Thanks to Google, I spent the day in London—without leaving my office.

That's me having coffee atop St. Paul's Cathedral in London

In The Vengeance Squad Goes to England the gang is looking for the man who stole Liz's bookmobile fund. Chris goes over to England to visit Angela, but he's joined soon by the rest of the group.

The first day in London, I wanted Angela to show Chris around some and keep him awake so he could adjust his inner clock to London time. I decided on a bus ride from her flat near Victoria Station to St. Paul's Cathedral because I had done that once or twice myself, for the same reason.

To make the trip more interesting, I wanted to point out the sights along the way. That's where Google comes in. I plotted a trip from Angela's flat to the church using Google Maps. Then, as I viewed the route, I switched to the photo view and looked for interesting landmarks along the way. Big Ben, London Eye, etc. But, I also saw other bits of information that I felt might be interesting to readers. I saw lots of black cabs, for example. Cars and busses driving down the wrong side of the road. Red double-decker buses everywhere. This gave me scenery, but also an idea for Liz to buy a double-decker bus that had been converted into a bookmobile.

Google Maps Takes the Fun Out of Research

In The Vengeance Squad, the protagonists travel a lot. To make it easier for me, I only let him go to places I've been. That way I can create better descriptions of the locations. As I was writing,however, I wished I was in Albuquerque again to get a bit a detail I needed for a scene. I wanted there to be a house close to the Petroglyph National Monument, but I didn't know if there was or not. In the old days, such research might require a tax-deductible trip to look around first hand. But, no longer.

I opened Google Maps in my browser and typed in Petroglyph National Monument. Then I clicked on the little orange Google man and moved him to the streets around the park. I found just what I needed. There was a whole neighborhood near the park's parking lot. Close enough to serve my needs.

From Albuquerque, my characters went to Rowe, a small town in Massachusetts I know quite well, but had not been there in the winter. Also, I had not been to a private airport in nearby North Adams that I wanted to use in my story. With Google Maps I was able to start at the airport and follow the road to Rowe. I learned there are many turns along the way. I looked for photos as I made my virtual trip in hopes of finding a winter scene but there were none. Luckily, a friend there sent me some photos taken while there was snow on the ground.

So, no longer must we go to a villa in France or spend time on a barge in the Netherlands to absorb details enough for a realistic description. All we have to do is turn on the computer.

Thanks to Google, I spent the day in London—without leaving my office.

Author having coffee atop St. Paul's Cathedral in London

In my Bookmobile Book 4, the vengeance squad goes to England looking for the man who stole Liz's bookmobile fund. Chris goes over first to visit Angela, but he's joined soon by the rest of the group.

 

The first day in London, I wanted Angela to show Chris around some and keep him awake so he could adjust his inner clock to London time. I decided on a bus ride from her flat near Victoria Station to St. Paul's Cathedral because I had done that once myself, for the same reason.

 

To make the trip more interesting, I wanted to point out the sights along the way. That's the reason I needed help from Google. I plotted a trip using Google Maps from Angela's flat to the church. Then, as I viewed the route, I switched to the photo view and looked for interesting landmarks along the way. Big Ben, London Eye, etc. But, I also saw other bits of information that might be interesting. Lots of black cabs, for example. Cars and busses driving down the wrong side of the road. Red double-decker buses everywhere.

 

Here's the scene that resulted. Keep in mind this is a first draft and it may change before the book is finished, or it may be totally deleted by my editor.

 

Scene 15:Scene 15:Scene 15:I closed Skype. "Is it time to go to bed yet?"

Angela looked at me like I was crazy.

"To sleep. I've been up all night."

"Didn't you sleep on the plane?"

"I may have. I guess I did some, but I feel so tired."

"That's jet lag. The best way to get past it is get on schedule here. You can imagine how much I travel so I know what works."

"Okay, but I need to get up and walk or something. That sofa of yours is looking good."

"How about a quick tour of the city? This is your first time here, right?"

I stood to keep from falling asleep at the desk. "Yes, but I'm in no condition for a tour. How about tomorrow?"

"I'm not talking about a long tour. Just a ride on a double-decker bus to keep you from falling asleep. We'll have a late lunch, grab some coffee to keep you awake, and see a few sights."

"And then I can go to bed?"

She laughed. "Yes. You can go to sleep early if you like. But not before eight."

