Why Do I Write? Let Me Count The Ways...

I guess I was destined to be a writer. I’ve always been a great reader, and I believe that’s the best foundation for becoming an author. You can learn so much about writing just by osmosis from reading good books!

There are 688 fiction books in my house (yep, I just counted them). They're in the room I affectionately refer to as 'the library.' Plus, there's another 462 non-fiction books (including biographies, reference books, travel guides, etc) in the family room.

Don’t believe me?

Half of the bookcase in the library

The non-fiction titles in the family room

There are books in nearly every room of my house. Here’s a shot of part of the 3-shelf bookcase of reference works I keep on hand in my office for research for some of my stories…

Reference books

And here’s the growing To Be Read pile sitting by the side of my bed…

To Be Read pile

And let’s not even count the e-books waiting on my Kindle and iPad! So many books… so little time [sigh].

Is it any wonder I became a writer? Louisa May Alcott once said, “She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain.” NOT! If anything, reading has expanded my brain, letting me learn about amazing places, historical events, and allowing me to escape into adventures I would never be able to experience in my real life.

I’d rather offer my own quotes:

-Romance authors have the write stuff

-Who needs a man when you can have a book between the covers?

-Buy a book, and a tree lives forever!

-I have the need to read.

-If romance is the spice of life, marinade me in it!

-A good book is better than a bad man, no contest.

But I’ll leave you today with my favorite romance author quote of all…

“…and they lived happily ever after!”

Until next month,

Jenna

www.jennaives.com

Concord, MA - American Crucible

How many towns can combine both major historic significance, and also literary/cultural significance? Concord, Massachusetts is one such town.

Most people know Concord as the birthplace of the American Revolutionary War, a spot the British marched on when they left Boston to quell those pesky Minutemen. The town is proud of its history, and Wright's Tavern, where the British refreshed themselves on that fateful day, still stands.

We had brunch recently at the Colonial Inn, another landmark dating from 1716, found in the center of Concord.

I was with other people so I didn't get to examine things as closely as I would have liked, but the inn is very interesting. Lots of small rooms, tastefully decorated. Here's the dining room.

The role of the Concord townspeople in defending themselves against the British would be enough to give the town an importance to American history.

But Concord is also home to many famous American writers. Louisa May Alcott was one. Here's her home (Orchard House), which is now a museum.

Other notable literary luminaries include Ralph Waldo Emerson (the 'shot heard round the world' in reference, literally, to the British marching on Lexington and Concord), Henry Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. (My sister had some words to say on the subject of the great Thoreau taking his laundry home for his mother to do. lol)

The Wayside is another Concord museum which was, in turn, a home for the Alcotts, Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney, who wrote the Five Little Peppers series. Has anyone but me read them?

Doris Kearns Goodwin lives in Concord today, as do other contemporary writers.

The brunch was delish!

Louisa May Alcott House

This home, in which Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, is located in Concord, Massachusetts. It's actually called Orchard House now, because it was located in an orchard. The Alcotts lived here from 1858-1877. I visited last week with a friend.

The Alcotts were always very poor until Louisa started making money from her writing. But they were an interesting family. They were good friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Thoreau. (Emerson partly supported them.) They were educators and abolitionists, and Louisa served for a short time as a nurse during the Civil War.

This picture is Bronson Alcott's desk (Louisa's father). After I took the picture, I was accosted by the guide who angrily told me no pictures were allowed. I asked why, and mentioned that I hadn't used a flash, which she knew was true since she was standing there when I took the photo.

"We just don't allow photos, that's all," she said. "You know we don't because you heard me say so." So, sorry, I don't have more pictures.

I think they're missing a publicity opportunity. I'd planned to post the pics on Pinterest and urge people to visit. However, having visited myself, I have to say it was a disappointment. You must go on the tour with the guide and you are herded from room to room. Since the tour group is large, filling each room, you can't see much, except other 21st century people :). The tour ends up being more of a lecture than a museum visit. It's short.

I really like this photo, however, and it's precious to me now that I know it's forbidden. lol

After our tour was over we discovered that we'd been shuttled into a tour that had started earlier and we missed the pre-tour video. I guess that's when she talked about the no photography rule.

Here's the actual house. And P.S., unlike in Little Men, Louisa never married.