Summertime Memories
July 30, 2006
Summer always brings back memories of my childhood summers spent on Uncle Lester and Aunt Izola’s ranch. We would eat peaches while we turned the crank of the ice cream freezer making peach ice cream. My cousins and I just couldn’t get enough of those wonderful fresh peaches!
And the stories Aunt Izola and Uncle Lester told – we couldn’t get enough of them either. I developed my love of history and especially the Mitchell family stories sitting on the front porch, eating peaches and listening to my relatives’ stories. You can read more about how I came to continue the family story-telling tradition at The Westward Sagas.
Good Resources
July 27, 2006
Anyone doing genealogical research on the Internet may find the following sites helpful:
Genealogy Records Sources on the Internet
A Great Review
July 25, 2006
While I was researching Spring House, one of the best sources I found for genealogical and historical information was the Guilford County Genealogical Society. They were so helpful I listed the society and two of its publications that were especially useful to me in the Resources list in Spring House. So getting a great review in The Guilford Genealogist was a real thrill. Hearing nice things about my book is exciting from anyone, but when the comments come from a person (Arthur Erickson, Genealogy Librarian, Greensboro Public Library) and an organization that I highly respect — well, that’s icing on the cake. Mr. Erickson said, “A compelling story of love, family, community, war, struggle and history, ‘Spring House’ is much more than any ordinary family history could be, and should leave any reader feeling both satisfied and informed.”
You can read more of this review and of others on the Westward Sagas Web site.
Sharing My Knowledge
July 22, 2006
I’ve spent years researching my family history and writing The Westward Sagas. I’m working on Book 2: Adam’s Daughters now and am continuing to research and learn. As much as I enjoy learning, I equally enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others.
This press release details some of the topics of my talks to churches, schools, and civic organizations. Get in touch with me if you’d like to know more.
Interesting Places to Find Books
July 16, 2006
Since releasing my book and looking for ways to let people know about it, I’ve come across some interesting and unique Web sites.
Bookhitch.com calls itself “your gateway to books.” Its goal is to connect books and readers, no matter where the book is sold. So it’s a good place to find books available directly from publishers and authors that you might not find in the local bookstore.
First Place Bookcase is “Recreating a Blue Ribbon Poster One Book at a Time” and claims to be “the most unique way to browse books on the internet.” The page design is based on a prize-winning poster from the Web mistress’s childhood and features a bookcase, which is being filled with “books” – each graphic of a book spine is a link to more information about the book, including where to buy it.
And, of course, the giant search engine Google, now offers Google Book Search, where you can search for books by title, author, or keyword and see a limited preview of the book. For example, if you search for “Battle of Guilford Courthouse,” Spring House will be among the top ten results; clicking on the link will take you a page in the book that includes that phrase. Only a portion of each book is available for viewing, but you can find books about topics of interest and see a little of the book to see if it’s something you’d like to read.
You also can Search Inside the book at Amazon.com. Amazon also has several other ways to find books that contain the specific information you’re looking for. Adding “tags” to books is one way of doing this.
Although some publishers and authors are afraid that allowing readers to see what’s inside the book may hurt sales, I think it’s a good idea. When shopping at a bookstore, most people like to open the book and get a feel for what’s inside. Why should shopping online be any different? Lillie Ammann, who edited Spring House, has an interesting post about this subject on her blog: A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye.
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Logo Credit: From the Imagination and Graphic Artistry of K.A. M'Lady & P.M. Dittman