A WARM-HEARTED THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!
I had a wonderful day and I just want to give a special shout out to all my friends and family who attended the Book Launch Open House for the release of my new novel, Libby Morgan: Reunion. So many of my long-time friends showed up and it was delightful to see you all and catch up.
Near the entrance, I set up the quilts talked about in the the story. Mother Morgan’s Framed Angel is the chintz medallion you see hanging. Mary’s Indigo Baskets (the blue basket quilt) and Libby’s Quilt (the hexagon mosaic with the Turkey red border) were on the tables near the front.
At the front.
Greeting friends.
I also had the pleasure of hanging up some antique quilts and setting up displays of the objects that helped to inspire the book. You can see the quilts on the right side of the back wall and on the tables to the right all date from c1830-50s and are all from the New England area.
Antique New England Quilts
Inspiration For Libby Morgan: Reunion
More Inspiration
It may sound crazy, but researching in a book or on the internet does little to inspire my writing. I do it out of necessity, so that the historical aspect of the story is factual. But what really gets my creative juices flowing are the artifacts from history – the quilts, pictures, fabrics and printed books, newspapers and magazines really help to inspire and make me think about the people who’s lives were a part of these objects. As I peer into the eyes of the photographed men, women and children, I try to imagine their lives. I wonder and dream about what it was like to live one hundred and sixty years ago, in a time when clothing was so much more. . . well, MORE, for lack of a better word. I try to think of all the daily duties and how drastically different they would have been from what I do today – in fact, I think my life in general would have been far more difficult, and yet so much simpler!
Inspiration
It was great to see all my friends and family, both those in the photos and those not shown! Thank you for coming out yesterday to support my dreams!
Sneak Peak at the next story. . .
And just to peak your interest, I put out some of my inspiration for Book 2 in my American Heritage Quilt Series which follows the Morgan family and Libby (now nearly ten years older) as she searches for her captured husband in the ravages of the South during the Civil War. The c1860s Birds-in-Air Red X quilt hanging on the left, the Civil War era work dress in the chair and the table of photos, papers and other textile items gave attendees a glimpse at what they can look forward to reading about in the second book.
In all it was a fabulous day and one I was happy to share with you all!
If you haven’t already, be sure to pick up your copy of Reunion. You will find it available in all formats including print at Amazon, iBook, Nook, Kindle, and Smashwords (which offers a variety of formats including pdf). If you like the story, be sure to post your review on Goodreads at the following site
https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=✓&query=libby+morgan+reunion
or Reddit at this site!
http://www.reddit.com
Enjoy your day and remember to Speak Life!
(more about that later!)
Leah
