Research is dangerous. I learn things I’d rather not know. Such was the case recently when I was trying to track down information regarding a place I’m using as a setting for a current historical fiction story. The research took me to the history of land grant colleges and universities. There’s a plethora of information on the topic, yet I’ve managed to live many decades without bumping into any of it. Either it was never […]
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Rural Ohio, Circa 1900
Somehow, I inherited the position of family archivist. I’ve hauled boxes full of old photographs, slides, diaries, personal papers, and other items around the country for decades. One of the items I treasure is a simple spiral-bound notebook containing my grandmother’s handwritten recollections of her life growing up in rural southern Ohio. Corna Mae Trout was born in Deavertown, Ohio, in 1890, married George R. Ross in 1913, and died in Clermont, Florida in 1987. […]
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Why I Wrote What I Did
May Musings from HowWiseThen People ask where I get ideas for my books. It depends on which book. In order of publication, here are the stories behind each book. Like many authors I know, I love writing, don’t mind the editing and publishing details, and truly dread the marketing. Yet, as I’ve been told repeatedly, “Readers can’t buy what they don’t know about.” If this seems too braggy or boring, move on with my blessing. […]
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The Old Brewster Farmhouse
Some fifty years ago, my grandmother wanted to tour the places where she grew up. She and Grandpa grew up in rural Muskingum and Perry counties in Southeastern Ohio. This grandpa is one of the links in our family’s connection to William and Mary Brewster of Mayflower notoriety. My husband and I drove her around the places significant to her, stopping at the farmhouse pictured here. Grandma told us this house was where her mother-in-law’s […]
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Technology: Friend More Than Foe for Seniors
By Roanne Johns Hello, my friend: Occasionally, I turn over this space to a guest writer. I enjoy encouraging other authors, and I like to take a break. Roanne Johns sent me this article. As a card-carrying AARP senior, I related to her writing. Thank you, Roanne Johns, for this great information and for giving me a week off while making some good points about how technology can be a good friend to older adults. […]
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