My Blog Posts
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I started my blog, Sites and Stories, to celebrate historic sites - the stories they tell, the stories they inspire. My posts often provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of the people, places and the past featured in my books. I also write posts as a guest on other blogs, usually about facets of my Chloe Ellefson adult mysteries from Midnight Ink. There’s a lot here - have fun exploring!
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Below are excerpts and links to the 2020 posts on my Sites and Stories blog and my guest posts on other blogs. Enjoy!
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"Norwegian people have used symbols to express important thoughts since ancient times. Even simple carved, painted, or stitched motifs on building or folk art often had important meanings. Agnete Sivertsen, director of the Hardanger Folkemuseum in Utne, introduced me to the ritual use of symbols in old Norway while helping me identify an artifact handaplagg (hand cloth) to use as a prototype for one described in Fiddling With Fate, The 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery." more>> Posted June 4, 2020. |
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Travel With Me To Norway! |
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"I write about special historic places in each of my Chloe Ellefson Mysteries, and nothing makes me happier than sharing them with readers. Well, guess what? I’ve teamed up with the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society to offer a trip to Southern Norway—the land of Chloe’s ancestors!" more>> Posted May 17, 2020. |
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Exciting Announcement Coming Soon |
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"You asked for it. I listened. Intrigued? I’ve partnered with the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society on a very special project. It might be just the thing to keep you dreaming of brighter days! Watch for a big announcement here on May 17—we think Syttende Mai is the perfect day to share the news!" |
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Save The NEW Date! |
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"Due to the pandemic, my friends at the Belgian Heritage Center and I have decided to postpone the special Chloe tour scheduled for this summer.
The NEW date is Saturday, July 10, 2021. The tour plan outlined below remains the same. We all need things to look forward to, right?" more>> Posted May 9, 2020. |
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Chloe Ellefson Shelter and Soar Giveaway - Winners! |
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Congratulations to the winners of Kathleen's Chloe Ellefson mystery book giveaway: Kathy Geisler Blaszczak, Claudia Daniel, and John Sutton. Each will receive an author signed and personalized, trade paperback of the tenth and newest Chloe mystery, Fiddling With Fate. The winners should immediately contact Kathleen with their signing, personalization, and postal mailing information by clicking HERE. Posted May 7, 2020. |
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Chloe Ellefson Shelter and Soar Giveaway! |
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"It’s time for another Giveaway! This time, in celebration of completing my Hardanger Lullaby video, Mr. Ernst and I decided to offer three signed and personalized copies of the 10th and newest Chloe Ellefson Mystery, Fiddling With Fate.
The Giveaway starts now! To enter, leave a comment on my Facebook Author page or my Sites and Stories blog before 11:59 PM (Central US time), Wednesday, May 6, 2020. One entry per person, please." The three winners, selected randomly from all entries on both of the above sites, will be announced online the following day. Good luck! Posted May 5, 2020. |
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Hardanger Lullaby Video Released |
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"In my first trip to Norway, I experienced something special while visiting the Hardanger Folkemuseum’s open-air area. Our guide, Maria Folkedal, took us into Tveismestova. I found the old farm so compelling that I used a fictionalized version in Fiddling With Fate, the 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery. Maria made it easy to imagine living in the building centuries ago. Then she sang a lullaby that area mothers have used to soothe their babies for just as long. It was a magical moment. Now, you can experience it too!" more>> Posted April 29, 2020. |
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Caroline "Shelter and Soar" Giveaway - Winners! |
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Congratulations to the winners of my Caroline American Girl giveaway: Shauna Zehr Dupee, Molly McKnight, and Marge Michulsky. Each winner will receive free, author signed and personalized, softcover printed copies of Captain of the Ship and Facing the Enemy, which contain the original six Caroline stories I wrote. Each winner should immediately contact me with their signing, personalization, and postal mailing information by clicking HERE. Posted April 23, 2020. |
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Caroline "Shelter and Soar" Giveaway |
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It's the second Shelter and Soar Giveaway! This one's for those with young readers at home. Three winners will get signed and personalized, softcover copies of Captain of the Ship and Facing the Enemy, which contain the original six Caroline American Girl books I wrote. The Giveaway starts now! To enter, leave a comment on my Facebook Author page or my Sites And Stories blog by 11:59 PM (Central US time), this Wednesday, April 22, 2020. Winners will be announced the next day. Good luck! Posted April 21, 2020. |
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Chloe "Shelter and Soar" Giveaway - Winners! |
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Congratulations to the winners of Kathleen's Chloe Ellefson mysteries giveaway: Lisa Czarniak, Dianne Mossor, and Sue Wood. Each winner will receive a free, author signed and personalized, trade paperback of the Chloe Ellefson mystery of their choice. Each winner should immediately contact Kathleen with their signing, personalization, and postal mailing information by clicking HERE. Posted April 9, 2020. |
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Chloe "Shelter and Soar" Giveaway |
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"This is not the spring that any of us imagined, and I fervently hope that you and yours are well. Mr. Ernst and I are fine, and grateful for the books that allow us to roam the world from home. We hope you can do the same.
