by Mary | Aug 10, 2011 | DOC, DREAMERS OF THE DAY
It’s hard for us to imagine how poor dental health was until recently. Michael Korda’s new biography of Lawrence of Arabia (Hero) gives a startling example. T.E. Lawrence enlisted in the Royal Air Force when he was 32, shortly after the 1921 Cairo Peace...
by Mary | Jul 27, 2011 | DOC, Just for fun!
As the publishing industry comes under heavier economic pressure, publicity departments have been downsized and budgets have been reduced. Now authors are expected to generate their own publicity, and I’ve noticed a strategy I think could really work well for...
by Mary | Jul 20, 2011 | DOC
In a recent interview, the question of Doc Holliday’s reputation as a gunman came up. There is so much mythology surrounding Holliday’s marksmanship and the shootout at the O.K. Corral. How much of it is accurate? The mythology isn’t accurate, and...
by Mary | Jul 13, 2011 | DOC
From a recent interview: In an 1896 article, Wyatt Earp said that “Doc was a dentist not a lawman or an assassin, whom necessity made a gambler.” Do you agree with that assessment? The whole quote is “Doc [Holliday] was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a...
by Mary | Jul 9, 2011 | DOC, Just for fun!
Was Doc Holliday a highly skilled poker player or was he simply lucky enough play against uneducated drunks most of the time? Is poker gambling or is it a sport? This issue has become important because online poker is now a $6 billion industry. Since a ruling in 1910,...
by Mary | Jul 5, 2011 | A THREAD OF GRACE
When I was doing research for A Thread of Grace, I interviewed a number of people in the Cleveland area simply because I heard an Italian accent and saw a person who was clearly born before 1935. I’d ask, “Where in Italy were you born?” and...
by Mary | Jun 29, 2011 | DOC, What I'm working on now.
The official Random House publicity push for Doc ended on Friday. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive — lavish, even. We sold a ton of books in two dozen great independent stores. Doc has already earned a second print run and every time someone refers...
by Mary | Jun 26, 2011 | Uncategorized
Alan Chartock is a wonderful interviewer, and he certainly got my attention with his startling early remark about Doc. Listen and imagine me blushing! The interview lasts an hour, so get comfy.
by Mary | Jun 20, 2011 | DOC
With Doc now into its second printing, it’s a good time to remind readers about the page on my website called MUSIC NOTES, which has links to all the music alluded to in each of my novels. Doc, for example, begins and ends with the Emperor Concerto; an interlude...
by Mary | Jun 14, 2011 | DOC
When I began researching the life of Wyatt Earp, I knew almost immediately that I would be able to present Wyatt fairly and compassionately in my novel, DOC. You see, I actually believe in honest cops. I’m realistic, but not cynical about that. I am a...