Farewells, New Ventures

This morning I visited with Andrew Britton's mother. The service and wake were last Tuesday. Raleigh Memorial Gardens, a military location, is Andrew's final resting place stateside, with an Irish memorial to take place later this year. Annie stated author Brad Thor sent her a thoughtful email regarding his view of Andrew's talent. Annie gave me a memorial service prayer card which I will treasure as I face my own new venture into medical or scientific editing. The new frontier is always fraught with the unknown, so Andrew will be my talisman.

I already have some experience in software technical editing, plus I served as a guest editor for two editions of a student nurse anesthetist publication. Slowly I am building a portfolio. I will know more after the local chapter American Medical Writers Association workshop in May 2008.

Andrew Britton

This morning as I was creating my first blog entry, I thought about novelist Andrew Britton. His web site is www.andrewbritton.com. You can watch his interview with DG Martin on UNC-TV/PBS Bookwatch. They discuss Andrew's first novel, The American, which is a wonderful first novel. If you like Tom Clancy, you will like The American.

I attended Andrew's book signing three weeks ago at Tir Na Nog pub, in Raleigh, NC, for his third novel. I returned today to say Happy Easter to his mum, the pub general manager. It's with sadness and a heavy heart I post my intended entry for Andrew, to share that he died earlier this week, unexpectedly.

You live on in your three novels and in many hearts, Andrew. RIP.

American Revolution

1 Jan 2008 a relative sent me genealogy information. The oldest date was for a gggggrandfather, Adoniram Allen, born in 1734, New Hampshire colony near the Vermont border. His family came to North Carolina and built and iron furnace and sawmill. Adoniram, his father, and younger brother fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek and later in the Battle of King's Mountain. Adoniram traveled on to Georgia, then to Alabama. He lived, with the permission of the chiefs, on the edge of the Chickasaw Indian nation. Adoniram returned to Surry County, North Carolina, and from there claimed his pension grant: 5K acres in Clay County, Kentucky. At the age of 76, he moved his family to Kentucky, built another water mill and house, and lived to be 104.

My ancestors include two different sets of Bakers. One, Robert and Samuel, came from England to be gunsmiths to the colonial Americans. They lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and developed the Kentucky long rifle. The other Baker line descends from Pocahontas. Time magazine had a feature article on Jamestown, and I probably will purchase a back edition.