History

Would you have been a patriot?

While I was researching for Freedom’s Ring, I read a LOT about the radicalism and the ideology of the American Revolution (including both Pulitzer Prize-winners by those titles!). The Revolution showed a big change in the way the average citizen saw the world and even what it means to BE a citizen. Today, we look at the … Read more

Excerpt from Freedom’s Ring

From Chapter 1 Buy now! One man detached himself from the group of law clerks gawking at Temperance after her humiliation in her own dining room — Owen Randolph, Papa’s apprentice. Temperance’s heart softened a little. Here was the one person who’d shown her any kindness, even for a moment, in her difficulty with Lord David. … Read more

18th century games: nine man morris

In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Nine man morris One game they mention several times in the book is nine man morris (also called nine men’s morris, mill(s), cowboy checkers and more). Each player places 9 … Read more

18th century games: tic-tac-toe . . . ?

In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Believe it or not, one of the very first games a child learns to play actually led me to a research rabbit hole when I couldn’t figure out what my … Read more

18th century games: dissected maps (puzzles!)

In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Dissected maps Temperance doesn’t use this one, but her sisters are playing with a dissected map in one scene. This is not an early biology lesson, but an early puzzle! … Read more

18th century games: A Journey Through Europe

In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! A Journey Through Europe The first board game by an individual designer! (Before this, board games are “folk games,” developed over centuries.) Designed in 1759 by John Jefferys. Players start … Read more

18th century games: checkers

In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the strategy games we refer to! Checkers/draughts I was really excited to call checkers “draughts,” but when I consulted the definitive Oxford English Dictionary, I found that checkers became the term in British America as … Read more