Autumn 2008 Tour into Western North Carolina, Day 1

I rolled out of Raleigh about 6:15 Thursday morning 11 September, expecting a 3.5 hour drive to Boone. Drizzle made an inauspicious traveling companion. More unwelcome was the thick fog that lowered over Highway 421 just west of Winston-Salem. In … Continue reading

Autumn 2008 Tour into Western North Carolina, Day 2

Friday 12 September didn’t dawn bright and clear in Boone. That nasty fog still socked us in. Around 8:00 a.m., when I was ready to leave, Marcia got in her car and drove out ahead of me, like a pilot … Continue reading

Autumn 2008 Tour into Western North Carolina, Day 3

Lucy Doll and I had decided to cook a breakfast for each other. Saturday morning the 14th, I cooked steel-cut oats with dried cherries and blueberries, allspice, flax seeds, and walnuts. Usually I add some pure maple syrup. We tried … Continue reading

Autumn 2008 Tour into Western North Carolina, Day 4

Sunday morning, 14 September, Lucy cooked eggs scrambled with kale and bell peppers. You wouldn’t think of that combination for breakfast, but it was delicious. I’ve since tried it on my teenagers, and they like it, too. I left Burnsville … Continue reading

Will the Real Banastre Tarleton Please Stand Up?

In Camp Follower, I wrote one of the most controversial figures from the Revolutionary War, British Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, into the novel as a secondary character. In contrast to creating and sustaining a fictional character, wrestling a reasonable Tarleton … Continue reading

Cancellations, Additions

An unwelcome guest named Hanna blew away our presentation on “The Family War” today in Wilmington, NC. But Dorothy Hodder at the New Hanover County Public Library graciously rescheduled us for 15 November 2008, same time, same place. Ben Steelman … Continue reading

An Interview With Mur Lafferty and P.G. Holyfield, Authors and Podcasters

Podcasting is a form of self-publishing, and many traditionally published authors are quick to presume that podcasters give away their works for nothing. That presumption is inaccurate. Furthermore, podcasting has exciting applications for authors who are published traditionally. I’d like … Continue reading