Setting Your Story Timeline

The other day someone sent me an e-mail, asking what would be the best way to indicate the year in which her story takes place.  I thought I should also post my response here, since other authors may have the same question.

GM

When I write my books I start by writing my treatment, which is a summary of what my story is about, and I use it as a guide.


Readers will certainly want to know when your story is taking place, particularly if it's a historical novel.  There are ways that you can let them know it's 1941.  If your story is set in the United States, the characters will be aware of the fact that Europe has been at war for nearly two years.  What is their perspective on these events?  If your story is set in Europe, your characters will, no doubt, be dealing with the war and its effects on their daily lives.  How are they coping?  Rather than open with a boring narrative, such as, "It was the year 1941, and Joe was..." you could, instead, have your characters discussing the events in Europe early in your story, (as in the first chapter), so your readers know what time period your story is set in.


Even if you're writing fiction, you will need to research the time period in which your story is taking place.  Readers can by very savvy, and if you're writing historical fiction, rest assured you will have readers who have studied whatever time period your story takes place in, and they will be familiar with that history.  Make sure you are as historically accurate as possible.

Old West Steampunk--an Interesting Fusion of Genres

Last fall, while doing a book signing at an Old West festival in Glendale, (Arizona), I was approached by a couple of men who invited me to their upcoming Wild Western Festival at the Old Tucson Studios.  It sounded intriguing, and certainly a change of pace from all the other western events I've attended over the years.

Steampunk is an interesting concept.  It's the fusion of two entirely different genres--historical fiction--specifically western and Victorian romance, and science fiction.  Steampunk pays homage to Jules Verne, and the modern interpretation has actually been around for sometime.  The earliest examples that I can think of would be the book and movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the television series, The Wild Wild West.  Both came out of the 1960s, and, interestingly enough, Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame, was also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

As I talked to some of the people I met at this event I came to the conclusion that steampunk is big with science "nerds" and "geeks," meaning its followers are well-educated.  It also appears to a big hit with the Goth community.  Definitely not the traditional followers of western books and movies, but nonetheless, many of them seemed to have a genuine interest in the history.

I spent a great deal of time talking to one of the event organizers at a promotional book signing the week before their convention.  It seems I share a common goal with many in the steampunk crowd, and that is using historical fiction as a vehicle to teach young people.  They use it to teach science and engineering, while I wrote my Luke and Jenny books to teach history.  And even though this steampunk convention didn't appeal to the true Old West followers, I found it to be a fantastic venue for introducing the real Old West to a whole new audience.  And that's a good thing.

GM

In Memory of Trigger

While not a big headline grabber, something interesting in the news a few weeks ago was the auction of Roy Rogers memorabilia from the now defunct museum in Branson, Missouri.

Over the past few years I've heard talk the museum was experiencing serious financial difficulties. First they relocated it from California to Missouri, but apparently that move wasn't enough to save it. The problem, as I understand it, was the public had simply lost interest in Roy Rogers, and that hardly anyone under the age of forty had ever even heard of Roy and Dale. For reasons unknown to this writer you just don't see any of their old movies and television shows anymore, not even on the niche cable channels specializing in classic movies and TV.

Probably the most notable item to go on the block was Trigger. And as someone whose passionate about preserving history, I have to admit seeing the photos of Trigger, as he is today, gave me some mixed feelings and got me to wondering if a corpse should be a historic artifact.

I was a kid when Trigger died, and at the time it was a newsworthy story. It was announced that Roy was going to have Trigger stuffed, and as I recall Roy said it was so that Trigger's fans would still be able to see him. At the time I didn't see a photo of Trigger, post mortum, but I still remember Trigger's being stuffed the punchline for comedians for years afterward.

I recently came across a blog talking about the auction, which included a link. Upon clicking the link, I saw, for the first time, a photo of Trigger as he is today. It was a beautifully done display, but at the same time it gave me the heebie-jeebies. I felt bad for this animal. I've always believed that when the time comes all of use deserve a proper, dignified burial, and the same should be true for our pets and for animals like Trigger, who were public figures. But at the same time, as someone whose passion is historical preservation, I can understand the decision to preserve Trigger. Still, for me it was creepy, and I think a tastefully done display of Trigger artifacts, such as his saddles, photos, posters, and perhaps some of his horseshoes and locks of his mane may have been more appropriate.

