Newspapers, from the staid “gray lady” New York Times to the garbage-can-liner tabloid National Enquirer, all claim—rightfully—that “news” is their main purpose. But they exist on their ability to sell…
Writing historical fiction is maddening because you can’t include everything you learn! You use what you need for your story, but have to let so much get away. For instance,…
Females were not even mentioned in our founding Constitution. Males dominated its creation, influenced by Mr. Jefferson’s “… all men are created equal” - (except of course Black men who…
If Leonard Rhinelander and Alice Jones had such a wonderful romance of total devotion to each other, why did Leonard sue her for fraud for pretending to be white –…
I’ve always thought that an artistic creation of any kind was not complete until that critical moment of sharing it with the observer. Yes, sure, a great painter can create…
How many words can a writer of historical fiction cram into an historical character’s mouth? I’ve been told in no uncertain terms: “None!” As in, “How can you dare be…
The fact is, the love story of Leonard Rhinelander and Alice Jones had nothing to do with race until the trial was brought, intended to end their marriage. Then race…
Let me tell you a little bit about “dower rights,” because they are vital to understanding why the Rhinelander family insisted on having Leonard’s marriage to Alice Jones annulled, rather…
The publication date for Black and White and Read All Over has come and gone, and I’m still astonished—and, at times, struggling—with this new world of publishing. To build word…
In the last blog, I said I was going to try to describe the phenomenon that occurs when I’ve done a lot of the research, and one character or other…