Saturday, February 23, 2013

Introducing Susan Page Davis


History and heritage are among my favorite topics, and I couldn’t help it. A native of the state of Maine, I grew up in a family that considered family and roots very important. My father had a career as a game warden, but he came from a long line of farmers, and his family had lived in our small agricultural community for seven generations. My mother’s family had come down from Nova Scotia near the turn of the 20th Century, where they, as Loyalists, had taken refuge many years earlier.

An early reader, I began to write stories as a child. I made tiny books and printed painstakingly in them, a tradition my children continued. My family lived in a stone farmhouse built in the 1850s. It was a house steeped in heritage, and a wonderful place to grow up. As a teenager, I was allowed to keep horses, and I later took a blacksmithing course and became a licensed farrier. (I no longer practice the art, but it has been very helpful in writing historical fiction.)

As an adult, I began writing nonfiction articles for magazines and spent about 25 years as a news correspondent for a daily newspaper. But the urge to write fiction was still there. I began studying genealogy, and the more I learned about the past, the more I wanted to write stories.

My first published novel was a historical, Protecting Amy, set in Wyoming, and people have asked me if it’s about my daughter Amy. The answer is, no, her name is the only thing she has in common with the main character. Some family members from the distant past have made it into my books, though. In my White Mountain Brides series, you’ll find mention of the Otis family. I am a descendant of Richard Otis, the blacksmith who was killed in the Cocheco Massacre of 1689. Other characters are loosely based on real people, and several family members and friends have asked me to name characters after them.

In 2010, I left my home state of Maine, and moved to western Kentucky. My husband Jim and the youngest two of our six children have found a new home in “the north of the south.”

March giveaway:
On my day to post next in March, I’ll be giving giving away copies of my books Almost Arizona and A Lady in the Making. If you care to comment today, I’ll draw a winner for another book from this post’s commenters who include their email address.  Hope to see you here again!

 

 

33 comments:

  1. Nice to meet you! that view of the lighthouse will never get old, and I still live here (Maine) - my email is zoeboboey@rocketmail.com :)

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  2. Thanks for coming by! Yes, the Portland Head lighthouse is an iconic symbol of Maine. When we lived there, our favorite day trips were lighthouses and Fort Knox. Now I live near the OTHER Fort Knox (in Ky.).

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  3. Hi Susan! Every time I see a post about you I cheer you on. Your writing is wonderful - my mom and I love your books!

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  4. I've read one of your novella collections, would love to read more. bcrug(at)myfairpoint(dot)net

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  5. What a wonderful heritage for you to draw on for your writing. I always enjoy your books. Looking forward to learning more and reading more of your stories.

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  6. Hey Sue,

    I loved the picture of you in braids and learning about your rich heritage. Do you still have any of those little books you made as a child?

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  7. Thanks, everybody! It's a big encouragement to see you here, Pat, Connie, and "groovylady." (forget the "old.") Vickie, I still have a few, and it's amazing the parallels between my childhood "books" and my grownup books. Way back then I wrote stories called "Marooned on an Island," "The Mystery at Cavaltran Ski Lodge," and "Lieutenant Annie" (a Cavalry story). Now I write books like "Frasier Island," "Homicide at Blue Heron Lake," and "The Oregon Escort" (a Cavalry story, ha ha!). I cut down paper to little pages and stapled it together and wrote until the book was full. I guess that's the ultimate seat-of-the-pants writing.

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  8. I have not read any of your books, but love historical fiction and you certainly have whetted my appetite to read your stories :)
    bettimace(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Hello Susan, nice to meet you! I love the before and after pictures of you. I used to wear my hair like that and I do believe I owned a dress like that! (the Cindy Brady look) I don't believe I've read any of your books. Would really love to! I pray that your experience here on this blog is a wonderfully fulfilling one! God bless.
    debsbunch5[at]jesusanswers[dot]com

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  10. Susan, I loved this post. I used to write little books when I was a kid too. So fun. I am also a farrier, although mine is by marriage and I can't shoe a horse. I've held horses while they've been shod. Not the same. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Susan, KBailey is one of my FB buddies. You two should enjoy each other! I don't think I knew about those little books. How fun!

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  12. Susan, when I was a kid I dreamed of visiting Maine. One day I'd like to visit Nova Scotia and then on to Ireland and Scotland.

