Thursday, July 28, 2022

From bad to wurst

 


Roulette Salon, Monte Carlo
Roulette Salon, Monte Carlo
 

The truth is, I do a hideous amount of research. This is mainly because my plots are fairly wild, and I use historical facts, from events of worldwide importance to what kind of socks men were wearing that year to anchor my stories in reality.


     Am I methodical? Not in the least. Basically I have one text file, into which all my historical facts are thrown like a meat grinder to be turned into sausage later. Some of it's meat, some of it's spice. Would you like a glimpse at some of the ingredients that go into my bratwurst? I thought you might. 

    Here's a small sampling of my notes (in no particular order) for my present project, 

The Strange Case of the Pharaoh's Heart:

Gould married Sinclair on May 1, 1922.

November 9, 1922 — Tomb opened

They were married in December 1922 Ali Famy

On March 14, 1923, they legally remarried— Rudolph Valentino, divorced in 1925.

Cartouche by Terry Ward
Cartouche by Terry Ward

The nearby tomb of King Seti II, with 

cluttered trestle tables and Thonet bentwood chairs pressed tight against the ancient relief


“Well, sir, if it isn’t too great a liberty, I am a neighbour of yours, for you’ll find my little bookshop at the corner of Church Street, and very happy to see you, I am sure. Maybe you collect yourself, sir. Here’s British Birds, and Catullus, and The Holy War—a bargain, every one of them."


There was a sensational shooting affair at Leeds Tuesday sequel to the death Miss Helen Mary Nind, the music teacher, wha found poisoned in a Leeds hotel during the week-end. 


Dr. Scott's results in the examination of the brown marks upon the walls of the tomb are interesting - his examination proves them to be of the nature of mould from infection of some kind.


Arthur Mace never returned to the tomb. He contracted pleurisy which led to pneumonia. He nursed his health assiduoudly, but died in 1928.



1922 BUGATTI TYPE 23 TORPEDO SPORT

Top Speed:

London taxi, 1920s
London taxi, 1920s
62 mph,



Beginning in February 1924, she accompanied Valentino on a trip abroad that was profiled in 26 installments published Movie Weekly over the course of six months`.


State - How much fuel you've got. Mother requests, "Say your state". Responded to in the form of hours and minutes of fuel onboard til you "splash". You respond"State one plus two zero to splash" = 1 hours and 20 minutes of flying time remaining.

Flying in the 1920s was also an uncomfortable experience for passengers because it was loud and cold, as planes were made of uninsulated sheets of metal that shook loudly in the wind.

Junker aircraft interior
Junker aircraft interior

The average journey time by train between Paris Gare de Lyon and Meiringen is 6 hours and 53 minutes, with around 20 trains per day.


              ********


The pictures are, of course, research as well, and I download a lot of them. These I treat with so little method that I usually have to wind up seeking them out again on the internet when I need to consult them. It may seem like chaos, but that's an accurate reflection of my writing method. In the end, it's wurst.

Saturday, July 2, 2022

All the cool kids are doin' it

audiobooks logo

 Now hear this.

 Now hear this.

The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle is now available  for pre-order from Audiobooks.com in audiobook format (obviously), suitable for listening to, or...listening to louder.

Avoid the Sept. 6th crush, pre-order now.


Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Review: Idolmaker

Idolmaker cover


In Tokyo, an earthquake can put a crimp in your wedding plans. But only a murder
can put the kibosh on them. That's right, we're back with detective Kenji Nakamura, the love of his life Yumi (who's about to say I do to someone else) judo sensei Sgt. Oki, and the most important character in this series, Tokyo itself. 

And this time we're in the mad world of Japanese teen music idols. Now I'm guessing that the world of teen music idols is probably crazy worldwide, but nowhere near as crazy as in Tokyo, where they seem to squeeze them out like sausage. Is there murder? Of course. A couple ok 'em. And perversion? A soupcon. And a manhunt (or rather a woman-hunt which becomes...oh, never mind). 

What you need to know is that there are more satisfying twists and turns than ever, against a backdrop which mixes ancient customs with cutting-edge culture by an author who knows and loves Japan down to her toes.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Golden State Gabfest

golden state media logo
Up for more talk about 
The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter, as well as a peek at my nearly-completed next next Holmes epic, The Strange Case of the Pharaoh's Heart, and even a whisper of what's to come after that?

Then tune into:
for all the lowdown.