The Long, Extremely Hot Summer by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Last year I welcomed into my repertoire of published novels, my oyster war story, based on true events, Ghost Point. A love triangle complicates my characters' lives as they battle through history in 1956 Virginia.

Someone told me this scenario would never happen, people shooting each other over oysters. But truth is stranger than fiction.

"The reader is thrust into what happens to both Yelena and Luke with emotional tension. The plot moves at a good pace. If you're a fan of sagas and dramatic fiction, you'll enjoy Ghost Point. Highly recommend!"    ~ N. N. Lights

Purchase here, ON SALE! on Amazon

Climate change is scorching us, the summer heat index up to 110, or is that just because we went camping.

Fires everywhere, burning up California, my home state. Friends evacuated. My oldest friend has had to leave her home, twice.

We drove to Nashville, TN, for a reunion of ex-sailors stationed in Nea Makri, Greece. Three years ago, we traveled to Greece after a forty year absence. We loved it.

In June we camped outside of Nashville in torrid heat. You couldn't breath in the thick humidity. An outside plug on our RV melted in the high temperature.

Runways in England were melting, that's how bad it got. 

It sounds like a dystopian novel, or for us older folk: The Twilight Zone.

Here is the Greek reunion in the air-conditioned hotel. My hubby and I are in the back row. I'm sixth from the left. Story of my life, (the back row) for being tall.

In July we traveled to Gettysburg to visit with his niece and sister. His niece has a camp and a beautiful outside set-up. But again, the weather turned scorching, the humidity impossible.

I sat in front of the fan and let it blow through my blouse. There's me on the far right. My husband is enjoying his home-made pina coladas, something he learned to make in Puerto Rico.

The earth seems to be melting, but the winters in Pennsylvania can still be harsh. Too many believe climate change isn't happening. But something is pushing nature to extremes.

Fires are everywhere in summer, in Greece as well. Now there's flooding in Kentucky. Lives were lost. Yosemite National Park is threatened by fire. Last year, Yellowstone was flooded. 

I rarely drive anymore, so I'm doing my part in cutting down on emissions. But the United States is so vast, it's difficult to function without a car. Are electric cars the way to go? But fossil fuels generate electricity.

Now our stream is running dry, the one that we get our house water from. My son's well is almost dry, too. We desperately need rain.

The weather has gone berserk.

Of course, all this would make a great novel: the future is now, upon us, not a millennia away.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

To find out more about her and her books:  DianeScottLewis

Dare I write about a troubling incident in recent memory, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

To purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

When I worked at the Dahlgren Naval Base, Virginia, in the 90s, a woman told me tales from the little beach town where she lived about a half hour away. Colonial Beach, Virginia, had been a huge tourist destination in the early twentieth century, when boatloads of steamships came down from Washington, D.C. to visit the beach every summer. 

Amusement Pier Colonial Beach 1912

But in the late nineteenth century it was the scene of murder of boat crews; I blogged about this previously.

Fishing Pier Colonial Beach

My friend told me the true story of the Potomac Oyster Wars, which took place in the 1950s. Her boyfriend lost a brother in that fraught time, and he hesitated to speak of it. But I was able to talk to him and he showed me photos of the friends he had who were involved. Many who lost loved ones were still skitterish about this history.

But my friend insisted I had to write the story. 

Since colonial times, Maryland owned the Potomac and policed the waters where Virginia fisherman plied their trade. Since the end of WWII, times were lean, and the Oystermen snuck out at night to rake "dredge" up oysters. This process destroyed the beds but brought in a larger catch. Tonging for oysters was the approved manner.

Well known people in the town got involved, and a prominent man was killed by the dreaded Maryland Oyster Police. His relatives still reside in the community. Would I step on their toes?

Me with my friend in Colonial Beach

I published my novel, Ghost Point, on this era and tentatively put the info on a FB page called "Memories of Colonial Beach." I thought people would be upset about me, a non native, writing about their history. Instead, they were thrilled, and one woman said she knew the niece of the man who was murdered. They were happy to purchase my novel and speak of those events.

