‘Trash History’: Historical Accuracy in Film and Fiction

Thought it might not look like it, this idealized painting of the first Thanksgiving is historically inaccurate. According to the notes, the costume of the Pilgrims is inaccurate and Wompanoag Native Americans depicted in the painting would not have worn the feather bonnets nor would they have been sitting on the ground. Painted during WWI, …

Catalyst For A Series: My Unexpected “Aha!” Moment from The Blackwater Lightship

Photo Credit: Dark light… come shine in her lost heart tonight, taken on 26 November 2016 by Nikk: The Maniac Macrographer/Flickr/CC BY 2.0 I’ve talked quite a bit about inspiration on my blog. In this blog post I discuss how I believe inspiration is something you don’t sit around and wait for but go out and …

“A Veil of Tears”: Family Secrets and The Trickle-Down Effect in The Blackwater Lightship (2004)

***This post is part of the Adoring Angela Lansbury Blogathon, hosted by the Realweegiemidget Review blog. *** ***Some spoilers*** “It’s a veil of tears, Lily. A veil of tears” (Angela Lansbury, The Blackwater Lightship, 2004) Hallmark has very specific (and not always nice) associations for many of us. When we hear the word Hallmark, we think …

More Than Just a Gibson Girl: The New Woman

The New Woman prompted a lot of satirical photos and cartoons by the male establishment who felt threatened by her growing popularity and power. This photo depicts the “masculinized” New Woman. Dressed in turn-of-the-century male garb (the straw hat and knickerbocker pants), she stands over her man with a cocky, stern look on her face, …

Gilded Age Backlash: The Progressive Era

Although this cartoon refers specifically to only one of the reforms during the Progressive Era (women’s suffragism), it is visually a great example of what was going on with all reforms during this era. Photo Credit: Political cartoon about suffrage in the United States. Four women supporting suffrage on a steamroller crushing rocks "opposition". Illustration …

What’s in a Tagline? Picking Apart My Tagline

Photo Credit: Woman with veil, dark Gothic fantasy image, uploaded December 24, 2014 by LoganArt: LoganArt/ Pixabay/CC0 1.0 Last week, the Sisters in Crime organization held a webinar for authors about author branding. The idea of “branding” is relatively new buzzword in business and marketing (when it comes to people rather than products, that is) but …

A Dissatisfying Ideology: Separate Spheres in the 19th Century

Photo Credit: OpenClipartVectors/Pixabay/CC0 1.0 Welcome to the Dream Book Blog’s first post of 2019! I’m not ashamed to say I’m a feminist. I became a feminist in college when I began studying literature and women’s fiction. I came from a very patriarchal house (read: chauvinist) where my parents supported the idea that the men ruled …

An Individual: Gladys Cooper

***This post is part of What a Character! Blogathon 2018, hosted by the Once Upon a Screen…, the Paula’s Cinema Club, and the Outspoken and Freckled blogs. *** ***Some spoilers*** “‘Retire? Whatever for?… Who cares how old I am? Who cares how long it was since I first played Peter Pan?’” (Gladys Cooper, as quoted in …

The Intruders: Joseph Cotten and Betsy Blair in A Delicate Balance (1973)

***This post, though a bit late, is part of The Joseph Cotten Blogathon, hosted by the In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and the Maddy Loves Her Classic Films blogs. Thank you for letting me post late and still participate :-).*** ***Some spoilers*** “I find that joy and sorrow work their wonders on me.” - …

Not So HAE (Happily Ever After)

The epitome of the happily-ever-after romance ending — the handsome couple off against the sunset with the calm waters and the palm tree. Photo Credit: Silhouette of a loving couple against a sunset, uploaded 25 April 2017 by 5187396: 5187396/Pixabay/CC0 1.0 “We are writers and we destroy lives and worlds and ideologies. And sometimes, we …