When The Party’s Over
Here it is, the end of October, Halloween to be exact. Tomorrow many across the Southwestern part of the US and Mexico will celebrate Dia De Los Muertos - The day of the dead. Then, that wraps up the Summer and Fall festivals for another year. And, what a season it has been for me, it was pretty much being somewhere new each week with my inaugural book tour and promoting my historical fiction about my 3rd great grandmother, "Oh! Susannah". All good things must come to an end, so they say.
The tour started on March 4th at a Local Author's event in Canton, Ohio. That giddy beginning had me reminiscing back to my youth, when I was just a little further east on State Route 30, in Minerva, Ohio. Each early summer the "Minerva Homecoming" would occur in Brock Park, situated nicely beside the Little Sandy River; creek actually. Anyway, the rides and concessions would start to arrive late on Saturday night and on through Sunday, with an anticipated "opening" of Monday evening, after the Firemen's Parade. How did they expect kids to wait that long when you could see from the road, just along the creek, a hub of activity. I was never allowed to go onto the park grounds, only viewing from a safe distance on my bike. The anticipation! And, this similar anticipation is what had me eager to start what turned out to be, an eight-month book tour.
My wife and I were traveling to Perryville, Kentucky about three weeks ago, when while at an Ohio Interstate rest stop, I show my wife where my travels this year had taken me. My left arm extended to the middle of the state, and formed the western boundary, while my right arm lie horizontally at the southern boundary of Cadiz, Ohio. Admittedly, we were taken back by the visual of the whole of Northeast Ohio!
Yes, it's been a great tour. I've met so many interesting people who have generously shared their stories and experiences with me. I've learned so much and equally have made every effort to share my knowledge of what it was like to live as a woman in the 19th century. Then, there were all the stories about Susannah's brothers' Civil War service. My hope is that I've given to others as much as they have shared with me. And, in the process, hundreds of signed copies of "Oh! Susannah" have exchanged hands.
It seems appropriate that the last outdoor event, The Algonquin Mill Festival, was held about 5 miles west of where Susannah's story takes place. I have such fond memories of my grandmother, Wilda Beckley, dressing up as a pioneer woman and knitting with all of her other lady friends, mind you in all kinds of weather, at the Mill Festival. I sat through days of rain too as fate would have it.
From the Algonquin Festival, I met people from my hometown and was also introduced to a locally renowned historian, John Davis. Our initial meeting led to John introducing me to Ralph Brackin about a week later. Ralph, who by the way will turn 97 early next year, and John provided me with their knowledge of Union Township, which will be "the home" of my sequel, "A novelization of John Hiram Beckley".
John Davis with the help of another local author and historian, Janice Lane, had me walking through the tree-studded, land-locked property that my grandfather's grandfather, John Hiram Beckley, once owned. Looking at it today, I have no idea how John Hiram farmed this piece of land. It was John Davis' great grandfather who owned the adjacent property directly north of this plot. John told of how his family's land was swallowed up with the creation of the man-made Leesville Lake. Memories came flooding back to me as we pulled into the Leesville boat ramp, the very spot 50 + years ago I had tenuously held on to the rope that kept my grandpa's boat "tethered" while he parked the car and trailer. A quick stop for bait - minnows and maggots - as we grew our own earthworms back then, and we motored off on to the lake with gramp's 5 horse power engine for a day of fishing!
Research, writing and memories have been the foundation and success of my first publication, and now that the fair and festival season is officially over, these very things will provide me the path forward to write my next book.
If by chance you do not currently own your own copy of "Oh! Susannah", you can do so by visiting my website: www.beckleysbooks.com Til next week, when I will blog again, cheers!