Blog Seven: Summer at Last

It is hard to imagine sitting in a back room of the house, computer in front of me, and the glorious view of the deck and back yard behind me. That’s me now, letting you know that the summertime, full of sun and glorious get-togethers with friends, won’t take me away from my joy as author and curator of all things historical.

The final formatting of the Lila Story is about done. I’ve added a dedication, a synopsis, and an author’s note to the text. The formatting of the black-and-white photos of Lila is all that remains on the inside. The first rendering of the cover just came from the publisher and is great. We’ll do some tweaking, but I am gob-smacked by the publisher’s ability to use an old, poorly focused slide of Lila from the war in Italy, which can be so compelling. Publication is not far off!

Like any good author, there is a book waiting in the wings to get into. It is the Story of Jane, a strong woman of faith, of determination, and with a heart as big as her smile for helping others. Jane was a nun and, through the convent and private donations, completed medical school and surgical residencies to become one of the few board-certified women surgeons in the US in the mid-1960s. Her long-time goal was to go to Africa and help them medically through the Mission Sisters’ clinics. She did, packing up almost 2 tons of medical instruments, medications, and surgical supplies donated by various hospitals and manufacturers, and boarding a freighter in New Jersey, bound for Africa. There is so much to her story, and I was lucky enough to know Jane well later in her life. I also listen to the family and her partner, and I have access to over 500 letters she wrote to her parents, relatives, and friends during her time in college and throughout her long stay in Africa. This book will be a joy to write.

Please write to me or contact me if you have had the good fortune to write a story in letters that is exciting and riveting for the reader. I would love to talk with you.