It was over 50 years ago when I first spotted this ancient, lonely headstone beside the river in New London, Connecticut. The cemetery itself was knee-high in weeds. Modern steel train tracks ran right beside this ancient holy ground. Hoboes who’d hopped off their ride huddled by their warming fires nearby. But even as a […]
Memoir Writing Tips from Margaret Agard
From High-Tech to Arctic Circle – and Peacocks Too! Margaret Agard is right up there among my memoir-writing heroes –with not just one memoir, but two and a half under her belt. (Number Three is currently in the works, and she’s contemplating a possible Book Four!) Her life has included plenty of […]
The Story of the Ridge Route (Part 4)
The Ridge Route’s Later Years (And Efforts To Preserve It): The early Ridge Route didn’t stay un-tinkered-with for long. Less than a decade after the 1919 concrete cap dried, ideas began percolating about expanding its two paved lanes to three. (For the Ridge Route’s earlier history, check out Parts 1, 2, and 3!) Work on […]
Dog Sled Rescuer: Elmer Von Schaible
Old-timers still remember Elmer “Slim” Von Schaible. Because once you met Elmer, you could hardly forget him! For one thing, Elmer stood an astonishing six-foot-seven-inches tall. For another, he eked out a primitive existence in the Eastern Sierra hills for more than 20 years. His camp site shifted with the seasons and his whims, rotating […]
Opium Dens & Errant Youth
Nevada’s Opium Problem, Back In The Day. . . Blame the Civil War, at least in part, for launching America’s opium addiction. Nearly 10 million tablets of the habit-forming drug were dispensed by Union Army doctors, not to mention various tinctures and powders. Opium wasn’t used exclusively to treat war wounds, of course. Soldiers facing […]
An Autism Diagnosis Was Just The Beginning:
GUEST BLOG: Q&A With Memoir Author LeeAndra Chergey Memoir writer LeeAndra Chergey recognized that her son faced special challenges by the time he was two years old. Speech was difficult for him, and his sleeping patterns were irregular. But when she first heard the word Autism as a diagnosis, it was a bolt from the […]
Virginia City: The Black & Howell Story
Call it the Virginia City version of Cain and Abel. Feuding brothers John L. and Samuel Black owned a prominent building at the corner of “C” Street and Taylor in Virginia City’s early days. But there was little about the building’s management they seemed to agree on. Born in Alabama, the brothers had first arrived […]
A Short History of New London (Part 2)
The West Indies Trade Years: In 1650, a mere four years after New London’s initial founding, a Welsh ship-builder known as “good Master [John] Coit” arrived at the fledgling town. (Missed Part 1 about New London’s founding? Find it here!) A master carpenter, Coit had left his native Wales […]
The Story of the Ridge Route: Part 3
With its fresh concrete cap finally in place, the new, upgraded Ridge Route was ready to welcome travelers again in 1919. (If you missed the beginning of this story, here are Part 1 and Part 2!) The journey from L.A. to Bakersfield still wasn’t for […]
The Boy Refugee: From POW Camp to Surgeon
Today he’s a medical doctor with a passion for surgery. But as a young boy, Khawaja Azimuddin spent two years in a civilian prisoner-of-war and refugee camp. Read more about his recent memoir here!
Valentine’s Day Memoir Tips
Everyone loves a good love story. And Valentine’s Day is a great reminder to think about love stories as you write your memoir! Perhaps you have your own great love story to tell. And don’t forget to include other sweet love stories handed down through your family. How did your parents first meet? […]
The Story of the Ridge Route (Part 2):
Paving the Ridge Route: As you’ll remember from Part 1 of this story, the original Ridge Route between L.A. and Bakersfield was just a simple oil-coated dirt track. When grading was completed in 1915, that first early version cost a mere $450,000 – roughly $11 million today.* Not bad for a 30-mile stretch […]