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 […]
The Hawkins’ Tale
The Hawkins family hasn’t lived there for over half a century. But here in Alpine County, people still know their early Woodfords homestead as the Hawkins Ranch. If you’re headed south on Hwy 89 from Woodfords, what’s left is a ramshackle collection of buildings to your left. The small residence has recently been upgraded and […]
Finding Your Support Tribe as a Writer
Let’s face it: writing can be a lonely business. But a “support tribe” can help keep you motivated and on-task! What’s a “support tribe”? In a nutshell, it’s a network of folks who provide encouragement and advice for your writing. That can take different forms, depending on your particular needs. It might be an informal […]
The Saga of Carson Valley’s First Records
From the outside, this slim volume doesn’t really look like much. A small, ruled notebook about seven-by-nine inches in size, its 81 pages are filled with handwriting that requires a good deal of squinting to decipher. But it’s one of Nevada’s historic treasures: the earliest land and governance records of pre-statehood […]
A Heart for Helping
Writing a memoir is a big undertaking. And tackling that job all alone can make it feel twice as big! Luckily, helpers are out there. Whether you call these folks personal historians, memoir coaches, or developmental editors, all of them can help with various parts of the writing process. This month I wanted to […]