In this issue: follow my research, quick possum pic, author spotlight on Jolie Tunnell, Beach Town Books, and a bit of art.
A unique chance to watch me work
No, I don’t mean I get on Zoom and you watch me type, frown, and shuffle papers.
For my newsletter subscribers, and because I do love documenting history, I plan to blog my process of research for both a New Orleans-based short story and Murder at the Gasworks, a prequel to my Tommy Jones Victorian mysteries.
 George Elgar Hicks, Dividend Day (1850)
The inspiration for the short story is Bouchercon 2025‘s anthology competition, which I plan to enter. The territory is new. Since the conference is in New Orleans, that’s where they’ve asked the stories to be set. All my fiction work so far has been set in England or southern California, so this will be a challenge.
I’ll also be diverting into my WIP (Work in Progress). The Tommy Jones prequel is half-drafted already, but there is still much research to do, starting with understanding Dividend Day at the Bank of England, pictured above, when stockholders collected their quarterly dividend. (And no, I don’t know how this fits into the story – yet – but there’s been some sneaky goings-on at the Bank . . . )
You can come with me (to the research posts, not the Bank). The first installment is in a secret category on my blog.
Author recommendation: Jolie Tunnell
This month my hearty recommendation is for the novels of Jolie Tunnell, who’s a wonderful person in addition to being a wonderful author of cozy historical mysteries. I became acquainted with her sleuth Loveda Brown in her first outing, The Great Loveda Brown.
Jolie writes the Idyllwild Mystery Series. Idyllwild is located in southern California, like my Bummer at Luna Beach, but it’s up in the San Jacinto Mountains, on the way to Palm Springs. Idyllwild has long been an artists’ colony, but the town also has a very interesting history, as it turns out.
Here’s the latest tale. Go ahead and download it. It’s FREE!
Loveda Brown is a governess for a wealthy 1911 Boston family, but things are about to get complicated.
The August heat could be blamed for short tempers and frizzy curls, but only Loveda Brown would know how a dead man landed in her third-floor bedroom unannounced. Or would she? The clock ticks down as Loveda and her best friend Bea try to untangle the mystery while her future becomes dimmer than a sixteen-watt lightbulb.
Can she take the heat? Or will the truth shock her world?
Download at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/l55do1hfrm
Quick possum pic
I’ll make this quick because not everyone is enchanted with the species Didelphis virginiana. But surely babies are ok?
These two joeys are two of three siblings, and they do like munching, though they are careful not to be seen by the owl. They also hide when the adult possums come by.
Coming in June
If you’re in or near San Clemente, California, come on by. I will be one of a few authors at Beach Town Books for their June Author Pop-Up on Sunday, June 23.
More information as I have it! But let me give the shop a shout-out, too, and not just because they’re hosting li’l ole me. Beach Town Books has lots of used books and some new in a friendly shop with knowledgeable staff. Really a special place.
And a bit of art
I love museums, and this year I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Smithsonian in D.C., the National Gallery of Art, the San Diego Museum of Art (free every third Tuesday if you’re a local!), the Oceanside Museum of Art, and the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum in Los Angeles.
Of course, when I go I’m attracted to Victorian-era art. From a historian’s point of view, works of art are primary sources (things created during the era you’re studying). But I’m also an art history buff, interested in artistic styles and what topics are shown in the works. I take photos of both the paintings and the tags so I don’t forget.
It’s not easy to take photos of paintings in museums. The lights tend to reflect off the varnish, so I often have to photograph from the side. That’s not ideal, but at least it’s my photo.
I like A Pastoral Visit because as I get older I appreciate genre paintings, like people at home, more and more. A family together in a comfortable room, 1888 gender roles intact, food, strong adults, children, and a cat. I tend to sit and look at paintings like this for a long time.
And more!
Want to read previous newsletters? They’re located here at my website, where you can also find information and buy links to all my books. You can post comments there too.
Until next time, keep grousing!
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In this issue: Freebies, li’l possums, Bummer release news, Sisi, a big change book cover, and a cozy anthology contest.
First, welcome to all new subscribers to the newsletter! It’s a little different from other author newsletters, so I hope you enjoy it.
Freebies
Head on over to this Fun in the Sun BookFunnel promo page to find free book downloads (and be sure to get yourself The Dancing Colonel for free if you haven’t already). Genres include mystery, fantasy, short stories, and more!
Li’l possums
Yes, this little guy (and I think he’s a guy because his face is wider than the females) is fresh off the hillside and ready for some apple pieces.
