About this Blog

sheepauthorpicWelcome to my little corner of the blogosphere!

My name is Sarah Angleton. I am a wife, mother of boys, and writer of fiction and sometimes other stuff, too.  I have so far written three complete historical novels. You can learn more about them by clicking through the tabs above. The first one, Gentleman of Misfortune, made its way into the world on September 6, 2018.

In a way, this blog has grown out of the research for that novel, the ones that followed, and the how ever many more may yet come down the pike, because research almost always winds up heading in surprising directions, most of which don’t belong in a novel, but might be at home in a blog post.

What I’ve discovered while navigating the world my characters inhabit, is that what I love most about history is the way it so often becomes entwined with my own world as well. I appreciate history most when I stumble across those little tidbits that inform my experiences living in this particular time.

And so with this blog, I am attempting to share some of those generally quirky, often funny, usually fascinating little pieces of history that may seem irrelevant under a big spotlight, but add flavor to my understanding of the human condition.

This is not a blog about serious history. It’s not a blog about politics or foreign affairs. It is a blog about small scale history from an everyday, practical perspective. I promise I will attempt to share factual information, but I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes. My research will be at times a little shoddy because not every research idea can turn into a novel. I simply don’t have time for that.

The subject matter will vary, sometimes greatly. But my hope is that it will always be somewhat informative, a little bit relatable, and kind of funny, and that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

By the way, if you like the blog, you might also enjoy Launching Sheep & Other Stories from the Intersection of History and Nonsense, a collection of essays celebrating the 5th Blogiversary of The Practical Historian.

20 thoughts on “About this Blog

  1. Hi Sarah! I think I lost the email you sent about doing a post on the writing process. I had one of those stupid moments where I decided to delete everything–housecleaning–but went too far. I’ve done a post like that kind of recently but soon I’ll have a new book out and would love to answer the questions then–if you’d kindly re-send. I understand the life of a stay-at-home mother and writer can get hectic so no worries if you can’t–and thanks for thinking of me.
    All the best~
    Adrienne

  2. I had a history professor who used to say about the uncertainties of historical accuracy ‘If it didn’t happen just like that, it should have!’ I have always quite liked that take! Your blog is beautifully written and interesting/intriguing……….. I shall visit again!

  3. Hello Sarah …. I come to you via Robin at Witless Dating after Fifty, you might like to check out Vanessa who blogs at https://vanessafrance.wordpress.com/ (Life on la Lune) – she is a history buff (degree in History from Oxford University, I believe) and is most interesting but the thing I think would make you natural blog-fellows is that she too writes historical fiction – and she has been published so might be helpful to you. I wish you well and look forward to seeing more from your blog 🙂

    1. Thank you very much, Robert! It is kind of eclectic. I have been fortunate to have two posts featured on Freshly Pressed. The first was about the history of shark attacks, in honor of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, and the second was about a beard tax instituted by Russia’s Peter the Great. You can follow these links if you’d like to read them.

      https://sarah-angleton.com/2012/08/15/swimming-in-human-infested-water/

      A Hairy Tax Scheme: Ridding Society of Superfluous Burdens

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