A very generous community. My main characters are fictional, but I used several actual residents of the town.

I plan to do a book signing next year at the Colonial Beach Museum. It seems the younger generation is anxious to learn about this era.

Colonial Beach Museum,
drawn by Christine Valenti

Sunset on Monroe Bay, Colonial Beach

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website: DianeScottLewis

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

Luke and Lena, a marriage on the brink of disaster by Diane Scott Lewis

In 1956, Luke dredges illegally on the river, while his restless wife considers a risky affair. A marriage in turmoil.

To purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

 

Yelena, 'Lena,' married for passion right out of high school. But her husband doesn't aspire to something better; his job as an oysterman keeps them in poverty. She loves their little boy, but her life is dull, and restrictive due to lack of money. She craves excitement.

The once thriving resort town of Colonial Beach is falling into decay, destroyed by the Great Depression, then World War II. Yelena longs to leave it behind and visit exotic places.

Her husband's illegal activities on the river pushes her further away.

A stranger with a silky accent catches her attention, or rather, she catches his. Is this the excitement she sought, or a danger to both her and her husband?

Luke is ashamed he can't earn more for his family. Oystering is all he knows, and his gruff father encourages him to dredge for oysters in the night. Dredging is illegal, due to the destruction of the oyster beds, but the increased haul brings in additional money. Luke wants to please his wife, but her unhappiness, his guilt, drives them apart. 

And now the Maryland Oyster police, who have authority over the Potomac River, are shooting at Virginia dredgers; men are being killed. Luke is caught up in Virginia pride and tradition. Will it be the death of him?

What of the other sinister murders happening out on the river?

"A tale fraught with intrigue, hardship, murder, and a marriage in turmoil.  The author paints a vivid picture of life on an oyster boat and a fishing village on Virginia's Potomac shore."

*History and Women*

Excerpt: “Tell me what’s wrong, Luke.” Yelena said it tenderly, moving up close to him. These actions had always worked before. “I know something is bothering you. You shouldn’t hide things from me.”

His eyes searched hers, his sigh deep. “They fired on us. Ern caught it this time. Damn!” He hugged her against him, his shirt dampening her breasts.

“What? Are you serious?” Her stomach clenched. Her worst fears. “I can’t believe—”

“Shhh, don’t scare the boy. Let’s not talk about this now.” Luke tried to kiss her, but she pulled back.

She glared at him. “Was Ernie hurt badly?”

“Mostly a flesh wound. We ran him over to Doc Baker’s.”

“I want you to stop this. Please.” She clung to his shoulders, almost pinching them. “I’d like to work, to help out. You go back to tonging. You did it before this mess with Maryland started again. Why did you decide to take up these illegal activities?”

"Enough, Lena. You got our boy to care for. You don't need a job." His order was a low grumble. "Leave this business to me."

But she couldn't. Was it her anxiety for him, or her determination to rescue her family, that left her feeling so dissatisfied?

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website: DianeScottLewis

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

Real Events! Ghost Point - murder on the Potomac, a tale of the Oyster Wars by Diane Scott Lewis

 

NEW RELEASE, based on true events. A Marriage in turmoil-their lives in danger. A story from 1956 that took place in Colonial Beach, Virginia. The notorious Oyster Wars where Maryland and Virginia fought over the Potomac River and shot to kill.

To purchase Ghost Point, paperback or Kindle: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

"A tale fraught with intrigue, hardship, murder, and a marriage in turmoil.  The author paints a vivid picture of life on an oyster boat and a fishing village on Virginia's Potomac shore."

*History and Women*

My friend, who lives in Colonial Beach, Virginia, told me about these events. Her boyfriend was a waterman during the 50s, his brother killed during this time, and he gave me vital details.

The 1785 Compact gave control of the Potomac to Maryland but Virginia had fishing rights to use the river. The beach town of Colonial Beach was once a thriving tourist destination for people in Washington D.C. But the Great Depression and WWII finished it off and the town fell into decay.

