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.
When writing Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, I knew I had to take my characters to Manito Park, but it wasn’t until I began researching that I learned that the park known today as “Manito Park” was originally named “Montrose Park.” Francis Cook, the owner of the land, named it “Montrose” because of the wide variety …
Join me as I try out Christmas recipes circa 1900! This third recipe is for Christmas Cookies from a personal notebook belonging to my great-great-great-grandmother. It’s also vegan—no eggs or butter! Christmas Cookies 3/4 c honey 1/2 c sugar 3 1/4 c flour 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 …
Join me as I try out Christmas recipes circa 1900! This second recipe is for Delicate Cake from an 1890 cookbook. Delicate Cake 3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 c sweet milk (evaporated or whole milk) 6 egg whites 1/2 c butter 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp baking soda ~1 tsp lemon …
Join me as I try out Christmas recipes circa 1900! This first recipe is for Soft Gingerbread from a cookbook published by Pillsbury in 1905. Soft Gingerbread 3/4 c molasses 1 c brown sugar 1/2 c butter 1 c sour milk (buttermilk) 3 eggs 3 c flour 1 Tbsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp …
One of the best resources I discovered for describing life in Spokane in 1901 was the Dear Mother collection of letters. Marinus Crommelin of Amsterdam wrote home during his visit to Spokane 1901-1902. His letters were compiled and translated by a relative into Dear Mother. This week I wanted to highlight some of Marinus’s impressions …
Author Patricia Meredith shares a little about the historical research that went into writing the Spokane Clock Tower Mysteries. The first book, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, a new historical mystery, is available everywhere books are sold in whatever format you prefer! For a complete list of newspaper clippings outlining the building of the Spokane clock tower, …
Last Friday I had the extreme honor of being interviewed on the Page Turner Show with Annie McKinley at KYRS radio! You can listen to the interview at KYRS.org or right here on my website. Donate to the KYRS pledge drive here to get a signed copy of Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker. I mentioned LOTS …
The biggest question I get is not about my new historical mystery, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, but about how I dress! Find out why I love to dress in my 1901 ensembles in this short video. As I mention in the video, all of my costumes are purchased from Recollections. I am not affiliated with …
The Spokesman-Review and The Chronicle were the main newspapers of 1901 Spokane. Both were owned by William H. Cowles by 1901, who moved them all into the Review Building, which can still be visited today. As I may have mentioned before, I love traveling down the rabbit holes of researching history, and the best place …
And how it inspired the Spokane Clock Tower Mysteries. It all began with a door. On my first tour of the Campbell House, back in 2017, the docent pointed out this simplistic door, saying it was a wood chute for the groundskeeper. He would chop wood or have it ordered in, and then deliver the …
