Category Archives: History

Researching New Thieftaker Books

Posted on January 17, 2012 by dbjackson

One of the things that often strikes friends and family as strange about my work is the distance in time between “what I’m working on” and “what I have coming out.”  We are still six months away from the July … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Ethan Kaille, History, Novels, Publishing, Reading, Research, Setting, Thieftaker, Thieves' Quarry, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“…To Ourselves and Our Posterity…”

Posted on January 11, 2012 by dbjackson

Over the past two weeks, my younger daughter has had an interesting assignment in her middle school humanities class.  The teacher had the kids reading not only the U. S. Constitution, but also all twenty-six amendments to the Constitution.  The … Continue reading →

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The Last Days of a Photography Giant?

Posted on January 7, 2012 by dbjackson

In case you missed it, a one-time giant of Wall Street reached a dubious milestone the other day.  Eastman Kodak of Rochester, N.Y., once the gold standard of photography companies and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial average, has … Continue reading →

Posted in History, photography, technology | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The 1760s a “Golden Age”? I Don’t Think So

Posted on January 3, 2012 by dbjackson

Last night I watched Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, an homage to 1920s Paris, and to that “Golden Age” when the City of Light’s streets were haunted by Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, History, movies, Novels, Politics, Sports, Thieftaker | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ethan Kaille’s Diary: January 1, 1765

Posted on January 1, 2012 by dbjackson

In researching the life and times of Ethan Kaille, thieftaker and conjurer, whose many adventures in Colonial Boston are the subject matter for the upcoming Thieftaker books (beginning with Thieftaker, book I of the Thieftaker Chronicles) I have in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Character, Ethan Kaille, History, Politics, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Help Find a Title for the Second Thieftaker Book!

Posted on November 10, 2011 by dbjackson

Over the past two weeks or so I have been revising the manuscript of the second Thieftaker book.  I turned it in some time ago, but delays in the publication of the first book (finally and firmly scheduled for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, History, Novels, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

This Week’s History Lesson

Posted on October 25, 2011 by dbjackson

For some reason, October was an active month in the 1760s.  You can look through history time lines for some months and find relatively little of consequence.  October, on the other hand, is filled with significant events. In 1760, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, History, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Another Week in Boston’s History

Posted on June 27, 2011 by dbjackson

Another week, another historical trend to share.  I’m going to assume that most of you are familiar with the stuff that was happening 235 years ago (the Continental Congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, etc.) but there was … Continue reading →

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This Week in Boston’s History

Posted on June 17, 2011 by dbjackson

During this week, in 1768, Boston’s royal customs officials, who on June 11 of that year fled the city for the safety of the British Garrison on Castle William, a fortified island in Boston Harbor, petitioned the Crown for military … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, History, Novels, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Writing a Bit of Mythology

Posted on February 28, 2011 by dbjackson

Expanding just a bit on my previous post… Today, still working on another project, I wrote my own short myth, something that would help to clarify my own thinking about the magic system I’m developing.  And I found myself adopting … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, History, Novels, Writing, Writing Life | 2 Comments