The funniest thing happened yesterday.

I met (online) a cousin on my dad’s side. We share a great grandfather, who I haven’t written about in my blog yet, but I guess I’ll have to get on that now. She showed me a picture of a plaque located in the Lauderdale County Courthouse in Meridian, Mississippi. Our mutual grandfather, Thomas G Lafayette Keene, was apparently the treasurer of Lauderdale County from 1904-1907.

That was awesome! But that wasn’t the funny part.

The book I released in June is called “The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge.” It takes place in Lauderdale County and you can click on “my books” at the top of the page to read all about it. The man chasing the evil Old Man Stuckey throughout the book was Sheriff J.R. Temple. Go back to the picture and look at the top name.

You probably heard me scream from my office last night when I saw that! My books are historical fiction, based on real people and real events, but it is still strange to see his name etched out in marble and to be reminded that he was indeed a real person and not just a character in my head. And that he knew my great grandfather.  🙂