My Hometown - The Place To Be For Christmas Fun!

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I think all of us are proud of our hometowns. Like many of you, I was born in one town and moved to another when Daddy’s job changed. I still have relatives in both places. The town I remember, the one in which I have the fondest memories of my childhood and youth, is Andalusia, Alabama.

To say I was blessed to have such a wonderful place in which to grow to adulthood is an understatement. The people who surrounded me were simply the best. I had such wonderful teachers and the best friends. In fact, my best friend and I still keep in touch. We may not see one another often, but when we do, it’s as if we’d just left for a moment or two. Dianne, I love you, girl.

A Priceless Gift

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen the same post repeatedly on social media. It’s a good reminder and goes something like this—Hold people close and remember to hug, say I love you, do today all those things you think you will get to do later. Later may not come for some.

That is such a profound truth. My family and I know it all too well. I have several dear friends who know, as well. You know who you are and know that I am holding you in my heart today, and always.

You Did It! NaNoWriMo 2019

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Do you remember when I wrote the post about deciding to participate in NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month? That's where you write 50,000 words in thirty days. In other words, you write a novel. In case you missed my Facebook post, I did it. I’m so excited about having accomplished that. I wrote 50,134 words in twenty-five days.

When I first made up my mind to join the group, they had been at this for four days. I had to play catch-up. Also, maneuvering all the techie things that went along with making that decision almost did me in. Yes. I almost quit before I wrote the first word.

But I hung in there. I sat down almost every day and wrote the words that came to my mind. And I did it. And so did many, many more of you.

With A Thankful Heart

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

The older I get, the more quickly the year passes. It seems we just observed the Fourth of July and here it is, Thanksgiving. Here’s the kicker—Christmas is less than a month away. As usual, I haven’t purchased the first gift. Heavy sigh.

But, this week, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Two of our four sons will be with us this year. One is our married son who will have our lovely granddaughters with him, along with his beautiful wife, our Daughter-in-Love. It is always so good to hear the laughter of our two granddaughters filling our home. And, it’s such a blessing to see two of our boys communicating with one another as grown men.

Those are only a few of the things we are thankful for this year. 

Giving Thanks--Generation to Generation

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Y’all know that one of my favorite things is genealogy. Finding my ancestors has become not just a hobby, but a life-long quest for my sister and me.

Sis and I talk every day, first thing in the morning, which for us is usually somewhere between eight and nine. I am not an early morning person unless I have to be. Of course, we always talk about our kids and our grandkids, and in her case, her soon-to-be eight great-grands. Wow!

Another thing you know about me is that this November, for the first time, I am participating in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, the object of which is to get fifty-thousand words written—a good start for a novel. I got a bit of a late start, but I’ve managed to have somewhere around forty-thousand words in book two of my Charlotte Graves series, when you add my NaNo words to my already-written words.

But, while I’ve been writing a novel, many of you have been writing about things you are thankful for. I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts. Among those of you doing this is my niece, Shelly Foshee. She is my sister’s daughter-in-love. Shelly is an amazing woman, one whom I wish all of you could know. She is daughter, wife, mother, and now, Nana. Add to those, student, nurse, teacher, mentor, intercessor, prayer-warrior. You get the picture. Busy.

NaNoWriMo-If I Can, You Can

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams 

I’ve been in the middle of something for the past nine days I never thought I’d do. I joined those working on NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to get 50,000 words on the page during the month of November.

While I have no clue whose original idea this was, it isn’t a bad one. There are many people out there who feel they have a book inside them, but they don’t have the initiative to get it done. Or to even begin. NaNoWriMo offers them an opportunity to join the many who do this each year. NaNo as I call it, offers words of support, badges of achievement, and even personalized closed groups one may join that will be comprised of people you know all cheering you on.

My Life in a Nutshell

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Even though it is an entire year before my forthcoming book, Grave Consequences, A Charlotte Graves Southern Mystery, will be available, I realize that most of you don’t know me well, if at all. I thought I’d tell you a bit about me.

