7 Ways My Real-Life Romance Inspired FLOATING ON AIR

7 Ways My Real Life Romance Inspired Floating on Air

  My contemporary romance novel Floating on Air (Book 1 in my Struck By Love series), about the whirlwind love affair between a radio deejay and a charismatic entrepreneur, is based in many ways on my own romance with my late husband. I hold this book dear to my heart. Here are 7 ways my…

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The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews – Book Review

  From the desk of Syrie James Can a daring, independent-minded equestrian and a brilliant, half-Indian dressmaker overcome the pressures of fashionable society to find love and happiness in Victorian London? That’s the premise of Mimi Matthew’s new novel The Siren of Sussex, and I have to admit, I was so intrigued that I could…

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8 Things I Love About the 80s

  I’m feeling nostalgic about the 1980s. I set two of my novels in that awesome era, a decade that gave us incredible entertainment choices, unique pop culture, life-changing technology, and the fitness craze. Here are 8 things I love about the 80s. 1. MOVIES     Some of my favorite movies came out in…

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Victorian Christmas Traditions

A Joyful Christmas - Victorian Christmas Card

  I put up my Christmas tree last weekend (I love how it makes the house look so sparkly and bright!) and it got me thinking about the way we celebrate this special holiday and about the origins of its traditions. Did you know that we owe many of our most popular Christmas traditions to…

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The London House by Katherine Reay — Book Review

From the desk of Syrie James I love historical fiction, women’s fiction, and novels with multiple timelines. It’s a challenging structure for an author, however, since it requires the creation of two or more protagonists who live in different eras, and separate stories that are not only equally weighted, well-structured, and compelling, but must be…

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Haunting Halloween Giveaway!

Dear Readers, ‘Tis the season for things that go bump in the night! To celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year, I’ve partnered with 5 amazing authors to present a HAUNTING HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY! The lucky winner of this contest will receive all six of the novels pictured below in paperback format. Scroll down to enter.…

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Down a Dark River by Karen Odden — Book Review

From the desk of Syrie James I’m always up for a good Victorian murder mystery, and I was excited to dive into Karen Odden’s Down a Dark River, the first book in her new Inspector Corravan Mystery series. It’s 1878 in London, when a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse drifts down the Thames.…

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Preview of Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

Hello dear readers, I have the great pleasure to share a first look at the next historical fiction novel from Natalie Jenner, author of the international bestseller The Jane Austen Society. I’m a huge fan of Natalie Jenner and, as you know, of All Things Jane Austen, and I’m excited to share everything I know…

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Victorian Capes and Cloaks: A Dramatic Fashion Statement

Victorian ladies fall and winter cloaks 1890s

  When I was writing my novel Dracula, My Love, I came to a crossroads and knew I was in trouble. In the book, my heroine Mina Harker falls madly in love with Dracula, a brilliant, charismatic, devastatingly handsome being who may not be the evil monster everyone supposes. I couldn’t help falling a little…

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Victorian Gothic Giveaway!

A Perfect Pairing for your Summer Reading: Enter a Victorian Gothic Giveaway

Hello dear readers! I’m so excited to introduce you to bestselling historical romance novelist Mimi Matthews, whose Gothic suspense novel, John Eyre, releases today. Mimi’s new novel caught my eye because it merges two classics together—Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Bram Stoker’s Dracula—two books that I adore so much, I’ve written novels inspired by both of them. I…

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