Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Writing a Saga



By Debby Giusti

Growing up, I loved to read James Michener’s stories. His books were epic sagas, some more than 1,000 pages long. The stories spanned generations and traced the history of not only his fictional characters but also the setting in which each of the stories took place. Hawaii was a favorite of mine, along with The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake and Caravans.

The old city gates of St. Augustine.
Readers today favor shorter reads, and I daresay most publishers would probably reject a submission as expansive as Michener’s work. Although if an excessively long manuscript was particularly engaging, an editor might encourage the writer to cut the large work into a number of stories that could be marketed as a series.

Shops along the historic district in
St. Augustine.
My husband and I spent last week touring St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuing European-established city in the New World. With its 453 year history, St. Augustine would be the perfect setting for a saga or series of stories. I’ll share some of the information I learned, then let’s brainstorm story ideas and characters who could be featured in a Michener-like saga or a series of interrelated stories set in the historical city.

The stones Ponce de Leon arranged in the shape of the
cross when he landed in La Florida.
Juan Ponce de Leon explored the coast of Florida and went ashore near St. Augustine in 1513. He named the area La Florida after the beautiful flowers growing there.  The local Timucua Indians, who welcomed Ponce, were thought to get their stamina and strength from drinking the fresh, crystal clear spring water later dubbed “The Fountain of Youth.”

A statue of Ponce de Leon in front of the Lightner Museum,
formerly the Alcazar Hotel. The famed explorer was
only 5' 2" tall.
In 1565, the Spanish monarchy tasked Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles with establishing a defensive post in the New World. On September 8 of that same year, he landed in Florida and named the area St. Augustine after St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast day had fallen a few days earlier. A Catholic priest traveling with Menendez celebrated Mass and consecrated the land to God. Following the service, a Thanksgiving dinner was served to the families and soldiers traveling with the admiral as well as the Timucua Indians, who warmly embraced the newcomers. Each of the Florida historians with whom we spoke pointed out that St. Augustine was founded years before Jamestown and Plymouth. They also boasted that the first Thanksgiving meal took place in Florida.

The spot where Menendez came ashore and the site of the first
Catholic Mass celebrated in the New World
Spain wasn’t the only country interested in La Florida. Britain and France also vied for control of the coastal peninsula.  They warred against the Spanish, and each time the area was overtaken by a new contingent, St Augustine was burned and the inhabitants fled. Sir Francis Drake attacked and plundered the settlement in 1586. Thirteen years later, a fire caused untold destruction, followed by a hurricane in 1599 that flooded the town.

The Castillo de San Marcos

In 1672 the Spanish began construction of the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort made of newly discovered coquina, quarried on nearby Anastasia Island. Made up of shells, the porous coquina withstood cannon fire and provided a sturdy, fire-resistant fort for the Spanish.

The Oldest House, St. Augustine. Archaeology shows continuous
occupancy of this site from the 1650s to the present day.

The oldest house in St Augustine with continuous occupancy dates from the 1650s. A fire destroyed the structure in 1702, but it was quickly rebuilt and occupied by the Gonzalez family, who lived in the two-room dwelling with their ten children. In 1763, Joseph and Mary Peavett bought and expanded the home and turned the first floor into a tavern and general store. In addition to running their businesses, Mary was the midwife in town, and Joseph worked at the military barracks located across from their tavern. After Joseph’s death, Mary remarried a much younger man who ran through her money before he died. Mary lived her final years on land she owned outside of town. Interestingly, Eugenia Price fictionalized her story in the book, Maria.

The Spanish Military Hospital

A tour of the Spanish Military Hospital provides an interesting look at the medical practices of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Amputation was performed on wounded limbs to prevent gangrene, which if left untreated would lead to sepsis and death. An arm could be removed in 2 to 3 minutes and a leg in 4 to 6 minutes. Speed was important to minimize blood loss and to keep the patient from going into shock.
  
A newly developed vice-like tourniquet
developed in France
clamped off the flow of blood.
While only 30% of patients survived surgery in most medical facilities at the time, the Spanish had a 70% to 75% survival rate due to the sanitary procedures they routinely used. Bacteria had not yet been identified, but the surgeons washed their hands and instruments between operations. Patients’ soiled clothing was laundered soon after they arrived at the hospital. The floors were scrubbed with hot water and vinegar, and the mattress tick, or covering, was washed and the Spanish moss filling burned and new boiled moss inserted for each new patient.
 
Surgical instruments.

