HOW DID I GET TO BLOGGERLAND?

How did I get into writing? I don't really know. Before I even learned how to spell "author", I was one.

Actually, I have written vacation, travel, and jury duty journals for several years. I have written extensively about "real life" experiences and adventures, but never anything fictional.

Then one day my sister-in-law, Rayetta Riggs, challenged me to write a novel. "Say what? You've got to be kidding," was my first reaction.

"I'm not imaginative enough to do something like that," I commented to my wife. "I can't just invent a story."

"Well, don't invent it. Write about something you know," she encouraged.

"How can I do that?" I countered. "I don't know anything about anything."

Well, one thing led to another. "Now that I'm retired," I thought, "I suppose it beats stealing hubcaps. I guess I'll give it a shot."

I sat down at the computer, inspired by what little I knew of my Great, Great Grandfather, the first American Briden, and about 9 months later a story was conceived, printed, and published. Now there is no coincidence to the fact that it took 9 months--the same amount of time it takes to make a baby--for some days were better than others and the labor pains were great, sometimes even excruciating. But when that sweet little thing is born, you love it and you're kind of proud of it. That's the way I feel about A Place Called Texas, the first book of the IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM series. After it was finally born, I even forgot most of the labor pains.

I want to downplay the fact that the central characted in this novel is my Great, Great Granddad, for this isn't just another geneological treatise. Geneology, to some people, redefines the word "boring". The IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM series is a fictional account, based on known historical facts, of the brave men and women who settled in the Southwest and the noble men and women who had lived here for years and had to move on.

I take no sides. It is not a part of our history that makes me particularly proud, but it IS a part of our history. Nothing will change that.

As I continue with this blog, I plan to give updates on this'n'that. I hope you will be a regular part of my blogging family. I also encourage you, if you have read either one of my first two books, to write a comment. Your comment might encourage others to purchase a copy.

The total cost of each book is $16 which includes postage, tax, and insurance and may be ordered through my e-mail: kenandvera2@msn.com

I'll chat with you again later. Have a great day. Ken