As one of the best-read authors for 1888 Center's Summer Writing Project, I had the opportunity to interview with Jon-Barrett Ingels, host of The How The Why. It's a great podcast devoted to the craft of writing.

It was my first opportunity to talk in public about my novella, Houdini's Last Trick. Because my background is in journalism, I'm used to being on the other side of the interview, asking the questions. I realized I can use a little practice as the interviewee. But, hey, I didn't throw up from anxiety during the interview, so I'm counting that as success. Check it out.

Postcard and photo of Shirley Temple as Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses in 1939. At the time, Temple was the youngest person to serve as Grand Marshal. She wore all white and rode atop of throne made of white roses (or did she...?).

French poster advertising Houdini's 1919 silent film, The Master Mystery. It was a serial mystery told in fifteen installments. Houdini played a Secret Service agent who was attempting to thwart an international conspiracy to stop any sort of scientific progress. 

He only made movies through 1922, finding film an unsuitable medium for his magic. Film editing cheapened his illusions and made his slight-of-hand tricks essentially meaningless.

One thing we can all agree on: dude had a creepy stare.

The home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks was one of the grandest  in Beverly Hills during the 1920s. It sat atop its own peak and boasted the first known private pool in the United States.

Renovated from a hunting lodge after it was purchased in 1919, Pickfair had 18 acres of grounds surrounding it. During the time Pickford and Fairbanks were married, Pickfair was the epicenter of West Coast social life for movie stars, politicians and  members of the literati.