Writing Irons in the Fire

I grew up in the Appalachian region hearing old sayings all the time. Today, I was thinking about how many irons I have in the fire right now as a writer. Over the last year, I've been working on my Appalachian Roots Series set in the Appalachian mountains in the 1800's. Cleared for Planting came out in print in March, and Sown in Dark Soil was released in September. I just sent Uprooted by War to the publisher, and I will begin reading through and editing Transplanted to Red Clay soon, since it will be the next and last book in this series.

In October, The History Press contacted me and asked me to consider writing a non-fiction, history book for them. After much thought and prayer, I wrote the book proposal they wanted, and sent it to them this week. The editor said I should hear something by next week. If they go with the proposal, this will consume a lot of time in research, writing, and photography, but it's also exciting.

In August, I went to a special writers' retreat at Lake Tahoe. After talking with MaryLu Tyndall and Tamara Leigh, I realized that many well-known, established authors, who had been with traditional publishers, have decided to self-publish. I've been pondering this for months, and I think I'm going to give self-publishing a try with a short, stand-alone novel set in Pennsylvania in 1739. I'm planning to send When Winter is Past to an editor next week. Yes, I'm contracting an editor. Even with edits from me, my beta readers, and an editor, some mistakes still slip by, so I wouldn't even think about publishing something without an editor.

When I went to the book festival in West Jefferson in September, I met a new small publisher from Georgia. She seems to do more with marketing and promoting the books than my current publisher does. Although I love Ambassador, going with an additional one would enable me to bring my books out more quickly. I still have 12 unpublished manuscripts. If I do, I will probably use Through the Wilderness, a stand-alone set on the Oregon Trail to test the waters.

In addition, I'm not happy if I'm not also writing something new. I'm working on an early New Mexico series. I finished the rough drafts of the first two, set on the Santa Fe Trail, and I've just started the third one. Writing the first drafts is the most fun of all for me.

That's five large, writing irons in the fire. I also continue to write a blog every day, which would make six. Since the old flatirons tend to be heavy, that's probably enough to try to juggle at one time. I'll keep you posted about how it goes.

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The Woolly Worm

A sure sign of fall and the impending winter is the woolly worm. Folklore says that the more black the woolly worms have on their bodies in the fall, the harsher the winter will be. The brown tells of a milder winter. This is especially watched in regions, like the Appalachians, but it's not limited to there. In fact it has spread across the United States.

The woolly worm's official name is the Banded Woolly Bear, and it's the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth. The larva emerges from the egg in the fall. It survives the winter and has a protective substance that allows it to be frozen and still live. When spring comes, it will pupate and come out as a moth. Then, it only has a few days to find its mate and for the female to lay eggs. Only in Arctic regions, the larvae might survive over more than one winter before turning into a moth. It feeds on many different types of plants.

The woolly worm is celebrated, too. Banner Elk, NC, has a Woolly Worm Festival each year, when the small town bulges with visitors to buy crafts, taste the food, run in races, and listen to music. Other woolly worm festivals occur in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York. Check for ones in your area.

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Latta Plantation House

Sitting in the Huntersville area of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Latta Plantation is an unusual plantation house for the South. In fact, the large home looks more like a Philadelphia town house. Maybe that's because James Latta had moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and he establish this cotton plantation around 1800. He bought a tract of 100 acres near the Catawba River from Moses Hays for $600. This is the only Catawba River plantation still standing and open to the public.

The unique, rectangular two-story house has entrances on the two sides and not in the front or back. It's covered in beaded boards and sits on a stone foundation. Two rows of five windows dot the west side with the bottom being larger than the top ones. The east side of the house has only six windows in all. The Federal structure has fine Georgian elements and impressive details.

James Latta had immigrated from Ireland around 1785 and landed in Philadelphia. After leaving Pennsylvania, he'd settled in Lincoln County, North Carolina, prior to building Latta Plantation. He and his wife, Jane, had three daughters. Each one of them attended Salem Academy in Salem (now Winston-Salem) and became the mistress of a fine North Carolina plantation - Oak Lawn, Cedar Grove, and Mount Mourne. The son, Ezekiel, died in 1820, long before his father.

Today the Latta property is a living history museum that's toured by over 40,000 visitors a year. The site also hosts special events throughout the year. There is an admission fee, and, regrettably, no photos are allowed inside the home for me to share here, but you can tour the outside without cost.

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Root Cellars

Before central heat and refrigeration, root cellars were important for food storage and preservation. Some people were able to have basements under the house, but others would construct a root cellar nearby. This small, dug-out storage area would help keep the foodstuff cooler during the warmer months and from freezing in the winter. It also helped keep them safe from pests.

In mountainous or hilly areas, the property owner would dig a small room out of the side of an incline, and add a door. In flatter areas, a hole would be dug out of the ground, and a door and steps added. The dirt would serve as insulation, and homemakers might also wrap the goods in old, worn-out quilts or other covers to help. In a few places, a rock or brick structure might be built above-ground.

