Book Review: A Wilder Rose

A Wilder Rose: Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Their Little Houses was written by Susan Wittig Albert. It's a really interesting book, for many reasons.

You can tell that Susan did her research. Her writing takes you back to the 1930s, a time of depression and dust storms.  Have you ever read Little House in the Big Woods? If not, have you seen the TV series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's books? If you can say yes to either question, then I suspect you'll find this book very interesting. It takes you back to that time period and you'll learn about how Laura Ingalls Wilder's books were written and how they came to be published. You also learn about her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. This book is primarily about Rose.

At the front of the book, Susan has written A Note to the Reader. It's only a page and a half long, but once you read it, you'll see how much research Susan did to write this book. All that research paid off because the characters feel as real as if they were still alive today.

I found it fascinating to read about this time period and the relationship between Rose and Laura. No one at that time wrote down conversations or the words that were spoken, but Susan Wittig Albert does a great job of giving them voices that feel true.

I recommend A Wilder Rose and give it a rating of Hel-of-a-Story.

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FTC Disclaimer: Susan emailed to see if I would review her book. I said yes. The fact that she sent me the book did not influence my review. The fact that she's a really good writer influenced me a because I was pretty sure I would enjoy the book. (I was right. I did.) I did not realize how many books she's written until I read the back cover. Take a guess. How many do you think Susan Wittig Albert has written? Whatever you guess, you're probably wrong. She's written "50 adult novels and works of nonfiction, as well as 60+ novels for young adult." Her writing resulted in her book getting a rating of Hel of a Story. Susan herself gets a rating of When-in-the-Hel-does-this-woman-sleep?

Research First

On Monday, we talked about using a dictionary or thesaurus when you're in need of different ways to say or describe something. 

Sometimes you may feel that what you need can't be found in a book. So you take a class, say, in police procedure. Or you talk to a friend or acquaintance in the police department. 

Before you do that, though, do some research. The police or contact person with the police can't give you the answer you want unless you know what you want. You're going to have to narrow down your question. Rather than asking how police investigate a crime scene, try to narrow it down to specifically what you need to know.

To narrow down your question, you can turn to books. For example, I have a textbook called "Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures and Forensic Techniques." It's the second edition and it's pretty old (1993), but I still check it first for the basics.

There's a guy online who would be a good source: Lee Lofland. He has a Writers Digest book called: "Police Procedure & Investigation". You can also check out his blog, The Graveyard Shift .

 

For most subjects, it's fairly easy to do research. And sometimes you can ask experts, either in person on online.

Guest: Carolyn J. Rose

 Carolyn J. Rose is the author of 11 novels including A Place of Forgetting, a story about love, war, betrayal, and Thoreau, set in 1966. A cozy mystery, No Substitute for Murder, is due out soon. I convinced her that appearing here on Straight From Hel was a good way to launch her new book.

Carolyn grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains, graduated from the University of Arizona, logged two years in Arkansas with Volunteers in Service to America, and spent 25 years as a television news researcher, writer, producer, and assignment editor in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Now getting her quota of stress as a substitute teacher, she lives in Vancouver, Washington, and founded the Vancouver Writers’ Mixers. Her hobbies are reading, gardening, and not cooking.

The Etiquette of Eavesdropping

Carolyn J. Rose

As a writer, I’m always on the lookout for unique characters with distinct voices, characters using the language in new and different ways, bending, folding and mutilating it into fresh and interesting similes and metaphors.

Fortunately for me, potential characters are everywhere—in grocery stores and at the mall, in the rec center pool and walking in my neighborhood. They’re where I work, in restaurants and coffee shops, at highway rest stops and in movie theaters.

More fortunately, many of those characters are having conversations—face-to-face, or on phones. Often—and perhaps this is a sign of our social networking age—they make almost no attempt to keep those conversations private. There’s no turning aside, no hunching over, no cupping hands to contain their voices.

Unless I walk away, it’s almost impossible not to hear at least part of their conversations. And because I’m always looking for raw material, I don’t want to abandon a fresh mine of characterization.

That’s why I’ve decided to set aside the “it’s rude to eavesdrop” rule laid down by my grandmother.

But, in the interests of being at least a little subtle, and not drawing the wrath of eavesdroppees (let’s pretend that’s a word, okay?), I established a few Okay and Not Okay guidelines.

Okay
*Jotting notes to yourself if you can successfully pretend you’re making a grocery or to-do list
*Cuing friends with your eyes or a discreet thumb gesture so they can help you remember
*Dialing your answering machine and quietly leaving the information in a message
*Racing to the restroom and scrawling details on a paper towel (Note, a look of urgent desperation gives this verisimilitude, but as more restrooms go to those hot air blasters, towels are harder to find)

Not Okay
*Making eye contact
*Commenting on their conversation
*Asking if they could repeat something you didn’t quite hear
*Being obvious about taking notes, texting, or tweeting
*Pulling out a recording device and pointing it in their direction
*Calling a friend and loudly proclaiming “you’ll never guess what I’m listening to”

Some of the most amazing things I’ve overheard include:
I’m taking my truck and those quaaludes. That’s all I need.
And then the chicken attacked.
The DNA didn’t match either of us.
The safe is hidden behind the baseboard in the corner of . . .
An unregistered gun, two cans of beef stew, and . . .
And there I was, halfway to Seattle without my underwear.

