True Mirror

Harriet, the photographer obsessed with reflections (and the main character in Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear), would have been deeply fascinated by the True Mirror, which lets us "see ourselves as others see us."

The Asch Building

I learned shortly after Triangle was in page proofs that the site of the Asch Building had a significant history. I don't know why I didn't discover this earlier, but I know I would have woven it into the story in useful ways connected to the question of how a story is told and where the truth may lie in the different perspectives of an event. Among the row of houses that were torn down for the 1900-1901 construction of the lofted ten-story skyscraper, the top three floors of which were destined to occupied by the Triangle Waist Company, was 27 Washington Place, the house in which Henry James was born in 1843.

Offensive Candy Bar Advertising

Perhaps in True Confections there should have been an offensive advertising campaign for Little Sammies akin to the Twix mess that has stirred up so many people, and for good reason! (Not that True Confections suffers from a dearth of controversial candy concepts.)

The French really understand about chocolate

In a May celebration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of cacao beans at the port city of Bayonne, La Poste (the French postal service) issued chocolate-scented stamps depicting scenes from the history and manufacture of chocolate. The scented micro capsules in the ink are supposed to last for two years.

Why don't we have stamps like these? Why don't we have a postal service like this? Why didn't I know about this in time to include it in True Confections?

Intentional Chocolate!

Did I make this up? Alas, no. Seriously missing from the pages of True Confections, Intentional Chocolate is described thusly:

"In Madison, Wisconsin, experienced meditators – some who have trained with the Dalai Lama – project the positive intention into a device...licensed to Intentional Chocolate™ designed to capture, hold, and then transfer the intention into food products.The intention projected by the monks into our chocolate through this revolutionary transfer technology is this: Whoever consumes this chocolate will manifest optimal health and functioning at physical, emotional and mental levels, and in particular will enjoy an increased sense of energy, vigor and well-being for the benefit of all beings.”

And some people thought the music in Triangle was far-fetched.

Naming a Character

Sidney Zion has died. I knew him because he was very close to a relative of mine.

For a variety of reasons, I borrowed his last name for the Ruth Zion character in Triangle.

Like Sidney Zion, Ruth Zion is relentless, dogged in her pursuit of material in support of her agenda. Like Sidney, she is obsessed with her issues. Unlike Sidney, she is overly literal and essentially humorless. I used his name for her because she is something of a ruthless zionist for her cause. Also because I liked the oddness and specificity of the name. I considered making the connection in the novel, which referenced various other real people, perhaps by naming him as a cousin of Ruth's. But the relative who was close to him was very agitated about the name being used at all, and she urged me to change it, which I didn't, so I opted to remain silent about the Sidney Zion connection.