Image (public domain) by George Wolfe Plank for Vanity Fair magazine, November 1917 or October 1913 (depending on the source), with my slight interference.
2025 saw the release of the third Difficult Dukes book. After much whining and beating-head-against-wall, I turned My Inconvenient Duke into an actual book. It went out into the world, was greeted with kindness and affection, and I—and all those who have to deal with me—celebrated.
This year I’ll be working on what looks like a spinoff. There will undoubtedly be more whining and beating-head-against-wall, because that’s the way I roll these days, it seems. Maybe that’s the way I always rolled. Who can remember?
It was a rocky year in many ways, private and public, but there were certainly some major bright spots, like the month in London, which resulted in so many discoveries and rediscoveries that I’ll continue to share them with you for at least the first half of 2026.
My talented assistant Jessica and I have set up my YouTube Channel, which will finally get some material in the coming weeks. This, I believe, will make it easier for you to watch the short videos. Squarespace is a good space for blogs/newsletters like this, but the process can get tedious and clumsy when one is uploading numerous videos, brief though mine are. Much simpler to offer a link, and let you view the things at a size of your own choosing.
You can also expect some reports from warmer climes as my husband and I make our annual escape to parts south. We’ll be trying a new location, and I’m looking forward to exploring and finding some history, nerdy or otherwise, to share with you. And/or botanical wonders. And/or other wonders.
On the nerdy history front, historical novel author Susan Holloway Scott & I (aka Two Nerdy History Girls) will once again join our host, Meena Jain, Library Director, Ashland Public Library,* for conversation about the way people lived in the past. Unlike those secondary school history courses you may remember not so fondly, our chats don’t focus on politics and wars, but on daily living: what people wore, what they ate, how they traveled, how they managed hygiene, what their environments were like—that sort of thing. If you’d like to join us, please set aside 7-8PM on Monday 5 January for our gathering on Zoom. (Details here.) And don’t hesitate to bring questions. We won’t know all the answers, but we’ll do our best, then we’ll do some digging afterward for better information—because of, you know, the historical nerdiness of us. You can expect an official invitation/update in the coming days.
In other words, there’s plenty to look forward to.
So let’s say a cheerful Bye-Bye to 2025, and look forward with hope for a brighter, gentler, and more peaceful 2026. Thank you for spending time with me and my books. I’ll continue to try to make it worth your while.
*Ashland, Massachusetts