The Two Nerdy History Girls & the World of 1776—Now On YouTube

Clockwise from upper left: Loretta Chase, Meena Jain, Susan Holloway Scott

As always, Susan Holloway Scott and I had a wonderful time with Ashland (MA) Public Library Director Meena Jain. This time, the Two Nerdy History Girls did something a little bit different: We focused on Revolutionary War era America—and along the way, did some compare & contrast work with several topics. As you probably are well aware, everyday life in America, before as well as after the revolution, was different from life in England in many ways.

Susan has written several works of historical fiction focusing directly on Americans during the Revolutionary War era, whereas my focus has been early nineteenth-century England. Still, I’ve learned some things from my visits to Colonial Williamsburg, and this, I hope, helped me keep up with the questions.

For those who missed the conversation, or who’d like a rerun, here’s the YouTube link.

The hour went by quickly. Since some of the information might have slipped by the audience, and since I have (of course) more historical nerdy-ness to offer, below are some of the books mentioned as well as links to additional information.

Here are some of the 2NHG posts on pins:

Pins & Pinning

As Used by Jane Austen: Pins, the Regency Post-It

A Young Woman Dresses for Day, c. 1775

Colonial Williamsburg offers many videos about life in 1700s America.

If you want to learn more about Colonial fashion, a number of videos show how clothing was made and how people dressed.

Coach at Colonial Williamsburg

When we discussed transportation, I referred to an early 19th century book, The Traveller’s Oracle (2 volumes), which covers, apparently, every detail of traveling in England in the 1820s. By this time, England had vastly improved its roads, with a corresponding increase in inns, but the basic principles would apply to most people traveling via horse or carriage.

One Nerdy History Girl's Conversation with Meena Jain

Since historical fiction author Susan Holloway Scott was unable to join us for the planned Two Nerdy History Girls chat, Ashland Public Library Director Meena Jain shifted to an author interview. Happily, she prepared our audience in advance, and they came with questions.

We talked of many things, with the focus mainly on the process of writing books. How did such and such a book come about? What inspired this series or this character? What about those himbos? Why are the hats so cruelly treated? These and so many other interesting questions. No doubt there were more, and we probably could have gone on for another hour—although brain fatigue would probably have set in. But I never have trouble talking with Meena, whether it’s as one of the Two Nerdy History Girls with Susan or at an event at the Ashland Public Library (and I will very likely be there again for the RomCon in May, if not before), or, as in this case, for a one-on-one conversation, with excellent audience participation. If you were there, THANK YOU!

If you were not there, you can watch us at your convenience here on the Ashland Public Library YouTube channel. The program is titled Q&A with romance writer (and nerdy history girl) Loretta Chase.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that we talked quite a bit about Lord of Scoundrels and the circumstances under which it came about. What might surprise you is the new edition. Author Julia Quinn, of Bridgerton fame, has recently announced Lord of Scoundrels’ inclusion in this year’s JQ Special Editions. I have seen the preliminary design and illustrations, and can assure you it’s beautiful. I’m both honored and excited about having my book celebrated in this way.

Let me also take a moment to welcome all those who subscribed to this blog after the chat, and to thank those of you who’ve hung on through the long stretches of nothing punctuated by sudden floods of stuff. The website labels this a blog, but it’s also a newsletter. I’m still debating whether to change the page title from Blog to News. The label must be something short, either way. Suggestions?

Two Nerdy History Girls Minus One

Unexpected events have obliged historical fiction author Susan Holloway Scott to be absent from the forthcoming Two Nerdy History Girls session. That leaves me. While I cannot be the Two Nerdy History Girls (Susan & I have different strengths and areas of focus), I plan to do what I can, with the help of my host, Ashland Library Director Meena Jain. We’ll chat about my books, the research that goes into them, and the thrills and chills of exploring history. (Well, historical research is thrilling and chilling to me.)

Please go ahead and bring questions. I’ll answer to the best of my ability as a solo act. And we'll all look forward to having Susan back at a future session.

Details, details: Monday 5 January 7:00—8:00 PM Online - Zoom

More info here.
To register: https://tinyurl.com/apl-loretta-chase

Program sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library, collaborating with a multitude of Massachusetts Libraries to bring this program to their communities.