Tag: family-history

  • From Gilded Age Grifter to Aer Lingus Diva

    From Gilded Age Grifter to Aer Lingus Diva

    I’m sitting at Gate 9 at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, waiting to board a 6:05 p.m. plane to Dublin. The seats are filling fast. Uh oh. Does that mean some poor schmuck is going to get wedged between me and my husband? He likes the window. I like the aisle. (Seventy-year-old bladder. Two kids.)…

  • A True Story for Young Readers – Coming June 22

    A True Story for Young Readers – Coming June 22

    I’m thrilled to announce the upcoming release of my newest book, Doris’s New Home, launching June 22! This illustrated children’s book is based on the true story of my mother, Doris, who left Vienna with her own mother in 1938. Together, they escaped the growing threat of Nazi rule and made a new life in…

  • Postmarked from the Past: A Message from Catherine

    Postmarked from the Past: A Message from Catherine

    Today, Scott, one of the members of my writing group, the Daily Sprinters, gave us an assignment: Write a postcard to yourself from an ancestor using exactly 100 words. I chose to “receive” my message from Catherine, the protagonist of my forthcoming novel, currently titled Draped in Deceit: The Story of a Gilded Age Grifter.…

  • Post RootsTech 2025 – Day 2 – Genealogy, Dessert, and a Nap (Not Necessarily in That Order)

    Post RootsTech 2025 – Day 2 – Genealogy, Dessert, and a Nap (Not Necessarily in That Order)

    Cheryl spent most of today at the Family History Library, making solid progress tracking down documents for her Mayflower Society application. Meanwhile, all the excitement from the past week—plus the whirlwind of family events before I even made it to Salt Lake City—finally caught up with me. I took things slow, working on marketing for…

  • Rootstech 2025 – Day 2 Recap

    Rootstech 2025 – Day 2 Recap

    We woke to a gray snowy scene outside our window. Thankfully our hotel is just a minute walk away. Before I head to the first session let me tell you something…I’ve got a secret. Which I’ll be divulging tomorrow. For now, let’s just say I’ve had to embrace my second “career.” So, this session was…

  • Rootstech 2025 – Day 1 Recap

    Mistakes I Have Made: Confessions of a Repentant Genealogist Day 1 of RootsTech was packed with insightful sessions, and I’m kicking things off with one that really resonated with me—because, let’s be honest, we’ve all made mistakes in our genealogical research. Cheri Hudson Passey delivered a fantastic and, at times, painfully relatable session on the…