I began and lived most of my life in South Alabama. It’s no wonder that I grew up to write Southern fiction. As a genealogist, albeit an amateur, the South and all her glories are in my blood—indeed, my DNA. There is no way to remove myself from my roots and my heritage.

Latest Genealogy-DNA News

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I spent a bit of time this week looking into the latest information in the field of genetic genealogy. Tracing my family’s roots and my husband’s family’s roots has become a passion of mine. I became interested when I was in my teens, but I had no clue where to begin. It wasn’t until the 1990s that I immersed myself into figuring out our roots. I try to stay in touch with the latest innovations available for my searches.

Two of my ancestors had done an excellent job of tracing my Daddy’s DuPree side and his mother’s Burdeshaw side. Let me tell you, I admire these women more than I can say as their research was done years ago, back in the 1960s, perhaps some of the work on the Burdeshaw line, in the 1950s. This meant trips to libraries or to track down relatives unfamiliar to them. Emimae Pritchard Langley compiled the two-volume set of books titled, The DuPre Trail, and Rhoda Burdeshaw, missionary to China, wrote the genealogies of my Burdeshaw relatives.

A Low-Tech Grandma in a High-Tech World

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Okay. I admit it. I’m no techie, especially when it comes to anything social media related, but I think y’all knew that. I’ve taken social media lessons for a while now from the best teacher I know, Edie Melson. Edie is the co-director of a handful of conferences for writers. You know most of my writing story, so you already know I had no idea I needed a writing conference . . . or twenty.

Some social media things have been more difficult than others. I usually do okay if I have things written down step by step. I refer to them when I need to do something I haven’t done in a while, or even if it’s things I do regularly but which have lots of steps. One of the functions I perform weekly has twenty-five separate steps. Now you see why I need to have them written down.

Lost

When learning something new, I perform the task while I’m on the video lessons with Edie. But when I’m left on my own, I can’t remember what comes next—unless I write it down. I have to remember to write it down. This morning, we went through a task that was difficult for me. We’d been over this before, long ago and again a month or so ago, but I couldn’t remember the steps. I invariably left out some. Thus, things I should have been doing went undone. Sigh.

So, we went over this again this morning and I performed the task without any questions or prompts from Edie and I did okay with it. I’m happy to say that once we signed off our meeting, I went back to this task and tried it on my own. I faltered in a couple of places, but I quickly realized where I had made mistakes and I corrected myself. One time . . . okay it was twice . . . I had to undo the whole thing and begin again. It was at that point that I wrote down every single step. I’m happy to report that this one has far fewer than twenty-five.

This is just another aspect of writing that most people don’t even think about. You see all the Twitter posts and Facebook posts, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and anything else out there that people do regularly these days, and you don’t even stop to think about how that was done. In my case, I was clueless. I’ve learned how to navigate those swirling waters with many lessons, repeats of those lessons, and a few emergency emails to Edie to say I’m stumped. I had no idea one had to learn so many new things to be a writer in today’s world.

To say that I’ve been blessed by the people God has placed in my path would be one of the biggest understatements in my life. And I’ve lived a long time.

Equipped for the Journey

There have been many times when I wanted to quit because learning so many new things has been a huge curve for me. Friends always come through with words of encouragement, reminding me that I’m not on this journey alone. This is a journey God has placed before me and I know He will walk with me and help me see it through to the end. See what I did there?

When life throws something your way you don’t think you can handle, remember the One who is always there with you. And look to those people He has placed in your path to lend a helping hand or a good word of encouragement when you need it the most.

Edie is one of many people I’ve met along this journey since I first walked into the doors of Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference back in 2014. Since that time, I’ve met countless conference directors, teachers, mentors, fellow writers, encouragers—the list is endless. I owe every one of them a huge debt of thanks.

A Work-in-Progress

I don’t have all the little details mastered, especially of all things social media related. Like my writing, I’m still a work in progress. I’m thankful for those with me on this journey. And that includes you. Thank you for being here and reading my blog posts. It means more to me than I can say.

Do you have trouble with techie or social media things? Share your experiences with us.

