Bones of a Book

Native California Flannel Bush (Fremontia) in full spring bloom.

Spring, and the promise of the new season, has given me a new strength of purpose. Work hard! Don't quit! Immerse yourself! Enjoy every step of the dance! Do the best and most creative work you can! Those are my mantras to myself, but I'm happy to share them with you.

Opening hearts of redbud. I press these leaves in the fall and use them for placecards at family meals.

Dear Friends,

So many wonderful e-mails and letters from you. I thank you for your well wishes, and yes, I will write about the process of the book as I work through my revisions and illustrations.

I haven't had the time to visit many of you, and I do apologize. As my deadline looms, I find that I am most peaceful when I work toward the finish line. Writing, drawing, and a bit of spring gardening= pure bliss.

Today we drew from all the readers who sent in comments on my last (very long lasting) blog posting. Check at the bottom of this short post to see if you were the lucky winner.

The Beginnings

Someone wrote and asked where I get my ideas. Well, ideas have never been the problem; it is sitting down and actually writing them that is the problem. Most of the time when an idea pops into my head, I write myself a reminder note, because although I always think I'll remember, it will get as lost as a needle in my floss basket.

Start saving all your great ideas for your future work. Start a journal or a notebook on your computer, but save the ideas so you can mine them for your writing. You won't regret the little bit of extra time you've spent recording thoughts and experiences. They're gold for a writer.

The ideas for this pre Civil War book came from my thorough drenching in history as told to me by my Grandmother Lovejoy. This portrait is of my great, great, grandmother Mary Ann Mitchell Baker, who was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1804.  She was daughter of John and Abigail Harlan (see our connection Cousin Julie Marie of Idyllhours?). This portrait hung above my Grandmother Lovejoy's couch. As Grandmother tied my shoe laces each morning, she would tell me stories of Mary Ann (who is wearing Quaker garb and a muslin cap), my Great Grandpa, who fought in the Pennsylvania Old Bucktails in the Civil War, and the family's trials and tribulations as they moved from Pennsylvania and Virginia to Pasadena, California, in the 1800s.

Why this time period?

In the late 60s, I journeyed to Virginia, where some of my had family settled in Goose Creek (now Lincoln) in the 1800s. I began copying letters that were stored in my great grandfather's suitcase and kept in my cousin's attic. Day after day, I copied letters into my notebook. I resumed recording them  again when I returned to her home in 1974.

History came alive for me when I read through these amazing letters, filled with not only life, but also the deaths of friends and family who fought in the Civil War. Sometimes, as I copied letters stained with blood, I would see the tears mixing with the ink in my journal. I sobbed as I read how my great, great uncle Aaron Baker had only a few days left before being discharged from The Pennsylvania Old Bucktails. He was shot at Spotsylvania Courthouse and carried off the battlefield by his brother Edwin and three other friends, who buried him in a nearby field.

Through these original pieces of history, written in the Quaker dialect of the family, I also learned how to write the book with authentic dialect of the times, with many colorful phrases of the people of the Virginia countryside. 

I learned, as I worked through these family memories and tragedies, how powerful the telling of history can and should be. I'll have to admit this painful fact– I was guilty of snoozing through many history classes. Was it me? Was it the way we were taught? I do know that rote memorization of dates and events never worked, but hand me a historical novel, or tell me a story, and my mind and heart opened wide.

This is what I want for the children. I want their minds and hearts to open wide to the fabric of our history. To learn how hatred can be transmitted like a virus, but can be "cured" with knowledge and love. 

So, this is a short, short posting, but I must get back to work.

Sending love across the miles to you all,

Sharon

p.s. And the winner of the random drawing for the double Mayan hammock from Serenity Health and Home Decor is...

Julie Marie of Idyllhours

Julie is Grimy Hands Girls' Club member so she'll be receiving a bonus gift from me.

p.p.s. If you are along the California Central Coast on April 9th, come hear me talk about "The Bumpy Road to Fiction along the Non-fiction Pathway."

April 9, 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Talk and booksigning

SLO Nightwriters

PG&E Education Center

6588 Ontario Rd  

San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Open to the public, but limited seating.

To Dream a New Dream

"You are never too old to set another goal or 

to dream a new dream."

C.S. Lewis

Dear Friends,

I am dreaming a new dream and keep pinching myself to make sure I am awake.

Four years ago, I set out on a journey of discovery. I returned to Virginia where I once substitute taught in some schools and participated again in the Goose Creek Friends meetings. I walked old pathways, visited graveyards, dipped into vintage books about the Civil War, visited battlefields and museums, talked with locals, and fueled my dreams for writing a pre-Civil War novel for middle grade children.

I began writing my novel and reading it at my Cambria Writers group and with my Kiddie Writers. When I received their well considered critiques, I would zoom home and sit at my desk doing rewrites for hours. I plodded on and on, writing, rewriting, dreaming, doing research, and hoping that someday my book would become a reality.

Now, I am beyond happy to let you know that Random House/Delacorte Press has purchased my novel, which they will release in the fall of 2014.

I have a fresh stack of the absolutely necessary yellow tablets. When I am finished, there will be a stack of them filled with my field notes and footnotes.

So every day I am doing more rewrites, more research, and more little drawings for the book. I love this leg of the journey. Won't you join me as I work onward and upward?

Yesterday I visited our local AAA for a stack of maps. I cut them apart so that I could track my routes on the Underground Railroad.

Learning the names of the nearby rivers, creeks, and mountains. 

I lay out all the maps on the floor in Mockingbird Studio. I'll use a yellow highlighter to indicate roads, farms, villages, and possible sites for stops. I love research.

To celebrate my new beginning, I am so happy to offer some wonderful give-aways to readers who leave a comment on this posting. (Remember, if you leave a comment as "Anonymous," begin your comment with "Sharon." All others go to my spam filter.)

First, a double Mayan hammock (regular price $54.99), courtesy of Serenity Health and Home Decor. What a great place to welcome the coming of Spring.

And, an illustrated journal of the travels of the famed naturalist Carl Linnaeus will be added to the give-away if lucky winner is a member of The Grimy Hands Girls' Club. (Sign up for the club if you're not already a member). This is a delightful read with lovely illustrations. Drawing will be in a couple of weeks.

Sending love across the miles,

Sharon

P.S. Kathy (in comments) left a note about the AAA maps not cutting it because town names etc. change. She is right, but mountain ranges, river courses, creeks, etc.  don't change (unless a dam is built), but I use my trusty links to historic societies and primary sources to secure maps of the time such as this plan of one of the towns I am featuring. Actually, one of the main towns I'm writing about went through a name change during the times of the Civil War. Just wanted to make this clear to all of you.