Trigger was purchased by a television station in the midwest, and according to news reports, his new owners plan to use him to help introduce the public to Roy and Dale's movies. What a shame someone in the broadcast business didn't think of that some twenty or thirty years ago. If they had maybe the Roy Rogers museum would still be open today, and his kids wouldn't have had to go through the heartbreak of having to sell their parent's personal mementos.

My thought for the day.

GM

Creative Tools for Teaching History -- from Museums to Books to Video Games

Keeping history alive seems to be one of my callings in life. It all started when I started volunteering at my local historical society museum and looking at their marvelous displays. I soon became a docent, leading tours for school kids, and discovering that when they could look at historic artifacts and displays they got more excited about learning. It was also while being a docent guide that I first learned about living history, and, over time, I developed two living history personas. Again, doing these presentations for the schools, I couldn't get over how excited the kids were. This was probably because I was a living, breathing representation, and it was the enthusiasm from all those kids that inspired me to start writing my series of children's books on the history of the Old West.

I'm amazed that I have an interest in history at all. When I was a kid in school we didn't take field trips to the historical society museum, (it didn't exist at that time), nor did we ever have a living historian visit our school. Instead we were taught history from dull, boring textbooks and the occasional 16 mm movie, which was all narration and no dialog and almost as boring as the textbook. It wasn't until I started college, and took history courses for my liberal arts requirements, that I started becoming more interested in history. There I had professors who were good speakers and storytellers and who were able to make the subject matter interesting.

When it comes to learning history kids today have it so much better. Along with historical museums and living historians and book authors like myself, they have interactive video games to help them learn history. I've not tried any myself, but I've heard from others who have, and they sound pretty interesting. Instead of learning about a historic battle in a dull history book they get to have a virtual experience with sophisticated graphics and interactive software. If experiencing history in a virtual setting doesn't help them learn I don't know what will, although the books, museums and living historians certainly don't hurt either.

What an interesting time to be a kid.

GM

Oh the Perils of Studying Too Much History

I don't know if I've grown up, grown old, or have just studied too much history...

Back when I was a kid The Wild West West hit the airwaves. It aired on Friday nights, and I used to watch it with my brother. I thought it was way cool and different from the other westerns I watched, like Bonanza, The High Chaparral and The Virginian. Not that I didn't like the others, (in fact The High Chaparral will always be my all time favorite), but The Wild Wild West had that kind of surreal quality, and to a pre-teen kid, it was even a little bit spooky at times. And I really liked the characters. Jim West was okay, but I really liked Artemus Gorden.

Fast forward a few years. I'm in high school, my brother is in college, and The Wild Wild West is in syndication. I'm really digging the show now, and so does my brother and his best friend, who I also think is really cool, but I'll leave that story for another blog. Then, sometime after college, The Wild Wild West comes out with some updated TV movies, and again they're really cool. I later learn CBS had plans to bring the show back in the early 1980s, but that got derailed permanently with the death of Ross Martin, (no relation to me), in 1981. And Ross Martin really was the one who made the show work. The final season of the original Wild Wild West simply wasn't that good because Martin was sidelined throughout much of it due to illness.

So again we fast forward a few years. Well, maybe a little more than just a few years. We now have Netflix and DVDs, and many of the old westerns we all loved are available to us for a low monthly fee and a few clicks of the mouse. So what do I do? I decide to start watching The Wild Wild West again, only this time it's TORTURE to watch.

Yes, Jim and Artemus are still there, and yes they're still great characters. And Micheal Dunn is still the best as Dr. Loveless. But those story lines? They're so lame. Almost every episode of the show revolves around technology that simply did not exist in the 1870s.

I guess that's one of the hazards of studying history. Your standards of believability for historical fiction must go up. Or maybe it was the times the original show aired in. Back in the 1960s we were at the height of the Cold War and times were unsettled at home with civil unrest and the anti-Viet Nam War backlash while many in my generation were tripping out on drugs. Maybe what was needed back then was a western that delved into fantasy and a little surrealism.

My thought for the day.

