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Canada’s Last Executions: Arthur Lucas & Ronald Turpin

As a Canadian, I’ve grown up in a culture that – for the most part – condemns capital punishment.  So it came as a surprise to me to discover that the last person – actually, the last two people – were executed in Canada at 12:02 a.m. on December 11, 1962. Within my lifetime.  Barely. But still.

Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas didn’t have much in common, and their respective murder convictions…

Moll Cutpurse: A famous Master-Thief and an Ugly

Newgate Prison: Open from 1188-1902 AD

First, apologies. Although this post was meant to be filed under Final Meals, there will be no sumptuous tidbit of final choices to consume and ponder. Rather, this post is a nod to my failing as a writer: I’m easily distracted. The upside? I think you’ll be interested in this distraction.

Originally designed in the 18th century to keep the general…

Death Row Dinners -

No actual inmates were used in the shooting of this image.

Last week an East London restaurant with a novel concept in dining, was guillotined by social media. The event? Death Row Meals.

Diners – or inmates, as they were referred to for the purposes of this experience – were charged, sentenced, and frisked before being seated to a five-course death row feast modelled around the actual final…

How to Use the New Kindle Kids’ Book Creator (Tutorial)

Dee Van Dyk:

Got a kids’ book looking for a publishing home? Chris Mullen breaks down the how-to of Kindle’s new Kids’ Book Creator.

Originally posted on chrismcmullen:

KINDLE KIDS’ BOOK CREATOR

KDP Kids features a new FREE, easy-to-use tool for designing illustrated children’s books. It’s called the Kindle Kids’ Book Creator.

Will this tool work well for your book?

If all (or most) of your…

Death Row Meals: San Quentin

Confession: Research is my favorite thing about writing. Why? Because I get sidetracked.

Today’s shiny bauble is San Quentin, or more specifically San Quentin reviews. With Tripadvisor-like lingo, Yelp reviewers (both prisoners and visitors) give bouquets and brickbats (mostly brickbats) to their prison surroundings. My favorite quote below:

  Dylan D gives San Quentin 3 stars, justifying his…

Death Row Meals: Aileen Wuornos Prisoner 150924

Last Meal: 1 cup of coffee

Death by lethal injection

Executed: October 9, 2002 at 9:47 a.m.

State: Florida

Last words: “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus June 6. Like the movie, big mother ship and all, I’ll be back.”

Related Conspiracy Theory:In her last interview Wuornos stated that she was controlled by sonic pressure to make her…

Dinner and a Good Book: In My Father’s Footsteps by Diana Cranstoun

Every Friday I post a reading recommendation for the weekend. This week curl up with Diana Cranstoun’s In My Father’s Footsteps. Have tissues at the ready. More than sixty year’s after her father’s WWII experience and decades after his death, Cranstoun retraces his steps to Dunkirk.

When I contacted the author about this post, I let her know I planned to run it on August 15, 2014. In a weird…

Amazon vs. Hachette—and YOU!

Dee Van Dyk:

A good, thoughtful look at the Amazon/Hachette dispute.

Originally posted on chrismcmullen:

Amazon-Hachette Dispute

I won’t tell you what to think.

I will make some points for both sides.

I will mention ways that this may impact both authors and readers.

I will show you what you can do, no matter which side you favor.

The main point is that Amazon appears to be pushing for more…

Indie Publishing: What’s Copyright?

Meriam-Webster defines copyright as “the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work).

Copyright protects your intellectual property (for our purposes, your book or ebook) as soon as it’s put into permanent form (again, for our purposes, your book or ebook).

While your de facto copyright exists from…

Family always comes first, unless we never have a family

Dee Van Dyk:

My son and daughter-in-law struggle with infertility. Over the years, I’ve said every wrong thing that can be said; done every stupid thing that can be done, in my reaction to their struggle.

I’ve tasted a small, bitter taste of their unhappiness when Tiana became pregnant, then miscarried. It remains one of the most despairing moments of *my* life; I can’t possibly imagine how…

Building a Killer Email List

Dee Van Dyk:

Great idea!

Originally posted on David Gaughran:

There is a lot of upheaval in publishing today and I think that’s likely to increase rather than decrease. The best insurance policy any writer can have against the future is a targeted mailing list.

I’ve written before about how the author with the biggest mailing list wins, and I’ve invited Nick Stephenson along today because he’s…

Death Row Meals: Victor Feguer Prisoner # 28105

It used to be my party ice-breaker question: If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you choose as your final meal?

As you might imagine, the question quickly thinned the crowd of people who wanted to hang around me for the evening. But it’s a question that death row inmates have had to consider time and again as an execution date draws closer.

This set of blog posts takes a look at their…

Indie Publishing – Is it For You?

I’ve been fortunate to have published across a diverse spectrum – fiction, non-fiction, travel, business, food, education, relationships. Until this year, my writing has been published the traditional way (editor, publishing house), but this year I opted to try out self-publishing.

And it’s been a blast.

I started by publishing one of my out-of-print books (my publishing house, like so many, has…

Conspiracy Theories: Malaysian Flight MH17

In the week following the crash of Malaysian Flight MH17 over  the Eastern Ukraine, conspiracy theorists have lost no time in speculating about the possibilities. The Washington Posts lists several such conspiracy theories surrounding the crash:

The crash was part of an HIV/AIDS cover up – the idea being that the plane carried prominent HIV/AIDS researchers. Was the plane targetted by a force…

Dinner and a Good Book: Devin’s Second Chance by Lorraine Paton

Every week I post a reading recommendation for the weekend. This weekend curl up with Lorraine Paton’s Devin’s Second Chance. Everyone deserves a second chance. Does Devin? His mom thinks so, but does Claire?

What would be a good food and beverage pairing for this book? This blog post is going live during the peak of grilling season. We grilled steaks last night and had a couple leftover that…

Dinner & a Good Book: Katya Binks Came Home From Away by Mahrie Reid

Every week I post a reading recommendation for the weekend. This weekend curl up with Mahrie G. Reid’s Katya Binks Came Home From Away. It’s set in the fictional Nova Scotia community of Caleb Cove and, as such, is part of the Caleb Cove series Mahrie writes.

What would be a good food and beverage pairing for this book? This Lobster Chowder from Nova Scotia Tourism is fabulously simple. Ditto for…