tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327180165947891202024-02-18T20:48:38.788-08:00Joyce Moore's Historical Books BlogJournal entries mostly about historical fictionJoyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-35091546058289458232015-02-27T15:52:00.000-08:002015-02-27T15:52:27.061-08:00Always the Music <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Always the Music </i>is the story of Cosima, born
in 1837 to the Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt and his mistress, Marie d’Agoult. Set against the backdrop of late 1800’s Paris, Cosima’s story
tells of a tumultuous childhood and adolescence, followed by a notorious affair
with one of Germany’s most famous composers. Her life is a tale of courage and determination in the face of obstacles.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">The Paris
in which Cosima spent her formative years was not what visitors see today when
they visit the famous City of Lights. From fashion and shopping, to dining and entertaining,
nineteenth century Paris was a different world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">During the 1800’s, Parisian fashion went through many changes. In mid-century, the crinoline defined a lady’s figure. It spread
the skirt of a dress equally around the body in a rounded shape. The
crinoline, originally </span><span style="font-family: Times;">made of horsehair and cotton or linen thread, </span><span style="font-family: Times;">played an important role in women's fashion for decades. Later the word <i>crinoline</i> referred to any stiff petticoat or rigid skirt that supported women’s
dresses and formed them into the rounded shape fashionable at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">After 1860,
skirts in Parisian fashion began to narrow and flatten in front, with much
of the bulk of fabric moved to the back. By the mid 1870’s a new
undergarment, the <i>tournure</i>, had replaced the crinoline. The tournure supported the large backside of dresses, a style known as Cul de Paris, or
‘the Paris bottom'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Shoppers in
nineteenth century Paris enjoyed browsing perfume shops. In the latter years of the century, perfume production underwent a
change. Perfume was no longer a luxury afforded only by the elite. Thanks to new innovations and techniques in production, it became widely available. Pe</span><span style="font-family: Times;">rfume emerged as a popular luxury, thanks to its new affordability and </span><span style="font-family: Times;">what some referred to as a ‘hygiene revolution'. </span></div>
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Those
dining in Paris in the late 1800’s enjoyed fine culinary experiences.
The terms <i>gourmet</i> and <i>gastronome</i> emerged at this time. It is widely believed that the birth of fine restaurants was caused by
the French revolution. Seeking safety, aristocrats fled Paris, leaving behind their fine
chefs and the contents of their wine cellars. These abandoned workers and fine bottles came together
and over fifty new restaurants popped up around Paris. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Strolling the streets of late 1800's Paris was a treat to the senses as art, culture, fashion, and fine dining became commonplace. No wonder Cosima, forced to leave Paris during her
adolescence, schemed to return to The City of Light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Times;"><i>Always the Music </i></span></span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Times;">brings to readers the story of Cosima, a </span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Times;">woman who rose above the shadow of three musical geniuses. This is another book in a series on Women in History. It is written under the penname, Elizabeth Elson</span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Times;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Times;">Look for a giveaway next week where 15 readers will win a free copy of this exciting novel.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D732718016594789120%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-fnwRLO_Fpzc%252FVO-Cfe2iueI%252FAAAAAAAAEm0%252F9luXvx4ycMw%252Fs1600%252Fmed_music.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 258px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 378px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D732718016594789120%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-fnwRLO_Fpzc%252FVO-Cfe2iueI%252FAAAAAAAAEm0%252F9luXvx4ycMw%252Fs1600%252Fmed_music.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 258px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 378px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-68224963049161033102012-04-08T18:30:00.000-07:002012-04-08T18:30:03.763-07:00Julia Augustii<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShgoSXsR6bpYcCgRhtyq28pRvNpqhruu2v1dGABpbv1GU4LnqNzORnoICX_XJ7b2Y9QN4x1kvWpB_3O1OI_qMHXS5fUNw_c-wzFf80j4eHBma7F12gr-d96UDgqToQo-RODiAYsUYTLTS/s1600/Julia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShgoSXsR6bpYcCgRhtyq28pRvNpqhruu2v1dGABpbv1GU4LnqNzORnoICX_XJ7b2Y9QN4x1kvWpB_3O1OI_qMHXS5fUNw_c-wzFf80j4eHBma7F12gr-d96UDgqToQo-RODiAYsUYTLTS/s200/Julia.jpg" width="142" /></a>Julia Augustii, daughter of the man who inherited his power from Julius Caesar, was born in 39 BC. As an infant, she was betrothed to Marc Anthony’s eldest son, who was killed shortly after his father committed suicide. Her tumultuous life fascinated me enough to research her life and times more thoroughly, especially her relationship with Marc Anthony's son, Iullus. Julia's stepmother, Livia, is a fascinating woman, too, as are Julia’s successive husbands, especially Agrippa, about whom books and movies have been written. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Julia, Daughter of Rome</em>, is my first ebook, and will be followed by other novels about women who lived their lives in the shadow of famous men.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Because this was set in a much earlier period than my previous historical novels, I wrote it under the name Elizabeth Elson. I’d love to hear from my readers as to what they think of the book. For me, it was an exciting foray into a fascinating period in history.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-45462005084110396942011-11-13T08:42:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:12:21.015-07:00History of Coffee<div style="text-align: right;">
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The history of coffee can be traced back to at least the 13th century, but if may have been used for years before that. After the 16th century, Dutch traders brought coffee plants to Italy, and from there coffee’s popularity spread through Europe and to the New World, aided by frequent trade between Venice and Muslim countries.</div>
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The English word coffee may have come, in various forms, from Kaffa in Ethiopia, where the plant originated. </div>
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Legend has it that a mystic saw some birds acting particularly lively, and experimented with the berries himself, but the first credible evidence of the coffee bean’s use was in monasteries in Yemen, where the monks used it to keep them awake during evening devotions.</div>
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In 1720 traders brought coffee plants to islands in the Caribbean, where plantation owners quickly realized the plant’s value, setting in motion the massive transport of slaves from Africa to Cuba to work the fields.</div>
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At various times, coffee has been forbidden, in Turkey and other places, but because of its popularity, the bans were always quickly overturned. </div>
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For myself, I’m just grateful to whomever the first man was who got past the bitter taste of the raw bean and experimented with making a tasty brew. </div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-75472679890262947472011-10-02T13:04:00.000-07:002012-06-23T08:11:40.557-07:00Coffin Portraits<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The protagonist in my current work-in-progress is from Warsaw, and in doing research about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, I ran across an article of interest. Coffin portraits, seldom used outside the Commonwealth, were an important part of Polish funerals, usually lavish and ceremonial, even for the common people. However, a farmer’s portrait may have been drawn by a family member, whereas a nobleman’s image was done by a professional artist. Portraits of the deceased were attached to the coffins, then removed before burial and hung on the walls of the church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The metal on which the portrait was painted was shaped to fit the end of the coffin where the head of the deceased would be. The opposite end of the coffin generally held the epitaph, and on the side of the coffin mourners would see the coat-of-arms of the deceased. Because most were painted in oils, on either tin or silver, the images have disappeared from churches as years passed, either taken as booty during one of several wars, or stolen by vandals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Aside from this period in the Polish Commonwealth, the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">coffin portrait</i> was also used to describe the funerary art from Ancient Egypt, portraits common during 1 BC and until 3 AD, a relatively narrow expanse of time. The Egyptian portraits were painted on wood. The portrait covered the face of the mummy, and was attached to the cloths used to wrap the mummy. Some nine hundred of these Egyptian portraits are in the hands of collectors and museums, but because of the warm climate in Egypt, which helps to preserve the wood, the portraits are useful in determining hairstyles and clothing of the period. