Hello out there,
After more than a decade of blogging here on this site, I’ve started a new Substack called INSIDE STORY. There, I’m sharing bits of the history behind my books old and new, and digging into the history behind the novels I love to read.
I recently read Liz Moore’s immersive mystery The God of the Woods set in a summer camp in the Adirondacks. The story set me to wondering about the oldest of those camps. I discovered that the oldest one continuously in existence goes back to 1884 when a group of Boy Scouts visited Camp Dudley in Westport New York. In 1891 the camp moved to a site on Lake Champlain, one of the prettiest spots I know. In my imagination, it’s very much like the one in the novel. Knowing this bit of history made the story that much more enjoyable.
Now I’m reading Kristen Harmel’s newest novel, THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLLETTE MARCEAU which has sent me back to Paris during the Second World War when Jewish families were being rounded up and shipped out.
The thing I love about historical fiction is that it’s a two for one experience. We get a good story, and a peek into times and places and events not our own. It has been the fascinating journey of my lifetime and I’m excited to see where it takes me next.