If you’ve heard anything interesting or have some rules about eavesdropping that you’d like to share, please leave a comment. We’ll put your name into the drawing for a copy of A Place of Forgetting.

Dog Gone It!

One writer’s writing has gone to the dogs. Specifically, it’s gone to the White House dogs. Dorothy St. James agreed to stop by today and talk about the dogs in her book, Flowerbed of State. Dorothy knows her dogs and politics since she’s worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Please welcome Dorothy St. James.

Chasing after the Commander-in-Leash

One of the best things about researching life at the White House for my new book series—the White House Gardener Mysteries—has been learning about the presidential dogs. I’ve always been a dog nut. (And a cat nut, too.) So it was only a given that a presidential pooh would show up in my cozy mystery.

Milo, the president’s naughty puppy in Flowerbed of State.

Milo, a goldendoodle mix rescued from a shelter, was a gift to President Bradley and his wife, Margaret in Flowerbed of State, the first book in the White House Gardener Mysteries. Milo quickly becomes a favorite with the White House staff. At the same time, he’s all puppy who keeps my tireless heroine, Casey Calhoun, on her toes as he digs up rose bushes and rushes toward the gates whenever they’re open.

Historically, the White House gardener has served as caretaker for the presidents’ pets. The current White House Horticulturalist, Dale Haney, has cared for every White House dog since King Timahoe, Richard Nixon's Irish setter. For the past 40 years, when the First Family was out of town, Haney becomes the unofficial dog walker.

Bo Obama under a Japanese magnolia in the Rose Garden

(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Barney Bush fielding questions in the Press Room

(Official White House Photo by Alex Cooney)

Having a gardener care for the family’s dog(s) makes sense since the “commander-in-leash” spends much of his time romping across the lawn and following behind the gardening staff.

Dale Haney often personally washes off muddy paws using a hose on the north lawn. You can’t let a muddy puppy tromp through the state rooms ruining historically significant oriental rugs.

Using this research, I’ve breathed life into my fictional president’s new puppy. Milo quickly became one of my favorite characters and a talented scene-stealer.

I didn’t realize how realistic I had made the rambunctious Milo in Flowerbed of State until I volunteered to take in a few foster puppies from a local shelter. These two have exhausted me as I’ve chased after them to keep them from digging up, chewing, or rolling over my vegetable plants and flowers. Recently the pair of angels has turned their attentions to lopping off all the blooms on my blanket flowers.

My two foster puppies (Onslow and Rosie) diving into my garden.

Like Casey, I’m happy to do it. These little scamps can melt my heart with one soulful look.

What puppy antics have you tolerated? Do you have any suggestions on encouraging these two young puppies away from my vegetable garden?

Thank you Dorothy!

Dorothy St. James (wildlife biologist and paper pusher) is the author of the White House Gardener Mysteries with Berkley Prime Crime. The first book in the series, FLOWERBED OF STATE, has been called “spunky” (Library Journal), “fast-paced” (Publishers Weekly), and “it quite simply blew me away” (Criminal Element).

Before you zip away to pet your own dog or pet, leave a comment or question for Dorothy.

A Search Engine for Writers

The wonderful author Elizabeth Spann Craig and software engineer Mike Fleming have created a search engine for writers. No need to Google then wade through 50 sites that don’t get you what you want. The engine is called: the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine.

Elizabeth has always visited blogs and posted the best of what she found on her own blog, Mystery Writing is Murder. When she had gathered over 1500 wonderful posts and article on writing, she realized she needed a way to not only to share these resources, but to make them available and searchable by anyone. With the help of Mike Fleming, a software engineer, they created a searchable engine. And it’s free.

You can read more about Writer’s Knowledge Base on Elizabeth’s blog. The resources provided by the search engine will continue to grow as she adds more and more articles to the list. Mike is continuing to make the engine fun and accessible. Elizabeth noted in her blog that he has included “a fun feature where a writer can browse the links and find random writing-related articles.”

On the homepage of Writer’s Knowledge Base, you’ll find a list of random articles. You can also search by category or keyword. Give it a try. And if you forget the link to WKB, look over in my sidebar - you’ll find a link there.

Thank you Elizabeth and Mike!

Research, Research

Today, I’m over on The Blood-Red Pencil talking about Research.

We’d all like to zip here and there, doing research in the exotic or fun settings, like France or New Zealand or Lockhart, Texas…but it’s not always possible to do first-hand research. On the other hand, you have to get it right or readers will catch your mistakes.

So zip over to The Blood-Red Pencil and contribute your ideas for second-hand research when you just can’t do it first-hand. (‘Course, I’m not talking to you Romance writers. We all know you do only first hand research.)

Use Your Connections

Today, I’m over on The Blood-Red Pencil. I’m blogging about that possibly most hated chore of writers – researching. Even if you write only fiction, you end up having to do research since not everything can be made up. If you get things wrong, readers will catch it and you’ll lose credibility.

So how do you research? What sources do you use?

We turn to libraries, nonfiction books, newspapers and magazines, Wikipedia, and the Internet. We travel to places where our characters go or live. But while our characters may go off on a two-week cruise, we may not be able to afford that. So what then?

Zip over to The Blood-Red Pencil and read some of my ideas for research.

