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Do you do research for your books/stories?  Since I spent many years doing scientific research, I found it natural to see a need for at least some research in my writing. Writing a mystery book with a completely imaginary setting somehow didn’t resonate; I needed some real places to ground it.  Previously I have spent time with a lobsterman, pulling traps on his boat, and interviewed a famous sail maker.  Last week, in order to check out some details in my second book, my husband and I once again set out for Maine, in the midst of one of the worst winters ever.  Maybe we needed to have our head examined, but setting a book in Maine in the winter needs some real life experience and mine only extended to Massachusetts. We drove from Boston to Caribou the first day, admiring the change from hardwoods and firs to stands of white birch scattered among the green of the firs. The vast spaces covered with untrodden snow were stunning and often tested our perspective.  Snow blown high against the sides of barns and the thickness of snow on roofs, some curling over the eaves, was testimony to the harsh weather.  We were lucky to take our trip in between snow storms, but it wasn’t warm: in the teens during the day and single digits overnight.  Still, we missed the worst of it, because it’s -16 there today. The next day I had a wonderful Irish lunch with the John Dennis, the Cultural Director of the Aroostook band of the MicMaks.  He grew up in Cape Breton, where apparently a boiled dinner (corned beef with boiled potatoes, cabbage, and root vegetables), a staple of New England, became one of his favorites. And there is an Irish restaurant in Caribou that serves this.  Since I consulted with Mr. Dennis as an elder of his tribe, I brought him a gift of tobacco to be used in MicMac ceremonies.  Mr. Dennis is a deep well of information about the history of the MicMacs, their spiritual beliefs and customs, their problems and needs – our time together went by in the blink of an eye. We then drove from Caribou to Bar Harbor, in order to be near Bass Harbor for the next day’s adventure.  That was a ferry trip to one of Maine’s Islands, Swan Island.  We got to Bass Harbor early and that was lucky, because the line of cars waiting to drive onto the ferry grew.  You travel to Swan Island in your car; there is no saloon on this ferry. As the car grew colder and icy salt spray coated the windows, we wrapped ourselves in our coats and watched the islands slip by, surrounded by white caps, car gently rocking with the big ferry.  Once on Swan Island, we drove around, noting the neat stacks of lobster traps on virtually every front lawn of the mostly white or gray houses.  Houses there range from normal, one or two story New England boxes to multimillion dollar mansions, where the owners only live for a few weeks a year. Small coves were iced up with some of the ice piled up by the tides.  And it was really windy and really cold! We visited the small store on the island, where stocks were clearly depleted by the winter, and learned that with the small winter population, everyone knows everything about everyone, and the gossip is rampant.  I left some bookmarks with information about my first book at the store and figured by that night, everyone on the island would know a writer had visited! After Swan Island, we had to head south, in order to overnight within driving distance of Boston.  Along the way, we visited an independent bookstore in Bangor and another in Bath.  I’ve come to believe that Independent bookstore owners are characters. The owner of the Bath Book Shop was running around in a tall red and white striped hat, in celebration of Dr. Suess’s birthday. We arrived home after another long day of travel. For those of you who know Boston, the Callahan Tunnel is closed and that required some re-routing in order to get to Logan Airport. Thank heaven we brought our Garmin and left plenty of time to get there.  So research this time was a bit of an adventure. Hope you have as much fun doing yours! 0 0

Just thought I’d issue a bit of a warning. For last year’s A-Z blog challenge, I did odors – something every mystery writer should include in their stories. And it was a challenge! There are many blog writers out there whose musing on writing, specifically mystery writing, are so far beyond anything I would write, I decided this year to do something completely different. This year I am writing about Renaissance artists. So my blog will still be related to an art, just not writing (except in the case of Georgio Vasari and Leonardo daVinci). I took Renaissance art courses in college and became entranced with the art and history of the time. So I am going to take a jog down memory lane and see if I can find Renaissance artists, A=Z. I’ve already put together blogs A-C, and I must say it’s fun, but challenging, since I need to keep them fairly short and include appropriate illustrations. I am trying to choose artists who made a contribution to the development of their craft, in terms of medium, technique, mechanics, or style. The main problem is that the blog is non-linear. I jump around from early to middle to late Renaissance to keep to the A-Z. I’ll put a timeline in at the end. Stay tuned! 0 0

