Tag: jim thorpe

“Coal Country Connections” & “You Dream Every Night That I am Home” are now available in bookshops

October 14, 2022

I’ve now written two nonfiction books about the coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania; the place my mother’s family comes from. The first, “Coal Country Connections” is based on the over 70 signatures in an autograph album from the 1880s owned by a woman from the region, and the book is about the lives of the … More “Coal Country Connections” & “You Dream Every Night That I am Home” are now available in bookshops

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

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

When it’s hard to let go of the writing…and Jim Thorpe

February 17, 2019

I announced a couple of days ago that I’m finally done (after nearly five years) with my writing Work-In-Progress. My WIP, as I affectionately called it, can’t even go by that name any more. What should I call it now? FIP? As in Finished Project? Even though I say it’s finished, I can’t seem to … More When it’s hard to let go of the writing…and Jim Thorpe