Writer of Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry and Master Photographer
Most people think of the Eiffel Tower as an international icon, the symbol of France, and maybe sometimes, even King’s Dominion amusement park. But that wasn’t always the case. When the tower was being built (1887) for the Paris Centennial Exhibition in 1889, many thought it was an eyesore. It was originally only supposed to…
I’ve made no secret on this blog about my fascination of Zebulon Vance, who served as North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War and later as a senator. He was a flawed person — like all of us — but he was quite a character. But I truly enjoyed learning more about him while researching…
In the summer of 1842, Henry Shoemaker was working as a hired hand on a DeKalb County farm in Indiana. As the day wore on, he realized he’d forgotten to vote. He promised to vote for Madison Marsh, so he rode 12 miles to the polling place and cast his ballot. Marsh won by one…
“Dixie” — the song and the term itself — has fallen on hard times. Once a popular name for things from fairs and events as well as a catchy tune, the term has been a casualty of cancel culture. The song was actually written in 1859 by Daniel Decatur Emmett for Bryant’s Minstrel Shows, a…
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…