Jess Wells

Women's History Month! I consider it my life's work to write about the world of women, especially women of great accomplishment who are overlooked by standard history books. Here are the fascinating stories of some unsung women:

Eleanor Roosevelt, A Tale of Two Firebrands: Discover the fascinating friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Pauli Murray, a civil rights advocate and brilliant writer. 

The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Rumrunners and Hitler: The modern science of cryptology was largely invented by a husband and wife team who battled rumrunners and Nazis. Here's their fascinating story, and other tales of unsung women.

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I'm diving into another draft of my novel set in 1351 and I thought I would share with you the building that I'm using as a model. This is a schematic entitled Michaelhouse circuit 1348[i] , "a college for scholars in Holy Orders" that existed between 1323 and 1546 and has now been incorporated into the College at Cambridge. Despite it being a college, it has features that can be found in many medieval manors.

• First, note that this manor is nearly self-sufficient. It has a fruit orchard, kitchen gardens, and a fishpond for food, with a brewery and bakery for bread and ale. Read More