For those keeping track of our possum geneaology, he is one of three so far, son of Bold Petunia, who is daughter of Cassie, who is daughter of Nobbie and (possibly) Panda2. Yes, it’s the Possum Begats.
How do I know who’s who? I take photos, and watch for them almost every night, and try to tell them apart using facial markings and body shapes. I can tell who’s living in the garden by how fast they arrive for food. Plus I’m a trained historian (which doesn’t help in the slightest).
Bummer release news
For my newly released book Bummer at Luna Beach, I tried to get some publicity out more widely. Early reviews are coming in at Amazon and elsewhere, and all outlets should now have the book. My huge thanks to those readers who are posting reviews!
It’s now available in paperback, hardback, or ebook. I’m still working on the audiobook!
If you’re not in the know, Bummer at Luna Beach is what I’m calling an “eco-cozy” mystery with a beachy location. Since it’s a cozy, there’s no gore or horror, just a busybody Miss Marple-ish sleuth, a newbie police detective, a teenage environmentalist, and a grumpy newspaperman. It’s light and fun, but with recognizable underlying themes about keeping beach towns funky.
Sisi
Some day I hope to visit Vienna, so I like to watch movies and TV shows that are set there. And because I’m a historian, I like historical stories.
Exactly one year ago (!) I reported to you on Vienna Blood, the TV show. Now I’ve just finished watching the first and second seasons of Sisi, on PBS.
I know a little bit about the rein of Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary in the 19th century (I vaguely recall writing a chapter on 19th century European politics for a textbook a couple of decades ago). Franz Joseph’s wife Elisabeth (Sisi) was a popular but tragic monarch who may have suffered from depression. That’s not an issue in the first two seasons, where she captures Franz Joseph’s heart with a free personality much at odds with the norms of the time, and becomes a political asset.
The costumes, though! We are at the height of the crinoline era, where skirts were held out in a huge bell shape by hoops. These were, in fact, a revelation and a relief for upper-class women, since the previous era had featured heavy petticoats. With a crinoline, you could do amazing things (like pee, and sit down) much more comfortably. The only possible historical inaccuracy I’ve caught so far is that Sisi’s maids wear them. Indeed, the costumed maids seem to be there primarily for comic effect.
It’s violent in the war scenes (lots of war in the 19th century, especially if you’re Austrian – those nasty Lombards and Hungarians are everywhere) but they saved money using slo-mo camerawork. Otherwise it’s a delight. Yes, it’s in German (and even a little bit of Hungarian), but with expert and evocative subtitles.
Big change book cover
My literary novel, Before the Time Machine, has had a generic book cover since it was published. Although literary fiction readers like the cover (they enjoy discovering what’s inside), general fiction readers can’t tell whether they want to read it.
So I’ve worked on a new cover. Unfortunately, I lost access to the Adobe suite when I retired from the college, so I’ve created it with a combination of Canva and GIMP (the open source graphics program). The new one looks like this:
At a glance we can see that it’s about a historian and H.G. Wells, and time. We’ll see how it goes!
Cozy anthology contest
Writing contests make me crazy (not that I have far to go!). Some of them are just money makers, frankly. Folks set up a contest, charge everyone $100 to enter, give some of the entry fees as prize money, and keep the rest. Really, anyone can do this.
But far better than an ordinary contest is an anthology entry contest. Anthologies are published as books, and are a good way to read several stories of the same genre together. Last year, A Warm Mug of Cozy was published as a collection of stories by wonderful cozy mystery authors.
So this year for Volume 2, I’m entering a story. It features Rosie McMahon and Lou the newspaperman from Bummer at Luna Beach. They find a body while snooping where they shouldn’t be. The clues lead them to Koko Island to find the killer, along with police detective Rory Gallardo, a forensic technician, and a few members of the Koko Island Club.
As you can imagine if you’re an Agatha Christie fan, Koko Island is isolated and the cast of characters very limited. I hope the tale gets accepted!
And more!
- Want to read previous newsletters? They’re located here at my website, where you can also find information and buy links to all my books. You can post comments there too.
- Want to read blog posts on history and writing, or even teaching online? See my Lisahistory blog.
Until next time, keep grousing!
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View on the web
Included within is a retro take on a classic TV show, an eclipse, garden news, a timely featured blog post, baseball, and The African Queen.
A look back at: Murder She Wrote
It was the 1980s, so the haircuts are embarrassing, but the show was cozy mystery at its finest.
