Job 19:23-24

 Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a scroll, that they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!                                                          Job 19:23-24

My morning devotions recently came from the book of Job in the Old Testament, and these particular versus really struck home with me as a memoir writer. Job wanted to write a book!

Well, he didn't get the chance, but fortunately someone else wrote it for him, and here we are thousands of years later reading and digesting and discussing his book.

If that doesn't give me permission to write other people's memoirs, nothing else will.

I didn't start out doing this memoir thing. I just wanted to write stories. My first book came to me by way of a friend at church who asked me to collect stories about the schoolhouse he purchased. A few books later, a fly fisherman literally rang my front doorbell with a box of research in his hands and asked me if I was interested in writing a book with him. From that, others came to me with their stories. What an unforgettable experience I've had sitting behind my computer these past ten years. I've been blessed to meet all kinds of individuals, and often those very people were not the ones I was writing about, but rather their friends and relatives sharing life stories. 

There they are, all ten of my memoir books. Behind this banner is a lot of sweat and even a few tears with people as they shared their stories with me. Turns out this work is nothing but preservation in its highest form. These people existed and mattered during their lifespans, no matter how humble or exalted the life they lived. They were privy to a history only they could tell, and tell they did. 

I label a few of these local histories biographies rather than memoirs, the ones about Dr. Jane Carswell and Dr. Marjorie Strawn (who were friends, by the way) and her husband Bill. The memories in those books came from others, as all of them had passed away. Same probably for Claude Minton, as his book was written after his death. (What a fun time I had with that moonshine wagon wheel story!) 

Am I finished? No. Emphatic No. I will work with someone after Christmas, already in the plans. So many stories. So little time.

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Interior Art

When I was formatting the interior of The Physician and the Forester - Marjorie and Bill Strawn, I knew I wanted somehow to add a  distinctive touch to the text that Marjorie and Bill would have been thrilled about, but I just didn't know what. And then...it happened.

In the process of selecting "Linn Cove" for the cover art, I browsed through picture after picture done by Matthew W. Strawn, the artist (and son of the Strawns). The book itself is filled with family pictures to accompany the text, but wouldn't it be a joy to also include his artwork as well. With Matt's help, we selected nine pieces, one for the beginning of each chapter. Aha moment, I used the title of the picture as the title of the chapter. 

"Beacon Heights I"

Chapter 3

 

"A View of Table Rock"

Chapter 4

Since Bill Strawn spent so much time in the forest, I of course chose a few pictures showing the land he was assigned to protect. And not to neglect Marjorie, I included a couple particular to her, such as this flower that she proudly grew. 

"Night Blooming Cereus"
Chapter 7

Matt trained at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida and has graced the world with beauty ever since. He is the master of detail. His studio is upstairs in the HUB, the building where the book launch will be, so I visited and asked about the chapter pictures we chose. He gave me a lesson on his his technique. It's called etching and the process is fascinating. I asked him to put it in writing so I could share and here's what he wrote:

Etching is a print making process where a drawing can be reporduced by using a zinc or copper plate, coating it with an acid resist ground. By drawing into this specially formulated ground with a metal scribe, exposing the metal and then etching that drawing into the plate using a mild acid, that drawing can be printed on paper using a roller press. 

Okay, it's a little over my understanding, but suffice it to say, the end product is beautiful. He teaches classes, in case you are interested. And joy, he will have prints of his work to sell at the book launch! And originals of the paintings. I did remind him not to sell the cover painting, "Linn Cove" yet. That is destined to be on display October 7. 

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

It's a Family Thing

My latest project, the story of Marjorie and Bill Strawn, has taken over two years of reading and researching and making phone calls and writing and rewriting. And revising. And rewriting. It all began when a family approached me with a request. Could I capture the story of their mother and her exceptional life? They had read odds and ends of my other books and had in mind something similar.

So we began.

Their mother, a physician and county health director, led quite a remarkable life dedicated to serving the people of Caldwell County here in North Carolina. She passed away in 2017 and her children wanted somehow to remind the public of the impact on their everyday lives.

I started with the family, five children, Sandy, Kelly, Matthew, Anne, and Mark, six counting Rajiv, the high school foreign exchange student from Sri Lanka who lived with them for a year and then used their home as a base during his university years. As they told me family stories, I realized this was as much about their father as their mother. He passed away in 1998 leaving behind a legacy equal to his wife's. 

Although I lived in the same county, I never formally met either Marjorie or Bill, but I was definitely aware of her work at the Caldwell County Health Department. I soon found out that was only a part of the story. The family opened their hearts in telling about growing up Strawn, delightful stories that conveyed the intimate side of the story and added that personal touch to the narrative. They uploaded pictures, hundreds of pictures. And newspaper articles, hundreds of articles. 

They also helped in other ways from pointing me to a particular person to be sure to interview, or digging through tons of plaques and awards to make sure everything was covered, or uploading specific pictures to fill in the gaps. Fortunately for me, Mark is computer savvy by profession and helped me through many a glitch. Matt is an artist and contributed the cover background as well as several interior works of art. 

The launch is on what is known as First Friday, a monthly celebration showcasing  different artists associated with the Western North Carolina Society of Artisans and its Red Awning Gallery in the Hudson Uptown Building, the HUB for short. I am a member and October is my month to be featured, so why not a book launch! The Strawn sisters are coming in town together and asked what they could do besides inviting people. I'm glad they asked because I did have a specific request.  

We serve food at each First Friday, the members bringing odds and ends of delicacies to put on a spread. But since Marjorie Strawn was quite the baker, why not include a few of her specialities that are mentioned in the book. 

