A Diary from World War I This is the Part 2 of the diary of Nate Arnot, a 26-year-old American stationed in France with the Meteorological Section of the Signal Corps for the American Expeditionary Forces. To read Part 1 of the diary, click here. Sept 25, 1918 Wed. Considerable artillery action all last night. […]
What Stories Are You Telling Yourself As You Write?
What Stories Are You Telling Yourself? I ran across this amazing photo on Facebook. Taken in 1948 by noted photographer Leonard McCombe, it depicts a 91-year-old Navajo story-teller, thrilling his young audience with tales of heroes and monsters. Folk stories that had probably been handed down for generations, which might pass […]
Diary of a Markleeville Native in World War I France
Nate Arnot was one of eight children of Alpine County Superior Court judge N.D. Arnot. Born in Markleeville in 1892, Nate moved to Placerville at the age of twelve with his parents, after his father became an El Dorado County judge. World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, but it was 1917 before […]
A Forgotten Part of Carson Valley History
The Hunsaker Family. . . It was July 17, 1856, when Abraham Hunsaker and his family settled on their Carson Valley ranch. If you’ve never heard the Hunsaker name, well, you’re in good company; hardly anyone here today remembers the story. But it’s a fascinating one! That summer, the extended […]
Story of a Plain Girl: A Q&A with Memoir Author Marian Beaman
Looking for a little Memoir inspiration? Well, author Marian Beaman has not just one inspiring memoir in print, but two. Her first book, Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl, debuted in 2019. And her second, My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir, followed in 2023. Marian’s intriguing first book shares stories of growing up […]
A Lifetime of Service: Dr. Eliza Cook
Was Eliza Cook really Nevada’s first woman doctor? Despite what you may have heard, the answer seems to be no. None other than legendary Nevada historian Guy Rocha debunked that common myth, pointing out that other female physicians were already in practice more than a decade before Eliza received her medical degree in 1884. […]
Marketing Your Memoir
The Best Marketing Tip I Ever Heard: Not every memoir writer truly cares how many books they’ll sell. Sometimes, a memoir is just something the author needed to write! It’s therapy. It’s self-affirmation. It’s memorializing a life. It fills an inner need. But if you hope to eventually sell your memoir, you’ll need to think about marketing. […]
The Diary of William Heitman
The Diary of William Heitman William Henry Heitman was the son of local miller Peter Heitman and his wife, Louise [Sarman] Heitman, born in Gardnerville, Nevada in 1888. You may remember our recent story about his father and the Heitman/Sarman flour mill. In June, 1958, William wrote a fascinating account of […]
Take a Break From Writing? Really??
Last month, I gave myself a break. A break from writing, that is. I didn’t stop the word flow entirely, mind you. I kept up with a fiction project. But normally I also turn out two nonfiction stories every single month. For once, I listened to myself. I stopped pushing […]
A Letter from World War I
In April, 1915, while World War I was raging overseas, Carson Valley resident Fritz Bohlmann received a letter from relatives back in Germany. For over a century, the Bohlman family has saved that letter, and they have kindly allowed us to share it with you. Here’s the tale. _________________ […]
Carson Valley’s Early Flour Mill
Peter Heitman was born in Bielefeld, Westphalia, Germany in 1852, the fourth of what would soon become seven children. As a young man, he learned the miller’s trade. In 1868, Peter’s sister, Wilhelmina (Minnie) Heitman, emigrated to Carson Valley with fiance H.H. Springmeyer and three friends. Peter followed about 1872, and brother Louis […]
Forks in the Road: A Memoir Writing Tip
This fresh new year brings us a “fork in the road” – a chance to make different choices. To do things differently. To work on your memoir, perhaps. Or sometimes . . . not. Rather than gritting your teeth as you make a “New Year’s resolution” to write, I hope you’ll approach these next twelve months […]