SPEAKING SCHEDULE
February 3, 2011: Tacoma Art Museum 10:00 The Blackwells & Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. February 21, 2010: Root & Bloom Garden Club Canyon Park Terrace 1:00, Poison Plant Gardens. March 3, 2011: Happy Times Garden Club 731 W. Pioneer, Puyallup 6:30, Poison Plant Gardens. March 8, 2011: Midland Community Association,1614 East 99th St, Midland Wa. 98404, Poison Plant Gardens. March 12, 2011: Mystery Writers of America, 5:30 Duke's Chowder House, South Center Mall, Murder Most Poisonous. April 18, 2011: Garden Hour Garden Club, 11:00, Edgewood Fire Station, Poison Plant Gardens. May 2, 2011: Pt. Defiance/Ruston Community Center, 10:00, The Blackwells & Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the1870s & 1880s. June 6, 2011: Pt. Defiance/Ruston Community Center, 10:00, Poison Plant Gardens. June 10, 2011: Puyallup Community Center, 10:00, The Blackwells & Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. July 14, 2011: Orting Soldier's Home, 1:30, The Blackwells & Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. August 13, 2011: 1 - 2:30, Walking & history tour of Fern Hill. September 11, 2011: King's Books ,St. Helens, Avenue, Tacoma Wa. 2:00, Murder Most Poisonous. September 26, 2011: Orting Soldier's Home, 1:30, From Chicken Races to Turkey Trots: Eccentric Tacoma. October 15, 2011: Daughters of the American Revolution, Tacoma Elks Club, 10:30, Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. October 18, 2011: South Hill Historical Society, 502 43rd Ave Se Puyallup, Wa 98374, Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. October 24, 2011: Pt. Defiance/Ruston Community Center, 10:00, From Chicken Races to Turkey Trots: Eccentric Tacoma. February 6, 2012: Country Gardeners Garden Club, Eastside Community Association, 1614 East 99th Midland Wa. Poison Plant Gardens. February 21, 2012: Glove & Trowel Garden Club 8726 Fruitland, Puyallup, Wa. Poison Plant Gardens. April 17, 2012: Immanuel Lutheran Church 720 West Main Street, Puyallup Wa. Life on the Wharf: Tacoma in the 1870s & 1880s. THIS HAS BEEN AN AWESOME YEAR. NOT ONLY WAS MY SHORT STORY, THE LAW OF INVERSE CONSEQUENCES ACCEPTED FOR WEST COAST CRIME WAVE,, A MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PUBLICATION, HISTORY PRESS ACCEPTED MY PROPOSAL FOR A BOOK. WITH THEM, I WON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THE MARKETING. YEE HAW!!! AND I HAVE AN AGENT FOR MY MYSTERY SERIES
| WHAT I'M READING (or just finished)
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. Alan Bradley brings back eleven-year-old Flavia De Luce in another fun mystery. Highly recommended. Gold Digger, Constance Rosenblum, described as "the outrageous life & times of Peggy Hopkins Joyce. recommended for history nuts but how quikly the famous are forgotten. Paris Hilton beware. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth, Alexander McCall Smith, an okay Isabel Dalhousie book where the solution is obvious. neutral. Dear Cary, Dyan Cannon, autobiographys are hard because there's only one side presented. neural. A House is not a Home, Polly Adler, a high-classed brothel and the Mafia in the 20s, what's not to like? recommended A Child's Christmas in Wales, Dylan Thomas, a must-read every Christmas In God We Trust, all others pay cash, Jean Shepherd. a lot of fun, interesting to see how different chapters from this book came together to make the movie, A Christmas Story. House of the Lost. Sarah Rayne, the best "noir" writer I've found to date. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you love creepy. Lost Hollywood. David Wallace's fascinating look at what Hollywood-land looked like before it became Hollywood, and how it grew. A definite must for non-fiction fans. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Homesick. Sela Ward's tedious internal battle about whether or not she values southern roots, Hollywood people re better off with a biography rather an an autobiography if, that is, anyone cares. NOT RECOMMENDED. In the Garden of the Beast. Erik Larson's best seller about politics between the US and Germany post WWII. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The Last Madam, A Life in the New Orleans Underworld. Christine Wiltz, crime, corruption and beautiful women as Norma Wallace knew them. Read it to find out what John Wayne did at a brothel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO NON-FICTION READERS. Setting The Scene: The Great Hollywood Art Directors, Robert Sennett, the symbolism behind the way scenes were created. A bit of a tome but TCM fans will love it. RECOMMENDED. Minding Frankie, Maeve Binchy: Ms. Binchy's usual quirky characters, some of whom we've met before. RECOMMENDED. The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs, James P. Blaylock. published by Subterranean (specialists in "suspense, horror and dark mystery) Press. Forced 19th century dialogue, improbably plot and lots of "telling" the reader rather than "showing" the reader. NOT RECOMMENDED in fact, not even finished. The Dog Who Came in From the Cold: Alexander McCall Smith, the same quirky characters return to talk and philosophize. Rupert chases a Yeti, Freddie de la Hay works for M16, and life for the others evolves. RECOMMENDED. Callgirl: Jeannette Angell, life as a part-time, middle management hooker, it's everything you were curious about and then some. NOT RECOMMENDED TO PRUDES. The White Devil: Justin Evans, creepy ghost story with a surprise ending. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The Blessed Town: Polly Stone Buck. This is another American Places of the Heart book. It takes place in Oxford, Georgia at the turn of the 20th century, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ESPECIALLY TO HISTORY BUFFS. Grandmother's House: Frances Chapman. This is part of the series, American Places of the Heart. The first chapter is really confusing but it gets better. RECOMMENDED FOR NOSTALGIA AFICIONADOS. Winter's Bone: Daniel Woodrell, loved the movie, loved the music, loved the book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Wishful Drinking: Carrie Fisher, Should be called "How Do I Love ME." A tedious account of her bipolar problems. A BIG THUMBS DOWN. A Bloodhound to Die For: Virginia Lanier, The author wrapped up her great mystery series which involves people, tracker dogs, the Okefenokee Swamp, and lots of bad guys, then she died. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
|
This booklet of about 30 pages is available from me, the Tacoma Historical Society store or Park Avenue Books in Tacoma. It was fun to write because history stories before lawsuits were always interesting and generally funny. Lenard Eccles did a great job of providing illustrations.
Co-hosting a Fern Hill walking tour. Drop by on August 13, 2011 and go walk-about.
Co-hosting a Fern Hill walking tour. Drop by on August 13, 2011 and go walk-about.