Posted in Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged 1940s, America, Childhood Memories, Coming of Age Story, Heartland America, Humorous Stories, Inspiring Stories, Mother's Day, Mystery Novel, Social Commentary on May 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Mark Twain
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Posted in Life Lessons, Family, School, tagged 1940s, America, American Tall Tales, Heartland America, Inspiring Stories, Life Lessons, Magical Mystery, Native American Stories, Secrets, Trudie McAfee on March 22, 2014| 6 Comments »
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Trudie McAfee here to share the latest with all our wonderful friends and fans of Havenwood Tales!
My author D.J. asked me to write and tell you she’s alive and well and working on HAVENWOOD TALES, and that I am eternally young. But instead, I’ll let you in on what I’ve been up to meanwhile. And please don’t tell D.J. — okay? She might thing I’m being saucy. Let’s just let this be our little secret ; )
I’m SO EXCITED!! You should see all my beautiful Pinterest board pictures!!! There’s books and birds and flowers and Spring, and surprises for Mama and all kinds of things!
You can peek at what Home in Havenwood‘s like, the 1940s, America, My Favorite Things, a Magical Kingdom, Amazing Nature, Native Americans and lots more fantastical stuff, from fancy foods and beautiful quilts to Life Lessons I’m learning (… some the hard way) ; D
Spring has sprung and the race is on to share more Havenwood Tales with you! Thanks very much for being my friend! I hope you enjoy my Pinterest fun, I really like sharing the joy : ))
P.S. I love my Author. I did this for you, Miss D.J. Please don’t be mad.
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Copyright©2014 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
HAVENWOOD TALES Beginnings Novel by D.J. Houston
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Posted in America, Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged America, American Literature Treasures, Author D.J. Houston, Freedom, Heartland America, Historical Fiction Books, Intrigue, Mystery Novel, Social Commentary, WW II on June 30, 2013| 2 Comments »
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Faith In America by Donald Zolan
Before the second half of 20th Century America happened to her citizens, most kids who weren’t beat up too much for their choices were fairly capable — able to focus their attention on the world in front of them long enough to finish a task and get something done on their own.
Even in the cities, even during wartime, people looked out for each other’s kids . . .
As for what happened to the nation and to the minds and morals of her people in the decades that followed . . .
Copyright©2007, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Inspirations, Wisdom, tagged America, Author D.J. Houston, Historical Fiction Books, Inspiring Stories, Irish in America, Life Lessons, Mystery Novel, Nostalgic Stories, Paranormal Stories on February 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »
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My father’s camaraderie with his able-bodied, Irish-minded brothers was always a source of luck and light to the McAfee clan.
Their jovial triumvirate pulled Daddy out of his pensive moods and raised everyone’s spirits around them; together, they made us all feel more playful and safe. . .
When the three Irish brothers teamed up for a challenge, it was “God between us and all harm.”
Anything was possible . . .
Copyright©2007, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Author D.J. Houston Notes, tagged 1940s, America, American Tall Tales, Art Artists, Fantasy Fiction, Funny Stories, Gifted Children, Life Lessons, Mystery Novel, Native American Stories, Nostalgic Stories, Secrets on September 1, 2012| 8 Comments »
It’s me, TRUDIE, your HAVENWOOD TALES Narrator character 🙂
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GUESS WHAT ?!! B I G N E W S — I’M on PINTEREST at http://pinterest.com/trudiehaven/
And it was a BIG DEAL to get there, too!
I confessed to the folks at Pinterest that I live in the 1940s in Heartland America. I even admitted to being precocious and said I could see the future. But they said all I needed was a Facebook or Twitter account, and they’d send me an invitation to join.
Simple, right? So I asked my author — who is (as you probably know) none other than my friend and confidant, D.J. Houston — to sign me up for Facebook BUT…
Posted in America, tagged America, American Literature Treasures, Author D.J. Houston, Freedom, Heartland America, Historical Fiction Books, Intrigue, Magical Mystery, Social Commentary, Storytelling on June 28, 2012| 2 Comments »
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Faith In America by Donald Zolan
Before the second half of 20th Century America happened to her citizens, most kids who weren’t beat up too much for their choices were fairly capable — able to focus their attention on the world in front of them long enough to finish a task and get something done on their own.
Even in the cities, even during wartime, people looked out for each other’s kids . . .
