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Below are excerpts and links to the 2021 posts on my Sites and Stories blog and my guest posts on other blogs. Enjoy!
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"Let’s try this again! After a pandemic-caused delay, I’m thrilled to announce new dates for the Chloe Ellefson-themed tour of Southern Norway.
When I decided on a Norwegian setting for Fiddling With Fate, the 10th volume in my Chloe Ellefson Mysteries, I chose the area that enchanted me most. In partnership with the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society, I invite you to join me in May, 2022, on a trip to the land of Chloe’s ancestors!" more>>
Posted July 14, 2021.
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"I’ve had some questions about carpooling and lodging relevant to the special Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum Tour on Saturday, August 21. This evocative historic site is the setting for the 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Weaver’s Revenge.
The Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum is located in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula." more>>
Posted July 11, 2021.
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"I’m excited to announce my first book of poetry, my second release of 2021 (with one more to come), and my fortieth book!
If you’ve enjoyed the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries or my non-fiction A Settler’s Year: Pioneer Life Through The Seasons, I think you’ll like this collection as well. Here’s the scoop:
The poems in Balancing were inspired by the experiences of women who, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, sought new homes in the Upper Midwest. Few women recorded their struggles and satisfactions, but by juxtaposing research and imagination, Kathleen Ernst breathes new life into their forgotten stories.
Balancing will be released on July 1st by Little Creek Press. more>>
Posted July 2, 2021.
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"That’s what some people in Finland called a woman left behind when her husband immigrated to America.
Sadly, it was not uncommon for desperate poverty to force families to separate. Some men planned to earn what was needed to send passage money to their wives. Others planned to work for a while before returning to Finland in better financial shape. Although it often took years, many families were reunited.
Some women, however, never saw their husbands again. Letters stopped coming, the promised wages never arrived, and they were left alone to wonder what had gone wrong. Effectively widowed, these women were sometimes ostracized by their neighbors, or blamed for their husbands’ departures." more>>
Posted June 18, 2021.
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Would you like to explore the historic site featured in my 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Weaver’s Revenge? I’m delighted to announce a special event for readers!
I invite you to join me on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at the Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum in Pelkie, Michigan.
You’ll enjoy a view of the site from Chloe’s perspective. I look forward to showing you where the action took place, and chatting about how the story developed." more>>
Posted April 8, 2021.
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"My new publisher has listed The Weaver’s Revenge, the 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, for pre-order!
If this title isn’t listed yet at your favorite independent bookstore, it should be soon. more>>
Posted April 2, 2021.
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"In my last post, I wrote about the gorgeous old root looms made by Finnish craftsmen. If you’d like to learn more about root looms and rug weaving, I highly recommend a visit to The Iron County Historical Society Museum in Hurley, Wisconsin.
In 1980 two families donated old looms to the museum, which focuses on the history of Iron County and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula." more>>
Posted March 25, 2021.
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"Chloe was transfixed by the unique weaving apparatus dominating the space. “I love your loom!” she breathed. Unlike other antique looms she’d seen, all crafted with straight and soulless support beams, this one gloried in knotholes and grain and flowing curves. (From the 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Weaver’s Revenge.)
For centuries, woodworkers in Finland created what they needed with what they could acquire from local forests. Clever craftsmen considered even crooked trees..." more>>
Posted March 18, 2021.
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"Most Chloe Ellefson mysteries celebrate a folk art relevant for the featured ethnic group. When I chose to focus on Finnish immigrants in the 11th book, The Weaver’s Revenge, I wanted to spotlight the tradition of weaving rag rugs.
Practical weavers collected worn clothing, cut the fabric into strips, sewed the strips together, and used them as weft. Although this craft was widely practiced by people of different origins, scholars note that Finns have been most successful at maintaining the tradition." more>>
Posted March 11, 2021.
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"Whenever I write a new Chloe Ellefson Mystery, I have the fun of choosing a new historic site or museum to feature in the book. The Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum in Michigran’s Upper Peninsula provides the setting for the forthcoming 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Weaver’s Revenge.
Readers are often curious about how I choose settings. It’s a complicated process, so let me share some of the reasons that this site reached the top of the list." more>>
Posted February 25, 2021.
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My first Writing Your Family Stories class filled, so I’m offering a second session. We’ll meet virtually from 6:00 – 7:30 PM on February 17 and 24.
Family stories are precious. This winter is the perfect time to capture some of them on paper! These two sessions will provide the motivation to get started, and strategies to help you enjoy the writing process." more>>
Posted January 30, 2021.
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"As series readers know, curator Chloe Ellefson visits different historic sites and museums in each mystery. There’s been a lot of speculation about the setting for the 11th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Weaver’s Revenge, which features Finnish heritage.
Over the course of the series I’ve often featured large and/or famous sites. It’s also important to shine some lamplight on lesser-known sites, where a small group of dedicated volunteers is preserving something special.
That’s what I chose to do this time. To view a video introduction to Chloe’s next destination, Michigan’s Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum..." more>>
Posted January 14, 2021.
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"I hope you and yours enjoyed a peaceful and safe new year. I also hope the new year brings brighter days for everyone.
One of the things I missed last year was the opportunity to teach writing workshops. So, I’m taking them online. My first offering is “Writing Your Family Stories,” a two-part class this January 19th and 26th. Everyone has stories to tell..." more>>
Posted January 4, 2021.
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