Road Trip: Andersonville Civil War Prison

After moving to Georgia from Michigan umpteen years ago I was over whelmed by all of the History there. Caught up in my day to day living I somehow stopped noticing it.  I decided to change that.  I wanted to start exploring and taking notice of the history around me. I decided to start with Andersonville. I had never heard about Andersonville until a couple of years ago.  At the time, my son was studying the Civil War. He wanted to learn more, so we hopped in the car, and headed out.

Camp Sumter was one of the largest confederate prisons during the Civil War. The city of AndersonvilleGeorgia was chosen for the site of the prison due to its location far from Union lines and its close proximity to the railway. Soon after the first prisoners arrived in 1864 it was dubbed “Andersonville”. Andersonville is infamous for being one of the deadliest prison camps during the Civil War. Over the next 14 months, almost 13,000 Union soldiers lost their life.  Stricken by the same diseases and insufficient rations hundreds of the confederate prison guards perished as well.  A replica of the North gate was rebuilt on the site along with markers signifying the 15 ft high outer wall and the flimsy inner wall, which marked the “dead line”.

  Doris Atwater, a prisoner, kept a secret list of men that died. After the war ended he and Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, went back with a team to dig up the mass graves and rebury the dead with dignity. There are monuments throughout the prison site and cemetery from each state that had prisoners held at Andersonville.

  Andersonville is a great day trip it takes about 2 ½ hours to drive there from Atlanta or make a weekend out of it and visit former President Jimmy Carter’s Hometown in nearby Plains Georgia or the State fair in Perry. They offer several guided tours daily. We chose the audio tour, you can rent it for a few bucks and go at your own pace.

  Also on site is the Nation Prisoner of War Museum which was opened in 1998 to honor those who were held captive in the defense of their country. You can also visit the Andersonville National Cemetery where the dead from Andersonville are at rest.

  Today the walls that covered over 26 acres have since fallen but the memories and spirit of the men who lived there linger on.

Santa, come at Noon! Reflections of Christmas

Author Kennesaw Taylor as Santa

Santa, come at Noon! Reflections of Christmas

by Lynn Hubbard

As my children become older the mood of Christmas changes a bit. No longer do I hear the sound of pattering feet as they run into my room, jump on my bed and scream “Santa Came”.

 Instead, I find myself having to wake them up on Christmas morning. Their pleads of “Ten more minutes” rips at my soul.


With Christmas being an extra day off for many, I’m struggling with forgoing old traditions and sleeping in.

Why can’t Santa come at noon?

Think about it. No more frantic sneaking around in the dark. There would be less muttered curses as you try to put together items quietly. You would be more cognitive after having your coffee and breakfast first.

With Santa delivering presents during the day, there would be less broken ornaments, less stubbed toes and less stress. Rudolf could go on vacation; in fact the elves could rig Santa’s Sleigh with Solar power. The possibilities are endless.

For example: My stockings went missing this year. (I’m suspicious that the Grinch stole them) Did I pout? Did I cry? No!  We started a new tradition. Instead of stockings Santa cleverly put everything into a Christmas box. And I got to see the joy and surprise on my children’s faces as I handed them their bottles of Fiji water.

After all Christmas isn’t about Santa. It’s about being with family, and giving, and love. So let those teens sleep in, sip some coffee, read a book and relax! That’s what Christmas is all about.

Special thanks to Kennesaw for his pic!

www.kennesawtaylor.com

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

The holidays are upon us. I wanted to share an excerpt from my book “A Christmas Crossing”.  It describes a night very long ago. A night filled with fear and promise. The night George Washington Crossed the Delaware, December 24^th, 1776. I hope you enjoy it and I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

It was Christmas. The night was dark. Snow filled clouds blocked out the stars offering them little to no light. With the hopes of freedom in their hearts, the men pressed on.

Battered by sleet and snow, Sarah stood huddled on the Pennsylvania shore, with the other women, as she watched them go. She clutched a thin blanket around her frail shoulders even though it did little to block out the frozen wind. Nonetheless, she was one of the lucky ones.

Many of Washington’s soldiers had no coats, and some no shoes. Their bare feet were numb from the cold. A trail of bloody footprints marked their way as they marched across the icy ground.

Tears stung her eyes as she watched her brother Silas step into the last Durham Boat. The deep wooden sides seemed to swallow him up as he sat down for the arduous voyage. The boat was originally constructed to carry iron, not men. She could hear the sound of creaking wood and cracking ice as it was poled off into the river. She said a prayer as it disappeared into the darkness.

Silence remained and she barely noticed as the other women around her shuffled back to camp. They would wait, as they had so many times before, for their men to return. Her body was shivering to warm itself from the bitterness of winter. With a fearful heart she turned and walked back to camp as well.

