Lee Strauss's Blog, page 6
October 28, 2021
Introducing Illustrator Joel Strauss, my co-creator of the 1920s Coloring Book
Joel Strauss is my eldest son, oldest child of four. He's always been a consummate artist especially with music, and most recently he's jumped into visual art using watercolor as his medium. We're starting a store called Vintage Is You where we'll sell apparel and home decor featuring his vintage-themed artwork. The store isn't live yet but you can leave your email at VintageIsYou.com to be sure to be notified when it is. We've been really busy with the 1920s Coloring Book and now that its release day is almost here, we're going to focus on the store.
Speaking of the coloring book, don't miss the contest where you can win a copy, a package of colored pencils, and a print of Joel's art!
https://gleam.io/2h321/1920s-fashion-coloring-book
It's been a pleasure working with my son on these projects. You might know him as my assistant Joel Matthew on Facebook. I love that we can work together as see our vision for art and books come together.
This is from a Vintage Is You blog written by Joel:
It all started with Frank
It didn’t strike me as ‘music for your grandparents’
I still remember hearing ‘Strangers In the Night’ for the first time. I was barely 20, and up to that point almost all the music I ingested was contemporary Indie and Alternative Rock. (Oh, and Bob Dylan)
Another student let me listen to her playlist. Then I heard that booming voice in ‘Strangerrrrs In the Niggght’ and I was stopped cold in my tracks. A profound projection of old jazz vocal. Blue notes.
There was something old about it, sure, but it didn’t strike me as ‘music for your grandparents.’ It sounded both old and new at once, as if I could experience history in the here-and-now. A time where automobiles were still new, where people spent more time outside, where branded clothing hadn’t yet permeated all of fashion, where music emphasized love and romance.
Whatever it was, I knew that I wanted a piece of it. Maybe I could bring someone of it with me wherever I went.
This was the first big step into my fascination with 20th Century Vintage. I’ve been a musician my whole life, and music is what opened the gates. I began to incorporate classic pop elements into my own songs and albums.
Years later, when I became a visual artist, filling the canvas with these types of motifs was just as exciting. Suddenly, I could allow people experience this world with their eyes too, instead of just their ears. The positive feedback on my visual art has surprised me, and it strongly suggests that there is a community of others to meet and connect with who get just as inspired by nostalgia as I do.
Hey – maybe history doesn’t have to be something that happened 3 generations ago…
Thanks for being on this journey with me!
Visit Joel at joelstrauss.com/art
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October 14, 2021
RV – Snowbirding newbies. Our big mistake.
I've never imagined myself as an RVer. Though I've always pictured myself living in the tropics during the winter ~ faint-hearted Canadian here ~ that dream involved flying. Which is something my husband, Norm, and I did for three years.
What we learned during that time of staying in different hotels and bungalows:We like having our own bed.We like our own stuff.We like accumulating stuff.What we also learned was that our new snowbirding friends (in case you don't know, a snowbird is someone from the cold north who travels to the warmer south in the winter) DROVE from Canada to Mexico every year. It wasn't that we didn't know this was a fact, we'd just never became friends with anyone who did it. These people were adventurous, courageous, and, in most cases, older than us.
If they could do it, why couldn't we?
I admit the whole concept was intimidating. And fascinating. I could live on the beach in my own tiny home with my own bed and my own stuff and have a place to store my stuff.
We'd decided we'd do it in a few years when we were comfortably retired.
Then Covid hit. We were actually in Mexico when the Canadian prime minister made a plea for everyone to come home, and we had to cut our Mexican travel adventures short by five weeks. After a year in isolation (and a loss of a dear friend), we came to the conclusion that we really shouldn't wait to do the things we want. No one knew the future. Seize the day, and all that.
In the spring of 2021 we started looking for an RV. Something that was more than a weekend camper, but not too big either. Neither of us had experience RV driving, so we wanted something manageable to us, yet big enough to be our winter home.
