Oct
21
2008
Well, its been a long time since I’ve posted much. And since I’ve promised to post photos (just click on them to enlarge) of my trip, I figured I’d better do it before the season has passed.
About a week and a half ago, we took the boys to my hometown. But instead of staying locally, [...]
Tags: finger lakes, research, wine, Writing
Aug
12
2008
I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction in preparation for writing the next book this fall. The title of this post is one of these books (by Mary Roth Walsh – 1977). Yes, its an old book, but I was after the historical stuff… She chronicles and examines the history of women becoming physicians from [...]
Tags: female physicians, medical school, women physicians
Jun
28
2008
I’m still here. But my writing, including this blog, has slowed WAY down.
I was in the middle of moving.
But now the boxes are unpacked, curtains are up, and most of the pictures are hung (don’t ask about the cellar, we’re pretending its not there). Its time to start writing again.
I bravely sent out [...]
May
23
2008
What did a nineteenth century family do when they needed more space? Wanted to attach the house to the barn? Or wanted to keep the kitchen separate from the more formal dining room and parlor?
They built an ell. It means exactly what it sounds like – the addition was built at a right angle [...]
Tags: Ell, Historic Deerfield
May
16
2008
Can you remember that first book that turned you on to reading? The one that made you defy your parent’s call “lights out” with a flashlight under the covers?
For me, it was a box set of six mystery books by Wylly Folk St. John including The Secrets of Hidden Creek. I can still [...]
Tags: Barbara Michaels, Elizabeth Peters, gothic, mystery, Nancy Drew, Wylly Folk St. John
May
13
2008
In Wait for Their Return, my historical character needs appropriate dishes. Some of these dishes are made from redware, a kind of pottery that went into production in America in 1625. Redware was given its name because that was the color the clay turned after firing. The production of redware continued at high levels [...]
Tags: kiln, potters, pottery, redware, sturbridge
May
11
2008
I thought I was interviewing another writing, blogging Wiffer, but it turns out Robin is not yet an active member on the boards. How’d we ‘meet’? We’re not exactly sure, but it was either through Pam or Caryn. Come on over to the Will Write for Wine boards, Robin.
1) Where [...]
May
02
2008
I ‘met’ Pam (aka Pimp My Mixer Pam) on the Will Write for Wine forums. Its a fun community of writers and readers led by Samantha Graves and Lani Diane Rich. While many of the writers there are (as yet) unpublished (myself included), we’re working hard on changing that. With a [...]
Apr
25
2008
I was at Sturbridge Village last weekend (detecting a theme?) and there happened to be two costumed interpreters making soap, the old way. In an earlier post, I mentioned that the ashes from all those wood fires were saved for making soap. I had a vague idea of the process, but took the [...]
Tags: lard, lye, soap, sturbridge, village
Apr
19
2008
Wait for Their Return incorporates a lot of historical facts from the 1830s. To get the details as accurate as possible, I spent a huge amount of time reading and researching. The library has seen a lot of me this past year.
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I also made several trips to Sturbridge Village in order to [...]
Tags: cooking, fire