Author Brett Battles

 Brett Battles writes award-winning international thrillers (his second book in the Jonathan Quinn series, The Deceived, won the Barry Award for Best Thriller of 2008). He also blogs over on Muderati and writes short stories.

If you like to write or read thrillers, today’s your chance to hear from one of the best thriller writers and maybe even throw out a question of your own. We’ll start with five from me.

Hi Brett. Welcome to Straight From Hel.

Helen: I love the strong, intelligent character of Orlando and how she handles the relationship with Quinn. When you first envisioned her, did you see her as an ongoing character?

I always wanted there to be a strong female character to balance out Quinn (in fact, I would argue that Orlando is even stronger than he is). And, yes, I had planned from the start for her to be ongoing. But how she actually came to be? It was organically as I was writing. She just showed up on the page when I needed her, and grew very quickly into the person she has become.

H: Quinn does a lot of traveling in the books. What kind of research do you do on the various settings?

I try to visit most of the locations in my books. Or, at least, the main ones. I’ve spent time in Berlin, Vietnam, Singapore, London & Paris (the main locations of the next Quinn book). When there, I take tons of photos and movies as I wander the streets. Often I’ll find a café or restaurant I like, and just plop myself down for several hours and watch the world go by to get a sense of the local ebb and flow. One thing I don’t do a lot of is hit the obvious tourist spots. I prefer the city or town or country as they locals see it.

H: What is your process for coming up with each storyline? Does an idea percolate in your head for months, then you research, then you begin to write? Do you already have outlines for future books?

It’s kind of a combination of things. I usually have an opening scene in mind, and kind of know where I want to end things. Of course, more and more, I’ve been outlining as it helps me stick to deadlines, but these are only about 10 to 15 pages, so not overly detailed. I do let ideas percolate for a while, too. I would consider this percolation mental loose outlines of future books. Other than that I might have some notes written down, but don’t have detailed outlines for future work. On the research/travel front, sometimes I’ll travel first, before I even know what the story will be about, and let the location inspire me. Sometimes I’ll have the story in mind before I hit the road.

H: My husband has gotten hooked on your Jonathan Quinn series, so I asked him what question he would like to pose. He said he would like to know how you came up with Quinn’s job description of “cleaner.” When my husband thinks of a “cleaner,” he thinks of someone who cleans up a crime scene.

I’ve always been fascinated by what happens after the action happens. For instance, after one spy kills another. What if the body needs to disappear? Who would do that? What kind of skills would he need? I’ve seen characters like this in the movies LA FEMME NIKITA and, most notably, PULP FICTION (the Harvey Keitel character really stood out to me.)

H: And lastly, what has been the most difficult part of promoting your books?

I don’t think about it as difficult, not in the sense of doing promotional things. I want people to know about my books, so promoting is a necessary part of that. I enjoy connecting with people, too. I guess the difficulty would be getting people’s attention from all the other choices they have (other books, movies, video games, other activities.)

Thank you so much, Brett!

 Publishers Weekly said this about the Quinn series:

"Breakneck pacing, colorful locales and dizzying plot twists make the Quinn series a welcome addition to the political thriller genre."

If Brett’s answers have piqued your interest in Jonathan Quinn, you’ll want to visit Brett’s website where he posted a conversation with Quinn.

But before you go, say hi to him or ask a question of your own.

The Height of Writing

Hello, my name is Helen and I’m a writeaholic.

Writers spend a lot of time on writing. They write, they research for what they’re writing, they think and dream about plot and scenes, they jot notes at a stop light or while waiting in the check-out line, they talk to other writers, they read books, newsletters or blogs on writing, they go to meetings, workshops, conferences, and talks on writing, they do book signings and other book promotions, they act out dialogue, they tape record scenes or the entire manuscript and critique it, they go to critique groups, they edit and edit and edit. And if all that isn’t enough, some of us think about writing in general when we’re not thinking about a specific book or manuscript.

Last week, I was hanging upside down in a big chest freezer and it made me think about writing.

No, I wasn’t acting out a murder scene. I was defrosting the freezer. Now, growing up I was tall; I’m not so tall now. I haven’t shrunk, but the next generation has gotten taller, so 5 foot 9 inches doesn’t seem as tall as it did when I was in high school. But, even so, the freezer is quite deep and to get the melted ice off the bottom and sides, I had to bend over the side and just about hang upside down, with only my toes balancing me on the floor.

And this made me think about writing.

How many times do we have a character do something without checking to see if that character could physically do it? Take defrosting a chest freezer as an example – not that you’re likely to have a character doing that, but you might. Hmm, I’m seeing a female character trying to defrost the freezer when the killer creeps up behind and shoves her in and closes and locks it. Then…oh wait, sorry, I got off subject. We were talking about defrosting. If I’m five foot nine inches tall and having such a struggle getting the job done, how would you have a character who’s five foot two do it? On the reverse side, there are plenty of things a short person can do that would be difficult or impossible for a tall person.

It’s good to think about such things before a reader catches it and writes you a note or, worse, writes you off as an author to read. 

James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener

Today we have two authors visiting with us. James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener are co-authors of David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man’s Friend.

