Standing in the Argonne Forest at the End of World War I - 1918

In June of 1918 my grandmother was in an industrial accident and lost her arm from just below the elbow. Not long after that, she married my grandfather. You might wonder why I’m telling you this. In honor of Memorial Day I’m going to share two letters with you that were written by a young soldier who was a pen pal of my grandmother. I thought about editing them because there are a couple of personal comments, but decided you might like to read them as written.

This young man was stationed in France, and I’m presenting you with his letters exactly as they were written – misspellings, commas, periods, no periods and all. These letters are a small piece of history, and I’m thrilled that my grandmother never threw anything away.

Thanks to one of these letters, for a brief moment I stood with a young soldier in the Argonne Forest on Armistice Day on November 11, 1918. Yes, this is Memorial Day, and I’m remembering those who served our country. David was one of them.

“November 12, 1918

Dear Dolly,

I received your letter yesterday and was very, very sorry to hear of your terrible misfortune. Peace articles were signed yesterday and hostilities ceased at eleven oclock. We are in the Argonne Forest on the ground that the Germans have just left and will be glad to get back out of the lines again where you can see a civilian. And hope to be on the way home soon. I consider myself very lucky to come out of this great war as well as I am. The guns were firing yesterday right up till two minutes to eleven. Last night we held a celebration of our own the air was ful of star shells and rockets and flares which the Germans left behind. It was like a fourth of July celebration.

Tonight it is the same when a star shell is up you can read a news paper by the light. Well I have had a touch of gas in fact several kinds, tear gas, sneezing gas, clorine and several kinds and been under shell fire a great bit and now it is all over and every soldier has a big smile on his face. I must congratulate you on your marriage and I hope you live happy and I wish you the best of luck. I must close now as it is getting late so I will close now.

As ever your friend

D.B. Gordon

Co.D 16^th Engrs. Ry

A.E.F.”

Second Letter:

“Consenvoye, France

Dec, 7, 1918

Dear Dolly,

I received your letter today and was much pleased to hear from you. I am sorry that I have not any more pictures but if I ever get out of ‘No Mans Land’ and get back to civilization I will have some more taken. I expect to get a furlough in a few days as soon as the bunch now out get back. It must be rather dead at home with all the churches, Theaters and everything closed. Things are worse than that up here where we are all the towns and villiages are almost leveled and no civilians are back here yet. I would like to get back in the S.O.S.

The French Girls are very good looking and they are also very polite and friendly to us. If you see a French farmer Girl on Sunday when she is dressed up you would think she came right from Paris. And when you would see the same girl during the week working on the farm you would not recognize her. France is a very beautiful country and has a lovely climate similar to your state [Southern California] in some parts. We have had no snow here yet and it is quite warm during the day. Of course the rainy season is very disagreeable to us as we have to be out in it all the time. This part of the country that has been fought over there is nothing not a tree but what is dead and most of them broken and the ground is so full of shell holes that you cant go out after dark without falling in a couple of dozen of them and most of them are full of water. There is thousands of German helmets around here, we have one for a wash basin. I would like to bring lots of stuff home but I am afraid we wont be able to carry heavy junk such as helmets. I have lots of German buttons and decorations Well if I get my furlough I will send you some cards. I must close now as it is getting late

Your friend,

David

D.B. Gordon

Co D. 16^th Engrs (Ry)

A.E.F.

P.S. This is German stationary I am using that I picked up in a German hospital.”

My grandmother had several photos of military men, but I have no idea which one is David, so I’m not including a photo.

Until next time, I’m remembering military personnel throughout the years with admiration and appreciation.

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Out with the Old

Contemplating 2019

The year of 2018 is about to end. Trying to decide what to post about, I reflected back on the past year. The politics, the political correctness, the crime and heartbreak have all taken their toll. There’ve been good and bad days. Thankfully the good outweighs the bad.

The year 2018 was a rough year for a lot of people, but there are better days ahead. I have a gut feeling. In the book I’m working on now, a character named Tillie says that she believes gut feelings are a nudge from God. Who knows? Maybe she’s right.

Over the past year I’ve discovered a number of new (to me) authors and read several entertaining books. Sometimes reading can be a great escape from the everyday woes.

