Hello, Noters!
You’re hearing from me twice this week, as I am trying something new with my Noteworthy endeavors. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I enjoy helping out the author community with these Make Note Of features, but limiting myself to a post every other Friday hinders just how much I can share in a month. So, from here on out, Noteworthy will be coming to you whenever I have something “noteworthy” to share. Author friends, this means I’d love to feature you on my blog at ANY time! The more, the merrier, I say! Please email me at noteworthy@saraheburr.com to set up a written interview.
Of course, I’ll still keep you all up-to-date with my writing world. I’m slowly whittling away at the next (and final) Court of Mystery novel. I’m also in the process of moving the books to a new distributor. Indie authors, if you haven’t checked out Draft2Digital, I highly encourage you to look at its offerings. I’ve been using them for the past few months (to launch the Book Blogger Mysteries), and I am very satisfied with the results thus far. It’s great having my books available on Barnes & Noble, as well as Kobo, Apple, and other platforms. The Court of Mystery paperbacks are available now through wide distribution, and over the coming months, the eBooks will begin rolling out. This does mean most of the series will be moving off Kindle Unlimited. However, the whole series is still there at the moment, so if you are a KU reader, now’s the perfect time to visit with the crime-solving Duchess Jacqueline!
Because of this massive endeavor, I’ve been revising the formats of these books, and coincidentally, my guest today is celebrating the release of a revised edition of her work!
Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Charlene Bell Dietz’s latest award-winning novel The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor took 1st place in the New Mexico Press Women contest and won honors from the National Federation of Press Women. Her other novels in the Flapper-Scientist series have won numerous awards. The first two books in this series: The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur, and The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker each won Kirkus Reviews stars and were named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books. You can read her short stories in the 2016 RMFW, 2019 SWW and 2023SWW anthologies and her articles in Mystery and Suspense Magazine. Dietz, a retired educator, grew up in the Rocky Mountain area but now lives in the foothills in the central mountains of New Mexico. Because of her love of books, she’s one of the mega judges in the NM/AZ Contest and a member of numerous writing organizations. Connect with her on Facebook, http.//inkydancestudios.com, or Char Bell Dietz @CharBellDietz.
Charlene, welcome to Noteworthy. I’m excited for readers to learn more about you and your book. Before we dive into the writing aspects of your life, please share with us what book made you fall in love with reading!
I couldn’t begin to pick only one book. As a child, I read all the time (still do). Most of my childhood reading involved the flashlight under the covers thing. I read all things Viking, the early Hardy Boy series, the Farley horse stories, and my love for fairy tales might be the reason I moved on to devour science fiction as a teen. I would read anything I could get my hands on. Still do.
Reading is truly magic to young minds and really shapes who we become as adults. How did your love of reading evolve into a love of writing? How did you begin your writing journey?
Reading became an art for me. I’d read something, then flip back pages to see how the author used words to make me feel a certain way. Heaven knows, I read slowly because I needed to study which words made me feel, care, wonder, rejoice, or caused me to worry. Books with several plot lines held my interest more than the others. When a life event several years ago gave me stories too good not to be told, I had to learn how to write these stories. Hence, The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur and The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker evolved from caring for an ancient, redoubtable chain-smoking, alcoholic, ex-flapper aunt. I absolutely loved her.
She sounds like such a fun character! Your new book, The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor, features a historical figure, Margaret Brent. Tell us a bit about her and what inspired you to write a novel about her.
“In 1644 in pre-colonial Maryland, Giles Brent, a 39-year-old gentleman marries 9-year-old Indian princes.” What? Dabbling in genealogy, this paragraph incited my curiosity. “Leonard Calvert, governor of the province of Maryland, and his good friend, Lady Margaret Brent, sister of Giles Brent and a spinster, are the guardians of the 9yr-old Indian princess.” Why would a governor of a male-populated territory become good friends with a spinster? Why would these two allow such an inappropriate marriage?