James Boylston has written articles for The Alamo Journal and The Crockett Chronicle. He’s also the creator and moderator of the Alamo Studies online forum, a web based discussion group devoted to the serious study of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. A songwriter and audio engineer, he has had a life-long interest in the Alamo and David Crockett. You can listen to some of his music on his MySpace page (my favorite on his current playlist is Blueprint for the Blues; second favorite: TROUBLE).

Allen Wiener is also the author of The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide and co-author of Music of the Alamo. He has written for The Washington Post, People, American History, The Alamo Journal, The Crockett Chronicle, Western Clippings, Goldmine and Discoveries.

Their book, David Crockett in Congress has won high praise. I found it quite interesting that they live in different states. Boylston resides in Florida, while Wiener lives in Maryland. They’re here today to talk about co-authoring. If you’ve ever thought about partnering up and writing a book, this is a great post to read.

Welcome James and Allen!

CONSIDERING CO-WRITING

James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener

Since the publication of David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man’s Friend, one of the questions we’re asked most frequently is, “How exactly does co-writing work?”

It’s a fair question, especially given that writing is generally a lonely process, when authors reach down deep inside themselves and transfer their innermost thoughts onto the page.

For a collaboration to be successful, there are a number of factors to consider. First and foremost is TRUST. Each writer must have faith in the other’s abilities, and trust that shared ideas will result in shared benefits. The book is what’s important and egos have to take a back seat. So, getting to know your partner before you plunge into a project is important.

HONESTY: Collaborators must be open with each other about strengths and weaknesses in their writing. The work is bound to suffer if one writer has a thin skin or is reluctant to be blunt with the other for fear of offending. This is related to the issue of trust. Both authors should be confident that, when they hear criticism or suggestions from their partner, they are honest comments intended to strengthen the work. This is as true for the research phase of the work as it is for the writing itself. When the research burden is being shared, each writer has to trust that the other has left no stone unturned. Often, a writer may think of a source that the other has missed, and that has to be communicated. This is one of the strengths of working with a partner, who may think of things you hadn’t considered, or suggest sources that had not occurred to you.

COMPATIBILITY: Two distinctly different writing styles, regardless of how effective each may be, will hurt a final manuscript. The reader should forget the fact that the book has been written by two different hands and be able to focus on the content. The narrative must flow seamlessly, as if a single author had composed it. This can be problematic since writers’ styles tend to be distinctive and each writer tries to convey his thoughts from his mind to the printed page. It is a major advantage if the two writers have similar styles, but when they do not, each must adapt theirs to that of their partner to the extent possible. Depending on how different those styles are, the process can be difficult and is best addressed in the drafting and editing stages. Each writer’s initial and subsequent drafts should be reviewed by their co-author, who should suggest revisions or corrections and send it back to the original author. This back-and-forth process can be repeated several times for a single chapter and, in the process, the styles of each writer may “bleed” into one another. Although complete seamlessness may not be possible, a smoother transition can be accomplished. Of course, the surest way to avoid this problem is to choose a co-author whose writing style already matches your own fairly closely.

BALANCE: In most collaboration, each author will bring certain strengths and weaknesses to the task. They may not be obvious at the start, but should become more clear as the work progresses. One partner may be better at seeing the big picture while the other may be more detail oriented. One may write long first drafts while the other submits shorter, sketchier, first attempts, and these roles often shift as the writing progresses. The sooner the two authors recognize these traits, the sooner they will arrive at the most productive division of labor.

A SENSE OF HUMOR: Writing a book, or even a magazine article, can become stressful. It is certain that unanticipated challenges will crop up, causing delays or frustration. Learning to take on these obstacles with patience and a smile will get you through them with a minimum of aggravation and stress. In fact, this is one of the advantages of having a partner, since these burdens can be shared.

Anyone considering a joint project would do well to keep these things in mind. Checking your compatibility ahead of time can avoid a lot of stress later on. Still, there’s no guarantee that collaboration will work out successfully. Achieving effective teamwork is not always easy, but giving a partnership careful consideration before taking the plunge can make all the difference between the successful completion of a project and one very long headache.

Thank you very much, James and Allen.

You can find out more about the authors and David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man’s Friend at James Boylston’s blog, Jim’s Corner: Miscellaneous Ramblings. In addition, Allen Wiener also has a blog, Allen’s Corner: An Occasional Commentary on Books, Media, Current Events, and the Author’s Own Writings. If you’d like to hear more about their book, you can see the talk they gave at the 2009 Texas Book Festival, which was taped and appeared on CSPAN Book TV.

David Crockett in Congress is available in bookstores everywhere.

Co-Authoring a Book

Tomorrow, we have two wonderful authors coming to Straight From Hel. James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener are co-authors of David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man’s Friend.

Jim Boylston has had a lifelong interest in David Crockett and the Alamo and is the founder and moderator of the Alamo Studies Forum, a web based discussion group dedicated to the serious study of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution.

Allen Wiener is the author of The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide and co-author of Music of the Alamo. In addition, he has written for many publications, including The Washington Post, People, and American History. You can find more information about him at Crockett in Congress, including a link to his blog, Allen's Corner.

Their book has been receiving high praise since its debut. Pulitzer Prize winning author Jon Meacham said: "James R. Boylston and Allen Wiener have done a masterful job of recovering the real David Crockett, a figure of enormous historical significance in the tumultuous and critical Jacksonian age." When the authors appeared at the 2009 Texas Book Festival, CSPAN Book TV was there to tape their talk.

