Hi-di-ho, friends! I hope this post finds you happy and healthy and ready to embrace the crazy holiday season ahead. It comes so fast! So before my writing life begins again in October and the treadmill is on its speed setting, I want to catch you up on my 1940s Experience.
What a crazy summer! Between making last-minute final preparations for my much-anticipated trip to Ohio for D-Day Conneaut, I finished writing a long-awaited Contemporary Romance novel that I had been working on for a year. I finally published it on August 28, thus ending the series and the three-year ride my beloved characters had taken me on over 3.5 full-length books. Oh! as some of you know ... I also tried my hand at 1940s podcasting (radio-style) during May and June. What started as a one-month challenge to myself, it quickly morphed into two months with two projects (Various Home Front Topics and The Love Letter Project). Good fun and something I'm preparing to do more often. You can look for past and future episodes here: Podcast from the Home Front. Make sure you subscribe for updates! Also, be sure to peruse June and July's Photo Projects here on the blog where I've honored couples (June) and servicemen (July). As always, there will be more photo projects.
But the highlight of my summer largely took all my attention - so much so that September has been dedicated to doing much of NOTHING besides relaxing and playing catch up in my real life: Pretending to clean my house, binge-watching sappy Hallmark movies, changing the title (at least 6 times) of my next WWII novel, visiting book bloggers for my new non-WWII release, and formatting upcoming book bundles. Gosh, September has been magnificently lazy. Apart from this post, my muse is --deliberately ??--missing in action. Golly, I do hope she comes back. I have to finish my UNNAMED WWII Romance! Yes, I know - I was stuck on Flying with the Swallows. It's now EVA. Just plain and simple EVA. That'll probably change, yet again. Decisions, decisions. I blame the muse ... she's been uncooperative.
Soooo ... about D-Day! Not a kerfuffle or mess-up in sight. Everything, including the construction of my new "apartment" went off without a hitch. So much so that Mr. Cat didn't gripe once and nor was he stressed worrying over me while he did his thing reenacting the invasion at Normandy in the Sherman tank on the sandy shore of Lake Erie. My boarding room apartment, endearingly named "The House that Jack Built," after my father who tirelessly designed and worked beside me building it for easy and sturdy assembly, was well received by the visitors. I heard there were over 1800 reenactors from all over the USA and at least 25k visitors over the two-day event! The event this year, just as in the past, honored veterans in very special ceremonies (a beach memorial and the awarding of 4 Legion of Honor medals by the Consul General of France to WWII veterans: John Davis of Plymouth, Indiana; James Debth of Temperance, Michigan; George Foradas of Canton, Ohio; and Andrew Piccuta of New Castle, Pennsylvania.)
Next year will be the 75th Anniversary of D-Day so each living history section is already at work preparing to present the best educational representations possible. Already, much to my father's feigned chagrin, I have plans for my little apartment!
Mr. Cat and I had stayed at a fabulous B&B, which is primarily a vineyard - so after the very long days at the event - the wine was welcome!! LOL No mess-ups this year - oh! and yes! I survived the 17 hour drive and the winding mountains of West Virginia. Whew! Overall, it was a swell experience. I made new, absolutely darling friends who are as dedicated as I am. One of whom is a talented millinery! Oh my! Such a super gal. Here is a peek at her gift: Lydia Fast LG Studio. Next year, she's upping her already A-Game with a hat shop impression! The ladies at the Victory Garden booth were incredible neighbors and new friends. One of whom gave me several gorgeous crochet and tatted doilies made by her mother-in-law. Truly prized, they will be in my apartment next year.
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching visitors to my apartment about the life of my "Persona" on the home front. What kept her occupied while her children were away? What war work did she do? How did she come to live in Conneaut? And what was on the radio? I even gave a scheduled talk about the Golden Age of Radio and am working on putting that up on a podcast. So, stay tuned for that!
Here are a couple of piccies and make sure you stop by the GALLERY to view them all, including the particular vintage items that I purchased over this last year. (click to expand photos)
Well, kids. I hope to see you at November's next big event: Von Kessinger's Express at the Florida Railroad Museum. I'll be dressed as the German nanny, newly arrived to Paris. Oh boy, will she be in for a surprise. (And yes, I'm teaching myself a German accent!) Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment to say hello and tell me how your summer was. You know how I love hearing from you. See you soon, but until then KEEP 'EM FLYING!