History + Mystery Blog
Welcome!
Let's start with a toast! First, to you, for stopping by -- thank you! And second, to the completion of A Celebration of Murder. The editing is done, cover designed. Now I just have to continue with the publication process!. Stay tuned for updates and other news....
Stone, Steel, and Secrets: Walking into the World of my Novel
A recent research trip to Boston took me to 24 School Street, an Art Deco-style building mirroring the optimism of the interwar period at the heart of my stories.
Baking History: A 1918 Fruit Recipe That Helped Win The War
Baking this bread connected me to the women who carried on through rationing, uncertainty, and loss.
Plundering Digital Archives for a Richer Story
Writing historical fiction used to require packing your bags, booking a research trip, and spending days (or weeks) elbow-deep in archival boxes, deciphering spidery handwriting by the dim glow of a reading lamp. For some writers, that kind of research still has its...
October Mountain: Melville’s Literary Gift to the Berkshires
Nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, October Mountain towers over Lenox, the setting for my book, with a quiet grandeur. Throughout my historic mystery, the mountain presides over the lives and secrets of my characters—and is a character in its own right. How did...
Driving While Female in 1919: Lost, Stuck, and Judged
The heroine of my book, Petra, zips around in her trusty 1916 Model T, navigating city streets and rural backroads with aplomb. Writing her adventures has immersed me in the peculiarities of early 20th-century road conditions, and I’ve come away in awe of the fearless...
The Women Who Took Down the Bird-Hat Trade
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women's fashion faced sharp criticism for its lavish use of bird feathers, plumes, and even entire bodies on hats and clothing. While this critique targeted the female wearers of these elaborate creations, the culprits...