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-7515187838648313732011-09-25T14:12:00.000-07:002011-09-25T14:12:01.454-07:00Review of an Historical Mystery<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXpZjmzcEV_QbrErX7_zWHQPZraWBCKmwLlWzWbVYLDpSryXkitMoKCM2wv-h3ZrOTVIWYC-C3qsBTCHyK9ymhExgJuQLNm11R11LOwlDzdpdXd2fqN_CGRkcZ5GyWgIluQePW20cAt6D/s1600/The-Rhetoric-of-Death-Rock-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXpZjmzcEV_QbrErX7_zWHQPZraWBCKmwLlWzWbVYLDpSryXkitMoKCM2wv-h3ZrOTVIWYC-C3qsBTCHyK9ymhExgJuQLNm11R11LOwlDzdpdXd2fqN_CGRkcZ5GyWgIluQePW20cAt6D/s320/The-Rhetoric-of-Death-Rock-.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I loved mysteries as a teenager, but somewhere along the way, I turned to historical novels, my first love. However, not long ago I took the time to read a debut mystery written by another member of Historical Novel Society. I love books set in France (as is evident by my writing), and so I settled down to read Judith Rock’s <em>Rhetoric of Death,</em> an historical mystery set in 17th century Paris. To my delight, the novel has all the appeal of good historical fiction—the ability to transport me to the past, to the streets of Paris, where a Jesuit monk follows leads down dusty back alleys to solve the mystery of a murdered student and the attempt on the life of another.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you love historical novels, you will love <em><span id="goog_1107966893"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Rhetoric of Death<span id="goog_1107966894"></span></a></em>. Judith has another mystery just out, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The Eloquence of Death.</em> The book titles would be off-putting were the author not so talented, the plots interesting, and the characters so real. I’m recommending it to both my book groups, and highly recommend Judith’s books to anyone who wants a book they can’t put down until the final page, wishing then the read was not yet finished. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-85213736383565504532011-08-20T18:33:00.000-07:002012-06-23T08:12:44.897-07:00History of Keyboards<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As early as the 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, musical instruments have had keys, though the keyed instrument Emperor Constantine sent to King Pepin of France was probably nothing like the keyboard instruments of today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the early part of the 11<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, Guido of Arezzo, a Benedictine monk who is regarded to be the inventor of modern musical notation (the staff) and the ut-re-mi (do, re, mi name for tones) devised a way to attach a keyboard to a stringed instrument.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the earlier keyboard instruments was the clavichord, which at first had only twenty keys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century almost all the key-stringed instruments used the chromatic scale, as we find it in modern pianos. Keyboard size varied from instrument to instrument.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, a piano maker in Vienna built a concave-formed keyboard, convinced it would better serve the tendency of the human arm to move in a semicircle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A piano maker in the 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century designed a keyboard on which the semitones (our black keys) were the same color as the full tones, and were not raised. Thus, the keyboard we know today is the result of experimentation through the ages. As a pianist, I am grateful to have raised black keys and the full 88-key keyboard of today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For further reading go to <a href="http://www.pianoworld.com/">http://www.pianoworld.com/</a> </span></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-50949818595584181662011-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:002011-07-15T12:22:19.213-07:00Are Conferences Worth the Price? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwn3MQzRET4SdvVIsLpiahducj5LHjZnx0n0PdAnYlK56-NMh1Bf2SuMO5Ng1QxU-4RX5mnBaKXTeTEs5w-NeGPU3vcqlZ4oioqCuXwTSiZJrxs3COD6d0Evz9W5W-vz6T3c8XaDFMEnc/s1600/Reception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwn3MQzRET4SdvVIsLpiahducj5LHjZnx0n0PdAnYlK56-NMh1Bf2SuMO5Ng1QxU-4RX5mnBaKXTeTEs5w-NeGPU3vcqlZ4oioqCuXwTSiZJrxs3COD6d0Evz9W5W-vz6T3c8XaDFMEnc/s320/Reception.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HNS Reception - photo by Adelaida Lucena-Lower</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Recently I attended the Historical Novel Society's conference in San Diego, where I was a panelist with three other authors, all of whom have a stack of best-sellers to their credit. Flights cross-country, hotel room prices, and conference fees can add up pretty quickly, and people have asked me, are conferences really worth the price? My answer is an unequivocal yes. First, you know that anyone there has an interest in your genre, or at least, in books and what makes them great. Secondly, no matter where you are in your writing career, you can always find workshops that will give you fresh knowledge, and improve your writing. I attended a workshop on Writing Gay Characters, and took notes like crazy--even spoke with one of the panelists who said he would gladly look over some scenes I was not sure were right. Thirdly, of course, are the pitch sessions, where you can meet that editor or agent you've been wanting to talk to, face to face. Add to all these benefits the networking, one of the most enjoyable parts of the conference. At one meal, I sat next to an author who I later learned sang in a group that does medieval music. What a coincidence! She and I started talking, and she knew I had written <em>The Tapestry Shop</em>, my 2010 release about a trouvere, one of the wandering poet/musicians in northern France during the thirteenth century. After I returned home, she wrote me that she read my book on her return flight, plus she send me a nice review. At a reception one evening, I met the author Karleen Koen, whose recent release, <em>Beyond Versailles</em>, intrigued me with its title. I am about halfway through the novel and loving it, and I loved meeting Karleen, a talented and intriguing personality.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Are conferences worth it? Of course, and in this changing industry, I believe writers' conferences are more important than ever, not only for the reasons I mentioned, but to keep track of what lies ahead on the horizon--for authors and publishers and agents. Right now I'm looking forward to the Colorado Gold conference in September, sponsored by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Maybe I'll see some of you there.</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-76023997087592263332011-06-12T13:38:00.000-07:002012-06-23T08:13:07.754-07:00History of Pockets<div style="text-align: left;">
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Because pockets are sometimes hidden from view, it is difficult to know, from images alone, when pockets first became a standard part of an ensemble. I found a fascinating article about pockets on the Victoria and Albert Museum website, a valuable resource for seeing the shape and purpose of ladies' and men's pockets in the 19th century, the setting for my current work-in-progress. In addition, the website has illustrations as far back as the 17th century.</div>
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In the 18th century, pockets were underneath ladies' petticoats, as seen in photo at the right. Men's pockets were sewn into coat and breeches' linings, much as they are today.</div>
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Because there was less privacy in previous centuries, when families frequently shared rooms, people sometimes kept their personal possessions in their pockets.</div>
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Before handbags came into general use, pockets were used as a carryall, where ladies could carry common articles like thimbles or scissors, as well as money, snuff boxes, smelling salts, or even food and a bottle of gin.</div>
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For detailed photos and further information, go to the <a href="http://vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/history-of-pockets">Victoria and Albert Museum</a> website.<br />
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</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-22242125799014393782011-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:002012-06-23T08:13:32.980-07:00History of German Breweries<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
