Author: janetsm

In November 2025, I published Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories. In the fall of 2025, I published a devotional book: I Need The Light! 26 Weekly Devotionals to Help You Through Winter AND I Need The Light! Companion Journal and Diary. I write North Carolina local history and Southern American colonial historical fiction. I enjoy doing extensive research as well as the writing that research supports. My stories and novels-in-progress are about the common people. I'm the author of Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Books 1 and 2 and a vintage postcard book titled The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

A writing contest I wanted to enter

The playing field is rarely level. Don’t get me wrong; I am not whining. I’m just stating a fact. The playing field at school is never level because every child has a unique home life. I didn’t grasp that as a child. I had a peaceful, supportive family and assumed all my classmates did, too. It was years later before I realized that based on statistics, many of them were probably abused. Many of them probably did not know what it was to live in a home with two loving parents who encouraged them to always do their best and always do the right thing.

Fast forward to January, 2015. I wanted to enter the TransitionsAbroad Narrative Travel Writing Contest. The “no entry fee” was a big enticement for me. So was the $500 first place prize. The idea behind the contest was for people to write about experiencing a different culture and appreciating it. I had an idea and I put several hundred words on paper. Something drew me back to the writers’ guidelines. The part I kept stumbling over was about how submitting digital photographs would enhance any entry. In other words, accompanying pictures were not mandated but it would be difficult for an essay without illustrations to compete. I mulled that over in my head for more than a few days and concluded that my story’s chances of winning were slim to none.

I had the privilege of visiting Scotland just years before the advent of digital cameras for the amateur photographer. It was a grand experience — one I never expected to have. Scotland is beautiful. I went through about a dozen rolls of film.

Scotland was a pleasant place and life in the countryside and in small villages moved at a slower pace than I was used to in the United States. Darting into a pub for a “quick lunch” was impossible. By the third day of leisurely two-hour lunches became so enjoyable that my sister and I wished we could bring the practice home with us. As cultures go, that of America and that of Scotland are not very far apart; however, the Scots still know how to take time to smell the roses.

Chances are, I would not have won the contest. Not having digital photographs to submit with the piece, though, put me at a disadvantage. Even so, I have advantages that most people in the world can only dream about. Without my travels in Scotland, I would not have been able to submit the nonfiction piece I entered in the Southern California Genealogical Society’s writing contest last month. That time, I had the advantage. All writers draw on their experiences, and I will always be grateful for having the opportunity to visit Scotland.

One contest I entered

Yesterday I wrote about not finding story ideas for some upcoming writing contests. I did enter a contest in December and should know by May 1, 2015 if I won or placed.

The Southern California Genealogical Society’s GENEii Literary Contest closed on December 31, 2014. I wrote a 1,900-word nonfiction piece about Mary Morrison, my g-g-g-g-grandmother who came from Scotland to North Carolina in the 1760s and her mother-in-law, Janet Hall. Janet lived all her life on the Kintyre Peninsula of Scotland, as far as I know.

If I could have a conversation with two of my ancestors, I would choose Mary and Janet. Janet’s life must have been full of hardship, although she grew up on a lush green farm at Southend, Scotland with views of Ireland 12 miles across the North Channel on a clear day. It was a beautiful place to be a child in the early 1700s, but a harsh place to be an adult where everyone was a tenant on the land owned by the Duke of Argyll.

Mary’s life included the excitement of leaving Scotland as a young adult to go to America. Her excitement was, no doubt, tempered with fear and misgivings about leaving her homeland. She and her husband, John, farmed in North Carolina, and they did well until John’s early death. Mary was widowed while pregnant with their ninth child during the Revolutionary War, and in less than four years she died. What a difficult life she and her children had here! I think about her when I garden the same piedmont North Carolina red clay soil in which she must have struggled to grow vegetables and flowers. I feel her presence as I live on the same land on which she lived 250 years ago.

Janet Hall and Mary Morrison are more than names in a family history book. They are real to me and their blood runs through my veins.

Always in search of writing opportunities

At least once a month I surf the ‘net in search of writing contests or other writing opportunities that appeal to me. I also try to stay aware of book festivals and author events within driving distance of where I live. There are several writing contests I’m toying with this month, but I don’t think any of them are going to pan out.

Other things have crowded out my writing time so far this week. Maybe it’s just an after the holidays let down. I’m trying to get rid of some of the clutter in my house. It’s dragging me down. My mind is cluttered with too many things, which makes it difficult to sit down and write.

January is a good time to get organized and establish good habits.

A great bookstore in Raleigh!

I finally got to visit Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh! What a wonderful independent bookstore!

Window at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh.
Window at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh.

I went in and introduced myself to Ted. I showed him my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and he immediately placed an order for several copies. They should be on the shelf at Quail Ridge Books & Music by now. If you live in the Raleigh area, please patronize Quail Ridge Books & Music and thank them for making my book available to their customers.

Entrance to Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh.
Entrance to Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh.

Quail Ridge Books & Music hosts an amazing number of author events. Perhaps someday I will be fortunate enough to be invited to have a book signing there. They had a display about upcoming author events. I counted 37 author events the store is hosting before the end of February. That is extraordinary!

Thank you, Ted at Quail Ridge Books & Music!

At a loss for words

I want to submit a short story in the annual Nelson Algren Literary Awards competition, but I have not been able to settle on a story line. That’s the hardest thing for me as a writer. Once I have a plot idea, I can usually run with it; however, story ideas elude me.

I’ve read and heard other writers say they have more ideas than time to write all the stories. That has never been my problem.

This particular short story can have up to 8,000 words. I have written more than 4,000 words in one day, but the January 31 deadline is approaching and I will be in trouble if I don’t think of a story idea soon.

I thought I had an idea this morning, but it’s not working. In the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day.”

