Isthmus
13 Things to Remember When Writing Historical Fiction
Guest post by Avasta Press Kelsye Nelson, the founder of Avasta Press, hosted a webinar with historical fiction author Gar LaSalle. Gar talked about 13 things to remember when writing historical fiction. He answered questions from the audience at the end of the webinar. Our favorite tip is number 13: Villains abound. Gar writes villains…
Read MoreKSER Sound Living Interview – Isthmus & Storyteller Award
Guest post by Avasta team. In an in-depth interview with Ed Bremer from KSER 90.7, Gar touched upon the Gar LaSalle Storyteller Award: his motivations and vision for this grant, in partnership with Artist Trust. Gar talks about the storyteller award at (48:16). You can listen to the interview here: [button link=”https://soundcloud.com/90-7-kser/kser-soundliving-08-07-15-isthmus-lasalle” color=”green” size=”small” type=”” shape=”round” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=””…
Read More“Historical novelist turns NW history into best sellers”
New Day Northwest, a show that airs on King 5 TV, takes a look at the award winning Widow Walk and Isthmus books, which showcase NW history in novel form.
Read MoreThe Cimarron
The Cimarron (Cimaroons) were Congolese African slaves who escaped from the Spanish in Panama and lived in the forests of the Darién Gap. Masters of camouflage and known for their cunning ferocity, for hundreds of years, they and their descendants preyed on the travelers of the Camino Real and the Rio Chagres, allying themselves on…
Read MoreDoes Isaac Rest?
DOES ISAAC REST ? It has been rumored that spirits haunt the fertile Ebey plateau. Some have said that on moonlit nights, looking southward from the crest of the tiny cemetery where the headless body of Isaac Ebey is interred with those of many other mid-nineteenth century Whidbey Island settlers, a pale specter can be seen…
Read MoreBook Guide and Discussion Questions for Isthmus
Our publisher has asked that we add study questions for both Widow Walk and its sequel, Isthmus. Ten of the following questions are included in the paper back and e-book versions of Isthmus. Isthmus Book Guide and Discussion Questions: 1. The 1849 discovery of gold in California dramatically increased the travel across the Panamanian isthmus. For several years, the local…
Read MoreIsthmus now available!
Just released! The second book in the Widow Walk Saga: Isthmus >> Get it now on Amazon! It is 1860 and revolution is erupting throughout the world over universal emancipation. Civil war looms in the Unites States. In the midst of it all, a young woman is moving back to Boston with what is left…
Read MoreThe Geography and Climate of Widow Walk and Isthmus
I anticipate that Isthmus, the first sequel to Widow Walk, will be ready for readers by this Christmas. The geography and climate of the two regions in which Emmy Evers and her family traveled were distinctly different. Widow Walk is set in the Pacific Northwest region, including parts of present day Washington state, the San Juan Islands,…
Read MoreGaribaldi the Abolitionist
In anticipation of the publication of Isthmus I believe it is important to learn about some of the significant historical figures who influenced the characters in this book and also would have had some impact on Emmy Evers and her family. General Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Italian Risorgimento dominated the headlines of newspapers throughout the western world in…
Read MoreFuss and Feathers
In anticipation of the publishing of Isthmus, the second book in the Widow Walk Saga, I believe it is helpful to describe some of the historical characters who are part of Isthmus. General Winfield Scott was, before the American Civil War, the most famous and celebrated military commander since Andrew Jackson, having achieved fame as the result…
Read More“El Verdugo” in the Isthmus
In anticipation of the publishing of Isthmus, the first sequel to Widow Walk, I believe it is important to describe some of the history of the Panama region during the time Emmy Evers and her family would have traveled there en route home to Boston. Let us start with one of the most notorious and legendary individuals…
Read MoreThe Camino Real of Panama
THE CAMINO REAL This past week I traveled with Christian Strassnig the director of Cultour (www.cultour.info) and Camino Real Project (http://caminorealproject.wordpress.com) into the Jungle of the Chagres National Park where he, his colleagues from the Instituto Nacional de Cultura and the mestizo peasant community recently recovered portions of the Camino Real, a paved four-foot wide…
Read MoreThe Backstory on Gar LaSalle
Have been on the East Coast (Knoxville, Nashville, Orlando) since the beginning of March. This next week I present an overview of our Patient Safety Organization for the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) in Washington DC. Will return the PNW briefly to Walla Walla then return finally for a few weeks in May…
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