May 2020
Merciful
heavens, but life can change quickly, can’t it? Last month when I wrote my
newsletter, I had no idea Covid-19 would make such a huge impact on the world.
Silly me.
The truth
of the quarantine, at least for me, is that life hasn’t changed a whole lot.
Because the hounds and I live in Roswell, New Mexico, there’s nowhere for us to
go and nothing for us to do anyway. Church services have been held via video for a
few weeks, and choir practice has been suspended for the duration, but that’s
about it. The dogs still take me for our daily drag around the neighborhood (if
I’d ever managed to train them properly, they’d walk like good little doggies,
but I never did, so I get yanked). That’s on me. Mind you, if I could still
afford to live in California, I’d probably be pining away, but I don’t, so I’m
not.
Did that
make any sense? Never mind. It really doesn’t matter.
In recent
weeks I’ve heard from a few people in other parts of the world (other than the
USA, I mean), telling me they enjoy Daisy’s and/or Mercy’s adventures but can’t
quite equate what they’re reading to what they know in their world. I
understand this situation completely, since I love reading British mysteries.
So far, among other things, I’ve learned the boot of a car is our trunk, the
bonnet is our hood, a fish pie is a fish concoction with mashed potatoes on top
(I think mashed potatoes are just mash), and flapjacks aren’t just another word
for what we call pancakes. In fact, Carola Dunn sent me her mother’s recipe for
flapjacks. It looks delicious, although I haven’t made any yet.
Anyway,
because people seem interested, I decided I’d create a more pictorial
newsletter than usual, showing Daisy’s street, her house, Mrs. Bissel’s house,
etc. And even, because someone asked, I'm posting a photo of clam chowder (pronounced CHOW-dah)! Not my favorite dish, but
don’t tell my father. Well, you can’t because he’s dead, but . . . never mind
again.
All right, on to Marengo Avenue, where Daisy and her mother, father and aunt
live. This is approximately what Marengo looked like in Daisy’s day:
Here’s a
lousy photo of Daisy’s house. Below it is approximately what her house would
look like if anybody took care of it. They’re not the same house, but they’re
close:
Daisy goes to the Pasadena Public Library a whole lot. This is the library she went to. It was replaced in about 1927 (maybe 1929), but this is the one she went to. It sat in its own park with a pond and a gazebo for sitting and reading in:
Here’s the
new self-starting Chevrolet Daisy bought to replace their old 1909 Model-T. In
fact, here’s the Model-T, too. It had no door on the driver’s side, which
created some problems in Fine Spirits:
And here's Sam's big, clunky black Hudson:
Here’s
Harold’s bright red Stutz Bearcat:
And here’s
Harold’s new Kissel Gold Bug Speedster (which makes its first appearance in Exercised Spirits, which I promise I’ll
finish writing soon):
This is
Mrs. Bissel’s house. This house is of special import to me, because my aunt
used to own it, and I pretty much grew up in it. It was a huge part of my life. I used to dream about it all the time. Since
I gave the house to Mrs. Bissel and began writing about it, it doesn’t show up
in my dreams so much. While I’m showing you Mrs. Bissel’s house, I’ll also show
you a monkey-puzzle tree, one of which used to grow in the middle of the
circular driveway in the back yard. The leaves on that tree tore up my own
personal legs more than once when I was a kid!
This is the breakfast room, in which Daisy conducted the séance in which she
conjured the ghost of a poor murdered young man, much to Daisy’s (and pretty
much everyone else’s) horror. My aunt used to serve dinner in this room unless
she was hosting a huge gathering, as
on Christmas Eve, etc. Notice the door to the right? Not the door into the
kitchen, but the one next to it? That door leads to a suite of rooms (a sitting
room with a fireplace, a bedroom and a bathroom). I expect when the house was
first built and occupied (early 1900s) that apartment housed the
cook/housekeeper. My aunt used to rent it out:
And here’s
Daisy’s church, where she sings alto in the choir: the First
Methodist-Episcopal Church on the corner of Marengo Avenue and Colorado
Boulevard (back then it was Colorado Street). It’s pointy!
Um . . . I
can’t think of any other photos to post. Oh, wait! Boston baked beans. These
are the same beans folks in the UK eat, pretty much. At least that’s what I ate
when I visited. My daddy made them with either salt pork or bacon (or maybe
both), and he served them with home-made New England brown bread, which is sweet
and is baked in a tin can. It’s a little too sweet for me, but again, don’t
tell my dad. Oh, that’s right. Never mind:
Of course, I need to show Daisy’s White sewing machine! According to Leon Fundenberger,
who knows about sewing machines, this model dates from later than the 1920s.
However, it’s mine, I used to make clothes for both of my daughters and
myself on it, and I love it. It’s electric, and it has a side pedal, which runs
the thing. I think in the Daisy books I called it a treadle, but that’s
incorrect. I’ve learned a whole lot of stuff from Leon and his pal, Iris Evans,
who not only collect sewing machines and do tons of sewing, but who also do a
lot of fun dress-up stuff:
Egad! I almost forgot to show you Daisy's engagement ring, made by Sam's father, much against his will (Sam's father's, not Sam's). Sam's family objects to Daisy being neither Italian nor Roman Catholic:
Okay! On
to the new book front! Um . . . there’s nothing to say, really. I’m actually
getting close to finishing Exercised
Spirits, which was supposed to have been published in May but can’t be
because I haven’t finished writing it yet. I’m sorry!
I did go
through the first book in the to-be-republished “Meet Me at the Fair” series, Coming Up Roses. Boy, oh, boy, I was
blabby 25-30 years ago. I slashed and burned my way through that one and felt
like a blooming idiot. For one thing, I no longer write romances for a good
reason (I don’t want to) and for another, there were just too many words in it.
