The “Wife’s Help”: Writing about abortion in historical fiction

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. About two years ago, I started work on a new book in the Perveen Mistry historical mystery series. The beginning is a lot of fun. Searching for historical events and themes to explore is typically a magical period of big dreaming. To coax out story ideas, I reach … Read more

An Invitation to The Bangalore Detectives Club

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. This week, I request the pleasure of your company for tea and conversation at The Bangalore Detectives Club. This ‘club’ is a gathering of sleuths who populate Harini Nagendra‘s dynamic historical mystery set in 1920s India. If you fancy the idea of tracking a murder mystery through a … Read more

Mithan Lam, A Powerful Advocate for India’s Women

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. True tales of women breaking barriers to forbidden places, and bettering the lives of others, are inspiring. Mithan Jamshed Lam is one of these legendary women. Recently I chatted about this illustrious lady (who passed away in 1981) with another woman who is doing important civil rights work … Read more

#MeToo: When Women Travel

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. When women began posting accounts of sexual assault a few months ago, I listened. I counted myself fortunate to make it through a little more than a half century without rape. Also, I haven’t experienced workplace harassment. But as the #MeToo stories have continued, some uncomfortable memories … Read more

Funny, Foul-Mouthed Ladies

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Watching standup and skit comedy shows became a kind of medication for me in the last year. Mental health maintenance, you know? I feel empathy in the jokes made by Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, and the cast of Saturday Night Live. But there’s also considerable relief in … Read more

Nonviolence is Everywhere

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last weekend I stood with forty women and a few good men in a training maneuver called a “Hassle Line.” We’d just enough time to share our names before we began playing our roles. My partner in the opposing line, a social work student named Faye, played … Read more