Research gems that just pop up
I swear I just ran across this song doing research. Honest. A suggestive song from the Swing era. Must’ve been considered very racy, as in, drag the children out of the room if it was ever played on the radio.
Month: August 2016
Gettin’ her SteamPunkGal on
So, I was showing Christina (family friend, budding novelist at 15, assute reader <she loves “By The Hands of Men”>) this beautiful old portable Smith-Corona typewriter I have. She was enthralled…got her inner SteamPunkGal going. And she insisted on using it. She’s down stairs now, typing wildly (two-fingered like the old journalists).
Listening to her, I realized I missed that old typewriter sound…it was weirdly soothing.
I installed this app on my PC and it has that percussive sound to which I wrote so many plays and short stories. It’s kind of fun
I’m glad I introduced her to the manual typewriter. It makes the act of writing/creating a much more physically involving one. When she goes home tonight, I
But wait, there’s more!
The Historical Novel Society is a ” literary society devoted to promoting the enjoyment of historical fiction.”
They also reviewed Into the Flames and The Wrath of a Righteous Man, bless ’em.
Of Into the Flames they said: “In this second book of the series, Roy Griffis continues where he left off in the first volume – the violence and dreadful conditions of war, the cheapness of life and the cruelty of man – and all without overstating the gruesome parts… the writing is excellent and easy to read, and the plots are well crafted. Recommended.”
And the reviewer had this response to The Wrath of a Righteous Man: “In this third volume, Roy Griffis explores the character …
Feels like bragging
But here is a nice review for “The Old World” from an English website dedicated to Historical Fiction. 
“Without ever sinking to graphic descriptions, Roy Griffis captures the horror and brutality, the terrible injuries and the severe conditions under which those men and women lived for so long. Can love survive these trials?
“With its excellent characterisation, tenderness amongst the carnage and with a fast-paced style, I can thoroughly recommend this book.”
(just as a side note, I find reviews like this fascinating because of things like “with a fast-paced style.” It’s not how I think of my writing…I just write the story I’m hearing in my head, if that makes any sense.)…
The Wrath of a Righteous Wife
Had shoulder surgery last Friday. I was trying to be tough on Monday and skipped the pain meds, figuring I’d only need those to sleep.
I was sadly incorrect. When the ortho doc heard my story, he encouraged me to use them. So I dutifully swallowed them down when I got home. Damn, what a difference.
So I’m writing this while under the influence. My son happened to be home from college this weekend, and so he and I spent some time watching movies and chatting, as the shoulder surgery rendered me useless for our usual pursuits (bike riding, getting pizza, that sort of thing). Tuesday, as we were driving down for my post-op appointment and to drop him …