"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:2



Friday, June 24, 2011

From Here To There - Among the Bravest of the Brave

Title page of our article in - Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History


Side note before I start this week's post ~ During this past week I've been tagged by two awesome authors ~ Jessica Patch and Brandi Boddie. Thank you, ladies! Next Friday I will post my "I've been tagged post." Watch out...you could be tagged next.


This past Monday, Eric and I finally received copies of the magazine that published our Civil War article, Among the Bravest of the Brave – The Battle History of the Ninth Indiana. The article was published in the Indiana Historical Society’s magazine, Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. The article and artwork looks just beautiful! The ten page spread came out last week in the Spring 2011 issue of Traces. We were also pleasantly surprised to see the 9th Indiana Regiment featured on the front cover. Awesome!

Cover of Spring 2011 issue of Traces


This whole process is so exciting for both, Eric and I. It’s been a long road to our first major publication.
FROM HERE TO THERE
We started with a 4,600 word article we had written together nearly 18 months ago. We’ve been plugging away at several articles for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
In March of 2010, we queried the 9th Indiana article to the Indiana Historical Society. The article was perfect for their magazine. Traces is emphasizing Indiana during the Civil War over the next 4 years of the Sesquicentennial. About 10 days later we received an email from the accomplished senior editor that the IHS was accepting our article for publication. Of course, we were informed that the article would most likely appear in the magazine sometime in 2011. We were overjoyed to say the least. I felt like Joe March in the movie, Little Women – 1994 version, when she received word that her first story would be published in a magazine. “I’m an author!!”
After the initial acceptance, then came the waiting.
A year and nearly a month after acceptance, we got a hard copy of the article to look over and a contract to sign. As far as the article, we only noticed a few minor revisions. We were also told that the article would appear in the Spring  2011 – June issue. We signed the contract and were promptly paid for our work.
Just before Memorial Day Weekend, we received the proofs of the article with the artwork. That’s when we finally saw what the piece would look like. It was 10 full pages! After looking over the proofs, we made our final inspection and a few minor changes. (I think there was a period left off of a sentence) I felt like I was holding my own novel in my hands. I got the taste of what it would feel like to have one of my books published. I am extremely proud of our article and it has given me the bug to really buckle down and get finished with revisions on my books. Eric and I are also about to query another article to a national Civil War magazine as well as another Hoosier article to the IHS. We’ll see what happens.
I just wanted to share that milestone with you. As we write and query our novels, we must celebrate every publishing victory, large or small, on our journey. They range from completing a difficult chapter to writing an awesome query that sparks the interest of an agent…getting through tough revisions…selling a book…receiving a call from an agent…writing a blog post that gets you new followers…meeting your daily word count…starting a new book…finishing a 90,000 word manuscript…etc.
This week we did the dance of joy. I can't tell you how elated I am to see our names in print. It's a good feeling.



So what writing or publishing milestones, large or small, have you met lately?
I would love to hear from you.
Between you, me and the gatepost,
Loree

I also wanted to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for Lauren. I dedicated last week's post to her in hope that it would get the information out there. As of this post time, she still is missing. Please continue to keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.



Friday, June 17, 2011

Help Find Lauren Spierer

HELP FIND LAUREN
To all my Blogger, Twitter, and writing pals ~ This is more on the serious side. As an Indiana Hoosier mom, I felt it my duty to post something about Lauren Spierer. She is a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. She has been missing from Bloomington since June 3 and last seen at 4:15 am. She’s just a biddy little thing, only 4 feet 11 inches tall, blonde hair and blue eyes, and last seen wearing a white tank top w/white shirt and black pants.
I hope you will take a moment and check out this website  -  http://findlauren.com/ 

The website has her picture and information along with who to contact if you should run across something, see or hear anything, as well as updates.
We know the power of the news and social media and just one clue could help - so please take a look.
I talked to hubby last night and I’m thinking about going down to B-town sometime this week while I’m on vacation to help in the search. I know as an I U mom, we are part of a large college community. We don't know Lauren or her family personally, but I do know if it were my daughter, I would want everyone and their brother to help look, so I may take a day later this week to help search.
My request to you is to take a look through the website…heck, you never know, you may have seen her…or something…AND please, please keep Lauren and her family in your prayers. Her mom and dad are living every parents' nightmare.
I thank you bloggers and tweeters for your prayers for Lauren. My mom always taught me that if you can't help physically, you can always pray for people. And so, we pray. 
Bloggers can get updates on the website or at findlaurens.blogspot.com   Tweeters can get updates at @NewsOnLaurenS #FindLauren
A heartfelt thanks in advance...



