Banadin: Blog

I have had more of a continuing education since I started writing here at SOL. It has been a pleasant experience so far. I have gotten better at spelling, punctuation and pay more attention to editing and continuity. But it is the details that have been amazing. Every chapter gets emails. Since I am trying to establish the flavor of a time in my life (late 50's)I have to use real places and things. Next I try to give some interest by twisting slightly some real events. But the things that are brought up beyond that are amazing. I wanted my protagonist to be in a civil war uniform so I had him get involved in reenacting. The only problem was the reenacting didn't really start till the 1960's at the hundredth anniversary of the war. So I cheated a little. I presented the 1913 last major reunion at Gettysburg as a reenactment and stated that reenacting then limped along till the 1960's. Who would pay attention to such a small detail? One reader cared enough to contact a friend who is an avid re-enactor to find out the truth and then nicely called me on it.
Next I served Yams at Thanksgiving. This email was a little terse but still within bounds. I found out that what I ate as a boy were sweet potatoes no matter what it said on the can. But by chance since I have spent a year of my life in Puerto Rico I have had real yams. Couldn't tell by me. I just thought that they were prepared by differently recipes. I love having these little things brought to my attention as I learn. I even added a slight revision to a story because of an error in procedure. Thank you Lisa.

Every day my inbox teaches once more That the Devil is in the Details. Thank you kind readers.

Exactly one reader came up with John "Red" Hamilton one of the John Dillinger gang. Red and two others robbed a bank in St. Mary's Ohio to get money to support breaking Dillinger out of a jail. They did so. Later Hamilton was severely wounded in a bank robbery. The doctor they normally used refused to treat him. He was with Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson when he died. They buried him in an unmarked grave and even disfigured him. There were reports that he had not died. The body was found and identified by prison dental records. In my story I took the liberty of having his records changed at the prison. He lived. But maybe not happily ever after. My congratulations to the person who sent it in. I do not have permission to publish their name. Several others came close with the Dillinger gang. Banadin

I made an error. A note for chapter 11 refers to a mystery. It is actually in chapter 12. I didn't mean to make it a teaser. Sorry about that.

Banadin

I will be on the road next week so will only post on Fridays for the next two weeks instead of Tuesday and Friday.
Banadin

I have been able to remove the brace I've had to wear since my Dupuytrens procedure. Try typing with a brace locking your ring and little finger together on your right hand (I'm right handed.) The brace also stuck out two inches more than my fingers. Don't even ask my wife about getting smacked in the head in the middle of the night. Honey it's the brace! I'm sticking to that story. I know others on the site have had much worse trials and tribulations and I feel for them, but happy that my little problem is better.