    I think it's cool that you took blacksmithing. Now I know who to turn to for one of my stories. ;) The hero is a blacksmith.

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  13. Wow, Susan, blacksmithing! I'd like to try that myself!

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  14. Oh Susan, I loved reading this. You've had an interesting life. I wish I knew more about my descendants. Did any of your tiny books survive till now? That would be neat. I wrote several short stories when in high school. I loved drawing a book cover. I've always loved to draw. I used to draw a little picture at the top of the letters I wrote, especially to a favorite aunt. She loved that. this was in my later years. I mean after I had grown children, But so many people quit writing letters. That seems to be a lost tradition. WOW! being a blacksmith and being good enough to do it professionally. That is really neat. And, then to see that you are a descendant. Wish I could have gotten my dad to write down all he remembered about our Lloyd family. And, have even less on my mom for her mom died when she was only 5. Of course when I was young and lived near a sister of my grandmother, I never even thought to ask. Then later she got demencia.I love your picture as a young girl too. I would love to read your first Novel , Protecting Amy. I used to live in Jackson Hole, Wyo. It has a good history for stories. Looking forward to trying to win some of your books. GOD bless you.
    MAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com

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  15. The hardest thing for me when it came to shoeing horses was taking off the old shoes. They can be pretty tight and require some muscle. We have two horses now, but I don't shoe them. We have someone else do it. Nancy, I think Farrier is a very cool last name. Thanks everybody! I will post today's winner on here in the morning (if I don't forget) and email the winner personally. You'll get to pick the book of your choice off my website if you win today. Yay, Christina--Maine, Nova Scotia, and points east! Don't bypass Prince Edward Island while you're up there--it's super cool.

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  16. Maxie, thanks! I do have four or five of my "little books." It's fun to look back at them. It was awesome when my 3 sisters and I visited Dover, NH (Cocheco is now part of Dover) and see that last extant garrison house there. It survived the Cocheco Massacre, in which my ancestor, Richard Otis, the blacksmith, was killed. His house was burned. In the one they've preserved they have some artifacts from an archaeological dig at the Otis Garrison, including some nails and hinges that Richard probably made about 330 years or so ago. It was an amazing experience and inspired my White Mountain Brides trilogy.

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  17. Why, my goodness, you took a blacksmithing course? Wow. When I wrote my first historical I could have used you as a source! I bet that really did come in handy. I always wanted to know what the smell was like when a red hot piece of iron was quenched in water.
    reneeyancy@reneeyancy.com

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  18. That picture of Nubble drew me right in. My family has been vacationing near Wells for decades, and my mom lived in Sanford back in the 60's. Maine is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Wonderful to get to know you better, Susan.

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  19. Really nice post, Susan. What an interesting thing to have learned, blacksmithing and farriering? (Hmm...looked it up and that seems to be the word.) Fascinating. The last book I read of yours wasn't a historical novel (Frasier Island), but I shared it with my mother, and we've both become fans. Can't wait to read more. (r.stevens99@yahoo.com)

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  20. I recently read all of the Prairie Dreams series and really enjoyed them. My daughter had read the first one and told me I'd better wait to read it till I had all of the series (she knows I prefer to read a series in its entirety). I finally got all the books so I could read them at once. My daughter enjoyed them as well.
    I look forward to reading more of Susan's books.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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  21. Good evening, Ms. Davis,

    Discovering this blog yesterday brought me a lot of joy, as I get to read a bit about each of you, ahead of the big March Blitz Opening! :) I found it fascinating how you started out in Maine and have ended up in Kentucky! I've passed through the Bluegrass state enroute back to Florida, having spent a glorious week in Fargo! Once you cross into North Dakota from South Dakota, there is something magically special about the continental divide! Beautiful part of the country! When we banked back through Kentucky we were outside the Elizabethtown area, which made me smile, as I like a little indie film of the same name! One day I need to take a moment to travel through the Bluegrass, as there are so many places to see!! You must reap the rewards of being in such a historically rich area!!

    Was your family from Northern Maine or Central? I know a little bit about Maine's history and present, but not as much as you, of course, as your generational connected!! Would you ever go back!? I must confess, researching our family tree is an adventurous journey! You never know what you will find once you start the search!! :)

    I enjoyed reading your intro post and I look forward to your future ones!! Especially since I like how you add personal family history or the flavour I should say, into your stories,... that's a unique twist to add, and I would welcome the chance to read one of your books!

