Jeri Westerson Mr. Walter Kaplan was my high school journalism teacher, and I credit him with actually teaching me something useful that I could use in the world. My English classes were generally boring way back in my junior year in 1977. Even the literature classes. Oh, I aced them all, of course, but I was disappointed … Read more
When I wrote my 15-book series the Crispin Guest Medieval Noir novels, one of the features of each book was the pursuit of a relic or venerated object, either one stolen or one a person was trying to acquire…by any means necessary. They became McGuffins, an object that propelled the plot that was either foremost … Read more
A uniquely Victorian pastime for the very rich; First, get yourself a several thousand-year-old dead guy, invite all your friends over to watch you unwrap him from his bindings, then grind him into a powder and everyone gets to go home with a powdered mummy souvenir. Fun times! Unwrapping a mummy. Well, that was the … Read more
Sherlock Holmes. Why did I choose to write about such a well-defined, well-loved, well-recognized character whom I didn’t create? A pastiche, if you will, but what is a pastiche after all but fan fiction? And I’m a fan. Well, that’s why I chose to write a Sherlock adjacent series. My series, An Irregular Detective Mystery, … Read more
Do you know what I like about researching the late Victorian period for my An Irregular Detective Mystery series, my Sherlockian pastiche? It’s the stuff I can come across easily in antique shops, things that I can touch. Things that I can buy. And one of the most ubiquitous items that most people don’t even … Read more
I know this looks like a blog rerun, but it isn’t. Yes, I wrote about the Little Free Library before, but not this story. Not about this heist. Read on. Little Free Libraries are just what the name implies. They’re free. You might have seen them on various street corners, little boxes of varying designs … Read more
Do you want to have a medievally good time? Perhaps entice your friends with some Tudor chow? Remember, do NOT throw the bones over your shoulder onto the floor. No one really did that. I’m afraid the 1930s movie THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII with Charles Laughton’s Oscar-winning portrayal is responsible for that thinking. … Read more
I thought it would be easy. But is anything really easy? I started out creating with good ole Sculpey a little Sherlockian figurine of a cute animal in the deerstalker and Ulster coat. At first I made a mouse, but there were too many comparisons to The Great Mouse Detective, so I thought to maybe … Read more
As I was researching my King’s Fool Mystery series, where Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers is the reluctant sleuth, I couldn’t help but notice some parallels with what was happening today. My series focuses on Will Somers and is told through his eyes, so there may be a little softening of the view … Read more
By Avery Daniels Hello and thank you, Jeri, for inviting me on your blog. Writing a novel is challenging. Not only do you need a compelling plot that moves along, keeping the reader’s interest, but you must bring characters alive that engage the reader’s emotions without dumping all the individual back stories at once. There … Read more