Tag: https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com

#OnThisDay: The Edmund Fitzgerald, 1975 & a Hurricane Helene Update

Although I usually blog on Mondays, due to a live-streamed event I will tell you about in a few paragraphs, I am publishing this week’s blog today.

The Edmund Fitzgerald

I have always loved a variety of music, but one of my favorite genres is ballads. When I think of ballads, the first one that comes to mind is “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” which was given to us so beautifully by the late Gordon Lightfoot.

Yesterday marked the 49th anniversary of the loss of that ship on Lake Superior. I have never seen Lake Superior, so it is difficult for me to grasp its size. When measured by surface area, it is the largest freshwater lake in the world. By volume, it ranks third in the world. Its surface area is comparable to that of Austria or the State of South Carolina. Whoa!

Now that I have a better understanding of the size of Lake Superior…

The 729-foot Edmund Fitzgerald sailed from Superior, Wisconsin, headed for Detroit, Michigan. It carried 26,116 tons of taconite pellets to supply steel mills.

On November 10, 1975, the ship was driven 530 feet to the bottom of Lake Superior by 90 mile-per-hour winds and 30-foot seas. All 29 crew members perished.

The ship’s 200-pound bronze bell was retrieved on July 4, 1995. It holds a place of honor in the Great Lakes Shipwrecks Museum – Whitefish Point, Paradise, Michigan.

Why I chose to post this today

The Great Lakes Shipwrecks Museum holds a ceremony annually on November 10 to honor the memory of the 29 men who perished in the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The ceremony today is not open to the public; however, it will be live streamed at 7:00 p.m. EST on Facebook Live and YouTube. For links to those venues, visit https://shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald/.

That website includes a beautiful photograph of the ship, but I did not have permission to include it in this blog post.

Hurricane Helene Update on Western North Carolina

I live 100 miles east of the hardest hit areas, but as a North Carolinian I feel compelled to use my platform to remind the world that western NC is still dealing with Hurricane Helene. Just to give you an idea about the recovery situation 46 days after the storm hit western NC…

Roads: Interstate 40 is still closed near the TN line. As of Friday, of the 1,329 roads that were closed in September due to Hurricane Helene, 293 remain closed and an additional 95 have partial access.

Electricity: Duke Energy and other electric utility companies and co-ops are working diligently to get power restored to the most remote/rugged areas.

Water system in Asheville: The City of Asheville Water Resources serves about 160,000 people in Buncombe and Henderson counties. They are still under a Boil Water order. Water treatment and testing continue daily. Imagine being without potable tap water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, etc. since September 26!

Blue Ridge Parkway: An 11-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway has opened near Asheville after the removal of 350,000 cubic feet of storm debris! Another way of looking at that figure is to imagine almost 150 shipping containers being filled. That section of the parkway goes from the NC Arboretum to the Folk Art Center. Giving the public access to the Folk Art Center is a huge step forward as artisans of numerous crafts from throughout the Appalachian Mountains display and offer their artistry for sale there. If you’re planning a trip, visit https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm. It is a great source for details of closures from milepost to milepost. As the fall tourist season winds down, there is still no estimated date for all the parkway in NC to be reopened.

Public School Systems: All the affected counties continue to struggle with bus routes due to so many road closures.

Tourism: Towns are opening back up to visitors, but many rural areas are still very much in recovery mode… and will be for months, if not years. Check reliable sources before making travel plans.

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read.

Value the time you have with friends and family.

If you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter yet, please do by visiting https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com and clicking on the “Subscribe” button. You will receive a free downloadable copy of my historical short story, “Slip Sliding Away” and my e-newsletter. I’m starting a new, shortened e-newsletter format on Tuesday, November 12. Sign up today so you won’t miss out!

Remember the people of Ukraine; western NC; Valencia, Spain; and all the areas affected by the numerous wildfires in the United States.

Janet

A Wake-Up Call for this Blogger

When I started Janet’s Writing Blog more than a decade ago, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had not read many blogs, but I thought I was ready to jump in and write my own after being prompted by my niece’s husband. Craig is much more tech savvy than I. He designed my website as it served me well for 20 years. His interests, time, and business responsibilities changed over the years, so in January 2023 my website was redesigned by Carolina Custom Designs.

My blog floundered for several years in the beginning as I tried to find my niche. I played around with how often to blog and how long a blog post should be. Things have gone more smoothly since I settled on posting every Monday.

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

I have slowly realized the potential my blog. In fact, I know I haven’t yet fully understood its potential.

It astounds me that people all over the world read my blog! In January 2024, for example, people in 36 countries read my blog.

I’m fortunate to live in the United States of America where I have freedom of speech and freedom to read anything I want.

I don’t want to run out of subject matter. I usually plan my blog post topics as much as a year in advance, but this year my editorial calendar just isn’t coming together like it has in the past.

Should I make some changes in my blog?

Last year was a busy year of getting my website redesigned; starting a newsletter in March; offering a free downloadable copy of my short story, “Slip Sliding Away” to everyone who subscribes to my newsletter; publishing a local history book, Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Book 2; publishing my first ghost story, “Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story”; and, with my sister, Marie, published a cookbook, The Aunts in the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes.

With all I had going on, I failed to keep expanding my editorial calendar. Having Covid in December, a health scare of a different nature at the same time which lapped over into January, and intermittent internet and telephone service for two weeks after a January 9 storm, I was in a mental fog until the first week in March. I do have the next four weekly blog posts planned and partially written; however, some weeks in the rest of 2024 need to be fleshed out.

More than 1,100 “follow” my blog, but most of them probably don’t read it every week. I try to keep in mind that although I have some loyal readers every week, there is always the chance (and hope!) that this will be the week when someone reads my blog for the first time. What can I write this week that will please my regular readers but also grab the attention of a first-time reader so much that they become a subscriber?