David Crockett in Congress has been called the first book to explain why even the history books have not provided a full and accurate portrait of this American legend. Boylston and Wiener present missing correspondence that sets the record straight on this historical legend. Crockett's letters, speeches, and political circulars were used to define Crockett, as well as here-to-fore unpublished documents, and all the political writings of Crockett, as well as a complete collection of Crockett holographs and portraits.

Boylston and Wiener will be here to talk about co-writing such a research-heavy and intensive book. They have a lot of advice for writers thinking about undertaking a co-author project.

I hope you’ll stop by tomorrow and ask questions.
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Today through Thursday, the 25th, I'm over on Stephen Tremp’s blog, Breakthrough Blogs, talking about author websites. I hope you’ll stop by to talk about your website, how you set it up (or had it set up) and what works for you.

Where in the World is Helen?

I’m here! I’m there!

Actually, I’m here today to let you know I’m over on L. Diane Wolfe’s blog, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips. I follow Diane’s blog daily. She has posts on writing (she’s the author of The Circle of Friends series) and she also hosts guest authors. She has some weekly features, like the Sunday Sillies and Fridays’ Book News, where she links to other blogs. If you’re not already following her, check out her blog.

She invited me to post on Spunk on a Stick’s Tips about research. For the nonfiction books I write, I do a lot of research. And those of you who write fiction know that fiction isn’t all made up. You have to do research for both fiction and nonfiction.

If you’ve got a few minutes, click over and read my post on researching for fiction and nonfiction, including some personal examples of my own research. I’d love to hear a couple of your research experiences.

Thank you, Diane, for allowing me to take over your blog today!

A Savage Wisdom by Norman German

Today, our guest blogger is Dr. Norman German, a Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University, Fiction Editor for Louisiana Literature, and Winner of the Deep South Writers' Contest for No Other World.

A specialist in twentieth-century American literature, he has also published award-winning short stories, poems, and literary criticism. His stories have appeared in commercial and literary magazines, including Shenandoah, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Sport Fishing, and Salt Water Sportsman. His scholarly articles cover a wide range of major American authors including Ernest Hemingway, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Raymond Carver, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, James Dickey, and Anthony Hecht.

You can also find him on Facebook.

He’s here today to tell us about his third book, A Savage Wisdom, his research and the trail that led him to write the book. Plus, he has a special purchase price for his book for Straight From Hel readers, so be sure you check the end of the post.