Who are these strange people? After months of researching, I discovered something highly unusual and intriguing about Margaret. She presented over 134 cases in Governor Calvert’s provincial court. No wonder they were good friends. She spoke for anyone who needed a voice, and the wealthy landowners hired her as their attorney. I had to write about this strong, independent English woman who dared all in 1638 to make a treacherous illegal ocean voyage to the New World and who became the first woman to be called an attorney.
How did you make 1600s Maryland come alive? What research did you do to help you write realistically about this period?
Covid-19 empowered this. It shut down my calendar of things-to-do, so I stayed home and did a years’ worth of intensive research.
Margaret became the story, but I couldn’t hear her voice. She left no letters, diaries, journals, or primary source materials. To understand her, I had to study England and all its conflicts and social mores during these years. Reading books, lots of books, I found the Calvert family instrumental in the founding of Maryland. The king granted them territory to develop a religious tolerant society, where everyone could worship and be a part of the governing body.
This took my research to Maryland, where I walked the land and talked to people. When I found the Maryland Historical Archives records of Margaret Brents court cases, I could hear her voice. However, I still had maps to study along with learning about soap, candles, building houses, types of axes, tobacco growing, harvesting, and shipping, and the social mores of the New World, especially in Maryland and Virginia. Internet, libraries, books, archives, maps, and people kept me quite busy.
What was one of the best lessons you learned while writing this book?
Argh! Many researchers cite other researchers without checking original source material.
This perpetuates false information. I never did find Giles’ Brents correct birthdate. This article about his marrying a 9-year-old Indian Princess will stick with his legacy forever.
When researchers discovered Margaret Brent had built a fort, they assumed Governor Calvert built it for her (poor helpless woman) during a murderous rebellion. To me, that’s like building a boat while sailing. If one doesn’t view research as an isolated project but instead searches using different perspectives the true motivations behind questionable actions will appear. My story is a novel, but in-depth research gives the story the most logical reasons for these historical characters’ strange actions.
What does your workspace look like?
We live in the middle of forests and meadows. My computer desk sits in the corner between two large windows. At any given time of day, I can see wild turkeys, birds, deer and the nearby mountains rising in the west. This is outside, inside, my desk is a mess. I have so many projects going there are stacks of things, with post-it notes everywhere. However, I do know where everything is.
Wow! That sounds like an absolutely dreamy setting. Beyond these beautiful views, is there anything you need for a successful day of writing?
Coffee, a few days clear on my calendar, my desktop computer, notebooks, and lots of post-it notes will ensure my happiness.
I love a well-paced Post-it Note! What book (other than your own 😊) have you been recommending to people lately? Any must-reads to share? It’s not recent, but I couldn’t get enough of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Other books: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister nurtures the soul. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict adds a perspective to what we think we know about dear Albert. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig gives your mind something wild to think about with his creative, literary work. Now I see you asked for only one book. Oops!
Have no fear! I can never get enough book recommendations. Charlene, thank you so much for being here today on Noteworthy. It’s been delightful getting insight into your writing process! Noters, The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor is available now where books are sold—check out Charlene’s fearless heroine today!
The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor
Move over Susan B. Anthony. There’s an unsung woman asking for the vote 224 years before you.
Murderous rebels and bigoted gentlemen can’t prevent spinster Lady Margaret Brent from wielding her power to defend Maryland settlers from plunder and obliteration.
Lady Margaret Brent, compelled to right wrongs, risks her life by illegally educating English women, placing her family at risk. She fights to have a voice, yet her father and brothers exclude her from discussions. Worried the kings’ men may know of her illegal activities, she flees to the New World where she can enjoy religious tolerance and own land, believing she will be allowed a voice. Once in Maryland, she presents cases in provincial court where she’s hired as the first American woman attorney, but there she uncovers perilous actions, prompting her to build a fort to shield those within from being murdered. Can Margaret Brent’s integrity and ingenuity protect Maryland from being destroyed?