Lynne's Blog
As a science center director in a former life, my job was to show our audiences how science works, not simply to tell them. The Aha! moments made the experience real for the thousands of kids, adults, and young adults that visited. When they left, there was a good chance they would remember the scientific concept behind the hands-on exhibit.
Writing is much the same. Writers need that Aha! encounter to grow and nourish their ideas into a final piece of work. That’s what this blog is all about. It’s about MY “minds-on” adventure with words — one I enjoy sharing with readers. Whether it’s about the research aspect, the craft of writing itself, or the emotional roller coaster of putting myself out there in the public eye . . . my blog is me. Pure and simple.
I welcome your thoughts and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
On the Lighter Side of Writing
The Misunderstood Acronym I thought I’d share this humorous story about how words (and letters) can lead us astray. “The Wayside Chapel” An English lady, while living in Switzerland was looking for a room and asked The Schoolmaster if he could recommend any. He took...
Based on Real Events . . . Really?
Artistic License or Outright Lies I watched the first episode of “Salem” Sunday night and wanted to share some thoughts. My latest book, “Pure Lies,” is an alternative history of the Salem witch trials. Unlike the WGN mini-series, however, it truly is based on real...
Book Reviews For the Book!
Reviews That Make You Laugh . . . or Cry Every so often I visit my book pages on Amazon to see if any new reviews have come in. Some of the initial reviews were family and friends, of course, so I knew they’d be pretty positive. But when the new reader reviews started...
The Right Backdrop Can Sell Your Book
Creating Atmosphere for Your Novel I’ve been asked how I come up with ideas for my mysteries. Maybe this will surprise you, but I start with the backdrop, by which I mean the setting for the book. Since I’m into mysteries that take place in the past, I have myriad...
103 Years Later: Dead But Not Gone
Identifying the Triangle Dead In February of 2011, a story appeared in the New York Times. With the hundredth anniversary of the Triangle fire a month away, eyes were focused on a stone monument in the Cemetery of the Evergreens on the border of Brooklyn and Queens....
So Many Ways to Kill
Mystery Writers Have a Tough Decision One of the more gruesome aspects to my research for “The Triangle Murders” was learning about defenestration. This nasty means of murder is the act of throwing someone out the window or from a high place. The term comes from two...
Women Fight Back
Too Late to Save 146 Triangle Workers The Triangle Factory fire on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest workplace disaster in NYC before 9-11. It was significant not because 146 workers died, but because it instigated reform. At the time workplace safety was barely...
Some Things Cannot be Forgotten
Tragedies Make Good Copy March 25th, 2014, will commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The 1911 fire was the deadliest workplace disaster in NYC before 9-11. It was significant not because 146 workers died, but because it instigated...
Is KDP for Me?
Self-Publishing Dilemma With a fourth mystery launching late this spring, I have a decision to make. Stay with BookBaby or switch to Amazon KDP. Here’s how Bookbaby (and I assume Smashwords, et al) operates: I upload my manuscript to them for formatting in e-version....
Characters Vs. Plot
It’s a Mystery to Me I just recently read Michael Connelly's book, “The Black Box.” Frankly, I wasn’t riveted and when I tried to figure out why, I realized it was because Harry Bosch had become soft. His relationship with his daughter played a large role in the story...
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