In researching for my latest novel, I discovered an interesting website which tells the story of German brewing. Surprisingly, I learned that the enterprise of beer making was intertwined with the politics and religion of Germany from as far back as Caesar’s time, when his legions were menaced by brewers in the forest clearings.</div>
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Louis Pasteur’s interest in fermentation led to a discovery that saved countless lives, and it all began with his experiments with beer and wine. To read further, and trace the development of ale to lager, and learn who controlled the brewing of beer during specific time periods, go to <a href="http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/history.html">www.germanbeerinstitute.com/history.html</a> </div>
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<br /></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-19690576875107666892011-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:002011-05-06T12:18:35.185-07:00Win a Hardcover Mystery from Edgar winner<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZu3rSaSUU6_pIJqgNXWyjqtzPMUhP13zsLyAelsSK9YJ7f6c0uQ6gJfbbVCRbMf4flw93sB3VaaR13FEQoCeILfzERAcGYBv-EMfJOGZMYxKT90AtL6x8EF9j2Ip-80C0M00Z7ZYXG-c/s1600/gotham-uk-200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZu3rSaSUU6_pIJqgNXWyjqtzPMUhP13zsLyAelsSK9YJ7f6c0uQ6gJfbbVCRbMf4flw93sB3VaaR13FEQoCeILfzERAcGYBv-EMfJOGZMYxKT90AtL6x8EF9j2Ip-80C0M00Z7ZYXG-c/s320/gotham-uk-200.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>Today I welcome Stefanie Pintoff, author of historical mysteries. Last week I reviewed her debut mystery, which won a coveted Edgar award for Best First Novel. Today, she’s giving away signed copies of her latest mystery, <em>Secret of the White Rose</em>, to TWO lucky people who leave a comment.<br />
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I’ve asked her to give a brief summary about the statuary that appears on the cover of one of her books. Even if you live far from New York, as I do, I found the story fascinating. Here it is, in Stefanie’s own words. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3f9Aakrbix01LJ10E3MEu8PVcLT89QCahA7DgIh22zlYECyeaby3-6Fzax-oUbCHu4KbZgKxBWBhBpOuGGimZyGpCHfpaAYfWb9rtO8TILwG04txXyh-WBqISUwD3UvoouL2HpvNrG19q/s1600/1892angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3f9Aakrbix01LJ10E3MEu8PVcLT89QCahA7DgIh22zlYECyeaby3-6Fzax-oUbCHu4KbZgKxBWBhBpOuGGimZyGpCHfpaAYfWb9rtO8TILwG04txXyh-WBqISUwD3UvoouL2HpvNrG19q/s200/1892angel.jpg" width="200" /></a>Throughout my historical mystery series, which began with In the Shadow of Gotham, I regularly include several major New York City landmarks. While my early 1900s setting can sometimes feel far removed from 2011, these places can be strikingly familiar to readers – and help develop a sense of being connected with the past. But it’s important to realize that New Yorkers of a hundred years ago sometimes viewed these landmarks very differently than we do today. </div><br />
One such landmark is the Angel of the Waters, who appears both on the cover of my first book and as well as in its chapters. In cover artist David Rotstein’s creation, she is a dark figure bathed in light, yet clothed in ice; reaching out, yet remaining aloof as cold snow swirls around her. The UK edition kept her as their cover figure, but accentuated her darkness as well as the heavy snow surrounding her. <br />
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In real life, she was one of the few sculptures commissioned specifically for Central Park. Her creator, the sculptor Emma Stebbins, was the first woman to be charged with creating a major work of art in New York City. Stebbins wanted to celebrate not only Central Park, but also the new Croton Aqueduct that fed the fountain and gave New York City its first dependable source of clean drinking water. So Stebbins’s Angel, who presides over Bethesda Terrace, carries a lily (the symbol of purity) in one hand and reaches out with the other to bless the water of the lake (which represents all New York’s fresh water supply). Stebbins may have been inspired, too, by a biblical passage about the healing powers of the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. As Sara Cedar Miller has suggested in Central Park, An American Masterpiece, this aspect of the Angel perhaps came from the sculptor’s personal life. Stebbins’ companion, the famous actress Charlotte Cushman, battled breast cancer until her death – and sometimes sought water treatments during her illness. <br />
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Yet the Angel of the Waters was reviled when she was first unveiled in Central Park on June 1, 1873. The New York Times stated: “All had expected something great, something of angelic power and beauty.” Instead, the crowd’s disappointment was palpable. According to the Times, the angel looked like nothing more than a “servant girl” from the rear, and a “girl jumping over stepping stones” from the front. Her head was judged to appear male, but the rest of her body was a mix of male and female parts. And her wings were “unconnected” to her body, put on like a “ballet costume.” In short, “the revulsion of feeling was painful.” <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpI6bKBl6NzIjaUHOzggJHjyA74HCkhc5M7tqOtYBjo0picIASCOjchumB9Fl9EB_0bt7u6YnqYKreh3xoPCOVeCLHrvMFR4Rscf4N1fbTQjMAniGaVhZQ5mqfnQTMk_px9ozj9UkRR3T2/s1600/Stefanie+Pintoff.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpI6bKBl6NzIjaUHOzggJHjyA74HCkhc5M7tqOtYBjo0picIASCOjchumB9Fl9EB_0bt7u6YnqYKreh3xoPCOVeCLHrvMFR4Rscf4N1fbTQjMAniGaVhZQ5mqfnQTMk_px9ozj9UkRR3T2/s320/Stefanie+Pintoff.jpeg" width="228" /></a>That’s a 19th-century sentiment I don’t share. Her area of Central Park is one of my favorite landmarks in all of New York City. It’s why I set one of my key chapters in the book around her. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And I'm not alone. Today, she’s one of the most photographed fountains in the world – a celebrity who has appeared in key scenes in Ransom, Bullets over Broadway, Angels in America, Enchanted, and countless others. Each testament to the fact that even landmarks, apparently, can be late-bloomers – especially as generations pass and artistic values change. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For more on Stefanie Pintoff, visit <a href="http://www.stefaniepintoff.com/">http://www.stefaniepintoff.com/</a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-58687293805123807572011-04-21T17:58:00.000-07:002011-04-21T17:58:21.731-07:00Review of Stefanie Pintoff's Edgar Award-winning Novel<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf4nV3mqdgshAgOCCM_NgmfdwXDWzCptkvP9jGaL__-KNtejeXyy-PTfNrQtJk7CW8YFrZ1zje8cQEE8oVFU9JWAuYZ6yroi4MIa6jmBZbBCQsJIR0N6FW76la5VRmxeZUajn-7nNIXjT/s1600/gotham_150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf4nV3mqdgshAgOCCM_NgmfdwXDWzCptkvP9jGaL__-KNtejeXyy-PTfNrQtJk7CW8YFrZ1zje8cQEE8oVFU9JWAuYZ6yroi4MIa6jmBZbBCQsJIR0N6FW76la5VRmxeZUajn-7nNIXjT/s1600/gotham_150.jpg" /></a>Set in 1905, in Dobson, New York. Stefanie Pintoff’s debut novel, <em>In the Shadow of Gotham</em>, was the recipient of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The story opens with the murder of a graduate student, young Sarah Wingate, victim of a particularly brutal attack. When a researcher from Columbia, where the victim worked, calls Detective Simon Ziele, claiming he knows the killer’s identity, the book takes off. From the opening chapter, the reader follows Detective Ziele through a labyrinth of false leads and tantalizingly close incidents. Gambling halls, a house of prostitution, and a coroner’s wagon all serve to bring early twentieth-century New York alive, even as time is running out for the killer’s next victim.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well written and full of historical details, <em>In the Shadow of Gotham</em> is a page turner that is sure to please any reader who likes a touch of history with their mystery. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-86692236153928565202011-03-28T19:11:00.000-07:002012-06-23T08:14:02.039-07:00Sanitation in 19th Century Europe<div style="text-align: right;">
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The industrial revolution in Europe attracted workers to urban centers, creating large, overcrowded slums in the cities. Wealthier citizen fled to residential areas outside the cities, abandoning their houses. The poor moved in, living often in homes vacated by the rich. Rooms were continually divided, making way in a structure for more families. Floors were added with low ceilings. Stairs frequently were only ladders.<br />
Few cesspools were in use, and water was only available in the streets. This contributed to frequent outbreaks of cholera and tuberculosis in the slums, where many people lived in houses with narrow streets and little sunlight.<br />
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Gradually, fountains, sewers, urinals, and fire hydrants were constructed. By the 1860s, horse drawn tipcarts were used to collect garbage from sidewalks, where it had been dumped the night before for collection.<br />
