My Trip to Krakow and Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady With an Ermine via Embracing Romance!

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Adam Jerzy, Cecelia Gallerani, Czartoryski Museum, Duke of Milan, Embracing Romance, Krakow, Leonardo da Vinci, Lodovico Sforza, museum, painting, Poland, Travel

My Trip to Krakow and Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady With an Ermine!

by Katherine Bone | posted in: 19th century, history, Katherine Bone, Uncategorized | 1

Ahoy! It’s Katherine and I’m here to tell you a bit about the wonderful trip to Krakow, Poland, my husband and I recently took a few weeks ago. Huzzah!

In all of my military travels, until this trip, I had never been to Poland before. And sadly, I was so caught up in deadlines that I didn’t even have time to research Krakow before we left. (I usually do a lot of that before I take a trip somewhere I’ve never been.) So when I say I was thoroughly impressed by what I found in Krakow, I’m not exaggerating. 😉

Read the rest of my post here.

Georgian and Regency Dogs by Katherine Bone via Embracing Romance!

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18th Century, 19th Century, Dogs, Embracing Romance, English Mastiffs, Foxhounds, georgian, Georgian England, Hunting, Hunting dogs, Hunting Season, Newfoundland, Pointers, Poodles, Pugs, regency, Regency England, Spaniels, Terriers

by Katherine Bone | posted in: 18th century, 19th century, English History, history, Katherine Bone | 0

Katherine here! I’ve been researching Georgian and Regency dogs for my September 7^th book, The Mercenary Pirate, Heart of a Hero Series Book #10. In the book, my heroine’s father seeks admission to the ton through the advantageous marriages of his two children. Mr. Herding is a middle-aged man doing everything he can to live a gentile and luxurious life in Cornwall’s mining district. Life is hard there, a daunting trial for a mineral lord who has acquired financial wealth and has no way to flaunt it before his aristocratic counterparts. New money doesn’t award him social status.

So what does a self-made man living in the Georgian and Regency eras need on hand to attract lofty persons to his estate? He needs a great house, fashionable clothes, excellent liquor, and the ability to provide entertainment. Mr. Herding has all of those things, especially an excellent breed of hunting dog.

Hunting as well as attending dog fights was a popular activity in the Georgian and Regency eras.

The rest of my post is at Embracing Romance.

Wellington’s Spies via Katherine Bone and Embracing Romance!

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Andrew Leith-Hay, Charles Cocks, Colquhoun Grant, Duke of Wellington, Embracing Romance, espionage, King Joseph, Mary McGrigor, Napoleon, Peninsular War, spies, Wellington's Spies

by Katherine Bone | posted in: 19th century, history, Katherine Bone, Pirates |

While researching my next book, THE MERCENARY PIRATE, I came across interesting facts about espionage and the Duke of Wellington. The iron duke was dependent on intelligence officers to be ‘the eyes and ears of the army’ (Wellington’s Spies by Mary McGrigor) at times when Wellington himself questioned the state of his drunken, disorderly military.

At the height of Wellington’s success, which earned him accolades and notable titles, three cunning spies rose above everyone else: Scotsman Andrew Leith-Hay, humorous, perceptive, and detailed; Scotsman Colquhoun Grant, a clever master of disguise; and nobleman Charles Cocks, who zealously sought acclaim and rank under dangerous conditions.

To read more, visit Embracing Romance.

Katherine Bone meets Thomas Jefferson at Embracing Romance!

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Bill Barker, celebration, Colonial Williamsburg, Embracing Romance, event, Founders Day, Historical reenactor, history, narrator, Period costume, reenactor, Thomas Jefferson, West Point

I experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity this weekend. I met President Thomas Jefferson! Woo-hoo!!! Well, I should add I actually met famed historical scholar Bill Barker, who portrays Jefferson, 1800-1808, and is associated with Colonial Williamsburg. What a thrill!

The event I attended was West Point’s 250th Founders Day celebration. (Happy Birthday, West Point! Go Army! Beat Navy!) Mr. Barker, dressed in period costume, never once stepped out of character throughout the night. And you can imagine my glee when I discovered Barker was in attendance. His clothing, his mannerisms, everything about his speech and sentence structure, reminded me of characters in the series I’ve written, 1801-1810 England.

Read the rest of my story at Embracing Romance!

