A Possibly True Hollywood Story: My Dad's Stories About His Grandfather

This is Buster Crabbe.

Public domain image within the United States

The Old Hollywood movie star isn't exactly a household name today, but he was an Olympic swimmer who won a gold medal in 1932, and he played Tarzan, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon in movie serials in the 1930s.

Public domain image

My dad claims that somewhere, he possesses a photo of Buster Crabbe posing with my great-grandfather Bill. Bill and Buster were supposedly drinking buddies. Although my great-grandfather was born and lived most of his life in Colorado (my grandfather, also named Bill, was born in Fort Collins), he did live for a time in Los Angeles. 

Family legend has long held that my grandfather ended up in the Navy and at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 - he was 17 years old - because, as a juvenile delinquent running around L.A., a judge sentenced him to either prison or military service.

A family photo of Grandpa Bill in his Navy uniform.
Circa 1941.

Now I know another little bit, at least according to my dad (also named Bill):

Great-grandpa Bill, possibly still married to Wife #2 (Grandpa Bill's mother, Anna Wien, was Wife #1), went to L.A. to pursue the future Wife #3 (at least common-law wife; the woman my dad called Grandma had the last name of Suttlemeyer. She may have been an immigrant from Germany), who worked as a seamstress on one of the movie studio lots. (At various times, Buster Crabbe worked for Universal, Paramount and smaller studios. The Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers series were from Universal.)  His relationship with Ms. Seamstress was how Great-Grandpa Bill came to be friends with Buster Crabbe.

Great-grandpa Bill, like Dad Bill, was a police officer. I think this was in L.A., but it may have been/also have been in Colorado. He went on a burglary call at a bar one day. He caught the thief in the act, and the thief swung an iron pipe at Great-Grandpa Bill. In self defense, Great-Grandpa Bill shot the burglar and killed him. Although the burglar was over six feet tall and looked like an adult, Great-Grandpa Bill found out the thief was only fourteen years old. Great-Grandpa Bill was very distraught over this and was never able to work as a police officer again. 

Great-Grandpa Bill later became a truck driver. He drove the tanker trucks that deliver gasoline to service stations. As a child, my dad was able to go with his grandpa on some of these deliveries. Dad and Great-Grandpa Bill got along much better than Dad and Great-Grandpa Wade. My grandma's dad was the archetypal crotchety old man, and he's the one who came to live with my grandparents when my dad, aunt and uncle were growing up. Great-Grandpa Bill bought a ranch in Colorado and lived there until he died. 

That's all I know about my family's possible connection to old Hollywood. If, some day, I come across that picture, I will make copies and share them everywhere. 

New Agatha Christie Novel to Be Published by Internationally Bestselling Author Sophie Hannah

SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 4, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announces plans to publish the first-ever new Agatha Christie novel, fully authorized by the Christie estate, to be penned by international bestseller Sophie Hannah. The novel will be published in September 2014 by HarperCollins worldwide.

The new novel will feature Hercule Poirot in a diabolically clever murder mystery sure to baffle and delight Christie's fans, and those who have never read her work. Agatha Christie introduced the Belgian detective to the world in her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920. It has been 38 years since Agatha Christie's last novel, Sleeping Murder, was published in 1976, and 39 years since the final Poirot novel, Curtain.

"It was pure serendipity that led to Sophie Hannah being commissioned to write this book," notes Mathew Prichard, Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd and grandson of Agatha Christie. "Her agent happened to approach HarperCollins in exactly the same week that my colleagues and I started discussing a new Christie book. Her idea for a plot line was so compelling and her passion for my grandmother's work so strong, that we felt that the time was right for a new Christie to be written."

Hannah, a leading writer of psychological crime fiction who is published in 24 countries, says, "It is almost impossible to put into words how honored I am to have been entrusted with this amazing project--in fact, I still can't quite believe that this is really happening! I hope to create a puzzle that will confound and frustrate the incomparable Hercule Poirot for at least a good few chapters."

"In the years since William Morrow began publishing the world's bestselling novelist, we have seen astounding results across a range of formats and promotions," notes Mallory. "Sophie Hannah's spellbinding novel marks a new stage in our relationship with Agatha Christie, and along with our colleagues at Harper UK, Acorn, Agatha Christie Ltd, and of course Mathew Prichard and the family, we are looking forward eagerly to bringing whole new generations of readers to this legendary author."

