One of my favorite parts of researching Annie’s Stories involved figuring out what Stephen Adams would have read, besides The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which he read because he knew Annie Gallagher was interested in it. (You can see this on the cover.) Jules Verne and H.G. Wells came to mind, but I had to pick…
Author: Cindy Thomson
Back to School with Annie Gallagher
Being a former teacher, I like to ponder how readers might be prompted to learn more about history after reading my Ellis Island Series. I’ve added to my “Teaching History” page. Check it out and let me know if you have more ideas! If you are on Twitter, you can help let others know about…
The Story Behind Annie’s Heart Pin
If you’ve read Annie’s Stories, you know in the story she receives a special heart pin. The pin is actually on the cover. It’s a little hard to see, so I’ve pointed it out to you below. If you have a copy of the book, you can see it easily if you know where to…
The History Behind the Fictional Author’s Mark in Annie’s Stories
Annie Gallagher’s stories were marked with a symbol. If you’ve read the novel you know that this symbol held great importance for determining the value of these stories (to everyone but Annie that is. For her they were priceless since her father wrote them.) You might wonder how I can up with the idea that…
Dorothy’s Visit to Oz Was Not Just a Dream
Not in the book version, anyway. There are several differences between L. Frank Baum’s book and the movie version with Judy Garland. Most people will point out that the slippers were silver not ruby. That’s interesting, but I think a more major difference involves the dream. The author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book…
The Story Behind the Magdalene Laundries
If you saw the Oscar nominated movie Philomena staring Judi Dench, you understand the experience my character Annie Gallagher goes through before she comes to America. Unlike Philomena, Annie wasn’t sent to the nun’s laundry to work because she was pregnant, but like her she was there to pay for her perceived sins. Annie was…
Early 20th Century Recipes From Annie’s Stories
One of the things I enjoy about reading historical fiction is the food. I don’t always want to eat it, but I’m curious. What did people enjoy back then? Here are the answers from my novel, Annie’s Stories. Stephen Adams frequents his friend’s diner where his wife makes one of Stephen’s favorite dishes. It’s so…
The Song from Annie’s Stories
I surely did NOT make up the tune Stephen Adams likes to whistle in my novel, Annie’s Stories. The song is The Stone Outside Dan Murphy’s Door, and it’s a nostalgic song about the good old days. Stephen Adams has never lived anywhere else but Manhattan. He doesn’t know what it’s like to pine away…
Financial Schemes of the Early 20th Century
While I was working on Annie’s Stories, and considering what kind of trouble my characters could get in, I thought about Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. If you haven’t read it, and you’re at all interested in the Gilded Age, put it on your must-read list. I love reading books by authors who are writing…
The Writing Process Blog Tour With Author Tamera Kraft
My friend Cara Putman asked me to participate in this fun blog tour. There are a few short questions to answer, and I’ve done this over on her blog. Click here. And now, I’m presenting you the answers to those same questions from my author friend Tamera Kraft. Tamera and I first met at our…