Welcome, Dr. German.

~~~~~~~~~~

“The Detective Work of a Writer” by Norman German

Put to death in 1942 for the 1940 Valentine’s Day murder of a Houston businessman, Toni Jo Henry is still the only woman ever executed in Louisiana’s electric chair.

Toni Jo’s story has intrigued me since childhood, when I would read about her in special features in the Lake Charles American Press, which tantalized readers with reproductions of her leggy portrait as a coddled death-row inmate.

When I decided to “novelize” her life, my four-year research led me to the newspaper archive room, legal documents, and Toni Jo’s gravesite.

First, I read dozens of newspaper articles on the murder, capture, trial, and execution. To create the dense, “textured” world of a novel, I immersed myself in magazines and popular histories from World War I to 1963 (JFK’s assassination).

From antique stores, I bought ten copies of magazines from the period, including Life, Look, Collier’s, and Saturday Evening Post. I read every article and studied every ad in order to realistically recreate the clothing, slang, and pop-culture icons of the era.

Two indispensable histories were Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s and Since Yesterday: The 1930s in America, both by Frederick Lewis Allen. However, my most valuable source was written by a hobbyist historian. New Orleans in the Thirties, by Mary Lou Widmer, includes hundreds of photographs chronicling the interior décor, men’s and women’s clothing styles, cuisine, and social customs reproduced in the novel.

For the 1950s, I ordered legendary journalist David Halberstam’s The Fifties. From Time magazine’s special issue “Time Capsule: 1950, The Year in Review,” I became familiar with everything from automobile models and colors to whiskey brands.

The authoritative source for the trial was the Southern Reporter, a series containing summaries of regional court cases—dull reading, indeed, but it led me back to the newspaper accounts describing the various parties in the courtroom. For example, during Toni Jo’s three trials, members of the courtroom audience often made slitting motions across their throats.

For years, I had heard the rumor that Toni Jo’s grave was not marked by a headstone for fear of vandalism. I went on my scavenger hunt in the Orange Grove-Graceland Cemetery on Broad Street, thinking to walk in concentric squares until I found her tombstone or proved the rumor valid.

I had two surprises. The first was coming upon the headstone within five minutes. The other was discovering that the name of Louisiana’s most notorious murderess had been misspelled. Annie Beatrice McQuiston, carved as “Anna,” adopted the name “Toni Jo” as a prostitute and became Toni Jo Henry upon marrying Claude “Cowboy” Henry, himself a murderer on the lam when he met Toni Jo.

From my research what I ultimately discovered was that Toni Jo was not a sympathetic character I could build a true-crime novel around, so I became interested in the idea of “rewinding” her life and recreating her as an ingénue deceived into a type of high-class prostitution. A Savage Wisdom thus became a study in deception and an exploration of identity development.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, Dr. Norman. So many years of research, and it seems as though what you discovered changed your entire approach to her story.

If you’re interested in getting A Savage Wisdom for yourself or to give as a Christmas gift, I have good news. This month, to commemorate the gruesome anniversary, Dr. Norman is offering free shipping plus a discount on his book for orders placed at http://www.asavagewisdom.com through November. So instead of $14 plus shipping, paperback purchase is a flat $10.

Dr. German will be stopping by during the day to answer questions or say hi. You can also chat with him on Library Thing from now until November 26.

How about you? Have you done research that, in the end, changed your thinking or even your entire approach to the book?

Guest Blogger: Mike Cox

Today, author Mike Cox is visiting. In 1993, he was elected to membership in the Texas Institute of Letters. For 20 years Mike was a newspaper reporter, and he’s also the author of 13 nonfiction books including a study of Texas disasters, three books on the Texas Rangers, one collection historical stories, one true crime story, a biography, a memoir and three local histories, as well as numerous magazine articles, essays and introductions for other books. You’ll find his byline in both state and national magazines.

Today, he’s talking about what you can learn from research.

Welcome, Mike Cox.

When I do the research for my books, including the second of my two-volume history of the Texas Rangers, Time of the Rangers, I like to visit as many of the places I write about as I can.

I’ve been to the remote Coal Mine Ranch in Presidio County, where Mexican bandits killed a Ranger in 1915. I’ve spent hours walking around Camp Mabry in Austin, where the Rangers officed before the Texas Department of Public Safety built its current headquarters in the early 1950s. I’ve been to the Walls prison unit in Huntsville, where narco kingpin Fred Gomez Carrasco tried to escape in 1974 only to be thwarted by Rangers and other officers.

But until recently I’d never visited Snake-den Tank.

As I explain in Time of the Rangers, the men (and now women) who wear the distinctive silver Ranger badge have always been welcome guests on the ranches they helped bring law and order to. Since at least the 1950s, the famous 6666 Ranch near Guthrie has hosted an annual get together for the Rangers at a large stock tank on one of its sections.

Rangers gather to shoot, compare notes with colleagues, eat well and, at least at the Snake-den Tank, work in a little off-duty fishing. It’s even possible they will play a few hands of poker or sip something stronger than iced tea.

Snake-den Tank is aptly named, being a great place to run across a rattlesnake – or several. Retired Senior Ranger Captain Lefty Block, an old friend, tells me the only accommodation at Snake-den used to be a drafty plank shack. Often, when Rangers first arrived to set up camp, they found it full of snakes.

One time, Block says, he and several other Rangers had broken for lunch after finishing a round of target practice. As Block enjoyed his grub he spotted a coiled rattler under the chair of the Ranger next to him.

“Don’t move,” Block whispered.

The Ranger, a rookie, wrongly sensed a gag and laughed.

“I said don’t move,” Block ordered in a voice normally reserved for uncooperative suspects.

About the time the young Ranger finally realized his precarious situation, the diamondback unwound itself and calmly slithered right through the Ranger camp.

“We’d all taken our guns off,” Block says. “All we could do was just sit there and watch it until it crawled off.”

The Snake-den is still a good place to find a rattler, but the amenities have vastly improved. Now it’s a complex of attractive new ranch buildings complete with bunk beds, kitchen, bathrooms, flat-screen TV, computer with internet connection and the remodeled original camp house, now home to the owner’s trophy game mounts.

According to retired Company C Captain Carl Weathers, the 6666 Ranch sold a chunk of land to Amarillo wheeler-dealer T. Boone Pickens, who divided the acreage and in turn sold it to various others. Max Williams, a Dallas businessman and avid hunter, bought 2,500 acres including Snake-den Tank and named it the 2-4-6 Ranch.

I visited the ranch for the first time when the Former Texas Ranger Association’s board met there Oct. 21. Happily, I encountered no snakes.