GM

It's All Interconnected

One of the things about history that has always fascinated me is the way everything is all interconnected. History isn't a bunch of different time periods all packed in neat little boxes, rather it is a big tapestry with all the different shapes and colors and textures all woven into each other.

I remember back in the 1980s watching a show on PBS called Connections. It was a fascinating program. It would start with a simple, primitive invention, like the plow, and show how that one invention would lead to the next invention, which would lead to the next, and the next, and you'd end up at the atom bomb.

Even in my own lifetime I've experienced changes in historical periods. I was born in the mid-1950s and a lot has changed since then. Over the past few years I've become keenly aware that we are now in a different period of history. I myself would call the last half of the 20th century the post war period. I'm not sure exactly when that time ended. Perhaps it was a combination of the turn of the millennium and 9/11. The only thing I am certain of is that the time we're living in now is not the bright future we imagined back in the 1960s. But then again maybe it's too soon to make that kind of a judgment, so I guess I'll have to leave it to some future historian to decide.

My thought for the day.

GM

Oh the Joys (Sometimes) of Being a Book Author

I never seem to run out of idea for stories. Right now I'm working on the fourth installment of my Luke and Jenny series, this one is titled, The Mystery of the Lost Dutchman's Mine. I'm doing something different in this novel. I'm bringing in a new character, the children's psychic aunt, Tina, who will be traveling back in time with them. Tina was mentioned very briefly in my last book, Riding with the James Gang. And sometimes I can manage to write myself into a corner.

I've got the first five chapters of my latest book more or less completed, (and let's face it, it's never really done until the editor has had a crack at it.) I've spent a lot of time fleshing out the scene where the ghost character first appears, and had built up a very dramatic scene where Tina comes upon him. She's never encountered a ghost before and it kind of takes her breath away. Spent weeks hashing out the details; rewriting and revising and rewriting again. Finally last night got it just perfect.

Ever get those nagging feelings?

I typically work on my books late at night. Got the chapter done, shut down the computer and headed off to bed. About the time my head hits the pillow, BOING. The thought hits me. Didn't I say something in Riding with the James Gang about Tina having also seen spirit people from time to time?

I'm not going to sleep a wink now, so I get up and go back into my office. Grab a copy of James Gang, and sure enough, in Chapter Two is the following passage:

“You know, Luke, while we were in Dallas, I had an instant messenger chat with Aunt Tina about it.”

“Really? What did she say? Did she believe you?”

“Of course she believed me. She’s a psychic, you know. She says sometimes she sees spirit people too..."

And there you have it. Now for the next big rewrite and revision.

GM

So What Makes a Historian a Historian?

Sometimes when I'm out promoting my books, or my living history programs, I'll run into folks who'll call me a historian. I never know quite how to take that. On one hand I'm flattered, but at the same time, not having a degree in history, (my degree is actually in art), I admit that I'm not all that comfortable with the title.

Having a college degree, and having spent a lot of time working with historical museums, means I've spent a lot of time in academia.  As far as those folks are concerned, unless you have the initials, "M.A." or "PhD." after your name, you're not a historian. In some instances, this makes sense. Those credentials probably would put you in a position of authority to, for example, verify the authenticity of a historic artifact. But I don't think it necessarily makes you any smarter, or a "better" historian, then a well-educated lay person.

A few years ago I was acquainted a man who had done extensive research on early motion picture exhibition equipment. He was certainly an expert and had done enough work to probably have his master's thesis done. I even once suggested that to him. He was flattered, but decided not to pursue it. It would have been an expensive undertaking and I'm not sure he had the funds. Besides, he wasn't exactly a young man anymore, and he probably figured he'd been doing what he'd been doing, which was a living history presentation as an early 20th century showman, just fine without his master's degree. He's one of many "lay historians" that I've come across over the years. And just because he's a lay historian certainly doesn't mean he can't publish a book or call himself an expert.

Then there are living historians, such as myself.  I too have put a lot of research into both of my historic personas, but I actually market myself as a speaker.  I've discovered that those who are outside of the museum or education environment simply have no clue whatsoever as to what a living historian is or does, and they sometimes find it a very confusing term. But they do understand what a professional speaker is, so I leave it at that.

So I suppose you can call me a historian if you want, but I prefer to call myself a published author.

My thought for the day.

