by Lynne | Jan 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
The deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory lasted only half an hour, from the initial spark to final burning embers. Near closing time on Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire erupted on the eighth floor in a bin of scrap materials and fabrics. A steady flow of wind rushed through the elevator shafts from the street and fed the flames. Smoke began its way upward to the ninth floor. Garment workers, seamstresses, mostly women and young 
girls, raced to the exit door on Washington Place. (See photo left of Asch building as it looks today.) It was locked. Later, some claimed the doors were kept locked so the girls didn’t steal the fabrics. Within minutes the eighth and ninth floors were raging infernos.
Forensic science, often called forensics, is the application of science to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action. The word itself is derived from the Latin for?nsis, meaning “of or before the forum.” In Roman times, criminals would present their case before a group of individuals in the Forum.
Today, with the preponderance of CSI programs and movies, forensics is a household word. Law enforcement and crime-lab teams, however, view these programs as a hindrance since it colors the public’s (and the jury’s) view of the real work involved.
In 1911, fire forensics (in fact, all forensics) was in its infancy. In The Triangle Murders, Cormac Mead searched the two destroyed floors at the Triangle factory for evidence that would prove his wife was murdered. If he suspected arson, what would he have been looking for? Probably things similar to what fire investigators look for today when investigating fires: evidence of accelerants, igniters, pieces of a bomb and explosive residues (if an explosion is suspected), point of origin, and point of entry and exit of the arsonist (if arson is suspected.) Interestingly, unlike crime suspects who are innocent until proven guilty, fires are considered suspicious until proven otherwise.
Photo: An officer stands at the Asch Building’s 9th floor window after the Triangle fire. Sewing machines, drive shafts, and other wreckage of the Triangle factory fire are piled in the center of the blaze-scoured room. (Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911, Copyright: Kheel Center, Cornell University, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/.)
by Lynne | Jan 12, 2015 | Uncategorized
The cover of a book is a promise to the reader. This book is about . . . Will the book deliver?
At the risk of hurting some feelings, I wanted to open this topic for discussion. I’ve posted what I consider good and bad book covers. The criteria I use:
- It gets your attention- very important as a first step in buying a book.
- It is tastefully done. By this I mean it is not too busy with elements fighting each other for the eye. It uses pleasing colors and designs. Or it knocks your socks off.
- It is relevant and authentic to the title, or at least to the topic of the book. Nothing like a historical novel about Queen Elizabeth with costumes from the wrong time period on the cover.
- The title and author name don’t overpower the art. This may be just my own pet peeve- but I hate to see half the cover wasted on the author’s name. So it’s Stephen King, big deal. Notice, however, I use one of his books as an example of a good cover. After all, King’s name sells.
By the same criteria, bad book covers have none of the above, or a mishmash of all or none. So here are the ones I consider good.
Here are the ones I consider not so good.
How do you feel about these? What are your criteria?
Here are my book covers. How do they rate in your estimate?
by Lynne | Jan 5, 2015 | Uncategorized
A writer friend asked me whether it was really a good idea to pay a professional editor to read her manuscript. My immediate response was yes, but the question made me pause and reflect on my personal experiences.
I have had all four of my novels edited by pros. In addition I participate in a read and critique group (every week now for about 15 years.) I won’t go into critique groups here since I previously blogged about that subject. As to professional editors, here are my thoughts.
There is huge value to editors who “copy” edit, that is, they read for spelling, grammar, syntax, etc. You always miss something: a comma where it doesn’t belong, the incorrect use of a semicolon. In terms of the broader picture: the plot, characters, structure, tension, conflict, on and on, the pro can be very helpful. . . or not.
In my Triangle book, the professional editor I hired was so intrigued with the historic story that her suggestions would have made me totally change the book. It would have become a historic mystery rather than a historic mystery that is solved today with modern technology. She had her own vision for the book. But who was writing this?
The editor I hired for my Civil War book, however, was extremely helpful. He gave me an idea for a dynamite ending that I hadn’t even considered. It totally changed the story for the better.
Before you consider hiring a pro, however, do your own self-editing. Believe it or not, there is a lot you can do to improve your writing before it gets the going-over by someone else. Some suggestions:
Edit in small sections at a time. If possible, reread the section before and then edit the current
5 to 10 pages. Also, read aloud (or to your dog or cat.) I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. You’d be surprised what you hear that you didn’t think you wrote. Dialogue may sound stilted, tension weak, setting inappropriate. Often I will come away from my reading out loud thinking, ugh, did I write that?
Some things to look for when you’re self-editing:
- Do you want to turn the page?
- Did you stumble over awkward phrases or clunky words when you read aloud?
- Were you confused by your own plot twists?
- Did punctuation mess up your reading?
- Were your characters boring, too flawed (yes, that’s possible) or totally unbelievable (unless you write Bourne thrillers)?
- Were there plot inconsistencies ie: a character appeared after she was murdered?
- Were there setting inconsistencies? It was hot as Hades one day, snowing the next?
- Did you get your facts right? Very important if you want authenticity.
You can be your own best editor. But, just to be sure — reread, rewrite, read aloud. And again x 3. Now hire a professional for the final read.
by Lynne | Dec 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
In 2000, Literary Agent, Noah Lukeman wrote “The First Five Pages.” In this thin little gem on writing, he said that if the first five pages didn’t hold the reader, it was bye bye book.
Before you get to the first five pages, however, you must be grabbed by the title. When I browse a bookstore (what?) or surf online for a new book, the title is what captures my attention. (The book cover design is also important, but I’ll leave that for another blog.)
