Hello! A couple of months ago, a group of middle school students from a school in Michigan wrote to me with some questions about writing. I thought that I would share some of their questions and my responses here. 1) Question: What would you say to someone who says “I hate poetry”? My answer:To answer…
Hello! Last week, I spoke about where authors find their ideas. One of the things that I mentioned was visiting historical sights. Colonial Williamsburg is one such inspiring location. Here, the past comes alive through living history. Living history locations and historical fiction have a lot in common. Both make the past able to be experienced…
Hello! “So, where do you get your ideas from?” This is a question that I’m often asked. My answer is lots of places! Museums, galleries and historical sights to visit are all first hand inspiration. Reading about an interesting historical tidbit or fascinating literary figure can also fuel ideas. Documentaries and family stories are other…
Hello! Today for Museum Monday we’re exploring the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. In 1927, Charles Lindberg flew “The Spirit of St. Louis” in the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight. In 1947, Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 in the first flight to break the sound barrier. In 1962, John Glenn…
Hello! It’s time for Museum Monday. On occasion, Mondays are devoted to the exploration of history and art through museums. Museums are incredible places, not just to visit but to research. Ideas for books can spark from the tiniest object or the mention of a person and cause an author to have a flood of…
Hello! Today we’re stepping back in time to visit the Phoenicians. Throughout my historical studies, I’ve found them to be fascinating for a variety of reasons. They were a Semitic people, most likely Canaanites, that existed from around 1200 BC until 539 BC when Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) of Persia conquered them. Ivory Winged…
Hello! The castles of Germany are known for inspiring fairy tales. Perhaps, the most famous of all: Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, was the model for Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland. With its grotto and gold-dripping grandeur, Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, was definitely making a statement with his mountain top home. With debts too numerous and…
The Gutenberg Printing Press Bent over their desks, the monks of Europe busily transcribed manuscripts for centuries. To own a book was simply beyond the means or reality of the majority of the world. Then, something remarkable happened. Johannes Gutenberg created a machine that could transcribe books- the printing press. No longer dependent on hand-copying…