by Lisa BlackOpening to the first page of a book always has that same delicious thrill of anticipation as when the theater lights dim and the curtain begins to rise from the stage. Will I be delighted? Will I be amazed? What is going to happen? But as wonderful as beginnings are, every book is...
by Lisa BlackIn observance of election week, I again revisit a trailblazing woman of U.S. politics: Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both the Senate and the House, who crafted the Women’s Armed Forces Integration Act, and was one of the first who dared to protest Joe McCarthy...
by Lisa BlackTo celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, I thought I’d take a look at the lesser-known trailblazing women of politics, women who were the first to break through the barriers of their time.Only two years after the 19th amendment was ratified so...
A nice spread in Florida Weekly magazine details an interview with thriller writer Lisa Black, in which she talks about getting published, how to process a crime scene and why readers are eternally drawn to mystery stories. She also introduces us to a forensic mannequin named "Bob" who has...
by Lisa BlackThe numbers of romance scams are overwhelming, but stories rarely go into the details of exactly who the victims are and what motivates them. One well-reported case is that of 56 year old Renee Holland of Pennsylvania, who began an online correspondence with a buff soldier named...
by Lisa BlackWe’ve all gotten them. The friend requests from someone designed to catch our eye. Men will get well-endowed models. Young women will get hunky 20-somethings. Older women like me will get distinguished, successful silver foxes. Most of you are smart, decide you have no idea who this...
by Lisa BlackWe’ve all heard of Ponzi schemes, the shorthand often (but not always) deserved. The name comes from Charles Ponzi, born in Italy in 1882, intelligent and educated (he apparently attended the university of Rome) and charming—oh, so charming. He came to America with big dreams, worked...
by Lisa Black Admit it. We all have them.Houses that exist only in our wildest dreams. Exotic mansions in Barbados. Cozy bungalows in Bar Harbor. Renovated lofts in Manhattan. The place we’ll live once we retire or win the lottery or dump the spouse or have an...
by Lisa Black Whether you begin as a child or an adult, we learn more from playing with a group than just how to tell a treble clef from a bass. 1. We are not all playing the same notes, and we shouldn’t be. That would be a very boring song and a very boring story—and a very boring life if we...
by Lisa Black Though Chris mentioned Noor Inayat Khan in a previous roundup of female spies, I ran across a small display of her story this past summer in DC’s The Spy Museum. Her tale is complicated, surprising, and...
