It has been awhile. Something like two years have gone by since my last post. It isn't because I've not had things to say or report, rather, it has more to do with being busy at work and home (including running a blog for work). There is only so much time in the day, and I found writing this blog (though not writing, more on that in a moment) to be something I could sacrifice. But as 2017 starts to come to a close, I'm ready to begin again.
So, what have I been working on? If you were reading this blog regularly, you know that I was working on a book that looked at Butler University (in particular, one family) and the Civil War. I am pleased to report that I have seen the galley proofs for that book (Rebel Bulldog) and that it will be out in the coming months!
But that is not all! After submitting the manuscript to a press, I started working on a new project--again, one that readers of this blog might have gotten a hint of. This time, I researched how Walt Disney (and the company that still has his name) uses history in its park system. Hands down, this was the most enjoyable experience of my professional life in terms of research---I mean, who wouldn't enjoy family vacations that centered around Disney?!? Plus, I got the opportunity to actually do work in the Walt Disney Corporate Archives! Spending the day at the studio was awesome. I am pleased to report that I have seen galley proofs for this book (Dis-History) and that it will be out in the coming months as well!
I might write more about it at some point, but let me say now that the process of working on these two books (2012-2017) couldn't have been more different in so many ways, as well as so educational to me, as an author and historian. I learned the value of patience. I learned to stick to my vision of a book (nothing like an editor saying how much they loved the manuscript, only to have internal reviewers withhold support because a book isn't as they'd have written it). I learned that colleagues who are impressed with one project can be almost equally dismissive of another (I'll let you, dear readers, guess which is which).
With these two projects finished, this summer I've started a new project: Researching how encountering the Holocaust impacted Dwight Eisenhower, both as a general but also later as president. In so many ways, this project is as emotionally draining (if also rewarding) as the Disney project was uplifting. There have been days already where I've been overtly thrilled when a student (a scarce event during the summer months) has stopped by the office, or where I've purposefully gotten on Disney blogs just to escape reading about the greatest crime of the 20th century. But, I'm committed to this project, just like I was the other two, because I think it is a story that needs to be told (and one that really hasn't....yet).
So, I'm happy to be back! And you can expect more in the weeks and months to come!
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