The other day I watched the movie Julie and Julia and I got to thinking…
While I am not Julia Child and have never been to France, I do enjoy cooking and eating French foods. Foods like… French toast, French fries and French cut green beans! Unlike Julie Powell, I don’t live in Queens. I don’t live over a pizza place , but I do share her last name, work for the government and live in a 3 story brownstone. And like them both… I too have thoughts!!! Thus, I have decided to blog about how I investigate and research unsolved murder cases and then write historical fiction novels about them in an attempt to lay some of their ghosts to rest. It’s a process of fleshing out the truth from the naked bones of a case. There was a line in that movie the other day which reminded me that you can be a writer, but until you are published… you are not an author. As far back as I can remember, that was all I ever wanted. Sounds schmaltzy doesn’t it? Slaving away for years waiting on the approval and appreciation of strangers who sit in ivory towers and read from behind designer spectacles the seeds of our souls. Those of you who live under the same umbrella of insanity know what I am talking about. It is this understanding that to write, is to breathe. As involuntary as taking in air and then giving it back… our hands take to pens like kittens to cream. We channel not only our thoughts but the unwritten verbiage of the universe and pray that the reconstruction of those thoughts becomes pleasing to the ever critical eye. And after years and years of waiting for our genre to come back into vogue… we finally decide that to err is human, but to self publish is self preservation!Note: T.A. Powell is a successful playwright through Heuer Publishing, LLC. and is the Artistic and Managing Director of a theatre in North Georgia. An avid participant within the field of performing arts, T.A. Powell finds her job a natural extension of her artistic capability. Fascinated by the lure of unsolved cases, she prefers to write historical fiction pieces, finding it a more palatable format when dealing with sensitive information. Time and distance from a crime allows her characters the opportunity to separate fact from collective truth and place them both equally under the microscope of objectivity. Her process is to take the DNA of a case; what facts are known and what has been conjectured, apply the theory of Occam’s razor to each and then carefully weave a gripping tale of plausibility from the two. The goal of T.A.’s writing is not necessarily to answer all the questions surrounding these unsolved cases; but to be certain they are finally heard and works closely with researchers from C.C.IR.I. (Cold Case Investigative Research Institute) on specific projects.T. A. Powell has several other novels to her credit and is currently working on a series that will continue the storyline of her historical preservationist character, Caroline Horton. T.A.’s next novel, The Coffee Pot Conspiracy surrounds the mysterious death of an Alcohol, Tobacco and Tax agent in southern Georgia in 1966.
Tags: Alternate Historical Fiction, Bauder College, C.C.I.R.I. - Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, Historical Fiction, Moore's Ford Bridge, Novel, Operation Dry Out, Southern Female Writer, Southern History, The Danburg Diary, Tobacco and Tax Agents, Unsolved Murder Cases, Who-Dun-It
Brownstonelit's Blog 
June 9, 2010 at 3:00 pm |
I am lucky to mysteriously (albeit to most) and (not so) fortuitously know a Powell. In fact, several – all equal in character and diversified in talent and all in the same family. The writings by T.A. Powell thus far seem commensurate with the “no longer” quiescent talent she possesses. There is a genetic predisposition for the literariness felt by Powell. It is often historically, scientifically, or anecdotically discovered that deep subliminal reasons exist for the end product of humanity- us. Such is the situation in the literary case of Powell. I have reasearched much about this author and can clearly understand her penchant for trying to solve what is wrong by doing what is right (and it doesn’t hurt to receive rewards, accolades, personal pride, success…) in the process. Her deeply rooted desire to right the world’s wrongs stem from her exposure to a more than righteous, strong-minded, and highly principled father tempered with a colorfully creative, and in matters of the heart – more than skillful mother. Of course, there are always other determinate factors and influences (9 et al), but one can’t escape the original causal factors. In this regard, Powell has much for which to be grateful. One must wonder though, when researching as thoroughly as one must when committing to the “card laid is a card played” catcher of words and thoughts blogs, whether there isn’t a much stronger force that was unintentionally absorbed thorough the literary veins of this young author? The “Brother”. The questions- Who? Why? The answers – Not now
June 10, 2010 at 1:30 am |
Got it… and yes you are lucky!
June 11, 2010 at 4:31 pm |
Just caught this as the abridged version is often what appears on my end of the spectrum. Well thought my good man… well thought. Thank you for the generosity of spirit and the kindness of your appraisal. I am touched- deeply touched and gratified by the remembrance of those from which our equal conscience evolved. Keep reading… things are about to get interesting.
TA Powell