Reading and research

Tags

bootlegging, New York City, postaday2013, prohibition, Reading, research

I am now at the point in my book where my two characters have crossed the Atlantic and enter prohibition era New York City, specifically the year is 1926. I am getting ready to switch gears because New York City of any era is different than Paris and I want to try to be faithful to the New York City flavor and also try to describe it through the eyes of a newcomer. I think that I have my work cut out for me but I have already taken steps to try to make it easier to recreate what life was like back then in New York. My local library here in Blandford did me the wonderful service of ordering me a few books all related to New York during the prohibition era. One is a beautiful pictography called “New York Then and Now” and it shows gorgeous pictures of all the great neighborhoods way back in the late 1800’s and how they look now. It is so fascinating to see how industrious the early New Yorkers were, it definitely has always been the city that never sleeps.
One book in particular that has me very excited is “Dry NewYork” I have already gotten into a few chapters and it is a fascinating look into the sociological, economic and political dynamic of prohibition in New York and every single impact that you can think of throughout the fabric of its society. There are two others, “Taxi cabs and its Culture” and “Criminology of the Prohibition Era”, these two will surely be helpful in giving me insight into what universe my character Madeleine will be walking into with her lover Jack who she will come to see is knee deep in the criminal activity of prohibition.

I have my research in front of me and the only thing that is worrying me is that once I start writing, I’ll be involved in another book before I am done. Which by the way is all good and fine, but I am kind of chomping at the bit to get this book finished and out into the world of rejection. Joking. This book will be done when it is done. I vaguely remember the legendary actor Orson Welles shilling for an American wine maker Paul Mason and he used to say “No good wine shall be opened before its time” or something to that effect; I am merely extending the sentiment to my book, no good book shall be finished before its time.

That unexpected phone call

Tags

communication, loss, parents, phone, postaday2013

You receive a call from someone you don’t expect. Who is it, and what is the conversation about?

The one person this question brings to mind would be my father. It will be 10 years this February 25 that my father was killed and if the phone rang and his voice was on the other end, it would definitely be an unexpected yet welcome phone call.

My father comes to mind because he, unlike me, loved the phone. When he would be at home in the morning, he would take a break from his morning chores and start dialing, I would usually be the first call on his list and he and I would talk about everything under the sun and he called everyday. He especially loved to hear about the latest antics that either the baby boy or the baby girl would be pulling off. We talked endlessly about food, recipes and future concoctions. Politics was probably our favorite subject because politics encompasses everything; sociology, psychology, economics and history. We would spend at least an hour every day talking. It took me a long time to wean myself away from the huge void left in my life and my heart when my father was taken from me.

I can now honestly say that whenever I think of him and it is all the time, the sides of my eyes crinkle upwards, because it's a memory of someone that I loved unconditionally and I keep that alive in my heart. I think that it's true what they say about love, since it's energy, it can never die. I am grateful for that.