Long story short, on Norm's 60th birthday, we bought Scout, our 2018 Winnebago Intent. Being super newbies, we wanted time to learn the ropes before taking it on the road, and good news! Things were opening up and should be close to normal by the fall!
Yeah, about that.
Anyhoo, we did a couple of weekends boondocking (no hook ups) in a couple of provincial parks, testing out all the systems. Boy we wished we'd figured out how to use the furnace that first night! (Turns out, you just adjust the thermostat, pushing the little level one notch to the left).
There are a LOT of systems in an RV, if you weren't aware. Electrical, propane, water, battery, sewage management, air conditioning, inverters, jacks, furnace, generator, fridge, and propane stove–a steep learning curve. Thank goodness for that owners' manual! We did a longer trip mid-summer, fleeing smoke to clearer northern skies and back again, avoiding forest fires, but not the ash. We learned to hook up electrical and water, and drain the gray and black water tanks. We were ready to snowbird!
Unfortunately, the borders didn't open as we'd hoped.
Fortunately, I'm a dual citizen!! Yay! I could drive the RV across. Only Norm couldn't come with. He'd have to fly and meet me there. Which meant I had to drive this 26′, class A motorhome by myself.
I sweated buckets. Okay, not buckets. But there was sweat involved. I talked myself through every traffic light through my city, across the bridge and down the highway, through town after town, and winding roads along pristine lakes, until I was finally at the border.
No line up at all.
I showed the guard my American ID. He asked me what I was doing, I told him my husband and I were going south for the winter. He said, let me guess, you're American and your husband is Canadian. I said yes, he's flying in to meet me. He said, that's crazy. It doesn't make sense. I said, I agree.
He never asked me for the rapid antigen test I paid 120 dollars for, nor asked me about my health or vaccine status. I admit, this surprised me, with all the fuss and bother about keeping the border closed so Covid from Canada couldn't get into the US.
I drove into Oroville, bought groceries and then pulled into a nearly empty state park where I hooked Scout up by myself for the first time. All in all, I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. I drove another 70 miles south the next day to Bridgeport where I met Norm. He'd flown into Seattle that morning–three airports and two planes–and rented a car, driving five hours to meet me.
Hey, what about that big mistake?The whole concept of snowbirding is to escape winter, but we took the wrong route to do it. We turned left when we should've turned right. Drove south through Utah instead of Nevada, and winter is on our tail. Rain storms in Idaho, bracing wind in Utah. SNOWFALL on the hills. Poor Scout is rattling. We'll get to warmer climes in a few days as we head to Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and into Arizona.
I'm posting pictures, videos and info daily on Facebook and Instagram, so if you want to see more travel proof, be sure to follow me there. I'll add more to this blog about our travels as well.
In Book News:Though I don't have a release in October, I do have a sale coming up next week, so watch for that. And, OMG, so excited about the COLORING BOOK. In time for Christmas, the 1920s Coloring Book will be out on November 2. This is so exciting. Check out this sneak peak!
Isn't this awesome? Illustrations are by artist Joel Strauss. I'm contributing commentary which adds a little background history to the images.
Get your coloring pencils out and plan to relax as you create! I know a few people who'll find this book under the tree.
In the meantime, check out this contest and help spread the word.
>>https://gleam.io/2h321/1920s-fashion-coloring-book<<
PS: there isn't a preorder for this one because preorders aren't available for paperback books.
What about you?How do you like to spend your winters? Are you into winter sports? Do you cozy up to a fire and read? Are you traveling south like we are? Let me know in the comments!
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October 7, 2021
Ten Years of Indie Publishing!
CLOCKWISE will forever be a book that's close to my heart. It was the story where I found my voice as a writer and also the book that landed me my first agent, a strong validation at the time. It was also the book, when it failed to sell in traditional circles, that launched me into indie publishing.
The kindle was a new phenomenon back in 2011, and much debated. Over time, ereaders caught on as an acceptable companion to print books, and indie publishers became slowly accepted in the same way indie filmmakers and indie musicians were. We authors now had a choice in how to proceed with our careers, effectively putting control back where it belongs, in the hands of the writers.
