Melon Research

From St. Nicholas Magazine, August 1916.
From the Dave Thomson
collection

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

                  -Mark Twain

That’s been my writing job this week. Getting the facts.

Both Eye of the Peacock, and Relic, are inspired by real mansions in New York State. The stories are ficticious, but I like pieces of the story to ring true for the age and location of each real place. So, I’ve been doing some research as I’ve been writing. The extra time over the holidays has allowed for this nicely.

This morning, for instance, I was looking into conservatories, greenhouses, the differences between them, how they are constructed, and details about the real greenhouses on this particular property. I’ve also been researching melons – yes, melons! Muskmelons versus Casabas, and how growers use little hammocks to protect them from falling.

Both of these, believe it or not, are needed in my next supernatural mystery.

No, it’s not about an attack of ghost Casabas from a haunted greenhouse….