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In the 1880s cesspools became more popular, sometimes by decree, and in spite of organized protests by cesspool cleaners and some unlikely colleagues, medical men. Louis Pasteur wanted sewage to be dumped into the sea because he believed cesspool treatment did not kill enough of the organisms that caused infection.<br />
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When garbage cans came into use, outbreaks of typhoid and cholera became less frequent and killed fewer people. In the late 19th century, as the benefits of fresh water, sewers, and garbage collection became common knowledge, health and life expectancy improved dramatically.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-20036113205994131682011-03-11T12:34:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:14:31.195-07:00Bed Wagons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bed wagons were used throughout history, to ease the chores of a servant, assigned to keep her master’s and mistress’ bed warm. Ofttimes, before the invention of the wagons, warming pans were rushed to and fro, from fireside to bedchamber, and slid between the bed covers to chase away the chill of an unheated room.</div>
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With the invention of a bed wagon, the task of bed warming became easier. The contrivance was made of bent hoops, either iron or wood, which held the covers away from the heat, and made the job of warming a large bed less labor-intensive. The frames of bed wagons were usually made of ash, but sometimes of oak. The total length was normally three feet or longer, enough to ensure that most of the bed area was warmed. A pot of burning fuel was placed in a trivet built into the middle of the frame. An iron sheet was attached to the frame, directly beneath the trivet, to prevent any scorching of the bed linens. Above the pot, situated between two of the hoops, another metal sheet guarded against the coverlets catching fire. Sometimes, the pot of fuel was hung from the top of the wagon, suspended in the approximate middle of the frame. Pots could be made of iron, brass, or earthenware, with or without a lid. If unlidded, ashes might cover the surface of the fuel.</div>
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Italian and French bed-wagons were commonly called a ‘monk’ or a ‘priest’, no doubt another bed-humor reference like the English joke that a housemaid was a “Scotch warming pan”. </div>
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</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-10503141671737995332011-02-17T18:55:00.000-08:002011-02-17T18:55:21.054-08:00Medieval Beds<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57uKfn8JEaeDRi57qhzQMYx_493XP7HiBTQorjxBtTPJRd_5v9oWqabYE3W_oapFae9h8gkiceFKhf5t1ptQNvH83ZSNkaTvEO-FvaaCE-GECm38S0nxrRGwTt0ubnBmrFnH_BP18HxRz/s1600/Bed4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57uKfn8JEaeDRi57qhzQMYx_493XP7HiBTQorjxBtTPJRd_5v9oWqabYE3W_oapFae9h8gkiceFKhf5t1ptQNvH83ZSNkaTvEO-FvaaCE-GECm38S0nxrRGwTt0ubnBmrFnH_BP18HxRz/s320/Bed4.jpg" width="233" /></a>In the 14th century, peasants slept on straw mats, covered with anything available, while the rich slept on featherbeds and linen sheets. A nobleman’s bed had canopies with rich hangings, sometimes embroidered with his shield. Beds were a gathering place in wealthy homes, and were used not only for sleeping but to receive guests, who, if very important, might be invited to sleep in the bed, even if they had to share. Thus, beds were the most important piece of furniture, a place to display wealth as evidenced with fine textiles.</div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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A head sheet, as shown in the Birth of Louis VIII image, was placed over a pillow that rested against a sheet-draped bolster. Around the 16th century, these head sheets were replaced by pillowcases.<br />
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The best beds in the late Middle Ages had fabrics draped from a frame suspended from the ceiling. The frame sometimes had additional support from a bedhead. The bed itself was not usually attached to the bedhead. Beds were often set on platforms to extend the elevation, making a step up necessary.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKC-1VwD4xnnsoSCBizdSt15TDplKksHVLmbN3BFCQ9gQ0bQls0D9d-Wst_J9YdTh1tcwRXEVhYjQJ71oNAhYUr-_AUzY0A6vN5lfqol7WNU5Pbw3OlYQwEKdvIUfWia0lTUgosPeZuKQ/s1600/Bed3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKC-1VwD4xnnsoSCBizdSt15TDplKksHVLmbN3BFCQ9gQ0bQls0D9d-Wst_J9YdTh1tcwRXEVhYjQJ71oNAhYUr-_AUzY0A6vN5lfqol7WNU5Pbw3OlYQwEKdvIUfWia0lTUgosPeZuKQ/s1600/Bed3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwocx7FYH77fdDkw8OdyWpUF-RUZpeN0Pa86nPZNpV7L_EaCNI1S0OwMtphKke1gJ575D-xFr46IsZWP34HeUF5LFUA9Tqm-Or8lV0sKf_PGAtLiMGWGK8VvaZQBu-6RGrQkiek9Vujftd/s1600/Bed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwocx7FYH77fdDkw8OdyWpUF-RUZpeN0Pa86nPZNpV7L_EaCNI1S0OwMtphKke1gJ575D-xFr46IsZWP34HeUF5LFUA9Tqm-Or8lV0sKf_PGAtLiMGWGK8VvaZQBu-6RGrQkiek9Vujftd/s1600/Bed2.jpg" /></a>From the 14th century on, beds were mentioned in wills. A fairly well-off family might pass down a featherbed and feather-filled bolster, but a noble family might give several beds to his descendants, along with the expensive hangings and a woolen mattress.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In later centuries, as people became better-off, they wanted better beds, and soon beds were a standard in most homes. Except for the head sheet, beds themselves have not changed that much. What has changed is the way we use them. We would never invite a guest, no matter his social standing, to share our beds, and instead of a gathering place for guests, our beds have become the most private piece of furniture in our homes.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-18895979011027141572011-02-04T18:26:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:14:59.486-07:00Timely Trains and Tasty Treats, or Strange Name for a TrainIn a scene in my work-in-progress, my characters take a train from Baden to Zurich. In doing research, I discovered a delightful piece of 19th century history.<br />
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While surrounding countries built railroads in order to move people and commerce more economically, the Swiss resisted, not only for geographical reasons (the mountains) but also because land owners did not want to part with their land. Finally, in August of 1847, the first rail line was opened in Switzerland by the Swiss Northern Railway system. The train ran from Zurich to Baden, a distance of twenty kilometers. It took forty-five minutes, making two stops along the way.</div>
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Baden was famous for its Spanish rolls, which originated in Milan during the 17th century, when the city was under Spanish control. Later, under the laws of the Swiss canton, these rolls could only be distributed within Switzerland from Baden.</div>
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Before railroads came to Switzerland, the gentry of Zurich, eager to impress their clients at Sunday teas, sent their servants to Baden to buy the popular rolls. The servants then had to leave Baden at midnight, in order to have the rolls back in Zurich in time for Sunday morning teas.</div>
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With the opening of the rail line between the two cities, servants were sent on the train to buy the buns, bringing the delectable sweets back to Zurich, still warm. The train became known over time as the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn, the <em>Spanish bun train</em>.</div>
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To me, the rolls look a little like hot cross buns, with maybe some kind of filling. No matter. If I ever visit Switzerland, I’m certainly going to buy a Spanish bun.</div>
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<br /></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-24828665408433559752011-01-15T13:52:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:15:30.214-07:00Marking Time: Royalty, Monks, and Geishas<div style="text-align: right;">
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One of my favorite props, to convey the atmosphere in a room, or a character’s thoughts, is a clock. A timepiece can set the mood while a character writes a letter. In my work-in-progress, set in the 1800s, a girl writes to her father. The ticking of the wall clock, interrupted only by a bell sounding the half-hour, sets the mood. To indicate impatience or boredom, one glance at a clock will let the reader know the character’s thoughts. Here are some interesting facts I’ve come across, while researching timepieces.<br />
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In ancient times, sundials displayed the time of day, but because this method needed shadows for time telling, one would have to guess at the hour on cloudy days.<br />
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The earliest indoor timekeeping devices were water clocks and hour glasses, whose function was similar: a controlled amount of substance escaped a container, a measure of the amount released marking the passage of time.</div>
