on May 30, 2023
Today on the Paper Lantern Writers blog I’m sharing some of my favorite quotes about writing, starting with this treasure from botanist George Washington Carver: “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.” Want more writing wisdom? Check out Goal-Conflict-Disaster. Reaction-Dilemma-Decision. Repeat-Repeat-Repeat
on November 7, 2022
At some moment in my almost thirty-year career in high tech, I came up with a list of reasons “why I would ever quit this job”. The list is short: I’ll quit if my manager starts micro-managing me. I’ll quit if my manager starts jerking me around. And even though I’m not employed by Twitter,… Read More
on October 14, 2022
WRITERS! Here’s my super secret list of reviewers for your historical fiction.
on November 15, 2021
If you’ve made it here from the SHINE Facebook Group, WELCOME! You not only get a view of my desk (actually a dining table from Pottery Barn), but you get to see my late, great, beloved Belgian Sheepdog Traveller. He was not always an under-the-table kind of dog, but as he got older, he liked… Read More
on November 2, 2021
Not for nothing (another way of saying “My Work-in-Progress takes place in 1919 San Francisco”, I’ve done a lot of research about WWI-ish American women’s lingerie. To keep my research together, I’m collecting together some of these newspaper advertisements today. First, I like to know how much everything costs. Don’t you? And then, I… Read More
on October 26, 2021
Coroner or Medical Examiner, do you know which “death professional” your city has? It’s a big thing, when you’re writing crime fiction, to make sure that you have the facts straight: does your story setting have a Coroner or a Medical Examiner? Because they do different things, these guys. It’s also important to know when… Read More
on June 23, 2021
Author C.V. Lee recently interviewed me about my love of Sanborn Maps, List Links, and Hidden Research Resources. It’s all here on the PLW YouTube Channel. And for more info about Sanborn Maps, check out my Unlocking the Secrets of Historic American Cities with Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
on June 20, 2021
Join me on Paper Lantern Writers for my latest blog post New Cover, Same Old Fanny. Not surprisingly, it’s about how I changed the cover of my novel FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER. But just because we’re all pretty busy these days, I’ll cut to the happy ending (and answer the title question… Read More
on June 11, 2021
From Gertrude Käsebier to Buffalo Bill to African Americans in WWII to Abigail Adams’ letters to John, there’s something fascinating for everyone in my Sixty Sensational Online Historical Archives on today’s Paper Lantern Writers’ blog. Come on by for Postcards of Peoria, Heart Mountain Relocation Center Records, King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani photos, first-person narratives… Read More
on May 14, 2021
Think you’ve got a great book cover? How about finding out for sure? Today on Paper Lantern Writers! Ever Judge a Book by its Cover?