No, this post is not about the alarming things happening in the world today. Rather it’s about are you alarmed? As in, do you have an alarm system? In my WIP, If I Should Die, I recently needed to know what year saw the invention of the first closed circuit security system. Guess what I learned? A woman co-invented the first home security system in 1966.
Marie Van Brittan Brown
The only image of Brown I could find. But I could not determine the original copyright holder.
We know little about the private life of African-American Marie Van Brittan Brown. She was born October 30, 1922 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She became a nurse and married Albert Brown, an electrician. They had a son and a daughter.
They lived in the same neighborhood where she was born. As a nurse and an electrician, they worked irregular hours. The high crime rate in their neighborhood worried her. It worried her more since it took the police a long time to respond.
The Alarmed Peep Hole
Brown and her husband invented the first form of home security system. They used a radio-controlled wireless system. A camera slid up and down three peep-holes in the door. The three peep holes were at child height, average adult height, and tall. The camera transmitted an image of the person on the other side of the door to the homeowner’s television set. He or she could talk to the visitor behind the door too. If alarmed, the homeowner could push a panic button which alerted the police. The system also allowed the homeowner to unlock the door remotely.
The U.S. Patent Office granted the patent in 1969.
It was the first closed-circuit television security system. Intended for homeowners, small businesses used it too. Brown’s patent is still in use today.
Death
Brown died February 2, 1999, at seventy-six years of age.
An Historic Mark
Brown’s invention has undoubtedly prevented many, many crimes. It has probably saved lives too. The mark she left of history is enormous.
This is the type of “rabbit hole” I can tumble down while researching a bit of history. Her invention came too late for me to use in my book. But the first motion sensor invented in 1950 came in handy.
It makes sense to me that a woman would invent this very helpful device. And this bit of history was one I had to share. Are you alarmed? Did you know about Brown?
It’s Friday. How have you been doing this week? How’s the working from home and the parents-as-teachers working for you. With all that’s going on in the world I’ve found it difficult to stay on task. How about you? That’s okay. Take a deep breath. Relax. It’s story time again. This is a sneak peak at If I Should Die, part 2.
A Work-in-Progress
If I Should Die follows Miranda and Beryl from My Soul to Keep. What you read here is a work-in-progress, meaning it’s an early draft. It has not had the final edits and polish that the published version will have. Some things may end up on the “editing floor” and not appear in the book at all. You never know. What follows is a portion of part 2. If you missed it, go back and read part 1.
Irene Clarke Earnshaw took one more bite of the caramel cream. Sweet and light, it was the perfect finish to a perfect meal. She stole a look to her left. A thrill shivered through her. She couldn’t believe that she actually sat next to President Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. At the moment, he had her back to her, speaking to the Vice President’s wife seated on his left.
His words were unintelligible amidst the murmurs of eighty more people seated in the State Dining Room of the White House. In their dress uniforms and shiny suits or flowing evening dresses and gowns with lace and sashes and bows, the other guests sat at the long edges of the u-shaped table.
Her miracle-working, just-ordained husband, the Prophet Felix, sat kitty-corner across the table from her. He chatted with the wife of the Vice President’s, who sat to his left, and the Speaker’s wife on his right. They laughed politely at something he said.
Everyone who was anyone was here. From the President’s Cabinet members to military leaders to Senators and Representatives, they all came to officially welcome, the Prophet Felix, as the President’s number one advisor.
She fingered the gold-plated spoon that rested on her dessert plate, a gold-rimmed white china plate with its Blue Presidential Seal in the center. Determined to memorize every minute detail, she scanned the room again.
An official portrait of President Lincoln hung on a celadon green wall to her right. Stately gold, tabletop candelabras perched beside golden woven baskets of orange tiger lilies, red gerbera daisies and yellow sunflowers on a fine white linen tablecloth.
The sound of her name startled her.
“Sister Earnshaw, will you be staying for the entertainment this evening?” asked a man with green eyes and his light brown hair swept back from his forehead.
“Of course,” she answered. “And you?”
“Certainly. Perhaps then we’ll have time to talk. I could use your help with a special project.” He beamed a smile of perfect white teeth. He was a doctor of some importance, she recalled. A Doctor Galaway. With his thin lips and big chin, he looked like a college boy, not a scientist.
“A special project?” Irene didn’t know what else to say. They had given her lists of things the wife of the Prophet should and shouldn’t do. The list of shouldn’ts far exceeded the shoulds. Would this project be on one of those lists?
Unfortunately, I thought it would be easy. lol. As of this writing, I’ve still not figure out how to edit the video. I’ll keep working on it.