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With the advent of Christianity, calendars, prominent in monasteries, reminded the monks of Feast Days, of which there were plenty. Church bells wakened the citizens, whereupon they set out for daily tasks. Less important for peasants and commoners during the Middle Ages, timepieces were made with the nobility in mind, because workers began their day with the rising sun, and went to bed at dark.</div>
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One of the most charming, yet one of the simplest devices used, was the candle clock, which was designed to tell time at night. One of the ways a candle clock could be employed was to note the period of time it took a candle of controlled size and substance to burn to a certain length. Marks behind the candle, such as is illustrated in the picture to the right, would designate the passing hours as the candle burned.</div>
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Along with water and sand, incense was also used for timekeeping. In Japan, as late as 1924, geishas were paid by the number of incense sticks that had burned down.<br />
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In the early 1300s, the mechanical clock was invented in Europe, although the Arabs had used a system of gears and weights in their water clocks as early as the 11th century. During the 14th century, an escapement mechanism was devised, and two centuries later, clocks and pocket watches were spring-powered. Later, the pendulum came into use, an example of that slow, mesmerizing movement we see in longcase clocks.</div>
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<br /></div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-18233544588093229882011-01-07T17:30:00.000-08:002011-01-09T18:34:33.075-08:00My Binge on Historical Novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGcpBausiKgRT7xJTSXzrpPs-QxUcJFL304oS96QVo8LDXL7BJFS9UbVWZz77BHJYbTmYTT7NExRQxd1nAd-rz4wpi2lA-i9Aj8bjPX83FdukT4Pfpm4x8JrSB7OegUa3dXyvru1wMuyl/s1600/Claude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGcpBausiKgRT7xJTSXzrpPs-QxUcJFL304oS96QVo8LDXL7BJFS9UbVWZz77BHJYbTmYTT7NExRQxd1nAd-rz4wpi2lA-i9Aj8bjPX83FdukT4Pfpm4x8JrSB7OegUa3dXyvru1wMuyl/s1600/Claude.jpg" /></a></div>For a while, beginning shortly after the release of my historical novel, <em>The Tapestry Shop</em>, I was busy with promotion. That, along with finishing another manuscript, kept me going at full speed. Finally, over the holidays, I took time to do some serious reading, and this time it wasn’t for research, but for pure enjoyment.<br />
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For anyone who enjoys biographical fiction, be sure to pick up a copy of <em>Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet</em>, by Stephanie Cowell. Monet’s life and times come alive in her skillful use of visualization, and I learned a lot about him and the artists whose names we now associate with Impressionism.<br />
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<em>Mistress Anne</em> was the first Carolly Erickson novel I read, and I was hooked. I had been longing to read another two of hers: <em>The Tsarina’s Daughter</em> and <em>The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette</em>. Erickson’s books just keep getting better. These last two were a real treat. I kept turning the pages, dreading the end when I would have to leave the Romanov family behind at the end of <em>The Tsarina’s Daughter</em>. <em>The Hidden Diaries</em> left me wishing there were a few more pages. This book shows us another portrait of Marie Antoinette and a different look at the world and people around her. The reader is almost blinded by the gold reflection from the chandeliers at Versailles, and the vivid imagery makes you want to put on your dancing shoes and join the crowd in the glittering ballroom, even though you know the music has to end.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-63451328997853223042011-01-03T12:21:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:16:24.240-07:00Shipwrecks, Crime, and the Frisbee InventionTuesday, Jan. 4th on the Travel Channel, you'll see some informative episodes about American history. The series is called Mysteries at the Museum. There's something for everyone this week whether you like history, old cars, or crime scenes. Here's a taste of what they have planned:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mcny.org/">Museum of the City of New York</a>: No story is bigger than the attacks of September 11, 2001. But 9/11 wasn’t the first time an airplane flew into a New York City skyscraper. Within the Museum of the City of New York, there is one artifact that tells the incredible and largely forgotten story of another incident that brought dread and destruction to this city. <br />
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<a href="http://www.crimemuseum.org/">National Museum of Crime and Punishment</a>: At the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, DC there is one particularly chilling artifact. It’s a plaster mould of a man’s face, made with impressive precision. It’s called a “death mask” and it was cast directly from the corpse of a notorious bank robber. According to the FBI this death mask is proof that they gunned down a man once known as “public enemy number one”… John Dillinger. But, to people that knew the elusive outlaw, the resemblance between the death mask and the man is no dead certainty. <br />
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<a href="http://www.automuseum.org/">National Automobile Museum</a>: At the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, there’s a beat up, old-fashioned car known as the Thomas Flyer. Its seats are perched high behind the steering wheel and there’s no roof, no windows and no windshield. This four-cylinder, sixty horsepower car traversed the globe in one of the most grueling car races ever conceived. In the process, this singular 1907 car shattered the way the world looked at automobiles.<br />
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<a href="http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/">Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum</a>: In Paradise, Michigan, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum displays artifacts from numerous ships that have been lost on America’s great inland seas. But, one artifact ,a two hundred pound bronze bell that once sat on the deck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, is a somber reminder of the greatest enigma in Great Lakes History. What exactly happened on the Edmund Fitzgerald’s perplexing and tragic final journey?<br />
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<a href="http://library.yale.edu/">Sterling Memorial Library at Yale</a>: In New Haven, Connecticut, the grand library of Yale University holds a surprisingly modest artifact. This simple metal pie plate inspired one of the most used, most loved and most widespread toys of all time, the Frisbee. How did a pie maker, a UFO fanatic, and some Yale students all come together to invent one of the world’s most popular toys and sports?<br />
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<a href="http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/">Gerald R. Ford Museum</a>: Inside the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, some 18,000 artifacts celebrate Ford’s contributions as a statesman and US President. But, there’s one artifact here that haunted President Ford until the day he died. It’s a 15-foot high metal staircase and it symbolizes one of most controversial and tragic moments in US History – the Fall of Saigon. How did this staircase become a lifeline to thousands and close the door on one of America’s longest and most bitter conflicts?Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-82294828068122338742010-12-26T12:55:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:17:07.408-07:00Greetings and a great season to my readers. Here, for more holiday enjoyment, is the next episode of Mysteries at the Museum. This show will air on The Travel Channel on Tuesday, Dec. 28.<br />
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<a href="http://www2.fi.edu/">Franklin Institute:</a> The Franklin Institute holds one of the first electronic instruments, but this warbling wonder is more than just a footnote in musical history. How did this play a part in triggering one of the biggest spy scandals of the century?<br />
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<a href="http://www.wshs.org/">Washington State History Museum</a>: On display at the Washington State History Museum is a 600 lb hunk of concrete with a disastrous past. More than a piece of junkyard scrap, this is a remnant from one of the most catastrophic engineering failures in U.S. history: the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. How did this state of the art bridge fail so spectacularly?<br />
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<a href="http://www.museumofplay.org/">Strong Museum of Play</a>: At the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, poised amongst history’s greatest toys, is a small plastic egg filled with some beloved bouncing goo: Silly Putty. Did you know that this sensational children’s novelty originated from a war shortage?<br />
