What She Wore underneath it all–courtsey of the Davenport (Iowa) Democrat and Leader–is so luscious that I just have to include the second half of the advertisement!  

  You might already know that most of the clothing advertisements in late 19th Century newspapers did not display many illustrations. And so it was in the Wednesday January 15 1896 issue of the Valley Spirit from Chambersburg, PA–the clothing advertisements were text only. The Battle Ax Plug Tobacco advertisement was another story. It featured… Read More

From the pages of the Miami (Florida) Daily News… “The restaurant ensemble which caused such a furor when first shown in Paris promises to continue in favor throughout the winter months. Velvet is the favored fabric for these costumes, and while many of them are entirely of that material, in so far as gown and… Read More

  From the pages of the Oakland (California) Tribune…women are wearing “splendid plain tailored suits” a la Titanic or My Fair Lady. Underneath them they’re wearing silk petticoats. Men are wearing “suits with two and three button fronts with box, regular and form fitting  backs, with the new shoulders and new lapels”.  

Makes about 55 Ping Pong ball-sized crullers. Ingredients 4 cups all purpose flour, sifted 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg 1 ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs plus 1 extra yoke 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ¼ cup melted butter 1 cup milk Vegetable oil for the fryer (about 2 quarts) Bowl… Read More

I just got my “Ana’s Year in Books” email from Goodreads and I only read 4,413 pages across 14 books. 14 books over 12 months! What a slouch! I know I read more than 14 books this year; I just didn’t report them on Goodreads. I like this Goodreads feature–especially since we’re going to be… Read More

Since it’s Thanksgiving week, right now I’m thinking about FOOD—smoked turkey, oyster stuffing, and gravy; sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce; and, one of my very favorites, fluffy ambrosia. My food thoughts made me wonder what Fanny Newcomb and her friends (and even her enemies, since Fanny is hunting down the Irish Channel Ripper in 1889… Read More

Have you been dying to read–and review–my short story “Miss Evelyn Nesbit Presents”? Good News! I have a few COMPLIMENTARY REVIEW COPIES of ME TOO SHORT STORIES: AN ANTHOLOGY, which I’ll be glad to snailmail to the first five people who send me a message through my contact form on this website. You’ll have to… Read More

Yep, “Book Birthdays” are a real thing. FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER came out on November 1st, 2017 and in Fanny’s honor, my publisher is hosting a $.99 sale on Kindle. ALL. MONTH. LONG. If you haven’t read FANNY NEWCOMB, or if you’ve worn out your Kindle copy already, or if you’d like… Read More

Despite the sad, sad, look of this 1920’s newsletter writer, my November newsletter has only happy, happy news. You can sign up for my November newsletter on this very page.