Additional appearances to come…

February 26, Book Launch to Benefit St. Peter’s Church Food Cupboard 5:30-7, 313 Pine St. Philadelphia

March 4, Head House Books, 7:30 619 South Second Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 www.headhousebooks.com

April 10, Pearl S. Buck Writers Conference. Buck’s County, PA. I will be teaching a class entitled “Writing Killer Fiction” and signing books

May 3, Mystery Lovers Bookshop’s 15th Festival of Mystery, Oakmont, PA. Please stop by and visit with some of your favorite mystery authors. Mystery Lovers is one of the best book stores on the planet. http://www.mysterylovers.com

May 9… Mother’s Day Tea at Aunt Agatha’s in Ann Arbor, MI. Robin Agnew will be the exemplary host for writers of historical novels of suspense and intrigue. Maureen Jennings, Kathryn Miller Haines, and yours truly.  http://www.auntagathas.com/events.html

May 12, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia: Crime Does Pay mystery symposium with fellow authors, William Lashner, Gerald Kolpan, Merry Jones, George Anastasia and Jonathan Levitan. Free and open to the public. 5:30

July 15, 2010 Summer Library Festival at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library 3-7

July 29, 2010 Camden Library, Vogelson Branch, Voorhees, NJ

My newest Martha Beale novel, WITHOUT FEAR, was inspired by two intriguing historical facts that at first glance seemed wholly unrelated. One was my research into the chateau built by Napoleon’s brother, the former Comte de Survilliers, Joseph Bonaparte, at his estate Point Breeze on the Delaware River north of Philadelphia; the other was my delving into labor conditions within the city’s numerous textile mills. As in my previous two novels set in the mid-nineteenth century, I feel compelled to address issues of social injustice. In Point Breeze and Quaker City Mill (an invented name) I had places that represented the highest aspirations of Philadelphia society, as well as the most demeaning and inhumane.

As always, I’m meticulous in my research. If I’m going to transport myself to 1840s Philadelphia, I need to know precisely how the city looked and sounded. I need to delve into the actual newspapers so I can gain a sense of the daily issues confronting my characters. And, yes, I always seek to make sense of the role of women during the era. The popular “fainting couches” belie the facts: there were redoubtable and influential females. Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, was a worthy predecessor to Oprah.

The Library Company of Philadelphia is my home away from home. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia has a collection of Napoleon artifacts. Our city was a cosmopolitan place. Shopkeepers boasted that “the English, French and Spanish languages” were spoken. For additional information on phrenology and cranioscopy which were then in vogue for determining psychological ailments, the Mutter Museum is highly recommended.

Whether you wish to indulge in additional research or simply want a compelling story, I hope you enjoy your return engagement with Miss Martha Beale.

Since everyone is list mad, here’s a quick peek at 4 of the more haunting offerings in my hometown. If you visit the city, be sure and put them on your itinerary. If you’re an armchair traveler, fly off to their websites:

The Mutter Museum
19 S. 22nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 563-3737
http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp
The museum contains anatomical specimens used by physicians during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It’s both fascinating and disturbing – and full of ghosts.

Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd St. and Fairmount
(215) 236-3300
http://www.easternstate.org
You’ll recognize scenes from THE CONJURER if you visit.

Glen Foerd on The Delaware
5001 Grant Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19114
(215)632-5330
www.glenfoerd.org
An historic estate in a magical setting on the river. It’s easy to imagine Martha here.

And finally: Landmark Walking Tours
(Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks)
www.philalandmarks.org
The tours are themed and informative, and show you sides of Philadelphia you never knew existed. Yes, these cobbled streets tell tales.