Veronica T. Boone

The state of Illinois has performed predictably poorly during the recent pandemic.  The city of Chicago has done equally badly, with its teachers refusing to teach and the mayor insisting that businesses remain closed long after evidence emerged that the lockdowns cause more harm than good.  But on the bright side, even corrupt and incompetent politicians are finally seeing the light.  One institution to re-open (with limited attendance) is the Museum of Science and Industry.  If you have the chance to see this wonder of a museum, I strongly urge you to visit.  It figures prominently in my books, THE UNTIMELY JOURNEY OF VERONICA T. BOONE (Parts 1-3), but it is a wonderful educational adventure all on its own.  It has 14 acres of floor space dedicated to scientific and industrial accomplishments of the last two hundred years.  Also, it is a hand's-on place:  the guides WANT you to touch everything in sight!  Don't miss MSI - it's a wonderful place!

The Girl Scouts came into being on March 12, 1912, so this Friday let's pause a moment and think about what a great organization this is.  As the Boy Scouts are for boys, the Girl Scouts are an opportunity for girls to develop confidence, learn important life skills, develop friendships, work with others, and explore independence.  The world would be a duller, less interesting place without them.  Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts, and thank you, Juliette Low and all the other people who brought them into existence.

Hello and welcome to March (almost)!  Just a note to let you know I've posted all these books to Booksprout.com, where you can check out the books for free in exchange for a promise to write a review at Amazon or Goodreads.  Reviews are gold for struggling authors like me so please take advantage of this opportunity to read three exciting books IN THEIR ENTIRETY, in exchange for a review.  Thanks, and have a great day!

I've posted the first couple of chapters of Parts 2 and 3 of The Untimely Journey of Veronica T. Boone.  I hope it whets your appetite to read the rest of each book - available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other sites.  Thank you to all my readers, and keep those comments and feedback coming!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln!  Today we honor one of those remarkable people in U.S. history, a man who was not only of his time but in many ways of ALL time.  Abraham Lincoln guided us through the darkest time in our nation's history, guided by his unwavering conviction that the United States should remain one nation under God.  In the process he achieved another goal which had been a moral imperative to him; that was the abolition of slavery.   Today we remember him, honor him, and thank him for the legacy of freedom and national identity that he bequeathed us.

Why are good books for children important?  Here is one answer from an American president  (I won't tell you which one), in a speech he gave: 
          
          "Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America.  We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American.  And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions.  If you didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio.  Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school.  And if all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture.  The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special.  TV was like that, too, until at least the mid-1960s.
          
          But now, some things have changed.  Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children.  And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style... 
          
          We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom:  freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise.  And freedom is special and rare.  It's fragile; it needs protection."

In literary terms, is there a difference between time-travel and historical fiction?  I don't know the answer but will posit that the time-travel genre has people moving between eras as part of the story, while historical fiction generally takes place in one era of the past.  If that is the case, then what about a story where the characters move through history but have a destination, and where much of the story is centered around a specific era?  Obviously I am referring to my own books, The Untimely Journey of Veronica T. Boone, where the two heroines travel through the 20th century - having adventures along the way - to reach the year 1893, where much of the action takes place.   I suppose this is still squarely in the time-travel genre but will admit it was much fun to write about the Gilded Age of American history, which is what the 1880s and 1890s is called in the United States.  The sequel will certainly include this time frame again!

Ever hear of Kate Wiggin?  She was a teacher in the late 1800s, at various times in New York state and California.  She did a lot to promote reading and accessibility of books for children, and later advocated for kindergartens to get more children into schools earlier.  She also wrote a blockbuster children's book of its time, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.  Why am I thinking of her?  No reason, other than she was a quiet, unassuming promoter of education and books.  :)

My books are an adventure in history and I think about history most days.  Why not?  It helps to understand events happening around us today.  Today I was thinking about Milton Hershey and his wife Catherine (also known as Kitty).  Milton Hershey was a self-made millionaire many times over.  First he made a fortune selling caramel candy, then he figured out how to make chocolate bars that people would eat.  (Before he did that, most people did not eat chocolate because it was crumbly and bitter.)  Catherine encourage him to use his money for good, so together they founded the Hershey School and orphanage.  Both still exist today and have educated and supported tens of thousands of young people over the decades.  The reason I thought of Milton and Kitty is because they were humble, generous, and focused on helping people.  With all their money they didn't engage in politics or try to force other people to adopt their values and opinions.  They simply went about life trying to improve their little corner of the world, and respecting others enough to leave them to live their own lives as they chose.  There may be many wealthy, self-made people around today who do likewise;  sadly, we don't hear about them.

The first book in the adventure trilogy, THE UNTIMELY JOURNEY OF VERONICA T. BOONE, is now available on Wattpad.  I hope you enjoy it, and FYI parts 2 and 3 are even better! :)