"Good. Have you made plans for tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll show you more of London. We're meeting Andrew in the pub downstairs for an authentic English meal."

"Andrew is coming here?" Andrew was Sarah's brother who had initially blamed me for letting her get killed. He apologized later after he learned the whole story. I hadn't talked to him again after that.

"He's not coming here. He lives in London."

"What does he want?" I remembered him talking about his contacts in London. Maybe he could help find Virgil. Or, was he talking about Angela?

"Nothing that I'm aware of. I told him you'd be here and he said he wanted to see you."

"Oh."

"By the way, he's a banker. I doubt if he knows how to break into accounts online as fast as you do, but he may be able to offer a few, how shall we say, more legitimate connections to banks and bankers."

"I'll keep that in mind. It'll be good to see him. Thanks for setting it up." Remembering my last encounter with Andrew caused me to think about Sarah. I never wanted to forget her, but I didn't know what Angela would think if she knew what was on my mind.

We climbed aboard the first red double-decker that came by on Victoria Street across from the building where Angela lived. She took care of my fare and we found seats on the upper deck, I got the window seat. It was cold outside, but not unbearable. I saw a sign that showed the temperature to be three degrees Celsius or thirty-eight Fahrenheit.

I trusted she knew best, but I longed for sleep. The heated bus made it harder to keep my eyes open. I took off my coat and held in my lap.

"I know you're drowsy," she said, "so let me tell you about where we are. Maybe that will help you stay awake."

I leaned my head against the glass, hoping its coolness would spark my attention. "Okay. But, first tell me why everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road."

"What do you mean? The Americans are the ones who drive on the wrong side."

"Hey. There's Scotland Yard." I pointed to a building we were passing with a sign identifying it. "Is that where you work?"

"I don't work for Scotland Yard. You know that. They're like your city police. I'm more like your CIA."

"So where's your office?"

"We'll it's not marked like Scotland Yard."

"Is it near here?"

"We have many different locations."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

I stared out the window and counted black cabs for a while and then saw a maroon-colored one. The people of the street all walked with purpose as if going somewhere important even though it was a holiday.

"There's Big Ben!" I said.

"Right. Or, the houses of parliament."

"Oh, and there's that new Ferris wheel I saw on the news. It's huge."

"It's called the London Eye," she said.

The bus turned left before the bridge that would have crossed the River Thames and taken us to the side where the London Eye was. We followed the water line and I saw boats on the river, mostly large ones that looked as if they might be small restaurants. A few people walked along the tree-covered walkway between the street where we were and the water. There was another sidewalk beyond a wall closer to the river. I imagined the area would be full of tourists during warmer times of the year.

We passed a tall, slender monument of some type that came to a point on top. "What's that?" I asked, pointing back to where it stood between us and the river.

"That's called the Cleopatra's Needle. It's an Egyptian obelisk. There's one like it in New York City and a similar one in Paris."

We continued along the river for a ways.

"That's the Waterloo Bridge we're coming to. Someday we'll look at a map and I'll show you all the bridges that cross over the Thames."

As we approached the underpass I looked up and saw three red double-decker buses crossing the bridge.

Just as we turned left off the road that paralleled the river, Angela pointed. "That's Blackfriar Station."

"That's another thing I want to do while I'm here."

"What's that?"

"I want to learn how to use the underground. I hear it is a great way to get around."

"It is. I almost took you on it today, but I thought sitting up here on the bus would show you more and keep you awake better. But, we'll be riding the underground a lot I'm sure."

Angela leaned across me toward the window. "We're going to get off in a couple of blocks. I know this place that makes the best pizza in town. It's like Naples pizza, if you know what I mean."

I didn't, but I assumed it was good.

I followed Angela off the bus and she led the way to the pizza place. It wasn't one of the chains we had in Texas. As soon as we entered I know they used a wood oven, the smell was heavenly.

"Let me order," Angela said. "Get us a table."

I found a place near the window so I could watch the people go by. I hung my coat over the back of my chair. Angela returned with two large glasses of cloudy liquid.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Lemonade. Not exactly a winter drink, but I thought it might help you stay awake. They make this fresh from lemons from Naples."

I took a sip that turned into a gulp. "Excellent choice," I said.