An excuse to eat mince & tatties

No excuse is too small for me to eat one of my favorite Scottish dishes: mince & tatties with green peas. Yesterday was Diana Gabaldon’s birthday. She, of course, wrote the Outlander series which is set in Scotland and North Carolina. Sounds like a good enough reason to have mince and tatties for supper!

When Marie and I ate mince and tatties with green peas in 1993 for our first pub lunch on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It was love at first bite. Aside from salmon, it became our favorite Scottish dish. Haggis came in a distant third, and black pudding didn’t even make the list. I can eat haggis as long as I don’t think about the ingredients. Black pudding wasn’t appealing at all — and that was before I found out its ingredients.

Scotland is not known for its cuisine, which is unfortunate. Perhaps that is why the Scots have a quaint way of naming foods — an art we lost over the generations here in America. Mince and tatties, cock-a-leekie soup, baps, and inky pinky are just a few examples. Mince is ground beef. Tatties are potatoes. It is a very basic everyday comfort food, but it is delicious and always takes us back to Scotland when we have it for dinner.

Like mince & tatties, reading a Diana Gabaldon book transports me to Scotland, the land of most of my ancestors. Happy belated birthday, Ms. Gabaldon, and thank you for giving me hours of reading pleasure through your Outlander series of books.

Georgann Eubanks’ Literary Trails books

I had the privilege of hearing Georgann Eubanks speak yesterday at the annual meeting of the Concord Friends of the Library, Inc. Ms. Eubanks is the author of three wonderful guides to literary North Carolina.

Literary Trails of the North Carolina Mountains: A Guidebook, published in 2007 by The University of North Carolina Press, was the first of these guidebooks to be completed. In 2010, Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont: A Guidebook, was published. It was followed in 2013 by Literary Trails of Eastern North Carolina: A Guidebook. The books include maps to make it convenient to enjoy segments of the “trails.”

Ms. Eubanks gave an overview of Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont: A Guidebook, at the public library in downtown Concord yesterday. She is an entertaining speaker, and she sprinkled her remarks with many little-known facts about famous authors and poets who had connections with the piedmont section of North Carolina.

It was a fun library event followed by lunch with my sister at the Cuban Carolina Cafe in Concord. I enjoyed my first Cuban hamburger.

A nice find in Sylva, North Carolina

My sister and I have enjoyed shopping at the used bookstore in Sylva, North Carolina, that is operated by the Friends of the Jackson County Friends of the Library. It is a marvelous store and the volunteers there are always very helpful and welcoming.

I knew there was another bookstore in the small town of Sylva — City Lights. We just never had taken the time to visit it. I’m not sure why. It is a gem and another example of a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains that supports an independent bookstore. I love the Indies!

We visited City Lights Bookstore in Sylva in December. I met Chris, the owner. There was only one copy of my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, remaining on the shelf. Chris asked me to autograph it. I was pleased to be asked to sign the book, although autographing my book is the most unsettling thing I do. It doesn’t look like the signature of an author. It lacks flair. It’s legible. It’s not pretty. It seems silly, but I think I need to practice writing my name. I have fairly good penmanship until I put pen in hand to autograph a copy of my book.

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, North Carolina.
City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, North Carolina.

City Lights sells new books and used books. It shares a building with City Lights Cafe. In futures trips to Sylva, we’ll make time to visit both bookstores and give the cafe a try!

2014 was an exciting writing year for me

Most people take December 31 or January 1 to reflect on the last year. Leave it to me to wait a few days. I can procrastinate with the best of them! Looking back on 2014, I realize what an exciting writing year it was for me.

I celebrated the following firsts: (1) My first book, a vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, was published on August 25 by Arcadia Publishing; (2) My first author event was held at the public library in Harrisburg, North Carolina, on September 11; and (3) My first book launch was held on September 21.

In the last three months of 2014, I had additional author events at public libraries in Cabarrus and Haywood Counties, North Carolina.

Two whirlwind trips to the mountains of North Carolina in December to promote my book, to thank bookstore owners for selling my book, and to introduce my book to other bookstore and gift shop owners were my first forays into commercial book promotion.

In my spare time, I have done a bit of research in preparation for submitting an author proposal to Arcadia Publishing for a Piedmont North Carolina vintage postcard book in 2015, but most of my time has been spent promoting the Blue Ridge Mountains book. That book is my primary focus. I have two author events scheduled in April and May. With the holidays behind me, it is time to turn my attention to lining up additional author events this spring and summer.

Last week I took time to write a 1,899-word piece to enter in the Southern California Genealogical Society’s 2014 GENEii Nonfiction Writing Contest. I’ll talk more about that and my subject matter in another blog post this month. The winner will be announced on May 1, 2015.

Sometimes I don’t think I get much accomplished. It’s gratifying to take a few minutes on December 31, January 1, or even January 4 to remember what I did in the last year. Will I be as productive in 2015? Stay tuned!

On my recent trip to Franklin, North Carolina, I visited the Smoky Mountain Host’s Smoky Mountain Visitors Center just south of that town because I knew the Arcadia Publishing sales rep got my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, placed there in August.

Smoky Mountain Host's Smoky Mountain Visitor Center, Franklin, NC.
Smoky Mountain Host’s Smoky Mountain Visitor Center, Franklin, NC.

Smoky Mountain Visitor Center is on US-23/US-441, which is called Georgia Road because it is between Franklin and the Georgia state line. It is a beautiful facility. My book was displayed in the Arcadia spinner that visitors see immediately when they come in the door. In fact, my book was at eye level. Fantastic placement!

My book on the Arcadia Publishing spinner at Smoky Mountain Visitor Center, Franklin, NC.
My book on the Arcadia Publishing spinner at Smoky Mountain Visitor Center, Franklin, NC.