Flashback Friday: 19th century Police

Ever wonder what it was like to be a policeman in the 19th century, where your best weapons were your fists and your wits? Sometimes the best way to look at a historical period is to take a close look at their challenges, and how they were addressed.  How about crime?   Be the first(…)

Watercooler Wednesday: I have an interview!

Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday! Today, I’m visiting romance author Jill Kemerer (hey, we writers are allowed to mingle among different kinds of authors, right?  Shh, don’t tell the genre police).  She’s interviewing me on her blog, with her Wednesday feature, “5 Easy Questions.” So, are they easy questions, really?  Will any dark secrets be revealed?  There’s(…)

Flashback Friday – 19thc Spiritualism: the Ladies Take Over

When you think of a person as a “spirit medium,” what gender comes to mind?  (Quick – don’t think about it).  A woman, right?  This was especially the case in the 19th century.  Although there certainly were male mediums, the nineteenth century spiritualist movement was dominated by women. Here are some of the most famous(…)

Watercooler Wednesday: Procrastination Methods

Yay!  It’s Watercooler Wednesday, where the posts are loosely based around a theme, something to spark the imagination and get that community “water-cooler” feeling going.  We all need help getting over hump-day, after all. Today’s theme comes from Random Topic Generator:   Procrastination Methods       To give everyone fair warning, if you have(…)

Brother Cadfael, Master of Mystery

Welcome to Masters of Mystery Monday, where each week we feature a fictional detective and examine his or her unique contribution to the mystery genre.  You are invited to challenge yourself with a short detective quiz, and see the answers to the previous week’s quiz. As we continue our “religious” series of fictional detectives, we(…)

Flashback Friday: 19th century Spiritualism, fakers and fakery

Instead of “Fashion Friday,” today will be “Flashback Friday.”  I’m re-posting an earlier piece on seance cons in the 19th century, and the devices used.  Enjoy! The Entertainment Circuit We often think of seances as events held inside private homes, sort of like consulting a fortune-teller’s tent at a carnival.  Certainly, many mediums worked in(…)

Watercooler Wednesday – I don’t know why, but I want it!

Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday …where the posts are loosely based around a theme, something to spark the imagination and get that community “water-cooler” feeling going.  We all need help getting over hump-day, after all. Today’s theme:   I Want It! Ever wonder, when you see something on tv, the internet, or in the store, and(…)

Masters of Mystery – Rabbi Small

  Welcome to Masters of Mystery Monday, where each week we feature a fictional detective and examine his or her unique contribution to the mystery genre.  You are invited to challenge yourself with a short detective quiz, and see the answers to the previous week’s quiz. Today we resume our “religious” detective series (a stark(…)