Reading

My brother says when we were growing up I was always always in the bathroom reading a book – especially when it was time to do the dishes!

But honestly, it had nothing to do with getting out of work! I just read every chance I got. And with four brothers and three sisters, I found my privacy wherever I could.

I also read in an apple tree, on a rock by our creek, and on the way home from school. Some days I read while I walked and other times I escaped to an imaginary world by making up my own stories.

Writing

I didn’t realize I was good at writing until my 7th & 8th grade language arts teacher was impressed with my written book reports. Then at my elementary school graduation, she announced that I would be a great writer some day.

Okay, so maybe she exaggerated a little. But she got me working for those big red A’s at the top of the page. And great writing is something I’ve been striving for, ever since!

… and History

Many of the photos in my family’s album were taken in the 1930’s and 40’s  - times I had not lived through. Some were of people who came before us.  Of houses we’d lived in.  Of places I’d never seen. From these pictures, I learned my family history.

I felt from the stories and the pictures that I was almost there. Somehow, I think it was those old photos that created my fascination with that time period.  It was an era that was almost mine but also just beyond my grasp.

Much of history is like that.  The stories of the past belong to us if we make them ours.  As a writer, I love scrounging through history’s images and finding hidden stories that have been lost in the bottom of the pile. My books are a way of bringing history into my experience.  And hopefully, into yours also.

I like history writing because of the connection I feel to the people who came before me. I’m not consciously trying to learn from them. But I know they inspire me to do hard things.