In 2011, Indie publishing was in its infant stage and venturing out took a lot of courage. Since that time, many cottage industries have burst on the scene, making the processes infinitely easier, such as Vellum (link) for formatting (LOVE Vellum! Has made formatting, which was super labor intensive, a breeze), Bookfunnel (link) for distributing Advanced Readers Copies (and much more), Bookbrush(link) for making advertising images, to name a few. There's also a plethora of Indie Publishing help and advice, including Mark Dawson's Ads for Authors(link), Chris Fox for Writers(link), Bryan Cohan's Amazon Ad School(link), Sara Rosett's Podcast Wish I'd known Then(link), and plenty of support groups on FB such as 20booksto50k(link).
Before then, the task was difficulty and time consuming and the results not nearly as optimal as they are now. But for those businesses and us, it's a win win. At the time I was writing Clockwise, my daughter and her friends were in that stage of transitioning from children to young women and I had opportunity to observe daily the world of the junior high ecosystem. I also had my own memories of a tortured high school experience. Who among us didn't suffer at some point from crushing on an unattainable hottie? To celebrate my first independently published book and my ten year anniversary as an independent author, I'm giving away FREE ecopies of CLOCKWISE until October 11.
Make sure to grab your copy and tell a friend!
Check out the whole series on Amazon (link)!
Casey Donovan’s hair is too curly, her limbs too long, and she barely fills an A cup. She can throw a ball as well as any boy, but for reasons she wouldn’t dare share, she never tries out for any team. Casey nurses a secret crush on the unattainable Nate Mackenzie.
Nate Mackenzie, super jock and quarterback at Cambridge High, hadn’t even heard of Casey Donovan until the night of the Fall Dance. That was when his buddies dared him to ask her to dance. That was when the craziness started.
FREE for a Limited Time!The post Ten Years of Indie Publishing! appeared first on Lee Strauss.
September 16, 2021
Who is Lady Mallowan and what does she have to do with Mallowan Court?
In Murder on Mallowan Court, the fictional street Ginger Gold lives on in South Kensington, is a nod to the mysterious Lady Mallowan.
So, who is Lady Mallowan?Before introducing you to Lady Mallowan, perhaps I should briefly introduce you to her second husband, Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan.
Sir Hollowan was a prominent archaeologist in Britain in the 1940s, 50s and 60s who specialized in ancient Middle Eastern history.
His wife Lady Mallowan joined him for several months each year to assist him with archaeological digs in the desert. Together they dug up ancient Mesopotamian artifacts in places like Iraq, Syria and Egypt. Lady Mallowan did the work of cleaning, classifying and taking pictures of the artifacts they found, along with documenting the sites. She also devised a way to restore ancient ivory figurines using the chemical properties found in cold facial cream! She became an expert at restoring objects and matching pottery fragments, and was much respected by Max's colleagues for her painstaking and skilled work. Many of her findings are now held in the British Museum.
Inspired by these experiences, some very famous novels were written. These include Murder in Mesopotamia, Appointment with Death, Death on the Nile, and Murder on the Orient Express. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie, you might already know that the legendary mystery writer, was also known as Lady Mallowan.
“The lure of the past came up to grab me. To see a dagger slowly appearing, with its gold glint, through the sand was romantic. The carefulness of lifting pots and objects from the soil filled me with a longing to be an archaeologist myself.”
Many of Agatha’s novels feature settings of archaeological sites, and the characters and stories were often were inspired by her own travels to these places and the people she met along the way.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered to be one of Agatha Christie's greatest works. As it was published in 1927, the year Murder on Mallowan Court takes place, I knew I had to bring it to Ginger's attention. Astute readers might catch the Easter Egg!
Murder’s afoot!
As Mrs. Ginger Reed~also known as Lady Gold~waits impatiently for the coming of her baby, new neighbours move onto Mallowan Court. The Foote family is very much like Ginger’s own, if not the mirror opposite: Mr. and Mrs. Foote an unhappy couple; Mr. Rothwell an aging, irate patriarch; Miss Charlotte, whom Scout finds to be a tantalizing, if confusing specimen of young ladyhood; along with a similar collection of staff.
