Sugar-free Lemon Bars & Old Family Stories
Mary Holsclaw (Grandma Andrews) with her mother Helen and grandparents Elmer and Lottie Ash Oder. Christmas Day 1923. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hello, all! Welcome back to the blog. I’m so glad you’re here.
Family history is intertwined with my writing so deeply that it’s impossible to separate the two. I wrote about how the stories of my ancestors have inspired my historical fiction in this blog post. Today I want to go back to the beginning of my journey as a family historian, because that story deeply impacted my upcoming middle-grade novel, Heirloom Rose.
A Family Historian Origin Story
When I was in high school, I spent many afternoons with my Grandma Mary Andrews. My grandpa had recently passed away and she was living alone in their home of over thirty years. I was curious about our family history, and she was more than happy to tell me about hers. We’d sit in her kitchen at an old covered poker table, snacking on sugar-free lemon bars, and going through boxes of old photos. Many times, we’d spend an entire afternoon talking about just one photo and all the memories and stories it’d bring up for her.
I remember the moment she brought out a picture of her grandparents. It was a sepia-toned photograph of two young people, their heads gently touching, and it was the oldest thing I’d ever seen from our family. Holding that picture and listening to her stories, I realized with awe just how our family is connected to history– how connected I was to history.
Elmer and Lottie Ash Oder c. 1890 My great-great grandparents who raised my grandma Mary Holsclaw Andrews
The Stories of Grandmothers
Janie Wells, the main character of my upcoming middle-grade novel Heirloom Rose, has a similar experience with her own grandmother. On a camping trip to southern Indiana’s Lake Monroe, Janie discovers that her Grandma Marty grew up in the area and that her family was among the communities displaced by the construction of the reservoir decades before. Janie had never known the story of her grandmother’s past. She’d never heard her speak of her parents, or the land of her childhood. During their time at the lake, Janie listens to stories that had been buried for years, and it opens the floodgates of healing for their entire family.
Janie learns, like I did, just how meaningful it is to simply listen to someone’s story. She learns how it can soften hardened, hurting hearts, and pave the way for compassion and understanding.
My Grandma Andrews was raised by her mother and grandparents, the two people in that old photograph. I didn’t know until I was a teenager that her father had left their family when she was little. I didn’t know that she lived with her grandparents growing up. But I listened, I learned her story, and it helped me know and understand her better. And it’s this that I’ve woven into the story of Heirloom Rose.
Heirloom Rose releases this fall. In the meantime, I invite you to check out my other books for young readers here.
Little Katie with Grandma Andrews
Question: What old stories can you tell about your family?
Try this with kids: Share an old family story with your kids. Tell them a funny story from your childhood, a special memory about your elders, or something special about a family pet. Invite them to share their favorite family stories with you, too.
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog. For book news and writing updates from me, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction for kids, plus a very special short story– based on a sweet childhood memory my Grandma Andrews told me once upon a time.
I’ll be back on the blog again soon!
Katie
