The dessert from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Vol 4: Betrayer I hadn’t really intended to have so many meal scenes in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer . However, at the time I was writing it, I was suffering from my IBS issues, and my diet had been (and still is) terribly bland, so I put every kind of delicious thing into the book that I could. There was a scene later in the book when Laura kind of forces Sol to eat. He’s come to see her looking rather haggard, after he’s been dealing with some enemies trying to undermine him. I didn’t intend to do it, but I ended up having them eat a full meal (rather than just tea and sweets). And since there’s something kind of cute about a manly-man enjoying a sweet dessert, I wrote a Floating Island dessert into the scene. The Floating Island recipe was one I’d seen a few weeks earlier when I was looking through the PDF scans of some old cookbooks from the Regency era. The Floating Island stuck out to me because it was nothing like th...

a.k.a. Camy’s diabolical treasonous organization I mentioned earlier that the symbol of the Citadel in the series is actually my family crest. Bianca’s silver seal is also found in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 4: Betrayer. What I did was order a custom-made seal of the Citadel—or rather, my family crest. 😄 I thought the company who made the seal did a good job. Bianca’s seal is silver and mine is brass, but it was neat to hold it and feel the weight of it and press a few wax seals (I’ll post pics of those later). I felt almost like a member of a diabolical treasonous organization sending super-secret messages and trying to help Napoleon take over Europe. 😝 What do you think? Curious how it all begins? Click below to read the beginning of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 1: Archer for free and step into a world of Regency intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance. 👉 Read the excerpt now Reference Footer This post relates to Camille Elliot’s Lady Wynwood’s Spies , a Christ...

Here’s a couple Easter Eggs for you in the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series: There are two trainers in the Ramparts who are mentioned in the books, Mr. Alex Armstrong and Mr. Levi Ackerman. From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 4: Betrayer : Mr. Drydale had been taking Miss Sauber and Miss Gardinier to the Ramparts in the mornings to be privately trained by Mr. Alex Armstrong, who trained agents for both the Alien Office and the Foreign Office. A giant of a man, with muscles the size of headstones and a very impressive blond mustache, he often flashed his gleaming white teeth in a ready smile, which was nearly as blinding as the light reflecting from his balding pate. He was cheerfully relentless in training the two women in the many methods by which they could incapacitate an opponent using only their fists or weapons of opportunity. From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster : So Lena told stories about her training under the swordmaster at the Ramparts, Mr. Levi Ackerman, but...

Cover Reveal: Mystery, Secrets, and a Hint of Betrayal If you're new here, I write a Christian Regency romantic suspense series filled with intrigue, danger, and slow-burn romance. Each book features a new layer of mystery—and a new cover that hints at the secrets within. Today I’m sharing the cover for Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 4: Betrayer . This particular design was one of my favorites to create with my graphic designer. The striking contrast of the fuchsia background and the green vest immediately captured the bold, unpredictable energy of this story. The original stock photo we used is here , and if you’ve read the book, you might have a hunch about which character it represents. I won’t say who—it would spoil the surprise! But I will say the story ends on a twist, which is why I released the next book in the series just one month later. Look closely at the background of the cover: the image of a key and a mysterious seal. Both play a pivotal role in this book and the...

When designing the world of my Christian Regency romantic suspense series Lady Wynwood’s Spies , I wanted a symbol—a mysterious emblem that would hint at danger, espionage, and a secret organization lurking behind the scenes. What I didn’t expect was how personal that symbol would become. 📜 A Shadowy Mark From the very first book in the series, a strange symbol shows up in the hands of characters and hidden in dangerous places: – A torn image carried by the hero on Hampstead Heath – A secret letter connected to Napoleon’s aide – A pocketwatch hiding more than just the time By Book 4 ( Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 4: Betrayer ), the mystery deepens when a red wax seal with that very same symbol turns up—and readers finally get a glimpse of it on the cover. 💠 The Secret Origin of the Symbol Here’s the twist: the symbol isn’t fictional at all. It’s my actual family crest . I’m a 4th-generation Japanese American, and when I stumbled across this flowered mon , I knew it was p...

I usually have a knitting project in mind when I write it into one of my books, but Laura’s apricot-colored shawl just kind of appeared upon the page as I was writing the first scene of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer , and it surprised even me. I immediately went to my yarn stash to find a yarn for it, and I searched through my antique knitting books to find some stitch patterns. I made her an elegant wool shawl she could wear at home. The shawl ended up tagging along with Laura into the next book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 5: Prisoner , where it imparts some comfort to her in her trying circumstances. The two stitch patterns are both from the same book, The Lady’s Assistant, volume 2 by Mrs. Jane Gaugain, published in 1842 . A couple excessively clever and creative knitters might have knit these patterns in the Regency era, but they would have only passed them around by word of mouth or scribbled “recipes” to friends or family, and it wouldn’t have been widely use...

In Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer , Phoebe wears a pair of lace muffatees, or gauntlets/arm-warmers that hide a rather deadly surprise. :) I actually got the idea of having her wear muffatees because I saw a lace manchette pattern in Miss Watts’ Ladies’ Knitting and Netting Book , published in 1840, page 20. However, after doing some research, I found that they were called muffatees in the Regency era, and the term manchette did not arise until a few years later. They were essentially arm-warmers worn under those long sleeves on day dresses, which were usually made of muslin too thin to be very warm. I decided to knit Phoebe’s muffatees using a Leaf Pattern originally suggested for a purse in Mrs. Gaugain’s book, The Lady’s Assistant, volume 1, 5th edition published in 1842, pages 234-237. I think there was an error and row 36 in the original pattern was duplicated erroneously, so I have adjusted the pattern. The original manchette pattern called for “fine” needles a...

The latest volume in my Christian Regency epic serial novel is released! Here’s the back cover description of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer : A Christian Historical Adventure set in Regency England with romance and a supernatural twist Part four in an epic-length serial novel Beleaguered spies Lady Wynwood’s team of spies are trying to heal from the physical and mental wounds recently dealt to them. However, their investigation into Apothecary Jack’s mysterious group has turned up only a few strange, disjointed clues, and the dangerous Root elixir continues to circulate in the London underbelly. It is only a matter of time before the Root is sold to Napoleon, which would give him overwhelming dominance in the war. Sudden threats Then Laura, Lady Wynwood, is unexpectedly attacked by a man she had trusted. Although Phoebe and her household staff manage to protect her, her life is now in danger and she must go into hiding. Dangerous mysteries Laura uncovers more ...