Thank you, Mike.

What about all of you? Do you venture away from the libraries and computers to do research? Have you found first-hand stories that have given you ideas and visual pictures of settings and events?

Susan Wittig Albert and Rhys Bowen

Today on Straight From Hel we have two, count ‘em, two wonderful authors (I feel rather like the old Doublemint commercials). Susan Wittig Albert and Rhys Bowen are here for a Q&A, but I am not asking the questions. They are asking each other questions!

I do get to introduce the two of them, though.

Susan Wittig Albert is a well-known author who writes both fiction and non-fiction. She writes the China Bayles mystery series (a contemporary series featuring a Texas herbalist), the latest of which is called Wormwood. With her husband, she co-authored an historical mystery series under the pseudonym Robin Paige. She also writes an Edwardian series called The Cottage Tales, set in English Lake District with Beatrix Potter. The latest, The Tale of Applebeck Orchard, will be out in September. And I have great news for the millions of Albert fans -- next year, she starts a new series, The Darling Dahlias! Her nonfiction titles are Work of Her Own and Writing From Life: Telling Your Soul’s Story. Take a look at her page of books she’s written. It’ll amaze you. When she’s not writing, she’s gardening, blogging, and working with the national organization she started for women wanting to write their life stories - Story Circle Network.

Rhys Bowen writes three mystery series: the Constable Evans mysteries, the Molly Murphy Mysteries (featuring a feisty Irish sleuth in turn-of-the-century New York), and her latest series starring Lady Georgie, a minor royal in 1930s England, who has to learn to survive on her own. The latest in the Lady Georgie series, Royal Flush, is out this month. Rhys’ mysteries have been nominated for every major mystery award, including the Edgar for best novel -- and she’s won seven of them! She also has written short stories, picture books for children, young adult novels, and adult historical sagas. Since, clearly, she’s not very busy, she also blogs. I’m very happy that she stopped by here, even though she’s most likely exhausted since she’s in the midst of a tour to seven cities for the release of Royal Flush.

I now give the blog over to Susan Wittig Albert and Rhys Bowen. Welcome!

Susan: Rhys, we’ve all noticed that British mysteries do well here in America. Why do you think Americans are so fascinated with Britain? And why are they so fascinated with the royal family?

Rhys: I've always felt that the Britain that Americans love so much is that mythical village populated by Miss Marple--with the old pub, the hunt meeting to set out and a couple of nosy spinsters. It represents, I suppose, a universe of safety and order. If a crime occurs there, then the sleuth will solve it and order will be restored again. Also it represents a place where time has stood still. Most of us spend our lives rushing these days and would love to have the time to stand and gossip in the village shop. Of course this type of village still exists in England but the people who live there now are likely to be yuppies escaping from the rat race at weekends. However, in remote pockets you do get a feel for the real thing. My brother and sister in law live in Cornwall and I've been to local functions in her village hall--the fruit and vegetable auction for the women's institute for example, that really are stepping back in time.

I suppose this is why I choose to write about the past, because it is the time I long for, not the place. I too want to live in a world where it was safe to send me across Europe on my own at the age of 12. I want to have time to discuss the weather and gather fresh eggs. I want to know all my neighbors. I want the Vicar of Dibley!

And royals--it amazes me how fascinated Americans are with the lives of the royals. I suppose it's because our own president is always way too ordinary and human and we really like the pageantry that accompanies the royal lives. Not that we'd want a queen or king here, but it's nice to know there is one, somewhere else. We have a fascination with celebrities over here and they are celebrities par excellence, more interesting than Brad and Angelina! My 1930s royals are such fun to write about because they are creatures apart and there is so much to satirize in the upper class life and the class system.

Rhys: Now, let me ask you something, Susan. What made you think of using Beatrix Potter as a sleuth? How did that series come about?

Susan: Bill and I were writing a Victorian series together, back in the mid 1990s, under the pseudonym of Robin Paige. The hallmark of the series was our use of real people as important characters: Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Lily Langtry, and so on. In one of the books, we used Beatrix Potter, and I started doing some serious research on her life. She fascinated me--at least in part because I felt (and still feel) a kinship with her. She was born to wealthy London parents but craved a life in the country, in a country village--like the village you’ve just described. That’s where she wanted to live, in what she thought of as the world of real work and things that really mattered. She wanted to have time to discuss the weather and gather fresh eggs and know the neighbors (although there was a catch there, because she didn’t always like the neighbors). And it was that real life, with its emphasis on animals and nature, that led her to write and draw the little books for which she is so famous. In 1901, when she was 35, she self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and the rest is literary history.

But she did get her farm. In 1905, when she was 39, she bought a Lake District farm, in the little village of Near Sawrey, and became a Lake District farmer. At 45, I became a full-time writer and Texas homesteader. When I learned Beatrix’s story, I felt I had discovered another version of my own life. Of course, I’m not a sleuth--and I have to say that my Beatrix isn’t, either. The Cottage Tales are very soft and cozy, and Beatrix’s sleuthing is of the “accidental” variety, more than any deliberate effort. She’s intrigued by puzzles and extraordinarily curious. She just wants to find things out.

Susan: Which leads me to ask you this, Rhys, about your own mystery series. Isn’t it stretching reality a bit, perhaps, to believe that a female sleuth could be successful in the early twentieth century?

Rhys: I get asked this question a lot, but in reality women were doing all kinds of amazing things, exploring the North Pole, riding across the Sahara disguised as a man and in World War 1 they had to take over many of roles normally assigned to men. Look at all those sheltered upper class girls who went out to the front as nurses and the horrors they had to deal with. ! I'm sure my Lady Georgie would have done brilliantly. She's been brought up to be plucky and resolute!

It's probably a stretch to think of a sleuth who is 34th in line to the throne--but it did happen that aristocrats found themselves penniless in the Great Depression and she needs to survive somehow. And having proved her worth, the royal family finds her useful as an inside observer where others of lesser rank couldn't go.

