My book will soon be unpublished & republished with a new name on Amazon–read on to discover why

December 23, 2021

It should have been easy. All I wanted to do was change the photos in my book on Amazon from black and white (B&W) to color. Simple, right? Nope. This cautionary tale is being told for two reasons–to let my readers know that my old book will soon become a new book (sort of), and … More My book will soon be unpublished & republished with a new name on Amazon–read on to discover why

A Civil War veteran was finally honored for his service on Veteran’s Day

November 11, 2021

Today is Veteran’s Day, 2021. It’s the first Veteran’s Day that William Boyd of the town of Jim Thorpe, PA finally has a military marker. William Boyd was a Private in the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry in the Union Army during the Civil War, and for a time he was a prisoner of war in Richmond. … More A Civil War veteran was finally honored for his service on Veteran’s Day

From Procrastination Station to Conjunction Junction: writing is hard

August 29, 2021

I’m writing a book. My second one, actually (the first one This, Their Friendship’s Monument can be found on Amazon). Writing my first book taught me how hard writing a first book can be. And because I self-published using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), I know how complicated that is too. In some of my previous … More From Procrastination Station to Conjunction Junction: writing is hard

Beyond the battlefield: how one little girl lost not only her father, but her entire family during the Civil War

July 5, 2021

Life can be really unfair. I’ve been doing research for a book that I’m writing based on the letters of the first husband of my great x4 Aunt Hester. John Williamson wrote these letters home to Hester while he was serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. He didn’t make it home. John … More Beyond the battlefield: how one little girl lost not only her father, but her entire family during the Civil War

How I was able to honor a hero with the help of a few good people

June 1, 2021

Somehow, with no idea of what I was doing, I was able to get a military marker for a Civil War veteran who had none. A cousin of mine (four times removed) was in the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Civil War and became a prisoner of war at Libby Prison in Richmond, from which … More How I was able to honor a hero with the help of a few good people

When the present blocks you from the past: one of the challenges of writing about the past

January 14, 2021

I never thought I’d write about history. I’ve always liked to write, sure, and I tried my hand at writing novels years ago. But when my grandmother died a few years ago and we found a little autograph album in her records, I unexpectedly found my reason to write. The autograph/friendship album was filled with … More When the present blocks you from the past: one of the challenges of writing about the past

“This, Their Friendship’s Monument” now has an index

January 8, 2021

When I published “This, Their Friendship’s Monument” in September 2020 on Amazon, I didn’t think an index for it was necessary. Probably because I’d spent literally years writing it and could locate anything in it in a matter of seconds. It’s been a few months since the writing dust settled, and I recently went back … More “This, Their Friendship’s Monument” now has an index

If You Self-Publish on Amazon, Are you Considered a “real” Author?

December 5, 2020

A few years ago, I began writing a book. It’s about the lives of the people who signed my great-times-three Aunt Mary’s autograph/friendship album. Aunt Mary was the daughter of Scots-Irish immigrants and lived in a coal town in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Civil War, massive coal mine strikes and disasters, and the 1918 flu pandemic … More If You Self-Publish on Amazon, Are you Considered a “real” Author?