As for what happened to the nation and to the minds and morals of her people in the decades that followed . . .
Copyright©2007, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Life Lessons, Family, School, tagged America, American Family Life, American Literature Treasures, Author D.J. Houston, Father's Day, Historical Fiction Books, Irish in America, Mystery Novel, WW II on June 8, 2012| 4 Comments »
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He reminded me of a sycamore tree with his tall, lean build and sturdy limbs. His skin was white when he rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands in the wintertime. And his hair was as shiny black as a raven’s wing, only curly.
He had a sort of handsome face, I thought, with a high forehead like Timmy’s and hazel eyes like mine. But I was just beginning to see him as more than some stranger who’d been smart enough to marry Mama . . .
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From the novel HAVENWOOD TALES Beginnings by D.J. Houston
Copyright©2006, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in America, tagged America, Coming of Age Story, Freedom, Heartland America, Historical Fiction Books, Mystery Novel, Secrets, Social Commentary, World War 2 Veterans, WW II on May 24, 2012| 13 Comments »
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It was a time of new necessity for Man. For despite any halt to the march of evil, that war had turned humanity inside out when the white-hot specter of an atom bomb shocked and awed a pre-dawn New Mexico desert and twice carried death to Japan.
Yet no one could begin to grasp the consequences; it was too impossible to confront that such a thing as an atom bomb could ever happen in the first place.
Even after the war, top-secret scientists kept right on with the military to convince each other, time and again, that bombs do, indeed explode, while regular Joe civilian had no clue of such experiments. And anyone who might have been aware felt powerless to stop them. So they did nothing.
Families were reunited with their military loved ones the world over, and did what they could to reorient them to whatever became of their lost years at home.
Livestock and chickens and barns and crops and bank accounts needed tending, leaving little time to ruminate about the war. And with new enterprises springing up as manufacturing shifted to producing wares and gadgets for the new Consumer Age, earning opportunities outside the home soon grew abundant for adults and young folks alike.
Not that play wasn’t fun and important to youth back then; if anything, a crippling Great Depression with a Second World War on its heels had led Americans of every age to value their freedoms and pleasures more than ever.
But work is its own reward. If you don’t believe me, ask someone who has none. And with more choices that come to a freer people, we could enjoy work more than ever, too.
All the kids I knew did chores, before and after school. And those who had already proven themselves as volunteers for war efforts on the home front had a long leg up when it came to getting hired for the paying jobs.
With no TV screens to spectate at for hours on end, and decades yet before the advent of ubiquitous shopping mall arcades, video games, and personal phones and computers, young people tended to play hands-on at the game of growing up.
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Copyright©2007, 2014 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Inspirations, Wisdom, tagged America, American Literature Treasures, Author D.J. Houston, Childhood Memories, Life Lessons, Magical Mystery, Miracles, Mystery Novel, Nostalgic Stories, Wisdom on May 10, 2012| 2 Comments »
Portrait courtesy of Dave Thomson
Posted in Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged America, American Ancestry, Author D.J. Houston, Inspiring Stories, Irish in America, Nostalgic Stories, Social Commentary, St. Patrick's Day, Storytelling on March 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »
‘Tis said that St. Patrick’s Day brings out the Irish in all of us 😉
A holiday originating in Ireland over a thousand years ago, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world each March 17th. (more…)
Posted in Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged 1940s, America, American Tall Tales, Author D.J. Houston, Freedom, Heartland America, Magical Mystery, Spirits & Ghosts, Storytelling on December 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
. . . He called her his Lily of Liverpool. She called him her Yankee Doodle.
She liked to say she married him because he made her laugh. And that with so much opportunity and freedom in America, surely she belonged here, too.
Ladened with crates of Julia’s family heirlooms and decidedly English furniture, they set sail on a passenger ship in the spring of ’46, arrived by train from Boston and bought the old, abandoned Butler place in Rainbolt Hollow, ghosts and all . . .
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Excerpts from the novel HAVENWOOD TALES Beginnings
Copyright©2010, 2012 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Havenwood School, Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged America, American Literature Treasures, Fantasy Fiction, Havenwood School, Humorous Stories, Intrigue, Literary Fiction Books, Magical Mystery, Mystery Novel on October 7, 2011| 4 Comments »
Halloween was due on a Thursday . . .
As school was dismissing on Wednesday, Miss Greenlee made another of her famous announcements — only this time with an added caveat that was to change life as I knew it before nightfall the next day.
