CHEF Conference

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in St. Louis for the 24th Annual Homeschool CHEF Conference. It was very enjoyable meeting with old and new friends. Above is a picture of Micah Stull playing the drum with me on the fife. Micah is an excellent drummer, and we had a blast entertaining the conference goers with historical tunes. I included a sound byte of our playing.

Our good friends, the Billings, spoke at the conference on ordinary parents raising extraordinary children and again on grieving, which they know about all too well after losing their son, Michael in November. We grew up with Mikey since we were about four years old. Jamie helped proof read The Orphan and the Beaten Drum for several months over the turn of the year and the Billings have been extremely supportive of this endeavor. At the conference, they let me use their table to sell my books, and introduced me after their talk.

The Orphan and the Beaten Drum just arrived in the mail on Wednesday morning for the conference after a stressful few days of tracking the package from Hodgkins, IL, past Pocahontas to Little Rock, and back up again. It's exciting to finally offer it to the public after many years of hard work. Find out more at http://www.southerncadencepress.com/ under Current Books.

I must not end this post without saying thank you to the Bickel family who was very generous in adopting me into their family for a couple days and allowing me to spend the night with them at the hotel there. Also, I want to thank the two boys, Micah Stull and Noah Coad (below in white shirt), who were a big help with promoting my book at the conference, and the many others who showed me many kindnessess also have my endearing gratitude.

Below is a sound byte of Micah and I playing the old Revolutionary tune, Chester.

Words and After Words

If you run out of books . . . just sign the table!



Actually, it's a tradition. This table was signed by other authors who held signings here. Among them were Christine Lynxwiler and Steve Whistnant who are authors local to Arkansas. Words and After Words is an awesome environment to experience. Not only is it nestled just off the quaint Main Street of Hardy, Arkansas, but it is a place where things are happening. You can nestle down and read a book, or head to the back to enjoy a meal or cold frappucino. Often, you can catch a band playing in the corner of the cafe.

My thanks goes to Greg Bess (left), Clayton Orr (right), and all of them at Words who made me feel welcome and simply at home.

Parker's Crossroads and Brownsville

Parker's Crossroads was a blast last weekend, despite the sweltering heat. My friend Alex and I drove over on Saturday morning and stayed till Sunday afternoon. During the daytime, our tent was like a greenhouse, but in the evening it turned very cold. It was only a small taste of the hardships our ancestors had to endure.

We took part in three battles Saturday and one on Sunday. I was also able to share about the drummer boy's life and sign some books. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures at Parker's. However, the Lexington Progress caught me on the fife. View it here: Lexington Progress.

On Sunday evening, we stayed with my grandmother in Arlington then hit the trail again to Brownsville, Tennessee where I demonstrated the drummer boy's life at the Elma Ross Public Library (pictured below). Alex did a great job sharing how to load the musket and cap and ball pistol. Thank you to all the librarians who did an excellent job at organizing this event.






Pictured below is Alex, me, Katherine Horn of the library, and two young history enthusiasts.

In Brownsville we stopped by the monument to the Confederate dead, located in front of the courthouse. In our uniforms, we paused by the monument to play a few songs on the fife and honor our soldiers.

This is my grandmother and me when we stayed at her home.

Video for The Orphan and the Beaten Drum

The following video is an introduction to my new book, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Although it is not yet in print, you can reserve a copy. To find out how, e-mail bryce@southerncadencepress.com.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008


On Friday, Mom and I traveled to Little Rock to the University of Arkansas. I am planning on pursuing an online Liberal Arts degree from UALR with emphasis in Technical Writing, History, and Criminal Justice. My advisor was very informative and helpful in making me feel comfortable with the classes. Over the weekend, we had company from Springdale, Arkansas. Jim Holt, whom my older brother helped run for Lieutenant Governor, came with his family for a visit. We had not seen them for a while and had an enjoyable time catching up. Presently, I'm working with the printers on getting my second book in print. I hope to have it available by the CHEF conference in St. Louis, MO, as some friends have invited me to sell my book at their table. Maybe I'll see you there. . . .