I’ve been crazy about History since my Ancient Egypt phase in the sixth grade. WWII and Military History took me over in high school, and I combined my writing endeavors with my historical ones to bring history to life. My debut Historical-Fiction Novel, “All the Lights Above Us,” following five different women from different backgrounds as they struggle to survive D-Day, was released in May, 2022. Representation – Lindsay Guzzardo at Martin… Read More
“Well, you have to visit the Underground,” a friend told me over dinner last fall. It was just before I took off for my first trip to Seattle, and my head raced with questions. What underground? Was there some sort of impressive underground rail system in Seattle? Was “the Underground” a little-known community within the town? Some sort of artistic district I just had to see? As it turns out, my friend… Read More
In the summer of 2016, I drove down an isolated road in Southern Georgia. There wasn’t much around – just a few run-down houses here and there. Cotton fields stretched to the horizon. Silence hung heavy along with the heat. Only a few signs with arrows pointed me to my destination. I followed them to a small parking lot that was practically empty of cars. A quiet visitor center beckoned. Behind it… Read More
As winter sets in, here is some poetic musing on the force of time and how fast it moves. Enjoy! Tick, tock, tick, tock That’s the sound of the old brass clock I breathe deeper, it chimes the hour It has no feelings, it does not cower I sit and grip the arm of my chair It sits across from me with a blank stare It has no eyes, yet I feel… Read More
Once upon a time, deep in the mountains of Germany, there lay a charming little village called Lauscha. It was surrounded by snowy slopes and magnificent pine trees, and generations of glassblowers called it home. Their town was extra-special too, because since the mid-1800s, they had made Christmas their primary trade. The traditional German Tannenbaum or Kristbaum had caught the attention of the rest of the world. Seeing an opportunity, Lauscha turned… Read More
May 2, 1946, started as a normal day on the job for William Miller. Well, at least as normal as any day could be on “the Rock” – what most people called Alcatraz Prison back then. Situated on a tiny island just off the coast of San Francisco, Alcatraz was a harrowing prospect for federal criminals. It boasted zero successful escapes, although many inmates had tried. The guards easily stopped and apprehended… Read More
In the summer of 2015, in a silent boneyard in Wisconsin, there sat an abandoned old aircraft. Like the rest of the planes there, its original use had been long-forgotten. It hadn’t graced the sky in decades. It was corroded and covered with rust, inside and out. Only a rotting skeleton in a valley of dry bones remained. Little did anyone know, this silent airplane had an amazing story. On a cloudy… Read More
On a chilly night in 1903, two men sat before a crackling campfire in the Bridal Veil Meadow of Yosemite Park. The stars shone down on them, and the surrounding pine trees whistled in the night breeze. The sound of waterfalls soothed their tired minds. One of these men was John Muir, a famous mountaineer and naturalist. The other was President Theodore Roosevelt. The story of this famous camping trip started in… Read More
On a cool morning in April of 2016, I visited a small prairie in the wilderness of Virginia. A wide-open field of grass sloped into a deep ravine. Blooming purple and white Dogwoods whispered in the breeze and showered the place with petals. Butterflies flitted everywhere – especially Tiger Swallowtails, their yellow and black wings a marked contrast with the fresh green grass. Standing among such beauty, you’d never think so much… Read More
Twenty-four years ago, a man named Kevin Wisniewski arrived at the annual EAA airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He stood out in the crowd of thousands, because he came dressed as an officer from World War II. Every piece of his gear was authentic, part of a lifelong collection. He wondered around the displays of World War II planes in the show’s famed “Warbird Alley,” and his outfit enthralled onlookers. Many asked to… Read More
A cold, unfeeling marble stone That’s all there is for the soldier unknown Lost in a graveyard as big as the sea My love comes looking but won’t find me Because all I have is a white marble stone And all it says is “soldier unknown” I fought like the heroes, we were the same But I got no medal, they don’t even know my name I was just one body in… Read More