The apothecary next door stocked horehound and mustard seed for coughs, white willow bark (from which aspirin is derived) to ease headaches, cloves for toothaches, rose hips for scurvy and ginger for nausea. Medicinal herbs grew in the nearby garden, such as comfrey, a long-leafed plant that looks somewhat like a hosta. The leaves of the comfrey plant were wrapped around sprained legs or ankles to decrease swelling and inflammation.

The Apothecary.

In 1819, the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States, and in 1845 Florida became a state. Fast forward to the 1880s when wealthy industrialist Henry Flagler, a partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, built the grand Ponce de Leon Hotel in St Augustine. The very rich wintered there from January to Easter for a sum of $3,000. Across the street, Flagler built the Alcazar Hotel for middle-class vacationers. The smaller hotel had a spa, sauna and the largest indoor pool in existence at that time. Guests of the Ponce could use the Alcazar facilities, but the less wealthy were not allowed access to the Ponce.

The Ponce de Leon Hotel with its Spanish Renaissance architecture.
The hotel was built and decorated within 18 months.

The Ponce closed in 1967 and is now the home of Flagler College. The guest accommodations were converted into dorm rooms, and the students eat in an ornately decorated dining hall where the wealthy in times past socialized. The Alcazar currently houses the Lightner Museum.

Beautiful Tiffany glass windows in the dining room.
Flagler ate in this section of the room when he dined at the Ponce.
Close friends and people of prominence had the privilege of sitting near
his table.
Today St. Augustine is a bustling city with an interesting historic district. Cross over Lion Bridge to Anastasia Island and St. Augustine Beach where the lighthouse—towering 165 feet above sea level—helps sailors navigate the coastal waters. Constructed in 1874, the first lighthouse keeper fell to his death while painting the structure. His wife continued to run the lighthouse for years following her husband’s tragic accident. One of the subsequent lighthouse keepers and his wife enjoyed entertaining and their pretty daughters were known to attract the eye of many handsome young men, providing more fodder for our saga.

The exquisite cupola in the entrance of the Ponce de Leon Hotel,
now Flagler College.
Where should our story begin? At Menendez’s landing with the families who sailed with him from Spain? Or with the Timucua Indians who welcomed Ponce de Leon? Should we add a swashbuckling pirate or two who sailed the coast and came ashore at times to ransack the town?

The St. Augustine Lighthouse. Yes, I
climbed the 219 steps to the top.
Let’s weave the various cultures into an interesting mix of characters. A Spanish innkeeper’s barmaid who loves a British soldier. A blacksmith interested in a wealthy landowner's daughter. 

The ladies parlor in the Ponce. Edison wired the hotel with
electricity and created the ornate clock sealed in the fireplace
over the mantel.
Would the Spanish surgeon at the military hospital fall in love with his hard working nurse? Or would he have eyes for the Colonel’s daughter? Shall we include a young woman who longs to apprentice at the apothecary? Who’s standing in her way? One of the doctors or a suitor who wants to apprentice as well?
The fountain at the entrance to the Ponce. The frogs
form a sundial. The photo was taken at 10 AM.
Can you see the sun's shadow showing the time?
As our saga moves forward, would we include a woman staying at the Alcazar Hotel who meets a wealthy playboy while strolling through the park? He is a guest at the Ponce. What happens when he invites the lovely lady to dine with him at his posh hotel? More than a few eyebrows would be raised for sure.

More Tiffany glass windows in the Ponce Hotel.
Tiffany was a new designer at the time and his
work at the hotel brought him much acclaim.
I’ve only touched on St. Augustine’s rich past and hope history buffs will provide additional information that could embellish our St. Augustine saga.

Share your ideas. Anyone who comments will be entered in a drawing for the fourth and final story in my Amish Protectors series, AMISH CHRISTMAS SECRETS. The winner will also receive a book about St. Augustine and a small journal.

Wishing you abundant blessings!

Happy writing! Happy reading!
Debby Giusti

AMISH CHRISTMAS SECRETS
By Debby Giusti

Safe Haven for the Holidays
The thrilling Amish Protectors conclusion

Leaving the nursing home where she works, Rosie Glick’s accosted by a man demanding incriminating evidence her murdered boyfriend stole—until Ezra Stoltz scares him off. Now with a killer dead set on
silencing the Amish single mother, Ezra must hide Rosie and her baby to keep them safe. But can he expose a sinister conspiracy in time
to save the woman he secretly loves?

Order here!

Watch for
AMISH SAFE HOUSE
Feb 2019
Pre-order here!

