From pitfalls to perfection – your essential Regency writing companion

Writing Regency England is the only guidebook tailored specifically to help you to avoid the most commonly seen errors in Regency fiction. All historical authors face the challenge of not having lived during the time they are describing, and also share the problem of “you don’t know what you don’t know.” No one gets everything right! But non-British authors writing about England also have the disadvantage of not being steeped in the language, geography, culture and history of the country from living there. While some readers don’t care about accuracy as long as a story is good, others do and if you get too many things wrong, they may leave bad reviews and put you on their ‘authors to avoid’ list.

British author Jayne Davis and American author Gail Eastwood combine their perspectives and meticulous research to offer invaluable insights into language, setting, and society. This indispensable guide illuminates common pitfalls but also can spark creative ideas rooted in the authentic details of Regency life and offers a great starting point for further research.

The book covers:

Part 1: Language

The value of historical flavor and period-appropriate language, and research tips; tables listing American or anachronistic words to avoid in many categories; aspects of character voices including class and speech, grammar, word choice, and variations by location; a look at period given names (including minority groups) with ways to create authentic variety, creating or finding appropriate surnames, and valuable advice on title names.

Part 2: Setting

Flora and fauna found (and not found) in the UK, with tips on using them in your story, including animals, insects, birds, wild plants and garden plants; landscapes of Britain including general topography, varied inland and coastal landscapes, and how weather factors in and affects these; the “built” landscape including building styles and materials, transport, and historical structures; advice on naming places and features, plus a chapter on travel covering both land and sea journeys, examining the factors affecting these, plus maps, guidebooks, and how long journeys took.

Part 3: Society

Easily a book unto itself, this sections covers: money and incomes, different branches of the military, the peerage, courtesy titles, forms of address, precedence and privileges of rank; inheritance and entails, guardianship, plus inheritance of titles; a thorough examination of marriage in multiple aspects, as well as ending marriages; a few selected social activities (letters, the postal system and dancing), and finally, hunting, shooting, and weapons (including military).

“Fascinating book and a gold mine of information. It was a pleasure to read…. clearly written and easily understandable. I wish a resource like this had been available when I began my first historical romance in 2013.”
(Kathleen Buckley, Author of Georgian historical romances)