    I'd be delighted to have the chance to win a book of yours, as I haven't come across your books previously! Thanks for the lovely giveaway! inkand-bookaways(at)usa.net

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  22. Oh, well, Renee, it's a hot, metallic smell, ha ha! Wow, it's been so long... Oops, Kathleen, Portland Head, not Nubble, but CLOSE! Robin, yes, it is fascinating. Farriery is the noun, I think. And if you don't have a strong back for all that bending over, don't even think about the horseshoeing profession. But making wrought iron items is also fun, and you don't have to lean over and put up with horses who lean back. I'm so glad you found Frasier Island. That series lives on in ebooks, and a lot of people say it's their favorite.

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  23. Kathleen, thanks for your encouragement. Pam, glad you got to read the whole series. Most of my series are not that tightly connected, but Prairie Dreams is one where, yes, there is a thread running through all three books that is not finally resolved until Book 3 (A Lady in the Making). Jorie, what interesting travels. I've been to SD a couple of times (mostly seeing Badlands and Wall Drug on our way through when we lived in Oregon). I grew up in Central Maine, where my father was a game warden. Several of my books are set in Maine. Kentucky is a different sphere! I am still figuring out the accent, only now I am the one everybody says talks funny! And yes, I would go back...to visit. In fact, I have. I spoke at the 2011 Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers' conference. I still have some extended family in Maine. Thanks for stopping by. Come back often!

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    1. Thank you for your reply, Ms. Davis!

      I am very much looking forward to returning! I didn't even know Maine had a CWC! Ooh, you notice too, the different dialects as you shift from one region to another?! That is singularly one of my favourite aspects to being around the Fargoians! Its that special something extra in their voice! They make me smile!! :) Maine & Boston accents I am growing used to hearing, as I love looking up Maine -- so I hear it coming through the videos!

      I never made it to the Badlands!! :( Actually, I never made it past Fargo/Grand Forks! Ran out of time to cross over to Bismarck! Which leaves plenty of things to explore when I return! :) I love travelling to unexpected places,... but falling in love with the Upper Midwest was pure joy!

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  24. This is a cool new site. I'm excited for March! I'm fascinated by genealogy. I love the show "Who do you think you are." shopgirl152nykiki(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. So do I!! :) I was so upset when I learnt they cancelled the American version of it! :( I heard a rumour online that Lifetime might pick it up and continue forward, but I never learnt anything past it! :( At least they released the series to dvd! I cannot wait to pick those packs up! :)

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  25. Wow, what an amazing family history! it is wonderful you have been able to incorporate your family history into some of your books :)
    Jasmine A.
    montanamade(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. Hi Susan, Im late in posting but have to say I have read alot of your books and have loved them. Love the different genres. Love the fact you were a farrier.
    I have A lady in the making to read and is on my tbr list. Im so behind in my reading.

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  27. Thanks so much to all for making this such a fun outing! The winner for this post is Betz! I will send you a private email, Betz. In March, my post on the 23rd will have 2 winners, so see you then. I'm finding the other authors' introductions fascinating and can't wait to see what they bring us about history.

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  28. Kentucky - 'The North of the South', hadn't heard that one before. I'm sure it seems very southern compared to Maine!

    Patty
    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  29. It surely does, Patty! But I find that people farther south are mildly insulted if I say I moved to the South. I am enjoying having less snow and not-so-cold weather here. A friend in Maine told me she got another foot of snow this weekend, and I'm glad I don't have to dig my car out in the morning.
    Veronica--I meant to say that I also enjoyed "Who Do You Think You Are?" Wouldn't you love to have them pay for you to dig up your family's roots?

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  30. Hi Susan, it was terrific finding out that you're a licensed farrier. The morning before I read your post, I was holding the head of our lightly sedated mare, Lady, while our farrier, Matt, put on a special set of built-up round horseshoes on her. She pulled up lame a few weeks after we bought her. Matt said the condition was present when we bought her. While I kept her head up, I thought about what it would be like to be a woman farrier in Colorado and the obstacles she'd face from ranchers and farmers. We're mighty particular about our farriers. Have you ever put a woman farrier in one of your stories?

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