The Nonfiction Books I've Written, Part 1

The Nonfiction Books that I've Written: Turn of the Century Tidbits

Because I enjoy learning from other authors' experiences, I'm going to share the writing of my first 4 books. Since that was the late '80s, I'll just cover (remember!) the high spots.

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When I began writing Turn of the Century Tidbits, I was a stay-at-home mom of 2 with 7 years corporate work behind me. I'd enjoyed and aced teacher-assigned research papers, so it was natural that I'd turn to nonfiction.  

My grandmother's Twentieth Century Cookbook and Practical House-keeping (published in 1900) fascinated me from the first page. I devoured it! First the recipes, which were written for use with a wood burning stove. Then it went on to provide "timely information" on Health remedies, Household cleaning, and other wifely skills.

That peek into a bygone era was exciting, and I had a powerful urge to share it with somebody -- or lots of somebodies. Since I'd already begun selling articles, I started making notes. Maybe I could build an article or two out of it.

I also began translating a few of the recipes into modern terms with my cooking times and temps. One or more turn-of-the-century delights appeared at dinner almost every night, and I was thankful my husband and offspring were so patient with mom's experiments.

The fun facts kept building from one page to the next, and I kept learning

more! My typed pages began piling up. 

Each paragraph was labeled with the topic, like "soup." I converted my dining room table to an editing room, and with my good sewing shears, I cut off each paragraph of marked text, then arranged those in reader-pleasing order. Very carefully, I taped them together, and -- walla! -- I held the first chapter of my first book in my hand!

(continued next week)

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* Hi, Friends ~ In the next few weeks and months, I'll share my author's journey. I'd enjoy hearing your comments and questions! Writing is very personal.