My Search History is Scary
Flashovers—A Fire Event You Will Not Survive
Time for another episode of “My Search History is Scary.” As a person with a deeply rooted fear of fire (a fear I passed along to my detective DI Nigella Parker . . . yes, I am that kind of person), I found much of what I had to research while writing And by Fire…
Read MoreToo Damn Hot!—the Great Fire of London reached unimaginable temperatures
In And by Fire, Detective Inspector Nigella Parker has a fear of fire deeply rooted in her childhood. But even people who generally aren’t pyrophobic would be terrified by the heat generated by London’s Great Fire of 1666—legitimately so. How hot did things get inside London in September of 1666 when, in just under five…
Read MoreWhen Rags Go Bad: how rags can burst into flames and try to kill you
If you’ve ever done any refinishing (furniture, wood floors, etc.) you’ve likely heard the warnings—leave the rags you’ve used lying around and you could have a house fire. So what’s the deal? How do perfectly innocent rags (or newspapers for that matter) turn into incendiary bombs ready to burn down your garage or home? Simply…
Read MoreWorst Beauty Product EVER
History is fascinating, frustrating, and occasionally downright gross.1 In And By Fire—while my modern-day police detectives are chasing a murderous arsonist creating sculptures from burnt flesh—a pair of 17th century amateur detectives search for a friend gone missing during London’s Great Fire. During that hunt, Margaret Dove (a lady-in-waiting to the queen) and Etienne Belland…
Read MoreWood is NOT Flammable—Yeah, you read that right.
All right, I’ll admit . . . this is a matter of semantics. But when you write, words are important. And when you write Crime Fiction making sure you understand the terminology of the science involved is super important. So, what DOES wood do when it sits in our fireplace flaming or when a house…
Read MoreLondon’s Great Fire—A Selection of Fearsome Facts
The Great Fire of London was an event of HISTORIC proportions. While researching the 17th century timeline in AND BY FIRE, I read a collection of exceptional books on the Fire. In fact, let me drop a footnote in here with a couple of recommendations for those of you who would enjoy a deep dive…
Read MoreArson—a crime you generally CAN get away with
Please don’t think I am encouraging you to a life of crime, but most arson is NEVER detected—*shudder*—let alone prosecuted. In the US, Fire Chiefs estimate the percentage of arsonists detected and prosecuted hovers between 15-20%. And serial arsonists . . . let’s just say they get to burn a heck of a lot of…
Read MoreHow Bodies Burn
So, this is the kind of stuff that sends waiters scuttling away looking worried if you discuss it with friends over lunch (yes authors do that), and that makes authors certain they will be arrested if a body is ever found near their home. BUT honestly scientists probably have the same concerns, especially Elayne Pope…
Read MoreLike a Fighter: Why the burned dead sometimes look like they are ready to punch you
Ever wondered why a burned corpse sometimes has its hands up like the fists of a boxer? Of course you haven’t! Because you are a normal person. But I am a Crime writer. And that means my thoughts often move in detailed and macabre directions. Frankly my search history is SCARY. [That’s actually a great…
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