The sudden passing of a Foote family member is determined to be unsuspicious, but something about this strange family doesn’t sit right with Ginger.
When the doctor banishes Ginger to her bed to await the coming birth, she has to depend on the information brought to her by her good friend and former sister-in-law, Felicia, the new Lady Davenport-Witt.
Can the two ladies solve the crime before the baby comes?
New ReleaseComing September 21!
Preorder and get it first!
Preorder Now Can't see the button? Click here: https://smarturl.it/Mallowan
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September 9, 2021
Dance Marathons of the 1930s were savage entertainment.
As I continue working on edits for Death by Dancing, it continues to amaze me that this kind of savage entertainment existed in modern times. Today I got a letter back from my editor, and to quote her, “–that whole thing with the dance marathons is fascinating. I had no idea. That's quite disturbing – what utter insanity! It's so crazy I wouldn't believe it if somebody just made it up for a story! But as it's historic fact… One of those “Truth is stranger than fiction” things, for sure. A bit of a cross between the Roman Colosseum and reality TV shows like Survivor–“
I'm hoping to release Death by Dancing this November, December at the latest. It's been nice hanging out with Haley and Samantha again.
This interest piece went out with my newsletter, but if you missed that, here it is again.Dance Marathons of the Great DepressionFads and TrendsIn all of the fads and trends we have witnessed over the last century, few compare in sadness of spectacle to the dance marathons (also called walkathons) of the great depression era. Originating in the early 1920s during the jazz age, the dance marathon was in many ways an extension of the human endurance competitions that were so in vogue at the time. Stunts like bicycle races that lasted for days and flagpole sittings were all part of the landscape in the days before television as people sought to put the previous decade of the great war and Spanish flu behind them.
Crash of '29After the great crash of ’29 and the ensuing poverty, many people became even more desperate for cheap entertainment. Enter the spectacle of the dance marathon, or as they were sometimes called ‘corn and callous carnivals’.
When I first started researching dance marathons of the great depression era for an upcoming Higgins and Hawke novel, I had in my mind an event that would last maybe two-three days at the most. I thought it was something that was perhaps staged on a particularly long evening or even a weekend; like a telethon or a track-and-field meet. I also imagined they took place in small towns in the Midwest, where people had less to do on a weekend.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. In reality, dance marathons routinely went for literally thousands of hours over the course of two to three months and were held in cities with populations of over 50,000 all across the United States. Many of them had up to one hundred fifty couples registered. There were ten-to-fifteen-minute breaks every hour and meals provided for the contestants, although they had to keep moving their feet while they ate.
During the depths of the depression, many contestants entered simply because it meant good food and a roof over their head for as long as they could stay on their feet. Even if they didn’t win the grand prize, (often a whopping one thousand dollars), at least they wouldn’t starve.
The Dance Marathon CelebrityOver time, many of the events started taking on even grander ideas, such as running derbies, to further weed out the struggling contestants. These races often resembled death marches with exhausted competitors collapsing and being dragged off the floor.
Promoters often invited celebrities to make an appearance and hosted theme nights. Newspapers were invited to write pieces on the backstories of contestants. This happened particularly as the number of couples thinned out towards the end and the general public became more and more infatuated with their favourite participants. As a result, many of the contestants became minor celebrities. Radio coverage was extremely popular, drawing tens of thousands of listeners every night. Polite society at the time regarded this as repugnant and voyeuristic, while many others thought it was a good way to spend 25 cents for a chance to sit in the stands for an evening. To organizers, a successful event was one that made a lot of money and resulted in no arrests.
In Death by Dancing we’ll learn how Haley Higgins views the whole affair. There’s another murder to solve and a killer to bring to justice.
Death’s a jig!A Dance Marathon in the North End of Boston in 1932 turns deadly at midnight. Samantha Hawke had entered as an insider reporter for the Boston Daily Record, and quite honestly, as a single mother during the depression, could use the extra cash. She has it better than most, rooming with Dr. Haley Higgins, the city’s new Chief Medical Examiner, but she hates the financial imbalance between them, and wants to do her part.
