends are servants.
Quite by happenstance, she’s introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed Marquis of Raebourne. They welcome her into their world, but just as she’s beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony’s eye, she’s blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors.
Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who’ve become like family and the man who’s shared his faith and captured her heart?
It’s free people! : http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!a-lady-of-esteem/c2407
On September 8th Kristi Ann Hunter’s first full length Regency Romance Will be Available.
A Noble Masquerade will be available everywhere on September 8!
Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother’s old school friend, a duke–with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she’s heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother’s new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned.
When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her growing feelings for two men–one she’s never met but whose words deeply resonate with her heart, and one she has come to depend on but whose behavior is more and more suspicious. When it becomes apparent state secrets are at risk and Marlow is right in the thick of the conflict, one thing is certain: Miranda’s heart is far from all that’s at risk for the Hawthornes and those they love.
Let’s all go order a copy: http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!a-noble-masquerade/c190y
Thanks for visiting with me. Next time I’ll serve cake.
Originally posted 2015-08-06 10:17:10.
Susan Karsten here. I love historic costumes, but am by no means an expert, even though I took the subject in college. If you are at all like me (Regency fiction reader/fanatic), you’ve come across the archaic and forgotten term “round gown”. Again, if you are like me, you will take a mental guess what that might be, and move on, flipping pages as fast as you can read them.
To the best of my research, the round gown appears to be a pre-Regency style that hung on, or was used for day-wear even as fashion moved to a different silhouette. Marie Antoinette is said to have inspired the round gown, then a dress and robe joined together and tied in the front Later came Josephine Bonaparte who ushered in the slim, high-waisted, gossamer thin chemise dress of the early 19th Century, that we think of first when we think of Regency dresses.
Back to the round gown, the Empire gown’s precursor. The round gown had a soft, round skirt silhouette, with full gatherings at a slightly raised waist, a train, and straight, elbow-length sleeves. The round gown’s train, which was common for a short time for day wear and lasted until 1805-06 for the evening, would be pinned up for the dance, as mentioned in Austen’s Northanger Abbey. One shudders at the impracticality of these long white muslin dresses in England, a country renowned for wet weather and muddy roads.
So, when you encounter the term “round gown” in your favorite Regency fiction, think of probably a day dress, kept for wearing at home, and more modest than their evening counterparts. An earlier silhouette, and not in the first stare of fashion.
I so hope some of you will add to this description with more yummy details about the mysterious round gown.
Originally posted 2015-08-03 14:20:44.
Why “Clueless” is the Best Jane Austen Adaptation “…read all of Northanger Abbey…as a commentary on fangirl culture” YES.
Originally posted 2015-07-15 11:41:25.
We’ve all been worrying—rightfully—about AI stealing the work of artists and authors. That’s a valid and growing concern. In March of this year, I found out that Meta’s engine, according to The Atlantic, scraped 27 of my 28 published books.
The only reason it didn’t get March’s release A Wager at Midnight was because it hadn’t hit the shelves yet. Theft in broad daylight.
But this goes deeper than just copyright violations. We’re seeing something more insidious: the rise of AI-generated scams, fakery, and lies. And I’m not talking about science fiction. I’m talking about now.
On platforms like TikTok and X, faked videos are being created and/or shared with shocking ease—videos that can ruin reputations, twist narratives, and even make the UK tabloid press bite and republish the lies for a wider international audience. I’ve seen articles run in The Daily Mail that pose lies as questions, which gives dodgy accountability while still spreading misinformation. It’s manipulation masquerading as curiosity. Yet many look at lying headlines and accept them as true.
A report by Upwind published in December says that 87% of Americans are worried about being scammed by AI. That is a lot of people. It’s a huge concern, especially when truth tellers are losing their jobs or seemingly capitulating because of fears of being sued, losing access, or targeted and harassed. The “other side” is not just lying but they are weaponizing the instruments that we are supposed to trust and inflicting consequences on anyone saying or writing something they disagree with.
The Big Beautiful Lies
I must say, the lies can be compelling. Let’s look at an easy topic, travel. I mean, who doesn’t want a travel guide? I buy them quite often for research on big cities or exotic locations.
According to Axios, AI-generated travel guides, self-help books, and even mathematics are popular to scam. Now I have to say—math is hard enough. Why are you going to use a robot to put up something that can hurt a kid’s education. And please don’t have my characters walking down the wrong streets.