Let’s peruse the market to see what I mean. Some book titles say it loud and clear and leave you with no doubt what the book is about. David McCullough is a good one for non-fiction: “1776,” “John Adams,” “The Johnstown Flood.” No question about what the subject of each book is. Even novels can be pretty straight forward – the title hints at the story, although often more subtly. “Interview with a Vampire” is just that. “The Affair,” “Hostage,” even “The Patriot” gives you a hint about the novel’s plot.
Some books on writing use clever titles to attract you, but you still know what kind of advice they’re going to offer. “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” by Lynne Truss and “i never metaphor i didn’t like” by Dr. Mardy Grothe both use humor and a play on words to get their subjects across.
Humorous titles are a great gimmick to attract people to your book, but only if the book lives up to the humor. For those Catholic readers, this may resonate: “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” by John Powers. I’m not even going to touch that one. How about this: “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong,” by James Loewen. Lies about anything always pique the imagination.
Here are a few titles that caught my attention while I was researching my books. “The Story the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell: Sex in the Civil War” by Thomas P. Lowry, M.D. Another universal topic of fascination – sex.
When I was researching my book on the Salem witch trials, I ran across this one and laughed out loud. “Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England” by Bruce Daniels. Kind of an oxymoron. Still, I bought it and the book was incredibly interesting and helpful. Had the title been just the second part without “Puritans at Play,” I’m not sure I would have noticed it.
There are the titles that use seductive words like “code,” “enigma,” “paradigm,” “dilemma” to proclaim a mystery or a conspiracy is hiding between the jacket covers. Think “The DaVinci Code” by Dan Brown.
Other techniques. Robert Bloch’s :”Psycho” hits you in the face with images of a mad man or woman, while Baldacci’s “Absolute Power” makes you think – who has the power, why, how, what does he do with it? As you read, the title becomes clearer and clearer until, whack, it too, hits you in the face.
Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City” is a beautiful play on words. Black against white, good against evil. In Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken, “she captures the spirit of one man, a World War II hero, in one powerful word.
My first book, “The Triangle Murders” began its life as “Tenement.” When my critique group suggested I come up with something a little more mystery-genre rather than literary since the story is about murder, arson, and foul play. So, I went with a simple “murders” using the name of the factory that formed the backdrop, The Triangle.
When I worked on my Civil War mystery, myriad plot elements fought for the title: different time periods, history, forensics, photography- both civil war and digital, massive conspiracies, and so on. It took a while, but “Time Exposure” was the result.
My third book, “Deadly Provenance,” was originally titled “Provenance” and posed a challenge. It’s about the Nazi confiscation of art and a missing Van Gogh painting (in actuality still missing.) I thought “Provenance” was perfect, until it dawned on me that not everyone would be familiar with the word. They might think it was a city in Rhode Island or the end of Cape Cod. Good grief. Plus the word might conjure up “art” but not necessarily mystery or murder. So I changed the title.
My latest title, “Pure Lies” is about the witch trials of Salem in 1692. “Pure” in this case represents Puritans. I thought this was rather ingenious. What do you think?
by Lynne | Dec 20, 2014 | Uncategorized
The Christmas Truce
When it started, World War I was predicted to last only a few weeks. (The same was true of the Civil War, by the way.) Instead, by December of 1914, WWI had already claimed nearly a million lives. In fact, over fifteen million died in a war that dragged on for four miserable years.
But a remarkable thing happened on December 24, 1914. The front fell silent except for the singing of Silent Night. A truce! There are many examples of truces during wars, but none as famous as this one. The Christmas Truce of 1914.
In the Ypres region of Belgium on Christmas Eve, guns stopped, leaving a deathly silence across the fields. Then suddenly the British watched in astonishment as Germans began to set tiny trees along their trench lines. Soon a familiar tune with unfamiliar words carried across No Man’s Land, the battered and desolate space between the enemies. Silent Night. Stille Nacht.
Soon the British were singing along with the Germans. Soldiers on both sides crawled out of their trenches to meet in the middle and greet their enemy. They exchanged cigarettes and souvenirs. Perhaps a drink or two. And they collected their dead and wounded, carrying them back to their respective sides.
Peace for the day. Only one day because the next day they were back killing each other. Is there something wrong with this picture?
The story of the Christmas Truce came to my attention after reading the non-fiction, To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918, by Adam Hochschild, an amazing story of WWI. I highly recommend. http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Rebellion-1914-1918/dp/B008PIC0T8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356046840&sr=1-1&keywords=to+end+all+wars
I’ll leave you with this thought. If Christmas can bring together mortal enemies for a day, why not for a week, a month, a year or longer? Or forever?
I hope you click on the youtubes below. They will make you sad and happy but most of all hopeful. Wishing you a happy holiday and a prosperous and healthy New Year.
Belleau Wood: Christmas Truce by Garth Brooks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy9lg0aAhlE
Christmas Truce 1914, Music with captions to tell the story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsCpLMPI7IY
Behind the Christmas Story: The Christmas Truce http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgLcvjA8NDk
Christmas Truce of 1914. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p05E_ohaQGk
girls, raced to the exit door on Washington Place. (See photo left of Asch building as it looks today.) It was locked. Later, some claimed the doors were kept locked so the girls didn’t steal the fabrics. Within minutes the eighth and ninth floors were raging infernos.
Photo: An officer stands at the Asch Building’s 9th floor window after the Triangle fire. Sewing machines, drive shafts, and other wreckage of the Triangle factory fire are piled in the center of the blaze-scoured room. (Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911, Copyright: Kheel Center, Cornell University, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/.) 
