The first thing that comes to mind is, they gave me the option. But adding History and Young Adult is actually not such a stretch for me.
Anyone who spends ten minutes with me knows I love history. Some of my earliest memories are attending bicentennial celebrations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ft. Ligonier, not far from there. Seeing re-enactors and Native Americans left an impression on me.
When it came time to choose a college major, I oddly did not choose History. I was enthralled with German and Journalism, read other literatures, and thought that my love of history might be hampered by a serious study. Years later I earned a Master's in History from Bunghamton University in New York state. (It is part of the SUNY system but does not openly admit it for some strange reason.)
But my dissertation is actually historical religious. My bishop approved my request for graduate study by saying I should write "etwas Theologisches" ("something theological"). At the time I was rostered in the ELCA's Slovak Zion Synod. The bishop was more comfortable with German than English/ I did not speak Slovak, so we spoke in German; I pointed out that is what our Slovak and Hungarian ancestor would do in Austria-Hungary!
And the result: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Opportunity-Seed-Later-Discussion/dp/3836498774.
I likely sold more of "Places and Times" in one week than the dissertation has sold in seven years!
So that makes my case for History genre. Young Adult? My brother has urged me to tell about some of our adventures growing up outside of a mill town in the Monongahela Valley, south of Pittsburgh. I will disguise the actual location, and change some of the names, but this summer I plan to write down a few episodes.
Here's a teaser: home-made bazookas.
Anyone who spends ten minutes with me knows I love history. Some of my earliest memories are attending bicentennial celebrations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ft. Ligonier, not far from there. Seeing re-enactors and Native Americans left an impression on me.
When it came time to choose a college major, I oddly did not choose History. I was enthralled with German and Journalism, read other literatures, and thought that my love of history might be hampered by a serious study. Years later I earned a Master's in History from Bunghamton University in New York state. (It is part of the SUNY system but does not openly admit it for some strange reason.)
But my dissertation is actually historical religious. My bishop approved my request for graduate study by saying I should write "etwas Theologisches" ("something theological"). At the time I was rostered in the ELCA's Slovak Zion Synod. The bishop was more comfortable with German than English/ I did not speak Slovak, so we spoke in German; I pointed out that is what our Slovak and Hungarian ancestor would do in Austria-Hungary!
And the result: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Opportunity-Seed-Later-Discussion/dp/3836498774.
I likely sold more of "Places and Times" in one week than the dissertation has sold in seven years!
So that makes my case for History genre. Young Adult? My brother has urged me to tell about some of our adventures growing up outside of a mill town in the Monongahela Valley, south of Pittsburgh. I will disguise the actual location, and change some of the names, but this summer I plan to write down a few episodes.
Here's a teaser: home-made bazookas.
No comments:
Post a Comment