How You Can Help
Thank you for reading this Sneak Peek at If I Should Die, Part 2. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you enjoyed or not. I hope you will check back again next week for Part 3. And I pray that you and yours stay safe until then.
In a character reveal, characters from my books (in print or works-in-progress) answer questions from a standard personality assessment test. Today’s character reveal: Leslie.
You first met Leslie, Ian’s sister, in Fellowship. She also appears in the second in the My Soul to Keep series, If I Should Die. Watch this website for sneak peaks and cover reveals in the third quarter of 2020.
Who
Leslie Ann Elizabeth Hobart was sixteen when she appeared in the Fellowship. Younger sister to Ian, Leslie worked as an aide at a local physician’s office for her school sponsored work program. She appears in If I Should Die with vital information that challenges Miranda and a doll that brings back unpleasant memories for Beryl.
When I was in school, my role model was Clara Barton. Clara was a self-taught nurse who risked her life to care for soldiers in the battlefield during the Civil War. And she founded the American Red Cross. Now, it would have to be the woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary war, I forget her name—Deborah something—Sampson? Yes, I think her name was Deborah Sampson.
2. Who knows you the best?
My brothers, especially Ian. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other when we had to hide from the Second Sphere agents. To survive, we had to work together, depend on each other.
3. What would your friends say about you?
In high school, I didn’t have a lot of friends. But the friends I had would have said I was sweet, helpful, and smart. What about now? When you’re a spy, you don’t have many friends.
4. What is the question people ask you most often?
Where are your parents? But I don’t tell them the truth. Most of the time, if I told them the truth I’d put myself or Ian in danger.
5. What is the thing you’d never say to another person?
I’d never, ever, say “your parents have been Taken.” —I’m sorry, I need a moment.
I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you.Take all the time you need.
6. What is your greatest achievement?
I don’t know that I have a greatest achievement.
Sure you do. It doesn’t have to be world shaking. It could be as simple as getting good grades in school.
Oh, well, then I guess I’d have to say helping my brothers survive both in the mountains and when the Second Sphere caught me and my younger brothers,
7. What is your greatest failure?
Getting injured and getting us caught.
8. What did you learn from your greatest failure?
What did I learn? Maybe that I should watch where I’m going? And—it’s a cliché, but I learned that you can’t prepare for things too much. Anything can happen. And when the worst thing happens, your survival depends upon how prepared you are.
9. What is the thing you are most proud of?
My little brothers. They wouldn’t leave me to save themselves.
10. What would you like to change about yourself?
I wish I had finished high school. I wish I’d paid more attention in history and politics. And I wish I’d practiced with the rifle more..
11. If something in your house breaks, what is the first thing you do?
Gert taught me to find the right tool and materials for the job. If I can’t find the right stuff, I will figure out how to make what I have work.
12. What is the greatest obstacle you’re facing right now?
No one believes me. I know what I heard and I have this doll. But still no one believes what I know is the truth.
13. How do you like to “waste” your time?
I don’t have a lot of time to waste these days, but I used to love to read gothic romances. It’s not something I would enjoy today. I’ve seen too much—real life—to believe in that kind of romance anymore.
14. What is the ritual that helps you calm down?
Watching the river or creek. Listening to the burbles and gurgles as the water passes over rocks.
15. What is your favorite place in town?
You mean my hometown?
Wherever.
Hmm. That seems like such a long time ago. I don’t know…I don’t have good feeling about Ambrose anymore, but I loved going to the Silver Spoons ice cream parlor in Lynchburg.
16. What do you prefer–a book, a movie or a theater play?
A book.
17. What was the happiest period of your life?
Right before Ma and Pop were Taken. The boys were getting along. Pop was happy because his hardware store business had picked up. Davey had asked me to go the Friday night social. I loved working at Dr. Bakers. He taught me so much about caring for people.
18. What is your most treasured memory from childhood?
Christmas morning, when I was seven. I rushed downstairs and saw that Santa had brought me a nurse set and a book about Clara Barton and a beautiful gold locket. That was the most Christmas Santa had ever brought me. I was thrilled.
19. What was your favorite game when you were a child?
I liked puzzles more than games. Any kind of puzzle—crossword, jigsaw, a story puzzle. I enjoy figuring things out.
20. What is the greatest injustice you’ve lived through?
My parents were Taken. They were good, kind, loving people. They didn’t deserve to be Taken.
An Invitation
If you missed them, read the three previous character reveals: Irene, Miranda, and Beryl.
Are you an artist or doodler? Have you drawn an image of Leslie or any other character in one of my books? Please, send me a digital copy. With your permission, I’ll post it on the character’s page on this website and share it on social media.
