Malfunction

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The website vanished for about a week there. My host’s tech support says it was hacked, although that makes it sound more intentional than I think it was. My diagnosis is some malware burrowed deep into my WordPress, lying dormant until it was activated by an internal timer. Regardless, support was able to restore the site from back-ups and all software has been scoured and upgraded.

If you missed any of my signings for Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer, I’ll be at the Stratford Historical Society in November. I may have a few more appearances before then as well.

Signings July 9 and 10

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I’ll be at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT from 1-3pm on Saturday, July 9 to speak and sign copies of Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer.

Then at 1pm on Sunday, July 10, I will be at the Fairfield Museum and History Center for another talk and signing. This is part of their “Burning of Fairfield” events this weekend.

Be sure to bring enough rum for yourself and to share with the author — book promotion is thirsty work.

Mammoth Art

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While cleaning an old bone he found, an avocational fossil hunter made an incredible discovery:

Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Florida have announced the discovery of a bone fragment, approximately 13,000 years old, in Florida with an incised image of a mammoth or mastodon. This engraving is the oldest and only known example of Ice Age art to depict a proboscidean (the order of animals with trunks) in the Americas. The team’s research is published online in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The scientists are likely too cautious to make a definitive call without running DNA tests on it, but the carving is clearly that of a mammoth, not a mastodon, and a Columbian at that. Both animals had backs that sloped from shoulders to hips, but those of mammoths were much steeper; and unlike mastodons, mammoths had discernible necks, which you can also see in the image. Both Columbian mammoths and mastodons roamed ancient Florida.

Art is communication — and that long-gone artist has said “I saw this” across thirteen millennia or more. Amazing.

Photo credit Chip Clark at the Smithsonian Institution.

Samuel Smedley Tour 2011

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I will be giving presentations and signing copies of Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer on the following dates:

Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT – Saturday, July 9, 1-3pm.

Fairfield Museum and History Center, Fairfield, CT – Sunday, July 10, 1pm.

Governor Jonathan Trumbull House and Wadsworth Stable, Lebanon CT – Saturday, July 16, 1pm.

More appearances to come!

Also: if you’re planning to purchase the book on Amazon.com, please do so on Thursday, June 16. The reason I want friends to buy on that date is because (I have been told) having a large number of sales on a specific date does more for the book’s Amazon ranking than if just a few folks order copies every day. If you forget or can’t do it — no worries, just buy it some other time.

And if you have read the book — please write a review on the Amazon page! Tell me what you liked. If you think I made a mistake, let me know. Again, the ranking is determined by activity on the Amazon page, so the more reviews, the better. Thanks!