When Haley Higgins arrives on the scene, she's surprised to find the dead woman is the widow of a man whose body still lay in the cold cabinets of her morgue. She has reasons to believe the man’s death wasn’t natural, and now, with his wife having succumbed to the same symptoms, her convictions of foul play are stronger than ever.
Sam and Haley work together to determine which contestants in the dancing contest had means, motive, and opportunity. And most of all, how to keep the killer from striking again.
PREORDER NOW
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August 28, 2021
Adventures and Misadventures + book news
You know how when sometimes so much happens at once that it’s hard to know where to start and it’s easier not to say anything at all? That’s kind of what the last couple of weeks have been like for me.
So perhaps I’ll just point form it:
Family NewsMy son Jordan got engaged to his now fiance Chelsea! He pulled a big surprise proposal by jumping out of the bushes as she was about to take a golf swing. So excited for them both! Wedding to take place sometime in 2022.
Forest fires shut down highways in BC except for essential travel, which included the trip I made with my daughter so that she could have a medical procedure in Vancouver, a 5 hour drive away. I don’t like highway driving at the best of times, and it’s particularly eerie when smoke is billowing amongst charred forests. Thankfully, we've had rain since then and the temperatures have dropped. The fires are under control.<< Photo of Vancouver skyline near our hotel.Good news it the results of her tests were everything thing we’d hope for. No pulmonary hypertension and no new progression.>> Photo of me and daughter at son's engagement party, a rare cool evening this summer.
Sadly, our neighbor passed away suddenly of a heart attack. So shocking and a reminder to make the most of every day. Make the life you want to live. Tell your loved ones you love them. Keep short accounts. And be kind.Book News:Murder in London, a Rosa Reed Mystery #8, released to great reviews.
If you’re following Ginger and Rosa, you’ll read about them together in this book for the first time! And since most of us can't travel to England at the moment, here's your chance do it virtually, and as a time traveler too!
MURDER'S A TRIP!
On Amazon:
ebook: https://smarturl.it/RR-London
Paperback: https://smarturl.it/RR-London-print
Norm had a pickleball tumble and sprained his ankle and elbow. Fortunately he can still type! We are writing in tandem at the moment, book 4 in the Higgins & Hawke Mystery, Death by Dancing. I’m really enjoying getting back into Haley Higgins world in 1930s Boston and the research on marathon dances during the depression era is really interesting and sobering.
DEATH'S A JIG!
Preorder on Amazon:
ebook: https://smarturl.it/H-H-Dancing
I’m listening to the final version of Murder on Mallowan Court, Ginger Gold Mystery #17 which is coming to you on September 21. Ginger’s on bedrest and counting on Felicia to be her eyes and ears. I took a page from Rex Stout and his characters Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll know that Nero Wolf prefers not to leave his house and Archie Goodwin does most of the leg work.
Murder's afoot!
Unfortunately, this clever series wasn’t around in 1927, the year Murder on Mallowan Court is set, but Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was released that year. Savvy Agatha readers might catch and Easter Egg I’ve planted at the end.
Preorder on Amazon:
ebook: https://smarturl.it/Mallowan
And finally,it’s only just a month and a bit before Norm and I move into Scout (our RV) and begin our snowbirding journey. We’re renting out our home, so we have to go not matter what, even if the border remains closed to Canadians who want to go south. My ace in the hole is that I’m a dual citizen, so I can drive across. Norm, however, would have to fly and meet me there. Clearly, we’d rather the border opens, so fingers cross.
Well, I feel bit anxious just writing all that out and it’s not even all of it! Let me end by recommending a delightful, feel-good movie called CODA. Coda stands for Child of Deaf Adults. It's also a musical term, a play on words since the main character is a singer. You can watch it on Apple TV+ which only costs 5.99/month, which is close to what you’d pay to rent a movie elsewhere.
How about you? How’s your week been?