It’s amazing to me how the South responds to a “winter event.” A winter event is snow, sleet, ice or any combination thereof, and despite the fact we usually have 1-2 of these each winter, the Southern states are woefully unprepared. Consider the situation in Atlanta, Georgia, where traffic during the recent winter event became snarled and came to a full stop on the major roads. People either slept in their cars overnight or abandoned them to seek shelter. Winter weather preparedness is not at the forefront of people’s thinking in the South. Witness the run on stores for who knows what the minute snow is mentioned in the forecast. Here in North Caroline, schools close if there is even a threat of a snowflake and stay closed as long as there is any snow on the ground. School closures when there is real ice and snow is a good idea, because many of our secondary roads are not plowed, but I remember sitting home with my kids when absolutely nothing precipitated. I am by birth a hearty New Englander and I spent five years in Chicago, where snow is a way of life. Thus driving in it was never a challenge, but driving down here IS a challenge, not because of the snow but because of the other drivers. I remember one of my first winters here, driving down the road and seeing cars upended in ditches alongside the roadway, like so many tombstones in a line. That is not to say I haven’t skidded myself, but I know how to get out of the skid, and I always carry a bag of kitty litter in the back of my car. I’ve always thought that driving courses, which are required for all potential drivers in NC, should have driving in snow and icy conditions a required experience in the course. Now that I’ve written this, I’ll probably go out today and do a 360 in an intersection! 0 0

This is loooong overdue. I kind of hit a wall in early December with all of the holiday activities, and despite promising myself to post a blog, it just kept being put off. I know other writers go through this, and it was complicated by a lot of critiquing and working in fits and starts on my second book. Which brings me to the point of the blog. I need to do research for my books. They are set in Maine, a state which I visited quite a bit when I was growing up, boating along the coast with my family and occasionally going on trips with my Dad when he was heading up the Marine Division at the Boston office of Aetna Life and Casualty. I had decided long before I started the first book that the stories would be set on the Maine coast. My husband and I have taken trips – during the summer – to gather in the environment and background for both books. But this second one is set in February, and although I remember vividly my winters in Plymouth, MA, that was many years ago. I really need to experience what the winter is like in Maine. Several friends have suggested that I wait, and certainly with the Canada Clippers that are sweeping down every few days and leaving Maine in a deep freeze, with or without snow, their cautions are reasonable. But I was a scientist for more than four decades, and the urge to do research is still there. So off to Maine we will go – to visit Presque Isle and the MicMak Cultural Center, circle the area of Crystal Bog, and take a ferry trip from Bass Harbor to Swan’s Island. And perhaps a few visits to independent bookstores, to see if they would display my first book. Not more than four days. Really. Unless it snows. Do you do research for your books? And please note my daughter felt that my blog site needed to be modernized. Comments on this new format would be welcome! 0 0

Having grown up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and as one of the first guides at Plimoth Plantation, Thanksgiving has a special place in my heart. Working in the Pilgrim village, standing in reproductions of the crude homes in which the Pilgrims first lived, I could not imagine the hardships of that first bitter winter, when nearly half of their small band of 102 intrepid travelers (only 37 were Separatists) died from disease and deprivation. Try to imagine what it would be like to set off in a small, creaky ship on a vast ocean, leaving everything and everyone you have ever known, not knowing if you would even survive the trip, just to be able to worship God freely and in your own way. The first Thanksgiving was a three day feast celebrated with the Wampanoag Indians, who contributed significantly to their survival. As written by Edward Winslow, one of the 53 surviving Pilgrims, and later governor of the Plimoth Colony: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and may you be “partakers of our plenty.” And remember those who are less fortunate than we. 0 0

Tom Clancy died today, too young at 66. He was a towering author of technically detailed espionage and military thrillers spanning three decades. I was particularly impressed with his character Jack Ryan, with whom I was in love even before Hollywood’s depiction with the likes of Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Alec Baldwin. The guy knew how to write a thriller, and I had a hard time putting down the books before I came to the end. What impressed me the most was his ability not only to tell a story, but to keep it relevant to the current time, moving seamlessly from the Cold War to the current problems in the Middle East. I suspect his novels didn’t attract a wide swath of women readers; they are of the sort that appeals to men. Clancy himself presented as a macho type with aviator glasses. But my father, who was an omnivorous reader, introduced me to his books and said I would like them. I did. But then, almost everything my Dad recommended, I liked. Imagine reading The Odyssey at age eight. I did and liked it. His last book, Command Authority, comes out on December 3rd. I’ll probably pre-order it. 0 0