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<a href="http://www.detroitsciencecenter.org/">Detroit Science Center</a>: On display at the Detroit Science Center is a truly macabre exhibit: 36 men, women and children that died two centuries ago are mysteriously preserved. But they aren’t the carefully prepared mummies of Egyptian royalty. These bodies were preserved by something else – and for decades science has struggled to figure out how… until now.</div>
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<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/04mshnvm/attractions/">Johnston Ridge Observatory</a>: At the Johnston Observatory in Gifford Pinchot National Forrest, the splintered remains of what was once a mighty 100 foot Hemlock tree stands as a visceral reminder. Like millions of other trees, it was napped like a toothpick by a blast 1600 times more powerful than an atom bomb. What’s capable of such a tremendous explosion? </div>
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<a href="http://marinersmuseum.org/">Mariner’s Museum</a>: At the Mariners’ Museum in Newport ,Virginia, thousands of artifacts chronicle man’s relationship with the sea. But one artifact, an ordinary supply box, speaks of the sea’s tremendous and mysterious powers. The box belonged to the USS Cyclops, a colossal ship that has since passed into legend. What happened to this notorious ship, and does this box hold any answers?</div>
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For all of you I'm wishing a happy and prosperous 2011.</div>
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</div>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-5083749934923189522010-12-18T18:21:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:17:34.187-07:00More Mysteries for Holiday WatchingTuesday Dec. 21 brings an exciting new episode on the Travel Channel's series on Mysteries at the Museum: This is Volume 7 of the series. Take a moment to sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy some of our unique history that you <br />
didn't know about. It might be right next door.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nps.gov/thrb/index.htm">Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, National Historic Site</a>: Tucked away on the east side of Manhattan is Theodore Roosevelt’s childhood home. Inside are two particular artifacts on display that had a bigger impact on Roosevelt’s life than any other. Both of these artifacts share a strange feature, and saved the life of one of America’s greatest statesmen.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wrhs.org/">The Western Reserve Historical Society</a>: The Western Reserve Historical Society carefully preserves Cleveland’s legacy, but one set of the museum’s artifacts remains shrouded in mystery. They are five postcards from the 1950’s that hold a distinctly taunting tone. Who wrote them and why? The story starts in the midst of one of the worst killing sprees in American history…<br />
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<a href="http://msichicago.org/">Museum of Science and Industry</a>: Inside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, there’s a vehicle that resembles a space hip or rocket, but it’s neither. In the 1960’s this amazing automobile helped a young California hot rod driver do something no one had ever done before- travel over 407 mph on land.<br />
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<a href="http://titanichistoricalsociety.net/">Titanic Historical Society</a>: In Massachusetts there’s a museum that is dedicated to shedding new light on the ill-fated voyage of the world’s most famous ocean liner. Inside this official Titanic museum there is a single faded piece of paper. Do you know why this wireless telegram was unable to save the Titanic from her tragic fate? <br />
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<a href="http://www.hfmgv.org/">Henry Ford Museum</a>: On the outskirts of Detroit, the famed motor city, is the Henry Ford Museum. On display is a simple yellow city bus where visitors can see for themselves the very seat where Rosa Parks took a historical stand, by simply sitting down. But this story didn’t play out the way most of believe…<br />
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<a href="http://www.bigfootdiscoveryproject.com/museum.php">Big Foot Discovery Museum</a>: Nestled in the heart of Northern California’s epic red wood forests is a museum dedicated to the region’s most famous alleged inhabitant, Big Foot. Can a recently discovered primate tooth put an end to the age old debate of whether or not big foot is real?<br />
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To all my readers, may your holidays bring health and happiness.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-7130964449536628042010-12-10T10:57:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:18:14.976-07:00More Museum MysteriesBefore long, the Mysteries at the Museum series will be complete, but for now here's another episode for Tuesday, Dec. 14 on the Travel Channel. Hope my readers are enjoying these programs, which delve into some fascinating subjects about our history.<br />
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Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 7<br />
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<a href="http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/aboutmus.asp">Gerald R. Ford Museum</a>: At the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, a vintage tape recorder from the 1970s was used inside America’s most important Executive Office. What incriminating conversations did this machine record? And how would it ultimately help destroy an American President?<br />
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<a href="http://nuclearmuseum.org/">The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History</a>: The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History houses a small antique vial which lies at the center of one of America’s strangest medical mysteries. The vial once held a drug known as Radithor, and some doctors touted it as the “greatest therapeutic force known to mankind”, but this revolutionary medicine was really a potion of death.<br />
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<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of American History</a>: On display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, is a relic from a volatile era in American history. It appears to be an ordinary restaurant lunch counter accompanied by four fading vinyl chairs. How did this lunch counter becomes center stage in an event that would help overturn centuries of oppression, and change America forever?<br />
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<a href="http://msichicago.org/">The Museum of Science and Industry</a>: Inside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry there’s a giant World War Two Submarine. It’s a German “U-Boat”, known by its infamous number, 5-0-5. But during the war U-505 mysteriously vanished. How did U-505 end up in Chicago, and how did its sudden disappearance from battle nearly 70 years ago help bring Germany’s invincible U-Boat fleet to its knees?<br />
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<a href="http://njspmuseum.org/">New Jersey State Police Museum</a>: Secured inside the NJ State Police Museum, sealed in plastic, is a faded piece of paper. It’s inscribed in dark ink, in sloppy handwriting, and it’s stamped with a curious insignia. At first glance, this seventy eight year old document looks inconsequential, but it sparked one of the biggest manhunts in American history. Was the person who wrote this note ever brought to justice?<br />
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<a href="http://ruidosorivermuseum.com/">Ruidoso River Museum</a>: At the River Museum there’s an artifact from one of the most famous western tales ever told. It’s a Colt Thunderer revolver. The polished, ornately etched pistol was presented to one of New Mexico’s most famous Sheriffs, Pat Garrett… as a reward for killing America’s most legendary outlaw, Billy the Kid. But did Pat Garrett really kill the ‘Kid’?<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Elson-Moore/e/B001K8NIWI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0"></a>Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-71623176246341061802010-12-03T11:14:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:18:42.667-07:00Museum Mysteries<div style="text-align: right;">
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Hi Readers: Here, as promised, is the next volume in the Travel Channels' Tuesday night show, Mysteries at the Museum. <br />
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<a href="http://sprucegoose.org/">Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum</a>: Inside a giant airplane hangar at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, there’s a flying machine whose size and reputation dwarfs all others, but this one of a kind aircraft never flew a single mission. In fact, many believed it couldn’t fly at all. So why was the “Spruce Goose” even built?<br />
