Next week is the last First Sentence Friday for THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET!
Wallis Ann is strong and sturdy, a true survivalist in every sense of the word. I believe she would have given anyone on Survivor, or Naked and Afraid a run for their money. She and her hard-working, never idle family are as busy as ever in this chapter. An excellent work ethic was necessary in order to live in their harsh environment, particularly during the time I set for this story.
I did quite a bit of research on how to build a log cabin the way they would have done it in those days. They would cut trees as close to where they wanted to build as possible for one. This meant less hauling of logs over the rough, hilly terrain. They would have had to select the straightest ones they could find, of a similar size and type. After selection, they would cut the tree down, and peel the bark from the log – like peeling a carrot. This actually kept the wood from rotting. They would notch the ends, lift it and set it on top of the log already in place. It was hard, backbreaking work, and then there was still the floor, the roof, and a door. All of it by hand. If they could afford glass, they’d put in a window or two, but if not, perhaps greased paper would be used to cover them. Or, there might not be any openings except the door.
Although circumstances sometimes made her feel hopeless at times, she and her family always rose to the occasion and moved forward to do what was needed.
Chapter Twenty Seven
What took the longest was forming the shingles.
Publishers Lunch BUZZ BOOK Fall/Winter 2017, and a SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Trio Pick for 2018, THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET releases December 26th, 2017.
***I’m using #FirstSentenceFridays on Twitter and tagging @Kensington Publishing Corporation. Follow along and tweet out/share if you’d like!***
I’m excited that everyone will get to read Wallis Ann’s story very soon!
Me too, Susan! Eleven days and counting…
Fantastic post, Donna! It’s hard to believe that next week is the last First Sentence Friday for THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET… <3 <3 <3
Thank you, and I know! When I was setting these up, I thought it seemed like such a long time away. Only one more to go! <3 <3 <3
Only eleven more days before everyone gets a chance to read this beautifully-written saga!
The countdown is on! (I actually tweeted “Eleven days” so our thoughts are in sync!
This made me think of Little House on the Prairie. Your sentence brought forward the reality of the task. As backbreaking as logs are to prep, it’s the smaller shingles that become tedious. I would imagine by the shingle-stage, you just want the darn thing done. I mean, I get to the “done” point baking the last tray of cookies! I’m pretty sure building a house would push me over the edge.
Me too! That’s when the sprinkles or whatever I’m using to decorate looks like I let my Little Dog finish up. So done. I tried to remember what the number of shingles was for the size cabin they were building. I did a search on shingles and it was around… TWO THOUSAND. OMG. I’d have said let’s just lay branches over the top, can we huh?