Edison Effect, The: A Professor Bradshaw Mystery (The Edison Effect) (24 page)

Author’s Note and Acknowledgments

One of the most wonderful things about being an author is meeting the most extraordinary people. I am not a historian, an electrical engineer, a chemist, nor a deep-sea diver. I’m a fiction writer, sitting at my laptop in the comfort of my home, vicariously partaking in exciting and dangerous adventures. Without the help and detail provided by other people, past and present, who lead much more courageous and interesting lives, I’d never be able to craft my stories. Thank you all for following your passions so that I can follow mine.

I am enormously grateful to three historical diving experts: Sid Macken, President, Historical Diving Society, USA; Dr. Sally E. Bauer, President, History of Diving Museum; and Neil Hansen, Diving Instructor, Divers Institute of Technology. For your boldness and generosity, you have my sincere admiration.

I found a wealth of information in historic magazines, my favorite being an in-depth investigative piece by journalist and detective novelist Cleveland Moffett, whose nonfiction book
Careers of Danger and Daring
was published in 1901.

Thanks also to Linda Perry, diver and member of my Monroe Wednesday Writers group. The Wednesday Writers sustain me each week with their amazing voices and emotional support. And, as a member of the Seattle7Writers.org, I am afforded the opportunity to be an active part of the “ecosystem of books” (as one of the founders, Garth Stein, coined it), supporting literacy efforts, libraries, and bookstores with some of the kindest, most talented writers in the Pacific Northwest.

Most of the time, I go in search of historical detail. Once in a while, it finds me. I was given the gift of the real historic figure of Joseph Marion Taylor, the University of Washington’s first mathematician, astronomer, and Director of the Observatory, by none other than his great-great grandson, George Myers. I knew the instant I saw Taylor’s photo that he was a friend and mentor to Professor Bradshaw. From all accounts, Taylor was a gregarious man and very well liked, as is George, a talented musician with the Nowhere Men and Acoustic Cadence. Taylor built the Observatory on the first university campus downtown and was responsible for purchasing the equipment. When the university moved in 1895 to its current location, and another Observatory was built near what is now known as Denny Hall, Taylor oversaw the transfer of equipment and the copper dome. They are still there today.

My thanks to Ana M. Larson, PhD, Senior Lecturer and Astronomy Director, for giving me a tour of the Observatory, now called the Theodor Jacobsen Observatory. While there, I met Albert Armstrong and Rod Ash of the Seattle Astronomical Society, and they shared insightful historical detail.

Throughout this series, I’ve kept a certain mysterious invention deliberately vague so that in my story-world it could become something of a legend, much like the death ray machine attributed to Nikola Tesla. The device in my series has never been built. It exists in the mind of my go-to science guy and research engineer Bill Beaty. I like to keep the science real and historically accurate in the Bradshaw books, and Bill’s theoretical device, with its silent arc, ventures into science fiction. Besides imagining electrical devices for my villains, Bill also generously reads my manuscripts for me and advises on all the science. In a word, he’s awesome.

John Jenkins, president and cofounder of the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham, Washington, is another of my expert readers and sources of historical electrical detail. His museum remains one of my favorite places to visit, and John’s book,
Where Discovery Sparks Imagination
, is always nearby as I write.

Thomas Edison didn’t come to Seattle in 1903, but he did visit in 1908 with his wife and daughter, and they stayed at the Rainier Grand Hotel. They went sightseeing, and Edison was particularly curious about the sluice work at the Denny Hill regrade. He was interested in hydroelectric power, but his passion at the time was concrete housing. He was certain concrete would be the construction material of the future. Edison has been described by many as ruthless in his pursuit of dominating the field of electrical invention. While he was among those who propelled technology forward, his aggressive methods and callous disregard for his competitors prevented him from being the hero he’s portrayed to be in many history books. It was the way of business in America then, and sadly now. Survival of the fittest, and merciless.

For historical details of the Bon Marché in Seattle, I give thanks to the Sophie Frye Bass Library and staff of the Museum of History and Industry. I did my best bring the Bon back to life as it was in 1903, although I took creative license with some details when digging failed to provide what I wanted to know. Thanks to Marv and Margaret Jahnke for helping me analyze old photos of the Bon Marché.

My gratitude to two early readers, U.S. Foreign Service Officer Michael Mates, a kind man with a brilliant eye for detail and a wealth of historical knowledge, and Anna Lyn Horky, who is blessed with the gift of spotting typos and the ability to turn a gangly sentence into one that flows smoothly. Special thanks to Torie Stratton for proofreading the ARC.

The hunt for a cover photo of early Christmas lights led me to Jerry Ehernberger, founder of the Golden Glow of Christmas Past, and his partner Bob; Thomas Carlisle, longtime member of Golden Glow; and Vicki Stapleton and her husband Tony Fracasso. They all generously spent time photographing their antique Christmas lights in various poses. Poisoned Pen Press’ cover designer Rich Siegle considered all the photos and selected one by Vicki and Tony to feature. The lights date from approximately 1912-1920. They differ from the Edison GE outfits of 1903—the sockets are wood, they are battery-powered, and the lamps are round—but they are an excellent visual representation of the early days of Christmas lights.

I’m proud to belong to the family-team of Poisoned Pen Press, who all work hard to ensure that each book they publish is the very best it can be. Special thanks to my fabulous editors Barbara Peters and Annette Rogers.

I’m so very lucky to have the emotional support of family and friends, especially my mom and pop, sisters, and last but not least, my husband and son. I know I say this in every book, but it’s true. You make everything in life worthwhile.

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