A PIRATE, A BLOCKADE RUNNER, AND A CAT

Today, my post is short. I’m in the middle of edits for my forthcoming MG/Tween novel A PIRATE, A BLOCKADE RUNNER, AND A CAT. I used to hate history. Who cared who discovered what and where and when? So all through school, I cruised, learning what was necessary, forgetting most of it afterwards. Then, as an adult, I started researching my family. And history suddenly came alive. These were not just names who lived in different time periods. They were real live people who breathed, loved, and worked hard, like we do today. When I could place my ancestors in different time periods, that part of history came alive for me. They sailed across the sea to establish new homes and families. They fought for their rights and to make America the grand country it is today. History soon became my passion.

My YA historical novel CAVES, CANNONS, AND CRINOLINES is set during the Civil War, one of my favorite time periods. Another of my forthcoming stories for Tweens, SCATTERED TO THE WINDS, is set in the 1920s and deals with the Orphan Trains.



My mother and aunt - Orphan Train Riders

The story due out in January 2013, about the pirates and blockade runners, is set during the present, but the ghosts lived in the past. Yes, the pirates, the blockade runner, and the cat are all ghosts. It was a fun story to write. The editing is not so much fun. But necessary.

I discovered I got carried away with ellipses and dashes. What was I thinking? Now, I’m deleting most of them. Using the tracking on my computer is driving me crazy, but I’m learning. Delete. Accept. Reject. Oh, boy. What happened to the old-fashioned way of editing?

So, from Erik, Star, and Storm, the characters in my story, along with the ghosts, James (blockade runner), Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard (pirates), and Dixie the ghost cat goodbye for now. See you soon.

Thanks to Chris and Lea at MuseItUp Publishing for giving my characters a chance to share their story with you.

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=412&category_id=197&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

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