This week marked the 161st anniversary of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There have been a number of posts about it on social media, which has made me think more about the event and the impact it had on our history. In writing about him, I often find myself considering not only what happened, butContinue reading “The 161st Anniversary of Lincoln’s Death and What Might Have Been”
Category Archives: fiction
Writing a Lincoln Historical Mystery Series Based on Real Events
This week I began thinking about what lies beyond the current book. I’m revising the current book, so it is actually all written. I want to be able to start my next book immediately when this one is being published. For a number of years, I had planned to make this a series, but IContinue reading “Writing a Lincoln Historical Mystery Series Based on Real Events”
Writing in the Midst of Life
Today has been a full day and not an easy one. I went to Indianapolis to attend my brother-in-law’s funeral. It was a military service. He had served in the Navy, and the ceremony carried a sense of formality and honor. It was moving and an appropriate funeral with flag at half mast, bells ringing,Continue reading “Writing in the Midst of Life”
Elijah Lovejoy Standing Against the Mob, the Cost of Speaking Out
As I’m revising Chapter 9 of my Lincoln novel, I’m emersed in the life of Elijah Lovejoy and the position he occupies in the story at this point. The danger surrounding him is no longer uncertain. Those who oppose him are gathering openly and speaking of what they intend to do. There is no realContinue reading “Elijah Lovejoy Standing Against the Mob, the Cost of Speaking Out”
Owen Lovejoy in a Lincoln-Era Novel
At writers group this week I read a chapter from my Lincoln novel that features Owen Lovejoy more prominently. He has appeared earlier in the story, but in this chapter he has two scenes of his own. While others gather and tensions rise around the arrival of Elijah’s fourth press, Owen moves stealthily among thoseContinue reading “Owen Lovejoy in a Lincoln-Era Novel”
Choosing the Next Edward Bryant Story for Publication
I received a wonderful response in the Friends of Ed Facebook group to question I had asked about which of Ed’s stories to publish next. Instead of selecting just one, the author suggested several for different reasons. While She Was Out was mentioned as a strong hard-boiled crime story. giAnts was suggested as one ofContinue reading “Choosing the Next Edward Bryant Story for Publication”
Writing Historical Fiction When the Record is Silent
Tonight I was thinking about a different kind of difficulty in historical fiction. As I move toward the revision of Chapter 8 of my Lincoln novel, I need to add a scene that does not exist in the historical record==the reaction of the Black community to the arrival of the press and the growing tensionsContinue reading “Writing Historical Fiction When the Record is Silent”
How Participating in a Writers Group Helps Shape a Historical Novel and Career
Gatherings like this were common in Lincoln’s time, when ideas and arguments were often tested in small rooms before they reached a wider audience. At writers group today I read another chapter of my Lincoln novel and received several helpful suggestions. After the reading we talked about something writers often wonder about–how books actually findContinue reading “How Participating in a Writers Group Helps Shape a Historical Novel and Career”
Researching Genealogy While Writing a Lincoln-Era Novel
This week I worked in several different realms of writing that all involved history. Chapter 7 of my Lincoln mystery is now prepared to the next reading at Scribes (tomorrow). Its an action chapter, and the tension between Lovejoy and those who oppose him is sharpening. Reading these scenes aloud to the group is theContinue reading “Researching Genealogy While Writing a Lincoln-Era Novel”
When History Becomes Part of the Family
The Mayhew Cabin stood along one of the western routes of the Underground Railroad, part of a quiet network that stretched across much of the country. Earlier this week I wrote about discovering a family connection to the abolitionist movement and the events surrounding John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The more I think aboutContinue reading “When History Becomes Part of the Family”
The View From The Imaginarium 