The sleet had topped the snow with ice. It crunched beneath her feet as she walked. She desperately hoped that the river would not freeze this night.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

News on Kindle

Amazon has a new lending library for readers who own a kindle device and are signed up for Amazon Prime. You can "borrow" one book a month for Free!
Kindle Library instructions





 They have recently opened it up to more authors so I jumped on the Band Wagon! 


 You can now read Chase the Moon for Free with your Amazon Prime membership.







Need more great books? Of course you do!
Check out these Great sites:
Kindle Romance ebooks
Kids Love Kindle
Night Owl Reviews
Goodreads
Shelfari

Do you know some more sites for Kindle Books? 
Leave a comment so we can visit!

Would you like to hear Run into the Wind?

Would you like to hear Run into the Wind?

I need your help! My Kickstarter Campaign is winding down.

What is a kickstarter you ask? Kickstarter is an innovative platform to help you fulfill your dreams!

My dream is to have Run into the Wind converted into an AudioBook.

You may visit kickstarter now or keep reading. J KICKSTARTER

The video I am sharing with you is a song inspired by my book. It was written and sung by Western Song Writer Cindy Smith. Mary Pierce is seen in the video using ASL (American Sign Language) to share the song with the Deaf Community.

But why stop there? Why not make it available for persons with other disabilities? Person who have low vision, or are blind. People who are physically challenged; those who cannot hold a book or read one on a computer. And let us not forget the ones stuck in traffic.

I want to give my book a voice, a human voice that imposes every nuance of emotion that I wrote. Needless to say, a true audiobook is a work of art in itself. It is time consuming and very expensive, which is why I am using kickstarter.

Thank you for your time and if you need more information please contact me or visit my website.

Sincerely, Lynn Hubbard

www.lynnhubbard.com

Go to Kickstarter

Holiday Hop!

THE WINNER OF THE KINDLE FIRE IS....Krysta Banco! Congrats Krysta 

and Happy Reading! (posted 1/1/2012)

Christmas is my favorite time of Year!

 For the Holiday Hop Contest

 enter belowto win one of ten ebook Copies of "A Christmas Crossing". 

One lucky reader will be entered for the Kindle Give away!

Up to 6 entries per person enter below!

A Peek into Hell - These Hellish Happenings by Jennifer Rainey

I had scheduled an interview with author Jennifer Rainey but she had to cancel at the last minute. The bearded lady needed more shaving cream so off she went to assist. In her stead we have Jack Bentley from the book These Hellish Happenings. Good thing a copy fell from Jennifer’s purse as she ran out the door!

With much ado I give you Jack.

So Jack, it seems like you have lived a charmed life for a while. When did it all go wrong?

There’s not really one moment where it all went wrong. I mean, there are at least fifty. Thousand. Fifty-thousand is probably a little closer. Making a deal with the Devil tends to mess up one’s existence. Any charmed aspects of my life come in waves, I’ve found. I’ve had my fair share of time on the top of the world, but I’ve also spent a lot of time in the mire, to put it politely.

Being a Vampire sounds cool. What are some of the pros and cons?

It’s rubbish! I can’t actually think of any pros. Living forever is not all it’s cracked up to be, the blood-sucking process is time-consuming and after a few centuries, you get bored with it.  Not only that, living without a pulse makes certain sexual acts incredibly difficult. It’s really not that great. I don’t have any special powers, either. I’m just a guy… who happens to need human blood to live.

Do you ever regret your pact with the devil?

I used to. That was before I actually settled down in Hell. It’s really not that bad, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. Think about your worst day on Earth. Multiply it by no more than three and a half. That’s living on The Administrative Level of Hell. It could certainly be worse. I could be on one of the lower levels cleaning up after Cerberus.

I’ve read about your plight in hell. Sounds a lot like my last job but more colorful. Tell us about your day.

I wake up, go to The Registration Office here in Hell, register the incoming dead and send them to wherever in Hell they’re going to spend eternity. Think St. Peter but with fangs (and, I imagine, better looking).  And I work nine to five, Monday through Friday. The weekend is when I tend to get in trouble, usually with Alex. He tends to gravitate towards trouble.

So Alexander huh? I see you blushing, do tell!

He’s a demon who stalked me for fifty years. Perfect way to start a relationship, wouldn’t you say? Alex, despite the fact that he has terrible taste in music (The Doors? Really?), makes Hell very unhellish for me. And don’t tell him I said that. He’s got an ego through the bloody roof already. I’d never hear the end of it.

Well thanks for stopping in today if you see Jennifer tell her she should be very proud.

No, thank you for getting me out of twenty minutes of my shift!

LINKS:

These Hellish Happenings on Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/These-Hellish-Happenings-ebook/dp/B004K1F8KM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1295619680&sr=8-2

These Hellish Happenings on B&N (Nook): http://search.barnesandnoble.com/These-Hellish-Happenings/Jennifer-Rainey/e/2940012372154?r=1&itm=1&usri=these+hellish+happenings&if=N&cm_mmc=VigLink-_-k244266-_-j12871747k244266-_-Primary

Website: http://www.jenniferrainey.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/THH_series

Blog: http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com

Are you a bird or a pig? How life mimics Angry Birds

 Are you a bird or a pig? How life mimics Angry Birds

I’ve been giving much thought to the meaning of life.