Yet the boldness of the lying is getting worse. People are using AI to write books and then publish them under real authors’ names. Savannah Guthrie in 2024 was done so dirty. She wrote the book Mostly What God Does. Scammers using AI wrote workbooks, studies, and companion guides for her book and published them on Amazon under her name.
Kara Swisher, the tech maven faced it too: fake “biographies” about her own life showed up ahead of her memoir’s release, Burn Book, in 2024. Jane Friedman details on her blog her own horror story, where a scammer used AI to write Friedman-like books, and then published those books under Friedman’s name. And the proceeds went to the bots.
These AI scams confuse real readers. They have the potential to damage reputations and dilute the credibility of authors—an author’s brand can take decades to build.
Imagine what happens to a debut author whose idea has become popular on TikTok, getting beat to her book launch by an AI scam. And because debuts aren’t yet industry names, they lose the credibility game.
I used to think that AI scams were going to catch my grandma or folks not paying attention. Nope. AI is giving thieves the ability to put together more convincing emails and websites to ensnare everyone. It’s not just grandma and Social Security, or the foreign soldiers needing help to get a fortune out of a war zone—we’re talking sophisticated scams that use AI to reconstruct your habits. They may be scanning emails or even listening to conversations through AI upgrades on things that shouldn’t have AI at all.
This is phishing on a whole new level. And we’re all set up to be scammed. It’s no longer going to be easy to tell a scam by bad grammar, doxing, or fraudulent websites. AI is making everything harder to detect. AI should be used to make things better, but in the hands of bots and scammers it is a nightmare.
No Free Rides or Shades
I recently did a small brand deal for gummy vitamins. I choked on a cornflake as a kid—swallowing is hard. And please don’t even think of me taking anything that’s a horse pill. Anyway, now I’m getting little offers. Most of the offers that don’t come from a collaborator’s platform are probably scams. So there are no free sunglasses.
How do we protect ourselves?
You can’t trust your eyes anymore. Nor your ears—AI can clone a voice. It can fake a face. It can forge a whole book.
But you can protect yourself:
* Verify Every Fact – Before you repeat or share get several sources. I want to say reputable, but that’s hard to define right now.
* Check Sources That Don’t Agree With You – Find several and verify dates, times, etc. If they match, you have a fact. If they don’t, you have a lie, a manipulation, or someone’s opinion.
* Search Smart – Check authors’ websites, join their newsletter, and follow creatives on their official accounts before buying.
* Report Scams – Don’t stay silent. Amazon, TikTok, and the FTC need to hear from us.
* Don’t Be Ashamed – If you got scammed, tell someone. Put it on blast. Be someone else’s keeper.
* Check the FTC’s Resources – The Federal Trade Commission is watching this space. The rules are there and often include ways of reporting issues.
We are in an era where you can no longer believe your lying eyes. The truth takes longer to verify, and the fakers are only getting smarter.
Artists, writers, creators: your work is valuable. But we must fight smarter and speak louder to help our readers and audiences find the truth. This is going to be a long battle, but we must not be silent. We can never let up the fight. Be vigilant while being creative.
Books to bring awareness of the problem are:
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil
A sharp critique of how algorithms can be biased, dangerous, and largely invisible. It explains how AI systems make life-and-death decisions, often with no accountability.
The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future
This book explores how fast-moving technologies—especially AI—can outpace regulation and become tools for manipulation, chaos, and control. It’s a smart, accessible read on the dangers ahead.
And of course lets aid:
Burn Book by Kara Swisher
A sharp, insider memoir exposing the rise of Silicon Valley’s power players and how tech’s promises turned into threats to truth, privacy, and democracy.
Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie
A heartfelt collection of reflections on faith, love, and grace, offering spiritual encouragement grounded in everyday life.
Check out Jane Friedman’s Website for her latest books.
This week, I’m highlighting Park Books through their website and Bookshop.org
Help me build momentum for Fire Sword and Sea—spread the word and preorder this disruptive narrative about female pirates in the 1600s. This sweeping saga releases January 13, 2026. The link on my website shows retailers large and small who have set up preorders for this title.
Show notes include a list of the books mentioned in this broadcast. Paid Subscribers Your Next Lesson on Build-A-Better-Character is coming this week.
You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com under the podcast link in the About tab.
Let’s keep growing and building together—like, subscribe, and share. Please stay connected to Write of Passage.
Thank you for listening. Hopefully, you’ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vanessariley.substack.com/subscribe
Originally posted 2025-07-08 13:10:00.