TWEETABLE

A Low-TechGrandma in a High-Tech World @DDuPreeWilliams (Click to Tweet)

The Family Storyteller-Is It YOU?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

You’ve probably heard the old saying that everyone has a story. Let me add to that, every family has a storyteller. I’m not sure that’s me in our family, but I’m the keeper of the genealogies on both my husband’s and my sides of the family. If storyteller is part of that, then I happily wear that title.

We’ve had the pleasure of sharing this past week with my husband’s sister and her husband. They live in Birmingham, Alabama, and they visit with some regularity. Events of the past year have made those visits a bit less frequent, so we were overjoyed that they could be with us this week. We’ve had fun outings, traveling here and yon, and we’ve taken pleasant drives even though our leaves have yet to show off their vibrant colors. 

Holidays are Coming, Will You be Stressed or at Peace?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

The holidays are coming. Here it is October and it will fly by just as the summer whose temperatures hung on tenaciously. But Fall seems to have finally arrived. With it will come all things pumpkin, changing of the leaves, crisp air, and . . . stress.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. While we always look forward to those joyful events, they bring along unwanted baggage. We scurry around trying to prepare everyone’s favorite foods. We clean, even though we will have to do it again once everyone returns to their own homes. And, if you are like many families, you wonder if, and pray that, everyone will be on their best behavior.

Holidays are just stressful. Thanksgiving is bad enough, but then comes Christmas—

that season which proclaims joy, peace, and goodwill. But sometimes, Christmas is anything but. Insert heavy sigh here. I know you know what I mean. We’ve all been there one year or another. But there is hope and help.

Got Plans? I Know Someone Who Does

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My children will tell you, the verse I quote to each of them most often is Jeremiah 29:11. I know you know it, but for those who may not be as familiar here is what it says—For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. (NASB)

Every time one of our kids is going through a rough patch, a time of critical decision-making, times of uncertainty, I quote this to them. Just this week, I’ve quoted it to two of our sons, the eldest and the youngest. If you read my blog posts regularly, you will likely see that it is my most-referenced scripture verse.

What Mask Are You Wearing?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I know what you're thinking. But, no.  In spite of the title, this isn't about Halloween. 

Last week I told you about some scenic drives we like to take, especially once the leaves begin to change. The colors are vibrant, and the mountains seem to beg us to come and share in their beauty.

One of the places we enjoy visiting each year is Gorges State Park. Not only are there vistas at which to take gorgeous photos, but there is a waterfall there, too. And they have picnic tables at which you may share a meal with your family or traveling companions.

The visitor center is very nice. It is equipped with clean restrooms and they have a gift shop, too. It is part of the state park system. Be sure to see the displays inside the center. They are all very good and informative, and they change with the seasons.

One of the displays on our visit last year showed a photo of a yellow leaf. The information surrounding the leaf explained that while we only see the bright colors of the trees in the Fall, those colors are present within the leaf year-round. Those bright colors we drive so far to see are masked behind the more dominant green pigments called chlorophylls. The beautiful colors we wait all year long to see have been there all along, but we couldn’t see them.

Many Masks

This made me wonder how many of us are hiding our potential behind a mask. There are many masks—fear, self-doubt, anxiety, shame just to name a few. You could probably add your own word/s to this list.

Here is the good news. Whatever it is God has called you to, He has equipped you with all you need to see it to fruition. And He is a gentleman, He not only opens doors, He stands and holds it as you walk through. He doesn’t leave you. He’s with you through the entire journey, no matter what it is or how long it takes. There is a saying that has been on the internet in recent years, If God takes you to it, He will get you through it.

Remove Your Mask

Whether you’ve been called to be a writer, musician, artist, teacher, member of our military, a first responder, stay-at-home-mom, or anything you can imagine, God has placed within you what you need to accomplish your goals. Maybe they’ve been hiding out for a while as you prepare for your future. At the perfect time, you will remove your mask and let your light shine, like the Fall leaves, hiding beneath a layer of chlorophyll until the right season arrives.

God is amazing . . . your true colors have been there all along.

Are you ready to remove your mask and let your true colors shine? Share your thoughts with us.

