Tag: melanie akren-dickson

“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

Remarkable synchronicity and goosebumps

September 20, 2022

One of my grandmother’s favorite sayings was “Everything happens for a reason.” In an article on the Psychology Today website, this phrase is described as a standard reply to “remarkable synchronicities.” Although I’ve never totally bought into it, this bit of philosophy has come in handy to explain hard to explain events or “remarkable synchronicities” … More Remarkable synchronicity and goosebumps

Writing prognostiphobia–yes, it’s a thing

March 13, 2022

I’m just full of announcements. Back around the holidays I announced that I would be imminently unpublishing my book This, Their Friendship’s Monument (TTFM) on Amazon and publishing a new and improved version of it called Coal Country Connections (C3). A quick recap—I had decided that I wanted to change the black and white images … More Writing prognostiphobia–yes, it’s a thing

Best. Present. Ever.

December 26, 2021

On Christmas, I got the best present ever. I’ve had other best presents ever, including a shoebox crammed full of wonderful paperback books when I was a preteen, sweaters, afghans, wall art and other beautiful handcrafted items, and other gifts that weren’t handmade but were incredibly thoughtful. As we all know, this is Christmas #2 … More Best. Present. Ever.

My book will soon be unpublished & republished with a new name on Amazon–read on to discover why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reasons–to let my readers know that my old book will soon become a new book (sort of), and … More My book will soon be unpublished & republished with a new name on Amazon–read on to discover why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

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