Just in time for Saint Valentine’s Day…Stinky Vinegar Valentines!
The feast of Saint Valentine of Rome was designated in the year 496. The date? February 14th, of course. About 900 years later, Saint Valentine and his feast day (already celebrated with food, drink, jousting, poetry, singing, and dancing) somehow became associated with romance, passion, and love. And so began the need to send Saint… Read More
Gilded Age New Orleans ~ The starts and stops of writing Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper
Let’s play a short word association game. When I say “New Orleans” I’m guessing that you’ll say “Mardi Gras parades! Streetcars! Beignets! Hurricanes! The French Quarter! Jazz!” When I say “Gilded Age New Orleans” I’m guessing that you’ll say “Wait. What?” Or “What’s the Gilded Age?” Fair questions, both of them. The short answer is:… Read More
Killer Ideas for an 1889 New Orleans Christmas Story
by Ana Brazil Although I’m still crafting the follow-up story to FANNY NEWCOMB AND THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER, this year I took a break from novel writing to write two short stories. One of them, “Kate Chopin Tussles with a Novel Ending”, is slated for publication in 2019 in the upcoming Fault Lines anthology from… Read More
NaNoWri…what?
It’s November, which means it’s NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth! Every November, anyone who has ever wanted to write a novel (which seems to be just about everyone at some time in their life) can join a free, online community dedicated to writing 50,000 words of a novel in 31 days. It can be your first… Read More
What happened after “Lizzie Borden took an axe”?
Even if you’ve never heard the famous rhyme about Lizzie Borden, I’m sure you’ve heard about her. In August 1892, Lizzie’s father and stepmother were brutally murdered in their house in Fall River, Massachusetts. The size and shape of the bloody chop marks on the bodies suggested that a large axe had been used. Although… Read More
Psst! Wanna Write a Killer Book?
Of course you do! Whenever I meet people and tell them that I write historical mysteries, they often say “I’ve always wanted to write a mystery!” or “I have a great idea for a mystery; if only I knew how to write it all down!” Here’s the good news about all that…if you want to… Read More
Death by dancing…what a way to go!
One of the joys of writing historical mysteries is the research. I love it! And as I write the sequel to my award-winning FANNY NEWCOMB AND THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER, I’m still on the hunt for unsavory snippets about barroom brawls, riverboat rivalries, and Canal Street cutthroats in Gilded Age New Orleans. In addition, I’m… Read More
It’s Historical Mystery Award Season!
Spring seems to be the season for historical fiction and mystery writing awards: the Lefty (awarded at Left Coast Crime), the Agatha (Malice Domestic), the Edgar (Mystery Writers of America), and my new favorite, the Benjamin Franklin (Independent Book Publishers Association, aka IBPA). I’m excited to share the news that FANNY NEWCOMB AND THE IRISH… Read More
Seven absolutely criminal mystery conventions
I’m back from a very-fun-and-very-exhausting Left Coast Crime mystery con in Sparks, Nevada. Although I’ve attended lots of mystery cons as a reader and fan, this was my first time as a published author. So now I get to introduce myself as “Mystery Author, Reader, and Fan.” WHOO-HOO! Left Coast Crime had something for everyone…a… Read More
Left Coast Crime, anyone?
I’m head over heels in research for my second Fanny Newcomb historical mystery (working title…FANNY NEWCOMB AND THE FRENCH QUARTER LAUDANUM LOVER). And I’m loving it! I’m investigating historic poisons, studying Italian immigration to New Orleans, and inspecting French Quarter Sanborn Fire maps online (courtesy of the fabulous Library of Congress). And here are some… Read More
How to survive a killer Mardi Gras, circa 1889
Need to know how to survive this year’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Good news! Google’s got you covered! Now you have no excuse because you know how to find a restroom, catch a doubloon without getting your fingers stomped, and—most importantly—stay out of jail. But suppose your New Orleans time machine took you back… Read More
Resolved in 2018: Less Jack the Ripper, More Laudanum!
I’ve spent way too many hours reading books about Jack the Ripper. And watching movies, documentaries, and docudramas about Jack the Ripper. And searching contemporary newspapers from around-the-world for Jack the Ripper insights. And months after the publication of my novel Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper (which builds on the Ripper mythology and… Read More