One reason we find it hard to connect with history's lessons
is the speed with which significant events become shrouded in myth, often
within our lifetimes. Farther back than our grandparents, we have little
connection with people. Those of us in affluent countries have access to
instant communications, antibiotics, fast food, and reliable transportation,
whereas danger and scarcity shaped the everyday decisions of people who may
have lived on the same soil generations earlier.

Via our school history textbooks, the courage of these folks
filters down to us as the extraordinary fearlessness of comic book superheroes.
Since you probably don't know many fearless superheroes, you can easily dismiss
people of the past and their crucial stories. But what if our ancestors'
courage was less about extraordinary, fearless superheroes and more about
ordinary people who responded appropriately in the presence of their own fear?

That concept is what I spoke about on Thursday 24 September
in Wilmington at a luncheon for the Osher Lifelong Learning Center, at UNCW. It
also forms part of the essay I submitted for my participation in a text-based
panel at Poisoned Pen's Virtual Webcon on 24 October. "Historical Mysteries:
Do They Have Something to Say About Our Times?" will be moderated by
Beverle Graves Myers and include panelists Aileen Baron, Rebecca
Cantrell, Stephen D. Rogers, Kelli Stanley, and Nancy Means
Wright. Register for the WebCon and enjoy author panels and presentations
and a chat room without leaving your home. I hope to see you there.

Thanks to UNCW-OLLI and PPWebCon for the speaker
opportunities.

Next up, a workshop about the Hero's Journey and Archetypes
for the Carolina Romance Writers on 3 October.