By the 1950s, watermen struggling to survive, illegally dredged with basket-like scrapers for the ever-popular oyster. The dredgers destroyed the beds, but the amount gathered paid off well. Maryland Marine Police patrolled the Potomac, searching the misty nights for dredging boats. They mounted machine guns on their boats and fired on the Virginians. 

Men were murdered over oyster rights. My story uses fictional characters along with historic ones to convey the dangerous occupation. Plus a love triangle that could destroy a marriage. It's a wild ride through history.

Novel Blurb:

Luke becomes tangled in the fight over the Potomac River rights in 1956 Virginia. He and his wife clash over his illegal dredging of oyster beds. His life is under threat from Maryland’s notorious Oyster Police.
Yelena, the once pretty, popular girl, struggles to rise above her dull existence. She defies Luke and takes a job in a used bookstore. A mysterious older man is interested in her, or is he simply after her husband for his unlawful activities? She's tempted to plunge into intrigue and more. 

Can Luke and Yelena rekindle their love or will both become victims of the sinister acts on the river?

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website: DianeScottLewis

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

Yelena, an oysterman's wife caught in the crossfire, by Diane Scott Lewis

  

"Ring of Stone (former title) is an entertaining read, combining accurate historical details with a fast-paced plot and a number of credible characters." Historical Novel Society" Review for Rose's Precarious Quest.

Diane Scott Lewis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Navy at nineteen and. She writes book reviews for the Historical Novels Review and was a historical editor for an online press. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund. 

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

Find out more about me and my writing on my website: Dianescottlewis

In my upcoming novel, Ghost Point, my heroine, Yelena, struggles to better her life while her husband, Luke, is in the middle of the Potomac Oyster Wars in 1956. He toils, dredging for oysters on the Potomac River. Does she still love Luke or has she outgrown him? A girl from a higher class family, everyone warned her not to marry a gruff waterman's son.

 After she obtains a bookkeeping job in the local used bookstore, a mysterious man with a foreign accent catches her attention. Is he attracted to her, or after information on her husband's illegal activities? His suave demeanor enchants her. The town begins to whisper that she is leaking evidence to the hated inspector.

She is caught between her wish for a fancier life and her youthful love for Luke. And what about their little boy? He will suffer in the consequences. 

Yelena must choose, tear her family apart and chase the unknown, or stay put and fix the issues with her husband.

The Potomac Oyster wars, between Maryland and Virginia where watermen fired and murdered one another, was a real event in the small coastal town of Colonial Beach, VA in the 1950s..

Luke Trowbridge, a Waterman fights for his life in the Oyster Wars by Diane Scott Lewis

 

In my upcoming novel, Ghost Point, Luke Trowbridge ducks Maryland's ruthless Oyster Police, and strives to keep his marriage together in 1956. He grew up tonging for oysters on the Potomac River. The town of Colonial Beach, Virginia, once a grand resort for the wealthy 80 miles south of Washington D. C., is now a struggling community of watermen who brave the elements to feed their families.

The tradition since colonial times is tonging for oysters during the cold winter season, with long rakes that gently pluck up the oysters without ruining the beds. But illegal dredging brings in far more oysters, the baskets scraping the beds. The habitats destroyed.

Luke is desperate to support his family. But his wife, Yelena, has grown angry and restless with his dangerous activities, his refusal to quit. The Hungarian-born Victor is investigating another vicious event on the river when he attracts her interest. He's suave, sophisticated, everything Luke is not. Will she give up their secrets and be enticed to dishonor her marriage?

Luke must stand up to his bullying father, and the Maryland Oyster police who shoot to kill. He fears losing his wife and little boy. Will he make changes in attitude and occupation, or endanger his own life?

For more adventure, another couple who take their future in their own hands, delve into On a Stormy Primeval Shore. Set in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1784, a fight to form a colony. One of the award-winning Canadian Historical Brides series. A Night Owl Romance Top Pick: "a fabulous tale of life and hardship in historical Canada."

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

Find out more about me and my writing on my website: Dianescottlewis

Diane Scott Lewis lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty puppy.

Paying off at the Boom, murder in 1800s Virginia by Diane Scott Lewis

 

In my upcoming novel, Ghost Point, my characters are involved in the Potomac Oyster Wars, which took place in the 1950s. Men were fired on and killed in the quant town of Colonial Beach, Virginia.

