Frances Langford was a beautiful band singer back in the 30’s and 40’s. Well, cute is a more accurate description. She was only five feet tall, and had a round face framed by sculpted curls. I was watching her on Turner Classic Movies, and as she was singing I noticed her perfect teeth. I remember … Continue reading Miss Langford’s Ghost
Writing
Ghost in the Machine
I’m going south to the Daytona Beach area for a few weeks. From St Augustine’s Spanish fort, down to New Smyrna’s lighthouse, it’s a part of Florida that has some history. And some of that history has to do with the heroic pioneers of auto racing. They were the people who were refining cars—and roads … Continue reading Ghost in the Machine
The Exotic Here and Now
The detective story has endured because it has an inherent story built into it—the uncovering of a mystery through hard work and persistence. It also brings us the eventual triumph of justice over malevolence. While there are traditions that govern setting and character, everything else in the genre is open and available for innovation. Now, … Continue reading The Exotic Here and Now
Spectrum
Sometime when I wasn’t paying too much attention we entered the era of the spectrum. I should have noticed. Einstein’s vision of reality showed us that you can turn a little bit of dirt into enough energy to fuse sand into glass. If you don’t believe me, here’s the math on the chalkboard. E=mC2. How tidy!And … Continue reading Spectrum
Christmas Spoilers
December 2022 The Halloween spiders and ghosts are gone from my neighbour’s yard and the Christmas decorations have taken their place in the form of a large inflatable Santa. The big plastic St. Nicolas is a symbol of peace and non-denominational Christian love. It’s also a huge, red bag the size of a Mini Cooper, … Continue reading Christmas Spoilers
Poems and Rivers
It’s tempting to see a woman as a poem. Men too, but I happen to be thinking about my main character, Carly Rouhl in the Requiem novels. She’s a poem in the sense that she was created with imagined characteristics: appearance, personality, fears and ambitions. She took shape in my mind the way photographs used … Continue reading Poems and Rivers
A Chef’s Guide to Spooking
I can’t remember which writer said it, but the gist is: ‘I write by inspiration, and inspiration comes at exactly 9 A.M. each morning’. I scowl when I think of this. I wish I could spew out great stories like that, but the truth is I do a lot of staring off into space with … Continue reading A Chef’s Guide to Spooking
Open Door Sex
After I had been writing the Requiem novels for some time, a professional editor pointed out to me that there are two types of sex. This was a revelation to me, because, you know, I’ve been around. Apparently to an editor there is ‘closed door sex’ and then there is, well, ‘open door sex’. I’ll confess, doors … Continue reading Open Door Sex
The Karst
Conversation between Detective Prem Joshi and Deputy Superintendent Filman: Joshi: “This time he dumped the body in a karst.” Filman: “What’s a karst? Wait. Is this the setup for a joke?” Joshi: “No, no! Let me have my moment. I’ve been waiting weeks for someone to ask me what a karst is. It’s a geographic … Continue reading The Karst
The Curious Case of Maxfield Parrish
I’ve settled on a name for the fourth Requiem novel: Requiem for Parish. The word ‘requiem’ refers to a mass for the dead—a prayer for their souls. An unconscionable number of people get murdered in the new novel, so I had plenty of names to choose from in framing a title. So, who is Parish? No, … Continue reading The Curious Case of Maxfield Parrish
Douglas Cockell 