Hilary Strong, Managing Director of Acorn Productions Limited, which manages the rights to the Agatha Christie estate, added: "This book is an important initiative for Acorn and RLJ Entertainment, and we are delighted to be working with a writer of Sophie's caliber and with HarperCollins. The new novel is the first of a number of exciting initiatives we have planned to bring Christie's work to new audiences worldwide."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sophie Hannah is the internationally bestselling author of eight psychological thrillers, which have been published in more than 20 countries and adapted for television. Last year, her novel Kind of Cruel was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year. Sophie is also a poet, and has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Sophie lives in Cambridge, and is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College. Her website is www.sophiehannah.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @sophiehannahcb1.

ABOUT AGATHA CHRISTIE:

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays (including The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in history), and six novels written under the name Mary Westmacott. Agatha Christie was made a dame in 1971, and died in 1976.

Note: this is a press release which I received as an e-mail from HarperCollins. I modified it slightly for brevity. ~Erin O'Riordan

'Finding Esta,' An Urban Fantasy Mystery by Shah Wharton @shahw1

Finding Esta by Shah Wharton



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Before I read Shah Wharton's debut novel, I'd read a few of her short stories, so I knew she was a talented storyteller. From the beginning of 'Finding Esta,' I sympathized with Luna, the heroine. Luna's a sickly early-20-something with numerous allergies, including allergies to the sun. She can't touch anything without gloves because it's so painful. Her mother and stepfather treat her awfully, not understanding her special gifts.

Luna hears the spirits of the dead in her head, sees ghosts and auras, and knows the history of every object she touches. Nicknamed "Rat," Luna has one bright spot in her life, her job as a journalist in the little village of Snape. Her job causes her to go off in search of a mystery: the disappearance of baby Esta from a burned-out house in Cornwall.

What Esta discovers in that house in Cornwall turns her world upside-down.

One of the possibly covers Shah considered before choosing the final one

Wharton weaves a compelling story that hovers between reality and unreality, repeatedly lulling the reader with a set of assumptions that turn out to be completely false. Parts of Luna's journey reminded me of Dark Lover, the first book in J.R. Ward's shockingly addictive Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Other parts are vaguely reminiscent of other urban fantasy narratives, yet the whole is refreshingly original. It reads like a really good mystery; we find out what becomes of Esta, but only after an extended and fascinating red herring. Luna Dukes isn't like any other paranormal heroine I've ever read, and there are some really fun tweaks to the usual paranormal mythology.

Although two candidates for Luna's love interest appear in this novel, they never compete against one another, and Luna keeps a level head when it comes to her budding passions, even when surrounded by chaos. She's so sensible when it comes to attraction to the opposite sex - it's a refreshing change. Paranormal romance is my favorite genre, but I'll have to wait till at least the second book to see if Luna finds a partner who accepts her on her own terms. If you're not into romances, don't worry - it isn't the main focus of the novel.

Read Shah Wharton's short story "The Journal of Rosa and Bella" here

View all my reviews on Goodreads



I "purchased" this book from Smashwords on a day when the book was offered at no cost. This review was not solicited by the author or her representatives in any way, and I received no compensation for it.

Venice and its Connection to 'Sometimes in Dreams' – Guest Post by G.L. Helm

Large parts of my novel Sometimes in Dreams is set in the beautiful old city of Venice. It became one of my favorite cities in the world during the time I lived in northern Italy. Old Venice is now more museum than city. The old powerhouse Venice is now on the other side of the lagoon.  The canal city is like an elderly, but still elegant, aunt who surprises you with gifts unlooked-for but still welcome.

            In the novel, a couple of Campos are mentioned.  Those are small squares where businesses of one sort and another are located. Campo San Vio is mentioned because St. George’s Anglican Church is located there. It is the only English speaking church in Venice, consequently tourists from all over the world who speak English come there if they happen to be in the city on a Sunday. The campo and the Church are real and can be visited if you are ever lucky enough to visit La Serranisima which is what most denizens of Venice call the city.  It means “the Serene One.”  I understand why it is called that now with its smooth flowing canals and slow moving gondolas, but I don’t understand how it came by the name from its past. Venice was a bustling trade center for centuries and I can imagine the canals being as jammed as a New York street when La Serranisima was queen of the Adriatic and points east.

            Another campo mentioned in Sometimes in Dreams is Campo Redemptor the place where Daniel and Kit have their star-crossed meeting. I am sorry to say it doesn’t really exist, though Bar Redemptor does actually exist. It is in a much more bustling part of the city than where I placed it and is much more of a ‘dive’ than the one I created.  I borrowed the look of Bar Redemptor from a couple of other places not actually in Venice . I used a place called Mario’s which is in Aviano, a little town  closer to the Dolomite Alps than Venice. My apartment was there and it is pretty accurately described in the book, though I stretched it into a house there. 

