The first time I heard about Lizzie Borden was on a trip to Salem, a charming Massachusetts town whose violent history keeps visitors coming year-round. Most of it has to do with the witch trials, but one shop had a display that did not feature broomsticks and love potions. Instead, it was about Lizzie, who... Continue Reading →
Apricots and Wolfsbane by K.M. Pohlkamp
Lavinia Maud lies and murders, but she is also hopelessly in love, goes to church regularly, and gives shelter to a pair of orphaned siblings. In other words, the heroine of K.M. Pohlkamp’s Apricots and Wolfsbane may be a monster, but she is also adorable. Herself orphaned at a young age, Lavinia turns her passion... Continue Reading →
Tolquhon Castle near Aberdeen
As promised here’s a new post documenting my travels to historic places in Scotland. I have so far visited several castles (and one abbey) and will write about them in the next few months. On an unusually frosty January day I took a trip to Toquhon Castle, just outside Aberdeen. The castle itself was closed... Continue Reading →
One Church, Twenty-Five ‘Witches’ and a Thousand Skeletons
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to write more about historical places I visit (and not just historical novels I read). In that spirit I am offering a post about the Kirk of St. Nicholas in Aberdeen, Scotland, which I visited on New Year’s Eve 2017. Originally founded in the 1150s, it is a... Continue Reading →