The O'Reilly Factor

I walked through the family room where The O'Reilly Factor was on while my husband was snoozing. Bill was just getting ready for quiz time and the subject was the Civil War. Woohoo! I sat down to watch.

The 54th Massachusetts, Stonewall Jackson, Robert Duvall -- for the avid Civil War buff these were easy questions. But the contestants' scores were pretty pathetic, actually (and Steve Doocy is a KU grad!). One of the questions asked was which of these western figures was a Civil War veteran? The choices were Billy the Kid, Jesse James, The Sundance Kid, and someone else. The answer, of course, was Jesse James.

The problem began when O'Reilly started describing Jesse's exploits with William Clarke Quantrill. Times like that make me wish the TV was two-way.

"No, no, no!" I jumped up and woke my husband. "Jesse rode with Bloody Bill! Not Quantrill!"

I immediately emailed Mr. O'Reilly and am patiently awaiting his reply.

The Day Dixie Died....Now on Kindle!!!

The Day Dixie Died is now available on Kindle for around $15. It is a depressing book, but it contains compelling true stories of the lives of Southerners after the Civil War was supposed to be over.

This was a collaboration with my former husband. As the word former implies, we did not always see eye-to-eye. I learned a lot from him and I learned a lot in the collaboration, but were I to write this book today I think it would be very different. The months and years of research that went into it revealed a world of incredible people, both historic and contemporary, for whom I am so grateful to know. Their presence in my life has made it much richer. I hope to share their stories compassionately and honestly throughout the months and years to come.

Now, back to the Civil War and Kansas.

Kansas and the Civil War

Well, the New Year is upon us and it's time for some real elbow grease....or brain grease perhaps. I have so much writing to get done, my fingers are cramping just thinking about it.

Kansas and the Civil War will be released in June by the History Press, provided the MS is finished in a few very short weeks. Images are on their way. You're all invited to the party when it rolls off the press!

Onward, projects await! Godspeed to me and thee in our pursuits throughout 2012!