One month ... an amazing month of linking up to webrings, search engines, and historical- and writing-related webpages; placing announcements on various newsgroups; answering hundreds of queries; reading scores of well-wishes; delving into dozens of submissions; and then (the icing on the cake) receiving awards for not only site design but literary contribution to the web. Yes, an amazing month indeed, especially to a Civil War Author who just 6 months ago had frantically telephoned writing buddies seeking help on how to hook up to the internet. Wow!

Despite everything happening at breakneck speed, a question, however, still plagues me -- what can I do to improve Of Ages Past? Well, thanks to the suggestions I’ve received from writers and readers alike, I have already made several alterations...

1. If you are reading this, then you might have noted that the link for “Editorial” is new. Moreover, visitors now have access to an “Archives” link where former issues of Of Ages Past will be available in their entirety for several months.

2. I have doubled the acceptable word count regarding “Article” and “Book Review” submissions. I cannot begin to tell you how many times this month I have heard from Historical Authors that they find it rather difficult to “write short,” (how well I know this from personal experience), therefore, I have decided to humor them.

3. Finally, categories have been created for the history- and writing-related links. Hopefully, this will not only quicken load time, but make it easier to discover some interesting and helpful places on the web.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions. As one might imagine, I found it impossible, for various reasons, to accomodate every individual request, but please know that your advice was read, pondered, and, above all, greatly appreciated.

Now then, what can you expect to find in this month’s Of Ages Past?

In “Articles”, Victoria Prescott continues to share with us her knowledge regarding the changing fashions in names in Merry Ol’ England, this time tackling surnames, while Stephanie Cowell imparts her thoughts on why she (and many authors, including myself) feel driven to write Historicals.

In “Book Reviews”, both Frances Grattan and Glenda Bixler offer their views on several Historical novels, while Skip Adams again discusses the merits of a popular “How-To” book for writers.

In “Short Stories”, Alex Gough offers The Battlefield, a story of one boy’s experience during the days of Roman civil war; Jesse F. Knight gives us A Fine Madness, a tale of intrigue and daring set in France during the revolution; while my own The Collections Of Bethlehem is an American Civil War story regarding one woman’s rather unique method of striking back at General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Yankee bummers.

In “Novel Excerpts”, Debra Tash gives us a glimpse of her story The Woman Of Stone, a sweeping epic set in Ancient Greece; Susanna Betzel shares a portion of her A Far Better Rest, a work inspired by Charles Dickens; A Question Of Trust is my own offering in this category, a novel about a photographer during America’s Civil War.

Thanks to all for stopping by, for the suggestions, the encouraging words, the staunch support. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I enjoyed putting it together.