Your Newsletters are Interesting but…

…does the research really end up in the book? I’ve been asked that a few times.

Absolutely it does! Today, I’m going to point out the research discoveries I came across for each newsletter, then tell you where it appears in my book, To Catch a Spy. There’s too much for one newsletter, so there will be a couple more like this.

I wonder why Hitchcock had fireworks in the background…

Also, you can buy To Catch a Spy at several online bookstores, including Amazon.

So, without further ado…

Newsletter Item & Chapter in To Catch a Spy

December, 2023

Lockpicking. I wrote about lockpicking in the December, 2023 newsletter, and how I practice it at home. Check out the see-through lock attached to my writing desk. It doesn’t help me, just so you know.

My writing desk; you can see the lockpick tools lying next to the vice

Unfortunately, I’m not getting better at picking locks. But this research is prominent in Chapter 20. 

Louis Réard, Inventor of the Bikini. I wrote about Louis Réard, and his eye-opening comments about this bathing suit; for example, he said something like, ‘it’s not a bikini unless it can pass through a wedding ring.’ Anyway, that appears in Chapter 7. I really like Karl the Tailor’s comments on Réard’s quote. 

As an interesting aside, in this newsletter, you’ll see I inserted an image of an original book cover of To Catch a Thief, which showed a woman in a bikini. In Chapter 49, Francie models a bikini exactly like the one on that cover. This is the first time I’m pointing that out -- a little inside info for you! 

But the most surprising element on that book cover is the price. Granted, it’s from a long time ago, but talk about inflation…having said that, I’m not complaining since I benefit from the new pricing model. I’m just sayin’.

The original price was $.25, then marked up to $1.50

Canelé Pastries. In that newsletter, I also wrote about these wonderful pastries, and my many attempts to make them at home. They appear in Chapter 21 of To Catch a Spy, which I think was one of my more interesting chapters. 

January, 2024

Safe Cracking. Switching to my next newsletter, January, 2024, I wrote about how hard it is to crack a safe; as I stated, it’s exponentially harder than picking a lock. Knowing this, in Chapter 32, I took a different, more realistic approach. 

Capri Pants. Capri pants (in the same newsletter) was one of my favorite discoveries. I still think about Mary Tyler Moore and how brave she was. I also included pictures of famous celebrities wearing those pants, and I commented on the guy in the Bridget Bardot picture. That was fun for me.

Guy on the right…come on!

Capri pants are featured in Chapter 24. 

Mimosas. While researching To Catch a Spy, I found references attributing the invention of the mimosa to Alfred Hitchcock, who made the famous film, To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. That discovery made its way into my book; see Chapter 22 for the details. 

One of the best things that came out of this research was making a few mimosa variations; in this newsletter, I included a picture of my wife and our good friends Nancy & Neil Bader, all of whom were enjoying the drink. BTW, my wife wore Capri pants for that picture, but I couldn’t get them in the shot. 

February, 2024

Pipe Climbing. Moving on to the February, 2024 newsletter, I wrote about John Robie climbing up a pipe, which is featured in Chapter 1 of my book. One of my editors questioned if this was really possible. It is; I included a few anecdotes and references to prove it. 

Woman’s Workout Clothes. Here I had to think about the context of what I found through research, then imagine what Francie might have worn when exercising. My solution appears in Chapter 4, and the picture of the legendary Debbie Drake (see below) gives a clue as to what Francie wore.

Debbie Drake

Carlton Cannes Hotel. One interesting fact I came across was how the famous Carolina ‘La Belle’ Otero’s figure influenced the design of the Carlton Cannes Hotel. The hotel appears in Chapter 1 of To Catch a Spy.

Enough said on that topic.

March, 2024

Cigars. In the March, 2024 newsletter, I shared a great story I came across regarding cigars and a classic book, The Count of Monte Cristo. In Chapter 10, I share a summarized version of that same story. 

I do enjoy cigars, and to date I’ve only had that one Montecristo I wrote about in my newsletter. I’m too frugal to get the real ones, so I buy knockoffs. In fact, I might have one later today…

Cigar Factory

Head Scarves. In Chapter 2 of my book, I wrote about Francie Stevens wearing a head scarf. This is one of the only items I thought to put in, then researched it. Such a simple item, but it has a fascinating history.

The best part of sharing that info in my newsletter is that a woman in my family now wears head scarves. I won’t say who it is, but she looks fantastic in them. She looks fantastic without them, too. That put a big smile on my face.  

Sable Cookies. I came across these wonderful French butter cookies, and I actually made several batches. They were fantastic, and I included them in Chapter 55. 

That chapter was one of my favorites to write, for several reasons, mostly because it showed how John Robie is equally as comfortable among gangsters as he is with high-society folks. 

Here’s another cool fact. One of the authors who read my book and provided an endorsement (Lorna Hunting, fascinating woman and wonderful author) pointed out that they’re actually called biscuits in Europe. So, the publisher was able to make that change in the book, but I’d already distributed the newsletter. 

There you have it! The info I discover and share in my newsletters ends up in my books. 

I’ll continue this in future newsletters, but if something in a newsletter was of interest to you, search for it in To Catch a Spy. 

I’ll bet it’s there.