Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
Coca-Cola is imbedded in American history and culture in many ways. One of the most famous is the portrayal of Santa Claus. In 1931, the company paid illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint variations of Santa Claus for Christmas advertisements. Prior to that time, Santa was depicted in many ways across the globe — some were…
A hundred and fifty eight years ago, the Union army was in New Bern and threatening to move west unchecked. The Confederate leadership showed little interest in making the defense of North Carolina a priority. Gen. John Foster of the Union army started making moves in November New Bern and the 47th North Carolina —…
It’s easy to think that America was widely known as the U.S. all the way back to Revolutionary times. Many people didn’t really call themselves Americans, they considered themselves citizens of their states, and their state was associated with others. In the War of 1812, a contractor named Sam Wilson, a meat packer from New…
Admittedly, I am a George Washington fan. The book 1776 is among my favorites of all time, I believe Washington might have been our greatest president, and I even have a GW bobblehead on my Christmas Wish List. He was our first president elected under the Constitution, but prior to that, America existed for eight…
I was fortunate to be invited to sell and sign my books at Pequod Used Books in Rocky Mount this past weekend. My wife Kristi and I knew there would be a challenge — try not to go too crazy in the store, especially since owner Justin Nale had announced a 50% off everything-sale. We…
It’s hard enough to promote a book and hope it gets noticed and read even in the best of times. COVID-19 has presented any author with a 2020 release plenty of challenges since we can’t get out to do traditional readings. I miss those and the interaction. However, I got some exciting news over the…
My publisher is having a terrific sale on over a thousand of their titles, including my new book, Galvanized: The Odyssey of a Reluctant Carolina Confederate. Just use the code 6FALL20 at checkout and you will get 50% off your entire order. You’ll have to pay sales tax and shipping, but that is still a…
(This originally appeared in the Aug. 12 issue of The Nashville Graphic in Michael’s “The Soapbox” column.) My mama and I were both voracious readers when I was growing up. However, we never got to meet many writers — just two that I can recall. One was Roy Wilder Jr. of Spring Hope,…
Jazz legend Thelonious Sphere Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on October 10, 1917. The son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, his home was on Green Street in an area known as “Around the Y,” after a railroad bend nearby. It was a well-to-do area in the city’s black community. When Monk was…
It doesn’t seem that the role of women is given much consideration when people talk and write about the Civil War. There was a statue honoring the “women of the Confederacy” on the Capital Grounds in Raleigh. It’s been moved. On March 18, 1863, about 50 women resorted to violence in Salisbury, North Carolina —…