51 comments:

  1. Oh my word, this is fascinating. Like you, I love Michener and sagas and Dickens and sagas... and the strength of people to survive despite adversity of generations. History teaches us so much!

    I can't even imagine the adrenaline rush at discovering Florida... and then realizing it had a populous. That had to be a real eye-opener, when Europeans realized that there were indigenous people here (although we all know they traveled here from somewhere!)... and that the rich new land offered so much. Minerals. Resources. A haven for world travelers. And land. SO MUCH LAND! I'm sure the swampy parts of Florida must have been a struggle, but as more explorers came west, what a treasure trove they uncovered.

    Debby, I see a nurse working to help the poor and impoverished and the rich, haughty developer thinking that the little people didn't matter... and that nurse has every intention of showing him how much they matter! :)

    Now I need to go to St. Augustine. And New Orleans. So far I'm living vicariously through your travels!

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  2. Ruthy, you would love both cities. Both so rich historically!

    I like the idea of a heroine nurse who tends the poor in her free time. Perhaps she works at the Spanish Hospital and sees how well the soldiers are treated, which is good. But she also sees people who aren't military, and they need care as well. Could she start treating people in her own home, thus angering the military surgeon. Is he the hero? Or does the apothecary/pharmacist get wind of what she's doing and try to close her small clinic? They butt heads but also are attracted to each other...

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  3. I'm with you and Ruthy, Debby. I love Michener's books!

    Thank you for the historical tour of St. Augustine, too. That place is rich in history! We tend to forget that the Spanish were already established in Florida when the British were colonizing the northern colonies. And with France holding Canada, there was a real competition between the European enemies/rivals!

    There are tons of story ideas here. I'm anxious to read what others come up with!

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    1. Our country's history is rich, as you mentioned, Jan, with all the European countries struggling to gain control of the New World.

      Can you think of any characters who might play into our St. Augustine saga?

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  4. Okay, I'll be the first to confess that I am not a fan sagas. The closest I come, Debby, are Karen Kingsbury books. However, I might watch the mini-series on TV. :P

    I loved seeing all of your photos, though, and learning about the history of the town. Now I want to go to St. Augustine. I'm sure my history buff husband would love it. What a beautiful place.

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    1. I was thinking of your lovely setting, Mindy, and the blogs you've provided when I was writing this post. Love how setting can be so central to a story or series of stories.

      Like you, I prefer shorter reads these days, although I plan to get Poland, by Michener. I missed reading that one and loved visiting the country. Now, I'm eager to learn more through his, no doubt, lengthy Polish saga.

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  5. Hi Debby, I love history so I am thrilled to see your pictures and learn about this area. All of your storys ideas suggest a wonderful Giusti saga and I can only suggest a dilemma involving religion. Perhaps a priest bound by confessional confidentiality. Or maybe the conversion of the native Americans who met the first travelers. ????
    Thanks for sharing and Blessings!

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    1. Connie, I like your idea of including a faith element. Actually, if we're thinking of a Michener-like saga, our story could start with Menendez and his soldiers and family members landing at St. Augustine. Perhaps one of the soldiers marries an Indian woman. We could tie in with Ruthy's heroine if the Indian woman was well versed on the use of herbs for medicinal purposes. She could pass that knowledge on to her daughter, who would pass it on to her child. That special knowledge could be kept within the family for generations until we get to the time period of the Spanish Hospital and Ruthy's nurse.

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    2. Oh, I like this idea so much! I love the generational aspects of Michener's books and the sheer KEEPING IT ALL STRAIGHT amazes me... Herman Wouk's "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" are like that, too... Pug and his family, the trials of military life, the war, the romance, the evil. So much tied in together. Amazing.

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  6. Hi, Debby,

    I love St Augustine. I can remember Mom reading to us from Eugenia Price while we vacationing in ST Augustine. I've never read any of Eugenia Price books but as we are cleaning out my parents' house, I requested her Eugenia Price books. Now to just make room in my TBR pile.

    Thanks for all the prayers. After two months of vertigo, I am now on my second day of no vertigo. Praying this will be a long reprieve so I can get everything done.

    By the way, as I'm rewriting my first ever novel, I'm to the part where the heroine is on vacation in Savannah and St Augustine. It is fun to research. Of course a trip there would be even better.

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    1. Wilani, I hope to get a copy of Eugenia Price's book, Maria. How interesting that your mother read Price's books. Did you find Maria in her collection? Love that your story includes Savannah and St. Augustine, both such beautiful and historic cities.

