Susan Stoderl

09/30/2026

The premise of Mission 3: Convergence Point is that, over time, Lower Manhattan’s bedrock holds a historical record of human suffering in its layers from past incidents. If a disaster strikes the area today, memories and visions may emerge from the bedrock through a rupture in time and space. People with the ability may enter that time.

A main character of that book is a Black, skilled dressmaker from Charleston. She came to Manhattan in 1910 to further her career as a designer. I was researching whether the Greenwich Village/Union Square area would be a good place for her storefront. In March 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire caused an uproar in the garment industry. After the horrific fire, there was a push to move the lofts further from Fifth Avenue. In the prequel, Sophia Meets Pedro, the characters investigate the garment strikes and the Shirtwaist Fire after an event at the Jefferson Market Library. The library once housed holding cells, the Night Court, and the Magistrate’s Court used for the Shirtwaist trials.

In Mission 2: Unexpected Visitors, a great storm casts Elijah Kingman, Jr.’s enslaved twins from the Dismal Swamp in 1834 to Central Park Zoo in 2022. Super Sleuths Sophia and Pedro find them and vow to help them.

At an Underground Railroad Seminar at Sophia and Pedro’s school, they introduced their friends as Jeb and Liza Johns-Kingman from North Carolina. Their teacher is a direct descendant of Elijah. She has seen a runaway ad with their spitting image. She shows them Elijah’s diary. Some entries cover enslaved Elijah Sr., who fought in the American Revolution. They freed him for his service, and he relocated to Five Points. There are entries about Elijah Jr’s life after the twins’ disappearance, including the 1834 Race Riots and Seneca Village.

I didn’t intend to write books about subjects that all lie within the bedrock. So, is it coincidence, synchronicity, or convergence points?

09/29/2026

Newspaper accounts began tracing cholera’s approach beginning in 1829. Cholera reached the major European centers in 1831. When it reached England that year, the New York City Board of Health asked three prominent physicians to strengthen quarantine measures on September 6, 1831. The first case of cholera hit New York City on July 2, 1832.

On July 3, the Board of Health formed a Special Medical Council of seven physicians to draft suggestions to prevent cholera. They printed the list on handbills and published them in the city newspapers.

Within several weeks, city officials turned schools and other buildings into five emergency cholera hospitals to isolate and treat victims. The first to be converted was Public School No. 10, on Duane Street in the cholera epicenter of Five Points. Most residents were African-Americans or Irish. On July 20 alone, they reported 100 cases at the epidemic’s height.

Some church leaders preached that cholera was the work of a wrathful God. Irish immigrants, Blacks, and the otherwise dirty and ignorant must repent. Both doctors and the well-off believed cholera struck the poor, the intemperate, and the immoral. The Public School Society opposed turning school buildings into “pest houses.” The Society saw its schools as safe havens and moral guardians for children. They feared parents would not allow their children to return to school.

On July 16, 1832, officials formed the Committee of the Benevolent, which raised thousands of dollars over several days. N.&H. W**d, a store at 191 Pearl Street, became the first of many stores across the fifteen wards designated as food and clothing collection sites.

The term “corporate pudding” comes from a 19th-century expression. It was a satirical way to describe the filthy conditions of exploding American cities. “Corporation” referred to city leaders. “Corporate pudding” referred to the foul, semi-liquid mass of mud, refuse, sewage, and rotting matter the city produced and allowed to accumulate.

09/25/2026

09/23/2026

From 1776 to 1783, Britain used New York Harbor and Wallabout Bay to imprison Americans in prison hulks. They also converted three sugar factories and other buildings into prisons. The Livingston six-story stone sugar house on Crown (now Liberty) Street held 40-50 prisoners, but this swelled to 400-500 at a time. Rhinelander’s five-story brick sugar house stood at the corner of Rose (William) Street and Duane Street. Van Cortlandt’s five-story sugar house stood on the northwest corner of Trinity Church’s yard. For a resident of lower Manhattan, the land-based prisons and the prison ships were not distant rumor, but a major part of the harbor landscape.

Historians estimate 11,000 American prisoners died on British ships in New York, over twice the 4,500 combat victims. They anchored most of the prison ships in Wallabout Bay, outside Brooklyn on the East River. The British favored Wallabout Bay because of its proximity to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and its ease of guarding.

At least sixteen prison ships existed, with the most infamous being the HMS Jersey. Americans named it “Hell.” The “Jersey” was an old 60-gun warship no longer fit for combat. Stripped of much of its equipment, they converted it into a floating prison. Former prisoners described the lower decks as dark and suffocating, with little fresh air. The crew often locked prisoners below deck, with many falling ill from dysentery, smallpox, typhus, and other diseases. Captured American privateers fared the worst because their large numbers prevented simple exchanges like those of regular soldiers. For Americans elsewhere in the colonies, the name “New York” became linked to the prison ships.

The British buried the dead in shallow graves along Brooklyn’s waterfront. Even years later, Americans had to witness uncovered bones on their beaches because of this act.

09/22/2026

09/16/2026

After the Declaration of Independence, General William Howe led over 30,000 troops and warships and took over Stanton Island in July. With his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, they took over Long Island in August. This forced George Washington to order the Continental Army to retreat about ten miles north of the city. On September 15, Howe occupied Manhattan, chosen for its good harbor and its central position between the northern and southern colonies. Supplying the troops was easier by sea, plus many residents held Loyalist sympathies. But on September 20 through 21, the Great Fire of 1776 burned through Lower Manhattan.

The fire began near what is now Whitehall Street in Battery Park, probably at the Whitehall Slip. In 1776, Manhattan’s population was about 25,000, concentrated on its southern tip. Strong winds pushed the flames through the densely packed wooden buildings. The blaze destroyed much of the Lower West Side and hundreds of structures, including Trinity Church. St. Paul’s Chapel survived, but the fire destroyed 10% to 25% of the city.

The British and the Patriots blamed each other for the fire, but there is no definitive proof showing who started it. Although not the worst New York disaster, it occurred at a pivotal moment in the American Revolution when Britain had just imposed martial law. Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and government officials crowded into the confined space. Loyalists streamed into the city seeking British protection, making housing scarce and expensive. Soldiers occupied buildings and commandeered resources. Military authorities heavily regulated trade. Much of the city suffered from overcrowding, disease, food and sanitation shortages, and periodic fires.

On October 20, the first of sixteen British prison hulks anchored in Wallabout Bay, off the shores of Brooklyn. When it anchored, the Whitby held imprisoned Continental Army soldiers, American sailors, and privateers operating for the Patriot cause. The view of prison hulks across the East River became a permanent fixture during the war.

09/15/2026

09/12/2026

𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗻

Excerpt from Chapter 11. Storytelling and Onward

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦?” 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘣. “𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭?”

“𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭; 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱’𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘺𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘖𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵.”

𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧-𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, “𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥!”

09/11/2026

https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Unexpected-Visitors-Sophia-Sneakers-ebook/dp/B0H534T94T

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗺𝗽

Chapter 9. Terror in the Swamp

𝘑𝘦𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘨, 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘺.

“𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘢! 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴?” 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘫𝘢𝘩 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦.

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴.”

“𝘏𝘦’𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘢.