My Latest Blog Posts
A Genius Solution
While working on a short story about Albert Einstein as a child, I added a sentence about a green house and a fish. I doubt anyone that reads that story will understand the reference, but supposedly (it’s the internet, who knows really?) Einstein came up with a...
The Original King’s English?
“Should they talk in a British accent?” was the question asked of me about my characters who migrated from England to Virginia in the 1600s. Seems logical, but what I found out what interesting. Our language has been influenced by the native people who...
Lighting a Candle, 1600s Style – OR – How to light a candle without a match
I’m writing a short story set in the early 1600s. At one point, my main character goes upstairs to the bedroom. She needs a candle to light the way. I’ve seen plenty of movies and read lots of stories where people use candlelight to climb...
Those Puffy White Clouds
Do you remember learning the names of the clouds? Cumulus are the tall, fluffy clouds that sometimes look as if they are sitting on an invisible plane of glass. Cirrus clouds are thin and feathery. Stratus clouds are almost formless. Stratus clouds are the most often...
Sophie Gengembre Anderson
Sophie Gengembre Anderson - The Artist in my Short Story "The Fifth Floor" Google Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823-1903) and you will see some exquisite paintings. Most of her subjects were young girls. She had a soft, romantic...
Richard Whitney
Richard Whitney - The Real Man in "The Fifth Floor" Short Story Richard Whitney (1888-1874) was President of the New York Stock Exchange from 1930-1935. His career ended in disgrace, but in 1929, he became the hero for a day when stocks fell on “Black Thursday,”...