When a writer says their characters smell the rain, is that impossible? In summer, you can smell the rain as it begins dropping. Why? What do you smell? Rain (water) itself has no scent. As a rain event starts, an “earthy” smell known as petrichor permeates the air. It’s musky, fresh – generally pleasant. Petrichor is a combination of oils made by plants and bacteria (actinobacteria) that decompose dead or decaying organic matter into simple chemical compounds, which can then become nutrients for developing plants and other organisms. When raindrops fall on the ground, the petrichor compounds are dissolved within the raindrop and released in aerosol form into the air.

In my opinion, movie stars make harmful Presidents. An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests, “when we choose humble, unassuming people as our leaders, the world around us becomes a better place. Humble leaders improve the performance of a corporation in the long run because they create more collaborative environments. They have a balanced view of themselves – both their virtues and shortcomings – and a strong appreciation of others’ strengths and contributions while being open to new ideas and feedback.”

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/if-humble-people-make-the-best-leaders-why-do-we-fall-for-charismatic-narcissists?utm_source=pocket-newtab

My current Roth/Gannon murder/mystery is interwoven with the Cherokee Indian story. According to the Blue Ridge Heritage, “The Cherokee, and what some anthropologists deem to be their pre-Cherokee ancestors, have lived in the mountains of North Carolina since the end of the last ice age, or about 10,000 B.C. The early Cherokee hunted, fished, and farmed, thriving in the rugged mountain landscape . . . the Cherokee lived in towns of rectangular log houses and worked extensive, communally-held farms nearby. Corn, beans, and squash—called the “three sisters”—were staples in their diet. They also raised potatoes and grew peaches. Each of their towns had a council house for meetings and religious ceremonies.” I’ll have the novel “Cherokee Emerald” finished by the end of 2020.

NEARLY FINISHED WITH 3^RD R. M. MORGAN NOVEL, “CHEROKEE EMERALD.” I feel Fiona Jayde designed a fantastic cover. The high mountains in the background represent the ancestral home of the eastern band of Cherokee Indians. The emeralds represent the gem found solely in North Carolina in North America. How do you feel about the cover?
 

One of the remarkable writers I am reading now, Leonardo Padura of Cuba has four of his books in a film on Netflix. The film, “Four Seasons in Havana,” has a mesmerizing view of Cuba, is humorous, is historical, has four hard-to-crack mysteries, and gives a character gem of an everyman detective. I will finish writing my third book, “Cherokee Emerald” by R. M. Morgan, this October. My reading Padura has energized my writing of my third novel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI6on9-2tPo

I am forever re-writing my third book--tentative title, Cherokee Emerald and almost finished. My natural prose is choppy, a desirable quality only if someone is shooting at you, and you want to confuse the shooter. I find insufferable my writer colleagues who own smooth sentences. My primary goal when I re-write my writing is to smooth out my herky-jerky sentences. You can take the lad out of engineering, but you can’t take the engineering out of the lad.

I MENTIONED I ENJOY READING HISTORY—I have a high opinion of the workers in our government. In the early days of our postal service, one Ohio couple took advantage of the parcel service to make an extraordinary delivery: their infant son. They paid 15 cents for his stamps and an unknown amount to insure him for $50, then handed him over to the mailman, who dropped the boy off at his grandmother’s house about a mile away. A mail carrier might have carried a child who couldn’t walk, but he wouldn’t have let a diaper-wearing baby sit in a pile of people’s mail.

CROWN HUNT DELIVERS LIKE A BLEND OF TWO MOVIES: THREE KINGS AND CHINATOWN. It is the first book in the Harriett Roth/Don Gannon series. The murder/mystery, Crown Hunt, by R. M. Morgan, is available at Amazon.com. You might enjoy reading this whodunit during the coronavirus lockdown, just saying.

DRIVING DOWN US INTERSTATE 95 FROM NEW YORK TO MIAMI, THERE’S A MARKER SAYING, “DREWRY’S BLUFF”—It’s in Virginia and I miss the sign unless I’m looking. The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff took place on May 15, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. Federal gunboats had a clear run up the James River to Richmond, Virginia. In a three-hour battle, five Federal ironclads/gunboats battled to past Drewry’s Bluff but failed. I was interested in the marker because I placed a “Last Train to Danville” character at that clash.

I AM DOING BACKGROUND READING FOR BOOK THREE OF THE ROTH/GANNON SERIES—Before the California Gold Rush, the non-native population of the California territory was less than 1,000, compared with 100,000 in 1849. On January 24, 1848, a carpenter found flakes of gold in the American River at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Coloma, California. Days after the carpenter’s discovery, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and leaving California in the hands of the United States.

Why are there are more women in book clubs than men?

To begin an answer, we need to consider an associated question: Are men more complicated than women?

Four types of mystery stories exist. They are (1) hard-boiled mystery, (2) cozy mystery, (3) police procedural, and (4) adventure mystery.

Rather than reinvent previous analysis, go to the website of Misa Ramirez, which clearly and succinctly describes these four (see http://misaramirez.com/for-writers/types-of-mysteries/ ).

I grew up in Asheville, NC. In the summer, I would read in a rocker in a sunroom on the side of the house. Some relative had left the Rex Stout/Nero Wolfe novels in the hip-high bookcases around the room.  One of my favorite writers! Rex Stout and his fantastic Nero Wolfe series don't seem to be talked about much these days, but they were early favorites of mine.