Dear reader,
I’ve written a brand new series for you! It’s called Fae in the Gilded Age and it falls under the umbrella of gaslamp fantasy, which, in broad terms, means it is historical romance combined with fantasy romance, taking place at the turn of the nineteenth century, when gas lamps were the primary means of light.
While gaslamp fantasies are often set in London, this series takes place on Mackinac Island, Michigan, USA, in 1895-1896.
I’ve researched extensively to ensure the story is period accurate, from language (yes, cunt and shaft were commonly used words in 1895) to the clothes they wore to the situations occurring at the time.
I did, occasionally, take some period-appropriate liberties. For example, there is (what I think is a funny) reference to the Wright Brothers, discussing the idea of humans taking flight. While I have no idea if they ever visited Mackinac Island in real life, I do know that they took their first flight in 1903, which means they surely would have been theorizing about the idea in 1895.
There are also references to “horseless carriages,” which were the first automobiles in the US. If you aren’t familiar with Mackinac Island, they do not allow motor vehicles on the island, with the exception of emergency services. But that was not always the case.
During the late nineteenth century, as the auto industry was emerging (Michigan was where automobiles were born), Mackinac Island was already a huge tourist attraction, especially among the wealthy elite. Those wealthy tourists started to bring their horseless carriages to the island, much to the annoyance of the horse and buggy drivers who had established themselves as the primary means by which persons were able to get from place to place—for a price, of course. Those drivers petitioned to have “dangerous horseless carriages” banned, arguing that they spooked the horses. The ban was enacted in 1898, three years after this series takes place. With this bit of information, I suspect you will find my references to the horseless carriages in the book quite amusing.
I hope so!
Oh, and we all know the fae have been around since the beginning of time, including on Mackinac Island.
If you read about the history of this absolutely stunning island, you’ll learn that once upon a time, there actually was a faery (spelled “fairy”) arch, which, of course, was a portal (or, as I call it in my books, a veil) to another world.
Unfortunately, in the 1940s, during what is referred to as a “misguided erosion control effort,” the fairy arch was destroyed. Arch Rock, one of Mackinac Island’s most famous points of interest, is still around; however, that is not the rock formation I am referring to in this series.
It’s the other one.
I hope you enjoy this foray back in time to 1895!
Cheers!
TJ Bell
The Faery & the Runaway Heiress
The Faery & the Lady’s Maid ~ coming soon!