I don’t want to bore my loyal readers with references to my books, short stories, and website; however, I want that new reader to be aware of what I’ve written. It is a delicate balancing act.

What Ryan Lanz says a blogger should do

A list I keep in front of me as I plan my blog topics is Ryan Lanz’s “22 Ways to Impress a First-Time Blog Reader With Any Post.” Lanz sets the bar high! I don’t have Mr. Lanz’s permission to quote his list, but I’ll throw out several items on the list to give you an idea of what a blogger is challenged to do with every post:

  • “Tell them something they don’t know.”
  • “Tell them something they DO know.”
  • “Help them solve a problem.”

It only gets more challenging as you read the other 19 items on his list! The one that always trips me up is number 3. I have a feeling in my more than 13 years of blogging, I have probably never solved anyone’s problem! I just don’t see that as my responsibility.

My plan

The first months in a calendar year tend to prompt us into new beginnings and reflection. That’s what I will continue to do over the coming weeks, and I hope I’ll find enough topics of interest to keep blogging every Monday for the foreseeable future.

Stay tuned.  Next week I will blog about the books I read in April.

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read.

If you are a blogger, you can probably identify with today’s post.

Don’t forget the people of Ukraine.

Remember to subscribe to my e-newsletter before the May issue if you want to learn about an on-going archaeological dig in North Carolina! Just visit https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com and click on “Subscribe.” My thank-you gift to you is a downloadable copy of my historical short story, “Slip Sliding Away.”

Janet

How do you decide what to read next?

My question for you today is, “How do you decide what to read next?”

Is it FOMO (fear of missing out)? Do you scan the NY Times Bestseller List every week and take your reading cues from it? Do you just read books in a certain genre and never dip your toes in something different to shake things up? For instance, instead of just reading western romance novels, do you ever check out a science fiction book from the library?

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash.

Do you gravitate to the “New Releases” section in your public library? Do you pick up a free copy of Book Page at the public library each month to learn about new books? Do you ask a librarian for recommendations? Do you and your friends tell each other about books you or they have enjoyed?

How I decide what to read

I got the idea for today’s topic from a blog post I read back in May: https://readingladies.com/2023/05/23/10-things-that-make-me-instantly-want-to-read-a-certain-book-toptentuesday/. It got me to thinking about how I decide what to read next. I honestly didn’t connect it with book banning at the time.

I recently divided my to-be-read (TBR) list into four categories: books about the craft of writing; books I need to read for historical research to enhance my historical fiction writing, novels and short story collections; fiction; and nonfiction books of general interest.

I listed the books in each category in the order in which I want or need to read them.

This was no easy task. There are more than 300 books on my TBR. Chances are, I won’t get to read all of them. You see, I add titles to my TBR faster than I can read the books already on the list. I console myself by thinking it’s a nice “problem” to have.

Everyone has preferences

I must admit, I don’t care for sappy romance, science fiction, horror, or fantasy, but I’ll march in the street to defend your right to read those genres. My “go to” genre is historical fiction – especially set in colonial and revolutionary America, but I also enjoy World War II historical fiction, some thrillers, and an occasional memoir.

I enjoy following a number of book review bloggers. I often learn of new authors or books that have slipped in under my radar.

More and more, I’m becoming a fan of certain authors. I try to stay on top of when their next novels will be published. Armed with that information, I get on the waitlist at the public library for those books as soon as they show up in the system’s online catalog.

The authors I tend to look for (in no particular order) include Sally Hepworth, Vicki Lane, Lelah Chini, Isabel Allende, Anna Jean Mayhew, Pam Jenoff, Diane Chamberlain, John Grisham, Kathleen Grissom, Kelly Rimmer, Mark de Castrique, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Susan Meissner, Erik Larson, Barbara Kyle, Lisa Wingate, Anne Weisgarber, Aimie K. Runyan, John Hart, Jennifer Ryan, Kristin Hannah, Andrew Gross, Ann Patchett, Heather Morris, Mark Sullivan, Wiley Cash, Kathy Reichs, Jennifer Chiaverini, V.S. Alexander, Jodi Picoult, Kate Quinn, Ron Rash, Jamie Ford, Leah Weiss, and Kelly Mustian.

Whew! That’s 35, or about 25 more than I would have guessed! I’m sure I’ve left others off my list. Some authors come and go from my list.

Are any of those 35 names on your list of favorites?

Who are your favorite authors?

What’s your favorite genre?

Back to my original question

How do you decide what to read next? Is it based on the cover, an author you’ve read and liked before, the blurb on the back of the book, a positive review you read, the genre, or something else?

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.

Since my last blog post

I’ve had a productive week. I haven’t put many words on paper, but I have done some on-site historical research for the historical novel I’m writing. Be sure to subscribe to my e-Newsletter if you want to read about where I went and why.

Until my next blog post

If you are going to be in the Charlotte area between 2:00 and 4:00 next Saturday afternoon, November 4, please drop by Second Look Books at 4519 School House Commons in Harrisburg for our Meet & Greet highlighting The Aunts in the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes.

I hope you have access to so many good books that you don’t have time to read all of them.

My November e-Newsletter will be sent via email in a couple of days. If you have not subscribed to it, please do so by visiting https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com and clicking on the “Subscribe” button. Just for subscribing, you’ll receive a downloadable e-copy of my American historical short story, “Slip Sliding Away.”

Make time for friends and relatives, even if you don’t agree with them about politics.

Remember the brave people of Ukraine as a cold winter is racing toward them and the innocent people in the Middle East. People in both these areas are the victims of dictators and terrorists.

And, of course, remember the people of Maine in light of last week’s mass shooting. When will the elected officials in the US learn that most Americans want tighter gun regulations? When is enough, enough?

Janet