…let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings; How some have been deposed; some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed; Some poison’d by their wives: some sleeping kill’d; All murder’d… —William Shakespeare, Richard II People everywhere—even those with little interest in history—were captivated…
The Firebird's Feather by Marjorie Eccles is a short historical mystery featuring a young English woman in 1911, who is investigating her mother's murder (available December 1, 2014). The plot of The Firebird's Feather engages directly with events of the time period in which it’s set. Set in 1911 during the Imperial periods of both…
Mistress of Lies is the second book in Holly West’s series featuring 17th-century amateur sleuth Isabel Wilde (available September 29, 2014). The events of Mistress of Fortune have left Lady Isabel Wilde shaken. Her best friend and confidant has run off, her business is lagging, and while she’s been spending more time with the king,…
“Death Becomes Her,” the fall exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center presents a stitch-by-stitch account of what the well-dressed widow was wearing a century or two ago. There were rules for such things, naturally, and we can thank high-profile mourners, such as Queen Victoria and her daughter-in-law Queen Alexandra for…
The next time Daniel Day-Lewis wins an Academy Award, he'll be able to put “Sir” on the trophy, as he will be one of more than 1,100 people from the United Kingdom due to be recognized at Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Honors list. The only person to ever win three Oscars for Best Lead Actor, his…
Mistress of Fortune by Holly West is a debut mystery set in late-seventeenth century London featuring amateur sleuth, sometimes-mistress, and secret fortune teller Lady Isabel Wilde (available February 3, 2014). Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of historical fiction. Years ago, to me, the genre was bloated by excess period details an author couldn’t…
This is not a joke, but an actual, edible product created as surreal art by Bompas & Parr. The ingredients of their Occult Milk Jam are “milk, cream, caster sugar, Hendrick's Gin infused with a speck of Princess Diana's hair.” But if the thought of that is unsavory, they also made Absinthe & Pineapple Jam…
