When writing historical fiction, one of the most important things to keep straight is the timeline of events. While writing A Deed of Dreadful Note, I wanted to track not only the events in Anna Katharine Green’s life, but events around her that would have affected her writing. For example: When was the publication of …
Has your book club read one of my books? Wondering what to discuss when you meet? Here on my website, I’ve tried to provide a plethora of background information for those interested in learning more about the research behind my historical mysteries. To assist in Book Club discussion, here are some questions and resources that …
Hello, readers! If you’ve read my books in the Spokane Clock Tower Mysteries, you’re familiar with my characters’ discussion of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… Tune in TODAY at 4:00pm MST to hear a live discussion of the book with my fellow BookTubers! It’s a Classics Cage Match! Join me, historical …
If you missed it live, you can still stream my introduction via my bookshelves that happened Saturday! They say you can tell a lot about a person from their bookshelves… To that end, I went live to introduce myself via my bookshelves! People asked questions, responded to my favorite books, and really got involved in …
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not read Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, please do NOT read this post! If you’ve read Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, and have begun or finished Cupboards All Bared, you’ll know why I felt the need to share more information on the topic of mental illness in the Gilded Age. (You might also …
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not read Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, please do NOT read this post! However, if you’re looking for a synopsis because you’re hoping to start Book 2, Cupboards All Bared, and you need a little help remembering what happened in Book 1, you’re in the right place! By special request, I’d …
Hangman Creek, the Campbell House, and the Montvale Hotel aren’t the only local historical locations featured in Cupboards All Bared. (Each of those links will take you to the in-depth article on those locations.) You’ll find many more little cameos from local Spokane locations throughout the book, like the Spokesman-Review building and Dodson’s jewelry. Check …
The third major location featured in Cupboards All Bared is the Montvale Hotel. The Montvale was built in 1899 by Probate Judge John Binkley as one of the first Single Room Occupancy hotels in Spokane. This means it was built for the laborers that were constantly in flux in Spokane, coming through to work on …
We’re going to jump now to another important location in the book: where they find the body. Once I knew the events of the second book had to include McKinley’s visit and the Campbells, I needed a way to tie in a murder. Just down the road from the Campbell House is Overlook Park, which …
Cupboards All Bared, Book 2 in the Spokane Clock Tower Mysteries, is direct proof that reading old newspaper articles can be incredibly inspiring to historical mystery writing! While researching for the first book, originally set in early May 1901, I stumbled across this article: There’s nothing quite like reading articles from the time period to …
