Regency writing March 2026
Hello from Portugal, and thanks for keeping in touch with me! My husband and I are currently staying with friends in the Algarve. The photo on this page was taken at Castro Marim, a small fortified town. During the Napoleonic Wars (in the Regency period) Castro Marim was the primary military stronghold in the Eastern Algarve. Although it was not the scene of a pitched battle, it acted as a crucial border defense point against Spanish-based forces, where the Portuguese could keep a watchful eye over the Guadiana River, which separates Portugal and Spain.
What I'm up to
I am still enjoying writing my Regency themed fiction and incorporating historical research in my stories. I've even been writing while I'm on holiday! I'll be home soon, though, so my nose will be back to the grindstone full time.
My last launch, The Little Regency Book Shop, did quite well. It reached number one in the UK for free Historical Fiction Short Stories, and number four in the US. It peaked at number 2718 among all the free books in the United States that week.
Let's get real
The above statistics sound quite good, but in reality, being number one in the UK for Historical Fiction Short Stories represents just 108 downloads, of which only three were paid for, earning me about 35p each. At that rate, I'm not going to get much of an income from writing, am I?
I am not despondent. This is a long game! My readership is rising slowly, and and to get any income at all at this stage, just two months in, is a very encouraging sign!
My biggest challenge is that I'm struggling to get reviews for my books. Honest reviews would help to encourage the Amazon algorithm to put more of my books in front of more customers. So, if you have read one of my books I would be really grateful for a review.
What I'm writing right now
I have two books in the pipeline. The first is a story based around the development of the Grand Western Canal. I have overstretched myself a bit on the research for that one, particularly as it also contains some military history. I have to keep setting it aside, then coming back to it when my head is clearer!
I am mainly working on the next in my series of "Little Regency Shop" stories. The topic for this one is the Regency tea trade, another fascinating research area for me to look into, especially where it comes to the adulteration of tea. What a tangled web that is! I have been interested in tea for decades. Did you know that I'm widely acknowledged as the world expert on teasmades? (Yes, really!)
Here's the synopsis for it:
The Little Regency Tea Shop
Widowed and facing financial ruin, Emily Makepeace must make an impossible choice: give up the comfortable home she shared with her late husband, or abandon his failed coffee shop. Determined to secure a future for herself and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Molly, Emily keeps the shop and boldly reopens it as a tea room. With Molly’s help, and the unexpected guidance of a gentleman with expert knowledge of the tea trade, the little shop soon begins to flourish. But success brings attention. When a busybody from Exeter publicly accuses Emily of selling adulterated tea, the reputation of the tea room is suddenly at risk. Can Emily protect the haven she has built? And might she discover that it offers not only an independent future, but also a second chance at love?
A special treat
I have just treated myself to a very special present, an amazing 200-year-old dictionary. I'll show it to you in a future post. I am really excited about adding some authentic and verifiable language to my books in the future. I'm so excited about my dictionary that I'm thinking of using it as the basis for writing a "Regency Dictionary and Phrasebook," something which I think is sadly lacking in the world of reader and writer resources for the Regency period. I'm keeping that idea on the back boiler for now, but it's sure to bubble away in the background until I can't resist any longer!
Thanks once again to everyone who has subscribed to my newsletter.
Happy reading!