My Connection to Erle Stanley Gardner
To be perfectly honest, I really didn't know much about the author Erle Stanley Gardner until I moved to Oxnard, CA many years ago. There I learned that he set some of his mysteries there and that he practiced law in Ventura. I participated in two Erle Stanley Gardner days--one was held in a Ventura park where people sold all sorts of things, and another mystery writer and myself sold books. The biggie Erle Stanley Gardner celebration was in Temecula. That's where I learned so much about the author and the fact that after he quite his law practice he moved to Temecula and made his home on a large ranch. His secretaries (he had 4), , his doctor and others lived in cabins on the property. The Temecula Valley museum has a permanent exhibit all about Erle Stanley Gardner with loads of photographs. On the day of this big celebration, I had the opportunity to meet 3 of his secretaries. At one point that weekend, I did a workshop on writing. In face over a period of 3 or 4 ye...