      So glad your vertigo is better. Continued prayers!

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    2. Glad you are feeling better.

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    3. Wilani, have you read Maria? If so, did you enjoy the story? I'm eager to read it after touring "her" home in St. Augustine!

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    4. Wilani, I'm so glad you're feeling better!!

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    5. Happy dancing that you're doing better, Wilani!

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  7. Oh, I love St. Augustine. Your pictures brought back so many great memories of our time there.

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    1. Erica, you're a historian. Share some facts you know about that area? Have you ever thought of writing a story set in Florida?

      Help us brainstorm some plot twists for our saga! What era strikes your fancy?

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    2. Deb, that's the interesting part, isn't it? A story from the earliest times? Or something more modern 18th century... and for that, Florida is its own enigma. It's such a huge peninsula that its climate and storms and vegetation aren't like any other state in the union. It's all so specific to Florida.

      For a book set there I think a writer has to be really careful to get her/his facts right because what happens in Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama... just might not ever happen in Florida because the setting is that unique.

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  8. The Ponce de Leon Hotel must have been magnificent. The facade certainly is breathtaking as it stands today. Can you imagine the wealth those people must have had to winter for so long in such luxurious accommodations?

    I do like the idea of including a single woman staying at the Alcazar who meets one of the wealthy playboys from the Ponce. Perhaps she's a reporter, just trying to get her foot in the door, and hopes to do a story on some of the wealthy and their excesses. Oh my, that would surely provide conflict if a romance developed before he knew about the story she was writing.

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  9. I haven't been to St. Augustine, but close friends have been and loved it. Their description definitely made me want to pack my bags and head that way!

    I think there are several buildings with cannon balls lodged in the walls, possibly at the fort. One source says that cannon balls just sunk into the walls made of shells. If that's true, seems like that would have been an excellent source of building materials.

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    1. So true about the cannon balls! Once the Spanish discovered the porous coquina building material near St. Augustine Beach on Anastasia Island, they quarried the material, brought it to the mainland by barges, and built Castillo de San Marcos, a strong, somewhat impenetrable fort. Prior to that, their forts had been made of wood and burned with each attack. The porous coquina absorbed the energy/impact of the cannon balls that would lodge in the walls of the fort, causing no damage to the structure.

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  10. Debby, what a rich history! You (or whoever writes this) could follow one family through the centuries like Gilbert Morris does. Or it would be good fodder for a time-slip story.
    I'm a little fuzzy about the difference between a saga and a series.
    Kathy Bailey

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    1. Gilbert Morris...a name from my past!

      I think of a saga as a lengthy story, spanning generations. If that large tome is broken into several books with an overarching theme or characters that play into each story, then it's a series. Does that make sense?

      Following a family or their descendants through the centuries is what I envisioned, Kaybee! Where would you start--or end--the saga?

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  11. What a wonderful trip down memory lane! I would definitely start a saga in the early years, perhaps following a nurse who tends to the wounded while longing to be a doctor and falling in love with the local doctor who thinks women should only be nurses, or better yet, stay at home with the children. The other story line could be totally opposite - perhaps a ship's captain who comes ashore periodically because his sister and her family live there. He meets the "prim and proper" school teacher who thinks he's a scalawag and he thinks she's as straight-laced as they come. Fireworks ensue! Please enter me in the drawing!

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    1. Edwina, I love your ideas! Great conflict with each story line. I can that ship's captain causing mischief with the prim teacher. Love is in the air for both couples. Thanks for such great contributions to our St. Augustine saga!!!

      Did the prim teacher's grandmother or family have a run in with a pirate of old so she's totally opposed to anyone who sails the seas? The plot thickens, as they say. :)

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  12. I have never been but it sounds like a wonderful place I think your books sounds really great Thank you for the chance to win !

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. So glad you could stop by Seekerville today!

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  13. Debby, what a great, info-filled post! When my sister and her husband visited St. Augustine many years ago, she called to say at least one of our kids needed to go to college there so they could go back and visit. LOL I still haven't been but would love to!

    I love the story idea of a woman who wants to apprentice at the apothecary but something stands in her way. So many ideas just from your history lesson!

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    1. I want to go to college at Flagler, Missy! It's beautiful. The tour guide said the tuition, out-of-state as well as in-state, is $30,000/year for room and board. They're best known for their schools of education and business.

