Novelists exist in a “what if?” world. Every activity, every random encounter, every stranger walking through a parking lot is fair game for a writer of fiction. So, too, every movie watched and book read becomes the genesis of an idea. A strange synthesis of this happened to me a… Read More »The Origins of Blue Damask by Annemarie Banks
One of the main themes of my Tales of Ancient Rome series is the exploration of the lives of women in the ancient world through the characters of various women from different cultures. In The Wedding Shroud my protagonist, Caecilia, is an insular Roman girl thrust into the liberal world… Read More »Damn Whores or God’s Police by Elisabeth Storrs
History has some pretty chilling records of uncomfortable conditions used to house prisoners and special punishments for breaches of prison rules. Isolation, or so called “solitary confinement,” was a standard punishment procedure, and is still used even today. Many prisoners have acknowledged the profound effect of this singular punishment on… Read More »World War Two: Standing Cells by JJ Toner
Last week, Sarah Woodbury wrote a post about setting her newest Gareth and Gwen Medieval mystery, Fallen Princess, during the Celtic celebration of what is now known as Halloween. Coincidentally, I’d written a similar post last year about setting a scene of Uneasy Spirits, my second San Francisco Victorian mystery,… Read More »Victorian Valentines by M. Louisa Locke