Writing

Percolating Ideas

evelinawood

img_3522Reading and writing are my passions and my escapes.  Catch me at home on any weekend afternoon when the housework is done, or on a weeknight when my boys are abed, and I will either be curled up on my couch with a book (kitties on my lap of course!) or tap tap tapping away on my laptop at the dining room table with another idea I need to get out of my head and onto the screen.

I read ravenously.  I think my local library thinks I am a little crazy with the different types of books I borrow: a little bit of historic romance, some mystery, and a lot of research on clothes, people and events of the 19th century.   My mind is constantly going and I can’t help but discover something I want to learn more about… so down the tunnel I go!

The Mid Hudson Library system, to which I belong, has this awesome service that allows you to search all of their member libraries for the books you want through their website and they will ship them to your local library – for free!  I add a disclaimer here that if you utilize this service, especially as much as I do, be sure to donate some money to your local library to support it.

I am also a big fan of Goodreads.  If you aren’t familiar, it’s a website where you catalog, rate and review the books you’ve read, get book recommendations based on what you’ve cataloged, connect with friends to see what they are reading and follow favorite authors, which may or may not lead to giveaways or sneak peeks at new stories! Goodreads is like a wonderful meander off a well-trodden path that leads somewhere unexpected – I’ve been introduced to the worlds of a number of authors that I would not have otherwise known about.  If you are a Goodreads fan too, find my profile and connect with me!

When I am not reading, I am writing, researching and otherwise getting lost in the details of the worlds I am creating.  I try to stay as true to the time period as possible, so I am always asking questions and researching to learn more.  My biggest personal challenge is clinging too closely to the details and not allow myself a bit of creative freedom in my stories – hmmm.. maybe a 2018 New Years Resolution in the making?

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Published by evelinawood

I was lucky to have been born in the Hudson Valley, NY. My heart lies buried deep in my roots: the tract of immense acreage from New York City to the Adirondacks that is a treasure trove of American History beginning with the Native Indian tribes of the Algonquin and Iroquois to colonization, the Revolutionary War, to the Industrial Age and right up through to modern times. It is an area that has experienced profound change, yet still retains its majestic beauty. I fell in love with Hudson Valley history at a young age. My hometown alone has three historic sites: the homes of Franklin D Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts and the Livingston Mills. As a young girl I imagined myself as a part of these homes and I was lucky to have teachers who flamed my passions for local history; they created an insatiable curiosity that has followed me throughout my life; inspiring me to learn more about all of the people who came before me. My favorite time period is the Edwardian Era: the time of robber barons, railroad magnates and gilded lifestyles, encompassing the end of the Victorian Era until the First World War. Those who had money flaunted it profusely, and those who didn't suffered in unimaginable ways. The Hudson Valley experienced the contrast directly with the immense mansions built along the shores of the Hudson River to the immigrants arriving in New York City to make a new life in the United States. My blog will provide glimpses of life in the Hudson Valley during this time by drawing on the historical research I am always working with and through the snippets of stories I am writing. I hope that my blog brings you enjoyment and a new perspective on a beautiful area so important to American History. Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to visit me!

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