What I Hope They Never Read at Byrdcliffe

Ticetonyk was also the home of the great estate of one of New York’s most prominent self-made millionaires: Richard Hellmann – of yes, that Hellmann fame. The venture currently known as the Onteora Mountain House was once the summer retreat of an immigrant who parlayed his marriage to the daughter of a New York City delicatessen owner into a condiment empire that sold his ready-made mayonnaise at first in bulk to other stores, and then to consumers, in clear glass jars that could be reused for home canning at the cost of a 1 cent rubber rung. So successful was the venture that Hellmann was the author of not one, but two, invaluable handbooks. Yes, the second one does appear to be the shape of a jar of mayonnaise.

What I Hope They Never Read at Byrdcliffe

See you in September?

Suddenly, September looks packed! (Past event) Sept. 7, 4PM “Why Write Mystery?” Panel with Alison Gaylin and Carol Goodman at The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NY. Sept. 14 All day. Join me and other Woodstock writers at Book Day at the Woodstock Mower’s Saturday/Sunday Flea Market. 11 Maple Lane, Woodstock, NY 12498 Sept. 15 6-9PM Noir

See you in September?

What they Read at Byrdcliffe: Happy Birthday to Me!

And behold my birthday surprise from George!  Three lovely books, all with Byrdcliffe bookplates.  First up, a first edition of How to Make Rugs, by Candace Wheeler. Candace Wheeler was the dean of American interior design, a partner of Louis Comfort Tiffany, in Tiffany and Wheeler, whose most prestigious assignments included the Veterans’ Room of

What they Read at Byrdcliffe: Happy Birthday to Me!

Erica’s Book Tour!

So, so far my giddy book tour consists of three events, and I’d love it if you would join me at one.  I’ll be reading and signing copies of The Horseman’s Word at: Wed., August 14 at 7 pm.  Northshire Books, Saratoga Springs, NY.   More information at https://www.northshire.com/northshire-bookstore-saratoga Saturday, September 7, at 4 pm.  WITH

Erica’s Book Tour!

What They Read at Byrdcliffe — or Of Research And Rabbit Holes II

My own journey collecting items from the Byrdcliffe library began when I found a leather-bound set of Dryden offered on the web, complete with Byrdcliffe bookplate.  Which immediately created a mystery.  How could a set whose title paged clearly stated that it was published in 1821 find itself in the collection of a collector who

What They Read at Byrdcliffe — or Of Research And Rabbit Holes II

Lent: A Novel

by Jo Walton Superlatively imaginative (This review originally appeared on the New York Journal of Books) The cover copy of Jo Walton’s Lent promises that it is “a historical fantasy thriller set in Renaissance Florence and in Hell.” And in fact this latest novel from the extraordinary talented and erudite Jo Walton is nothing less.

Lent: A Novel

So how do you sum up the year in which you read 582 books (but who’s counting?) for the Edgars Best Novel?

Well, here’s how I put it last night – and I meant it: Two reactions follow in rapid succession when you let it slip that you are in the process of giving 582 mystery novels the same respectful consideration you would like to see your own work receive.  First, comes the shock and awe that

So how do you sum up the year in which you read 582 books (but who’s counting?) for the Edgars Best Novel?

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