Carnival of cruelty: a tale of two riots
What happens when the powerful don't just look away from violence but actively cheer it on? I've been thinking about [...]
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
My father, Kelly Blanton, aka Poppy (art above done by McKenna Blanton), died one week before Christmas. We buried and [...]
Upstairs, downstairs
I’ve just returned from ten days spent generously tucked into a fascinating group of people from Anchorage/Washington DC/San Francisco/Paris, all [...]
Once upon a time, people used to read
I’ve been thinking about pre-adult reading lately because next week at Bouchercon I get to moderate an author panel on [...]
Am I writing or am I procrastinating?
Working on my fourth novel, a historical mystery set in 1945 San Francisco, I’m finding myself spending what may be [...]
Bring in June with history and culture
I'm looking forward to a great, bookish weekend coming up with Poster Girl. Saturday, June 1, I'll spend the day [...]
Welcome aboard the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O’Brien
Saturday, June 1, I'll spend the day aboard historic SS Jeremiah O'Brien, National Liberty Ship Memorial with Jane Benjamin novel [...]
Spilling the historical kibble
Grandbaby is mobile and curious. A complete delight. (Maybe less completely delightful for his parents, who are constantly cleaning up [...]
Rosies at the White House–“It used to be a man’s world”
I may or may not have teared up at the videos of the real life Rosie the Riveters who visited [...]
What is this for?
My friends know that I keep a sticky note attached to my computer monitor. It reads, What Is This For? [...]