Salinda Tyson

I grew up near Pennsylvania Amish country and began writing while living in San Francisco.

Odd bits of information, like historical footnotes, often turn into stories. A museum exhibit sparked "Mud," in Terra! Tara! Terror. WWI was mechanized slaughter, a "modern" war with tanks and planes, but also cavalry charges! Imperial War Museum photos show soldiers with dogs and cats, which killed rats in the trenches, and boosted the men's morale. Dogs were trained to carry messages, lay communications wire, and haul machine guns. Animals were decorated. My grandfather told stories about the horses and mules used in WWI. Genealogy prompted "My Jack" in Flame Tree's Urban Crime. My great- and great-great-grandmothers emigrated from London, England in 1886.

Just read: The Strange Bird by Jeff Vandermeer. What a wonderful and moving short novel. Recently read: Valiant Women, about those who served in WWII. Heretics: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy, a graphic novel by Steven and Ben Nadler. And lots by Jody Picoult!