John Steinbeck traveled to the Soviet Union not once, but twice. Did you guys know that? I found a reference to it while researching ballerina Maya Plisetskaya for The Dante Deception. A single sentence in one of the articles about her mentioned meeting Steinbeck in Moscow, and I did a double take. I don’t know much about Steinbeck, but being …
The Romanov Legacy Teaser Trailer – 2016 Edition
Because I don’t have enough dumb things to do in my life, I decided to work on my video production skills. I spent time over the summer learning how to put clips together in a way that’s more entertaining than Microsoft Movie Maker pan-and-scan. Then I ditched this project like an unloved orphan while I did round one of revisions …
It’s Time to Edit The Dante Deception
Normally, I don’t say much about what I’m working on or how it’s going. I prefer to drop my literary bombs on the world in a state that’s as edited and wart-free as possible. But then I realized that’s a terrible idea. I stew and boil and rage at my dining room table because I can’t make a scene come …
Tiara Tuesday: Grand Duchess Adélaïde’s Tiara
Made with diamonds set in white and yellow gold, the Grand Duchess Adélaïde tiara features a removable cushion-cut sapphire in its center. The diamond motifs are leaves and berries crafted of brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds. There’s also a removable row of big-ass diamonds along the base, for those times when you need to let people know you mean business. Here’s …
Tiara Tuesday: The Mellerio Shell Tiara
Ordered by Queen Isabel II of Spain in 1868, the Mellerio shell tiara was a wedding present for Isabel’s oldest daughter, also (creatively) named Isabel. It features pearl and diamond shell motifs with pear-shaped pearls hanging at the center of each shell. Each shell also curls forward like a wave about to break, which I’d imagine creates some interesting sparkle …
Tiara Tuesday: Empress Farah’s Noor-ul-Ain Tiara
Created by Harry Winston in 1958, Empress Farah’s Noor-ul-Ain tiara was made for the Shah of Iran’s second wife…whom he divorced before the tiara was finished. The only woman ever to have worn it is the Shah’s third wife, Farah Diba. You might remember the Shah’s first wife, the beautiful Princess Fawzia of Egypt and her lovely Van Cleef & …
8 Ways Writing Is Like The Princess Bride
Last Saturday, I went down to the track in my yard (I live in the country) and ran a few miles. When I run, I almost always think about writing. Some days it’s marketing, sometimes it’s plot points I need to hash out, others it’s character development or motivation. If I’m too deep in thought, sometimes I’ll take a header …
Tiara Tuesday: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna’s Emerald Tiara
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna’s emerald tiara was made by the Russian court jeweler Bolin in 1884. It was part of Ella’s wedding gift from Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who’d inherited the emeralds from his mom, the wife of Tsar Alexander II. The tiara’s frame is made of gold and silver, set with diamonds and seven domed emerald cabochons. Beneath the …
The Dueling Princess: Pauline Metternich
UPDATE: Thanks to a comment from Dutch historian Ignaz Matthey, it looks like we can debunk the story of this duel. I fell for the fake news! So embarrassing, right? If this is your first visit, read the story of the duel below as I originally wrote it, then stick around for a little debunking at the end. If you …
Tiara Tuesday: The Lanckoronski Sapphire Tiara
First things first – there’s no public domain image of the Lanckoronski sapphire tiara that I can show you. So check out the image of the tiara here, then come back and read about its story. There’s something loopy in the documentation for this tiara, too. It usually gets lumped into a set of sapphire jewels made by Chaumet in …