The innocuous sounding part was, “Anyone who would like to wear a costume to school tomorrow for Halloween may do so.”
That in itself was enough to conjure a roomful of mixed emotions. But the caveat was the kicker.
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Copyright©2007, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Author D.J. Houston Notes, Holiday Stories, Celebration, Nostalgia, tagged 4th of July, America, Author D.J. Houston, Courage, Declaration of Independence, Freedom, Heartland America, Historical Fiction Books, Humorous Stories, Inspiring Stories, Wisdom on June 23, 2011| 11 Comments »
Spirit of ’76 – Archibald M. Willard
“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” – Louis D. Brandeis
As Americans, we celebrate the fact that our God-given rights to live free of tyranny from any government were demanded and penned by key Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence.
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“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
“. . . it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.”
“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.”
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From HAVENWOOD TALES:~
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“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.”
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Thank you for enjoying this Celebration of Freedom with me!
I love sharing sneak peeks and updates with you from HAVENWOOD TALES Beginnings — the first novel in my HAVENWOOD TALES trilogy.
D.J. Houston, Author
Spunky young Trudie McAfee, whose story I write, assures me subscribers are in for many “intriguing treats” to come 🙂
THANKS for all your friendship, inspirations and encouragement on our journey together!
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Copyright©2011, 2013 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted in Inspirations, Wisdom, tagged America, American Literature Treasures, Art Artists, Coming of Age Story, Inspiring Stories, Life Journey, Magical Mystery, Native American Stories, Secrets, Self Awareness, Social Commentary, Special Teachers, Spirits & Ghosts on April 27, 2011| 15 Comments »
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I must say, I had the most godawful urge to stick my tongue out at spiteful old Miss Hickey, the Latin teacher. Her mission in life since before she was born had apparently been to hate anything and everything new and different; that much seemed obvious. But I’d figured out enough about human nature to know that it probably wasn’t really me she was mad at. I just didn’t know who.
I did put an end to her using me for a firing range, though. Daring, considering she had that willow switch hidden under her desk. But it was easy!
One day, I hung outside her classroom door with my arms stacked full of fresh library books till she sniffed me out. And when she huffed over to shoot me the daggers, I just gave her my goofiest grin.
Now, nobody EVER smiled at Miss Hickey. So after both her eyes popped out of her head and rolled on the floor like gumballs (. . . that’s how I saw it, anyway), needless to say, she never bothered to glare at me again. Blame it on the power of imagination, if you like. But, hey — Mission accomplished.
With reading treasures I culled from Havenwood School’s library and the books of her own Miss Greenlee loaned me — books filled with beautiful illustrations and intriguing photographs that could tell their stories without even needing words — the whole new world Mama promised me when I first started school was mine to explore every day.
Through books, I could marvel at masterful statues in London and Greece, canal boats in Venice, four seasons in Paris; explore Ireland’s pastoral sheep farms, and scamper with wild goats in the Scottish Highlands.
Aboriginal Dreamtime
I could wonder at the linear depictions of skinny Egyptian queens and kings and track the hieroglyphic stories of their lives. I could listen to Dreamtime Story spirits of Australia’s Aboriginal people, and feel the throbbing rhythms of African Zulu warriors dancing the hunt as their pictures came alive for me. And I could dream of my life’s journey carrying me across the vast oceans of earth, to make friends with fascinating people in foreign lands.
Through books, I became enthralled with the art and culture of my Native American ancestors, and amazed by the genius of Renaissance Men in America. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, witty Samuel Clemens with his pen name, Mark Twain, all spoke to me.
And I would later come to know the Founding Fathers of my nation, and realize–after the dark years that followed my own generation’s folly–how much the character of these great men and others of their ilk helped shape a Neo-Renaissance awakening.
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Copyright©2011, 2014 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
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Havenwood Tales 
Memorial Day Memories – Inspirations from Heartland America
Posted in Inspirations, Wisdom, tagged 1940s, America, Author D.J. Houston, Freedom, Heartland America, Inspiring Stories, Mystery Novel, Social Commentary, WW II on May 26, 2014| 2 Comments »
Honoring Our Brave on Memorial Day
America Thanks You for Freedom !
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Trudie’s Tribute to WW II Veterans
Mystery Novel – Social Commentary – 1940s – Inspiring Stories – Heartland America
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