            It is pretty hard to get lost in Venice now-a-days because almost every corner of every narrow alley has a sign posted on it pointing toward St. Mark’s Cathedral, but it can still be done. The streets are very narrow in most places and the buildings multi-storied. They can be rather oppressive making one feel like a cow being driven down a loading chute, but after walking down one of these alleys you suddenly burst forth into a campo, just as I described in the book  and all feeling of oppression or claustrophobia evaporates. Every window of the campo is decorated with overflowing multi-colored geraniums giving the impression of finding one’s self in a multi-level garden. This is true during the summer when the geraniums are meant to keep the flies away since no one has window screens, and the flowers do an admirable job of insect control. In winter, most of the flower boxes are filled with another type of flower, the name of which I don’t recall. They equally beautiful but have no insect control purpose. They better tolerate the damp chilly weather of Venice in winter.

            Sometimes in Dreams is a picture of Venice accurate enough to help the reader understand why poets and writers like Thomas Mann, Lord Byron, Ernest Hemingway, and Ezra Pound fell in love with that fabled city, and why I love it so.

***

Synopsis:

Daniel Pentland is a broken man; torn between the two women in his life. He is tormented by guilt over his love affair with a beautiful English girl he met while living in Italy, and the loyal devotion of his wife, Amanda.

Two years after the tragic death of his lover Kit, he is continually haunted by her memory. Across the sands of the Mojave Desert, her voice calls out to him, pulling at his heart and his memories.

Each night as Daniel wakes screaming and fighting against the phantom of Kit’s killer, his wife does her best to soothe his pain and help him overcome his grief.

Sometimes in Dreams is a story of redemption through a love that simply refuses to die.

Purchase Links:

Amazon: US, UK, CANADA, GERMANY, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, JAPAN, BRAZIL, INDIA

CreateSpace

Smashwords

Author Bio:

G. Lloyd Helm is a 'ne'er-do-well scribbler'—novelist, short story writer and poet—who has tramped around the world for the last forty years thanks to his long-suffering military wife. He has lived in Germany, Spain, and Italy. His epitaph will read, “He married well.”

May I Kiss You?: A Candid Look at Dating, Communication, Respect, and Sexual Assault Awareness - Review

May I Kiss You?: A Candid Look at Dating, Communication, Respect, & Sexual Assault Awareness by Michael Domitrz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everyone should read this book, but it's an especially good one for families whose children are soon to be of dating age, and for organizations that work with children and teens.

Sexual assault awareness may seem like a difficult topic to bring up, but Michael Domitrz goes over things in such a conversational way, starting with the topic of kissing, that it makes the topic non-intimidating. It's non-gender-specific, accepting the reality of the situation that both males and females can be victims and that everyone has the potential to sexually assault someone else.

There is zero victim-blaming in this book, accepting the reality that only the offender is to blame, never the victim, no matter who is victim is. The book also deals with ways that everyone - absolutely everyone - can help stop the occurrence of sexual assaults by examining our own assumptions and stereotypes, speaking out against sexism and harassment, not contributing to sexual double standards for boys and girls, and promoting a culture of open, honest communication around consent.

The book also includes positive, helpful ways you can be a supportive friend or family member to someone who's been assaulted. It contains plenty of interactive activities and resources to go to for further information and to help people take action toward a consent culture.

It's a wonderful resource, full of hope and positivity, and that's why I really can't recommend this highly enough.



View all my reviews on GoodReads

The author, Michael J. Domitrz, was inspired to write this book when his sister was assaulted. He's the founder of the Date Safe Project. You can find additional resources there, including educational posters, DVDs and audio downloads.

If you'd like to have Mike as a guest speaker, you can call the Date Safe Project at (800) 329-9390 or e-mail mike (at) datesafeproject.org (without the spaces, of course).

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this review, which represents my own honest opinion.

Is It Autumn Yet?

The last couple of nights, the weather has been beautiful for sleeping with the window open. Although more hot days are forthcoming, there's also a pleasant hint of autumn in the atmosphere. The equinox, and its Neopagan celebration Mabon, may still be two weeks away, but Rosh Hoshanah is upon us, and it already feels like the season has turned.