What is the purpose of life? 

Are we supposed to be happy?

 Is anyone reading this?

And as I fling a bird against a wall, for the umpteenth time a row, it came to me.

 Life is like Angry Birds.

If someone stole your eggs what would you do?

Buy some more?

Be thankful for the time you had with your eggs?

Or hunt them down?

It is kinda scary how easily people are giving up their rights. Because, they don’t wanna make a scene. Because, they don’t have the energy or gumption to fight for what is theirs. Because, they have been raised as sheep.

 No matter what the reason; it is refreshing to see that some birds still care. That some birds will go the extra mile, to stand up for what is right even if it means sacrificing themselves.

Let’s take the red bird. Yes, fairly worthless in some people’s eyes; but red bird never gives up. It will fly into a stone wall over and over and over and over until it cracks. Perseverance.

Yellow bird is just plain ticked off. It takes aim and shifts into overdrive holding nothing back. Balls. Do you got ‘em?

White Bird, not the smartest, but shows up for the fight every time. Loyalty.

Black Bird, gets the job done. It will bowl through anything in its path and blow the crap out of it. Determination.

Blue Bird, size doesn’t matter. It’s all in the strategy. These little guys know there is strength in numbers. Power.

And the pigs. Yes, those low down pigs who take what they want, when they want it. Doesn’t matter that they didn’t earn it. Do they deserve your eggs?

Heck no! So speak up, make a scene, and don’t take life for granted.

Me? I’m gonna go make a Ham & Cheese Omelet.

Note: No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog. Pictures are from Wikipedia. Angry Birds are property of Rovio

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Interview with Musician D.B. Patterson

I’m very pleased to introduce you guys to D.B. Patterson. D.B. just released his first album and was kind enough to  stop in for a spell.

D.B. when did your love for music develop?

My love for music started at a young age.  I enjoyed elementary school music class.  I took violin lessons and stuck with that until the 7th grade.  I think though that classical music, as beautiful as it is, was not really my cup of tea.  I have always liked songs, especially songs with memorable lyrics.  Lyrics that tell a story, lyrics that are poetic, or ones that evoke vivid imagery.   I started to get into rock music in junior high school, not playing anything, just listening.  My parents liked country music, Hank Williams, Nat King Cole, Marty Robbins, and I think they listened to Bing Crosby and that genre of music.  My sister liked The Beatles, Roberta Flack, Joni Mitchell, Harry Chapin, Simon and Garfunkel, and John Denver.  I think the first albums I bought were ones by the Eagles, Elton John, Boston, and Led Zeppelin.  When I was eighteen, I joined the Air Force, and it was there that I was exposed to lots of new music and was really hooked.  I loved just about all Rock and Roll, including lots of new wave bands because I thought "wow, this doesn't sound commercial and smooth, these bands have the guts to break out of the mold."  I bought my first guitar at that time and taught myself to play.  During this time I also started listening to jazz and blues.  In college I took a mini-course on the blues harmonica and that helped me secure a spot as lead vocalist and harp player in my first band, The Dharma Bums.  I am the one who came up with the band's name, it is the title of a book that was written by Jack Kerouac. 

I think writing a song is like writing a really short book, every one tells a story. Where do your song ideas come from?

My song ideas come from lyrical hooks usually. I almost always start with the lyrics before I start trying to write the music. Sometimes I also decide I'd like to write a topical song or song that tells a story.

What inspired you to create a CD?

My inspiration to make my CD, Walking in the Morning Rain, was the need to have something tangible to promote myself as a musician.  It also gave me a goal to work towards and the opportunity to work with another musician, Donny C. Hammonds, and to share ideas regarding composition. Donny is very talented and he contributed lead guitar, bass, mandolin, back-up vocals, and percussion. It was recorded at Donny's studio, The Afterdark Studio. His facebook page for the studio is www.facebook.com/theafterdarkstudio.

Do you have any upcoming Gigs?

I don't have any immediate gigs lined up, but I am sure I will be playing in the Cartersville area with the Cartersville Songwriters Exchange in the near future. I owe a lot to my friends Randy and Patricia Owens, who really help promote local musicians and who organize so many fun events.

Where can we get a copy?

You can buy my music online at www.Reverbnation.com/davidpatterson. I also sell Walking in the Morning Rain whenever I play out at a gig. $5 for ten songs, a pretty decent bargain!  You can also email me for more information about buying the CD if you'd like that instead of the digital files.






For more info visit: D.B.'s Facebook Fan Page
Or send him an email: db.patterson@gmail.com