I released two books in 2018. Gin Mill Grill and One Adventure Too Many (both Sandi Webster mysteries) kept me busy and out of trouble – not that I’d be in trouble for anything, but…

I added a new character to the Sandi Webster series by the name of Clementine. She’s a Chiwienie (half Chihuahua/half Dachshund) and quite an interesting dog, who just happens to have a doggie crush on big ol’ Bubba, the half wolf/half Golden Retriever sweetheart in the series.

Reality check: Clementine is based on my daughter’s dog and she has a doggie crush on Murphy, one of my two Yellow Labs. Sherlock and Watson of the Bogey Man series are based on my two Yellow Labs, Murphy and Sugar.

I wake up in a good mood every day because of the dogs. Murphy wakes me up by sticking his nose in my face or my ear, whichever is in his line of sight. Sugar whines with excitement and flops her paw on my bed. Clementine? She’s a licker. I pull the covers over my head. They make me laugh and they have an innocence that makes the day brighter.

My thoughts and hopes for 2019? I’m going to finish the book I’m working on. The dogs are going to make me laugh every morning. My daughter and I will find some fun and intriguing things to do. It’s going to be a good year for mystery writers and readers. I have a gut feeling, and you know what Tillie says about gut feelings.

I lost my aunt this year. No matter what happened, she always said, “Life is good!” She was right.

Life is good and I look forward to a new year and new experiences.

Best wishes for a Happy & Fulfilling New Year!

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A Brief Moment

A brief moment can change our lives, much as a brief moment can change the lives of characters in books.

You’ve probably heard stories about someone who was caught in a traffic jam and missed a plane, only to find out later that the plane crashed. I have a friend whose mother got up during the night to get a drink of water during a heavy wind and rain storm. Her husband got up to see if she was okay. While they were in the kitchen a tree fell, crashing through the roof and landing on their bed.

True stories, and yet if you read them in a book you might think they’re not realistic. Strange things happen, and they can change our lives. You know the old saying about truth being stranger than fiction.

I remind myself of these things when I’m writing. If I want the characters’ lives to be realistic, then I need to remember that circumstances can change the outcome of a story, even if that circumstance only lasts for a brief moment.

Timing can be everything. What if Jane Doe hadn’t bent over to pick up the olive she dropped on the floor in the kitchen? The killer hiding outside her window would have fired his gun and hit her. However, since she did bend over, the bullet would have missed her and rammed harmlessly through a wall. What if Jane had been heading for the airport I mentioned above? She could have been on the plane that crashed.

I dropped my comb one morning while doing my hair and found a favorite earring I’d lost. I never would have found it if I hadn’t dropped my comb. It had landed in an odd spot. Many years ago I had an expensive piece of jewelry sitting on my dresser. It sat there for three weeks. One morning I was about to leave for work when I suddenly decided I should hide it, and I did. That day, while I was at work, someone burglarized my home, but they didn’t find that piece of jewelry. True story.

On her way to town, Minnie decided to take a new route to the store and missed a major accident. She couldn’t tell you why she changed her normal routine and route.

Yes, Virginia, coincidences do happen, probably more often than we might think. A brief moment can change the course of a person’s life, a sudden thirst during a storm might save a life, and dropping on object might lead you to find a lost treasure.

I know someone who was working on her genealogy. She came from a good, fine, upstanding family and was quite surprised to find out her ancestors were thieves and killers. Fortunately, she had a great sense of humor and found the light side to her discoveries. The fact that they were in the distant past certainly helped.

There are so many things that happen in real life that can be used in stories. It’s all a matter of deciding how to present the incident as fiction. Does life imitate fiction? Or does fiction imitate life?

Sometimes we have to tread lightly. Other times the incidents in a book should be as bold as possible. This is where common sense steps in.

How do you decide what might make a good scene or idea for a story? As a reader, do you sometimes wonder if there’s any truth in the mystery you’re reading?

A number of my books have at least a modicum of truth in them. It’s up to the reader to try to guess what’s true and what’s not.

Until next week, I hope a special brief moment or coincidence visits your life and brightens your week.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

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I can’t recall if I mentioned it or not, but Bubba’s Ghost – A Sandi Webster Mystery is now available in audio format.

If you haven’t read it yet, One Adventure Too Many – A Sandi Webster Mystery was recently released.

Sandi’s mother and her aunt are ready for an adventure. Unfortunately, their idea of an adventure involved a dead body and a young woman in hiding.