U.S. Labor Day was this past Monday, and in the Lake Michigan region, this feels like a seasonal holiday rather than only a national calender holiday. My mom and I went on a road trip to Plymouth, Indiana, for the annual Blueberry Festival. We walked around in the sun, refreshing ourselves with blueberry shortcakes, then fish tacos cooked on the grill, washed down with a blueberry iced coffee.

Huckleberries: closely related to blueberries, but not exactly the same

One of the indigenous peoples of the southwest Michigan/northwest Indiana/eastern Illinois and Wisconsin region, the Pokagon band of the Potawatomi (one of the Algonquin peoples, Pokégnek Bodéwadmik in their own language), celebrates this time of year with a pow wow, attended by several of the regional indigenous tribes. The name of this event is the Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa pow wow, translated as "I have quit picking huckleberries*." The end of berry-picking season has been celebrated at this time, in this place, as far back as the Pokagon can remember. 

By the way, there is also a Potawatomi band in Kansas; they were forcibly moved there by the U.S government. When I went to Kansas last year, it made me incredibly sad to see how flat, treeless and riverless Kansas was. Imagine your culture was based upon living off of forest resources, that wild berries and fish went into many of your cultural dishes, that weaving river grasses into intricate baskets was one of your favorite visual fine art forms, and then you were forcibly moved to a dry, flat land with few rivers and scarcely any trees. It makes me angry every time I think about it. 

Autumn 2013 Events:

Sept. 22 - Autumnal Equinox

Oct. 15 - release of When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

Oct. 18 - release of Kill Your Darlings movie with Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg

Oct. 22 - release of Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Nov. 11 - official release of Lady Gaga's ARTPOP album

Nov. 15 - release of The Book Thief movie

Nov. 22 - release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie

Nov. 26 - third book in Barbara Longley's Perfect, Indiana series, A Change of Heart, releases

Nov. 27 - Hanukkah begins at sundown

"Kore" by Lisa Sotilis, Creative Commons license.

I've already written detailed posts on Mabon scheduled for the 22nd-23rd of September. Still, I was thumbing through an old journal the other day, I came across this, copied from a Unitarian Universalist church bulletin's Pagan column (unfortunately, I haven't written down the name of the columnist):

"The wheel turns to Mabon - the Fall Equinox. Mabon marks the second harvest on the Pagan calendar...

"In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. The myth says that Demeter's daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to become his bride. Kore's name became Persephone when she married Hades. For nine straight days, Demeter searched for Kore. Helios, the Sun God, informed her that her brother, Zeus, had given the girl to Hades. In fury, Demeter cursed the Earth so that it would yield no crops. Zeus sent her a frantic message inquiring as to why she had prevented growth on the planet. She replied that there would be no regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter, Kore, was safely returned.

"Zeus immediately dispatched Hermes into the Underworld to retrieve the girl. Hades did not want to relinquish his bride permanently. Ever the negotiator, Zeus declared that Kore-Persephone would live with her mother during one half of the year and return to her husband, Hades, during the other half. In thanks, Demeter lifted the curse on the Earth, creating Spring. Every year hence, during her time of greatest sorrow, Demeter renews the curse, as her daughter returns to Hades and the Underworld."

The curse is starting to take effect. It feels like it should be Autumn now, but all things in their due time. For now I'll enjoy the late summer.

Well, maybe with one Starbucks pumpkin spice latte...

*Gaylussacia baccata and related species, which if you are an English speaker not from North America you may call bilberries.

Oh How Pinteresting: Just Harry Potter Bling

L'shanah tovah to all my friends who are celebrating Rosh Hoshanah tonight!

I have done many an Oh How Pinteresting! Pinterest post now, and it's recently come to my attention I've never done a post entirely dedicated to Harry Potter. Here, I remedy that situation. I have more than 300 pins on my Harry Potter Love, Expecto Patronum and Nerdy Girls Need Love Too boards, so to narrow it down somewhat, I'll stick to Harry Potter jewelry pins. 

I think I'm probably a Ravenclaw, but I still think the Slytherin house ring is the prettiest. 

The house necklaces are very pretty, too.

Owls, the Deathly Hallows, and the Golden Snitch - this bracelet set has it all!

No post on Sundays? No problem!

Who wouldn't want a charm necklace with all seven horcruxes on it?

Or a horcrux bracelet?

What happens if you wear this in the bathtub?

Actually, this works for an engaged couple as well. 

Quidditch was never my favorite part of the books, but I'd still wear this necklace.

My favorite non-human creature of the HP books: Fawkes.