Looking for More Posts to Read?

A half-century ago, when my grandmother walked out to the mailbox, she regularly returned with what she called “want-me” letters. They were letters from organizations wanting her money. […]

I remember in my youth, hitchhiking from Illinois to Central America. The unknown didn’t scare me. It was an adventure. I only knew a little Spanish (Por favor, dónde es la baño?), but I dived into a foreign culture. […]

I started with a question. “When you were a child, were you ever asked," ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” […]

Hello Gina, It's time for me to admit to you that I need a change of schedule on publishing "Kudzus' Guide to Law Enforcement." I apologize for asking you to fit my book into your busy work schedule and then delaying sending you a final draft so you can begin blocking, etc. […]

Like an alcoholic, I rationalized. I had plenty of time to complete my edit because Gina had barely begun developing the illustrations, most notably K-9 Kudzu, my German shepherd narrator. If Gina needed more time to work on illustrations, then I had extra time to play, I mean explore, my “creative thinking.” […]

Some authors aren’t sure what to do prior to their final draft. Like I’ve said before, there’s an unlimited number of constructive things to work on as you prepare for your book release date. Use your time wisely. Remember, publishing doesn’t stand alone. […]

There’s a saying that when you ask a question, be sure to listen for the answer. Signs are everywhere. Outside, Bohringer introduced the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois to me. It was a quick, friendly greeting as Tanto pushed his long snout into my open hand, no doubt checking my scent. […]

There’s editing while writing a personal draft copy of your book and there’s editing after you’ve shared your early literary work with others. […]

This is my update, a progress report, the nuts and bolts of the draft copy of my children’s book. […]

Your book is copyrighted, your title is not. Did you know that upon writing your book, it’s copyrighted, but its title is never protected? Other authors can use it again and again. […]

We live in the country. We have a pond—sometimes with water—but my life as an author isn’t even close to Henry David Thoreau’s at Walden Pond. I’m not on a writer’s retreat with minimal interruptions; I’m on the internet and have a phone. […]

If you’re questioning why I’m writing about networking, not publishing, then you need to understand that networking is vital to publishing. If you want to play baseball full-time, you don’t go to the park and wait for random people to show up. You join a team. And you take other actions to prepare for the games, like studying the sport and getting into excellent condition. […]

Six months to go and every day is busy. Editing. Meeting with illustrators. Getting a range of printing price estimates even though I'm unsure of the book's size. Looking for grants or other financial support since it's an educational book. […]

My years as a patrol officer writing reports made me a much better writer. It taught me to pay attention, to observe and listen, and how best to interview people. Our reports had a definite deadline. We couldn't go home until the paperwork was complete. […]

My years as a patrol officer writing reports made me a much better writer. It taught me to pay attention, to observe and listen, and how best to interview people. Our reports had a definite deadline. We couldn't go home until the paperwork was complete. […]

“Hi Jim, I was wondering if I could chat with you over the phone sometime in the next few days. I have some questions about publishing. I'm working on getting an ISBN, copyright, etc., but I'm not sure how to go about it.” […]

Published authors will tell you that writing their book was the beginning, not the end of the journey. That's certainly true for me. […]

"It so happened that we had a wine cellar in our building, and I proceeded to relax with wine, and I went to bed feeling pretty tipsy. Shortly after I went to bed, the Krauts started bombing all the buildings along the river, including ours." […]

"It was about noon on March 22nd (1945) and we still hadn't reached the west bank of the Rhine when the word came to us that General Patton was ordering the Fifth Division to cross the Rhine that night. It was like electricity going through the troops, however, they were confident and certainly ready."--Lt. Harold L. Potter […]

As the Ambulance Platoon leader, I had to constantly set up shuttle systems whereby when one ambulance left for the Clearing Station, another would move up and take his place down the line, etc. The number of vehicles in the shuttle on any given day would depend upon the severity of the fighting and potential for causalities. This was because one of the principal rules in parking the vehicles was to make certain that they were spread out so that one shell could not hit more than one vehicle. […]

Many of you will remember the hit song, "Goodbye Dear, I'll be Back in a Year." In my case, that became five years. […]

Deputy Tom Jennings, a patrol officer for the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office, is a caring cop. He doesn’t understand the Old Order Amish and they don’t understand him. After being assigned to investigate the theft of soil from a county ditch, Jennings meets Mrs. Rosannah Borntrager Yoder. Rebecca, and Adam (her husband) help Jennings begin to learn how the Amish and the English are different, and alike. […]

Congratulations, Shoshanna, on the recent release of your children’s book, Tobias’ Travels. You’re a first-class storyteller. We’ve never met face-to-face, but I’m the current president of District 6 of the Kansas Authors Club. Congratulations for being a published author. It’s a BIG deal! So many people talk about wanting to write a book, but so few accomplish it. Most people don’t understand; it’s work. […]

Gravedigger’s Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town is Cheryl Unruh’s latest masterpiece, a memoir written in prose poetry that transported me to my childhood. I can smell the Folger's coffee that gave Mom an extra spark. I too, grew up with bottle caps, firecrackers, collecting stamps, and reading wanted posters at the P. O. This memoir, dedicated to Cheryl’s father, Elgie Unruh of Pawnee Rock, is perfect. That means every word is precise. […]

Can you tell a book by its cover? This is a question that author Reginald D. Jarrell addresses in his just published book, 31 Days (Nights): Memoir of Living Black in America (Blue Cedar Press, 2022). […]

My friend told me he was going to end the call and watch the news. “Ukraine is being invaded,” he said. […]

I’ve just completed reading the best book ever about understanding slavery. Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market (1999) isn’t a new book, but it’s a classic. The author, Walter Johnson, brilliantly examines the slave market in New Orleans, the largest in North America during the nineteenth-century. […]

Can you love history? Am I exaggerating when I say, I do? I especially enjoy learning about history and seeing how events connect with one another. […]

Charles C. Collins, also known as “Charlie,” (1845-1906) was of Irish ancestry, his grandfather having immigrated from Ireland to Louisiana before the War of 1812 […]

I’ve been researching and researching, and I still have unanswered questions. I’d like to learn more about Charles C. Collins and his ancestors before I write his story, but I can’t wait forever. I’ve been down so many research rabbit holes that I’ve become comfortable living underground. I don’t think it’s covid related. Now, I must surface and write. […]

Author Gloria Zachgo reminds me of a professional juggler who flawlessly keeps a half-dozen balls rotating in a perfect arc. The performance appears effortless. […]

One day a newly elected sheriff, a bachelor, asked the retiring sheriff if he could give him any advice on running the jail. The veteran sheriff replied, "Yes, get married as soon as possible." […]

Books don’t just happen. While growing up, I heard stories that triggered my imagination. Stories are seeds to an author. When planted and nourished, they can become a bountiful harvest. In my case, there are several reasons why I wanted to research and write about the sheriffs of Reno County, Kansas. […]

It’s late Thursday afternoon, October 11, 1951, at the Reno County Jail on the fifth floor of the courthouse. Vera Gambee Frazey, 45, jail matron and cook, hears the metallic sound of heavy jail keys, followed by the forceful clang of a door being shut, and the keys locking the gate. […]

It’s Monday afternoon, August 1, 1949, at The Fox theater in Hutchinson, Kansas. Mrs. Sheriff, Ruth Graves Dixon, 54; and her sister, Charline Graves Allison, 60; are talking prior to the start of the picture show, The Barkleys of Broadway, staring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. […]

It’s noon, Thursday, July 5, 1945, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Harry Smith, 58, owner of Smith’s Flower Shop, 2606 North Monroe, is wearing a freshly cut red rose in his suitcoat buttonhole. […]

It’s Sunday afternoon, January 10, 1943, at the home of Juanita Mae Chambers Ankerholz and Guy Leo Ankerholz, 829 East 6th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas. Their daughter, Dona “DeNean,” 10, is writing a school report that’s due the next day. […]

It’s Sunday night, August 7, 1938, in Hutchinson, Kansas, at the Charline and George Allison home, 309 West 16th Avenue. George, 55; Charline, 54; and their daughter, Georgiann, 14, are playing cards. […]

It’s Thursday night, June 19, 1934, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Dorothy Swafford Simon Cunningham, 25, wife of Reno County Sheriff Ed Cunningham, age, 37, has just returned to town after running off with a saxophone player. Having been apprehended days earlier in Columbus, Ohio, Dorothy is welcomed by her father, Tom Swafford, 45.   […]

It’s Wednesday, March 16, 1927. Cora Brown’s thirty-third birthday isn’t until Thursday, but she’s expecting her sister, Occie, and brother-in-law, to arrive any minute to help her celebrate. Occie’s promised to bring a freshly baked cake; Cora and Fay, her husband, will provide tea. […]

It’s Friday, June 6, 1924, outside the Reno County courthouse in Hutchinson, Kansas. Reno County Sheriff Jesse Langford, 45, and his wife, May Burkhalter Langford, 42, are walking to their sheriff’s residence next door, east of the courthouse. […]

 ·  Death and Dying  ·

Whether it's non-fiction,memoir or fiction, for me, writing about death is the ultimate mood swing. Having a dark chapter (or two) gives the reader a taste of the highs and lows of life. Without the lows, the highs aren't as high. In Cop in the Classroom, I recall a couple of on-duty deaths that just tore me up inside. I expose the reader to my pain while attempting to answer a student's serious question. Here is the introduction to one death . . . […]