GM

Speaking Fees, Historical Reenacting, and Old West Venues

I love what I do. I really do. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not allowing myself to be used.

I perform a living history storytelling program called The Tombstone Storyteller, and I normally charge a speaking fee for it. I have a lot invested in the program, including period clothing, props, hours of research, plus my time and effort to promote and market the program, so I don't think charging a speaking fee is unreasonable because I'm performing a service. I market mostly to schools, as that is where the most demand is, but with so many schools having budget cuts these days I don't perform it as often as I did in the past. Sure, I'd probably get a lot of bookings If I gave it away for free, and there's the rub.

There is a lot of pressure out there for Old West entertainers, including living historians, to perform for free. Whether you're a storyteller or a musician or other so-called "entertainer", a lot of the folks that run these Western venues seem to have the attitude that because you're "entertainment" you should be lucky they even allowed you at their event in first place so of course you should be happy to work for them for free. After all, it's not a "real" job. Or is it?

Does your doctor work for free? Or the guy that prepares your income taxes? Ever try to get a plumber to work for free? Then why should those of us who "entertain" at an Old West festival or venue be treated any differently? But we are.

Whether it's an Old West themed restaurant, a festival, or a tourist trap, you know, those little fakey Old West towns with a steakhouse and a few shops attached to it, they all depend on live performances, such as "stunt show" skits, for entertainment to help draw the crowds to their venues. And, more often than not, the performers are not paid. They literally have to pass a hat around to collect tips from the audience. And that just doesn't seem right. The cooks and the servers and the store clerks all get paid, and whoever is running the venue is surely making a profit, but where would they all be without those "entertainers" who help bring in their customers in the first place?

Some of my friends and colleagues tell me that they are saying no to these venues, even the big name events. They are professionals. They've worked hard to get where they are, and they aren't going to cheapen themselves by working for free. I'm starting to rethink this myself. I've already built up a good resume for myself as a living history performer. Maybe it's time I stopped undercutting my piers and stopped working for free. Perhaps I've been doing more harm than good.

My thought for the day.

GM

Tombstone Kids

I had a really great time the other day in Tombstone. I did a presentation for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders at the elementary school, and they were a great bunch of kids.

My talk was, How to Write a Story, and I used my Tombstone children's book, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral: Luke and Jenny Visit Tombstone, as a model for the discussion. Those kids were so excited. Not only did we talk about book writing, we talked a lot about the town itself. Some understood the significance of their town, others did not. So we had a discussion on why their town is so famous, and why people come from all over the world to see it. I think they were all impressed. At the end of the hour it was hard to get the Q & A session to stop so the teachers could start the next class.

It's interesting too the way the schools have changed since we were kids. I got there during lunch period and set up my display while the room was still empty. After I was done I looked around at the bulletin boards. A lot of it was the same stuff that we would have seen in the classroom walls when we were kids. There were posters about good manners, doing the right thing, treating others with respect and so forth. But what's different was so many posters about bullying. The schools are finally starting to realize that this is a problem and they are addressing it. When I was a kid nothing was done about bullies. The philosophy back then was to just ignore them, but all that did was embolden the bully. Too bad it's taken so many school-shootings to realize that bullies won't stop unless someone intervenes and addresses the issue. Too soon to tell how well this will work long term since these kind of policies haven't been in place that long.

What I also noticed, and this was disturbing, was there was no American flag in the classroom.

When I was a kid every classroom had both an American flag and an Arizona flag from kindergarten all the way through the 8th grade, and each school day began with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Are they no longer saying the Pledge of Allegiance in the schools? If not then we need to bring this tradition back.

Still, all in all it was a very good day.

GM

Living History and Period Correct Language

One of the many controversies happening in the town of Tombstone lately has been the one of the reenactment groups coming to Helldorado who use so-called period correct language in their skits.

Spending a lot of time on Allen Street performing and signing books at these various events has given me a lot of opportunity to watch a lot of groups, and their idea of "period correct" is more like the show Deadwood. Now they're not dropping the f-bomb, but it's certainly "R" rated dialog, and yes, I've watched people's reactions, and yes, some people are offended.

