April 1-28, 2025

How the Rich Made, Kept, or Lost their Money

with WITH Louisa Cornell
Registration Opens:
February 1, 2025!

Registration ends April 11, 2025!

Class Description

The most popular assumption as to the source of the income of gentlemen, men of no profession who had no need to sully their hands with work or trade to make or keep their fortunes, is that they simply inherited their money and then passed that money on to the next generation.

Whilst many titled gentlemen and members of the landed gentry did inherit their fortunes, there was far more to keeping those fortunes and sometimes having to remake fortunes lost by imprudent ancestors or wastrel heirs, than is ever spoken of in most Regency fiction. Fortunes were seldom stagnant. Maintaining estates, appearances, and the quality of life to which one had become accustomed was no mean feat, especially when one chose to do so without appearing to work at all.

This class will cover the various ways the wealthy and / or titled generated income from tenant rents, to agricultural production, to investments, to resource mining, to annuities, to a variety of other methods—some acceptable by our standards and some decidedly unacceptable by our standards.

In addition, the class will cover the methods by which the wealthy and/or titled lost their fortunes from gambling, to poor investments, to financial scandals, to political missteps, and legal entanglements.

When writing the financial status, rise and/or downfall of a character or of an entire family it is hoped this class will provide attendees with very real scenarios far more unique and dramatic than many of those the wealthy experience today.

Louisa Cornell

About the Instructor

Louisa has been employed as everything from a veterinary technician to a bakery manager to night manager at a funeral home. Her education background includes a B.S. in Music Education and a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Judson College, a Master of Musical Arts and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Opera Performance and Music History from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a year’s fellowship at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

After retiring from a European career as an opera singer Louisa returned to her first love, writing Regency romance. A two-time Golden Heart finalist, three-time Daphne du Maurier® winner, and four-time Royal Ascot winner—she is a member of RWA®, Southern Magic RWA, and Regency Fiction Writers. She is both indie-published and published by Scarsdale Publishing. Her first published work, the novella A Perfectly Dreadful Christmas, won the 2015 Holt Medallion®. Her novel A Study in Passion won the historical romance mid-length category of RWA®’s 2021 Vivian Award. Her 26th book A Pearl Seduced will be published in August, 2024. Her first contemporary romance Cajun in a Kilt will be published in December, 2024.

Louisa has taught workshops for the Academe and has presented multiple workshops for Regency Fiction Writers Annual Conferences. She has also taught writing craft workshops for RWA chapters, her local library, and RWA®’s Pen-2-Paper program.

Her hobbies include collecting Regency research books, studying the history of Gothic romance, creating Regency hats, and playing doorman and maid to a herd of small, yappy dogs. She visits the UK as often as she can!

Visit the instructor’s website at https://www.facebook.com/RegencyWriterLouisaCornell or http://numberonelondon.net/

Class Delivery

Class Format

4-WEEK COURSE

Written Lectures: available as downloadable PDFs
Pictures: some

Class Fees

$40 for RFW members
$55 for non-members

Registration Opens:
February 1, 2025!

Registration ends April 11, 2025!

Scholarships are available for members

Learn more