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New Year's un-resolutions
At this time of year, it seems to be expected to post about your New Year’s resolutions. I’ll confess, I’ve never been one for this.
elizabethdonnebook
Jan 10, 20222 min read
52 views
2 comments


Lessons from the birds
You have to do your own flapping and keep your focus forward, but everything feels so much better when you struggle together.
elizabethdonnebook
Oct 18, 20213 min read
29 views
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“Mr Malcolm’s List” by Suzanne Allain
One can picture many a merry argument continuing after the pages are done.
elizabethdonnebook
Jun 28, 20212 min read
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Gardening like Jane
Did Jane Austen emerge from the confines of winter with an enthusiasm for soil and greenery?
elizabethdonnebook
Jun 14, 20215 min read
46 views
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"Marianne" by Jenny Hambly
Marianne is a plain-speaking young lady — perhaps too plain-speaking by acceptable standards.
elizabethdonnebook
May 31, 20213 min read
23 views
2 comments


War in the Life and Works of Jane Austen
Three-quarters of Austen’s life was experienced through the lens of war. Why, then, do we see so little of it in her books?
elizabethdonnebook
May 17, 20215 min read
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The Earl’s Lady Geologist by Alissa Baxter
Alissa Baxter has woven fascinating details about the fossils at Lyme Regis into a most enjoyable narrative.
elizabethdonnebook
May 3, 20213 min read
18 views
2 comments


What's wrong with an envelope?
It would be unusual for a Regency author to write a scene in which the heroine eagerly rips open an envelope.
elizabethdonnebook
Apr 19, 20212 min read
31 views
3 comments


The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah E. Ladd
The descriptions of Cornwall in general, and the characters’ more immediate environments in particular, are detailed and exquisite.
elizabethdonnebook
Apr 5, 20213 min read
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It's spring!
The signs of life are a renewal, not only for the birds and the plants, but also for me. A sort of awakening has occurred in my writing, too
elizabethdonnebook
Mar 22, 20212 min read
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Rescuing Lord Inglewood by Sally Britton
The title caught my attention at once. It is not often the heroine saves the gentleman.
elizabethdonnebook
Mar 8, 20214 min read
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2 comments


The Elusive Comp Book
For my readers who are not also writers, this blog heading will likely make little sense. Allow me to explain. The expression “comp book”...
elizabethdonnebook
Feb 22, 20213 min read
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Love is ...
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I wanted to do a blog about love
elizabethdonnebook
Feb 8, 20213 min read
18 views
1 comment


The Long and Winding Road to Publishing
Oh, if only writing a good book guaranteed its publication...
elizabethdonnebook
Jan 25, 20215 min read
42 views
1 comment


From Sand to Snow
Every January, I am reminded of the watershed moment when this lifelong South African began to feel like an Iowan.
elizabethdonnebook
Jan 11, 20217 min read
22 views
2 comments


Sense and Sensibility: Finding Happiness in the Average
“I wish as well as everybody else to be perfectly happy; but like everybody else it must be in my own way. Greatness will not make me so.”
elizabethdonnebook
Dec 28, 20203 min read
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Looking with eyes that see
My writing space is set up so that I have an inspiring view across the curve of our cul-de-sac. Because Iowans take a lot of pride in...
elizabethdonnebook
Dec 14, 20203 min read
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Ten words to describe my series, "Armor of God"
It’s time to take another look at my collection of “Ten Things.” This month I am focusing on ten words/phrases that come up when I am...
elizabethdonnebook
Nov 30, 20203 min read
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Let’s name some characters together!
I have begun my preparation work for a new book. This is a really fun part of the writing process, as I research and set out the world...
elizabethdonnebook
Nov 16, 20202 min read
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2 comments


Emma: What the Humor Hides
distressing aspects of the book that lie beneath the veneer of Austen’s wit
elizabethdonnebook
Nov 2, 20208 min read
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