Imagine arriving in a new city to begin your career with everything you own packed into your saddlebags. You’re twenty-eight old. You’ve managed to become a lawyer despite having almost no formal education. You’re ambitious. You believe you might be capable of something more. There’s just one problem. You can’t afford a bed…or a room.Continue reading “When Abraham Lincoln Couldn’t Afford a Bed to Sleep in”
Tag Archives: books
Why Was Elijah Lovejoy’s Press So Dangerous in Abraham Lincoln’s America
Today, we are surrounded by information. Newspapers, television, websites, podcasts, and social media compete constantly for our attention. If we disagree with one voice, there are hundreds of others waiting for us. The world Abrham Lincoln knew was very different. In the 1830s, a newspaper editor could wield enormous influence in his community. His newspaperContinue reading “Why Was Elijah Lovejoy’s Press So Dangerous in Abraham Lincoln’s America”
Why Did I Make Abraham Lincoln a Dectective
Abraham Lincoln was many things during his lifetime–lawyer, politician, congressman, president. But detective? Not exactly. So why did I decide to put a young Abraham Lincoln at the center of a historical mystery? When Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy begins, Lincoln is still decades away from becoming the president we all recognize. He’s aContinue reading “Why Did I Make Abraham Lincoln a Dectective”
When History Isn’t Enough
One of the biggest surprises I encountered while writing Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy was learning that good history doesn’t automatically become a good novel. I spent years reading court transcripts, newspaper accounts, speeches, letters, and memoirs. I wanted to understand not only what happened, but how the people involved thought and felt. AtContinue reading “When History Isn’t Enough”
How Much of a Historical Novel Is Real?
One of the questions I am asked most often is, “How much of your novel is true?” The answer isn’t as simple as you might think. Every historical novel is different. Some authors use history simply as a backdrop for an entirely fictional story. Others stay very close to the historical record. Neither approach isContinue reading “How Much of a Historical Novel Is Real?”
Meet One of the Most Powerful Men in Lincoln’s Illinois
When we think about Abraham Lincoln’s early career, we often picture him surrounded by thoughtful lawyers debating great questions of law and politics. The reality was far more complicated. One of the most influential men in Illinois during Lincoln’s first years as a lawyer was Usher F. Linder, the state’s Attorney General from 1837-1839. LincolnContinue reading “Meet One of the Most Powerful Men in Lincoln’s Illinois”
Why Was Everyone Talking About Alton?
To those of you who have been exploring Lincoln’s world with me, welcome back. As I wrote Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy, I thought about a question that would have seemed perfectly natural in Illinois during the autumn of 1837: Why was everyone talking about Alton? Today, Alton is a quiet river town onContinue reading “Why Was Everyone Talking About Alton?”
Returning to Lincoln’s World
To those of you who have been exploring Lincoln’s world with me, thank you for your patience. You may have noticed that my Tuesday and Thursday posts suddenly stopped for a couple of weeks. I wanted to let you know why. My father had a catastrophic fall and was in hospice, and shortly afterward heContinue reading “Returning to Lincoln’s World”
Why Lincoln Could Not Ignore Alton
One of the questions I had to answer while writing my novel was obvious to me yet also a central premise of the work: Why would Abraham Lincoln care about Elijah Lovejoy? Why would he care about what happened in Alton and feel compelled to go there? Lincoln and Lovejoy never met. When I beganContinue reading “Why Lincoln Could Not Ignore Alton”
Before They Were Rivals–Lincoln and Douglas
This week I ended up returning to Chapter 3 of my novel after uncovering comments from my writers group that I had not fully addressed. It felt a little unhappy moving backward in the manuscript instead of forward, but revision often works that way. Sometimes the foundation needs attention before the upper floors can beContinue reading “Before They Were Rivals–Lincoln and Douglas”
The View From The Imaginarium 