Birthdays: James Weldon Johnson (1871), John Hersey (1914), Harry Browne (1933), Newt Gingrich (1943), Art Bell (1945), Celia Rees (1949), Kerry Greenwood (1954), Alan Taylor (1955), Deanna Raybourn (1968),

John Hershey won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1945 with his first novel “A Bell for Adano”.

Alan Taylor was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner in History.

Quotes: “If you lift the romantic element out of my plots, you still have fully formed mysteries. In the same fashion, if you pull the mystery out of a historical romance, you are left with a perfectly satisfying story.” – Deanna Raybourn

“If I ever saw my muse she would be an old woman with a tight bun and spectacles poking me in the middle of the back and growling, “Wake up and write the book!” ― Kerry Greenwood

Tip: Check your facts, especially if you’re writing historical fiction. No anomalies please. Zippers didn’t exist in the 1700s. Things you may think have been around forever—haven’t.

Jumpstart: Your favorite candy maker is going to create a candy bar in your honor. What would it be? How would it look? What would it have in it? What would you call it?