Book Signing at Southland Books in Maryville!

Come join Susan Dorsey at Maryville's coolest book store, Southland Books, located at 801 E. Broadway, Maryville, TN!

Susan will be signing her debut novel, A Civil Death, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday September 30th, 2011.

Grab a cup of coffee and learn how Jane, a hairdresser from Knoxville, deals with the murder of a client during a Civil War Historical Contest. It will be fun!

(It is shameless self promotion - I know, but please do come out and visit me!  I would love to see you there!)

Wampus Cat

The new student orientation taking place at the University of Tennessee this fall will surely be lacking.  While there will be maps of the campus and good reminders about personal safety, I am willing to bet  there will not be one mention of the Wampus Cat.

Now, I attended UT and I never once saw a large cat with hypnotic eyes walking on two legs around the campus.   I did have a run-in with the Baptist Student Union's dog, but that is another story entirely.  Unlike me, several people have claimed to have spotted the infamous cat.  The sightings go back hundreds of years.

One Cherokee legend claims the cat was a woman who was forced to wear a fur skin for eternity after she was caught spying on her husband's hunting party.  Another legend claims a young Cherokee brave decided to confront the terrible Wampus Cat that had been terrorizing his people.  He snuck up on the cat and the sight of the monster drove him insane.  His brave wife decided to take her revenge.  She donned a horrible mask and scared the cat away. 

East Tennessee settlers had their own opinions about the origin of the cat.  They claimed a local witch would turn herself into the large animal to steal livestock.  She was caught mid-change and had to remain as the Wampus Cat forever.

In March of this year,  the Eastern Cougar  was declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Most probably the cat has been extinct since the 1930s.  The early settlers could have seen a lost Mountain Lion wandering through the streets of Knoxville, but that sure would not be the case today.  If you happen to be walking through U.T's campus at night and chance to see a large cat, I'd play it safe and assume it was indeed the Wampus Cat.  And then, I'd run.

Mark Your Calendars!

Some great events are planned to celebrate the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War!  You can check out a list of all the activities at http://www.tncivilwar150.com/.

Here in Knoxville you can take part in a variety of events including:

August 20-21 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
East Tennessee History Festival
"It's All History" features a special Civil War emphasis
Downtown giant 2 day street fair - Gay Street and beyond
www.eastTNhistory.org

August 6-7
The Bethel Cemetery Civil War Museum Opening
The Mabry-Hazen House Foundation
Bethel Cemetary
1917 Bethel Ave.
www.mabryhazen.com


I also hope to attend the 2011 Signature Event: The First Shots of Tennessee's Civil War September 6-7, 2011 at Tennessee Tech University.  Maybe I will see you there!

Martinis and Murders

My friend Justin recently mentioned the astounding amount of Civil War Ghost stories floating around our area and I was reminded of my favorite martini, the Lemon Drop with Chambord Kiss from the Baker Peters Steak Mansion and Jazz Club.
Now most everyone in Knoxville knows the restaurant.  It sits right behind a gas station just off of Kingston Pike and Peters Road in West Knoxville.  If you are lucky, you will be able to have a martini there soon.  And if you are really lucky, the host/hostess will unlock the door to the dental office on the first floor and let you in to see the bullet hole made when Union soldiers entered the home of Dr. Baker in 1864. 
Dr. Baker was treating wounded Confederate soldiers when the Union soldiers shot and killed him.  When his son, Abner came home from the war, he was heartbroken about his father's murder.  He discovered evidence that suggested that the Knoxville Postmaster William Hall was the one who informed the Union troops of Dr. Baker's aid to the enemy.  Abner proceeded to shoot and kill William Hall to revenge his father's death.  Now, there is a marker in front of the house to honor Abner and his love of family.
Oh, and if you are really, really lucky, the host/hostess may show you a photograph where you just can make out a ghostly face looking through the window.  A ghost and a martini?  What more could you ask for?

The Civil War in Your Backyard

While writing my first novel, A Civil Death, set in Knoxville, Tennessee, I did a lot of research on the Civil War in this area.  I was amazed by just how much happened here and how very important East Tennessee was to the Union and the Confederate causes.  What really got me excited though, was the discovery that Confederate General James Longstreet marched his men up a road right behind my house during November of 1863.  He was in hot pursuit of Union General Burnside.  They were racing from Loudon County to see who could take control of Campbell Station.

Burnside beat Longstreet by fifteen minutes.  If Longstreet had been able to take Campbell Station, he would surely have been able to take Knoxville.  The war may have had a much different ending if East Tennessee had been under the control of the Confederate Army.

Knoxville never felt like an old town to me, but learning more about it's historic past has changed the way I look at things.  Now, as I drive toward U.T. Campus,  I can see General Sander's being shot near the Presbyterian Church on Kingston Pike, wounded by sharp shooters working from the tower of Bleak House, General Longstreet's campaign quarters.

This year commemorates the 150 anniversary of the Civil War.  I fully intend to learn more and share more about The Civil War in our own backyards.