"The owners came from Naples about ten years ago and their pizzas are made the same with the first pizzas were made there. I ordered one with tomato slices instead of a meat. I think you'll like it."

As she talked, I looked. She had a cute smile when she was happy and her whole body took on a sense of happiness when she talked about something she was interested in. Even pizza.

A young woman with long dark hair brought a large pizza and two plates.

The first thing I noticed was how thin the crust was. I was used to a much thicker one. But after taking a bite, I know why Angela liked this place. Delicious.

We at silently for a while and I savored every mouthful.

"Okay," she said. "Next stop is the coffee shop. That pizza woke you up, but I'm not any chances."

The coffee shop was across the street from the pizza place. When we got there, Angela pulled a silver Thermos out of the large handbag she carried.

"Fill this up, please," she said to the barista. "No need to rinse it first. It's clean."

After placing the filled Thermos in her handbag, she headed toward the door.

"I thought we were going to have coffee," I said.

"We are. Just hold on."

I followed her as she walked briskly away from the coffee shop. Up ahead I could see a large building with a dome on top.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That's where we're going next. That's St. Paul's Cathedral."

We continued along the sidewalk until we were in front of the enormous church.

"I recognize this place. Those steps especially. What movie would I have seen of this church?"

"You're probably thinking of Mary Poppins."

"That's it. Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. Right?"

"That's right. There have been other movies made around and in the church. One of the Harry Potter movies and the latest Sherlock Holmes movie."

Angela led me to a wide stair case in a corner of the church. We started up.

"Where does this lead?" I asked.

"You'll see. Not only will this keep you awake, you'll be truly amazed when you get there."

There weren't many others on the stairs. We finally reached an area where we could walk all around the dome.

I looked down. "You're right. This is beautiful."

She laughed. "This is the whispering gallery. We're only about a third of the way to where we're going."

I looked up, but didn't see any way to go further.

"Follow me," she said.

She led me to a smaller stairway. One where we had to stop and twist for people coming down. After what seemed like forever, we reached a point where we went outside.

"Ah, this is it. Beautiful," I said.

"No. This is the stone gallery. We're about two-thirds the way to the top now."

Soon, she was walking up and I was following. When she finally stopped, I knew I was there.

"Here we are," she said. "The golden gallery. Eighty-five meters from the cathedral floor. Five-hundred and twenty-eight steps."

My mind converted meters to feet automatically. Two-hundred-eighty-seven, almost two-hundred-eighty-eight feet. But I didn't care. The view was unbelievable. Cool wind whipped around us, but it wasn't all that uncomfortable. I walked all around the top of the dome looking at the city below from different vantage points. When I got back to where I'd started, I found Angela sitting on a wall drinking a cup of coffee. I pulled out my cell phone and took her photo.

She passed the silver cup, the Thermos lid, to me. Smoke rose from the liquid. The smell of fresh coffee was awakening in itself. I took a sip, still holding my phone in my other hand. I passed the cup to her.

"What time is it back home now?" I asked.

She looked at her watch. "About eleven-thirty in the morning."

"Is that Austin time?"

"Yes."

"Then, nine-thirty in California. I'm going to call my mother."

I tapped in the number and waited. Angela shook her head, but smiled and handed me the coffee cup when my other hand was free. Another couple popped through the opening to our level and stared at me like I was crazy. I don't know if it was because of the coffee or the phone, and I didn't care.

"Hello."

"Mom. Guess where I am?"

"London, I hope. That's where you said you were going."

"Yeah, but where in London?"

"I have no idea."

Angela took the cup from me and refilled it. She took a sip and motioned it toward me. I shook my head.

"I'm on the very top of St. Paul's Cathedral with Angela. We're having coffee here."

"Is that allowed, dear? Doesn't seem like a good place for a picnic."

"We climbed five-hundred and twenty-eight steps, Mom. We're resting up for the walk back down."

"Okay, dear. Just don't spill any coffee and be careful on the way down."

"Okay, Mom. Love you." She didn't understand. She'd have to see the place to know what I meant.

That was the highlight of the day. When we finished our coffee we made the trek down to the street and took the underground back to Angela's flat. She made coffee in an effort to keep me awake a little longer while I waited on the sofa.