To help put books in readers’ hands, we’re happy to announce the first “Shelter and Soar” Giveaway. Three readers will get to travel with Chloe and Roelke, while staying safe at home. Each winner will receive a signed and personalized copy of the Chloe Ellefson trade paperback of their choice." The Giveaway starts now! To enter, leave a comment on my Facebook Author page or my Sites and Stories blog before 11:59 PM (Central US time), Wednesday, April 8, 2020. The three winners, selected randomly from all entries on both of the above sites, will be announced there on Thursday the 9th. Good luck! Posted April 7, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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The Utne Hotel |
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"Not many businesses claim a lineage dating back almost 300 years. The Utne Hotel, which can, is known as Norway’s oldest continuously-operating hotel. In 1722 Peder Larsson Børsem was given a license to run a guesthouse in the village of Utne. The village was home to the district court, which kept travelers coming and going. A post office was established in 1826, and steamship travel in 1861. Explorers were followed by tourists. Women have provided much of the Utne Hotel’s hospitality over the years. From 1830 until 1900, Torbjørg Johannesdotter Utne was responsible for keeping the inn running. “Mother Utne,” as she was known, became legendary for making..." more>> Posted March 31, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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Save the Date! |
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"I’ve been dithering about whether to announce the Chloe tour scheduled for this summer. In the spirit of optimism…here you go. The 9th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Lacemaker’s Secret, takes place in northeast Wisconsin where early Belgian immigrants made their homes. When readers asked for a special book-themed tour of the area, I turned to my friends at the Belgian Heritage Center in Brussels, WI. We’ve planned a very special excursion for readers on Saturday, July 11, 2020. I hope you’ll join Mr. Ernst and me as we explore featured locations and learn about the inspiring history of one of Wisconsin’s lesser-known ethnic groups. Activities will include..." more>> Posted March 22, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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Kroting |
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"For centuries, Norwegian farmhouses had open fireplaces. A raised hearth was built in the center of the floor, with a smoke hole in the roof above. These “smoke houses” with a central hearth and/or corner fireplace were common along the western coast. Kroting was a simple way of decorating a house with smoke-stained logs and few or no windows. In Fiddling With Fate, the 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, Chloe senses why it was important: Chloe imagined living through a dark, cold winter in this dark, sooty room. Firelight flickered against the walls. Wind whistled through cracks, and sleety snow beat against the lone window. The air smelled of smoke and unwashed bodies. Somehow she understood that the designs brought comfort. Women mixed chalk with water or sour milk, and used their fingers to paint the geometric designs on the walls." more>> Posted March 12, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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What's Next For Chloe Ellefson |
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Launching the 10th Chloe Ellefson mystery, Fiddling With Fate, was a whirlwind of fun last fall! It was a joy to meet and hear from so many readers. One question came up frequently.
What’s next for Chloe and Roelke? Over a year ago I learned that my publisher, Midnight Ink, was shutting down. Fiddling With Fate would be the last Chloe book that they printed. The news was a shock. Still, the announcement did give me a chance, after ten very busy years, to take a deep breath, and take stock. There were two basic questions to answer." more>> Posted February 6, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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The Voss Folkemuseum |
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"Although most of Fiddling With Fate centers on the Hardanger Folkemuseum, I also wanted to include the Voss Folkemuseum, a sister site. The museum, founded in 1917, preserves the old farmstead at Mølster (Mølstertunet). That museum has a special claim: all of the buildings at the site stand on their original locations. Historians believe the farm at Mølster was established over a thousand years ago..." more>>
Posted January 16, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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Kransekake |
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"For the final scene in Fiddling With Fate, the 10th Chloe Ellefson mystery, I needed a special and festive Norwegian cake. The decision was easy: kransekake! The Norwegian kransekake, or wreath cake, is formed from a series of concentric rings, stacked to make a cone. I like to experiment in the kitchen, but to learn about making kransekakes, I turned to some experts at the Sons of Norway-Mandt Lodge in Stoughton, WI." more>>
Posted January 4, 2020 on the Sites And Stories blog. |
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