Still have to go through the other two books, Just North of Bliss and A
Bicycle Built for Two, and I really
hope they don’t require so much editing. Y’know, editing other people’s books
and having my own books edited has taught me a lot. I still tend to repeat
myself when I’m writing (it takes maybe weeks to write a scene you can read in
five minutes), but I’m attempting to curb my repetitive tendency. Just so you
know.
A reminder:
I no longer have a post-office box, so if you want to get in touch with me, please
do so through my web page or on Facebook. Or send me an email at alice@aliceduncan.net. If you
absolutely must snail-mail me
something (preferably several checks for large sums of money), lemme know and I’ll
give it to you. My address, I mean. Oy.
Because I
have no clue how long everyone will be on lock-down and don’t want to mail
paper books to anyone unless they’re willing to wait six months or so until
this little old lady can get to the post office, I’ll be sending ebooks (or
regular books if you don’t mind the wait) to the people whose names Bam-Bam has
chosen from his special contest doggie dish. And those people are (for April’s giveaway):
Peg Ghrist, to whom I’ll
send a NOOK copy of whatever book you want,
Carol Wright, to whom I’ll
send a book of any sort if you’ll let me know which one you want and whether
you want an ebook or a paper book, and
Teresa Henson, who will
get a paper copy (let me know which one you want) as soon as I feel safe going
to the post office!
Congratulations,
ladies! I’ll send your books as soon as I know which book you want and (in
Teresa’s case) when can I get to the post office!
As for May’s
giveaway, why don’t we just do the same thing over again? Any old book you want
(that I’ve written). Just lemme know either now or if you win which book you’d
like. As ever, please send me an email to alice@aliceduncan.net, and I’ll toss your name into Bammy’s dish. Oh,
there’s one more thing that might be important to know. When it comes to
mailing paper copies of books, I can only send them within the USA. I can send
e-copies of books to people pretty much anywhere (or, come to think of it,
audio copies, if you’re willing to download the Audible app), but postage to
foreign climes is just too expensive.
Okay, what
now? I know! Daisy Daze! If you enjoy the Daisy and Mercy books, or if you’re
just fascinated by the 1920s (as I am), please feel free to join Daisy Daze. I adore Daisy Daze. Iris Evans and Leon
Fundenberger (whom I’ve already mentioned regarding sewing machines) founded the
DAISY DAZE Facebook page on which people post all sorts of historical stuff
about Pasadena, sewing machines, automobiles, buildings, fashions from the
1920s, houses in which the people in the books might live, stars of the silent
screen, and lots and lots of other historical (1920s-era) stuff. It’s fun, and
if you’d like to be a member, check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/ .
Thank you!
 who publish my Daisy and Mercy books, will republish a series of my early historical romances set during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (known as the World’s Columbian Exposition). The series is called “Meet Me at the Fair,” and the books are: Coming Up Roses (starring a trick bareback rider in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and a brash newspaperman); Just North of Bliss (starring a misplaced southern belle and the official photographer of the fair); and A Bicycle Built for Two, the third (and probably best) of the trio of books. This one stars Kate Finney, a poor Chicago girl who’s trying her very best to support her consumptive mother, and Alex English, who is offended (offended, I tell you!) that Kate’s alcoholic father tried to strangle Kate at his fair! They both eventually get over themselves, but it isn’t easy. I’m fond of this book, too.
In the meantime, I’ve written the beginning chapter of Wedded Spirits, Daisy Gumm Majesty’s next adventure. Also, I’m actually galloping along with Mercy Allcutt’s next book, Angels Adrift, which begins with Mercy witnessing a murder. The problem is the body keeps disappearing and reappearing. There’s definitely trouble afoot, but Mercy, Lulu and Ernie are on the job (generally to Ernie’s displeasure). This book also contains not merely Mercy’s adorable apricot toy poodle, but also a couple of mastiffs named Caesar and Augustus. I’m not sure what role they’ll play yet, although I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with something bizarre for them to do. I’m so glad most of my writing mojo has returned. For a while there, I feared it was gone for good.
Anyway, as to winners of August’s book giveaway, I guess I didn’t specify which books I’d give the winners, so I’ll tell you who the winners are. Then the winners can tell me which book they’d like. (Here Bam-Bam takes the stage and noses through his special book-giveaway doggie dish. Bam-Bam is such a good boy). And he selected:
Stacy Stephens, Donna Marton (Donna, all I have is your name and email address. I’ll need a home address if you want a paper book), and Pat Corrigan! Pat, you requested a copy of Exercised Spirits when it’s released, so I’ll send you one then. But Stacy and Donna, please let me know which book you’d like to receive.
Thanks for entering, everyone!
Now, what about the end of September? Oh, goodness gracious, I just don’t know. How about I give away Kindle copies of Texas Lonesome: A Historical Western Romance Collection? Okay. I will. If you’d like to enter my book giveaway, please send me an email at alice@aliceduncan.net. Because I no longer have a post-office box, if you’d like to communicate with me, please do so at the prior email address or through Facebook Messenger.
Daisy Daze continues to be a fun and entertaining place to visit. I appreciate Iris Evans and Leon Fundenberger so much for founding the page. If you enjoy the Daisy and Mercy books, or if you’re just fascinated by the 1920s (as I am), please feel free to join Daisy Daze. It’s fun, it’s educational, and if you’d like to be a member, check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/905100189878318/
If you’d like to visit my web page, here’s the link: https://www.aliceduncan.net/index.html . If you’d like to be Facebook friends, please go here: https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925
Thank you!
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