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Judging a Book by Its Cover
Yesterday was the full cover reveal of my soon-to-be-published historical fiction novel, Hatfield 1677. My publisher, Acorn Publishing, used the services of Damonza to create a beautiful cover. I was part of the process, and sent them assorted images I found online that shared my vision but never completely, and vague descriptions such as “I…
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Silent Spring
Rachel Carson wrote her masterpiece, Silent Spring, after receiving a letter in 1958 from her friend, describing the death of birds around her property in Massachusetts, resulting from the aerial spraying of DDT to kill mosquitoes. A decade ago, Elon Musk—who brought about the death of the little blue Twitter bird—argued with Larry Page over the pros…
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Romance in Hatfield 1677
Happy Valentine’s Day! One of the most enduring myths regarding the Puritans of 17th century New England is that they were asexual both in and out of marriage. The confusion stems from their religious beliefs and doctrines regarding sexuality. Within marriage, sex was highly encouraged as a means of procreation, and also as a desirable…
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A Gift to You-Cut Scene from Hatfield 1677
Sinterklass und Zwarte Piete, Netherlands and New Amsterdam My main character, Benjamin Waite, and his friend Stephen Jennings, traveled hundreds of miles on their quest to find their captured wives and children and ransom them back from their Algonquian captors. As they must travel through the colony of New York, only recently taken by the…
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Egypt
Colonnade in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, Egypt I am currently working on the first draft of my third novel, propelled recklessly forward by the tides of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. The Title: Lady Libertie’ The Pitch: It is the mid-19th century, and Frédéric Bartholdi is a wealthy, young Parisian sculptor who longs…
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First Nation Resources for Hatfield 1677
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston Hurston (1891-1960) was an American anthropologist and writer known for her research and writing on slavery, race, folklore and the African-American experience. BIBLIOGRAPHY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE Alchin, Linda. “Algonquian Names” Siteseen, Ltd. January 16, 2018, https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-indian-names/algonquian-names.htm Bourdeau, Melina. “Field Research…