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<a href="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/">The Field Museum of Natural History</a>: The star attraction at Chicago, Field Museum is a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton named “Sue”. It is the largest most complete T-Rex skeleton ever found, and this makes Sue the key piece of evidence in unraveling a mystery that has baffled scientists since the very first T-Rex fossil was discovered in 1902… What was life like for the world’s largest prehistoric predator?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mckinleymuseum.org/">William McKinley Presidential Museum</a>: The William McKinley Presidential Museum houses a nightshirt once worn by McKinley that bears a a tear down the back. How did this tear come to be? The answers lie within the mystery of President McKinley’s final moments – a tragic demise that changed the history of the Presidency.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gardnermuseum.org/">Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Art</a>: Hanging amid fantastic works of art by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Matisse and numerous others at this museum, are four empty picture frames. These frames hang as symbolic reminder of a shocking crime, and a 20 year old hunt to find out who was behind the biggest art heist in US history. <br />
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<a href="http://www.jaha.org/FloodMuseum/oklahoma.html">Johnstown Flood Museum</a>: At a Pennsylvanian museum that’s dedicated to preserving the city’s rich cultural heritage, a 19th century brass pocket watch actually holds one of the Nations’ most unforgettable stories. It all begins with the time frozen on the watch’s face- a time that changed America forever. <br />
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<a href="http://www.museumofplay.org/">Strong National Museum of Play</a>: Not far from the shores of Lake Ontario in Rochester, New York, a museum is dedicated solely to the study of play, and one item here was actually an accidental byproduct of America’s involvement in a global war. Can you guess what childhood favorite this could be?<br />
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Find out the answers to these questions and more by tuning-in to Mysteries at the Museum Tuesday at 9 E/P on Travel Channel. Enjoy the show, and secrets that will be revealed.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-35925564967649358342010-11-30T01:30:00.000-08:002010-11-30T01:30:00.840-08:00An Interview with Patricia Stoltey<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZdxE4cfMyAGTv5BAtzmjilJGBkkH6WM-TEmskFx0P3nGF7CHfcPPua-KIlK5o2jLd9yYr-pB3CDzevNw9SmakMqwwRldajPf20_pxRoQrEyBjONZ6oeWcO-EXF7iC-zoGsx5lUjGhIL6/s1600/DHM_Harlequin+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZdxE4cfMyAGTv5BAtzmjilJGBkkH6WM-TEmskFx0P3nGF7CHfcPPua-KIlK5o2jLd9yYr-pB3CDzevNw9SmakMqwwRldajPf20_pxRoQrEyBjONZ6oeWcO-EXF7iC-zoGsx5lUjGhIL6/s320/DHM_Harlequin+001.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>Today I welcome author Patricia Stoltey to my Historical Fiction blog. Readers, pull up a chair and let's talk about books. <br />
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Joyce: Hi Pat, and thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to answer some questions for our readers. I’m always curious as to when an author began writing, and how long it took to get published.<br />
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Pat: We’re not going to count the box of really bad poetry and short stories I wrote in my 20s and 30s, are we? My first attempt at a novel was The Troubleshooter, an action-adventure tale my brother and I wrote in the mid-80s. That book never made it to print, but Books in Motion turned the umpteenth revision into an audiobook in 1999. That only took thirteen years. Not bad for a first novel. The first draft of my second novel, an attempt at international intrigue and suspense, sits on a table in my office, waiting for me to decide it’s worth a rewrite from beginning to end. <br />
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My writing life improved in fall 2003. I’d retired from a demanding job in the real world and realized I had to find more to do than read novels and crochet afghans, I took a novel-writing class from a local author. When the class was over, several of the attendees got together and formed a critique group. The novel I started for that class was The Prairie Grass Murders, published in hardcover in 2007.<br />
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Joyce: How did you break into publishing, Pat?<br />
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Pat: After completing the4th draft of The Prairie Grass Murders, I unsuccessfully pitched it to an agent at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference. After a few more queries also proved unsuccessful, I did another major revision, then pitched that 5th draft during a critique workshop at the 2005 conference. This time I received valuable feedback from the editor running the workshop, as well as an invitation to submit after revising the manuscript once again. Draft number six was the winner. My contract with Five Star/Gage led to a hard cover edition aimed at the library market.<br />
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The Prairie Grass Murders was also an audiobook with Books in Motion and a mass market paperback reprint with Harlequin Worldwide. The second Sylvia and Willie mystery, The Desert Hedge Murders, is now available in hard cover and as a <a href="http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?cid=337&iid=22152">Harlequin paperback</a>.<br />
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Joyce: What genre or sub-genre do you write? Why did you choose this genre?<br />
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Pat: I focused on amateur sleuth mysteries for my first two books. I read a lot of mysteries and admired the way good authors think up plot twists, plant clues, and create great characters. I kept wondering if I could do that, so I finally gave it a try. I discovered it’s not as easy as it looks.<br />
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Joyce: (laughing). Nothing ever is, is it? So, tell us how much time you devote to writing each day.<br />
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Pat: I don’t write every day and that’s a problem I’m trying to overcome. After our books are published, we often get caught up in book promotion and spend way too much time at social media, personal appearances, conferences, and other opportunities to connect with readers. In the past, I’ve called myself a binge writer because I spend months thinking about a book without putting anything on paper, and then sit down and write like crazy until I finish a first draft. Lately, I haven’t even done that. It took me more than a year to get the revisions done on my last novel so I could start submitting to agents. <br />
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Joyce: Can we get a sneak peek at what you’re working on now? <br />
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Pat: Doing the queries and submissions for a historical women’s fiction, which has a working title of Wishing Caswell Dead. I’m clearing up my schedule and cleaning my desk. I have the first draft of a suspense novel sitting on the floor, waiting for my subconscious to tell me how to fix problems with the plot. And I have that idea in the works for a new Sylvia and Willie mystery. I’m still keeping up with my blog, my work with Northern Colorado Writers which includes starting a new critique group next month, and doing guest spots for blogger friends. <br />
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Remember when I said I had retired from a demanding job in the real world? I’m working harder now than I ever did before, but I will admit, I love every minute of it.<br />
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Joyce: How do you write? Are you a pantser or a plotter? Is it your characters or your plot that influences you the most?<br />
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Pat: Mostly I’m a pantser. If I have a complicated plot, I’ll lay out the chapters with two or three sentences as a guide to what needs to happen at that stage of the story, but I never stick to the plan. Characters have a way of leading us down new and interesting paths as we write.<br />
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When I started the Sylvia and Willie mystery series, the setting came first because I wanted part of the story to take place in Illinois where I grew up. The plot idea came from the setting, and the characters fell into place last. With the second novel in the series, I already had the characters, so the plot developed from the protagonists’ family relationships.<br />
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Wishing Caswell Dead followed a completely different path. The main character came first.<br />
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Joyce: What was the most usual way you came up with a story idea? What made you think, ‘hey, I could make that into a story?’<br />
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Pat: The historical, Wishing Caswell Dead. First I had a dream about a thirteen-year-old girl in a dated photo. It looked like a tintype. I played with ideas about that girl’s life and turned the dream into a short story about young Jo Mae Proud. When I reread the story after receiving a few rejections from magazines, I realized I had a whole long list of questions about the other characters and what would happen to Jo Mae after the story ended. Now her tale is a 66,000 word novel. Of all the things I’ve written so far, this one is my favorite.<br />
