For the final post about me…(not forever, I assure you)…I thought I’d list some of my “favorites.” Let me clarify: I HATE “favorite” questionnaires. I can never think of one ultimate favorite. I’d need at least a top ten to fully answer those sorts of questions… But I’ll try to keep this brief. So here you go: In honor of the blog’s nature, I’ll start with my all-time favorite fiction books: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (whole series – who can really pick?) A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers Favorite non-fiction books: Hands down, no-need-for-mentioning-a-runner-up favorite: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is simply an incredible tale coupled...
1940s Era Music
This early 1940s music compilation/commentary courtesy of my friend’s brother-in-law, AKA music lover extraordinaire! Enjoy! The theme of separation — due to soldiers suddenly being overseas — are the key to music of this time period, combined, I suppose, with a need for some back home to find something to smile about. Anyway, here are some songs, and remember that a lot of these are “big band with vocal” recordings, meaning that the song would typically start with the band playing a verse, then the vocal starting a minute or so into the recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIH3HAUrfDc
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From Olympic heights to battlefields
I stumbled upon this story through a simple email to the United States Equestrian Foundation for some background about horse jumping in the 1940s. One woman mentioned they had a member from the last Army team who competed in the 1948 Olympics who might be willing to share some of his experiences. How could I turn down that opportunity? What I found was more than I’d ever imagined. Major General Jack Burton was indeed one of several riders who represented the United States at the first Olympics since Berlin in 1936. He’d served in the Pacific during World War II and trained horses for the army during and after the...
The heart of research
I’ve spent hours and hours researching World War II history and it’s hard to find much about the Pacific Northwest during World War II, even though there is a TON of history there! That’s when I discovered the Portland Oregonian’s online archives. They have every issue online and accessible for a day fee or monthly fee. The stories are unreal. There are the typical AP headlines and world news, but then you stumble over a headline like “Couple Strip Clothes to Save Hiking Pal” and just die. You can tell a lot about the area too by how the stories are arranged by “importance.”
Research Notes: From the horse’s mouth
Any journalist, historian or author will tell you—get your information from the most direct source possible. Get the story from the people who were there. Well, with limited resrouces and time, that isnt always possible. But in researching my next manuscript, I decided it couldn’t hurt to ask. And this is what I got: Copies of the original 1942 and 1945 American Horse Show rulebook. This relates directly to my needs, as my next manuscript will involve horse jumping competitions during the 40s. (more on my new novel coming soon!) Many, many thanks to the folks at the United States Equestrian Federation. They were quick to answer my questions and send...