Did you enjoy Character Reveal: Leslie? Based on Leslie’s answers above, what additional question would you ask? Is there a character from either Fellowship or My Soul to Keep you’d like to see answer these questions in the next character reveal?
The character reveal is a feature on my website. Characters from my books (in print or works-in-progress) answer questions from a standard personality assessment test. Today’s character reveal: Beryl Lucille Clarke Mitchell. Beryl is Miranda’s aunt and mentor, and a protagonist of the Fellowship Dystopia series.
Who
Beryl had just turned fifty-two when she appeared in the first book of the series, My Soul to Keep. Younger sister to the Fellowship’s premier preacher-politician, Counselor Donald Clarke, Beryl learned to hate him when he betrayed her. She and Miranda escape Redemption in My Soul to Keep. Now, fifty-four at the beginning of If I Should Die, she is the First Mate aboard the Lady Angelfish. She’s sworn to protect her niece, Miranda. And she will, even if she never learns to love the water like Miranda.
1. Who is your role model?
As a kid, I read everything I could find about Annie Oakley. I was thirteen years old when my father took my older brother, Donald, and I to a shooting contest in Pinehurst, North Carolina. I saw Annie Oakley shoot 100 clay targets in a row at sixteen yards. Man, I wanted to shoot like her, to be like her. She was one sharp-eyed sixty-two-year-old. But Pop started going to the Fellowship rallies. By the next spring, he’d become a member. Mrs. Oakley was anti-Fellowship, so Pop forbade me from reading anymore about her. I didn’t even know when she died just four years later.
2. Who knows you the best?
Long ago, I would have answered, my husband. Now, there’s no one.
3. What would your friends say about you?
Friends? I don’t have friends. What about Miranda? She’s my niece. My student. My responsibility.
4. What is the question people ask you most often?
Did you have to shoot him?
5. What is the thing you’d never say to another person?
I never betray a secret. Other than that, I say what’s on my mind.
6. What is your greatest achievement?
That I survived ten years of isolation and torture in the hell-hole they call Redemption and never revealed my secrets.
7. What is your greatest failure?
My daughter, Anna.
8. What did you learn from your greatest failure?
What did I learn? Never to trust anyone who says “trust me.”
9. What is the thing you are most proud of?
You mean some thing I’ve done?I don’t know. Proud is something you feel when you’re a kid and you make straight A’s.
10. What would you like to change about yourself?
I’d like to forget some things I had to do.
11. If something in your house breaks, what is the first thing you do?
My house? I haven’t had a house—a home—in almost fifteen years. Being on the run you don’t stop to fix things, you just keep moving. What about the boat? It’s not a house.
12. What is the greatest obstacle you’re facing right now?
Disbelief. No one can believe the Azrael have somehow survived the destruction of the island. I’m not sure I believe it. But I’m going to find out if they have.
13. How do you like to “waste” your time?
Sitting in the sun, not thinking.
14. What is the ritual that helps you calm down?
Cleaning my guns.
15. What is your favorite place in town?
I don’t go to town unless I must for a mission. Someone would recognize me. They won’t arrest me if they catch me again. They’ll shoot-to-kill on sight.
16. What do you prefer–a book, a movie or a theater play?
It has been a long time since I’ve done any of those. I used to enjoy going to the theater—but that was another lifetime. I can’t imagine doing any of those soon.
17. What was the happiest period of your life?
When we brought my daughter home from the hospital. We were in love with her and each other. But we were willfully ignorant of the terrible things the Fellowship did.
18. What is your most treasured memory from childhood?
Watching Annie Oakley.
19. What was your favorite game when you were a child?
Anything with shooting—preferably with my BB gun, but most often it was my finger or a toy gun (as long as Mother didn’t catch me.)
20. What is the greatest injustice you’ve lived through?
Being accused of murdering my daughter. But Weldon murdered her first—he manipulated and warped her mind and sent her to kill her own parents. And she almost did.
An Invitation
If you missed them, read the two previous character reveals: Irene and Miranda.
Are you an artist or doodler? Have you drawn an image of Beryl or any other character in one of my books? Please, send me a digital copy. With your permission, I’ll post it on the character’s page on this website and share it on social media.
Did you enjoy Character Reveal: Beryl Clarke? Based on Beryl’s answers above, what additional question would you ask? Is there a character from My Soul to Keep or Fellowship you’d like to see answer these questions in the next character reveal?
The character reveal is a feature on my website. Characters from my books (in print or works-in-progress) answer questions from a standard personality assessment test. Today’s character reveal: Miranda Clarke, the protagonist of the My Soul to Keep series.
