Jennifer Petkus's Blog, page 19

Emma through the lens of Aisha

I just watched Aisha, a Bollywood take on Jane Austen's Emma, and while I can't say it was a great movie (although I did enjoy it), it was certainly an interesting lens through which to view the novel. I make no bones about the fact that I adore the character of Emma. For all her [...]

The perils of being a historical writer

Or is that a writer of history? Anyway, the danger for a writer of books historical is not when you write something of which you're unsure. After all, if I write that Charlotte House "put down her pencil," then all sorts of red flags should go off in my head. When was the pencil invented? [...]

The Persian flaw of The Red-Headed League

Why do I have this idiotic need to poke holes in the Canon? The Red-Headed League has to be in the top ten, maybe the top five of most Sherlockian's favorite short stories. It's my second favorite short story, pride of place going to the Dying Detective because of those oysters taking over the world. [...]

Jane Austen: Self Publisher

During the whole truly annoying process of publishing my book, My Particular Friend, available wherever fine books are sold, it occurred to me that Jane Austen was also self published and that she faced many questions similar to those a modern day self publisher encounters. Which is not to say she had to worry about [...]

What I'm Reading: Gentlemen's Blood

Somewhat after the fact, I'm reading Barbara Holland's Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling from Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk, published in 2004. I should have read it before writing The Affair of the Code Duello, but fortunately I didn't seem to have committed any major faux pas. The book is quite entertaining, [...]

What I'm reading: If Walls Could Talk

If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home is Lucy Worsley's followup book to her very enjoyable four-part BBC series by the same name. Which does seem a little backward to the convention of writing a history book and then attracting enough attention to warrant making a documentary, or the practice of releasing [...]

My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 8

Beginning with The End of the Affair: A se'ennight later saw us ready to leave for London. se'ennight: a week

My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 7

Beginning with Explanations: 'Don't be facetious, Jane, no one could be so good a shot with a pistol, and surely Mr Jenkins is not so good a shot as to merely graze Mr Sunderland's cheek. Pistols used in duelling were intentionally inaccurate, lacking the rifling that would ensure a ball would fly straight. In fact [...]

Book signing at Union Station

I was recently invited by the Platte Valley & Western Model Railroad Club to sign copies of Good Cop, Dead Cop at Union Station. If you're unsure of the connection, I refer you to the footnotes for Chapter One. I had a great time and sold several copies of the book, including two to members of Dr. Watson's Neglected Patients, my local Sherlock Holmes scion society. I even had one person who bought the book at the Tattered Cover cross the street to have it signed.

I'm sorry for the slightly out of focus photos my husband Jim took of me at my table and for the fact that I look slightly cold, because in truth it was quite warm near the station's boiler room. You'll see the basement still has the spooky look that contributed to what I hope was a suitably creepy opening for the book.

Chris Rand of the PV&W also gave me a quick behind the scenes tour of the basement and the now blocked off tunnels that originally led to the Oxford Hotel.

Of course I also had time to view the amazing train layout of the group, which naturally includes a miniature of Union Station. I couldn't compose the photo to match the cover of my book unfortunately. The railroad club was also hosting VIP guests from the RTD board because the redevelopment of Union Station is very much in the news, with competing plans for how best to integrate a hotel into the building while still preserving the charm of the lobby.

And Jim and I also got a chance to drive some trains; and here's some video of Jim doing a complicated exchange of railcars.

Good Cop, Dead Cop book signing

Get your copy of Good Cop, Dead Cop signed where the story begins, in the bowels of Union Station. I'll be at the open house for the Platte Valley & Western Model Railroad club in the basement of the building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 17.




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If you're not familiar with the book, it opens with my dead cop looking for a shooting suspect in the same basement, and Union Station, of course, is on the cover of the book. The club's open house will actually be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and if you've never visited the club, definitely visit even if you don't care about my book. It's actually a fun Christmas thing to do so bring the kids.

I'll have copies of the book to sell, or you can pick up your copy at the downtown Tattered Cover that's just across the street.