      Like you, I love the woman who longs to apprentice at the apothecary. I can see that story. Could you tell that I enjoyed the tour of the Spanish Military Hospital? So much information. I tried to make note of everything they said, but I know I missed a lot. So fascinating. Also that they washed their hands and instruments, which was unheard of in the Civil War!

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  14. Never been there but have seen reenactments in other cities.

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  15. Never been there although weclived way down in Homestead when we were newly married. I , too, have read Eugenia Price but not Maria.
    I think those beautiful daughters that lived in the Lighthouse should be included. Maybe they could have an heb garden and apothecary on the side. Remedies handed down from a book kept by their great great grandmother. A newly wealthy but humble man who is staying at the hotel could be mesmerized by one of them. Maybe a mystery in the old book.

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    1. Oh, I could totally see a mystery series set down here.

      Great thought, Paula!

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    2. Love including the lighthouse keepers daughters and a mystery surrounding great-great-Grandma's journal! Great addition to the story, Paula.

      I thought about a shipwreck and the girls helping their father rescue the men at sea. One of them could be the love interest...or perhaps for one of the other daughters.

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  16. Great tour Debby. Looks like a great place to go. My niece is going to college there to be a physical therapist. Would love to visit. Don't know what ideas I have to offer you at this time though.

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    1. I didn't know they had a PT program there. My eldest is a PT. I'm sure your niece loves the college and the city. All so beautiful...and historic.

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  17. WOW, Debby! This is fascinating. I love history, but have never been to St. Augustine. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. The city is beautiful, Glynna! Put it on your bucket list. :)

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  18. I was 10 years old when I first visited St. Augustine. Fast forward to 35 years later when I visited again with my daughter who was 10. Fast forward to 20 years later when my cousin was married in St. Augustine. Now I am going again next month with my sisters. All of that history and it's only 3 hours away from my house. Proud to be a Native Floridian.
    Thanks for entering me in your giveaway.
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I know you and your sister will have a delightful time in St. Augustine. I bet your cousin's wedding there was beautiful...beach wedding or church?

      Where in Florida do you call home, Library Lady? My parents retired to Satellite Beach, just south of Cocoa and the Space Center. I always enjoyed going there when they were alive. Their home was only a couple blocks from the beach so summer trips included lots of fun in the sun!

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  19. Hi Debby:

    I think a saga should involve a quest that extends over many generations. I also think the quest should be noble in spirit.

    For this story, I'd start at the very beginning with the literal search for the fountain of youth.

    This search for the fountain of youth will mirror a desire to follow one's dreams. As time goes on the quest will be transformed into movements like yoga, diet, PMA (positive mental attitude), until in current times it again turns into a literal exercise with the wonders of DNA engineering.

    Throughout the saga the lesson is that the real fountain of youth was in the falling in love stories and the bringing forth of the next generation as a result of that love.

    I actually think that Michener could write this saga.

    Vince

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    1. Good suggestions for the St. Augustine saga, Vince! Love having the theme of searching for the "fountain of youth" weave through each portion of the story. I agree, Michener could have done it justice!

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  20. I read some E.Price books WAY back; need to update myself on her books!
    I would love to be entered for your book, Debby!
    Isn't this cooler weather in GA N I C E!!!

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    1. Hi Jackie! After our week in Florida with temps in the high 80s and low 90s, coming home to cool Georgia was refreshing!

      I'm brewing a cup of tea, which I always enjoy on a chilly day. Join me?

      You're in the drawing!

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  21. Dear Debby,
    My cousin's daughter was married in a building located right across from the park in the middle of downtown. It was a very old bank building. It is now a venue for weddings. The "bar" was located in the vault of the building. I looked at it and that was all I did. I live between Tampa and Orlando. People think that because we live in Florida, we are at the beach all the time. Don't I wish. Thanks for responding to my email.
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I know the park. Didn't see the wedding venue...but how special! That whole area is beautiful! What do you have planned to see with your sister?

      Being inland from the coast, you have less worry about hurricanes! Plus, you can get to the beach when you want. I think that sounds great, Janet!

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  22. Lee-Ann B here: thanks for this great post on writing sagas. I've often wondered how one puts together a major work like that. Is it easier setting a story in the middle of history or in contemporary times? I would think setting during the civil war (such as North and South) or such times lends itself better for sagas. St. Augustine is now going on my list of places to visit. ☺

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    1. Hi Lee-Ann, sagas need to span generations, so setting the story in a location that's rich in history would give the author more from which to draw his/her story. Often sagas start years in the past and feature various intertwined characters, such as in the same family, and ending in contemporary times.

      St. Augustine is well worth visiting!

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