I started a new project. It wasn’t my intention to start a new one. I actually wanted to take a break from writing and work on PR and marketing for my already published books, but this one is time sensitive, so I had to get started. I’m writing my grandfather-in-law’s biography.
It’s going to be interesting. The man is a WWII vet who won three medals while overseas, and he was a rancher in Wyoming for a long time who made some breakthroughs in the cattle industry. I’m still in the early stages of research for the project, but I have a feeling I’m going to learn a lot about the war and about ranching.
I don’t know a lot about either, so anything I discover will be exciting. Several years ago, when I was working on Coming from Nowhere, I researched Nazi SS soldiers because it was pertinent to some of my characters. I found that incredibly fascinating. My spouse and I often watch shows on the History channel about WWII, but I think this time researching the war is going to be a lot different. It’s going to be a lot more personal.
I’m lucky that my grandfather-in-law is still alive, so I have the luxury and honor to speak with him. I also have this amazing recording he did for public record about his time overseas. It’s approximately 7 hours of him speaking about his experience. I just finished the first 4 hours over the weekend.
It’s really emotional listening to this recording. Often times I hear in his voice how upset the memories still make him. But then there are other times he breaks out laughing as he remembers a story. It’s amazing, and I can’t wait to get his words down on paper for others to enjoy.
I also have recordings about him talking about other aspects of his life, which I think are going to be really fun to listen to. He was so passionate about ranching. And the fantastic thing about that aspect of his life is that there are people I can talk to about the impacts he made in the cattle industry. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say!
As I mentioned, I’ve just started my research, but I will let you know how everything goes with the project. I’m excited to dive deeper and see what I can discover.
