Erin Summerill Photography
Julianne Donaldson
Julianne Donaldson is the creator of Regency Retreat and your illustrious hostess. She is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author of Regency romances, including Edenbrooke and Blackmoore. Her love of the Regency era began when she was sick with pneumonia as a teenager and spent a month reading every Georgette Heyer novel in print. Her interest continued through college, where she majored in English with an emphasis in British Literature. When she is not dreaming of living in a time long past, she stays busy raising her five children in Utah.
Erin Summerill Photography
Jaime M. Kirby
Your co-host, Jaime M. Kirby, formerly known as Jaime Richardson, or even Sophistimom, is the author of Celebrate Every Day: Recipes to Make the Most of Special Moments with Your Family (skirt! 2013). She became obsessed with romantic notions of England as a teenager when her mom’s friend gave her an issue of Victoria magazine, which she would stare at endlessly. She has since become passionate about afternoon tea in the English style, and visits the United Kingdom as often as she can.
Sarah M. Eden
Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming award-winning historical romances. Described by Midwest Book Reviews as “a true master of the genre,” Sarah crafts witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library.
Erin McOmber
Erin McOmber earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree, also in voice performance, from UC San Diego. She has maintained a private voice studio for over twenty years and is an active member of the National Association of Teachers and Singing since 2001. As a singer, Erin has performed numerous operatic roles such as Mimì (La bohème), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and Blanche de la Force (Dialogues des Carmélites), and has been the soprano soloist for Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and more. She spent three years as a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formerly the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) and is a founding member and conductor of Mayfield Singers, a small mixed chamber choir based in her hometown of Palo Alto, California. She has two teenage daughters who also sing, and she has an addiction to Trader Joe’s sipping hot chocolate (which is found only at the holidays!), something with which she is learning to live.
Joanna Barker
Joanna Barker was born and raised in northern California. She discovered her love for historical fiction after visiting England as an eleven-year-old, and subsequently read every Jane Austen book she could get her hands on. After graduating Brigham Young University with a degree in English, she worked as an acquisitions editor before devoting herself full-time to writing. She is the author of three Regency romances, The Truth about Miss Ashbourne, Miss Adeline’s Match, and Secrets and Suitors. She enjoys music, eating (who doesn’t?), and reading everything from romance to science fiction. She lives in Utah and is just a little crazy about her husband and two wild-but-loveable boys.
Esther Hatch
Esther Hatch grew up on a cherry orchard in rural Utah. After high school, she alternated living in Russia to teach children English and attending Brigham Young University in order to get a degree in archaeology. She began writing when one of her favorite authors invited her to join a critique group. The only catch was she had to be a writer. Not one to be left out of an opportunity to socialize and try something new; she started on her first novel that week.