Who
Miranda Rose Clarke was about to turn twenty-five when she appeared in the first book, My Soul to Keep. Daughter of the Fellowship’s premier preacher-politician, Counselor Donald Clarke and his wife, Kara Louise Lancaster Clarke. She made a break from her parents and the Fellowship in My Soul to Keep. Now, twenty-seven at the beginning of If I Should Die, she is the captain of the Lady Angelfish and the Freedom Waterway.
1. Who is your role model?
By Powelson, Benjamin F. 1823 – 1885 – Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress, Public Domain
When I was in grade school I found and read a banned book about Harriet Tubman. Brave, resourceful—she escaped slavery then went back and saved other slaves. And when the Civil War broke out, she was a nurse, spy, and scout. And she rescued more slaves. I can only hope to be as successful and brave as she was.
2. Who knows you the best?
My crew—Aunt Beryl and Wanda. You can’t live 24/7 on a smallish yacht and not know each other.
3. What would your friends say about you?
Oh, my. I hope they say good things, that I’m a good friend, kind, and have done good for the refugees.
4. What is the question people ask you most often?
There are two questions people ask me all the time. Where are we going? And why are you doing this? Refugees have spent so much time hiding and being afraid, they have a hard time accepting that I just want to help them and that I’m taking them to a safe place.
5. What is the thing you’d never say to another person?
I—I wish I could say I would never say anything hurtful. I try not to, but I know I have.
6. What is your greatest achievement?
The Freedom Waterway. When I started rescuing refugees, I had no idea that it would become a network of boats and marinas and everyday folk that reach all across America’s waterways.
7. What is your greatest failure?
Hmm. My first thought is that I failed at my escape plan… But that wasn’t my greatest failure. I—I thought I could be a soldier. I wanted to fight, to be like Beryl. But, I’m not as strong as she is.
8. What did you learn from your greatest failure?
That I had to find my own path in this conflict, heck, in life.
9. What is the thing you are most proud of?
The Freedom Waterway. It wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t started trying to help people.
10. What would you like to change about yourself?
Oh boy, you ask some hard questions. I wish I could face the truth head-on like Beryl does. I have to sidle up to it, look away, get used to it, before I can really deal with it.
11. If something in your house breaks, what is the first thing you do?
Remember, Lady Angelfish, my yacht, is my home. She’d been abandoned. I rebuilt her. Every inch of her. And if you’re at sea and wanted by the Fellowship, there’s no one to call. I fix whatever’s broken. Though I have to say that Wanda’s a genius with the engines. If it’s an engine problem, I let Wanda handle it now.
12. What is the greatest obstacle you’re facing right now?
I owe Beryl my life many times over. I will help her on her quest. But I’m afraid that means I need to be a soldier for a while. I don’t know if I can do that.
13. How do you like to “waste” your time?
Reading and listening to beautiful instrumental music.
14. What is the ritual that helps you calm down?
Breathing. Sometimes listening to soothing music.
15. What is your favorite place in town?
Um, you understand that I can’t visit places “in town,” don’t you?
Then what’s your favorite place? On a calm, clear day—I love sitting on the Fly Bridge at sunrise or sunset. There’s a moment of release—not holding your breath release, but the release of tension and fear and the in the beautiful colors of the sky reflected on the water there’s a breath of a promise.
16. What do you prefer–a book, a movie or a theater play?
I used to enjoy the theater, but I’ve always preferred a good book.
17. What was the happiest period of your life?
Happiest? I guess that’s a relative term. Happiest compared to what? I think I must have had some happy times as a child. We’ve had some pleasant times on the boat, times when we’ve laughed our heads off. And I’m happy every time I see Nick. But I don’t think happiest applies to any of those times. Ask me again when this conflict is over.
18. What is your most treasured memory from childhood?
My childhood was a lie. I don’t treasure it.
19. What was your favorite game when you were a child?
I didn’t like playing games. My family’s—my parent’s—rules were too—ruthless.
20. What is the greatest injustice you’ve lived through?
Everything the Fellowship does is an injustice. But I’d have to say the greatest injustices are the deaths of my friends. They shouldn’t have to give up their lives because evil, immoral men rule the country.
If you are an artist or doodler and have drawn an image of Miranda or any other character in one of my books, send me a digital copy. With your permission, I’ll post it on the character’s page on this website and share it on social media.
Did you enjoy Character Reveal: Miranda Clarke? Based on Miranda’s answers above, what additional question would you ask? Is there a character from My Soul to Keep you’d like to see answer these questions in the next character reveal?
