As I often post here, I have always loved to write. And I have been interested in history since I was in elementary school. I wasn’t a huge fan of history class, but I loved reading stories about people who lived long before I was born, the people who lived history.
Those interests are what led me to writing historical fiction. Now I write stories about people from the past. The people in my stories are fiction, but the events they lived through were real.
History from the Eyes of Everyday People
My goal is to get into the minds of everyday people, not the generals and presidents and famous folk. I work hard to research the times and places I write about. I travel to those places and learn as much as I can about the experiences of people who trod that ground long ago, so I can figure out what those everyday lives were like. I want to know what their struggles were, what challenged them the most. I want to make their stories come alive, to feel real.
It was my lifelong goal to be a published author, but I never dreamed beyond that published book. I never imagined what could happen when readers read my words and were touched by my stories. Would the stories feel real to them?
As I write this, I have just returned from a school visit and a book festival. These are a part of writing I hadn’t thought much about, but it fills my heart to see students and other readers tell me how my books have touched them. While I still crave to develop stories and find the right words to tell them, meeting readers is a special part of being a published author.
Making History Come Alive for Others
My goal is to tell an entertaining story, but if I can help to increase someone’s interest in reading by the words I write, I have made a difference. If I also make history come to life for a reader, I have truly accomplished something.
In my April blog post, I said writing is my joy. It is, and it always will be, but now reaching readers is my ultimate goal.
