On All Things Jack the Ripper

I've been a bit quiet because after my trip to the United States I was home for a couple weeks and then off to London.  This, too, was a business trip, but like the one in the US, much fun as well. Because I was hanging around with . . . Ripperologists.

The reason I became part of the Ripper community is because the series is set in 1888, right over the top of the murders. To ensure that I didn't screw up the facts--because they are extremely well documented and just about the first thing most authors blow right past--I began researching the killings in depth, as well as the social, political, and religious conditions of the time. I had at least 9 months of research before I even began writing the first book and finally accumulated almost 100 reference books, maps, etc. by the time the trilogy was done. I went nuts on this, mostly because Victorian London was just SO fascinating. The results were well worth all the time, money, tears and headaches. Sadly, when I moved my vast Victorian library had to go, but it found homes with a number of authors who write in that time period.

​So let's fast forward to 2018 and the East End Conference:
I attended to reconnect with good friends and to get my head back into 1888 as I want to write a few short stories based around some of the Victorian Era characters. If you've read the series, I'm specifically talking about Jonathon Keats and Dr. Alastair Montrose, because those gents deserve their own stories. I have no doubt our favorite time traveler (Jacynda Lassiter) will drop in from time to time because Cynda is just inclined to meddle. 

The trip was great, reconnecting with friends was priceless, and seeing London after five years was pretty much jaw-dropping (so much new construction!) I've already pencilled in another trip for 2019. Meanwhile the Ripperologists keep sifting through census and asylum records, tracking down leads in search of the killer.

​Me? I just sit back with a cup of tea and cheer them on.