Author: Janet McKee

I currently wear many hats. My interests are genealogy, history, reading, knitting, and more. I now live in an assisted living retirement community.

Postcard Memories

~ Janet McKee ~ Leave a comment

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I said postcards could stir memories of long ago.  This card is from a dear friend I had when I was a student at Berkeley in the turbulent ’60’s.  A friend who went back to when I was growing up in Belmont Mass.  In Berkeley she was like a grandmother to me.  A lively grandmother with whom I had lunch occasionally on the terrace.  From Berkeley I went to Kenya to do the research work for my PhD thesis.  What a surprise to receive this postcard from my lively grandmother traveling the world.  I think she must have been in her 80’s – as I am now.

Postcard Scanning Project

~ Janet McKee ~ Leave a comment

I am currently spending quite a bit of time scanning my postcard collection.  each day I do a few more, 50 plus.  In the process I find many old friends, faces, and memories.  Here is my “find” for today.

2018_09_27_12_17_28.pdf000  A Norwegian girl milking a goat, 1905.  I just love this image.

The HNS New Novel Award 2018

~ Janet McKee ~ Leave a comment

Cryssa Bazos's avatarCryssa Bazos

I’m especially really pleased to share with you my good news. My second novel, The Severed Knot, has been longlisted for the HNS New Novel Award 2018. Making the long list is a huge accomplishment. The Historical Novel Society is a respected literary society devoted to the promotion of historical fiction.

The Severed Knot is set in the UK and Barbados during the 17th century and follows one of the characters from Traitor’s Knot after the disastrous Battle of Worcester. Here is what they had to say about my work:

The Severed Knot
Bleakly impossible choices face the protagonists in the brutal aftermath of civil war. Stark but involving tale of early colonial exploitation strongly centers on an indomitable Scottish hero. ~ The Historical Novel Society

I’m hard at work on the final draft, and I expect to have it out early in the new year. In…

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A 17th century sugar plantation in the Caribbean #Barbados

~ Janet McKee ~ Leave a comment

Good reading. Substantial historical fiction.

Cryssa Bazos's avatarCryssa Bazos

I’ve been quiet on the blogging front as I’ve been writing a new novel that continues on the next leg of the journey on the road to the Restoration. The Severed Knot picks up on the fate of the Scottish prisoners (at least one in particular) following the Battle of Worcester.

I find that starting a new novel can be both exhilarating and nerve wracking as I wrestle with my Muse to get the story down. One of the most enjoyable aspects of starting a new historical fiction novel is . . . you guessed it, research! Oh the joys of digging into a new topic and chasing down a warren of rabbit holes. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing with you what I’ve uncovered. Also stay tuned for cover reveals and first chapter previews.

Today, we head to Caribbeanisland of Barbados! Long before Barbados became a…

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