On this most auspicious day, I suspect people remember just where they were when they first heard the news of the attack. I know I do. I also remember the ensuing events, and the wars which we fought. On this day, I honor the memory of all the people lost on that day and the service men and women who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a military mother, I deplore all wars and yearn for peace, but recognize that the world is not perfect and we need our sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, to protect our freedoms and country which is “the shining city on the hill.” 0 0

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Craig Johnson, the author of the series of Longmire mystery books I recommended several weeks ago, last Saturday at the Bookmark book fair in Winston-Salem. Johnson is a memorable character, one of those people who seem a bit larger than life, electrify personal interactions and occupy the entire room when they are speaking. He spent time with each person for whom he autographed a book, taking time to chat about this and that. Personable, funny, a great story teller, he made me laugh until my sides hurt with his tales of how people have experienced his books, the people on whom the various characters are based, and how he views the world. Johnson is clearly excited by the popularity of his books, but has retained a down to earth personality and an eagerness to connect with his readers. I also had the honor of meeting his wife, Judy, on whom the character of Deputy Victoria Moretti is based. She is the female version of her husband, approachable and fun to talk with. Now I need to take a trip to Longmire Days in Buffalo, Wyoming, the town which became Durant, the seat of Absaroka County. I heard that a lot of people descended on that town for Longmire Days this past July, not only to meet Johnson but also the cast of the TV show based on his books. Now if they only had a rodeo there at the same time, my happiness would be complete. 0 0

Okay, I’ve been very remiss at blogging lately, but I have a good excuse – a knee replacement, which left me very tired and just managing day to day for a while. I am heavily into PT now and walking with a cane, which means more energy! So I’m beta reading a friend’s book and back to working on mine, the second in a Rhe Brewster Mystery series. In the meantime, while my mind and body are catching up, I want to recommend two blogs I visit on a regular basis: Scribbling in the Storage Room by Elizabeth Hein and Sylvia Writes by Sylvia Villalobos. Elizabeth is a member of one of my critique groups and blogs about writing, offering great links and advice. She has recently published her first book, Overlook, which demonstrates her real skill for writing about women. Overlook, a novel about housewives who live in a housing development built around a man-made lake, is rife with social commentary, snarky and back-stabbing relationships, and yes, even some violence. I loved it. Worthy of Oprah’s book club. Sylvia is a new friend whom I met through blogging. I recently read a flash fiction piece she published in Pure Slush; she is a phenomenal writer. Her blogs are so worth reading; she asks profound questions about writing and blogging and makes thoughtful and perceptive observations of the world around her. Even though I am not doing such a great job at blogging myself, at least I can recommend a couple of women who are! 0 0

I have rarely encountered a series of books that I enjoy re-reading, especially in my favorite mystery genre. But lately I have found myself re-reading the Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I discovered them last year when Longmire became a new series of A&E, and I decided to read the books to see what the fuss was all about. The first volume hooked me and I raced through everything he had written. Now that I am re-reading the books, I like them even more, kind of like slipping on an old comfortable pair of slippers. Johnson is an interesting and talented writer, combining a wonderful ability to delineate memorable characters with write brisk, intelligent dialogue, and to create word poems of the beauty of the part of Wyoming where the stories are set. His mysteries also contain more than a soupcon of Cheyenne lore and mysticism and some chuckle-worthy humor. His main character, Walt Longmire, a crusty recent widower, has been the Sheriff of Absaroka County for 26 years and solves crimes the old fashioned way, with thought, intelligence, and consideration for the people of his county and the nearby Northern Cheyenne Reservation. He has an uneasy relationship with his daughter Cady, “the Greatest Legal Mind of Her Time,” who is a lawyer in Philadelphia. His best friend and right hand man is Henry Standing Bear, aka “the Cheyenne Nation,” an erudite man with whom Walt served in Vietnam and who now runs the Red Pony Bar and Grill and serves as Walt’s interface with the people of the reservation. I highly recommend reading two shorter books by Johnson, which he wrote to fill in, and elaborate on, the relationships and characters: Christmas in Absaroka County and The Messenger. Both books are full of warmth and humor and deserve more than one read. 0 0