Author Archives: Brian Bixby

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About Brian Bixby

I enjoy history because it helps me understand people. I'm writing fiction for much the same reason.

Chapter 23 of Prophecies and Penalties

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Emily Fisher has escaped the spiritual hazards of Sacred Mountain. Now that she’s recovered from her ordeal, it’s time to return to more mundane concerns, such as solving Stephen Nash’s murder. But while she’s been convalescing in Lakeview, new developments … Continue reading →

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It is good to be the king

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Today’s the 37th birthday of the heir to the throne of Sweden (Happy birthday, Vicky!) and tomorrow’s the 329th anniversary of execution of the would-be heir to the British throne, the Duke of Monmouth. Americans are rather ignorant of monarchies, … Continue reading →

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Chapter 22 of Prophecies and Penalties

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Every step she takes, Emily finds her own past curiously intertwined with the murder investigation she is conducting. So she decides to engage in some spadework, to try to understand some of the strange phenomena she’s encountered by retracing her … Continue reading →

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For love of maps

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Brian Bixby

I grew up a map fiend. No, this is not a statement of my spiritual status, but instead a proclamation of an abiding interest in maps. When I was a kid, we got many maps through National Geographic Magazine, which tended … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Chapter 21 of Prophecies and Penalties, whippings and prisons

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Brian Bixby

A whipping? Emily Fisher has never attended one, and never meant to. But a man is being whipped because he spat on her, and the community expects Emily to witness justice. But it is not just the whipped man who … Continue reading →

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The middle of the year

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Tomorrow is July 1, 2014. Summer officially began with the equinox on June 21. Midsummer Night, June 23, I sometimes sit back with a good drink and read Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have to admit I didn’t do it … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Chapter 20 of Prophecies and Penalties

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Brian Bixby

For Emily Fisher, bumping into people has ceased to be a figure of speech. She’d tell you it’s not her fault; she’s not normally clumsy, but between being shot at and taking paths that defy geography, her life has become … Continue reading →

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A Mary Wilkins-Freeman twofer

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Ever hear of Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852 – 1930)? It’s not one of those names that has come ringing down the ages. She was one of those female New England regional writers circa 1900,[i] at a time when the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chapter 19 of Prophecies and Penalties, and some niceties of language

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Brian Bixby

For once, Emily Fisher’s investigation of High Council member Stephen Nash’s murder is beginning to look straightforward. All she has to do is go to a place that doesn’t exist, by a transportation system that shouldn’t work, to talk to … Continue reading →

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How did the reading habits of your parents affect you?

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Brian Bixby

My parents were both firm advocates of education and voracious readers. My father liked the books he grew up with, and history books, while my mother was more inclined to British murder mysteries and American paperback novels. Initially, this affected … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments