Have you ever read a Jane Austen book, or seen one in a movie? I’ve loved her novels forever, but I never wondered about Jane. Not until I started reading a series of books by Beth Pattillo. That’s when I looked her up on the internet.
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Part 1 – Four Portraits: The first Jane is the only portrait of her in existence. Her sister Cassandra started it sometime around 1810, but she never finished it. She used pencil and watercolor. It’s small in size, only 4-1/2 inches x 3-1/8 inches, but you’ll find it in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The second Jane is a watercolor done by James Andrews. Can you tell it’s based on Cassandra’s original sketch? It found its way into A Memoir of Jane Austen that was written by their nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh in 1871. Every other portrait of Jane is based on this one, including the one on the Bank of England’s £10 note.

​Look below. There's another set of portraits. The first one is a silhouette of Cassandra, Jane’s sister and her best friend. The artist is unknown.

The second is a painting Cassandra did in 1804. This time she painted a back view of her sister using watercolors. Interesting – Jane allowed her sister to capture her image from the back, but not from the front. Remember the one Cassandra didn’t finish?
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Part 2 – Jane’s Childhood Home: This set of pictures came from A Memoir of Jane Austen published by her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, in 1871.
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​Jane’s father was a minister, and this is the parsonage at Steventon where Jane grew up. It’s long gone, but it once sat in a valley surrounded by meadows.

The second picture is her father’s church, St. Nicholas in Steventon. Jane attended services from the time she was born in 1775 until her father retired in 1800. You can still visit St. Nicholas, but its name is now Steventon Church.
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The Move to Bath: When her father retired, he moved the family to Bath. Their new address: 4 Sydney Place. It was 50 miles away from Steventon, but it must have felt a world away for Jane.

She grew up in a quiet country village, but Bath was a busy city. It drew people from all over England. They came for the mineral water, and for the high society.

When her father died unexpectantly in January of 1805, Jane ended her time in Bath. She, Cassandra, and their mother were left without a home or financial resources of their own. They were dependent on the charity of Jane’s brothers.
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Part 3 – Her Final Two Homes: These two pictures are from Kent. The first is Godmersham Park, the home of Jane’s brother Edward. He was adopted by a wealthy family as their son and heir. Jane started visiting there in 1798. The last time was in 1813. Godmersham Park was her model for great houses like Pemberley and Rosings Park.

The second photo is her last real home, perhaps her favorite. Chawton was a cottage on her brother’s land at Godmersham Park. Edward gifted the cottage to his mother and sisters early in 1809. Jane spent the last eight years of her life there. She did her best writing in the country, first at Steventon and later at Chawton. She was a country girl at heart.

Jane wrote of her trips to London in books and letters. If you’d like to visit her in Town, click on this link: Jane Austen Goes To London | Guide London   

Her Final Home and Resting Place:  The next set of pictures are from Winchester. The first is a cottage on 8 College Street. Jane had been sick since early 1816, but she refused to give into it, or to stop writing.
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Her sister Cassandra and brother Henry brought her here for a cure in May of 1817, but it was already too late. Jane died on July 18, 1817. She was only 41 years old. Today her symptoms would have been diagnosed as Addison’s disease or Hodgkins’s lymphoma. 

​The second photo is of Winchester Cathedral. That’s where Jane Austen is buried, not because she’s a famous author. She’s there as the daughter of a clergyman, and the sister of another. That’s what Jane wanted, a private life. When she died, her name wasn’t on her book covers. She was listed as an anonymous lady, the way she’d requested.

If you’d like to learn more about Jane Austen, click on this link: Jane Austen - Wikipedia
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Winchester Cathedral reminds me of a song from 1966. It’s a little quirky, but fun. Here’s the search link. Click, then look for the video, and give it a listen: winchester cathedral song - Search (bing.com)

​Have you ever felt like quitting? I hadn’t, not until last week. That’s when I got stuck, again. I couldn’t write a single word. I tried for four hours. I went back and forth between two chapters, over and over again. Nothing, so I gave up and called it a night. This isn’t the first time I’ve been stuck in the last couple months, but I never, ever thought of quitting. Till last week.

​Part 1 – The Idea: I was having another sleepless night. That’s when the thought of quitting started. At first I couldn’t imagine it, but the idea, it wouldn’t leave me alone. Then I thought ,what if. What if I quit?

I realized I can give it up, even though I’ve been writing since 2007. That night I came up with a few ideas on how to stop, how to tie up my loose ends. When I gave myself permission, I felt free. Free from stress that night. Free to look at my life and the choices I want to make. And finally free, to go to sleep.
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Now I’m looking back at last week, matching my three experiences with a quote. I hope it helps you if you’re thinking about quitting. And me, I hope it helps if I’m in this situation again.
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Quote #1: You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
Who said it?

​Mary Tyler Moore
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Inspiring Quotes found an interview from 1997 that  Mary Tyler Moore did. She also said, “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage.”

These are two pictures of Mary. The first is from the Dick Van Dyke Show. It ran for 5 years in the 60’s, and it was one of my favorite TV shows.
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The second is from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It ran for 7 years during the 70’s, and it was another favorite of mine. I thought Mary was super successful, but I guess even successful people have failures too.
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​Sources:

This Photo from 1988: By Photo by Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1471176
 
Quote #1 : Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
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​ Tomorrow - the next morning - how I felt and my decision

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​Part 2 – And the Result: The next day, I felt lighter. I could quit, if I wanted to, or I could continue on. My choice, so I opened my laptop, and . . . I started writing. It felt wonderful! 

I wrote past the block in chapter 1, then past the next one in chapter 11. By the end of that day, my first chapter was ready for my critique group, and the second, it needed a little fine-tuning. But it was close!
 
I could write that day, but I left the door to quitting open, just in case. Deciding to write, or not to write gave me a freedom I haven’t had in years. For me. For my writing. Here’s the quote that expresses how I felt.

Quote #2: A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living.
Who said it? 

​​ Virginia Wolf
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Inspiring quotes found these words originated from her ideas about the writers who’d published before her. But they apply to everyone. Virginia too. We’re all human – our ideas grow and change. Learning new things, or learning from mistakes, that’s part of the process. We don’t lose integrity because of it. We gain, in both our personal and professional lives.  

Sources:
Quote #2:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes 


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Part 3 – The Next Obstacle:  Remember that second chapter that needed polishing? I worked on it, but there was more to polish than I imagined.  I ran into an unexpected obstacle on the last two pages. I had too much information, and it slowed down the story. So I cut and polished, over and over again, but sometimes you have to quit, to get things right in the long run.

And that’s what I did. I went outside to read and relax. I didn’t plan to, but it’s what I needed to do. I realized I’d pushed so hard to write/revise a chapter in a week, that I forgot to have fun. Here's the quote that applied to me that day.

Quote #3: Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.
Who said it? 

​William A. Ward
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Inspiring Quotes researched and discovered that William was a motivational writer. He wanted to inspire people with words. He believed success could start with one small step, like making a plan, or finding start-up money. The important thing – be patient. His advice – find pride and satisfaction in each small step you take.

​Sources:
Quote #3:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes

Part 4 – The Obstacle Revelations:  I hit obstacles in two chapters on a Monday, but by Friday I worked my way through them. I was hoping the next two would be obstacle-free. They weren’t, of course.

That’s when I realized I’ll be facing them in each and every chapter of this manuscript. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Why? I’m doing more research in each chapter than I’ve ever done before. Then I have to pick the facts that work, that move the story forward. If they don’t, I edit/revise until the plot, characters, and supporting details do.
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After a week of bouncing off story walls, I wrote my way to the end of them, and to this quote. It helped me figure out how I can manage this story, chapter by chapter. 
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​Quote #4: To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.
Who said it? 

William Shakespeare

Inspiring Quotes found this in scene 1 from Henry VIII. The set-up – The Duke of Buckingham is complaining about a character who’s manipulating the king. The Duke of Norfolk warms him to be careful, to control his anger.

That didn’t resonate with me, but this part did . . . acting in haste gets you the worst results. Norfolk said, step back. Think, and you’ll see the insights and perspectives that help you choose the right way to go. 
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​Sources:
Quote #4:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes

This is a computer model of what the Titan submersible once looked like. The real one disappeared an hour and 45 minutes into its voyage to the bottom of the North Atlantic. It was supposed to  carry its five passengers down to visit the Titanic.

Titanic, the Ship of Dreams. The one that hit an iceberg in 1912 and sank to the bottom of the sea. Of the 2200 people aboard, only 700 would live to tell its story, and this is what the passengers of the Titan came to see.

Part 1 – The Voyage of the Titan:  This is the map of Titanic’s maiden voyage. It would be its final one too. The yellow star on the bottom of the map is Titanic’s final resting place, and Titan’s destination.

Take your finger north of that star, then a little west. You’ll find Newfoundland. It’s the island where the Titan Submersible began its journey on Friday, June 16th.
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​The huge orange boat is an icebreaker named the Polar Prince. OceanGate hired the ship and its crew to get the submersible to the launch site. They arrived on the 17th.

The Polar Prince launched the submersible at 9:30 AM on the 18th. Everything went well for the first hour and a half. The Titan and Polar Prince talked to each other every 15 minutes, but at the 11:30 mark . . . nothing.

That’s when the search began, and the news went out to the world. I heard it around 1PM. It hurt to know that the people inside had 96 hours of air left, and the rescue teams had 4 days to find them. All over the world people like me began praying.


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When those reports made the news, I hoped . . . the five were still alive. But I was a little skeptical about the pounding, until I heard whales could be heard hundreds of miles away, or that submarine crews really pounded on their ships. There was still time to save those five people, so I said a few more prayers.

 
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Part 3 – Three Theories About What Happened:
​​ As soon as Titan disappeared, the news reports speculated on what could have happened to it.
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Theory #1 – The submersible was bobbing on the water’s surface.

If it had, it might have looked like this boat and the buoy it’s tied to. That’s what Titan was supposed to do. It had seven backup systems that were designed to return it to the surface, if something went wrong.

I never heard this theory on the TV news. It must have been quickly discarded that first day when nothing was seen by ship, by plane, or by sonar and radar.
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​                                          Theory #2 – The submersible got tangled in the wreckage. 

Titanic broke into 2 main pieces, the bow and the stern. They’re seperated by 2000 feet of ocean floor, and it’s littered with the ship’s debris. This is what’s left of the bow. It sits 12,500 feet underwater. Not only would Titan be hard to find, but it might also be impossible to free, in time.

I heard this theory on the news. They interviewed an expert who’d been in a submersible that got tangled in Titanic’s wreckage. His pilot freed them, got them to the surface in time. That TV expert was worried that Titan’s pilot didn’t have the kind of controls to break the submersible free himself.


                                                   Theory #3 – A Catastrophic Implosion happened.

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Something went wrong inside Titan, and it collapsed inward upon itself. That something could have been a leak, a power failure, an electrical short circuit, or the hull could have been breached. The water would have pushed down on the submersible with so much force that the implosion would have happened within  2 nanoseconds. That’s two billionths of a second, so Titan would have been destroyed, immediately.

I heard this theory from the start, but when underwater noises were reported, I was like everyone else, hoping the crew was still alive. It wasn’t meant to be. Late on the 21st, the story came out that a US Navy ship picked up the sound of  an implosion sometime after Titan disappeared underwater. They told the Coast Guard, but they didn’t share the news. Maybe they didn’t want to give up hope, just in case the crew was still alive. 


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                                 Shahzada Dawood

​A father and son traveled down to Titanic together. Their names, Shahzada and Sulemon Dawood. They’re from Surbiton, in south-west London. Shahzada is survived by his wife and daughter.

Shahzada, at age 48, was the UK vice-chairman of the Engro Corporation. They’re a Pakastani company that specializes in  fertilizer, petrochemicals, and engineering projects. He was also a board member for the Prince’s Trust International, one of King Charles III’s charities. Shahzada was an adviser to its international arm, and he focused in on Pakistan.

Suleman, at age 19, just finished his first year of business school at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. He’s survived by his mother and sister.

Shahzada’s wife, Christine, talked about this trip to a reporter. She had originally planned to go, but then Covid hit. When it was rescheduled, her son took her seat. What stayed with me – was how excited she said her husband and son were about this voyage. They were living their dream . . . traveling down to see Titanic together. I hope when I leave this world, I can do it like the Dawoods, following a dream.
 
Photo: By Engro - Original publication: TodayImmediate source: https://www.today.com/news/titanic-missing-sub-shahzada-dawood-passengers-rcna90565,
​Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106816
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​                                  Hamish Harding

 ​Hamish Harding was a fellow passenger and adventurer.  He lived in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. He’s survived by his wife, Linda, two sons, Rory and Giles, a stepdaughter, Lauren, and a stepson, Brian Szasz.

Hamish, aged 58, was the chairman of Action Aviation, a private plane company, and he loved flying. He held an airline transport pilot’s license and had businesss jet ratings for  the Gulfstream G650. He was an adventurer, a skydiver, and a trustee of the Explorers Club. He was chosen in 2022 as a Living Legend of Aviation. Last year he went into space with Blue Origins, and this is his picture to prove it.

Hamish was also involved in a luxury tourism company, White Desert. They were the first to offer regular business jets to Antarctica. The South Pole was one of his favorite destinations, and he helped Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, reach a new goal. In 2016 Buzz became  the oldest person to make it to the South Pole. His age, 86.

Hamish was the ultimate adventurer, and he died making one last trip . . .  to the bottom of the North Atlantic, a place very few humans have reached.
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Photo By Blue Origin - Original publication: The GuardianImmediate source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jun/19/hamish-harding-the-british-explorer-missing-at-sea-near-the-titanic, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106831

​                                 Paul-Henri Nargeolet

Paul-Henri Nargeolet was known as Mr. Titanic. He was born in France, and he’s lived in Pawling, New York since 2022. He’s survived by his wife Anne Sarraz-Bournet, two daughters, Chloe and Sidonie, a son Julien, a stepson, John Nathaniel Paschall, and by four grandsons. His 1st wife, Michele Marsh died in 2017.   

At age 77 Paul-Henri was the senior passenger, and he once served as a French navy commander. He studied Titanic for 35 years, spent hundreds of hours observing it, and has taken several submarines down to the wreck.

He joined a team in 1987 that brought up some artifacts from the ocean floor. Titanic lies in darkness, and it’s covered in coral. Paul-Henri spoke about seeing it from a submarine lit by projectors. Everyone onboard the ship was speechless for 10 minutes, not a sound could be heard. He said the ship is an oasis in an immense desert. Imagine the deep dark bottom of the ocean. Nothing survives there . . . except on, and around the Titanic. Life flourishes there, thanks to an accident.

Paul-Henri has loved Titanic and its history for over 35 years. It seems fitting for his body to rest beside it. For Mr. Titanic, it is the ship of dreams.

Photo By Harpers Collins - Original publication: ICIImmediate source: https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/titanic-le-chamoniard-paul-henri-nargeolet-serait-a-bord-du-sous-marin-disparu-7075224, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74106893

​                                          Stockton Rush

​Stockton Rush was Titan’s pilot on its final voyage. He was also the co-founder and CEO (chief executive officer) of OceanGate. That’s the company that owned and operated Titan. He’s survived by his wife, Wendy and their two children.

Both Stockton and Wendy have important ancestors. Wendy’s great-great-grandparents died onboard the Titanic in 1912. Their names, Isidor and Ida Blun Straus. Stockton is descended from Richard Stockton and Dr. Benjamin Rush – they were both founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Stockton went onto develop several businesses over the last 20 years. At BlueView Technolgies they manufactured high-frequency sonar systems. He also worked at Entomo where he was involved in software development, and at Remote Control Technology Inc. It sounds like each step in his career brought him a little closer to developing Titan.

Stockton was in charge of OceanGate’s financial and engineering divisions too. His vision brought the 4000 and 6000-metre submersibles to life for crews and passengers. I imagine taking this special group of adventurers down to Titanic must have been a big moment. It seems fitting as Stockton’s final mission, and for his final resting place.

Photo By OceanGate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHSPhKUUXIM, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133459795

Sources

Photo by Madelgarius - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133558088

Part 1- 4 – Titan submersible implosion - Wikipedia

Part 2 – https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/06/20/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-live-updates/70336
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Part 3 –  Wreck of the Titanic - Wikipedia
What Happened to the Titanic Sub? Experts Explained Likely Scenarios. (insider.com)
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Part 4 – Titanic sub: what we know about the victims of deep-sea tragedy | Titanic sub incident | The Guardian

I struck gold! I found a museum with real images from Carroll House, but they’re copyrighted too. If you’d like to look at them, here’s another link: Mid-Atlantic | National Museum of American History (si.edu)
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One of the first things I found was the Carroll Family Tabernacle. It’s from the 17th century. The first photo on the left is a tabernacle that looks a little like the Carroll’s. Theirs is nicer, of course. The important thing about the tabernacle is that it held the things needed to celebrate the Eucharist. In my church we call it communion, and we have an altar, not a tabernacle.

I picked the picture in the middle to take the place of John Carroll’s chalice and paten. John was Charles’ cousin, a priest, and the first Catholic bishop in the United States. A chalice is a cup you drink from during communion. The paten is a little plate, and it’s where you put the bread. When you celebrate communion, you are celebrating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. That’s when he shared the bread and the wine, his body and his blood.
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​6/13/23
I’m working on Chapter 10, and I just realized Charles has taken over my story. I’m on the last part of the chapter, and I’m finally writing about another signer of the Declaration of Independence. The rest of the chapter, it’s all about Charles and his family. Here are two new things I learned about them since yesterday.

#1. Charles of Carrollton had an interesting relationship with his father. Partly because his parents never formally married, not until he was 19. Some people today think it had to do with inheritance laws for Catholics. Charles was an only child. Other people think he had to prove his worth as the Carroll heir.
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But the oddest part of their relationship was the way his father ended his letters to boarding school. Before the marriage, he closed with “most affectionately yours, Charles Carroll.”  I know, odd, and after the marriage he signed “your most affectionate father.” Even odder, and Charles was his son, married, or not.

#2. I needed some information for chapter 10. Online it said Charles knew George Washington, and I remembered reading that he came to Carrol House for dinner. I searched my notes, and sure enough George was there first in September 1771, and again in October 1772, four years before the war started.

Fun fact – The signer I’m writing about in this chapter, Richard Stockton stood 6 feet tall. My research said Washington was a friend so I decided to tie them together. How? I looked up Washington’s height – 6 foot 2, and I used the measurement to help Charley’s father remember if they’d met. That’s what I love about writing historical fiction . . . you can use real facts to tell the story. When you do, it reads like a story, not a book report.

BTW – speaking of book reports, my mentor told me the first time she read chapter one of Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream, that it read like a book report. YIKES! I stopped worrying about getting the facts exactly right, and I worked on telling a good story. It worked! The next time she read it, she only had 2 small errors for me to fix, and she said I didn’t need to look at them, at all. I did! I wanted to get my stories just right for you!

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6/11/23
My newest writing project revolves around the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. I needed to picture them so I started reading.

I picked this title because Charles was the last living signer. He’ll tell their story from his point of view. I’m 100 pages in, and here are his two earliest influences.

#1. Charles grew up Catholic so he couldn’t vote, run for office, or worship publicly. Catholics attended church in small chapels in private homes. Gaining religious freedom was why he joined the American Revolution, and he’s our only Catholic signer.

#2. Charles left for a Maryland boarding school at age 10. He left for another one in Europe when he was 11. Can you imagine leaving home and never seeing your mother again? She died while he was in Europe. Charles saw his father, 10 years later. He was now 20.

It’s true . . . Charles Carroll of Carrollton grew up with lots of money, but he had his own crosses to bear.

​​Amazon’s Description:
Charles Carroll (1737-1832) is one of the most important influences on the birth and early development of the United States. Although barred from voting or holding office in his native colony of Maryland on the eve of the Revolution, he actively worked for independence both before and after the outbreak of fighting in 1775. As the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and member of the Continental Congress, he implicitly supported Catholic social principles in the government of the emerging country and in its formative Constitutional period.

Carroll elaborated a natural law basis for the idea of government legitimately based on the popular consent. And guided by the Catholic distinction between state and civil society he worked for a form of government whose power would be limited, checked, and balanced. Himself a victim of religious intolerance as a member of a minority religion, he supported the ending of state-sanctioned churches in order to allow religion to flourish on the basis of free personal choice. This development alone was probably the most significant in the future growth and influence of the United States, as it averted the main cause of religious warfare, and encouraged future immigration from non-English as well as non-Christians in generations to come.

​What is the one thing you can’t buy? Love! Poets write about it. Songwriters sing about it. There’s nothing better than being loved, and there’s nothing worse than feeling unloved. I found three inspiring quotes about its power. 

​                     #1. “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much."

That’s what I see when I look at this family. Their love for each other. I see their smiles, maybe even a giggle. It looks like life has treated them well. So who wrote it? 

​It was Bessie Anderson Stanley. I couldn’t find any pictures, but I found a little information about her. Bessie was born in Newton, Iowa in 1879. She got married in 1900 and moved to Lincoln, Kansas. She died in 1952, when she was 73. 
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In 1904 Brown Book Magazine wanted to know in 100 words or less, “What is success?” Bessie took a chance, and she won first prize, $250. If Bessie hadn’t entered that contest, we wouldn’t know anything about her.
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Bessie wasn’t a writer, but she won another prize. Some people thought her words were written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Others, by Robert Louis Stevenson, and they’re both famous writers. Bessie wrote one piece for one contest. Today she has ten links to her quote on Google, and she’s credited with them too. Words, they can live forever!
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Sources:
Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
Information:  Bessie Anderson Stanley - Wikipedia

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Sources:
My Picture Book Link: Watch | Facebook    
Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
Information: Martin Luther King Jr. - Wikipedia

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​​                                                       #3. “Above all do not forget your duty to love yourself.”
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I think that’s exactly what these photos show. Taking care of yourself is key. So is giving yourself time to think, time to breathe. When you love and care for yourself, it makes it easier to love and care for the people around you.

                                                                                       So who wrote these words?
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It was Søren Aabye Kierkegaard. This is an unfinished sketch from the 1840’s. Søren was from Denmark, and he lived from 1813 – 1855. He was a man of thoughts – a theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and a religious author.

He wrote about Christianity and morality, ethics and psychology. He believed in the value of the individual, and their view of reality. He believed people should make personal choices and commitments. He preferred those very real things to the abstract.
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This quote was written to a friend with a physical disability. Søren told him that even though he might feel different from others, he should still value and love himself, and so should we.

Sources:
Quote:  Inspiring Quotes
Information:  Søren Kierkegaard - Wikipedia

6/4/23
When I reread this, I focused on the Battle of Brooklyn. My manuscript has nothing to do with battles. It’s about our nation’s founding fathers, and one of them owned two houses in New York. One in Brooklyn. The other in New York City. His name – Philip Livingston.

He was a wealthy merchant who made his money the old-fashioned way – he earned it. Philip and his family fled both houses before the battle began, but he made his Brooklyn home available to General Washington, prebattle. Back then Brooklyn was a wilderness. After the British won the battle, his home became a hospital for the royal navy. Philip didn’t live to see the war end. He died in June of 1778.

The second thing that caught my attention was the effect the war had on colonial America. Suddenly families turned on each other. Some backed the King. Others thought of themselves as Patriots. In the story some soldiers passed a boarded-up farm. It was probably owned by patriots like Philip who’d fled the British invasion. Later when the redcoats left New York, it was the loyalists who fled the city.

Finally I was shocked by the number of American soldiers who died on prison ships docked around New York City. The number – 11,500. That’s a lot of prisoners, and they were treated horribly. Think of starving soldiers with little/no medical care. Many were captured during the Battle of Brooklyn or Battle of Long Island. Whichever name you use, it was still one of the biggest battles of the Revolution. The loss of life – Huge. It’s expected during a battle, but not afterwards.

5/24/23
I picked this book because I Survived is one of my favorite series. I also picked it because I’m researching this time period for a middle grade novel. It didn’t add anything new to my research, but it helped me picture a time period that’s so different from our own. I picked three things from Lauren’s back matter that caught my attention. I hope they catch yours too.

#1 – I didn’t realize America in 1776 was one of the wealthiest places in the world. I was also surprised that more people could read in the colonies than anywhere else, including England. I bet King George was surprised the colonies rebelled.

#2 – Without France the colonies would have lost the war. In 1778 France started sending the Americans money, troops, and weapons. Why? France and England were age-old enemies, and France hoped that losing the colonies, would make England weaker. But French help didn’t work right away. Nor did the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. The war didn’t end until 1783. (If you scan down the page, you’ll find the painting Treaty of Paris. Only half of it’s there. Why? The British refused to be painted.)

#3 – I was happy to see Lauren write, “George Washington was even more interesting than I thought.” Lately founding fathers like George have been criticized because of slavery. It was a terrible thing. Unfortunately it’s a part of our history that can’t be changed. I’m glad it’s gone, and I’d like to think that if George and the other founding fathers came back today, that they would be too.

Here's Lauren’s list of George’s good traits: smart, brave, great husband, doting stepfather. A lot of people today would like George, but this is what Lauren admired . . . he knew how to fail. He made mistakes, but he learned from them. No one is mistake-proof, but we can all work to do better. George’s Battle of Brooklyn was one of his biggest mistakes. That’s what this book is about, that battle, and it’s worth reading!
​Amazon’s Description:
Bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tackles the American Revolution in this latest installment of the groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling I Survived series. British soldiers were everywhere. There was no escape.

Nathaniel Fox never imagined he'd find himself in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, fighting for his life. He was only eleven years old! He'd barely paid attention to the troubles between America and England. How could he, while being worked to the bone by his cruel uncle, Uriah Storch?

But when his uncle's rage forces him to flee the only home he knows, Nate is suddenly propelled toward a thrilling and dangerous journey into the heart of the Revolutionary War. He finds himself in New York City on the brink of what will be the biggest battle yet.

​

4/11/23
If you like history, you’ll love this book! It takes you into real events, then uncovers the truth. For example, have you heard of Molly Pitcher? I had, but Kate Messner’s sources said she didn’t exist. That Molly’s story came from two real women, Mary Ludwig Hays and Margaret Corbin. They both fired cannons when their husbands couldn’t. The name Molly Pitcher – it probably came from the ladies who carried water to the troops.

This is just one story. Look below the Amazon description, and you’ll find three famous paintings, and the stories Kate told about where they went wrong.
​
​Amazon’s Description:
Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. The fun mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels make this perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, shouting, "The British are coming!" to start the American Revolution.RIGHT?

WRONG! Paul Revere made it to Lexington, but before he could complete his mission, he was captured! The truth is, dozens of Patriots rode around warning people about the Redcoats' plans that night. It was actually a man named Samuel Prescott who succeeded, alerting townspeople in Lexington and then moving on to Concord. But the Revolutionary War didn't officially start for more than a year after Prescott's ride. No joke.

​

                                                                           AND THOSE THREE PAINTINGS  . . .

​​This painting is titled ‘Declaration of Independence,’ but it doesn’t show the real signing. That didn’t happen until August 2, 1776. This was two months earlier, June 28. That’s when the drafting committee presented the Declaration to the Continental Congress, but this painting still isn’t right.

John Trumbull wasn’t there to see the signing. He painted it years later. He did his research and talked to some of the signers. Thomas Jefferson even gave him a sketch of the room. If John had paid attention, he would have noticed the wall wasn’t in the background. That the flags and drum weren’t on the wall, and that the delegates had much simpler chairs, but John changed them to make his painting look better.

But there was a bigger problem ahead – John had to decide who should be in the painting. He didn’t know whether to include all the men from June, or if he should leave out the ones who voted against the Declaration. He finally decided to put in the signers. His next mistake – he left out fourteen. Why? He didn’t know what they looked like. Sometimes getting things just right, it’s impossible. 

This is the Birth of Old Glory. It’s supposed to show Betsy Ross giving George Washington the first flag, but the BIG problem – there’s no evidence it ever happened.

Kate discovered that Congress approved a new flag in June of 1777, but there are no primary sources to prove that Betsy Ross made it. Washington didn’t write about it in his journal or in his notes, and there are no sales receipts.

So where did this tale come from? Betsy’s grandson retold her story of that first flag. It was an article for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, but it was a hundred years too late for us to believe. Grandma Ross really sewed flags for the Pennsylvania navy, and she really was a seamstress in colonial Philadelphia. But the first flag, no one will ever really know who made it.
​

This is the Treaty of Paris. If you scan down to the next book, it’s about the Tower of London, and you’ll see this painting again. It shows the men who negotiated the treaty to end the Revolutionary War. Their names are in this caption, and in that one too.

Kate pointed out the right side of the painting. I didn’t notice it last time. Do you see that foggy section? It’s where the British negotiators would have been seated. The only problem – they refused to pose . . . so Benjamin West solved it by painting them into a cloud.


​

​3/29/23
I didn’t read the whole book this time. Just one chapter, that I remembered from before. Why? It’s all about the only American ever held in the Tower of London. His name – Henry Laurens. Here are the details that caught my eye. That I thought I might be able to use in the middle grade I’m working on.

​On Slavery
Henry owned slaves, but some of his actions surprised me. He had two partners in the slave trade . . . he left the business. Later during the Revolutionary War, Henry was put in charge of the defense of Charleston, and he suggested asking free blacks and slaves (to volunteer). Many slave owners opposed it, including George Washington. Henry did it anyway, and his troops kept the British out of Charleston. George Washington never forgave him, and he told his friends in Congress all about it too. 

​The Continental Congress
Henry joined the Continental Congress in January of 1777. In November he became its president, but he resigned a year later, in December of 1778. Politics! Henry kept his seat and focused on building an alliance with the Dutch. It took two years, but he got them to resume trade, and give the US a $10 million loan. Congress said OK, but do it yourself. Henry did, but he was captured as soon as his ship broke into the open sea. They found his briefcase and the treaty. He was taken into custody and later convicted of high treason. He couldn’t even be exchanged as a prisoner of war. And the Dutch – King George attacked them and destroyed their navy. There went Henry’s loan! 

​The Tower of London
Henry was taken to the Tower where he was expected to pay for his room, his guards, and for any necessities. He was finally exchanged for Lord Cornwallis himself. His surrender at Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War. But Henry didn’t go home – instead Benjamin Franklin asked him to come to France to help negotiate the peace. He didn’t even get to finish the treaty – Ben sent him back to England, as our first unofficial ambassador. 

Returning Home
Henry returned to find his plantations destroyed and one of his sons dead. He died during the closing days of the war. Henry lived for another seven years, and he gained a new nickname – Tower Laurens. He left two endowments behind . . . to the wife of his Tower jailer. The other . . . to their daughter. Evidently she carried messages to his friends, until some guards noticed her unusual activity. Then it stopped.   (Amazon's description is below.)

Amazon’s Description:
The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. Tales from the Tower is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in Tales from the Tower present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armour to the darkest days of World War II.  Anyone who loves history and adventure will find Tales from the Tower a classic page turner.

​

​3/19/23
Here are 3 stories that caught my eye this week. Two are about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The third, George Washington.

1, In April and May of 1780, the British had their eyes on Charleston, South Carolina. It fell on May 12, but the British got a bonus – three men who signed the Declaration –Thomas Heyward, Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton. They were arrested and held in a dungeon inside the city. Their next stop – a British prison in St. Augustine, Florida. I was glad they weren’t hanged, but, they weren’t famous like John Hancock or Thomas Jefferson. Maybe that’s why they survived.

​2. Richmond, Virginia was burned to the ground in January of 1781. The government escaped to Charlottesville, but the British found out, and now they’re riding hard to capture it. They stopped to rest at a tavern where Jack Jouett overheard them. He rides through the night to warn Thomas Jefferson. His face is scratched so badly that Jack will live with the scars for the rest of his life, but he makes it in time to warn Thomas. But the night isn’t over. Thomas sends him back out to warn the legislature. If Jouett hadn’t made that ride, the Brits would have captured the legislature, plus four signers – Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson, Benjamin Harrison, and Richard Henry Lee. They all escaped, thanks to Jack’s ride. 

​3. ​Soldiers give up a lot for their country. George Washington left Mount Vernon in 1775, and he didn’t return until six years later. He finally stopped in on September 12, 1781, for one night. The army was on its way to Yorktown for a final matchup with General Cornwallis. George thought he could spare one night . . . to sleep in his own bed, to see his wife Martha, and to look out on the Potomac River from his porch. George couldn’t help himself . . . he stayed two nights. I would have too, after six years away from home.
​

3/15/2023
It’s working! I’m a week into this book, on Chapter 19, and it’s helped me to imagine this time period, its heroes, and villains. Here are three big discoveries I’ve made so far. There are others, of course, but not everyone loves reading research 😊

1. I discovered where many of the founders went for a drink, or for a stay. John Adams said it was the “most genteel tavern in America.” This is key! I need its name to help you picture the setting in the first couple chapters of my book.  

2. I found a HUGE mistake in my manuscript, in Chapter 2! I put Ben Franklin in Philadelphia in April of 1777. The problem – he sailed to France in November of 1776. OOPS! I’m glad I found it, and fixed it.  
3.  I can’t use this one yet, but I saw a passage in Wikipedia that said Thomas Jefferson blamed King George for slavery, and he put it in the Declaration of Independence, in one of the drafts. I didn’t believe it, but it’s true! I read his words, in a footnote in this book! Unfortunately, Georgia and South Carolina were slave-owning states, so they had the words pulled.  

It’s sad. It might have changed things, like no Civil War, but can you imagine getting 13 people to agree on anything? Imagine getting 13 colonies and their 56 representatives to do that. Sometimes you have to negotiate to get part of what you want. You can never, ever, get everything.

Started 3/7  
I started reading today because I need to immerse myself in research. I found an idea last July, and it wouldn’t let me go. It took me until the end of 2022 to figure out where the story should go. I was searching for a ribbon, a main idea, to thread through the story, from the beginning until the very end.

Now that it’s 2023, I’m writing! My critique group looked at chapter 1, twice. This time their advice – add comments and keep moving. I’ll do that this week.

I’ll also revise chapter 2 and have my critique group look at it again. I’ll take notes, and keep going. Why? Because this is a BIG topic! The biggest I’ve ever written. I could end up with 50-60 chapters, total.
As I write, I’ll learn more about the historical figures at the heart of the American story. I’ll revise better if I know their story, and, it will be easier. I love two-fers!

I started the prologue today, and I’m at the beginning of the French and Indian War. I’m watching a  young George Washington fight in the battle over Fort Duquesne and the Ohio Valley. I’m also listening to what Ben Franklin said, prebattle. He warned the British about the Indians and their kind of fighting, but they didn’t listen, and, they lost badly.

                                        PS - If I find any fun facts along the way, I’ll share them with you.
        PPS – Well written nonfiction is a joy to read. I love learning new details and points of view!

​Amazon’s Description:
The Revolutionary War as never told before.

This breathtaking installment in Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s mega-bestselling Killing series transports readers to the most important era in our nation’s history: the Revolutionary War. Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III, Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking the reader from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe.

What started as protest and unrest in the colonies soon escalated to a world war with devastating casualties. O’Reilly and Dugard recreate the war’s landmark battles, including Bunker Hill, Long Island, Saratoga, and Yorktown, revealing the savagery of hand-to-hand combat and the often brutal conditions under which these brave American soldiers lived and fought. Also here is the reckless treachery of Benedict Arnold and the daring guerrilla tactics of the “Swamp Fox” Frances Marion.

A must read, Killing England reminds one and all how the course of history can be changed through the courage and determination of those intent on doing the impossible.

Finished 5/22
I was prepared to love this one . . .I’d read the first two books in the series, but a small detail put me off at the beginning. A name, Elin von Snakenborg. I’d heard of Helena, but the difference was enough to throw me off. I trusted the author and kept reading.

I’m glad I did! I discovered how Elin became Helena, a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I. Her story pulled me in. Plus, the real Helena was a great character, the kind of friend Elizabeth needed when she didn’t know who to trust.  

I knew the prologue would come into play, but when it did, it caught me by surprise. And then, I couldn’t stop reading. It was Aesop’s fable with the frozen snake. Instead of gratitude, the snake bites/kills the person who saved it. The moral – you knew I was a snake when you found me. There’s a human one waiting for Elizabeth, and for Helena. I guessed Elizabeth’s, but Helena’s, it kept me reading.

This book may be fiction, but it hits all the important parts of Elizabeth’s history, especially the plots that threatened her from the moment she became queen. What makes this book unique is that it lets you see England and Elizabeth from Helena’s eyes. One of the best quotes, “It would behoove us at court, I thought, to better pay attention to what she did and not only to what she said. She showed us all what she told very few.” It’s great advice. Look at someone’s actions. They’ll tell you far more than what they actually say.

I forgot to share another quote from book 2. Juliana remembers some advice from Euripides. “Time will discover everything . . . it is a babbler and speaks even when no question is put.” So if you’re looking for an answer, give it time, and eventually, time will answer you.
​
Amazon’s Description:
What happens when serving a queen may cost you your marriage—or your life?
From the author of To Die For comes a stirring novel that sheds new light on Elizabeth I and her court, a book that evokes the Tudor period's complexity, grandeur, and brutality.

In 1565, seventeen-year-old Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden on a treacherous journey to England. Her fiancé has fallen in love with her sister, and her dowry money has been gambled away. Ahead of her lies an adventure that will take her to the dizzying heights of Tudor power and plunge her to the riskiest, most heartrending lows.

Transformed through marriage into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, she becomes the highest-ranking woman in Elizabeth's circle and Elizabeth's dear friend and confidant. But in a court surrounded by enemies plotting the queen's downfall, Helena is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she's not sure she can trust—a choice that will provoke catastrophic consequences.

Vividly conjuring the years leading up to the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, Roses Have Thorns is a multi-layered exploration of treason, both to the realm and the heart.

~~~ A discussion of potentially sensitive content may be found on the author’s webpage for this book for those who would like to preview it before reading.

​

Finished 5/10
This book and Juliana, had me from the first page, the first chapter. That’s when she meets Thomas Seymour, brother of Queen Jane, the one who gave Henry VIII his only son. Thomas offers Juliana a position in Katherine Parr’s household, and I get to watch historical figures move in and out of the house.

Katherine was never my favorite queen, but I’ve gained a whole new level of respect reading how she treated people. Thomas had his eye on her for a long time, and when he thinks he’ll marry Katherine and all her wealth, the king snaps her up. No one argues with Henry VIII.

Thanks to Juliana, I had a front row seat to history. The story is fictional, but it’s based on real events. It’s like following the basic plot lines of history, but adding in the emotions, the things people might have said and done. The things that never made it into history books.

This time period is full of the life/death religious fight between the Catholics and Protestants. Juliana has prophetic dreams. Her biggest challenge, to decide who to tell/who not to. The wrong person would call you a witch. The right one would listen and wait to use the information. One of Juliana’s dreams – a parchment falls from a bishop’s pocket. It’s an arrest warrant for Katherine. The dream might not have happened, but Henry really signed a parchment. Someone found it and gave it to Katherine. That saved her life.

Juliana gave me the chance to see Elizabeth grow up, to watch the horror when Thomas pursues her, and the death of Katherine in childbed fever. Her only child, Mary Seymour, dies young, but this novel connects real events to let her live past childhood. The first time I read this book I was hooked by Julianna’s story, and the second time . . . I could see the nuts and bolts of the story, and how Sandra Byrd put them together.

PS – my newest story – it’s about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. I realized after writing how Sandra uses a friend to tell Anne Boleyn’s story, that I’m using her technique . . . I’m on chapter 6, and I have one signer telling the story, just like Sandra 😊

Amazon’s Description:
In a court full of intrigue, what if the most heart-wrenching secrets Juliana must keep are her own?
Sir Thomas Seymour offers Juliana St. John a place in the household of Katherine Parr, a welcome reprieve. Juliana blossoms under Kate's maternal warmth, but all is not well. Juliana has the gift of prophetic dreams and "sees" terrible events visited upon the highborn. If her prophetic gift is discovered, she will be accused of heresy or, worse, witchcraft.

Katherine Parr is a beautiful, intelligent woman whose generosity is surpassed only by her kindness. Unsurprisingly, she attracts the attention of King Henry VIII, who recently dispatched his fifth wife. Unfortunately, being Henry's beloved carries no small risk for Kate and her household, especially after she becomes his queen. As a member of the queen's inner circle, Juliana bears witness to a barrage of plots within the increasingly treacherous court—many intended to remove Kate's influence and, perhaps, her life.

As Henry's illness progresses toward death, those seeking to claim his power descend on the queen. Meanwhile, Thomas Seymour is revealed to be both more and immeasurably less than the kindhearted benefactor Juliana once thought him to be. As the queen's trusted confidante, Juliana is a well-practiced secret keeper. But when unforeseen violence upends her future, the most heart-wrenching secret she keeps is her own.

Threading historical fact through gripping fiction, Byrd creates a rich tapestry of one young woman's battle to protect those she loves from harm.

​

Finished 5/1
I didn’t realize I have the 1st edition of this book, until I started writing this post. The original, came out in 2012. This is the new 2023 cover. It’s an update, but I won’t buy it . . .  most of the story should be the same.

I pulled it out to reread when I bought book 2. It’s the 2nd edition. I didn’t know it existed, until last week. Tonight I went ahead and bought book 3. The Tudors fascinate me, especially Anne Boleyn. Can you imagine a woman, changing the religion of a country, in a time period dominated by men? Wow! Amazing!

What makes this book different from all the others about Anne, is that it combines 1st and 3rd person. The story is about Anne, but it’s told by her best friend Meg Wyatt. It works because you can see her through Meg’s eyes. I don’t know of any other books that do this.  I’m tucking the idea away . . . for my own writing.

The author also has 4 sections of back matter. Sandra uses an author’s note to show what is historically true, and what she changed to make it read better. For example, the Wyatts had 2 daughters, but neither was named Meg. Why? Too many names were the same. Changing them doesn’t change Anne’s story, but it makes it easier for a reader to follow.

Sandra also shared her bibliography. Then she added in a readers’ guide with discussion group questions. She ended with an author’s Q & A that let me peek into the choices she made when writing/revising. One of them – why she told the story from Meg’s point of view, not Anne’s.
​
Amazon’s Description:
When Anne Boleyn catches the eye of the king, Meg Wyatt accompanies her dearest friend to the thrilling court of King Henry VIII. However, as Anne and Henry's affections grow, Meg receives devastating news: the man she loves is forfeiting their future together to pursue his calling as a priest. Heartbroken, Meg commits to ensuring Anne's well-being.

The court crawls with climbers; some see Anne as an ally, while others consider her an adversary. In a place where deception and intrigue are common currencies, it is difficult to discern friend from foe—even within one's chambers. Anne's status rises, and Meg remains her loyal confidante, positions neither takes lightly. Unfortunately, the same determined ideals that make Anne a worthy queen and a champion for the English Reformation provide her enemies with a deadly foothold on her future.

Charismatic Henry is a single-minded king and a fickle-minded man. When Anne cannot produce the male heir he desires, she falls out of favor, allowing her enemies to pounce. Accusations and false testimony prevail. Anne Boleyn is sentenced to die.

Meg bears witness to her friend's stalwart grace, even unto death. Weighted with grief, Meg expects a dim future. But then, an unexpected source reignites a long-held spark still kindling in her heart. Could that which is worth dying for be exactly what makes life worth living?

Fusing compelling fiction with historical facts, To Die For is a masterful tale of unflinching friendship and unquenchable love.

​

Finished 4/28
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. This book takes you back to England in 1715. Here’s the back story . . .  Queen Anne died in 1714, and her heir . . . German George. Naturally that didn’t go over in England, so James Francis Stuart decided to fight for the crown.

The interesting part – Anne, George, and James were all related, through King James II. The Brits got rid of him because he was Catholic. Replacing him – William and Mary – Protestants. Fun fact – Both Anne and Mary were King James II’s daughters.

This book is listed on Amazon as Religious/Christian historical fiction, and also as historical Christian romance. The story focuses on the fight between Catholics and Protestants. I haven’t read a lot of religious stories, but this one isn’t teachy-preachy. I go to church for that.

Instead, it focuses on the relationship between a man and a woman on opposite sides of the fight. They find common ground in faith, and prayer.

Part 2 - A Few Good Quotes: You’ll find one at the beginning of each chapter. Here are a few of my favorites . . .
 
1.  I can make a lord, but only God can make a gentleman. KING JAMES I – Chapter 2 - He became king after Elizabeth I died. He was the first Stuart from Scotland to rule England.
 
2. Hide not your Talents, they for Use were made. What’s a Sun-Dial in the shade? BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - Chapter 32 – He was born in Massachusetts. In 1706 it was a British colony. Poor Richard’s Almanac made his writing famous, but that was long after the 1715 rising against George I. 

3.  No more tears now; I will think about revenge. MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS - 44– She wanted to become queen so she plotted the death of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Mary was arrested and executed, but her son, James I became king after Elizabeth died.

4.  A rule that may serve for a statesman, a courtier, or a lover: Never make a defense or apology before you be accused. CHARLES I OF ENGLAND - 52 – He was the only English monarch executed for treason.

5. In private life he would have been called an honest blockhead. LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE, SPEAKING OF GEORGE I – 61 – Lady Mary was part of George’s court, and she put her thoughts into a book.

6.  We are twice armed if we fight with faith. PLATO – 62 – He was a famous Greek philosopher who lived 300 - 400 years before Christ.

Amazon’s Description:
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies--and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.

Finished 4/20
I bought book 3 when I got the others in August of 2011. It’s all about the plot and rising tension. It increases every time the fight grows between the Capital and the Districts. Katniss and Peeta are used as tools by both sides. For Katniss, it’s her choice, but the Capital uses torture to force Peeta into becoming its mouthpiece.

There are three places that tug at my emotions, and they’re all near the end. The first comes when Katniss returns to District 12, and so does Buttercup, Prim’s cat. Every time I read it; I tear up. There’s something about the situation that tugs at my emotions, and I don’t know why.

The second is when Katniss describes how she and Peeta grew back together slowly, and the final . . . when Katniss retells how difficult it was to have children. They’re both lovely, and they’re part of a satisfying ending, but they just don’t hit me emotionally the way Buttercup’s scene does. After all these years, I still can’t explain why it’s my heart moment.

The other two books hit me differently this time, I think because of how the world has changed. But book 3 is about an actual revolution, with guns and bombs. That’s happening, but it’s in the Ukraine. My head knows about it, but it doesn’t touch my heart, not yet. I’ve experienced the things that happened between the Capital and the Districts in books 1 and 2. They affected how I feel, how I think. I hope I never have to experience war, with guns and fighting, the way Katniss and Peeta did.

​Amazon’s Description:
The greatly anticipated final book in the New York Times bestselling Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss Everdeen. The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!

​

Finished 4/17
I’ve had book 2 since August of 2011, and I always read it after book 1. I remember back then what a writing mentor said about the ending, that it wasn’t satisfying. That surprised me then, but not now.
After all these years of plotting stories, I can see that the ending comes too fast. Katniss goes from blowing up the force field surrounding the arena to a hospital bed.

That’s where Haymitch finally explains how the games started the revolution. It needed Katniss as its symbol so the rebels pulled her out first, but Peeta was captured by the Capital, and that’s the end of book 2. It was unsatisfying because it was super abrupt, just like my mentor said back in 2011.

This time I was struck by how we’re forced to trust the news and the stories they choose to tell. That’s what the Capital does. If you watch the main stream news channels, you hear what the Democrats want. If you watch other sources, you hear the Republican side. Sometimes they even show the same event, from totally different perspectives. And the truth, it’s probably somewhere in the middle, I hope.

​Amazon’s Description:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Finished 4/13
I bought The Hunger Games back in August of 2011. I’ve read it a couple times since then, and those first few pages always pull me in, even though I know the story. What keeps me reading time after time, the characters. They’re 3-D. From Katniss to Haymitch to President Snow. Hero, villain, and supporting characters, they all have their own unique, distinctive personalities.

And the plot – Katniss and Peeta are picked as tributes for District 12. They must compete to survive the Hunger Games, with all its twists and turns and bitter ending. Who knew that poison berries could be as toxic as apples? The complications follow Katniss and Peeta home to District 12, and into the next book.

What struck me this time, that didn’t before, the government. It signals its virtues, and the people, they accept it. It reminds me of what I see on the news. My biggest fear – that our problems will get worse, just like the Hunger Games, until people are willing to stand up and fight for what’s right. Hopefully, before it’s too late.
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Amazon’s Description:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

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Finished 4/10
I bought this book back in July of 2011. I’ve read it a couple of times, and I’m always struck by the darkness of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Seeing it through the eyes of the new American ambassador, it highlights the ruthlessness of the Nazis. They were interested in power, not the welfare of the German people.

This time, I didn’t notice the darkness as much. I tuned into the similarity between then, and now. In the last four years, we’ve been from January 6th to the George Floyd riots. From Covid to the Ukraine. Now China and Taiwan. It’s the darkest period I can remember.

The other thing that struck me, was looking at the diplomats at the State Department. The ambassador called them the Pretty Good Club. I wish they’d been the Best Ever. We needed them in 1933, and we need them today. My fear – we’ve got pretty good people, who just aren’t quite good enough. They’re interested in power and in their own careers, not in the welfare of the American people. I pray that good will prevail, sooner, not later.
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Amazon’s Description:
Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the best-selling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power.

The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.

A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first, Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany”, she has one affair after another, including with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate.

As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance - and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.

Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming - yet wholly sinister - Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively listenable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.

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If you copy someone’s work when you’re young, you’re called a copycat. You might get in trouble with your teacher. Maybe with the person you copied from, but it doesn’t hurt a lot.
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If you copy when you’re older, like in high school, you might get a bad grade. If you do it in college, it’s serious. The name even changes. It’s called plagarism. Not only will you get a bad grade, you might be kicked out of college. It might stay on your academic record, making it hard/impossible to get into another school. 
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​Part 1 - Meet Ed Sheeran: He’s a famous musician/songwriter, but he’s run into a couple of copyright issues.

I did too, when I found these public domain pictures of Ed. I’m allowed to share them with you, but only if I acknowledge the photographer. If I don’t, I could get into trouble. I don’t like trouble, so I”ll paste their names below the pictures. It’s the right thing to do too, to give creators credit for their work.
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Look at both pictures. Which Ed looks older? If you said the first one, you’re right. It was taken in 2018 in Berlin. The second one is from a festival in 2014. Ed changed a lot, in those four years. 

Would you believe that it was in 2014 that Ed got into copyright problems. Why? What happened? Keep reading. My source:
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                                       Link: Ed Sheeran wins Thinking Out Loud copyright case - BBC News
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​In 2014 Ed was hit with a lawsuit over his hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” The children of Ed Townsend thought it was too close to their dad’s hit with Marvin Gaye. , “Let’s Get It On.”   

Ed Townsend’s children thought Ed Sheeran copied too much from their dad, and the kids sued Ed, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music for copyright infringement. The case wasn’t settled until May 4 of this year, 2023. Nine years is a long time to wait for a judgement. It’s also a long time to pay a lawyer.

The heart of the case wraps around the chords and rhythms. Ed Sheeran’s lawyer says those elements are like the letters of the alphabet. They build words. In music those elements build songs.  The other side says they don’t own the elements, but they own their father’s unique arrangement of them.
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Both sides in the litigation, must have had good points to keep the court case alive. Good pieces of evidence. So what tipped the scales for Ed Sheeran, all puns intended? 😊 He testified, with his guitar. He sang bits of his song and talked about the four chords he used to write it. He probably talked about the four chords in the other song, and how they were different.

Ed talked about writing it in England with his friend Amy Wadge. He said he was inspired by his grandparents, and by a new someone he’d started seeing.

Both sides used musicologists, people who study how music is put together. They use computers to help them analyze it. Ed Sheeran’s witness pointed out those same four-chords in question, they were found in a couple of songs written and produced before Marvin’s song came out in 1973. Marvin and Ed were never sued over those chords, and their hit came out 31 years before Ed Sheeran’s.

During the trial Ed’s lawyer said, “These are basic musical building blocks that songwriters now and forever must be free to use, or all of us who love music will be poorer for it.” Ed Townsend’s children, Ed Sheeran’s, and children yet unborn will never hear that music, or write it either.
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Ed told reporters he’d quit singing and writing songs if he was found guilty. Thank goodness he wasn’t. His talent, his genius would have been lost, forever.
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Afterwards, Ed thanked the jurors, but he said he was also “frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.” He added, if the verdict had been guilty, “we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters.”
Ed is not done with copyright lawsuits. There’s still one hanging over his head for “Thinking Out Loud.” David Pullman is an investment banker, and his company holds the copyright for the Marvin Gaye song too. He has the next lawsuit.

I write for children, and I can see both sides of the issue. I’m just glad I don’t have to sit in judgement on this case, or any others.                                                   ​

​Source: Ed Sheeran wins Thinking Out Loud copyright case - BBC News

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Part 2: Copyright, for Reading a Book:  I started doing Saturday Reads in April of 2022. I was excited about sharing new books and authors with you. I’ve always been a reader, and one of my favorite things . . . reading out loud. This seemed perfect!

A few months later a friend asked about Saturday Reads. I told her I read and record a picture book every Saturday. Then she asked if I had permission from the publisher. That’s when I got a sinking feeling. I hadn’t even thought about it, until she asked. Now, I was worried. Violating copyright is expensive, even if you do it by accident, and that’s exactly what I’d done.

         This is a copyright for a children’s book. It’s mine, so I have permission to share it with you.
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​ Copyright © 2019 by Rinda Beach. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written per-mission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

The underlined part, those are the important words. I asked another writing friend about them. She’s also a small publisher. She said I could still do Saturday Reads, but only if I read part of the book. She explained that by recording it, a reader could get the book without buying it. That’s not fair to the publisher, or to the author/illustrator, and I’m one of those. I had no idea, but now I do, so I changed how I do Saturday Reads.

Now I stop at/before the halfway point, when there’s a question about how the story ends. Then I tell curious readers to check out the book at their local library or book store. I still get to introduce new books and authors, but now it’s the right way. I’m grateful to both of my friends. One warned me about the danger, and the other showed me how to share books correctly.

It all started with a photo, but not this one. It’s public domain, so I’m safe to use it. The one I picked, it wasn’t.

Back in the day when I was teaching, I took some tech classes, and they said it was alright to use Bing images. I thought that was still true when I started my blog in November of 2016. I was writing, but I wasn’t making money from my blog. WRONG!
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This isn’t the photo either, but the original one was of Donald Trump. It was taken back in August of 2017, back when there was a huge eclipse, and it was supposed to be the best one, for a long time. If you’d like to read what I wrote back then, here’s the link . . .
http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/august-26th-2017

But now you won’t find anything about Donald Trump in that post. I’d written about how everyone, including Donald, Melania, and Barron went outside to see the eclipse. They had special glasses on, like everyone else across the country. I wrote about the First Family, and I had a picture of them too.

That photo stayed up for half a year or more. Then one day I got an email from a law firm in Canada. They were representing a French newspaper/magazine. The email asked me to cease and desist. They wanted me to take down the picture, because of copyright. AND they wanted money, almost $200 for my mistake. 
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I wanted to ignore it, but I couldn’t. They had me! They had a photo of the post, with the date, and the photo in question. I didn’t ask any more questions. They gave me a number to call, and I did. I spoke to a lawyer, and I told her my story . . . how I was a retired teacher and an unpublished writer, who wasn’t making any money from their photo, or from my website. I also told them I’d already taken the photo down, per their request.
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It wasn’t enough. I still had to pay a fine, just like you do when you get a speeding ticket. (You have to have a really good excuse to get out of it, like you’re having a baby.) I didn’t, but they took my situation into account. They cut my fine in half, and I learned how to find and use Public Domain pictures.
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I was scared to death for at least six months. I’d been using Bing photos for almost a year, but I lucked out. No one else contacted me, but, I learned my lesson, at least about photos. Now I never search Bing for them. I go to Pixabay or Wikipedia, and I follow their rules (like I did with the photos of Ed Sheeran). Copyright lawsuits are expensive. Ask Ed!
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Part 4: Copyright and My First Book:  This was my first, and worst experience with copyright. I’d done all the work, gone through all the problems that go with writing and publishing a book. I’d lost and found three illustrators. That was the first time I was dead in the water. Then I’d found a friend who helped me with the illustration codes for IngramSparks, my printer. If he hadn’t figured it out, I would have been dead in the water again.

That’s when the third one hit. I was meeting with a local business group in April. I wanted to spread the word that my book was coming out in May . . . Someone asked if I’d talked to Purdue. I looked at them, completely blank. She said Purdue had a foundation that owns the copyright to Neil Armstrong’s name and image. Later a friend said I look shell-shocked. I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know what to do next, except cry.
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There’s always a silver lining, if you’re willing to look for it. I had a critique group that afternoon, and one of the members is a small Texas publisher. She looked up the copyright and showed it to me. (I couldn’t even find it.) Then I had to figure out what to do next. I’m a retired second grade teacher. I didn’t know anything about copyright back then, but I’ve always known how to ask questions. It’s one of my superpowers.
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​So, I asked a friend, my daughter’s mother-in-law. She’s actually a copyright lawyer. How lucky was that?! I gave her a call. The next day she had the name of the contact at Purdue, and she had gathered information for me. She coached me on what to do, but she didn’t represent me . . . lawyers can’t work outside their own state lines. She helped me figure out what to say. Then she nudged me and got me moving.

It took a month, but I finally got permission from Purdue. Why? How? Money! I negotiated a contract with them (I know . . . crazy . . . for a retired teacher to do). Someone told me this group of lawyers even represented Marilyn Monroe’s estate. OUCH! Lucky them, this time they were working with a retired teacher. Me.

My lawyer friend showed me how to decide if an offer was fair, for me. The first one wasn’t. Every penny I earned, plus an extra nickel, went to Purdue. They had no idea, literally. We went back and forth a few times (I know . . . it still amazes me that I did it.), and we finally came to an agreement that worked for Purdue, and for me too. Thank Goodness!

I didn’t set the publishing date, not until the contract was signed and dated. THEN, I could sell my book. It was the first time I learned writing is a business. If you can’t make money by selling a good or service, you can’t stay in business. According to the IRS, my business is considered a hobby. Why? I don’t make enough money to qualify. Entrepreneurship is NOT for the faint of heart. It’s for businesspeople who can produce goods and services at a reasonable price, pay for their expenses (people and materials) and make enough money to pay for their own expenses (their own wants and needs). If you can’t do that, you are a hobbyist, like me.
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Meet the new King and Queen of the United Kingdom, as of 1PM today, May 6th, London time. This was their official portrait this morning. It’s from 2019 when they were titled Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Don’t worry, they still look pretty much the same.

This is the first coronation since Elizabeth II in June of 1953. I wasn’t born yet, like most of the world, so this is the first coronation I’ve ever seen. I looked up the schedule last night. Click here to see what it said: Here's the Full Schedule for King Charles III’s Coronation | Time
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For the general public, the real enthusiasts, it all started at 6AM, London time. That’s when the viewing areas in central London opened up. Those early risers got a great view of the King’s procession. It passed by, twice. Me, I was fast asleep. That was 1AM, Tennessee time.
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​This is the official invitation. I didn’t get one, but Wikipedia let me share this one with you. The guest list had 2200 names, but only 2,000 people fit inside the church, so planning started way back in September.

The British government paid for this event, so they got to make the guest list. It included members of the royal family, representatives from the government, and both houses of Parliament. Representatives of the Commonwealth countries, foreign royalty, and heads of state got invitations too. Jill Biden represented the United States.
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All the invitations and RSVPs were done months ago, just like they are for a wedding. In March the holy oil was consecrated by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. If you’re a Christian, this is where you go to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s fitting that the holy oil is consecrated there.
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And just like a wedding, there were practices for Coronation Day. On the morning and evening of April 17th and 18th the military did dress rehearsals for the two processions. No one does ceremony like the Brits.

On the 19th the RAF (Royal Air Force) practiced their flypast, and finally on May 3 the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, plus the Princess Royal (his sister) had their own practice inside the Abbey. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it helps you know what you’re doing!
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Westminster Abbey actually closed on April 25th to tourists, and to its own congregation. It won’t reopen until Monday, May 8th. I bet the people at the abbey will be glad to see things get back to normal again.
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This photo is from Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding. I wanted a photo with people inside the abbey. This is the newest one I could find. Just like today’s coronation, there were 2000 people there to celebrate the wedding of Charles’ parents.

For today’s coronation, guests had to arrive between 7:15 and 8:30AM.  It sounds like going to an airport. They went through security first, before they entered the abbey. Then most of them waited 3 hours, or more, before the king finally arrived. I would have brought a book. If you’d like to find out who did/who didn’t attend, click the link from Time, and scan down their page.
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From 9 to 10:45AM, the guests had time to mingle and find their seats. That’s also when world leaders, British politicians, and international royals started to arrive. Lucky them! 
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Meanwhile back at Buckingham Palace, there were other preparations going on. The men in the photograph are part of the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Calvary. They’re called Life Guards. Too bad they don’t work at a pool!
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At 9:45AM they started getting into marching order. Their job – to escort the King’s Procession from the Palace to the Abbey. The parade will also include 200 members of the Armed Forces. No one moves until 10:20AM, or whenever Charles and Camilla arrive. I guess it takes time to get horses, and people, into position!
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​The King and Queen left Buckingham Palace at 10:20AM. They were in a special procession that took them to Westminster Abbey. That’s where British monarchs have been crowned for over 900 years, since William the Conqueror in 1066.
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​Both of these photos were taken during the procession today. Charles and Camilla were inside his mother’s Diamond Jubilee State Coach. It’s so modern it has air conditioning and electric windows, but, it still uses the traditional horses, 6 Windsor Greys, and the Household Calvary Mounted Regiment. I love British traditions!
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​The king and queen were scheduled to arrive at 10:53 for the 11:00AM ceremony. Why? To give them time, in case they were late, or needed to catch their breath. They made it . . . with time to spare.
                                                 

Next up, the oath, but first the Archbishop recognized the existence of other faiths and beliefs within the UK. That’s something new in the coronation. Then Charles promised to govern the UK and the Commonwealth, following the laws and justice set up in each nation. He finished by saying he’d maintain and protect the Christian church.
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Next Charles walked up to the altar, laid his hand on a Bible, and said, “The things which I have here promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.” Then Charles kissed the Bible and signed a written copy of his oath. 
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​Charles was anointed with chrism oil. It’s a holy oil made from olives that were harvested from the Mount of Olives. Jesus went there to teach, and to pray. The chrism oil was also blessed in Jerusalem, back in March.
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Anointing a king is as old as the monarchy. Charles went behind a screen close to the altar. The Archbishop put oil on his hands, chest, and head using the coronation spoon. This is a private moment between a monarch, and the God who chose him. That’s why there are no pictures of it.
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​At long last, Charles was done, and it was Camilla’s turn. She was anointed with chrism oil. The only difference, she did it in front of the congregation, and that was a break from royal tradition. Every other king or queen was anointed behind a canopy or a screen.
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Camilla was invested too, but she only got the queen consort’s ring. BTW – Charles got a ring too . . . the sovereign’s ring.

​​This carriage gets 8 Windsor Greys to pull it  on the 1.3 mile route back to Buckingham Palace for the Coronation Procession. The streets were lined with 1000 loyal subjects. It was scheduled to leave Westminster Abbey at 1PM, and it included 5000 members of the UK’s Armed Forces, plus 400 from the Commonwealth and Overseas Territories. The Sovereign’s Bodyguards were there again, plus the Royal Watermen. This, was a very big deal!
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The first photo is the Royal couple on the balcony, just the two of them for the royal salute. It was scheduled for 1:45PM. It’s the only part I saw live on Saturday. I couldn’t figure out why all those soldiers were lined up on a field. It turns out they were in the garden (yard) for a salute, followed by three cheers from all those soldiers. Imagine a drill sergeant yelling, “Hip, hip.” And the 5000 answering, “Hooray,” times three. It was a very British moment.
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After the royal salute, it was time for my favorite part, and it wasn’t even on the schedule. It’s when the crowd approaches the palace, and the royal family joins the King and Queen on the balcony. They waved to the crowd, and the crowd roared back, like always. I think everyone loves it because we get a peek at the royal family, sharing a moment, with the country.             
       
From left to right do you see Prince William and his family? Next, the King’s 4 pages. One is William’s oldest, George. Can you find him? Hint - he’s looking down. Next of course, the King and Queen, and to her right are her 4 pages, 2 are her grandsons. Camilla’s sister is on the balcony, and finally on the right, Prince Edward and his family. It’s not the whole royal family, just the working ones.
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The Fly-past was scheduled for 2:15PM. I’m not sure what time it started, but it wasn’t the fly-past that was planned. It was scaled back from the 68 aircraft who were ready to represent the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army.
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Even scaled back it was a crowd favorite with the helicopters and Red Arrow Team. Everyone knows about helicopters, but I’d never heard of the Red Arrows. I found this old photo, and I saw a clip of them tonight . . . a row of planes trailing blue, white, and red plumes. Magnificent!
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Monday, May 8 was a holiday across the UK. It was also The Big Help Out. The King and Queen partnered with The Scouts, the Royal Volunteer Service, and faith groups across the UK to help their local communities. What a lovely way to celebrate, and to encourage people to get involved.

                  Congratulations to King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and the UK! Well done you!
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​                                               Sources:
- Here's the Full Schedule for King Charles III’s Coronation | Time
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​-   Coronation of Charles III and Camilla - Wikipedia

Welcome to the Writing Magic Society! It’s where I found all of my current critique partners. I couldn’t move forward as a writer without them. Six of us meet every Friday, and now I’m excited to introduce them to you. 

​Would you like to meet Lee? The best way is to visit her website, and the most important thing about Lee – she’s a middle-grade author.

Lee has published two books. The first came out in April of 2022, and the second in February 2023. All of her stories are about contemporary characters. They discover connections to their cultures, and to the families from their past.
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​Lee grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Its library – “to die for.” Would you believe her favorite grade school memories were listening to her teachers reading Newbery award-winning books? They did it year-round. One of them read A Wrinkle in Time, and it became Lee’s favorite.
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Lee spent her grade school summers picking strawberries with her siblings, and fishing in a lake nearby. Those days ended near the end of fifth grade. That’s when her family moved to a larger town. 

Now Lee lives with her family and their super-brainy dog. Would you believe she understands Italian, at least counting to ten. She lives to chase balls, and she’s good enough to go pro. If that doesn’t work out, she’s got a lock on the role of Frankie, the super dog in Lee’s first book, Wei to Go.

When Lee isn’t writing, you’ll find her swimming, traveling, and watching spectator sports. My guess, lacrosse is one of them. It’s the sport Kipp plays in the Ellie & Co book series.
 

Lee in the USA
Lee grew up in Pennsylvania. It’s a green state in the northeast. Then she moved to California. It’s a green state, but it’s on the west coast. Now Lee lives in New York. It’s a purple state that’s mostly north of Pennsylvania. I hope you found all three!

Would you like to visit Lee? Here’s her address online:  
Lee Y. Miao, middle-grade author (leeymiao.com)
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Part 2 – Meet Lee and her Middle Grade Books
This was Lee’s first book. The best part – her characters, and the way she writes . . . Her dialogue sounds like it came straight out of a middle schooler’s mouth.

The story – Ellie and her little brother Kipp get to take a trip to Hong Kong with their mother, but they also have a mission . . . to save their father’s company. Click the link below if you’d like to read my review of Wei To Go!

Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-wei-to-go

​​Where in the world is Hong Kong? Check the map below. China is a HUGE country, and Hong Kong is a tiny place on its southeast side. Look for the red letters HK, and you have found Hong Kong. That’s where Ellie and Kipp got to go. Lucky them!

​Tomorrow, Lee’s second book

​This is Lee’s second book. I read it when it was in manuscript form, and now that it’s published, it’s even better.

The story – Cat discovers she has an identical twin, but she’s in a Renaissance painting by Raphael. How can Cat ever discover who she was? By doing a Rhap (Renaissance History and Art Project). That’s where Trey comes in . . . as a possible partner . . . if he can stay out of the clutches of the class diva.

Click the link below if you’d like to read my review of It’s a Rhap, Cat. Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-its-a-rhap-cat

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Take a peek at Cat’s trip to Rome. Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. Then visit the coliseum and imagine gladiators fighting in the ring. If you can’t get away, take a look at Cat’s report. All those things, and more are in it!
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Where in the world is Italy? Check the map below. It’s a brown country in southern Europe, and it’s shaped like a boot. That’s because Italy is a peninsula that’s surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea.

Rome is the capital of Italy. Can you find it? It’s in the middle of the country, just below Vatican City. 
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