About This Site

Historical Fiction Told From the Perspective of People Who Were There

Why This Site Was Created

This site was created to tell stories; stories rooted in history and family ancestral lines.

The content of the site is grounded in substantial genealogical research. As you may know, this kind of research provides a lot of facts. But it doesn’t always tell the story.

People remember stories. Stories make sense of facts and give them life, a narrative arc, and meaning.

Most of the stories on this site are written as historical fiction from the character’s point of view. The aim of this approach is to both entertain and to give the reader a glimpse of history, inspiring them to learn more about their own family stories that have unfolded over the course of generations.

How the Stories are Shaped

Research is the first step. We look for patterns; patterns that are built from the ground up. This has led to the realization that families live in eras of time. Rather than telling stories at the individual level, we tell the stories within the context of a family living their lives within a particular period of time.

Once the patterns have become clear and the story arc emerges, we begin drafting stories. Armed with facts and a starting sense of narrative, (for the purpose of time) we often work with an AI tool to create a first draft. That first draft is then reviewed and edited by the site author for accuracy, tone, and story pace.

A Personal Note

When I was growing up, my parents never talked about the family history. Granted, they didn’t know as much back then, but there were still several stories they could have shared. I wouldn’t have known the difference until just a few years ago when I came into possession of an ancestor’s personal belongings. Those belongings included thousands of photos, records, journals, letters, and collectibles.

What I learned about this particular person stunned me. His temperament, his talents, the things people wrote in his yearbook about him … they were all things that people say about me.
It explained a lot.

And it changed my life.

Contact

If you would like to contact The Slack Site, please send a message using the contact form at the bottom of the page.