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July 29, 2021
When Someone You Love is Ill – What the heck is scleroderma anyway?
This is a very personal blog post about my own experience dealing with a rare disease in a loved one. As I’ve mentioned on a recent facebook post, twelve years ago, my then 15 year old daughter was diagnosed with scleroderma. I could only blink when the specialist delivered the news as I’d never heard the word before. I had to ask her to repeat it and write it out for me.
At the time, we had no idea what type of scleroderma my daughter would develop, only that it was very unusual for someone her age to have it. Though it’s more common for women to develop scleroderma, onset usually falls between the ages of 35 and 50.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I rarely post about this struggle, only on occasion, and I feel the nudge to do it again now. I want to respect my daughter’s privacy, so I’m going to try to express how this has impacted me, because as I’ve told her many times, “This isn’t just happening to you. It’s happening to me. It’s happening to all of us who love you.”
Anyone who’s watched a child suffer, (adult or not), and can do nothing to stop it, knows that particular heartache of helplessness. I also want to state that I know that there are many people who have it worse—a child who is sicker, or who has died. There is always someone who has it worse. If this is you, know that my heart goes out to you and I pray comfort and hope will come your way.
So, what is Scleroderma exactly?
In a nutshell, Scleroderma results from an overproduction and accumulation of collagen in body tissues. Collagen is a fibrous type of protein that makes up your body's connective tissues, including your skin.(https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scleroderma/symptoms-causes/syc-20351952)
Anyone can get it. It’s not contagious. It’s not curable. But there are treatments that help hold back the rate of progression and make the symptoms easier to live with. I’m thankful for modern medicine.
If not for modern medicine, my daughter would be in far worse condition.
Let me shout this out: I’M SO THANKFUL FOR MODERN MEDICINE.
What has been so hard for me as a mother?
It’s hard to watch my ballerina, my beautiful dancer, lose her ability to dance. It’s hard to see her joints stiffen, and her knuckles, elbows and fingertip become covered in painful ulcers. It breaks my heart that she can’t hike with her friends because she only has 50% lung capacity, or that she has to sleep so much.
It’s hard for me to see all the medication she has to take every day. Serious meds. And that she has to have chemical infusions twice a year, two sessions two weeks apart for five hours at a time.
It’s hard for me to see her life’s potential taken from her, to see how she’s missing out on a “normal” life. She’s very intelligent, very talented, witty, and loving, and I want her to have every advantage and opportunity, like any parent does.
It’s hard for me because she’s an adult and she desires autonomy, and doesn’t want to necessarily share her physical or emotional struggles with me. She’s capable of driving five hours to a hospital in Vancouver to have a day procedure where they insert a catheter into her heart to test for pulmonary hypertension, without my help. I have to respect her space, but to me, she’s still my little girl and I want to do all the HARD things for her.
HOWEVER, it’s not all hard. My daughter has a beautiful SOUL, so much more important than a body that’s not functioning properly, and also everlasting. She’s got such a sweet and positive attitude, and quietly takes her punches. Other people, unless they look very closely, would never guess she’s fighting this battle daily. She has a science degree and is attending art school. She works in an optometrist office. She has many friends who love her, not to mention a family who adores her. She has a good sense of humor, which as they say, “doth good like a medicine.” I'm so incredibly proud of her.
There really is much to look forward to.
Because of modern medicine and the prayers of those who believe in the power of prayer.
I believe in both.
Which is why I’m vaccinated. I’m vaccinated, not only to protect myself, but to protect my daughter. I’m double vaccinated and if I need a booster, I’ll get that too. Every year, if necessary.
I know people have vaccination hesitation for different reasons, but my appeal is that you would consider people like my daughter, who would have a very difficult time beating covid if they got it. Do it for yourself and do it for them.
Love Thy Neighbor. Get Vaccinated.
And if you can, please donate for scleroderma research. Every little bit helps.
Donate Nowhttps://www.facebook.com/donate/369406748030559/369406751363892/
Whew. Next time I’ll go back to posting about light and happy things like our first RV trip adventures, and of course, book news!
