Let's Talk with Terry Ambrose
October 21, 2021
Let’s Talk with Terry Ambrose
Favorite Places and Their History
by Terry Ambrose
Have you ever visited a place for years and eventually learned something fascinating about it? In my case, that place was Hawaii and the something fascinating was the fall of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. The events of 1893 were nothing short of a coup designed to seize power from a reigning monarch. The story behind that coup reads like a political thriller filled with greed, corruption, and misinformation.
Finding the story for Mystery of the Eight Islands
The eleventh Trouble in Paradise Mystery launches in about a month. I’ve wanted to write this story ever since we stayed in Honolulu for the 2017 Left Coast Crime Convention, but I just didn’t know how to do it. During that trip, we toured Oʻahu and visited ‘Iolani Palace for the first time. Not only was I impressed by the restored beauty of the palace, but the roles some of the most prominent names in Hawaii played in overthrowing the monarchy shocked me.
The pieces of the puzzle came together at the beginning of this year. That’s when I read the story of George Ryan and the theft of the Hawaii Crown Jewels in 1893. Suddenly, the plot of Mystery of the Eight Islands became clear. I now had a way to weave history into the mystery. If you look at the book’s cover, you’ll see a crown featured prominently. That crown is a recreation by my cover designer of the real one that George Ryan plundered just months after the sugar growers overthrew Hawaii’s queen.
There’s always more to the story
It’s easy to see one side of a story. In George Ryan’s case, we’ll never know his side. Maybe he thought he had good reason to plunder the Crown Jewels. But in the events leading up to the theft, there are definitely two sides. The sugar growers were worried about their business and their livelihoods, and Queen Liliuokalani wanted to preserve the republic.
The beauty of history is that it can help us understand how a place became what it is. For me, the place that triggers my fascination is Hawaii. Your place is probably different, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear your story. So leave a comment to let me know something fascinating about one of your favorite places and you’ll be entered to win a Kindle version of one of my books.
Contest!
Leave a comment to enter. Contest closes on October 28 at 12:00 am. Winner receives one Kindle copy of any Trouble in Paradise Mystery, Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery, or License to Lie thriller.
Posted in Let's Talk, with Terry Ambrose • Tags: BLB Discussion, Favorite places and their history, Hawaii, Let's Talk, Terry Ambrose, Trouble in Paradise Mystery | 7 Comments
I love the Davis/Thomas/Canaan Valley area in West Virginia. There is a beautiful falls at Black
Water Falls State Park. There is a sky lift in Canaan Valley State Park. It is a beautiful ride in the summer to the top of the mountain. The deer in Canaan Valley State Park have been known to come up to your car. There is hiking, swimming, golfing, and shopping. It is a beautiful, peaceful place to have fun and relax.
Sounds like a wonderful place, Debbie! Lots of great things to do there!
My husband and I adore Savannah, GA and have visited multiple times. In fact, when I was searching for a name for the protagonist of my Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries, you guessed it — her name is Savannah Webb. Lovely blog, Terry.
Two places I’ve fallen in love with during my travels are both in Italy– Lucca and Florence. And my inner kid always loves a trip to Disneyworld.
One of my favorite places is Treasure Lake in Dubois, PA. The history of this place is fascinating to learn about and there is so much to do like Swimming, fishing, boating, golfing, shopping, eating out, pubbing. It’s a beautiful place.
Love the title of book. Would love to read & review the book in print format
Hi Crystal, thanks for stopping by. I love the name of that place…Treasure Lakes. It sounds like there could be a mystery there for sure!
Terry, I have always loved the beach, anywhere and at any temp about 60 degrees. But I deeply loved the Outer Banks of NC from the first moment I went there. I knew some of the history of the coastal GA area where I grew up, but the rough surf of Hatteras et al called to me. I went to a historical reenactment about the settling of the area, but it wasn’t until i happened upon the book GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC that I realized the pirate history of the Outer Banks intrigued me. I bought the book, of course, and learned of the various wrecks were ships laden with goods were lured to their doom. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to live through a pirate era, but it makes for interesting reading and colorful stories, much like the PRAYING FOR SHEETROCK road pirates of my home stomping grounds.