A thousand unseen helping hands

How did you become a writer? Or a reader, for that matter? How did I get here? All those unseen hands. Sure, I’ve got the hands that have worn out the letter A on my laptop from hours of tapping out new stories, ideas, synopses, query letters. But I can never forget the unseen hands.…

OTD: Washington resigns commission

Since I was a girl growing up near Annapolis, I have been awed by the knowledge that George Washington and Congress itself once graced the halls of our state capital. It was in the Old Senate Chamber on December 23, 1783, that the General of the Continental Army resigned his commission as commander-in-chief. It was…

Honoring Civil War caregivers

When the Battle of Antietam was over, the casualties numbered more than 23,000. No single day of battle has every been more horrific. I have always been amazed by the stories of those who showed up to help, especially the women who rolled up their sleeves and fed wounded soldiers, read to them, offered a…

Remembering Antietam

The soldiers, both Union and Confederate, who fought at Antietam (Sharpsburg, if you like) are remembered for their courage and the sacrifices they made. Some paid the ultimate price. Others paid with pain and suffering for the rest of their lives. But they weren’t the only heroes on the battlefield that day and in the…

RESEARCH: Tomatoes

I almost got tripped up by tomatoes. When I was creating the world of DIVIDED LOYALTIES, I thought I considered everything. I went through antique photos of clothes and uniforms. I drove through the countryside near Sharpsburg so I knew what Maureen saw as she marched from home to hospital and back. I read an article (thanks…

RESEARCH: Serendipity strikes again

I had to have the video. I was sure this little item was going to clear up questions I had about life in post-Revolution Annapolis. If nothing else, it would clear up a question about clothing. I knew it was an old video, so old even the original TV station that aired it didn’t have…

RESEARCH: Pry House

I looked at this photo all the time as I was writing scenes about my Civil War novel, Divided Loyalties. Although the battle took place in late summer, the hospitals around the Antietam battlefields were open through a long, cold winter. Imagine trying to heal mind, heart and body inside a big barn. Imagine the…