Marjorie Strawn busy in the kitchen

Why not add those specials to the heaping pile of food we usually have. I could make a display card with the paragraph where each food item is mentioned. We could even share the recipe. Maybe. I might be asking a little too much there, as secret family recipes do exist.

And, I added, if they really wanted to go all out, they could include their father's famous Brunswick Stew recipe that I mention several times in the book. None of the siblings, however, go hunting for squirrels in the fall, as their father did when he had the hankering for some authentic, old fashioned, recipe-from-his-grandfather, Brunswick Stew. So that will probably be a "no."

But the "yes" came when I suggested we decorate the room with picture frames of all sorts and descriptions filled with many of the photos I used in the book. My desire on the book launch of this outstanding couple is to have them front and center in more ways than just a book.

Save the date, October 7. At the HUB in Hudson, NC. 5:00 to 8:00. Do drop in.

Catch of the day, 

Gretchen

Cover Reveal

 I'm so excited to share the cover of my latest book, The Physician and the Forester.

It's such a beauty!

Front and center are the subjects of my dual biography, Marjorie and Bill Strawn. This photograph was taken at the wedding of one of their children by photographer Bruce Pick. Check out what I said about it in the previous blog, Dual Biography. Add the background painting, "Linn Cove" by artist Matthew Strawn. Check out what I said about that in my blog, Let the Countdown Begin. I'm still counting down the days to launch. October 7. 

Aah, the cover. I knew when I put the two elements, painting and portrait, together, it would work. I selected the background picture because it shows a bit of the landscape where Bill Strawn was Forest Ranger. It wraps around to the back cover. 

Back cover with spine

I debated about the subtitle until I hit on exactly what the book is about, devotion, service and faith. These two individuals were not only devoted to each other as the cover picture clearly shows, they were passionate about living a life that mattered. And they did it by serving in their own unique way, hers as a physician in private practice and as county health director, his as a soldier in World War II and as a ranger with both the US and the North Carolina Forest Services.

As for faith, their story is one of a belief in God that translated to daily life and actions. But my how they lived this Godly life! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story. I'm so fortunate to have caught this one!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Dual Biography

Not long after I began looking into the life and career of Dr. Marjorie Strawn, I realized I couldn't possibly write about her without writing about her husband and life partner, Forester Bill Strawn. Every action and snippet of story involved the two of them, either directly or indirectly through supporting each other. 

So I set out to write one book about two people. I researched to see if this had been done before. Of course it has. It's called a dual biography. Most often the two subjects are connected by birth or marriage, although I have found a few that were connected by eras and perhaps never even met.

When the Strawn family uploaded photographs for me to pick through, I was drawn to one in particular. It was taken at the wedding ceremony of one of their sons. 

This is a picture of contentment, of happiness, of joy in each other and in the occasion, the very emotions I needed to introduce the reader to this amazing couple. I set about obtaining permission from the photographer, Bruce Pick, and he graciously agreed. My go-to person for photograph technology, Mark Strawn, helped me isolate the two of them from the background clutter. 

So there it is. The cover portrait. 

Since the two of them were wearing black and white, I needed to surround them with color, which is exactly what I did using Matt Strawn's painting, Linn Cove. 

Coming soon on this blog: Cover Reveal.

Coming in exactly four weeks, BOOK LAUNCH!!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Let the Countdown Begin

One more month to launch. 

Book Launch, to be more exact. My latest book will be toasted October 7 with a grand First Friday Event in the Red Awning Gallery at the HUB Station. (Hudson Uptown Building in Hudson, North Carolina) I can't wait for everyone to read this book. It's a biography, actually a dual-biography about a couple who impacted not only my community, but the entire state of North Carolina and beyond. More about that in a later post, but now I want to reveal part of the cover, the background. 

 Ta-Da....

Looks a little empty without the title of the book, but I did see possibilities when I was envisioning a cover. This is a painting titled "Linn Cove" by Matthew Strawn, who just happens to be one of the children of the subjects of my book, Marjorie and Bill Strawn. Like me, he's a member of the Western North Carolina Society of Artisans. We display and sell our products in the Red Awning Gallery. I saw this picture hanging in the hall and knew it was exactly what I needed for the cover background. 

Title of the book - The Physician and the Forester - and there you have the forest, drawn from an actual spot not all that far as the crow flies from my house. The proportion of empty space to forest fit my requirement for inserting title, subtitle, photograph and backflap items. Perfect. 

Matt agreed and here it is! 

Coming soon....Cover reveal. 

Catch of the day, 

Gretchen

Not There Yet

I've taken dulcimer lessons now for several months and I'm feeling a little more confident with each song I attempt. The fear of newness has worn off, and my fingers have developed significant calluses, enough at least for a pain free lesson.  We only meet twice a month now, so in between I am on my own to fiddle with what I have learned. 

ASIDE: If I'm fiddling with something, I'm goofing around, messing with it. So if I'm using a dulcimer instead of a fiddle, then am I dulcimering around? Just asking.

Our teacher fiddling around
Okay. Our teaacher dulcimering around

Class meets in the Caldwell Arts Council room at the Hudson Uptown Building, or the HUB as it's known here in town. We choose a song to work on each Saturday and our teacher goes over special effects we can adapt to add a little pizazz to the song. I'm not there yet, sad to announce. I am lucky to string out the basic song without getting left behind. But I am trying. Every so often I can insert a little flair.

Each week our esteemed teacher treats us to a mini concert. I recorded this last time we met:

 

It's a far cry from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and although I'm not there yet, I have something to strive for. I'll get back to you on that and maybe post my own mini concert, in a few years. 

Catch of the day,

Gretchen