My love of history, like a gift, was handed down to me from my grandparents on my father's side. The members of my family have always been able to spin a good tale, I suppose that's where I get my imagination from. My Grandfather could quote Mark Twain like nobody I ever knew and my Grandmother would entertain us with stories told to her by her uncle, John Dean, who had fought in the Civil War and later been among the first troops to occupy Charleston. Grandmother had a treasure chest of historical letters, photos, and documents. I am fortunate to have inherited a number of these including her mothers bible from the 1800’s. I also inherited several pictures and letters from Grandfather's side as well.

While this is my first attempt at creating an entire book, I am no stranger to creative writing. I have written several short stories for friends and have been published by a local newspaper. I have written ad copy and done photo layouts for several companies where I have been employed. My current involvement with living history came about by chance. A good friend who was very involved with the reenactment community encouraged me to attend an event in Maryland a few years ago, that was all it took, I was hooked. The anti-bellum period has always been an area of particular interest to me. When I first attended events I realized that I would need the appropriate clothing. I found several sites on line but the outfits I ordered were often of such poor quality that I had to remake them. That is when I began to research historical garments. If I was going to have to redo the clothing I might as well make it right the first time myself.