Smoking Grapevine and Other Memories of Growing Up in Austin Texas

In Where Love Once Lived, one of my characters lives in the Clarksville area of Austin, a neighborhood reserved for blacks only back when I lived there. I lived on a white street, but my backyard was adjacent to the backyard of a black family. I don't remember anything about the parents of that family, not sure I ever saw them. But, I did talk to the children. We would often meet at the wire fence and stare at each for awhile until we finally got into a normal childhood conversation. I'm not sure how old I was, but since my family moved from there in 1946, I had to be about nine years old.

In future posts I'll tell you more about living near Clarksville because it made a big impression on me. However, today I would like to tell you about the move to South Austin. Back then, and to a certain extent now, South Austin was like a separate town from Austin. I remember telling my girlfriend goodbye because I was moving so far away I knew I'd never see her again. Lajuana Jolly. I bought her a necklace so she'd always remember me. As it turned out, we were together again in high school, but by then our love had died.

Checking Google Maps, I see that it is only 2.3 miles from the Clarksville area to where we moved on Josephine Street. Today, I walk further than that for exercise.

The nearest grocery store from the Josephine house was on Kinney Avenue and it was the size of a two-car garage. Maybe smaller. Mother would send me to the store nearly every day to get groceries. We had a charge account there. They would give me whatever was on the shopping list and then Dad would go in on Saturday to pay for the week's purchases. I would often sneak a candy bar on to the list so I didn't mind doing the shopping.

One day, a neighborhood friend went with me and he showed me a shortcut to the grocery store through a wooded area. Right in the middle of the forest he stopped and pulled out a knife. I didn't know what was going on and thought I better get out of there. But before I could move, he grabbed a thick piece of grapevine and cut off a few inches of it, stuck it in his mouth and lit the other end just like adults did with cigarettes. He took a few puffs, coughed, and passed it to me.

There were many interesting childhood times while I lived in the Josephine house. I wish I could put them in the book along with the Clarksville story. But, I'll tell you more here in the future.

Smoking grapevine is not smart, but it is not as serious as what our children and grandchildren face today. Did you have similar temptations when you grew up?

Google Maps Takes the Fun Out of Research

In my work in progress, Vengeance Is Mine, the protagonist travels a lot. To make it easier for me, I only let him go to places I've been. That way I can create better descriptions of the locations. But the other day I wished I was in Albuquerque again to get a bit a detail I needed for a scene. I wanted there to be a house close to the Petroglyph National Monument, but I didn't know if there was one or not. In the old days, such research might require a tax-deductible trip to look around first hand. But, no longer.

Here's all I had to do. I opened Google Maps in my browser and typed in Petroglyph National Monument. Then I clicked on the little orange Google man and moved him to the streets around the park. I found just what I needed. There was a whole neighborhood near the park's parking lot. Close enough to serve my needs.

From Albuquerque, my characters went to Rowe, a small town in Massachusetts I know quite well, but a place where most people don't vacation. My memory of the place was good, but I had not been to a private airport in nearby North Adams that I wanted to use in the story. With Google Maps I was able to start at the airport and follow the road to Rowe. I learned there are many turns along the way. I looked for photos as I made my virtual trip in hopes of finding a winter scene but there were none. Luckily, I went to Rowe this year and a friend there had some photos taken while there was snow on the ground.

So, no longer must we go to a villa in France or spend time on a barge in the Netherlands to absorb details enough for a realistic description. All we have to do is turn on the computer.

From Book Signing Worries to Confidence

Yesterday I Googled "planning for a book signing" after I realized I didn't know what I was doing and the book signing for Where Love Once Lived was schedule for September 25, 2010.

Surprisingly, I found three excellent articles on what to do before, during, and after a book signing. One of the writers, Penny C. Sansevieri, was especially helpful, so I checked Amazon to see if she had any books on the subject of book marketing. I found one called Red Hot Internet Publicity, and was glad to see there was a Kindle edition. I ordered it and started reading. I'll do a review on the book later. Right now I need to sell books.

I read that she developed the idea for the Virtual Author Tour™ and that reminded me I had planned to do a virtual blog tour. Bonnie Hearn Hill had told me how successful that had been for her. I already had a list of blogs that would be good for my book. However, I haven't contacted any of them yet. There was a call for authors to be interviewed and/or books reviewed by a blogger on the American Christian Fiction Writers group. I sent her a book to review and she sent me some questions to answer for the interview. But, I need to do 20 or 30 more before I will see the benefits of the virtual blog tour.