The purpose of living history, first and foremost, is to educate the public about history, and that would include using as accurate of language as possible. There are, of course, some limitations. If you're doing ancient Roman living history you'll certainly be accurate if you speak Latin, but no one will understand you. So you have to modify your presentation for what is appropriate for your audience. And that's the key point here, what is appropriate for your audience.

When I first started doing living history I was working with historical museums, and most of the audiences I performed for were schoolkids. And while the museum education department had high standards for historical accuracy they were also very clear that all the performers have material that was age appropriate, and some material, despite being historically accurate, simply was not suitable for young audiences.

The Old West period occurred during the Victorian era, and this was a time when certain words were never uttered in polite company, particularly when women and children were present. I'm sure the cowboys and miners who lived in those days may have used some colorful metaphors on cattle drives and in the mines and bordellos, but NEVER in the company of women and children.

It's one thing to perform your skits for an adult audience, it's quite another when Grandma and the kids are watching. Sure, they can make their announcement at the beginning of their performance, but when you're doing street skits you don't have a captive or static audience. People are coming and going, and should Mom and the kids step out of a shop only to hear inappropriate language being shouted from street performers that they weren't expecting to hear it doesn't go over too well and they shouldn't have to put up with it.

While I'm a big proponent of the right of free speech I am also aware that with free speech comes certain responsibilities. There really is too much profanity out there, and too many kids are being exposed to things they really shouldn't be.

My thought for the day.

GM

Educating Young Skulls Full of Mush

I've been leading docent tours at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum. One of the things I love about this is getting to educate a few young skulls full of mush, but sometimes it does gets depressing.

For those of you who are not familiar with southern Arizona, this museum and modern day railroad depot is built at the site of the old railroad depot where Wyatt Earp gunned down Frank Stillwell, and there is a statue of Wyatt and Doc behind the main building. Needless to say, that is my favorite spot for interpretation.

I always begin by asking if anyone has ever heard of Wyatt Earp. Most days virtually all of the hands go up, but the other day I actually had a few kids who had never heard of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Tombstone, or the Gunfight (near) the O.K. Corral. I then asked if anyone had seen the movie "Tombstone" and only a couple of hands went up. Everyone else, including a few of the adults, just gave me the Bambi in the headlights stare. Perhaps the weather was a factor. I can only describe today as being stinking hot. But then again, as someone I once knew often used to say, some mothers have them. So Auntie Gayle immediately got into her story telling mode and gave them just a bit of an education. Whether or not it meant anything is another thing entirely.

Well folks, I don't think it's just Hollywood that's dumbing down our society. At least when I'm dealing with folks who've seen the movie "Tombstone" I have a starting point and from there I can point out what was fact and what was fiction. But when I just get blank stares I do get a bit depressed. What can I say. The schools are doing a fantastic job of dumbing down our kids. But on the other hand maybe I shouldn't complain too much. As long as the schools keep producing graduates who are completely uninformed but supposedly have high self-esteem, we authors and living historians will have a job, right?

My thought for the day.

GM

Turning "R" Rated History into a "PG" Rated Story

Got the manuscript for Riding With the James Gang back from the editor. I couldn't believe it. The changes were all very minor--mostly punctuation changes. I immediately called my publisher and asked, "Are you sure this is right?" She said yes. I always worry that I'm writing crap. She keeps trying to reassure me that I really do know what I'm doing. That said, the editor did ask one sticky question...

Those of you who are familiar with Civil War history may recall incident in Centralia, Missouri, in which Bloody Bill Anderson and his gang looted the town and robbed an approaching train. Union soldiers were taken off the train and executed by "Little" Archie Clement. I've included this incident as one of the chapters in my book, and, according to my sources, about the time Bloody Bill ordered Clement to "parole" the soldiers a passenger spoke up and asked if they could leave. Anderson told the passenger he could go to hell for all he cared.

Now here's the trick with writing dialog for 8 to 10 year old readers... My publisher agrees with me that it is totally inappropriate for Bloody Bill to say the words, "go to hell" in a book written for young readers, even if the historical accounts say those were the words he actually used. Never mind what they may hear in the schoolyard, there are still, (thankfully) parents out there who want to limit their children's exposure to such adult language. Remember, I'm taking "R" rated history and writing it as a "PG" rated story. (Which is why I classify my books as historical fiction.) No one said it would be easy. So I wrote, "You can go to buggary for all I care."

