Welcome to my new blog! If you have been following my Foreign Service Messages website then you are familiar with my writing. This blog will tune you in to some of my other writing interests. For the rest of this year blog posts will be related to my latest novel that I have just completed….
A Christmas Memory | The Magi’s Coins
Author note: This story is reprinted from foreignservicemessages.com (December 2017) Excerpt from The Gift of the Magi, a short story by O. Henry: ONE DOLLAR AND EIGHTY-SEVEN CENTS. That was all. She [Della] had put it aside, one cent and then another and then another, in her careful buying of meat and other food. Della…
The Vanderlip Trespass | Hatching the Mysterious Egg (Part IV)
This is the final installment of the four series regarding the Vanderlip escapade… In the previous episodes the members of our group—Ron, Bob, Scott, and myself—had trespassed the mysterious property, only to discover a huge egg. I took it upon myself to hatch the egg to determine what odd species it might belong to. I…
The Vanderlip Experience | Hatching the Mysterious Egg
Part three of four part series: In the previous episode the members of our group—Ron, Bob, Scott, and myself—had spent the night on the fringes of the Vanderlip Estate at Portuguese Bend, in Palos Verdes. As a result I had obtained a rare souvenir, a huge egg that I intended to hatch… Torrance, California |…
The Vanderlip Mansion Trespass | Narcissi Drive (Part Two)
Author Note: If the reader hasn’t already done so I strongly suggest that you read part one, “A 60’s Tale | The Vanderlip Legend,” of this short trilogy before proceeding. Preface: Ironically, Miss Clark’s English class for would be writers had opened my eyes to the world in ways that I had never imagined. Miss…
A 60’s Tale | The Vanderlip Legend
Preface The mid-60’s… It was a time when Americans were still trying to reconcile the assassination of JFK. His replacement, LBJ, marched us straight into a place called Viet Nam. The war had gathered enough steam to instill fear in every young man’s mind. Most of us had never heard of Viet Nam before and…
1959—Stepping Forward, Looking Back
IN MY UPCOMING NOVEL, “L.A. GHOST STORY,” I BORROWED FROM THE FASCINATION OF 1959 ALONG WITH MY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES… On January 22, 1959 the Los Angeles Herald reported that George Reeves—Superman—had had his one-eyed dog stolen in Hollywood. At about this time I sat in fifth grade class at Walteria Elementary, about twenty-five miles south…
The L.A. Knickerbocker Hotel | Ghosts & Other Personalities
Preface: During my research and the subsequent writing of my latest novel—L.A. Ghost Story (just completed), one of my more interesting background subjects was the L.A. Knickerbocker Hotel. In this second post I will explore some of the Knick’s more entertaining guests… The Knickerbocker—a Reflection of the Hollywood Golden Age If one could plot the history…
The L.A. Knickerbocker Hotel 1959 | The Sun Sets on Hollywood’s Golden Age
Preface: During my research and the subsequent writing of my latest novel—L.A. Ghost Story (just completed), one of my more interesting background subjects was the L.A. Knickerbocker Hotel… Now & Then PICTURE THIS: Recently, an elderly Russian lady checked into the senior citizen facility at the old Knickerbocker Hotel on Ivar Avenue, near the corner…
Point Vicente Lighthouse “Lady of the Light”
In my upcoming mystery novel, L.A. Ghost Story, the lighthouse at Point Vicente plays a pivotal role. The story takes place in 1959 in Southern California, from Los Angeles to the beach cities and south to Portuguese Bend and San Pedro. I knew the Point Vicente lighthouse all too well–the second Saturday of the month…
Novels by D.K. Matthews 