On the eve prior to the official day of thanksgiving, I wanted to offer a few things I was thinking about today.
First, I am grateful to have been born in, and to live and work in, a country where freedom of expression is valued, even if it is controversial, and where it is protected for all.
Second, I am grateful that through technology and the foresight and ambition of others there are several venues by which independent authors, such as myself, can make their creative voices heard today and for future generations.
Third, I am grateful for those who provide encouragement and support of authors and poets, as do the members of this writer's group and other writers' groups across the global community, who keep one another focused and help one another overcome obstacles they may be facing.
Fourth, I am grateful to those local, national, and global businesses who take the time and invest space in their shops in support of traditional and indie authors by making their books available for sale to the communities they serve. In my area, that is our local Hy-Vee, the Nodaway News Leader, the Maryville Daily Forum, the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum, and Minnie Lane.
Finally, and most importantly, I am grateful to God, who has graciously granted me the opportunity to write, the ability to learn, the desire to know and understand, and who has provided a supportive community through which to continue to develop the variety of skills and abilities it takes to pursue such a challenging and rewarding endeavor.
Susan Cronk
Official blog for writing and research projects.
I'm done with 1984 . . . moving on.
Researching information can be a long, drawn-out process. For me, it's just fun. I am in my element in a library or museum searching through seemingly endless stacks of information in order to mine a few jewels to be used in a book. Tonight, I pulled a Marty McFly, climbed into a mental DeLorean, and zipped back to the year 1984.
It was fascinating wading through the old newspapers for that year. "Old?" I guess I shouldn't say that, because it ages me. But, looking at the ads in the papers, I saw the hairstyles I used to sport, and I even saw one of my favorite coats (that they don't make anymore) on sale for about what you could buy dinner for now.
The purpose of my time warp this evening was to secure information for the new Nodaway County jail, which will have its own chapter in the upcoming book, The Human Squirrel Cage: Nodaway County's Rotary jail. I felt it only right to give the new jail its own chapter. After all, the other jails had one.
What I learned from my sojourn in the land of what was . . . some hairstyles don't go out of style -- but it's probably a good thing these did. Coats should never go up in price. And, Nodaway County's efforts at building jails, however needed they were, never came easy to the county residents and the administrators.
Take a gander at the book's page shown above and be sure to check back from time to time to read updates and learn when the book will be released.
It was fascinating wading through the old newspapers for that year. "Old?" I guess I shouldn't say that, because it ages me. But, looking at the ads in the papers, I saw the hairstyles I used to sport, and I even saw one of my favorite coats (that they don't make anymore) on sale for about what you could buy dinner for now.
The purpose of my time warp this evening was to secure information for the new Nodaway County jail, which will have its own chapter in the upcoming book, The Human Squirrel Cage: Nodaway County's Rotary jail. I felt it only right to give the new jail its own chapter. After all, the other jails had one.
What I learned from my sojourn in the land of what was . . . some hairstyles don't go out of style -- but it's probably a good thing these did. Coats should never go up in price. And, Nodaway County's efforts at building jails, however needed they were, never came easy to the county residents and the administrators.
Take a gander at the book's page shown above and be sure to check back from time to time to read updates and learn when the book will be released.
A Quick Link
If you are in need of a link to my Create Space e-store to order PRINT copies of my books, click here or click on any one of the direct links at the bottom of this page.
E-books and print copies may be ordered through Amazon.com.
E-books and print copies may be ordered through Amazon.com.
A Word of Thanks!
First, let me thank CreateSpace and KDP for making the publishing of books so easy and for providing such good customer service when I pester you with questions.
And, thanks to Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, AbeBooks, Alibris, and probably a few more I haven't found yet, for making the books available to your customers through your online sites and stores.
Some local venues in Northwest Missouri may also have books available by local authors. Check at the Nodaway News Leader, Maryville Daily Forum, and Maryville Hy-Vee.
For you readers out there (and you know who you are) don't forget, you can search for my books at any retailer that sells books. They may not have them in stock, but they might be hospitable and order them for you if you're not into ordering online yourself.
My search tonight didn't find them at Walmart.com but it did turn up a book of S'Mores recipes that I just might have to order. Camping season is just around the corner. Hey, I'll even start a bonfire in the yard if it means it will result in a S'More.
Just wanted to say thanks to online and brick-n-mortar stores for helping another indie author's work become available to the wide, wide, world.
Not to be forgotten, many thanks due to Blogger.com for making blogging so easy, and to Google+ Facebook, and Twitter, and many other social venues, for helping authors connect with the world.
New Blog Page ^(up there)^ L'il Bits & Snips
If you look at the top row of listed pages on this website, you'll notice a new one. It's called L'il Bits and Snips. I started it to accommodate the occasional essays I feel compelled to write. Most of them are too long, really, for newspapers, unless broken down into multiple segments, and too short to stretch into a Kindle Single or a full-length book. So, this is the solution I came up with. They get a web page of their own.
The first essay featured in L'il Bits & Snips is about an attempted bank robbery that occurred in Skidmore, Missouri in 1935. My great aunt, her husband, and the stray dog that had adopted them and which they named Fluffy, played a minor part in the events. I have included a picture (the best I could manage ) of the actual note the robber, Grady Ashford, handed to Charles Linville, the bank's cashier. You'll have to read the essay to see how things turned out for Grady.
There is a print copy of L'il Bits and Snips, which is being included with my new book, Dying By Inches, released in February 2016.
I hope you enjoy it.
Susan Cronk
The first essay featured in L'il Bits & Snips is about an attempted bank robbery that occurred in Skidmore, Missouri in 1935. My great aunt, her husband, and the stray dog that had adopted them and which they named Fluffy, played a minor part in the events. I have included a picture (the best I could manage ) of the actual note the robber, Grady Ashford, handed to Charles Linville, the bank's cashier. You'll have to read the essay to see how things turned out for Grady.
There is a print copy of L'il Bits and Snips, which is being included with my new book, Dying By Inches, released in February 2016.
I hope you enjoy it.
Susan Cronk
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