Items kept in the root cellar might include things like apples, cabbage, kraut, pickles, potatoes, carrots, onions cider, etc. With the invention of new processes and methods, like home canning, roots cellars weren't as vital, and they began to decline. In fact, some of the ones dug in the ground close to the house were converted into storage for coal, when it became a popular fuel.

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Spinning and Weaving in Winter

Because early housewives had so many extra chores to do regarding gardening, gathering, and storing food during the other three seasons, activities, like spinning and weaving, might be saved to do in inclement weather or during the winter months. In more populated areas, some families may hire some of the clothes-making tasks done, but in remote and frontier areas, like in the Appalachians, the family members did it all.

The process was lengthy. Beginning with the raw material they grew (sheep for wool, flax for linen, cotton, or some combination of these) the lady or children would prepare the fibers. Wool would be cleaned, flax hulled, and cotton deseeded. Then, they all needed carding to straighten the fibers and get them going in the same direction.

After going through the processes to make them usable, the fibers were spun into thick threads or yarn. There were two types of spinning wheels in America, the high or walking wheel and the smaller one where the spinner sat beside it. Cooler regions tended to use more of the high wheels, because it seemed better for wool. Europe used more of the smaller, seated type. Coastal areas and more settled areas used both, although those who lived more to the east tended to use the smaller wheel, and those in the west tended to use the high wheel more.

After the spinning came the dyeing. Some kept records of their dye recipes with natural ingredients and mordants, and others went by memory. The range of colors could be extensive, but true blues and a bright red were hard to achieve. Women usually grew a small patch of indigo for the blue. Burgundy reds could be found in nature, but for a bright red, the main ingredient had to be ordered. The best early one came from a small insect indigenous to places like parts of Mexico. Needless to say, not many people had a bright red.

To get cloth, the threads had to be woven. It took skill and patience to string the loom, but the weaving was more fun, especially when weaving patterns. Women kept and shared patterns. This happened in my second novel, Sown in Dark Soil. Emma, Leah, and Patsy, not only saved the weaving until winter, but Emma taught Leah and Patsy some of her patterns. The plaids were Leah's favorite to weave.

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Calling Cards

For a time in history, visiting among socialites followed certain rules. If a visitor called and the host or hostess was out or not receiving callers, he or she left a card to announce that they'd been there. A dish or bowl on a table near the entrance, collected these calling cards or visiting cards. This happened especially in the 18th through the early 20th centuries.

Calling cards were actually instigated in 15th century China, however, but the practice caught on among the English aristocracy in 17th century. Often the person would wait in the carriage, while a servant delivered the card. However, if the bearer delivered it in person, the corner of the card was bent down to let the receiver know. Rarely would a person expect to be received the very first time they sent a calling card but hoped for some sort of future invitation. Being received into the parlor or asked to tea indicated some level of acceptance.

Calling card of Kaiser Wilhelm

Appearances mattered to these people, and calling cards were to reflect the owner but not be too elaborate. They could be ordered at stationary shops or printers. These then, were a forerunner of the business card we often use today.

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Wake-up Call

Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his statues which he commanded thee (Deuteronomy 28:45), [Read all of chapter 28.]

I have just started reading a non-fiction, Christian book, The Cost of Our Silence, by David Fioraza, an author I'm not familiar with. Although he's said a lot of things I don't agree with, he also makes some hard-hitting statements in his introduction that made me think, and  the Church today should take notice. I wanted to share a few of them here for you to think about.

He says that America has over 300,000 churches, and yet Christian influence is at an all-time low and decreasing, as the nation becomes more and more secular. Christian values are no longer promoted in the culture; few are speaking out for Jesus. Hope for revival remains only in a small remnant of the faithful. "...American Christianity has almost become a joke" (kindle loc. 62). This country has strayed so far from what it used to be that it's hardly recognizable as the same place. Too many, even our churches, have stopped caring. So-called Christians "have been on a diet of cotton candy instead of steak" (loc. 67).

Unless we admit the truth and act accordingly, this nation is toast. Evil began knocking centuries ago, but in the last hundred years - and particularly in the last fifty - we thrust the door wide open and invited evil in! (loc. 69).

We no longer resist sin. Instead, we have warmed up to it and accepted it. Sometimes we've welcomed godlessness with open arms, especially if it's something that makes us feel good in the moment. It's time we wake up and strengthen what good remains before it completely dies. For the most part, the church's reaction to immorality is silence. Christians are just too busy with their own lives to be concerned for the other people Jesus went to the cross for. Silence never saved anyone.

Because the church is struggling, so is the nation. Instead of being a beacon to the world, America has paved perverted pathways in deeper darkness. Rather than be an example of godliness, we have become a stench in the nostrils of a holy God. (But we do have the best entertainment, sports, restaurants, and reality shows, don't we?)   (loc. 81).

We are in big trouble, my friend. The world is imploding, time is running out, and the door through which people can be saved is closing. God's judgment is coming to America.... Our hearts should be breaking! People all around us are feeling empty and hopeless. Just as Jesus wept for Jerusalem while acknowledging its judgment, should we not weep for America as the signs clearly point to God's impending judgment on a once-mighty, blessed nation?   (loc. 90-91).

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