Continuing the theme of my previous blogs on historical research for my current novel, I discovered that 1852 was a quite a significant year. Did you know that Arthur Wellesley (né Wesley) was twice Prime Minister of England and…
Vicky’s Musings
I’d reached the point in my current WIP that required a bit of historical background. As usual, I became distracted and ended up running down rabbit holes checking out details that may or may not end up in the…
It’s spring, and the garden is full of promise and hope. Summer is coming, and our caravan is beckoning. What more can you want? If you are like me, you want books. Lots of books. Long weekends, summer sunshine…
Family History Month: October in the North/August in the South
It doesn’t matter when we celebrate, only that we do. Genealogy is all about family: discovering your ethnic branch, your indigenous roots, your European connections and the names of your ancestors. Family is what ties people together. If you…
19 September 2023: Celebrating 130 years of women’s suffrage in New Zealand
Women today have much to be grateful for, thanks to the endeavours of women like Kate Sheppard who led the New Zealand Suffrage movement, and Amey Daldy, a major character in Lucy, book 3 of The Art of Secrets…
Do you use social media? How often and for what purpose? I’d love to know. I’m a Facebook user but after I was hacked last year, I’ve lost confidence and haven’t used it as much. Now I’m questioning what…
Now is not the time to take our rights and our democracy for granted
Kate Sheppard would be turning in her grave if she’d been listening to some of the chatter I’ve heard recently. And so would Lucy, (from The Art of Secrets series) the fervent young suffragist who, alongside thousands of other…
The thrill of the rewards you reap
Part of the fun of being an author is the feedback we receive. While they are welcomed with open arms, I don’t only mean the star ratings that appear on Amazon or the reviews that go them or even…
Leapfrogging through the cane fields – Brisbane to Cairns #3
Our progression north was bringing us closer to an exciting point where travel, genealogy and storytelling collided. Along the way, we made a brief stop at Rockhampton, visiting their botanical gardens and zoo and took in the views from…
The first week disappeared in a flash. Despite a day of grey skies and an afternoon of rain, that was the last. We were not to see rain again for fifteen days. A record! It took us a couple…