The main character, Jessica Fletcher, is a mystery writer. She likes to write at her kitchen table, so we have something in common. Preferring a quiet home life, she nevertheless gets tangled up in murders both in Cabot Cove and on her travels to publicize her books. One of her zillions of nieces and nephews, or a close friend, are usually accused. This means she must to step in and find the real killer, often at some danger to herself.
Although Jessica Fletcher is much younger than Rosie McMahon, the 72-year-old protagonist in my upcoming beach cozy, they have in common a determination to get to the truth, a puzzle-solving intelligence, and a useful relationship with a gentleman friend (Seth the doctor in Murder She Wrote, reporter Lou in my cozy).
What is a cozy? Most people think of books with brightly illustrated covers, a quirky female sleuth, and some form of hobby or business that’s based in domesticity but requires specialist knowledge: catering, quilting, etc. Certainly cozies are supposed to have no explicit sex or violence. I’ve gone back and forth on whether my Victorian mysteries are cozies.
They contain nothing gruesome or explicit. They have some humor and lightness, certainly, but there are important themes riding beneath. One reader said to me, “Well, they make me feel cozy when I’m done reading them!” So I’ll keep the cozy designation and wear it with pride.
Garden news
As promised, here’s what’s up in the Grousable Garden.
Little Petunia the possum disappeared for awhile. When she returned she was so much bigger I had trouble recognizing her. But the big dark triangle on her forehead gave her away. She’s the size of a cat now, and still a little timid when others are around.
Panda 3 is a regular now, and she’s hungry. Judging by the waddle and her very slow walk, I am pretty sure she has a pouch full of joeys. And in case you’re worried that the garden will be overrun with possums, only Petunia remains from Cassie’s litter, and Cassie herself only occasionally comes around. Being a possum is a tough life with cars, coyotes, and dogs just waiting for you to come out from hiding.
Flower-wise, I have a very confused German iris, blooming in autumn. They’ve been pretty successful in my sandy, alkaline, So Cal garden and I’m happy about that. Veggies didn’t go well. The tomatoes pretty much came to nothing, and my gardening neighbors blame the weather. And allow me to present to you the entire watermelon crop.
Well, as they say in baseball, there’s always next season.
An eclipse
Back on October 14, we had a partial solar eclipse in this part of the country. I got a picture through a telescope.
Alexander the Great was on the eve of battle in Mesopotamia, traveling with his entourage of soldiers, scholars, and priests. A lunar eclipse occurred, and the moon glowed red. Many of his followers became fearful. What kind of omen was this? The quick-thinking Alexander said it was a sign that they were going to eclipse the Persians in the war.
I can think of a couple of baseball teams that could have used that interpretation as they headed (or not) to the playoffs.
Featured blog post
It’s not Victorian, nor H. G. Wells, nor about writing fiction, but if you’re interested in the historical roots of today’s Middle Eastern conflict, check out my history blog post.
WWI movies
In keeping with events surrounding the First World War (1914-1918), we’ve just celebrated Armistice Day (known as Veterans’ Day in the U.S.). I notice that in Britain, commemorations are deeply felt and widely understood. In America, the war seems longer ago than it does in the U.K. This is likely because the U.S. participated for a much shorter time, arriving only in 1917.
The Great War, they called it then. That’s wasn’t because it was super, but because so many European countries were involved. And because many of them had colonies, all of their colonies were involved, too, making it a global war.
There are many WWI movies I could recommend, but I’m going to speak for the 1951 John Huston film The African Queen. It takes place at the beginning of the war, in German East Africa. The plot involves a missionary (Katherine Hepburn) and a Canadian who pilots a supply boat (Humphrey Bogart). Although imperfectly based on E.M. Forster’s book, and the events that inspired it, the film holds its own.
Why mention it in an author newsletter? Because the two main characters are the focus of the film as they try to open up the supply route by torpedoing a large German gunboat. Two people against the opposing navy, overcoming the challenges of their dodgy little boat, the tropical heat, and the enemy being nasty. Their relationship develops as they attempt an impossible task fighting for their side. Sure, it’s a romance, but it’s also the little guys against the big guys. A classic story that still manages to give the sense of a war at the human level, fought in isolated places around the globe.
And more!
- Want to read previous newsletters? They’re located here at my website, where you can also find information and buy links to all my books. You can post comments there too.
- Want to read my blog posts on historical research and writing? They’re here.
Until next time, keep grousing!
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