I have come across plenty of role models in my research for both Molly and Georgie. Nelly Bly was a role model for Molly—getting herself arrested to report on women’s prisons, and other daring exploits. The NYPD just had its first women detectives and one appears in my books. And for Georgie—well, I knew her, at least I knew people like her who had been in their twenties in the Great Depression. I married into a frightfully posh British family that goes back to King Edward III so the older relatives provided me with plenty of material (except they didn’t solve murders very often!)

Rhys: And that brings up a question for you, Susan. What kinds of research problems did you encounter as you began to work on the Cottage Tales? And why did you decide to write just eight books in the series? Isn’t that cutting it a little short?

Susan: You know, the research question is so crucial, Rhys, because there are so many different research challenges in the series. First of all, there’s Beatrix’s own life. Her most important contributions, her conservationist efforts, were entirely unknown until the last few years, when an American biographer, Linda Lear, began to study her. Until then, the focus was all on Beatrix’s creative, artistic work, and less on her life as a farmer and villager, which was really what interested me. So I’ve had to do some serious digging to pull it all together.

Another research challenge is recreating the village of Near Sawrey in 1905-1913, as closely as I can to the way it really existed. That involves the landscape, the animals, the weather, the people, their clothing and their dialect, the food they ate, their games and pastimes--oh, so much to learn! But that’s always what interests me about writing historic fiction: the opportunity to recreate a world that doesn’t exist any longer, and to make it real enough so that the readers want to go there!

As to the number of books, when I began to imagine the series, I decided that I only wanted to write about one part of Beatrix’s life, from 1905--when her fiancé, Norman Warne, dies and she buys the farm--to 1913, when she marries Willie Heelis and moves to the village. I’m sure that perfectly wonderful books could be written about other times in her life, but it was that eight-year period that interested me: how and why Beatrix grew into a mature and self-defining woman and could at last emerge from her parents’ iron embrace and move to the country for good, where she could live a creative, energetic life, away from the artificialities of London.

Susan: I wonder, Rhys--do you suppose that we all have this urgency inside us to somehow “get away” to a different place? For instance, what would you imagine to be a perfect place to write, if you were creating a writing fantasy place?

Rhys: It's strange that you asked that question because mine would be Beatrice Potter's cottage! I have this fantasy cottage nestled in a glen with a stream running past and roses growing over the porch and I'll sit at my window staring out at green hills with sheep on them. Of course I'd probably not get as much work done as sitting at home, looking at a blank wall!

Rhys: And you, Susan? What’s your fantasy writing place?

Susan: I live here already, Rhys. Bill and I have lived in the Texas Hill Country for nearly thirty years now. I have my gardens and woods and meadows and the animals that share the place with me--as well as a private place to write. I can’t imagine anywhere else that would suit me better. I just wish I could bring Beatrix here for a visit. I know she’d love it (although I’m sure she wouldn’t love our Texas summer!).

Rhys: Susan, thank you so much for inviting me in for a chat. I’ve enjoyed our virtual scones and clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam and the tea made in the big earthenware virtual pot.

Helen: I’m suddenly hungry. For scones and clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam. And for books!

Thank you, Susan and Rhys. What fun to have you both here. (Incidentally, if you Twitter,you can follow Susan and also follow Rhys.)

Okay, everybody, leave questions for Rhys and Susan - and tell us where your favorite writing place is (or would be if you’re still looking for that perfect spot).

How To Choose a Conference

So far, we've talked about Why Conferences Cost So Much and Learn Without Going. Let's talk about How to Choose a Conference.

If you’re looking to attend one or two conferences this year, then this is the time to start your research. You have to decide how many you hope to attend, how much money is in your budget, how far you’re willing to travel, and, especially, exactly what your goals are.

If you know you want to stay within driving distance, then google for conferences in your area or search in Shaw Guides. But maybe the subject matter of the conference is most important to you. Then search using keywords that fit your requirements, like romance or mystery or agents.

Let’s say you want a conference that specializes in the genre sci-fi. So you google that and come up with seven conferences that sound interesting and are within your budget. Now, go deeper. What kind of track record does this conference have? Who is listed as being on the panels or teaching classes? What authors will be there? Do you know anyone who has attended the conference and what do they have to say about their experience? Is the conference all one-way communication or are there opportunities for you to get involved in readings or Q&A or meet-and-greets or hospitality suites? What is the primary focus of the conference – fans getting to meet authors, authors discussing their books, experts teaching about writing?

Or maybe you’re looking for conferences specializing in agents and/or editors. Once again, you find some that you can afford and seem promising. It’s imperative that you know which agents and editors will be coming to the conference. How many of them represent your kind of writing? Will there be opportunities for one-on-one meetings? Do you only get one face-to-face or can you sign up for more? Are their social opportunities to meet the agents? Will the agents and editors be leading workshops or on panels?

Decide now what you want from a conference. That way you have time to do research and find the perfect match. Then you have time to sign up in order to get what you want from the experience. Then you can look around in your circle of friends to see if anyone else is going to the conference, especially someone who has been before and can show you the ropes.

Don’t wait until the last moment to sign up. Be prepared. Do your research. Spend your time and money wisely and you’ll make the most out of attending.

Slower Than a Turtle

Do you ever feel like you’re slower than a turtle to catch onto things? I had that feeling yesterday.

I’m working on the third non-fiction book for TSTC Publishing so I do a lot of online research. I’m also a book consultant so I do a lot of online research on agents and publishers - and looking up of terms or things that writers use in their manuscripts. I also edit for companies, which can mean more online research. And I’ve taken on creating and maintaining a third website.

In other words, I do a lot of googling. I do general google research. I google publishing news through the “news” search option on Google.

Yesterday was a duh moment. I discovered Google has the option of searching books.

Books.

There are so many ways to search - News, Images, Web, Maps, Shopping… But I found if I click “more,” there are even more ways to search -- Group, Scholar, Finance, Blogs …. and Books.

Wow. You can search for more than just a particular author. Enter a search term and see what you come up with.

Have you clicked on the “more” to see what other searches you can do via Google?