Introductions

[Kaye]

Hello. I am Kaye. I am new to goodreads.

[Ruth]

Hi Kaye. Welcome.

[Charlsie]

Welcome, Kaye.

[Frank]

Hi I Frank, I read historical fiction on a regular basis. I have written an historical novel, Unplanned Choices, set in the 1960s and 1970, which I will discuss in the Billboard folder.

[Jenny]

Hello, Kaye and Frank! Welcome to the group!

[Sara]

Hello, All! I actually signed up for GoodReads and joined this group a couple of months ago, but I'm just now taking the time to find my way around. My name is Sara and I'm a huge history fanatic — especially relating to colonial American history, and even more especially relating to North Carolina.

[Jenny]

Hello, Sara! Welcome to the group!

[Sara]

Thanks for the welcome, Jenny and David. :)

[Cathy]

Hi Sara,
I am a huge history fan too. Welcome and have fun!

[Sara]

Thank you, Cathy! Any suggestions on where I should start in this group? Seems like there are a lot of good topics, but I'm new to this so I welcome any tips. :)

[Jenny]

Just pick a time period folder and start reading! Lots of book recommendations here. Feel free to leave your own!

[Sara]

Sounds great! Thank you. :)

[Steven]

Hi everyone,

I am a reader and writer of HF. This looks like a great group and I share many of your interests. The best way to get to know something about me is to poke around on my web site:
http://www.stevenspen.com/

I look forward to getting to know everyone and in participating.

[Jenny]

Welcome to the group, Steven!

[Kenny]

Hello! I've been a HUGE history lover ever since I was a little kid. My favorite American eras would have to be the revolutionary era, the Jacksonian era (especially), and the Civil War era. Anything that falls within those eras is good too! I'm open to most history in general though. Lovely idea for a group! Hope to participate more in the future!

[Jenny]

Welcome to the group, Kenny! I had the chance to visit the Hermitage, Jackson's home outside Nashville, a few years ago, and it was amazing!

[Neil]

I like these eras myself, but my favorite, opening the west is not as popular today, love the mountain man, trails west and gold rush times.

[Jenny]

That era may not be as popular as others right now, but there have still been a few new releases over the past couple of years. I think we have a thread for that era. Feel free to add your favorite books to it if they aren't already there!

[Harold]

Kenny wrote: "Hello! I've been a HUGE history lover ever since I was a little kid. My favorite American eras would have to be the revolutionary era, the Jacksonian era (especially), and the Civil War era. Anythi..."

Good choices of interest, Kenny. My favorite right now is the Revolutionary War period.

[Joe]

Perhaps due to my being born in 1942, my favorite is the "home front" during WWII. That includes ANY country's home front.

[Tamara]

Hi Everyone! I'm Tammy. I'm from rural NC, near the same even smaller town that I grew up in. I live with my husband, five daughters, and five dogs. Reading and writing are my escape. I love to read and write (never published yet but soon I hope) within this genre. My favorite book is Gone With the Wind, I even have a daughter named Tara. Other favorites to read are John Jakes, Pat Conroy, Eugenia Price, and Flannery O'Connor, among many others. I look forward to joining in on the group reads and discussions soon!

[Jenny]

Welcome, Tamara! Gone With the Wind is one of my favorites too!

[Joe]

Welcome, Tamara. I'm a John Jakes fan, even though the critics look down on him.

[Terri]

Hi, I'm Terri. I live in rural Minnesota, and I love all periods of history. I'm especially interested in Colonial America. I've been researching the 1750 and 1760's history of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Some of my favorite historical fiction books are also mysteries- such as Silver Pigs (Lindsey Davis) and Crocodile on the Sandbank (Elizabeth Peters). Unfortunately, neither is Americian history. I'm hoping to find some good ideas for American historical fiction here.

[Jenny]

Welcome to the group, Terri! I am also fascinated with Colonial America. We have lots of great recommendations in our era threads and on the group bookshelf.

[K.B.]

You've picked an interesting period. I live in Delaware and work at two living history museums in the area, one Colonial the other New Republic. The wife of the man who built the mill where I work (1704)didn't want to move here because of the bears. No bears now. They must have been scared off by Route 1.

[Neil]

I love to visit living history museums, working there would seem to be a most fulfilling job. I live just a few minutes from Fort Laramie, great place to visit as the trapper, Mountain Man and Indian Wars of the plains are my special interests in history.

[Jenny]

Neil wrote: "I love to visit living history museums, working there would seem to be a most fulfilling job..."

I know! I visit Colonial Williamsburg frequently and think it would be such a fun job to be one of their "historical interpreters."

[Jim]

My wife & I went to Colonial Williamsburg about 10 years ago. Great place! I have most of Roy Underhill's books & have made quite a few things using just Colonial technology.

