Hi everyone. How’s your summer going? It has been sweltering here in Italy, especially the last week. Which is unfortunate, because I’m having holidays – but I’m not going anywhere – and I had lots of things planned to do… and did very little because of that heat. But now it’s better, so I hope to catch up.

I did get a little ebook going, though. It’s a short story I wrote last January for a competition. You can download it here for free. It’s the first version of The Frozen Maze, a story for which I have plans. I’d like to expand it into a serial to appear on this blog. I’ve been wanting to write a serial for ages and never done it. Let’s see whether this is the time. If you read the story, do let me know what you think and what you’d like to see more. I’m still open to ideas. And if you feel like it, do leave me a review on Goodreads. It always helps.

So let’s start with our monthly roundup!!

Foyle’s War

This is a British series that was aired from 2002 to 2015. Would you imagine I never heard of it? It’s set before, during and after WWII and it looks fantastic if you ask me.
The series rests on a fascinating idea: with a horrible war raging all over Europe and destroying the lives of millions of people, what’s the meaning of investigating ‘normal’, common crimes at home? Too interesting to pass it on. I need to hunt this down.

12 more period dramas you should be watching from around the world

A collection of period tv dramas and let me tell you, I’ve never realised how many are set during the Diesel Ear (1910s -1950s).

Many are completely new to me and sound interesting. I like historical detective stories, but also the others listed here sound very good. Velvet is the only one I can watch here in Italy.

The glittering highs and dark lows of 8 books set in the 1920s

If you, like me, live in a place where now is the heart of summer, you might have a bit more time to dedicate to reading. So why not take up a nice 1920s classic? I’ve read a couple of them already, one is on my TBR for this summer, and they all sound interesting. So there.

And while we’re at it, why not check out this other list of novels set int he 1920s? I fear to scroll down it because my TBR pile is already too tall. Really. But how can we resist a good book?

A Madras Miasma by Brian Stoddart

Madras in the 1920s. The British are slowly losing the grip on the subcontinent. The end of the colonial enterprise is in sight and the city on India’s east coast is teeming with intrigue. A grisly murder takes place against the backdrop of political tension and Superintendent Le Fanu, a man of impeccable investigative methods, is called in to find out who killed a respectable young British girl and dumped her in a canal, her veins clogged with morphine. As Le Fanu, a man forced to keep his own personal relationship a secret for fear of scandal in the face British moral standards, begins to investigate, he quickly slips into a quagmire of Raj politics, rebellion and nefarious criminal activities that threaten not just to bury his case but the fearless detective himself. 

I’m always on the lookout for novels set in the 1920s in unexpected places. This is the first novel in a series of mysteries set in India. Doesn’t it sound interesting?

Superintendent Le Fanu Mystery

Picture of the Day: The 1920s Selfie

I know, I know, like me, you’ll have seen this picture so many times. It’s quite popular on the net, but what can I say?

I like it a lot! It’s so incredible that for a time I even suspected it was a fake.
But then I found this site, where it’s stated the photo was taken in December 1920 and they cite the place and even the names of the people in it.

Well, you know, I always say the 1920s look and feel so much like us. Aren’t I right?

66 Vintage Photographs Documenting British Women at Work During World War I

During World War I, large numbers of women were recruited into jobs vacated by men who had gone to fight in the war. New jobs were also created as part of the war effort, for example in munitions factories.
The high demand for weapons resulted in the munitions factories becoming the largest single employer of women during 1918. Though there was initial resistance to hiring women for what was seen as ‘men’s work’, the introduction of conscription in 1916 made the need for women workers urgent. 

Yes, this is a part of history that we know. It was a turning point in the women’s fight for equal rights. But honestly seeing these photos impressed me. You don’t really understand what working in the heavy industry meant, especially at that time. Pictures are indeed worth more than any word.

13 Things You Don’t Know About the Thompson submaschine Gun

There are a few things that are really iconic of the 1920s. If the flapper’s bob is one, and the martini cocktail glass is another, the Thompson Submachine Gun is certainly yet another one.

Compact and innovative (like the portable lipstick… I know, this is crazy), this was the preferred weapon of gangsters all over the USA. Let’s discover why.

King Edward VIII and the Nazis – An Update

Maybe this won’t come as a surprise to people who know about WWII better than I do, but I was surprised, and even kind of shocked to learn how favourably Great Britain looked at the Nazi Party.

I’ve noticed lately many alternate history series set in a Nazi-occupied Britain. I wonder whether these new facts emerging from recently released historical documents weight it. It doesn’t sound all that improbably that Britain could have associated herself with Nazi Germany at a certain point.

Dolores Del Rio in RAMONA (1928)

Let’s face it, Hollywood’s treatment of Native American ‘everything’ has always been problematic at the very least. So I was very surprised when I discovered this movie, which not only tells a story centred around Native Americans (they are not the usual villains in the background), but it was even directed by a Chickasaw director, Edwin Carewe.

Unfortunately, I have to say this film seems quite difficult to find.

Sarah Plugues Her Own Stuff

This had been another good month for my ‘stuff’, and still I wish I had been able to do more. There are more things coming up soon, so stay tuned.

Introduce Yourself: Introducing Guest Author Sarah Zama

Yecheilya Ysrayl maintains a recurring feature of authors’ interviews on her blog, and she was kind enough to host me in July. I really enjoyed writing this interview. The first part is more about me as a person and as a writer, while the second part is more about my writing process and my stories.

Give in to the Feeling by Sarah Zama

So far, I had been lucky, most people who read and reviewed my book, Give in to the Feeling, liked it enough. I was wondering how I would react to a bad review, since it’s pretty obvious that, prepared as you might feel, it will be hard to take.
Well, this is my first 2-star review and to be honest is the best ‘bad’ review I could ever wish for.
Although David didn’t quite like the story, he made a good point of the reasons why and I was really interested in reading it, especially because he did touch upon an episode that bothered me while revisioning.
I wish all ‘bad’ reviews could be like this.

And so, this is all folks for this month too. I hope you’ve found something interesting in here. Do let me know int he comments.