When The Facts Aren't There

I've been working on a series of fictionalized biographies about American figures. My first, George Washington, From Boy Surveyor To Soldier, has a release date of Aug.15th and is now available for pre-order from Amazon. (Shameless plug!)

The personality whose life I'm presently working on is Belle Boyd, a teen-age spy for the Confederacy. Somehow, sometime, I caught a mention of her antics and she grabbed my curiosity. But, it's been a struggle to write her story factually.

There is only one authorized biography, plus the book she wrote herself about her war and prison experiences. Not much to draw on.

I can find a lot of anecdotal information on the early part of her life, much of which I can verify through similar resources. But there are huge gaps in what her life was like after the War Between The States ended.

So what to do? If this were a novel, It would be challenging to take those vague allusions, flesh them out with my imaginings, and create an entertaining read. Was Sam really the father of her first child? Why did Belle renounce the child later when she had additional children from another husband?

Can I make use of that one reporter's comment about her husband being found drunk on the floor? What's the real story? And what about the hints of her exorbitant spending practice?

But this is a biography, not a novel. I strive to be historically accurate in my writing.

Guess the only answer is more research.

I've Been Invaded

Just as I settled into my retirement years, along came a twist I never anticipated. Circumstances beyond my say-so determined my thirteen-year-old granddaughter move in. To say my sedate lifestyle was greatly altered is an understatement.

From converting my recently-deceased husband's man-cave to a teen's room with shocking raspberry walls, each day brings its own surprise and need to adjust. You have to understand, I live in an almost-ninety-year-old farmhouse; it wasn't constructed to accommodate this age of technology and all the electrical appliances we've come to depend upon. 

We spent most of a day moving in a computer from my 'little house' to her grandfather's desk which remained in the room she took over. My workstation is now temporarily arranged in what used to be the dining area. Somehow I managed to accommodate both printer and a small desk in that confining area.

The move came about in stages. Her final items settled in yesterday. The dilemma arose when came time to find a landing place for her fish tank. She had rescued these two active goldfish over a year ago when they were being sold as bait. That makes them important and special.

A heated discussion issued because she wanted them in her bedroom and there wasn't any electrical source for the three items necessary for their support and survival. After a couple attempts elsewhere in the house, the fish tank eventually got set up in front of my vintage china cabinet.

Now comes the challenging task of sorting and organizing the chaos of teenage accumulation. But, we'll take it one day at a time and somehow, it will all work out...because that is what love does.
 

Life Is All About The Curves

Have you noticed? Just when you begin to get a glimpse of a smoother road ahead, life throws you a curve.

It's been six weeks or more since I lost my husband and my life situation changed. I'd begun to plan some projects that had been on hold for those years my husband needed caring for. Now, I thought, there'll be time to seriously write, perhaps even complete one of the three stories I'd nibbled at for so long. But, then came the curve.

Some of you may know the backstory regarding the long eight years we were denied contact with a granddaughter. And how, through a series of events, my son and I once again had Carlie in our lives. The wheels of justice move slowly, but God is good and faithful to perform that good work in the life of one who loves Him. So the good book says...and I believe it.

In just a week or two, whenever all the legalities are fulfilled, my granddaughter will become a temporary inhabitant of my home. I say temporary because another major event taking place is a soon-to-be-moved-onto-our-property house for my son and granddaughter.

So instead of arranging my days to please my mood, I'm re-arranging furniture, painting walls and buying a bed as I turn my husband's former man-cave into a teenager's bedroom.

Not to say the writing has been neglected. I recently signed a contract with White Bird Publishing for the first of a series of fictionalized biographies about American heroes. The first one is George Washington; From Surveyor to Soldier. The next, about Harriet Tubman, may come out early next spring while I continue work on Belle Boyd, Confederate Spy.

Life's twists and turns are challenging...but I've never avoided a challenge.

Finding My Way

For the past two and a half years, I pretty much put my writing life on hold. As my husband's COPD worsened and we were told the doctors could do nothing more for him, my life focused on creating a comfortable life for his remaining time.

On the day of our fifty-ninth wedding anniversary, I awoke to find he had died in his sleep. I am so greatful for that period of preparation we were given. He was able to get his affairs in order and make all the necessary arrangements ahead of time, saving me much stress and anxiety.