TWEETABLE

What Mask Are You Wearing?@DDuPreeWilliams (Click to Tweet)

Fall-Time For a Beautiful Drive

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A view from the Cherohala Skyway

Fall. It’s finally creeping in on us here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While some of you, two of our sons included—one in Austin and one in Tampa—are battling temps hovering in the nineties, our high today and tomorrow will be in the mid-seventies at the highest. Our lows? A nice, comfortable mid-forties to mid-fifties range. Believe me, I know. I feel your pain.

My sweet hubby pulled out our Fall décor this week and we got that placed around our home. I don’t go over the top. Simplicity is the operative word here. Besides, it’s about all I have time or energy for. One thing I’d like to do is add potted mums to our front porch. I love Fall colors and potted mums make one’s home seem so warm and inviting.

But God-It's All About Trust

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I shared a bit of the publishing process with you. You can see why it takes so long for a book to become a book and not simply a manuscript. The publishing process is long and there are many steps involved in bringing that book to market.

One thing that has happened in recent weeks is the publishing house I signed a contract with has recently been acquired by a larger company. My original house was Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and the imprint I was under is Firefly Southern Fiction. None of that has changed. I will still be under the Firefly Southern Fiction imprint. 

The Birth of a Book

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Something a little bit different this week. I thought I’d catch you all up on what’s going on with my soon-to-be-published book, Grave Consequences, A Charlotte Graves Southern Mystery.

I appreciate your patience as we await the birth of GC as I affectionately call it. Believe me, I realize it seems like forever ago that I began talking about this book. Well, the publishing process is long, y’all. Longer than most of us realize, I think. Any of you authors out there want to chime in, please feel free to throw in your two cents. Or a dime’s worth, if you have that much to say.

Every Family Has a Story

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post in which I asked the question, who do you think you are?  That question had never been more relevant than in the weekend I wrote about last week about attending the Nansemond Indian Nation’s Pow Wow. https://www.facebook.com/NansemondIndianNation/

As I looked around and spoke with people there, it was quite apparent that we had all come from descendants of Bass-related persons. In other words, we were all cousins, no matter the color of our skin. And our skin tones varied from very dark, to those like me with blond hair and blue eyes. Yet, we can all trace our heritage back to one or two people from whom we descend. My family’s story is old and rich. And it is multi-ethnicity.

DNA Testing

As DNA tests become more prevalent and as more and more people are tested, I think it will become even more apparent just how closely related most of us in these United States are. This is even more so for those of us whose ancestors weren’t born here, but who came on one of the earlier ships. We are part of those people who came from all corners of the old world and left a Europe who refused to allow freedom of ideas and freedom of worship. My European family came very early in the 1600s. That was one side. Another side was already here.

They were the indigenous people of these lands. People who were forced from the lands they had called home for generation upon generation. That they managed, somehow, to find common ground (no pun intended) and to get along, even marry and have families with one another, to me is nothing short of a miracle.

Learn the Truth

We must read again the histories of how this country was formed. The story we’ve long held to be true, the one we were taught in school about Pocahontas, has now been proven to be false in great part. How many have bothered to learn the true story? And this is just one story. How many others must there be?

Just this past week, the descendants of The First Twenty and Odd, celebrated the four-hundredth commemoration of the arrival of their ancestors. How many even know who the First Twenty and Odd are? I must say, I didn’t know until about two to three years ago. Again, part of our history never taught in our schools. How many of us are descendants of those people? How would you know if you’ve not been told? https://www.facebook.com/1619GenealogyBank

Find Your Story

What is your family’s story? Were you a part of the indigenous peoples? Were your ancestors on one of the early ships to arrive on these shores? Did your first ancestors here come in the great wave of immigration in the 1800s? Unless you delve deeply into your lineage either via a DNA test, a paper trail, or both, you may never know of your rich heritage.

Not everyone will have come early. Some are recent arrivals, and they have a story. They have families and histories. We all came from somewhere.

Have you traced your ancestry? Did you find surprises? Share your story with us. 

TWEETABLE

Every Family Has a Story@DDuPreeWilliams (Click to Tweet)