We have a Shaker Village near by. We've been to that quite a few times. The last few times was for trail rides, but we've toured the village quite a few times, too.

[Terri]

Neil wrote: "I like these eras myself, but my favorite, opening the west is not as popular today, love the mountain man, trails west and gold rush times."

I grew up in California where tales of the '49 gold rush were part of elementary school history classes. I love that time period, which is part of why I like Jack London's books so much, though they are set later, in the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890's. I wrote a short
story set in the Klondike gold rush, published a few years ago in an anthology called Rattlesnake Valley Sampler.

[Neil]

I am a big fan of gold rush stories myself, the gold rush made 1850 the biggest year for travel on the Oregon/California trail. I have read London's stuff also and am a big fan - good stuff.

[Mary]

Jenny wrote: "Neil wrote: "I love to visit living history museums, working there would seem to be a most fulfilling job..."

I know! I visit Colonial Williamsburg frequently and think it would be such a fun job ..."

I worked for CW in costume during college back in the 1970s and I can attest--it WAS fun! I worked after grad school in the Historic Area (not in costume) and still work for them on a contract basis, writing books and articles for their quarterly magazine. It's a special place, always has been.

[K.B.]

Hey, Mary, did we have dinner together at Malice last May? You wanted to talk about your novel and I wanted to talk about your historical work. I have felt guilty ever since.

[Mary]

K.B. wrote: "Hey, Mary, did we have dinner together at Malice last May? You wanted to talk about your novel and I wanted to talk about your historical work. I have felt guilty ever since."

I remember talking to someone about my recent book for Colonial Williamsburg--if that was you, yes! And for heaven's sake, why would you feel guilty? It's always a pleasure to talk with someone who shares your own interests, as you obviously did. Never mind which book it was . . .

[Andrew]

Hi all--I'm Andrew, a freelance writer and novelist. I started out in historical archaeology and used some early PhD research as the basis for my first novel after I realized that fiction was a better vessel than site reports for the stories I wanted to tell (never did get the degree). More recently I've written about Mark Twain's favorite foods and their condition in the present day. My reading and writing range all over, but the latter tends to cluster around various eras of American history (early colonial, Gold Rush) and I'm always looking for good reading suggestions in those eras as well.

[Jenny]

Hi Andrew! Welcome to the group! We've got lots of good reading recommendations in our time period threads, and feel free to add your own.

[Andrew]

Mary wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Neil wrote: "I love to visit living history museums, working there would seem to be a most fulfilling job..."

I know! I visit Colonial Williamsburg frequently and think it would be s..."

Back in the late 90s I spent a summer on an archaeological dig in Kingston, MA (Old Plymouth Colony) and the whole crew stayed on the grounds of Plimoth Plantation, which was just phenomenally fun. There were a lot of real artists among the Plimoth staff: colonial-style woodworkers, blacksmiths, potters, and so on. One of my favorite summers ever.

[K.B.]

I love Plymouth, the town and the plantation. I work at two living history museums, one 1704-1740, the other 1790-1830. It's great background for writing.

[T.K.]

Hi, I'm Tanya. I'm a writer with a just-published historical fiction/historical romance novel set in the 1850-1860's Pre-Civil War with a Pony Express sub-plot. I'm here to learn more about what other American history buffs like to read and write about, and to find a good place to discuss two of the things I can lose track of time over: books and historical research (or the combination thereof). I'm excited to have found this group!

[Jenny]

Welcome, T.K.! We're happy to have you!

[K.B.]

I am going to be moderating a panel at Malice Domestic the first weekend in May on American Historical Mysteries.
I am refining my questions now. What would you like to ask the writers?
Anybody in this group actually on the panel?

[Robert]

Hi! I'm Bob. I am new to Goodreads. I love to read History or Historical Fiction, and am delighted that my kids have taken to reading as well. They inspired me to try my hand at writing as well.

[Laura]

Welcome, Robert!

[Harold]

Welcome aboard.

[Terri]

K.B. wrote: "I am going to be moderating a panel at Malice Domestic the first weekend in May on American Historical Mysteries.
I am refining my questions now. What would you like to ask the writers?
Anybody in..."
K. B. I'm curious how your panel went. Have you posted about it anywhere?

[Jenny]

Hi Bob! Welcome to our group!

[K.B.]

I have another two weeks. I am half way through the fourth book. I should finish that in a couple of days and then I will send out a revised list of discussion topics. I have not met any of the authors, but I am looking forward to it.
I will let you all know how it went.

[J.D.R.]

Welcome! Robert, what are you writing?

[Robert]

I write young adult historical fiction. My novel, "This Glorious Cause," is set in 1775-1776 in Massachusetts. At the moment I am writing the second book in the series, which picks up on Long Island in July, 1776.

[J.D.R.]

It sounds fascinating. I'll check it out!