I bring in an earlier grisly practice called "Paying off at the boom."

My hero Luke, is already 'dredging' oysters, an illegal practice that destroys the beds. The Oyster Police commanded by Maryland are constantly patrolling to arrest the Virginians out on the Potomac River.

Luke is desperate for the extra money to support his family. But soon dead bodies are found at the Point off Monroe Bay, and the Virginian's worry this old practice is again being used.

"Throughout the 1800s and well into the 1900s oyster shucking and packing houses could be found all along the shoreline of Maryland and Virginia. Newly freed slaves, whites, and immigrants labored side-by-side working long hours with little pay to fill the demands for oysters from as far away as Australia. Even the shells themselves became a commodity as farm fertilizer and for use in mortar.

"Watermen, often known as a rough and bawdy lot, made their living from the water often under harsh conditions and amidst several major wars. It was hard work harvesting oysters, and often men were tricked into working on boats only to be left along the shoreline with no pay. Another more sinister method of payment was called “paid by the boom,” meaning that after a stint aboard a boat, the worker would mysteriously fall overboard, never to be heard from again."

 Kathy Warren Southern Maryland-this is living

Though these events never happened in the 1950s during the notorious Oyster Wars, where Maryland Oyster police fired on Virginia watermen dredging oysters, I 'imagined' a revisionist reoccurrence of this terrible practice. 

Storm over Monroe Bay
picture by Alleyne Dickens

The skeletons would wash up at the area called the Point, which formed a hook at the end of Monroe Bay. Thus it became known a Ghost Point.

Don't forget to pick up a copy of  Her Vanquished Land, my latest release; a story of the American Revolution, told by a young British loyalist. A woman caught up on the losing side.

"Rowena is a star. Bless Derec Pritchard who loves Rowena for who she is. Their chemistry is fabulous. Readers will love to read this alternative view of American history." InD'tale Magazine

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

Find out more about me and my writing on my website: Dianescottlewis

Diane Scott Lewis lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty puppy.

A War and Murder over Oysters? by Diane Scott Lewis

When I lived and worked in Virginia I had a friend who went over my first novel with me. A story which became Escape the Revolution. She lived in the small town of Colonial Beach and told me of its history. She urged me to write a book on the Potomac Oyster Wars that took place in the 1950s. Then she brought up another historical fact, the Paying off at the Boom. This event took place in the late 1800s when new crew were hired to work on fishing boats. Instead of paying them, at the end of the season, they'd kill them and throw them into the Potomac. Their bodies would wash up at The Point, which became known as Ghost Point.

Potomac River off Colonial Beach
Photo by Alleyne Dickens

I began my research into the Oyster Wars. In 1785, the Potomac River, which spills into the huge Chesapeake Bay, and that into the Atlantic, was given to Maryland to police. Oysters were a popular meal, and both Maryland and Virginia fished the river to bring up bushels of oysters to sell.

Tonging oysters was the kindest method, plucking them up, and not damaging the beds. Dredging scooped up the bi-valves and ruined the beds, giving the oysters no place to repopulate. Unfortunately, dredging brought in much more oysters, thus more money.

By the 1950s, Maryland had imposed so many restrictions on the Virginians, the Virginia watermen grew furious. Out of defiance they snuck out on the river at night and illegally dredged. The Maryland Oyster Police mounted guns on their boats and shot at the Virginians. Seaplanes swept over the river, searching for dredgers. People were chased down and killed.

Maryland and Virginia fought in the courts as well as the river for their rights.

I had a critique partner once tell me, 'no one would act like this'...when I was writing exactly what did happen.

In my novel Ghost Point, due out in September, I explore this volatile time in Virginia's history with fictional characters mixed in with the actual people who were there.

The Paying off at the Boom will be addressed in a future blog.

Ice on the beach, Colonial Beach
Photo by Alleyne Dickens

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

Find out more about me and my writing on my website: Dianescottlewis

Diane Scott Lewis lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty puppy.