It's been five weeks of re-evaluating, re-assessing, and catching up on things that weren't important enough to do during the interim. Things as mundane as house-cleaning and down-sizing.

I wasn't able to write during that stretch of time, but I did take up a hobby that I'd set aside when my second son was born, over forty years ago--oil painting. It helped me through those times when I just needed to check out for a bit.

Last week, I discovered a renewed interest in some characters that have been waiting in my computer for my return. This week, I pulled out a completed manusript and sent it off to my publisher, hoping the response will be a contract for publication.

As I re-connect with my circle of writing friends and begin to make plans to become more active, I'm finding myself a bit hesitant to plunge back in. In a way, I treasure the reclusive lifestyle I'd grown accustomed to.

As I see my social calendar begin to fill, it makes me realize I may have to repack those oils and canvases again. Not sure, I want to give them up.

Confession of a Journal-er

I have a confession to make–I am a daily journal-er.

Some years back a copy of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way came into my life. I devoured it and took her advise to write what she referred to as 'Morning Pages.' It's an exercise designed to develop the ability to write anytime your hand grips a pen. I determined to set aside a specific time in my busy life to sit at my desk, every day, and fill three pages of a notebook in handwriting.

Did you know hands lose the memory of writing when they become accustomed to typewriting? Writing those 'Morning Pages' not only trained my brain to associate a pen-in-hand with writing, but helped my brain to slow down and capture the flood of ideas.

The real art of writing lies in commitment. Writing is an exercise in repetition. If you don't set aside time to write, life soon gets in the way. The more times you show up, the better your chances the story will show up also. Over the years, this has proven true for me.

As a writer of historical fiction, I find myself spending eons on the internet, snatching from here, there, and anywhere, those tidbits of details that lend authenticity to my stories. Later, as I sort through the barrage of information I've accumulated, writing out the descriptive passages by hand helps me mentally envision the scene I'm describing.

I wouldn't encourage anyone to read my journals—filled as they are with mostly a record of daily life. But, occasionally inspiration will attack and I freely write my thoughts and wonderings about the story-in-progress or perhaps some future project. Those words are permanently inscribed on the page, waiting for me to come back at a later time and incorporate a sentence or two that is just exactly what needed saying.  

Always On My Mind

For those who are not aware, (and if you're a Facebook friend, you already know) My husband died on March 30th, the occasion of our 59th wedding anniversary. It was an extended illness that eventually wore out his heart and he stopped breathing.

I'll bet you are curious as to why I've posted a picture of Willie Nelson. Well, Paul prepared for his end, including specifying what songs would be played at his memorial service. At the top of the list was Willie's famous song, You Are Always On My Mind. I lost count of how many times he reminded me of that.

As with most marriages, ours was a mixture of trials and blessings, but we were always certain of each others love. Rest in peace, Paul. As I told him in my last goodbye, "You done good, Charlie Brown."

Questions That Arise

 Most people think that a book is a simple, commonplace object — words on a page, one page after another until you reach the end. What’s complicated about that? 

 But then, when you decide to publish yourself, the picture becomes murkier. You begin to realize there are many decisions that go into making a book. The questions start, and never seem to stop: 

• Hardcover, paperback, ebook? 

• How big a book? 

• Where to sell, and for how much? 

 Then it gets even more confusing: 

• What should I do first? 

• How long will it take? 

• How do I stay on track? 

If you are considering self-publishing, each one of these questions needs to be addressed and answered. There is no one correct answer. It is you, as the publisher, who must do the research, learn the options, and make the decision. 

With the help of the internet, there are gobs of resources you can go to that will help you make the right decisions. Here are a couple sites to get you started in the right direction. Disclaimer: these are the top sites that popped up when I googled ‘self-publishing tips.’ 

 http://goinswriter.com/self-publishing/ Jeff Goins even offers a free e-book on how to build an online audience;  Jane Friedman at https://janefriedman.com/self-publish-your-book/ provides a How to Self-Publish Your Book website. At  http://www.cnet.com/news/self-publishing-a-book-25-things-you-need-to-know/ , David Carnoy talks about 25 things you need to know about self-publishing.

In this day and age, just writing the end on your manuscript doesn’t mean the author’s work is finished.