author Archives - Ellen Crosby

A Passage to India

December 2, 2015 by Ellen Crosby 7 Comments

One of the many dancers we saw in India

Snake charmer in a neighborhood outside Delhi

For as long as I can remember I have been captivated by India, a country I romantically envisioned as a spiritual place of vivid colors, capricious deities, squint-eyed snake charmers, multi-hued temples, and fiery food. Growing up I devoured novels about the tumultuous history of Hindustan, a land ruled by sultans and emperors whose names included “the Great,” a vast almost-continent where hennaed women in saris danced sensuously, noble-looking men wore jeweled turbans and rode elephants, and hump-backed cattle roamed freely along dusty, narrow streets.

GHOST IMAGE–and how it got to be a book, or Publishing 101

March 23, 2015 by Ellen Crosby 3 Comments

Received the first copy of GHOST IMAGE from my editor at Scribner today!

The first copy of GHOST IMAGE arrived today, along with spring!

My husband always marvels at how I (or any writer) can sit down at a computer with nothing but an idea for a story in my head and a year later or, in this case, two years later, he can hold a book in his hand that is the result of that idea. Of course he has listened to me moan, wail, and gnash teeth when the process isn’t going so smoothly, so he does have some idea how the baby is birthed–but still.

GHOST IMAGE PHOTO GALLERY-#6

March 9, 2015 by Ellen Crosby 2 Comments

The Chelsea Physic Garden, London's oldest & most famous garden

The Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest and most famous garden

Searching for a long-lost botanical treasure in GHOST IMAGE, Sophie Medina visits the famous Chelsea Physic Garden, the second oldest garden in Britain located in a quiet corner of London not far from the Thames River. Founded in 1621, the garden was originally established by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. The word “physic” refers to the science of healing since all of the plants grown here were used for medicinal purposes.

I am grateful to have had a tour of this magnificent garden–which is now open to the public and well worth a visit–by its curator Christopher Bailes, who was an immense help with research for GHOST IMAGE.

GHOST IMAGE PHOTO GALLERY—#5

February 23, 2015 by Ellen Crosby Leave a Comment

St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Footbridge, London

In GHOST IMAGE, Sophie Medina returns to London looking for clues to a centuries-old treasure her good friend Brother Kevin Boyle, a Franciscan friar and internationally known environmentalist, told her about shortly before he was found dead in a monastery garden in Washington. When she shows up at a pub near the Globe Theatre, she discovers she’s been set up . . . and the only way to elude her pursuer is to get across the Thames River on the Millennium Footbridge before he finds her.

GHOST IMAGE PHOTO GALLERY—#3

February 9, 2015 by Ellen Crosby 2 Comments

The Tower of London from the South Bank of the Thames River

In GHOST IMAGE, the second mystery in my new series involving international photojournalist Sophie Medina, Sophie’s good friend, Brother Kevin Boyle, a Franciscan friar and internationally known environmentalist, is found dead in the magnificent gardens of the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. Before he died, Kevin hinted to Sophie that he had uncovered a botanic discovery potentially worth millions–perhaps billions–of dollars.

GHOST IMAGE PHOTO GALLERY—#2

February 2, 2015 by Ellen Crosby Leave a Comment

Thomas Jefferson's vegetable garden recreated at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson’s magnificent vegetable garden at Monticello

As promised, I am posting a weekly photo previewing GHOST IMAGE, which will be released on April 21, 2015. This picture—Thomas Jefferson’s magnificent 1,000-foot vegetable garden—was taken during a visit to Monticello while I was also attending the annual Virginia Book Festival, which is held every March in Charlottesville.

In GHOST IMAGE, Sophie’s good friend Brother Kevin Boyle, a world-famous international environmentalist and a Franciscan friar, is is found dead in the gardens of the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. Convinced Kevin’s death was no accident, Sophie remembers that Kevin recently spent time doing research at Monticello and decides to pay a visit.

Bouchercon 2014 & Some Big News

November 20, 2014 by Ellen Crosby 26 Comments

I am writing this at 39,000 feet above Colorado on my way home from Bouchercon, the annual world mystery conference that just wrapped up in Long Beach, California, because there is lots of news I can finally share after keeping mum for the last six weeks. My trip to southern California—longer than usual, ten days—was bookended with stops in the Bay Area to visit family in Santa Cruz and Cupertino and included a spectacular drive along the Pacific Coast Highway nearly as far south as Big Sur—the photo above was taken at Hurricane Point south of Carmel.

Spring, at last

April 10, 2014 by Ellen Crosby Leave a Comment

A blooming magnolia tree, spring in Washington, D.C

Ten days ago we drove home in a snowstorm from a family luncheon celebrating a daughter-in-law’s birthday. Today the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin have been officially declared to be at their peak and by the weekend, they will begin to fade. It always seems like spring comes to Washington in stealth mode, sneaking up overnight and catching me me off guard. Yesterday I took this photo of a gorgeous magnolia tree just beginning to come into full bloom . . . I’m so ready to see the end of the long, cold, snowy Winter of 2013-2014.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE PHOTOS: Faberge & Hillwood

March 26, 2014 by Ellen Crosby Leave a Comment

Hillwood, Russian Orthodox wedding crowns

Wedding crowns, Russian Orthodox Church on display at Hillwood Museum

Faberge at Hillwood: The midnight blue Twelve Monograms egg and the pink and white Catherine the Great eggs, gifts from Czar Nicholas II to his mother Marie Feodorovna

Hillwood, the Georgian-style facade of the south portico of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s estate

Last week there was a sensational news story about a Midwest scrap metal dealer who paid $14,000 for a small golden ornament—a 3-inch gold egg—at a junk market, planning make a fast buck by selling it to a melting pot for the value of the gold. But when the dealer couldn’t find any takers because he overestimated the value of the watch and gems hidden inside, he started doing some research.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE PHOTOS: National Gallery of Art

March 9, 2014 by Ellen Crosby Leave a Comment

Fountain in East Garden Court, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

In MULTIPLE EXPOSURE, my new mystery book, photographer Sophie Medina is hired to take pictures of a private party at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. where guests get the first look at two never before seen Easter eggs designed by the legendary Karl Fabergé for Empress Alexandra, wife of Nicholas II and the last Romanov empress.