Family - Genealogy in Cynthia's Attic

For someone whose family has been traced back to the late 1300s, genealogy led, quite naturally, to my time travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

Wishing I could travel back in time to find out exactly what happened to my great-great-grandfather, Augustus Bulleit (Boilliat), on his ill-fated trip to New Orleans in 1860, or talk to my great-grandfather about his traveling music business, are just two stories that evolved from the series.

Curse of the Bayou is loosely based on the disappearance of Augustus during the time he took a load of produce down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. It's widely believed he was murdered for the contents and his boat, but he was never found. Being the first in his family to come to America, his death is particularly distressing because information about his French roots apparently died with him.


Great Grandpa Charles, above, is a different story (The Magic Medallion). He started a music business (Conrad's of Corydon) around 1888 and traveled throughout several counties with his horse and buggy selling musical instruments. He was even known to cart around an organ on occasion.

Many more ancestors are portrayed in my books. This is my way of making up for the fact that, when I was young I didn't ask my grandparents questions about their parents and grandparents; something I'd love to do today. Instead, I've sent Cynthia and Gus back in time to have adventures and solve mysteries their ancestors.

It's not perfect, and I'd give almost anything to be able to go back in time. I'd listen for hours and hours to tales about my grandfather's childhood, or my great-grandfather's joy at spreading the sound of music all over Southern Indiana. And maybe, just maybe I could talk Augustus out of taking that ill-fated journey down the Mississippi.

Cynthia had an attic. Not just an ordinary attic. Cynthia’s attic was magic.

Cynthia and I came into the world just three months apart. We grew up on the same quiet, sycamore-lined street, our friendship as close as our houses. Fifty years earlier, our grandmothers were best friends. However, we didn’t realize the extent of their friendship until after our experience in Cynthia’s attic. This is the story of one of our great adventures…the way I remember it.

"This wonderfully imaginative tale will delight readers. I wish I had a magic attic!" - Laura Schaefer, author of The Teashop Girls.

The award-winning series, "Cynthia's Attic" released by Quake (Echelon Imprint)! Buy all four books on Amazon or Echelon Press