A Deed of Dreadful Note is a piece of historical fiction, created by blending The Leavenworth Case with Anna’s personal history, recorded thoughts, and relationships since, as she said herself, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Where possible, I have used Anna’s own words to capture the grace and wit with which she approached the world …
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 …
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 …
For those of you who weren’t able to attend our event, we had an incredible tea party this Sunday at Heavenly Special Teas, my favorite local teashop! (Learn about the next event at the bottom of this post!) I thought I’d share some of my readings concerning tea etiquette, since when I was researching for …
Do you remember when Downton Abbey first aired and nobody could keep all the characters straight? Was he the butler or the footman? Whose mother is she? Who was Daisy again? And yet, three episodes in and we were all hooked and so invested in the characters it seemed amazing to us that we had …
