Victorian Pincushion

Many a writer has been sidetracked by research. Dani Shapiro mentioned recently it was just another form of procrastination. She’s right, of course.

But sometimes you just have to go looking for those marvelous details that will pull the reader into your fictional world. In my mind, historical fiction would be flat on the page without them. Like the Italian mantle clock I found early on and which will play its own part in my story. (I wish I could show you a picture, but I’m pretty sure it’s copyrighted. Check it out here, though.)

I was looking for an antique tool, something a metal shop owner would have used. I found the iron rod fairly quickly, but soon became enamored by the other lovely objects on this site. I found a gold velvet pincushion, set in a brass bucket and topped with a brass poodle holding a thimble: just the thing my Jewish lady's maid would use while sewing my character's maternity clothes. Perfect, right? It gets better, and I swear I’m not making this up. As I looked at the various images of the pincushion, a closeup of the bottom of the thimble revealed a Star of David.

I'm happy with my little sidetrack for the morning...now back to writing!

Writers Write

This one by JC Hutchins at Writer Unboxed spoke to me today. Enough on that, back to writing...

Over at What Women Write, find out why your characters should go to the zoo.

Boxes of Stories

I'm blogging about boxes of stories over at What Women Write today. Here are a few more pictures.


These are my maternal grandparents, Harry and Jenny Zimberg.

















I think the lady with flowers adorning her hat is my father's aunt, Mary Levinson. The woman who chose a feathered hat? Who knows?!

















My father and his father, Paul Levinson, owned Monroe Pharmacy from the early 50s through sometime in the 70s in Washington, D.C. Pauline worked for them for about 30 years.



























Maybe my grandfather and a brother owned a confectionery before Grandpa Paul became a pharmacist, or maybe they just walked in for a piece of chocolate.

I might not know the facts, but each picture is a story waiting to be told.

Guest Blogger: Agent Jim McCarthy

How many rejections have you amassed? More than 50? 100?

Stop by What Women Write to check out agent Jim McCarthy's (of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management) post on NEVER GIVING UP!

Don't Give Up, says Anna Elliott

I'm a big fan of Writer Unboxed. They have many bloggers, but each one offers valuable insight and generally the right amount of push! (I mean, they've got the amazing agent and fiction how-to author Donald Maass over there!)

Here's today's gem from Anna Elliott on not giving up. Or, as Alicia Keys says, "There's Nothing You Can't Do."

Dara Horn's ALL OTHER NIGHTS

Dara Horn’s spectacular book, All Other Nights, is rich with love, betrayal, loyalty and sorrow. I enjoyed her first two books, In the Image and The World to Come, which both weave historical fiction with present day narrative. But All Other Nights is strictly historical, a literary mystery set during the Civil War and reminiscent of Cold Mountain and March. After reading until 1:30am last night, I woke at 6:30am to finish it.

The cover reads:

How is tonight different from all other nights? For Jacob Rappaport, a Jewish soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, it is a question his commanders have already answered for him -- on Passover, 1862, he is ordered to murder his own uncle in New Orleans, who is plotting to assassinate President Lincoln. After this harrowing mission, Jacob is recruited to pursue another enemy agent, the daughter of a Virginia family friend. But this time, his assignment isn’t to murder the spy, but to marry her. Their marriage, with its riveting and horrifying consequences, reveals the deep divisions that still haunt American life today.

Based on real personalities like Judah Benjamin, the Confederacy’s Jewish Secretary of State and spymaster, and on historical facts and events ranging from an African-American spy network to the dramatic self-destruction of the city of Richmond, All Other Nights is a gripping and suspenseful story of men and women driven to the extreme limits of loyalty and betrayal. It is also a brilliant parable of the rift in America that lingers a century and a half later: between those who value family and tradition first, and those dedicated, at any cost, to social and racial justice for all.

In this eagerly-awaited third novel, award-winning author Dara Horn brings us page-turning storytelling at its best. Layered with meaning, All Other Nights presents the most American of subjects with originality and insight -- and the possibility of reconciliation that might yet await us.


I was most intrigued with her characterization of four sisters, each with their own unique quirks which not only brought them to life, but aided each in times of trouble. Her writing is intelligent and thoroughly researched, and although the plot was intricate, I never once felt it was contrived. The story, and characters, surprised me at every turn.

One of my favorites this year! Anyone else read it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.