The post When Someone You Love is Ill – What the heck is scleroderma anyway? appeared first on Lee Strauss.
July 22, 2021
Summer of smoke and books.
Out my window there is smoke. But not as much as yesterday, so I'm grateful for that, and either way, I dare not complain. The global news is a constant reminder to me of how well I have it, and I give thanks for each new, uneventful day. For those of you who are suffering, slight or great, my heartfelt hope and prayers go out for you, that today will be a better day.
On a personal front, I'm excited that my oldest son Joel Strauss (also my assistant and collaborator) and his wife Shadi are coming to visit next month. They live all the way on the other side of Canada (we're on the west and they're in the east) and we haven't seen them in over a year and a half. Before then, Norm and I are heading up north to visit his family in SCOUT our RV! I've been a miss in not sharing the name as I'd asked for suggestions and got so many great ones. Someone suggested Scout ~ I'll have to go back and look, but Thank You to whoever it was ~ and it suits perfectly. We've had to change our route recently due to the many fires burning in British Columbia right now, but we're excited to go. It'll be Diego's first extended camping trip, so I'm hoping he'll have a good time too.
Does he look nervous to you?
On the work front, I've got a lot of sticks in the fire. I've started an ecommerce store with Joel Strauss called Vintage Is You. You can check it out here: vintageisyou.com (link). Limited time sale until July 27.
Joel and I are also working on a 1920s coloring book which you can check out HERE (link).
August sees the release of Murder in London (link), the 8th Rosa Reed Mystery which brings Rosa and Ginger together for the first time!
Murder in Mallowan Court (link), Ginger Gold Mystery #17 is written and in the editorial process, and will be out September 24. Ironically, this is the book where she has her baby girl.
Currently Norm and I are working on co-writing the 4th Higgins & Hawke Mystery, Death by Dancing (link). I had no idea how brutal these dance marathons were until we started digging into the research. We'll be bring you a few interest pieces on the subject soon.
Now I'm heading out for my weekly hike with my friend, Lori, smoke or no smoke. Life goes on.
Let me know in the comments how your summer is going so far? Are you doing anything fun?
The post Summer of smoke and books. appeared first on Lee Strauss.
June 3, 2021
Fun News Coming + New Journal Entry
Happy June!
Being from the North, I'm happy to see summer well and good on its way. I have some fun news to announce in the near future, and I don't want you to miss it when it comes. If you're not already part of my facebook group, I'd love to see you there! I'll be making my announcement there first. Facebook has recently defaulted notifications to “highlights” so you'll want to make sure you manage your notification to mark it as “all posts.” I've included screenshots to show you how.
Are you interested in coding? Particularly the type of coding used by spies in WW1? This topic is of interest to Ginger in the next Ginger Gold installment coming this month, Murder in Belgravia. Read on to learn more!
Also, don't miss the latest Journal Entry, aptly titled “Code!”
Join Lee's Reader's Group PageSome fun news is coming which will be shown on Lee's Readers Group Page…
I created this page because I want get more involved with my readers and this is the perfect venue to do it. I'd love to talk about books (not just my own) and I'll also post early exclusive content and bring you along on some of my writing processes.
Join Lee's Reader's Group Page
~ IMPORTANT ~ Make sure your notifications are on
Some fun news will be announced soon in this group, so you don't want to miss it on your Newsfeed. You'll need to make sure the notifications for this group are ON.
Step 1: Once you're on the group page, click the 3 red dots (circled in red here) and then Manage notifications
Step 2: In the notification settings, make sure All Posts is selected (circled in red here)
Click Save
Now you won't miss anything!
***
Code Breaking in WW1
When World War One started in 1914, the ability for people to communicate via a relatively new invention called RADIO (or, wireless telegraphy) began to be used in ways it never had before. Unlike previous wars, battlefield commanders could now obtain much better knowledge about what was happening on the frontlines and other key areas. With radio communication they could also execute a coordinated strategy that included the army, navy and air force.