The Guernsey: Cornish Sweaters!

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Channel Islands, Cornish sweater, Cornwall, Devon, Embracing Romance, frocks, Gansey, garments, Guernsey, Jersey, knit-frock, knitted, sheep, sweater, wool

I’m blogging about Cornish sweaters at Embracing Romance. Can you believe these sweaters have been around for over 400 years?

by Katherine Bone | posted in: 18th century, 19th century, history, Katherine Bone | 0

Ahoy, it’s Katherine Bone! I love to knit, especially anything with a cable in it! Recently, while researching historical information for my next book, The Pirate’s Duty, The Regent’s Revenge Book #3, I came across knitted frocks worn by fishermen and miners and the women who produced them in Cornwall.

The Guernsey, Gansey, or jersey sweater originated in the 17^th Century Channel Islands, becoming the most reliable garment for seamen and fishermen from the 17^th to 19^th centuries. Comfortable, popular, and dependable, the tightly-packed wool fibers, combined with a snug spinning twist and a simple pattern helped ‘turn water’ and resist sea spray like oiled skin. Variations on the patterns were passed down through generations of fisherman’s wives. Drowned men were identified by deviations of these patterns: diamonds, breaking waves, rope ladders, seeds and bars, each particular to certain areas of Cornwall. (The most complex patterns evolved in Scottish fishing villages.)

Read the rest of the post at Embracing Romance.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Squanto!

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Black Friday, Black Friday sales, celebrate, celebration, Christmas, decorations, Embracing Romance, family, Holidays, Sales, Squanto, Thanksgiving, traditions

It’s Black Friday! Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing, or special feast, along with all the fixin’s? Were you able to spend quality time with loved ones? Or are you joining millions of others in the quest for the holy grail of Christmas gifts by taking advantage of Black Friday sales?

I love turkey, especially leftovers. In order to get plenty I can use in the weeks to come, I usually buy a 20 lb. turkey so that I can make sandwiches and have plenty of meat left for Turkey Pot Pie or Turkey soup. (The freezer is my best friend, especially when I’m on deadline.) Huzzah!!!

No matter how you celebrated Thanksgiving this year, I wanted to share an article I wrote titled Squanto for my Hidden Truth, Historical Treasure feature in the Heart of Dixie’s Heart Monitor. The very first immigrants to America would never have survived their first winter in America without the help of one man, Squanto. Thank goodness, he came along when he did!

“One hundred and two English colonists first landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Newly separated from the Church of England, these brave men and women, known today as ‘puritans’, had previously fled to Holland where they lived in the Dutch settlement of Leiden before sailing to the new world. Financed independently of the Plymouth Company, they could not know their lives would drastically change when they reached what is now Providence Harbor and formed an acquaintance with an Indian who surprisingly spoke English. Through the Plymouth Company, which dispatched Captains George Weymouth, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and John Smith on explorations off the coasts of Penobscot, Maine and Massachusetts, a man named Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, had been groomed for such a feat. His fascinating life journey had placed him in the Pilgrim’s path precisely when they needed him most.

 Known as Tisquantum, Squantum, and Squanto, Squanto hailed from the Wampanoag community of Patuxet, a village which held two thousand tribal members and stood exactly where the pilgrims would later erect their homes.”

 

Squanto is packed with FANtastic information about two cultures working together for the greater good. The rest of the article can be found on my website links page here. Squanto led a fascinating life. (Just look for the article titled Squanto.)

 

If you are an author or are simply fascinated by historical dining elegance in the Georgian, Regency, or Victorian eras, I hope you’ll check out the post I wrote for Embracing Romance this week titled Thanksgiving Elegance. (There are recipe links to historical dining in the eras listed above, as well as some Downton Abbey links.)

Thanksgiving and Black Friday mark the beginning of the holiday season, a time packed with seasonal fun and celebrations galore. A perfect remedy to the negativity we’ve faced the past few weeks.

What is the one December tradition sure to make you happy?

Wishing you following winds!

Blessings,

Katherine

 

Roving ~ Pirate Stronghold, The History of Port Royal at Embracing Romance!

