I LOVE when mystery novels set in a past era try to stick as closely as possible to true history. It gives me goosebumps to discover that what I’m reading is inspired by actual events and is not too far from the way things really were, especially when it’s difficult to believe people really did/thought/believed that back then. What I’ve found is there’s really nothing new under the sun, only the same, but different.
One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is getting the chance to set a story where my characters can have chance encounters with real people from history. In my book Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, although I’ve invented all the primary characters, I’ve sprinkled the story with cameos from some of the most well-known, …
I’m trying something new! If you subscribe to my newsletter right now, you’ll receive a free copy of my short story “Escapades of a Spokane Thief” set in 1901 Spokane! This short story actually began life as the prologue to my book The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Taker. I thought it’d be fun to …
Welcome to Part 2 of my Look Up, Spokane! series. Last month I showed you some pictures I took of the Spokesman Review Building. Today, we’re going across the street. I had never noticed something rather fascinating about this more modern building: outside, along Monroe, are a series of twelve busts. Each bust is of …
How often do we look up anymore? More often than not, we’re looking down at our phone, or down at our feet to make sure we’re not stepping in dog poop or something. But the last time I was downtown in Spokane, I felt the urge to look up, to see what I was missing. …
The Great Fire that devastated Spokane on August 6, 1889, ended up breathing new life into the town, but they didn’t know that back then… Read below for the first-person account of the event. (Do note, there is some overlap at the tops and bottoms of some of the screenshots to ensure the entire article …
I found the following little editorial article published in The Spokesman-Review, May 6, 1901, and thought it exceedingly interesting. I hope you do, too! (Transcription for easier reading) What is the language of postage stamps when pasted on letters? M.K. The following, called the postage stamp flirtation, may be what you want: Upside down, left …
I wanted to take a moment to write about one of my top sources for first-person accounts of Spokane in 1901. Dear Mother is “A collection of letters and photographs describing many conditions in and around Spokane in 1901-1902” by Marinus (“Marien”) Crommelin. Although originally written in Dutch, Patrick Serné, Marien’s grandson, has taken …
