New Evelyn Details!

Until now I had no idea what happened to Evelyn's last husband. After her death he seemed to have just disappeared. Today I learned when and where he is buried!!


Just when I think I've discovered all I think there about Evelyn I find something new.


This will just make E.M.H.: The Aristocratic Ranch Wife (formerly The Secret Lives of Evelyn) even better.

A Recent Discovery

While in England some archivists gave me leads to follow, which I did yesterday. I was doing some follow-up research on Evelyn and stumbled upon a treasure. When I was at the London Metropolitan Archives I had to apply for a History Card aka library card to access their resources, which includes old newspapers.

It was very useful and we yielded some good results. However, you couldn't save anything and had to print. I assumed the card was only good while I was at the library in London. Much to my happy surprise--it works from the comfort of my home here in the states!!

I spent most of yesterday perusing all the topics that I didn't have time to look up while in London. I was able to save all the items we located while in London, plus a whole bunch more! That alone is worth the trip. It also includes access to the London Times, which I was paying about $8 per day to access.

Sadly, I have to put the new toy down today and focus on my next True West column (which I like doing anyway) and getting some new Cary photos.

Ah, the balancing act...

 

125 Years and 22 Days

It was exactly 125 years and 22 days ago that Evelyn and her husband set sail for America. My cousin and I will be boarding a plane for England tonight. We are filming as well so we can make a documentary about my quest. Turns out Paris is not just for fun after all--there is some theatre research to be done.

I can't say if my journey, which will be about seven hours in a plane, or her journey, which was 10 days at sea is better.

Preparing for Europe

It's a total countdown now. Two days from today I will be heading to the airport to visit Paris and England. Paris is just for fun, but England is where I begin my quest to find more about Evelyn's family and her life.

I will attempt to blog and add photos each day of my journey, so keep coming back!

Apex book charts town’s history

I've been writing a lot of the Secret Lives of Evelyn and still looking for the elusive data...

My new book, Apex, will be out next week and there is a good deal of promotion going on. The local paper, the Apex Herald ran a full front-page ad with photos!

Today I appeared on the local CBS affiliate, WRAL, to talk about the book.

November 4, 2009

I have been diligently working on The Secret Lives of Evelyn for the last few days. I have hit some road blocks, especially for the last two pieces of this crazy puzzle!

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of Evelyn's great granddaughters in London. She is just as sweet and funny as can be. It was such a neat feeling being able to talk with someone who actually knew Evelyn's first child! It was almost as if I was talking to Evelyn.

Elizabeth shared some very personal and interesting stories with me. There is no way to confirm them, but they have been passed down from family members. I still intend to share them because they are so crazy!

Today I am focusing on the writing part--it's very easy for me to get sucked into the research part.

The new Apex book is making a splash! A story in the local paper, Apex Herald featured it yesterday and I will be on the local CBS affiliate on Monday afternoon. I will post a link here after it airs. Here is the one for the Apex book http://www.theapexherald.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Local+author+writes+about+town-s+history%20&id=4278387-Local+author+writes+about+town-s+history&instance=home_news_lead

Working with Family

The Secret Lives of Evelyn continues to fill my days.

However, today I was in contact with a coroner in England to see if I can get the details of E's death. Since I am not family, they will not release it to me. On the bright side, E's GG granddaughter in England has agreed to email the coroner to see what she can find. I think she is equally curious to know more about her fascinating relative.

I now have an "accomplice" in my quest for the truth!

I forgot to mention that I found some other interesting details around E's husband the other day. Very exciting...

Movie and More

I was just thinking about all the details and the journey I am on because of The Secret Lives of Evelyn.

Thank goodness I am documenting so much of the journey here, because in the book someone will see the day that Evelyn died. However, they will have no idea how long it took me to find that one fact, unless they are following this.

That got me to thinking that with all the attention on the Julie and Julia movie that I should get one! LOL

This journey has had some ups and downs, highs and lows, surprises, and much more. My publisher says my journey to find Evelyn's secrets is as interesting as Evelyn herself!

I found Ev's final resting place today. I feel a little sad...

It's a good day!

I have been deep into research and hot on the trail of Evelyn's descendants this week and last.

So far, I have found more interesting tidbits and details, along with a direct descendant of Evelyn and George's!

She lives in the UK and seems really excited about me writing about her family. The other descendant that I already found here in the states is just thrilled.

It's so cool to be able to speak with people who are directly related to Evelyn. Right now, she is just a person in genealogy data banks, but speaking with and emailing her relatives make it all seem so more real.

I can't wait to see what the latest contact has for me...and to finally start writing her story.

This weekend it's a road trip with my cousin. We are staying with my Uncle Donald because I have a Western Writers of America event near his home. Should be a fun girl's weekend!

I Know What They Looked Like!

Today I found a newspaper article which had an artist's drawing of my two main people in The Secret Lives of Evelyn! I finally know what they looked like. This is too cool.

I also read some disturbing stories about George--I don't think I like him very much...

Happy and Mad

I am both happy and mad all at the same time!

I found another great piece of the Secret Lives of Evelyn puzzle yesterday. As it turns out, quite by accident. I was looking for one thing and stumbled upon it. I love it when that happens!!!

On the other hand, I am really mad and upset about two book reviews I received yesterday. One was for Taste of Tombstone and the other for Tombstone's Treasure. They were both from scholarly types, which might explain their comments.

Tombstone's Treasure was hit for having disorganized footnotes, while Taste of Tombstone was hit for the same thing, but also for the recipes. It always amazes me that people think recipes that were used in the west have to come from old cookbooks in the west.

How would that be possible when most books were published in the east during the 1800s? Did these highly-educated scholars think about that?! Of course not--the women who went west, yes, from the east, took their EASTERN cookbooks along with them.

They also slammed me for not citing the source for every single recipe I have in the book. They should have paid attention to the Prologue where I specifically say I used old cookbooks of the time, including an 1880 one that I bought in Tombstone! Ugh. They also mentioned not being able to remember who Otto Geisenhofer was and had to use the index to look him up. Why was that a big deal?

Thanks--I feel better now.