However, there was one big drawback to all of this… the radio messages were easily intercepted by the enemy. A system of Codes was used as a way to conceal this. [continue reading in last week's blog]
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Did you read the latest Journal Entry yet?
Code!
June 14, 1916
Yesterday I was summoned to a farm on the outskirts of a village just inside the border of Belgium near Passchendeale. Members of the French and Belgium spy network had stolen a German wireless set and struggled with its operation. Since I had some experience with operating a wireless and a basic knowledge of morse code, I was asked to help.
It was set up in one of the upper rooms of the house with the antenna cleverly disguised and placed on the roof. When I arrived, I knocked with the prearranged rhythm, and the door was opened by an older man wearing a cap and farmer’s overalls. [continue reading in Ginger's Journal]
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Pre-Order Murder in Belgravia
Murder's a piece of cake!
Wedding bells are ringing in Belgravia, and Ginger couldn’t be happier to attend the nuptials of Felicia Gold and Lord Davenport-Witt. If only she could put her mind at ease about the things she knew about the groom’s past. When a death occurs at the wedding party, Ginger is placed in a frightfully difficult position. Betray her vow of secrecy to the crown, or let a killer go free.
The post Fun News Coming + New Journal Entry appeared first on Lee Strauss.
May 27, 2021
Code Breaking in World War One
When World War One started in 1914, the ability for people to communicate via a relatively new invention called RADIO (or, wireless telegraphy) began to be used in ways it never had before. Unlike previous wars, battlefield commanders could now obtain much better knowledge about what was happening on the frontlines and other key areas. With radio communication they could also execute a coordinated strategy that included the army, navy and air force.
However, there was one big drawback to all of this… the radio messages were easily intercepted by the enemy. A system of Codes was used as a way to conceal this.
Here’s a small example of how these codes (also called ciphers) worked:
In this example, “BACON” would have been used instead of simply using the term “Automatic Rifle”, and so on… pretty fascinating! For extra security, however, more important messages often used mathematical encryption. Sometimes words and numbers weren't used at all, and morse code (a system of sending messages by a series of on-off tones, lights or clicks) was used instead.
This meant that one of the most important ways to get an upper hand over the enemy was to try and break these codes as quickly as possible. We now call this the “Crypto Arms Race.” (Crypto, meaning, cryptology). This also meant that codes needed to be changed regularly to defend from possible code breaking from the enemy.
Code breaking thus became an integral part behind the entire World War One operation, meaning that specialized “Code Breakers” and mathematicians played a role just as important as soldiers and generals.
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New Journal EntryCode!
June 14, 1916
Yesterday I was summoned to a farm on the outskirts of a village just inside the border of Belgium near Passchendeale. Members of the French and Belgium spy network had stolen a German wireless set and struggled with its operation. Since I had some experience with operating a wireless and a basic knowledge of morse code, I was asked to help.
It was set up in one of the upper rooms of the house with the antenna cleverly disguised and placed on the roof. When I arrived, I knocked with the prearranged rhythm, and the door was opened by an older man wearing a cap and farmer’s overalls… [continue reading in Ginger's Journal]
Read Ginger Gold's Journal Now
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Did you enter this cool Contest yet?
To celebrate the upcoming release of Murder in Belgravia ~ and Felicia Gold's wedding! ~ I'm sending a fresh BOUQUET of flowers directly to your home. I'm also giving away a free paperback copy of the new release!
*bouquet may or may not look as appears in photo
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In Murder in Belgravia a murder involves a group of former WW1 spies. It's available for preorder!
Murder's a piece of cake!
Wedding bells are ringing in Belgravia, and Ginger couldn’t be happier to attend the nuptials of Felicia Gold and Lord Davenport-Witt. If only she could put her mind at ease about the things she knew about the groom’s past.
When a death occurs at the wedding party, Ginger is placed in a frightfully difficult position. Betray her vow of secrecy to the crown, or let a killer go free.
Click here to PRE-ORDER Murder in Belgravia
The post Code Breaking in World War One appeared first on Lee Strauss.