I never heard the word "buggary" until I married my former husband. He used to use the word in an "oh shucks" kind of context. Nice sounding synonym, at least I thought, however the editor didn't really agree but offered no suggestions.

I immediately whipped out my trusty but well worn copy of Roget's Thesaurus, and came up with, "You can go to that land of eternal torment for all I care." A bit eloquent, but then again I think people were more well spoken back then. Their writing style was certainly more formal than today. Then several other friends who are familiar with the Victorian period, suggested using the word "blazes."

Hopefully this is appropriate for young readers, while remaining as close as possible to the actual historic account.

GM

Museum Dynamics, Culture Shock and Tombstone, Arizona

It's great to be working with historical museums again. The other day I lead a tour of the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum and I haven't lead a museum tour in five years. But it's like riding a bicycle as there are some things you never forget how to do.

I got into this whole historical reenacting bit through working with historical museums. It was there I learned that when it comes to reenacting the emphasis is on accuracy and educating the public. That's because many, if not most, historical museums depend on government funding and grants, so there is a mandate which means they have to meet certain criteria in order to obtain that funding. So I learned from the get-go to be as accurate as possible.

The first time I went to a non-museum historic site, the original Rawhide Wild West Town in Scottsdale, Arizona, I experienced some real culture shock as soon as I walked in the gate. This site didn't care that much about historical accuracy. They were a for-profit corporation with no government or endowment funding. They didn't even have an education department. They had an entertainment department instead. That's because they depended solely on visitor's dollars to survive, and since most visitors want a "Hollywood" type of experience that's what they got.

There have been some real interesting discussions about Tombstone going on at one of the social networks where I hang out. And that's a good thing. We're there to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Some of the members of this group are purists. Everything has to be as period correct as humanly possible, and they're upset about the fact that too many people in Tombstone dress "Hollywood" instead of being 99.999% historically accurate. They too are experiencing culture shock and they don't quite know how to handle it.

If took me awhile to accept this fact. The town of Tombstone is NOT, nor will ever it ever be, a historical museum. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, but so are a lot of historical buildings and places that are not museums. Tombstone is a real live town that, so are as I know, receives no grants or government funding for historical education programs. Tombstone depends solely on tourism to survive, and, as someone who spends a lot of time there and has been doing most of the big events, like Helldorado and Wyatt Earp Days, since 2004, I will tell you this -- these events are about celebrating the town's history, but they are not necessarily intended solely to EDUCATE the public. The skits, the costume contests, the chili cook-offs, and all the other events are meant to ENTERTAIN. The goal is to attract more visitors during the summer months, which is the slowest time of year for tourism. The town needs visitors so the local merchants can meet their payrolls and survive another summer.

The average Joe Six-Pack probably doesn't know much about history other than what he learned in school. The average Joe Six-Pack could probably care less that the movie Tombstone is about 10% history and 90% Hollywood. But when the average Joe Six-Pack comes to Tombstone for Hellodordo or Wyatt Earp Days he expects to be ENTERTAINED. That is why the town puts on the entertainment, so Joe can be entertained and spend his money while he's there. With any luck Joe will take an interest and want to learn more about the town's history. But more than likely all we've done is given a break from his everyday headaches so he can walk away having had a good experience. And maybe there's some value in that too. Sometimes we have to just let people relax and enjoy themselves.

GM

The Way They Teach History in School

I hated history class when I was a kid in school. All they taught were names and dates and it was utterly meaningless to me. I used to think, "Who cares? This all happened before I was born." By the time I got to high school I liked history a little better, but not by much. I only took history because it was required, and even then a lot of the teachers made it boring. History class was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

It wasn't until I got to college that the light slowly began to come on for me. Again, I took history because it was a required class, but then one day one of my professors brought in a photo of Napolean, put it on the lectern, and began his lecture by saying, "Today I'm really going to trash this man's reputation." As his went on with his lecture I kept glancing back at the portrait, and began to realize this was a real person after all, and maybe there was more to history than trivial names and dates.

