This is probably what Juliet's 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan looked like. Maybe that's Elmer at the wheel. Wonder who's been murdered now?
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If you like the romance and charm of a classic film, my Double V Mysteries, set in New England in the late 1940s and early 1950s, will remind you of an era when dramatic stories were elegant, subtle, and even a grim walk down a dark alley might unexpectedly lead to the glamour of evening dress and a champagne cocktail. Juliet and Elmer, an heiress and an ex-con, become partners in crime-solving...and more. Enter a world of Mid-Century style and take a back seat in a sleek 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan for a fast ride to lose those mugs still tailing them.
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Publishers Weekly review of Children's Wartime Adventure Novels:
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UPCOMING NEWS
I have a new cover for my book, CADMIUM YELLOW, BLOOD RED, the first book in my Double V Mysteries series. I wanted artwork to match the style of the later books in the series, and I'm very pleased with the noir-ish feel of the image, and especially that the reader finally gets to see Juliet's oft-mentioned 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan. This luxury car was manufactured from 1949 through 1954, and we'll never see its like again. If you're familiar with the series, Elmer's infatuation with Juliet's car is second only to his infatuation with Juliet. CADMUM YELLOW, BLOOD RED is now available in hardcover from Amazon. Celeste Schantz reviews my CHILDREN'S WORLD WAR II ADVENTURE NOVELS on her YouTube channel A READER'S ALMANAC - starts at 12:00 -- https://youtu.be/7hxVQQJXc6g?si=YxhzOOw-iYVVY4WR NEW IN HARDCOVER! - BESIDE THE STILL WATERS, is now available in hardcover from Amazon. It's the story of the towns dismantled in the 1930s for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir in Central Massachusetts. It's a family saga played out over four decades of historical events. Here's what one reviewer, "Rich in Viriginia" remarked: "Beautiful period piece. Details are done sparely yet beautifully. This historical novel gorgeously captures the experience of the four Massachusetts towns sacrificed for the massive Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s. Evocative! Perhaps one of my all time favorite regional pieces." The new hardcover can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTTVC9VD I'm hoping to put more of my books out in hardcover this year, and in paperback that your local booksellers can order from Ingram's, and begin to produce more of my books in audio as well. It's shaping up to be a busy year. **************** LISTEN TO MY 12/19/24 GUEST APPEARANCE ON FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD - Host Doug Hess and I discuss Christmas movies and my book, CHRISTMAS IN CLASSIC FILMS - here. ***************** If eBooks are your pleasure, buy from my Shopify store to avoid the big companies! ****************** My newest non-fiction book, CHILDREN'S WARTIME ADVENTURE NOVELS is now published! Experience World War II like an American twelve-year-old. From Cherry Ames and Ann Bartlett nursing in war zones from the Pacific to Europe, from aviators Dave Dawson and Stan Wilson in aerial dogfights with the enemy, the middle-grade and teen readers growing up in the early 1940s received through these characters an amazing window on a world at war. The World War II-themed series novels discussed in this book were their companions in the baffling and exciting era of their already normally angst-ridden pre-teen and teen years. These books provided entertainment, inspiration, education, and indoctrination as to what would be expected of them as kids supporting the war effort and what kind of adults they should strive to be. They grew up to be called The Silent Generation, known for conformity, respect for rules, and a quiet but determined work ethic that never left them. See how the adventures in the wartime children's books they read shaped their knowledge of the world and formed their ideals. The series novels for children published in the early 1940s allow us to explore the theaters of war, the home front, the news of the day as it was absorbed by the teens and pre-teens who were too young to participate in the war effort like adults, but who still felt the impact of world-shaking events. Have a look at this review in Book Life, published in Publishers Weekly magazine, May 12, 2025, edition. Have a look at this YouTube review of the book by Meg Perdue here! Buy in eBook direct from me at my Shopify store. Buy in hardcover from Ingram here. Or, buy in paperback from Ingram here. Buy in eBook, print, and hardcover at Amazon. Buy in eBook from Barnes & Noble, Apple, and a variety of other online merchants here! *************************** Chicopee Register article on Children's Wartime Adventure Novels here! Review by Tyler Garnet in The Reminder/Chicopee Herald, October 22, 2024. Online - Chicopee resident releases new book to relive certain period of history - The Reminder **************************** The seventh in my Double V Mysteries series - THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT KILLED, a Christmas story set in 1951, is available in print and in eBook here at Amazon. It's also available at this link from Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of other online shops! Here's the blurb: The week before Christmas 1951, Juliet and Elmer are hired by a retired factory owner in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, to find the missing money his son-in-law stole sixteen years ago. The culprit is being released from prison. His wife is expecting him. So is her younger sister. So is the former co-worker who arrives to meet him at the train station with a gun. Did the thief have an accomplice? How many, Juliet and Elmer included, are going to follow him in hopes of retrieving the stolen money from its hiding place? It’s a holiday rush to get things done, and to wrap up old resentments, rivalries, and crimes, with a neat bow before the deadline of Christmas Eve when debts, and blackmail, comes due. If you like the romance and charm of a classic film, this will remind you of an era of character-driven stories—and pop culture of times past comes alive again. But trouble sometimes comes in small packages. And there's trains in it, too. Grab your copy here! Or HERE directly from me at my online shop! ********** A TRAGIC TOAST TO CHRISTMAS - The Infamous Wood Alcohol Deaths of 1919 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Non-fiction - a "true crime" episode of Prohibition mayhem and murder. More than 100 people died of a companionable drink on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1919 in New England, nearly half of them in the city of Chicopee, Mass. How this came to happen, and even how it came to be forgotten are both intriguing aspects to the tragedy. Buy the eBook directly from me here. Also available here in eBook and print at Amazon, and also available here in eBook at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of other online shops. ************ Christmas in Classic Films is the perfect choice for the classic film fan on your Christmas list -- available in eBook and in print from Amazon. NOW IN HARDCOVER! Order eBook from me directly at my Shopify store here. Also available in eBook at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of online shops here! ******** Recorded replay of Zoom presentation on BESIDE THE STILL WATERS: Friday, December 3, 2021. Here is a link to my recorded Zoom talk with photos and maps on the historical background of my novel Beside the Still Waters for the Amherst Historical Society of Amherst, Massachusetts, for those of you who were unable to join us. The novel, a family saga, is about the four towns that were demolished to create the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts in the 1920s and 1930s. The story is about community and the loss of community, and how our hometowns make up a big part of our family heritage and our personal identities. Photos and map images accompany the talk. Here's the link: Author Talk - Beside the Still Waters - Amherst Historical Society I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading... |