As I read the book signing tips, I remembered this won't be my first book signing. The first was so unremarkable, I probably stuffed it deep into the memory banks.

My first book was a non-fiction called Automated Law Office Systems, published by West Publishing Co. in 1983. I was a member of the Austin Writers' League, now the Writers' League of Texas, and we set up book signing tables in the mall near Sunset Valley where the south Central Market is now. The tables were arranged in a circle with authors sitting inside the circle. My editor, Bill Newsom, was with me and I think he sold more books than I did. Bill, by the way, was the person who made the book readable. He didn't get his name on the cover, but he did share in the royalties.

Next to us was Kathy Cronkite, Walter's daughter, with a book called On the Edge of Darkness. It is still available of Amazon, but I see it is dated 1995 so it must be an updated edition.

On the other side of us was Dr. Ira Iscoe, who had been my Educational Psychology professor at the University of Texas. He was the one responsible for my finishing college, getting a BA and then an MS. Why? Because he said I couldn't. He said most people who drop out of school and then go back, never graduate. I told him about it that day. He was pleased. I don't remember what he was selling, but I was proud to be at the book signing event with him.

So, just thinking about the book signing helped me think about ways to sell Where Love Once Lived. It also reminded me that I can overcome the average college dropout and succeed. That's what makes writing this blog so much fun.

Enter the Drawing for a Free Book

I've tried suggesting, begging, and guilting my friends to help pad my blog followers list before the book comes out and I want to thank all of you who did. Now, as the publication date nears, I want to try a method that always works: bribery.

I thought about giving a free copy of Where Love Once Lived to anyone on the follower list at the time of publication, but if this bribery stuff works, that could be too costly. So, here's the plan I came up with. I'll give away 10 books by drawing from the names of blog followers. It doesn't matter if you sign up as a Network Blog Follower or a Google Friend Follower. Both is okay, too.

The names of all followers will be put into a hat once for each week on a list. Since I didn't write down dates for those on the list, I'll assume everyone now on the list has been there since the beginning, March 31, 2010. Then, I'll draw 10 names and send each one a free book. Signed, if you like.

Smoking Grapevine

In Where Love Once Lived, one of my characters lives in the Clarksville area of Austin, Texas. There are references to my own experience living next to the neighborhood that was reserved for blacks only back when I was there. I lived on the white street, but our backyard was adjacent to the backyard of a black family. I don't remember anything about the parents of that family, not sure I ever saw them. But, I did talk to the children. We would often meet at the wire fence and stare at each for awhile until we finally got into a normal childhood conversation. I'm not sure how old I was, but since my family moved from there in 1946, I had to be about nine years old.

In future posts I'll tell you more about living near Clarksville because it made a big impression on me. However, today I would like to tell you about the move to South Austin. Back then, and to a certain extent now, South Austin was like a separate town from Austin. I remember telling my girlfriend goodbye. Lajuana Jolly. I bought her a necklace so she'd always remember me. But I knew I'd never see her again. After all we were moving to the other side of the river.

But we might as well have moved to another city. After the move, we only ventured out across the river when we had to go downtown. Checking Google Maps today, I see that it is only 2.3 miles from West 9 1/2 Street to Josephine Street. Today, I walk further than that for exercise.

The nearest grocery store was on Kinney Avenue and it was the size of a current day home two-car garage. Maybe smaller. Mother would send me to the store nearly every day to get groceries. We had a charge account there. They would give me what every was on the shopping list and then Dad would go in on Saturdays to pay for the week's purchases. I would often sneak in a candy bar that wasn't on the list so I didn't mind doing the shopping.

One day, a neighborhood friend went with me and he showed me a shortcut to the grocery store through a wooded area. Right in the middle of the forest he stopped and pulled out a knife. I didn't know what was going on and thought I better get out of there. But before I could move, he grabbed a thick piece of grapevine and cut off a few inches of it, stuck it in his mouth and lit the other end just like adults did with cigarettes. He took a few puffs, coughed, and passed it to me.

There were many interesting childhood times while I lived in the Josephine house. I wish I could put them in the book along with the Clarksville story. But, I'll tell you more here in the future.

Smoking grapevine is not smart, but it is not as serious as what our children and grandchildren face today. Did you have similar temptations when you grew up?