After I finished college I remember reading a book forecasting economic trends, and the author did it by analyzing history, and using history as a means to predict future trends or events. Apparently this is a big no-no in the world of historic academia, but for me it was a real epipthany. I finally understood that history isn't about names and dates after all. History is really the study of human psychology, and why people do the things they do based on causes and effects. And that is when I really started to take an interest in history

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is what history is all about. History is the story of people and what motivates them to do the things they do. To me, the names, dates and periods are simply the markers in a much larger picture, and when you look at that larger picture you may see patterns emerge that repeat themselves over and over again. Too bad the schools don't teach history that way. If they did I think we as a society would be better served. At the very least students would take more of an interest in the subject.

As for that book... I read it in the 1980s, and many of the predictions the author made, using history as a reference, have come to pass. They only real error is he thought the big economic meltdown would occur in the 1990s. So his missed it by about ten years. In the big picture of history, that's still close to the mark.

GM

Historical Revisionism

This morning while going through my e-mail I found a message from the moderator on one of the groups in a ning network I belong to announcing that a member has been banned for promoting her own agenda. That's a shame. I did not see the post in question as it must have already been removed, but as someone who moderates another group in that same ning network I would agree that members should only post material relevant to the group in the group topics, and save other topics for blogs.

A few e-mails down I get to another e-mail from the aforementioned group member who has started up her own ning network about historical revisionism. Good for her. It seems to me it all worked out for the best.

Now regardless of your political affiliation, the one thing we do not want to see happen is someone revising our history to fit their own political agenda, and there has been far too much of that going on in recent years. Historical revisionism one of the main factors that motivated me to write my historical novels for children, as well as my WWII era cookbook, in the first place. I work hard to make them as historically accurate as possible, even though they may be "politically incorrect" by some people's perceptions. Sorry folks, but our history is not "politically correct," it never has been "politically correct," and I'm not going to write my books to make them "politically correct." The same thing when I perform my living history personas "The Tombstone Storyteller" and "The WWII Housewife." I tell the real story as best I can.

I do feel for today's parents. They must be having a heck of a time dealing with the "Americans Are Rotten Evil People" mentality that I hear some of the public schools are touting these days. That never happened when I was a kid in the public schools. We were all taught to be patriotic, to honor our flag, and to respect our president. No wonder more and more parents are pulling their kids out of the public schools and home schooling them instead.

I know this makes me "politically incorrect," but I love my country, and I happen to think the American people are good people. We may not be perfect and we certainly have made our fair share of mistakes, but we strive to do the right thing. And that's what makes America great.

GM

Remembering Ladmo

For those of us to grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, this is a sad time. It is the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Ladimar Kwiatkowski, better known as Ladmo, the comedic half of the Phoenix television duo, Wallace & Ladmo.

Wallace and Ladmo debuted in 1954, back in the early days of television when it seemed like we were all in our innocence. Wallace was the straight man, Ladmo the comedic sidekick, and they would host cartoons, perform funny skits and do the unavoidable live commercials. In the early 1960s they were joined by local weatherman Pat McMahon, who added an entire troupe of characters for the show -- Hubb Capp (and the Wheels), Marshall Good, Captain Super, Aunt Maude, (my personal favorite), and the best villain they could ever ask for; Gerald, the private school brat who looked like Buster Brown. Gerald's unending quest was to wreak as much havoc as he could and frame poor Ladmo for it, and he succeeded, time and time again. Of course, he would always get caught in the end, but that never stopped him from doing it again. And again. And again.

Wallace and Ladmo and company must have been doing something right because the show was on the air, five days a week, for 35 years. Those of us who grew up in Phoenix knew we had something special.

The show went off the air in 1989 when Bill Thompson, the actor who played Wallace, decided to retire. Phoenix television just never was the same after that, and five years later, when we lost Ladmo, a part of our childhoods and our innocence went with him.

Years later, when I started writing Luke and Jenny kids books, Wallace and Ladmo were always in the back of my mind. They had a real talent for communicating with children -- they talked TO the kids, not down to them, and I have tried to follow their example.

There is an anonymous quote in one of my Wallace and Ladmo books that states, "100 years from now the world might be a different place because I was important in the life of a child." Ladmo was important in my life as a child, and as an author I am doing my best to make the world a different place.

GM

P.S. I made this Wallace & Ladmo quilt as an auction item for the Wallace & Ladmo 50th Annivesary Celebration at the Arizona Historical Society Museum back in 2004.