Blog - rmmorgan

I Moved to California in May 2014

Jul 18, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

Among the many significant differences from Virginia and North Carolina is CA has these little dragons—lizards. They’re ubiquitous and move in a flash. Yesterday, as I sat reading on the patio, I saw two of them fighting furiously—or perhaps it could have been a mating ritual. What do I know?

Richmond Burns

May 24, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

RICHMOND BURNS IN “LAST TRAIN TO DANVILLE”-- After a long siege, Grant captured Petersburg and Richmond in early April 1865. Confederate troops set fire to all tobacco, cotton, and munitions warehouses, as well as machine shops and other government buildings, to prevent their capture by the enemy. The Richmond fall forms a background scene for the murder/mystery, available on Amazon.

May 04, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

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.

DREWRY"S BLUFF BATTLE

May 02, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

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.

California Gold Rush

Apr 29, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

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.

Cherokee Indian Background for 3rd Novel

Apr 23, 2020 by R. M. Morgan

History dot com summarized, “In the early 1800s, the sovereign Cherokee Nation covered a vast region that included northwest Georgia and adjacent land in Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama. Under the terms of an 1819 treaty, the United States guaranteed that Cherokee land would be off-limits to white settlers forever. Although the treaty mandated the removal of “all white people who have intruded, or may hereafter intrude, on the lands of the Cherokees,” the United States instead forcibly removed more than 15,000 Cherokees in 1838 and 1839.”

MY BOOK PUBLISHER PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED “CROWN HUNT” ON THEIR LIST OF BOOKS

Nov 01, 2018 by R. M. Morgan

I remember past days of sending out query letter after letter—all to no comeback. Instead of pushing a stone up the hill each day, we drove the book up every day.

Men in Book Clubs

Oct 10, 2018 by R. M. Morgan

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?

The Adventure Mystery

Oct 04, 2018 by R. M. Morgan

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

Aug 20, 2018 by R. M. Morgan

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.

The perfect read entails curling up in a comfortable chair with a mystery.