April 17, 2020
Quonnie: A State of Mind
In 1993, I received my first paid byline in the now defunct Tidings Magazine, a regional publication covering the shore areas of southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. While I might change a few things if written more recently, I still love Quonnie: A State of Mind and its core themes of the enduring appeal of the ocean, beach and
April 16, 2020
The Journey of Researching and Writing The French Desk
I’ve been mulling over writing this story for a long time. I had many letters from 1944-1945 my mother had written home, so I knew I could use those as the outline of the story. But some of the material was personal, like her love life, and did I want to splash all that over a book? Sorbonne – Source:
April 13, 2020
The Paris Study Group – A Defining Year
Over the years, in explaining the backstory behind my book, The French Desk: A Brooklyn Gal’s Journey into Wartime Propaganda, I would mention that my mother had participated in the Paris Study Group to my friends, and they would invariably say, “What was that?” Paris Study Group (1938) – Source: Family photos The Paris Study Group (PSG) was a group
April 6, 2020
Good Things Are Worth Waiting For
About ten years ago, I embarked on a journey to write the story of my mother’s wartime experience when she worked as a civilian in the Office of War Information (OWI). I had many letters – maybe 65 or so – she had written home in 1944 and 1945, saved by my grandparents for some reason. My mother – Alberta
March 31, 2020
From My Mother’s OWI Garret
In the house I grew up in, our attic was stacked with boxes. A decade could be retraced in an hour’s time. Births, deaths, baptisms, confirmations and graduations and various ephemera littered the rafters. Frayed boxes bulged with old photographs and letters. ACJ Letters home during WWI – Source: Family Photos I was the youngest of my family and almost