Category Archives: Ct history

My Book Family is Growing

This summer my book family will grow with the edition of Christmas Letters that will be launched on July 29 at The Vineyard and Hillyland in Scotland, CT. If you are new to my writing or have missed a title let me introduce you to the family.

How Far is Safe? was my first novel and is appropriate for ages 8 and up. More adults than kids have been reporting that they read this and enjoyed the tale. The main characters are a boy and his beloved donkey. The time setting is the 1890’s and the setting is rural Pennsylvania. That makes this book historical fiction. I say this book comes right from my heart. It is inspired by rescue donkeys I have met. There are strong strands of the value of kindness and empathy. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BGKHY48

Mystic Girl was my second published book. This one is geared toward girls and horse lovers and any who love Norse Mythology. My main character in this book is Gaia a child living in Mystic Connecticut. She rides horses at the home of her mom’s friend. As she struggles she is befriended by Odin and Thor the Viking gods. (Also Marvel characters but here in their more traditional personas). This was such a fun writing project twisting the mythology through the text. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TDSMVWN

The next book I published is Thirteen Spooky Stories from Mysterious Connecticut. This  collection of short stories is easy to read and not bloody or gory at all. I write spooky as a suggestive text to make the reader wonder if the ghosts and apparitions mentioned could possibly exist. If you live near me these are fun sites to visit. If not, there is enough here to make these stories fit into your local area. In these pages you will find ghost trains and a mysterious lake, a young woman wandering, a story of old friends and more.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJHFYGBX

My next book Christmas Letters is an adult novel. It takes place in 2017 but there are many letters within that are dated during WWI, 1917. The setting of this upcoming book is a family dairy farm in northern Connecticut. I think you will enjoy this uplifting story of love, hope and family et in the holiday season. Keep following me here on my blog, send an email address to get on my mailing list, and or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Mastodon.

A link for this book will be available July 29, 2023

Why Spooky Stories

Why Spooky Stories?   I have been asked, why tell spooky stories? I immediately ask the person to define spooky for me. I have found that often the term spooky is closely misaligned with horror, it is not horror,!  I don’t tell, write or read horror, it’s not my thing. I think of spooky as… Continue Reading

250 Years, One Family, One Farm

I am going down a research rabbit hole. My quest is to develop a Mansfield Historical Society display that honors the Stearns family in Mansfield, CT. for 250 years. How does one condense 250 years of living, farming, generations, wars, and weather into an exhibit? I’m trying… The family purchased this farm in 1772. Tonight,… Continue Reading

3 Reasons to Attend Connecticut Storytelling Festival

Only three reasons? It is hard for me to choose three reasons to attend the Connecticut Storytelling Festival, but here I go. http://www.connstorycenter.org/festival.htm 1.) 2016 Festival Headliner Tim Lowry; is funny, interesting, educational, and a general character, a historical speaker bringing history to life! http://www.storytellertimlowry.com/ Well that is a mouthful, but you will see Tim… Continue Reading

Ancestors at Sea

Did your ancestors work  the sea? What immigrant ship did your ancestors arrive on?  Tell family stories with accuracy to detail, with a visit to a nautical museum or website. Here are some places to begin your voyage of discovery, the family stories from the sea. The whale boat above, is an image from Mystic Seaport,… Continue Reading

5 Ways to Preserve Family Stories

The teen sat on the park bench, hungry, tired, jobless, a boy of New Haven, Connecticut. He wondered what the world would hold for him. He sat staring into space, after awhile his focus landed on a beautiful girl across the street, near the corner of Church and Chapel Streets. She was made of wood! It was… Continue Reading

What Does Your Family Sound Like?

Every family has a certain playlist. That constant background music or noise that is seldom acknowledged. When I was a teen I babysat for a family, it was a no TV house, the constant background there was classical music piped softly to every room. It was a serene household, but I always had to fight… Continue Reading

Historical Stories

Historical Stories

I am working my way through a blitz of storytelling shows and it is so much fun to move from venue to venue. I have been reaching so many people in the last couple weeks with stories and have met some awesome people. I have to remember that even when I am doing multiple shows… Continue Reading