Born and raised an Italian Masshole, I currently work and live in New Hampshire as a registered nurse. My love and intrigue for the 18th century and the American Revolution began at a young age, because of where I grew up. Literally.
The house next door was built in the 18th century and overlooked the yard I played in as child; the same yard I took my wedding photos in, May of 2015. Facing south as all colonial homes did, I’ve literally lived in that house’s watchful gaze. As a little girl, I often wondered about the amass of land the house was built on–an old apple orchard. My house, built in the 1970s, was built upon that orchard, along with several other homes. But as I grew older, I began wondering about the first family to inhabit that old house. How many children played in the very fields I played in? How many animals did they raise on their farm? Did they celebrate birthdays and play in the snow?
I was beguiled and infatuated. So, I looked into the history of the house and my old colonial town. We were founded in 1623 as farm land for the neighboring coastal town. And the house next door was built in 1783–the year the Treaty of Paris was signed in France, officially recognizing us as freed and independent nation.
I soon learned that the family who inhabited the house had relatives that were accused of witchcraft in the previous century in Salem. My town had a few women to be convicted, as did the surrounding towns.
But nothing held my intrigue like Boston. My city. The landscape of that town has been so altered over the past two centuries that if Dr. Warren and Sam Adams were alive today, they wouldn’t recognize the old peninsula-that-was-practically-an-island they once called ‘home’. It just simply isn’t there. With all the land fill, concrete and soaring steel buildings, there is hardly anything left. Except the infamous mass of Boston’s winding, nonsensical streets, particularly in the North End. Those are original to the uneven, hilly landscape that was the Shawmut peninsula.
And so in my junior year of high school, I did it. Compelled and driven by my insatiable love for the times, I started a novel that takes place during the American War for Independence. And today, my manuscript is nearly finished. My dream is to have it published.
So I spend my time at the hospital, working nights on a progressive care unit (cardiac at heart), and I spend much of my free time working on my novel and reading other books. My joys in life include food, food, drink, food and drink. My family is everything to me, and my friends reassure me why life is worth living. My husband is my rock and confidante, and also a nurse. Together, we bitch and moan and support each other through the tough times at work. Though this blog, you will hear of my complaints, my triumphs, my sorrows and my joys through my life at work. You will also learn a lot about New England, Boston, and of course, the American Revolution and the 18th century.
Welcome to JOIN, or DIE. I hope you learn a lot about yourself in the process of reading and discovery.
JOIN, or DIE 