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Archaeology, Atlantis, Captain Henry Morgan, earthquake, Embracing Romance, history, Jamaica, Pirate Stronghold, pirates, Pompeii, Port Royal, sunken city, tropical island, tsunami

Katherine Bone’s Pirate Stronghold, The History of Port Royal, Jamaica!

by Katherine Bone | posted in: history, Katherine Bone, Pirates, Uncategorized | 0

 

This past May, my rogue and I took an anniversary trip to Jamaica. It was our first visit to the tropical island and neither of us knew what to expect, other than beautiful flowers, lush vegetation, and reggae music. (Red, red wy-een!) High on my to-do list—unbeknownst to my rogue—was Port Royal. Jamaica, I quickly learned however, is a very large island. It took our shuttle one and a half hours to drive us from the airport to Ocho Rios. When we questioned our resort consultant about the possibility of touring Port Royal, I was saddened to learn that a trip to ye old pirate port would take six hours by taxi. Since we’d committed to our resort, that news unfortunately meant I wasn’t going to be able to see THE Golden Age of Piracy’s stronghold. But I found ways to assuage my bitter disappointment with rum and… where was I? Oh, yes. When I returned home, I consoled myself with research. What I’ve discovered is intriguing and sobering, especially as Hurricane Matthew passes over Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. And what I found is exactly what I’d like to share with you today.

Read more about my post at Embracing Romance!

Rovin’ ~ Smuggling in Cornwall at Embracing Romance Today!

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adventure, Author, books, Cornwall, Embracing Romance, England, historical, Historical romance, history, pirates, rakes, rebels, rogues, roving, Smuggling

Katherine Bone’s Smuggling in Cornwall!

by Katherine Bone | posted in: 18th century, 19th century, history, Katherine Bone, Pirates, Uncategorized | 0

I’ve always been enamored with Cornwall and southern England. Little did I know, when I first started researching the Seatons in my Nelson’s Tea Series, that several of my own family surnames traced back to Cornwall. (Isn’t it phenomenal when instinct leads to particular places, eras, events, and even names in the stories that authors’ write?)

Cornwall and Devon have rich and colorful histories which include Druids, legendaryAvalon, and Roman, Saxon, Norman, and Norse invasions. Think The Last Kingdom, featuring sexay Alexander Dreymon, and Exeter, noted in the dreaded Doomsday Bookand the Duchy of Cornwall.

Read more of my post at Embracing Romance!

Katherine Bone’s Cover Reveal for The Pirate’s Debt!

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adventure, books, cover reveal, Embracing Romance, England, historical, Historical romance, history, Jamaica Inn, pirates, regency, Regency Romance, Regent's Revenge, romance, Smuggling, The Pirate's Debt, treasure

Check out my cover reveal for The Pirate’s Debt, Regent’s Revenge Book #2 at Embracing Romance, me hearties!

While writing THE PIRATE’S DEBT, Regent’s Revenge Book #2, I needed inspiration for an inn with a tavern and rustic bar built from salvaged ship timber to set along the coast of Cornwall’s ragged cliffs. With this in mind, I began to research the Jamaica Inn, made famous by Daphne du Maurier in 1936 with her book of the same name. I bought movies to fill my mind with images: Alfred Hitchcock’s version with Charles Laughton, introducing a very young Maureen O’Hara, made in 1939; the Jane Seymour version made in 1983; and the latest version with Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil herself!) in 2014. Though the critics gave the 2014 version terrible reviews, I found it to be the most sensually stirring and picturesque version of them all. (Pirate!)

 

Read more of my reveal and see the dazzling cover at Embracing Romance today!

Rovin’! Tacklin’ Free-Traders Today at Embracing Romance!

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Cornwall, Devon, Embracing Romance, England, Free-Traders, pirates, roving, Smuggling

I’m at Embracing Romance today, taking a closer look at life as a free-trader in Cornwall and Devon in the late 18th and Early 19th Centuries!

by Katherine Bone |  posted in: 18th century, 19th century, history

Themes make ordinary novels powerful. As a historical author, I try to keep my overarching theme “anchored by hope” in mind while setting characters in a real time and place. When I began writing my Nelson’s Tea and Regent’s Revenge Series, I chose England, between 1800-1815,  because the French Revolutionary War in 1792 sparked England’s seafaring dominance until 1802, when they experienced a one year reprieve before Napoleon’s surrender in 1815.

What a time in history, me hearties! And what a hotbed of adventure! Who knew pirates and smugglers could be a cunning and necessary evil?

Read the complete post at Embracing Romance!