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Joyce: I’m wondering how you do research for your books. Also, what’s the most interesting bit of research you’ve come across?<br />
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Pat: Back in the 80s when I was working on The Troubleshooter, I spent hours and hours in a university library. Times have changed. Now I do most of my research online. However, my investigations for Wishing Caswell Dead led me to a small prairie museum near Mahomet, Illinois, where I saw actual tools and furniture and farm equipment used in the 1800s. That’s a lot better than looking at pictures in a book or on the Internet.<br />
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The most interesting bit of research? I think it was the time I spent learning about the Kickapoo Indian Tribe. Kickapoo artifacts figured in the plot for The Prairie Grass Murders. And there’s a Kickapoo character in Wishing Caswell Dead. This tribe had a fascinating history as they moved from Wisconsin into Illinois and then across the Mississippi to a reservation in Kansas and other settlements in Mexico, yet we don’t read that much about them in Native American history.<br />
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Joyce: Thanks for talking with us about your books and your writing career. The Desert Hedge Murders has an intriguing title. I think I’ll start with that one first, and good luck with your next book. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P1_5-Vs-D3J_fQzcdtiD6znNUP5ERDJOGKTmFRamW0UVJz-REhAbau70Idx8Esa-IKd94-7yOF3G-ne1qcqIIf894IzrFJZ9O6YClVhwqKR4y9qc8CG8ZXWcajvi4EbaWS7dsnXUqTYM/s1600/Stoltey_BioPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P1_5-Vs-D3J_fQzcdtiD6znNUP5ERDJOGKTmFRamW0UVJz-REhAbau70Idx8Esa-IKd94-7yOF3G-ne1qcqIIf894IzrFJZ9O6YClVhwqKR4y9qc8CG8ZXWcajvi4EbaWS7dsnXUqTYM/s1600/Stoltey_BioPhoto.jpg" /></a></div>Pat: It was my pleasure joining you today, Joyce. I hope your readers will drop by my blog (<a href="http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/">http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/</a> ) from time to time to see what’s going on in my writing life. I feature guest author/bloggers from a variety of genres on Thursdays, so it’s a good place to find that next book to read. I’m on Facebook as Patricia Stoltey, and I’m also a big Twitter fan: @PStoltey.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-9511267125968051602010-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:19:08.121-07:00More Mysteries at the MuseumHere, for my readers, is a taste of what will be on tomorrow night's Travel Channel series, Mysteries at the Museum. Image Image is of the Old Red Museum in Dallas, TX.<br />
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Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 5<br />
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<a href="http://www.oldred.org/">Old Red Museum</a>: In the collection of the Old Red Museum in Dallas, there’s a 44-caliber rifle with a sawed off stock. It looks like many weapons that have been modified by criminals, but it’s possible that this rifle may have been used in an infamous crime spree. Can you guess who the legendary criminal may be? <br />
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<a href="http://www.usmcmuseum.com/index.asp">National Museum of the Marine Corps</a>: In Quantico, Virginia at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a tattered flag from World War Two’s epic battle for Iwo Jima became the subject of the Nation’s most famous war photograph. How did this Pulitzer Prize winning picture alter history and why do some people suspect that it isn’t everything it claims to be?<br />
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<a href="http://www.nationalrrmuseum.org/en-us/default.aspx">National Railroad Museum</a>: The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin houses an ultra-modern locomotive known as the Aerotrain. When it was unveiled in 1956, it was supposed to change the way Americans traveled. So what derailed this futuristic locomotive, and why aren’t we all riding Aerotrains today?<br />
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<a href="http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institute of Oceanography</a>: Behind the scenes at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego, there are specimens that hail from a realm nearly a mile underwater. They are rare and mysterious organisms that survive in an uncharted frontier known as the Abyss. Can you even imagine what these deep sea creatures could be?<br />
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<a href="http://www.loc.gov/index.html">Library of Congress</a>: In the Library of Congress, a tattered diary provokes one of exploration’s fiercest debates; who was the first person to actually reach the North Pole?<br />
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<a href="http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/">National Museum of the United States Air Force</a>: The National Museum of the United States Air Force displays an artifact that paved the way for the exploration of man’s final frontier. At the height of the Cold War, was a team of aeronautical engineers able to create a parachute system that would produce a safe, high altitude aircraft? <br />
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Enjoy the show!Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-732718016594789120.post-74548868806798866802010-11-18T16:42:00.000-08:002012-06-23T08:19:33.915-07:00Mysteries at the Museum<div style="text-align: right;">
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The Travel Channel has an ongoing program on Tuesdays that takes the viewer to different museums to witness the strange and unexplained. For those of you who are fond of mysteries, or museums, like I am, here are the upcoming museum spotlights for next Tuesday's show, the 4th in this very interesting series. </div>
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Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 4</div>
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<a href="http://www.myhistorymuseum.org/">The History Museum at the Castle</a>: In the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, Wisconsin, a plaster bust is modeled after Harry Houdini, who has long passed on but whose mysterious talents still baffle the mind. Is it possible that this bust is actually possessed by the spirit of this famous magician? The answer lies in the suspicious circumstances that surround Houdini’s death.</div>
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<a href="http://www.hfmgv.org/">The Henry Ford Museum</a>: In Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum showcases an artifact that soared high above the roadways in 1926- a unique airplane named “The Josephine Ford”. At the time, the intrepid pilot of this airplane set out on a death defying flight to the end of the earth with one goal in mind. What was this pilot’s goal and why is his journey still shrouded in mystery?<br />
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<a href="http://www.cooshistory.org/">Coos Historical and Maritime Museum</a>: Located on Oregon’s rugged Coast at the Coos Historical and Maritime Museum, there is a peculiar object that looks like a piece of faming equipment, but in fact, it’s actually a piece from a diabolical weapon of mass destruction sent here by America’s former enemy. How did this artifact cause the only deaths resulting from enemy action to occur on mainland America during World War II?<br />
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<a href="http://www.chicagohistory.org/">The Chicago History Museum</a>: A plain scrap of fabric, emblazoned with a striking design located at the Chicago History Museum was one of the banners designed for protests at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Who made this flag and how did it play such a large role in changing the direction of our country?<br />
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<a href="http://www.lizzieborden.org/">Fall River Historical Society</a>: The Fall River Historical Society in Fall River, Massachusettes houses an artifact that may have been the murder weapon in one of the most notorious unsolved murders in American history. This hatchet head was the key piece of evidence used against Lizzie Borden in the murders of her parents; but did she really commit the heinous crime?</div>
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<a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of American History</a>: Among the many thousands of objects at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution, is a worn and weathered eighty year old briefcase. This attache once belonged to a lifelong politician and diplomat and held countless, top secret and sensitive government documents. Why do curators at the Smithsonian believe this briefcase was party to one watershed event that changed the history of the planet?</div>
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I'll be posting the next volume later, so you can see what's coming after this.Joyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.com13