Unexpected Connections

You never know where a moment of intersection is going to occur … a contact … a connection.

Yesterday, I posted about my developing children’s book project featuring Bill Smith, the Rat Catcher.  The post got a lot of hits, shares, likes.  But it also resulted in something else.  A contact!  And we authors do love our contacts.  We are always attempting to do some networking within the reading community.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a very kind email from the superintendent at the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park in Vincennes.  It seems that he is looking for books for the park visitor center, and wants some titles for review … especially in the children’s market!

Vincennes is very near and dear to my heart. The Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous was my very first interaction with living history.  It is also the resting place of my wife’s 5th GGF – Pierre Grimard, a soldier under George Rogers Clark!  He is the hero of my third novel, Frenchmen and Long Knives.  Kim, my sweet wife, photographed me beside his headstone a few years ago. (Please pardon the “scowl.”  It was actually a squint … the sun was right in my eyes.)

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So, I will be sending him a box full of goodies today.  If I could get a few books into his shop, which is serviced by Eastern National, it could throw open the doorway into other historic parks and sites that have their bookstores / gift stores.  Fingers crossed!