Now in other matters: As of 4 pm CDT today, I’M ON VACATION!
This one is going to be mostly a STAYCATION. We’re going to catch up and get some things done around the house – deck staining, gardening, and new roof bids. I’m also going to take in some fishing with hubby, a living history and a ball, also attending a White Sox vs Cubs game at U S Cellular Field in Chicago – Go White Sox! I also plan to finish polishing the book that I’m going to start querying soon. Hubby and I are also going in for a checkup with Dr. S. Let’s hope we don’t have to do the colon thingy yet….ewww.
I’m happy just to have 9 days to do as I please.
How’s summer going for you? Any great vacation plans in the making?  Staycation plans? Can you believe that it’s almost the 4th of July already?? Any great plans for the holiday? (I’m off that entire weekend from the 2nd until the 6th  - yeee haw!)
I would love to hear from you…and thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for Lauren and her family. Again, please take a look at the website for more info on her. 
Between you, me and the gatepost,

Loree
Happy Father’s Day to the dad’s out there!

Friday, June 10, 2011

What place on earth is calling to you?

Sunset from Little Round Top ~ Gettysburg, PA
Photo by Loree Huebner

*I've fixed my comment window to pop up. This may help some of the Blogger problems that have been occurring with commenting. I hope it helps.*

A dear friend of mine has always said that she wants to move to Florida. (We’re up here in the Midwest) She has made this statement since we were in high school.
She almost moved down there about 15 years ago, but it didn’t work out. Circumstances did not allow her to make the move there (job) but that never stopped her dreams of Florida. Even though she cannot live there, she has made time to visit Florida often. She keeps a time-share condo down there and visits the ocean as much as she can. She even has a Florida room in her home filled with palms, shells, ocean scenes…etc. My friend now predicts that she will move there when she and her husband retire.
I believe she will eventually move there because Florida is out there…and it constantly beckons to her. She’s hopelessly drawn to it.
I am the same way with Gettysburg, PA. If you read my blog regularly, you’ve seen that I post many pictures of sunsets from Little Round Top, or from some other place on the battlefield. Even before my husband and I became Civil War re-enactors, we made a place in our family room filled with Gettysburg memorabilia he had collected.
My husband had been to Gettysburg many times when he was a child. I had never been there until he took me there early on in our marriage. I had written about Gettysburg before I went. I knew the place like the back of my hand. When I got there, I was in love with this place I had never been before. Everything I had written, especially a story that takes place there during the battle, sprang to life as if I had been living there all my born days!
There is no place on earth that I would rather watch a sunset than from Little Round Top. I’ve seen many sunsets from many different places, (including Florida) but why does this place call to me the way it does? 
My hubby feels the same way. We go to Gettysburg as often as we can (we live several states away) to visit and walk the battlefield, but I find myself pining for this place when I am home. I can’t explain why it tugs at my heart. It doesn’t make sense to me…but I someday want to live there.
I’m sure it has to do with the history…my love of it and what took place there. I want to understand it…and live there with it. I hope to make it my home one day.
Do you have a place on earth, other than home, that is calling to you?
I would love to hear from you.
Just between you, me and the gatepost, 
Loree


Friday, June 3, 2011

What kind of "buff" are you?


Twilight on Little Round Top ~ Gettysburg, PA
Photo by Loree Huebner


buff

Noun: A person who is enthusiastically interested in and very knowledgeable about a particular subject. ~ Merriam-Webster

I always think of this scene from Seinfeld when I hear the word “buff” ~
GEORGE: Wow, Keith Hernandez. He's such a great player.

JERRY: Yeah, he's a real smart guy too. He's a Civil War buff.

GEORGE: I'd love to be a Civil War buff. ... What do you have to do to be a buff?

JERRY: So Biff wants to be a buff? ... Well sleeping less than 18 hours a day
would be a start.
My hubby and I are what you might call Civil War buffs.
We’ve always shared the passion for that era in our country’s history and studied it ardently. We’ve made Civil War re-enacting our hobby. We write articles about the war and build stories around it in our fiction writing. We love to hang with people who love the Civil War as much as we do.
We are Civil War buffs.
In our case, the kind of buffs we are has nothing to do with the careers we hold. It’s something we enjoy and are eager to study or participate...anything Civil War! 
When I think of my family or friends, each is a buff of something or another. For example, my mom was a rose buff. She knew all there was to know about growing the most beautiful roses. She loved to show and tell her garden. 
Our cousin is a motorcycle buff. Her and her guy, ride on the weekends with other motorcycle buffs.
My friend is a Vegas buff. Her and her hubby love to go to Vegas. She knows all there is to know about the city, and enjoys the atmosphere and excitement. I have never been to Vegas, and she has never been to Gettysburg…but we still are the best of friends. We just have our own things that we love to do.
Everyone is a "buff" ~ Now my question goes out to you ~ What kind of buff are you?
I would love to hear from you.
Just between you, me and the gatepost,
Loree