Discover Lord Mayford’s Travel Adventures in 1810

I am happy to welcome back Alexander Nerá to Regency Explorer. He is the author of “Lord Mayford and the Expedition to Egypt“, a travel adventure and comedy set in 1810.
The novella started out some years ago as a fictive diary on my blog. It has now been published in both English and German. As I am interested in all things Regency and enjoy the story’s P.G. Wodehouse-style humour, I asked Alexander for an interview. Learn more about the historical context, the set of characters, and a famous 19th-century author as a source of inspiration.

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Anna on stage at “StadtLesen” in Ottobrunn

I have been honoured to join the performing authors at a public reading event from October 24 – 27, 2019. My historical novel “Von tadellosem Ruf” (”Of impeccable reputation”) took the audience back in time to the England of Jane Austen. I read together with big names of the German book scene, as Dorothée Kreusch-Jacob, a noted author and song writer for children, Quint Buchholz, a leading illustrator, and novelist and journalist Ruth Eder.

Public reading at “StadtLesen” in Ottobrunn / Germany: Anna M. Thane, Dorothee Kreusch-Jacob, Quint Buchholz, Ruth Eder

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Books & Coffee – a Perfect Match

A stylish local roasting facility hosted the latest literary event organised by book shop Kempter in Hoehenkirchen / Germany. The treat for the audience: tasting freshly brewed espresso, and listening to three new authors presenting their books.

It was a lovely idea, and I am delighted to have been offered the chance to read from the first chapter of my historical novel “Von tadellosem Ruf” (‘Of impeccable reputation’).

Joining Simon Gerold, author of a novel set in ancient Rome, and Thomas Buttgereit, who read from the travel diary of this motorbike tour along the Pan-American Highway, was great fun.

Thanks to everybody for creating an inspiring and entertaining event!

Thomas, Anna, Simon

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Ladies, Smugglers and the Glamour of the Ballroom: Reading from my Novel at the City Library

Dear Regency Enthusiast

I had the pleasure of perfoming “Ladies, Smugglers and the Glamour of the Ballroom” at the City Library in Nidderau / Germany. The programm is a mix of excerpts from my novel and entertaining information about the Regency Period.

Let me share with you a couple of pictures from a premiere: Continue reading

The Dark Days of Georgian Britain – a Guest Post by James Hobson

I am delighted to have James Hobson, author and former history teacher, as guest writer at Regency Explorer. In his book, “Dark Days of Georgian Britain. Rethinking the Regency”, James explores the lives of the powerless and the challenges they faced. He writes about corruption in government and elections, “bread or blood” rioting, the political discontent felt and the revolutionaries involved. It’s a treat for me to present James’s work about a little discussed field of research:

Rethinking the Regency: A description of terrible times and the people who had the courage to fight back

If you write a book with the expression “Dark Days” in the title, then it might be a good idea to reassure people that the book is not as bleak as it sounds. Well, I am afraid I can’t.

People seem to have forgotten, or do not know, that the period around the Napoleonic wars was one of the most appalling in British history. When there is a “worst year in British history competition”, 1816 is the latest year to be mentioned, and all the other competitors – like 1648 or 1347- are periods of epidemic disease or fratricidal civil war.

At first it made me angry that nobody had written very much about this aspect of the Regency and then it made me very happy. Continue reading

My Historical Romance titled “Von tadellosem Ruf” is now available!

A merry romance set in Regency-England …

It is an unforeseen blow for Lady Linfield when her nephew Robert Rothleigh, the black sheep of the family, inherits the title of Lord Cavenham. Robert is infamous for having caused anything from gossip to scandal, and Lady Linfield had always wished him as far away as possible.

Immediate action is required to save the family’s standing and clear Robert’s reputation when he becomes the head of the family:

  • a marriage to a suitable wife of high moral standards,
  • the settlement of his debts,
  • and a handsome apanage.

All this Lady Linfield will take care of. But what if the chosen bride, Georgina Standon, has different ideas about her future? And will Robert comply for the first time in his life?

Soon, Georgina and Robert are embroiled in a swirl of incidents and misconception. The theft of a valuable necklace and an abduction put additional obstructions in their way towards a happy ending.

… for readers enjoying the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer

Read an excerpt here.

„Von tadellosem Ruf“ is available in major Online-Shops in print and as e-book (ISBN: 9783744854313). The novel is written in German.

My Writer’s Research Database for Historical Novels

00 Intro2In this post:

  • Four examples of note-taking software
  • Organising my Historical Research Database
  • Defining my categories (or: Why chocolate matters)

Writing historical novels – be it about the Middle Ages or the Regency – requires access to a lot of historical information. I want the data I have collected as handy as possible. Today I invite you to have a look at the set-up of my Historical Research Database.

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Love & Prejudice (A 5-Minute Novel)

Author’s Note

Here is my new 5-Minute Novel. Inspiration hit me when I was doing research for my post “Writer’s Travel Guide: The Jersey Connection“. I found a most useful book about the Isle of Jersey during the Romantic Age: Balleine’s History of Jersey. While I read the passages about the French émigrés at Jersey, plot bunnies sprang up. Read here the story they carried with them.

A stroke of luck

The Isle of Jersey (photo by Lady Dorothy)

The Isle of Jersey (photo by Lady Dorothy)

Wiltshire, 1793: The orphaned siblings Eliza (24) and William Redruth (20) live with their elderly aunt Margret in shabby-genteel circumstances in the countryside. One day in May, they receive a letter: A distant uncle, Baronet John Redruth, died in old age on the Isle of Jersey. Being without children, John Redruth has decided to make William the heir of his manor house on the isle. These are exciting news. Williams wants to travel to the Isle of Jersey immediately to inspect the inheritance. The ladies warn him: Due to the war with France, the island located so close to France is in danger of being invaded. Continue reading

The Castle of Atraños (A 5-Minute Novel)

In this post:
The storyline of The Castle of Atraños
8 historical facts that bred plot bunnies

Author’s Note

This is my first 5-Minute Novel. Inspiration hit me when I was doing research for my introductory text to the new exhibition about letterpress printing at the Museum of Creativity. I found a most useful book about printing at the university library: Michael Twyman’s “Printing 1770 – 1970, an illustrated history of its developments and uses in England”. It provides helpful information about the printing business in the Regency period and new techniques. While I read it, plot bunnies started hopping all around me. Read here the story they carried with them, and find out which historical facts inspired them.

A Writer of a Gothic Novel

It is the City of London in June of the year 1808. The Honourable Thomas Morrington is the second son of a squire. He is 20 years old and fond of novels and writing. It is his dream to write a great gothic novel and become as famous as Ann Radcliffe.

Some time ago, Thomas finished writing his novel “The Castle of Atraños”, an eerie tale about an alchemist practising magic in the dungeons of his castle, which his perched above the village of Atraños in the Spanish Pyrenees. Mysterious ingredients are required for the magic, including the locks of blond virgins. A lady in distress has to be rescued by the hero of Thomas’s novel, whose looks bear a striking resemblance with Thomas’s, but owns a great fortune (whereas Thomas’ allowance is meagre). Continue reading

Inspired by History: The 5-Minute Novel

Regency Explorer starts a new series of posts combining entertainment and facts about the Regency: the 5-Minute Novel.

When researching history, you come across historical facts that turn into plot bunnies just by themselves. A plot bunny is an idea for a scene or a story. So you read something about history and immediately get an idea for using it in a story. You think some more about it and see a whole novel developing.

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