Shannon Hoyt —
“I am strictly amateur,” said novelist, Jane Glenz.
Though her two novels, “The Moore Farm Secret” and “The Photograph,” say otherwise.
Eau Claire resident and former history teacher, Glenz, will be signing her novels at Bookends on Main April 21. Her appearance is sure to bring in a crowd during Chicks Night Out, a shopping event for retail and other downtown Menomonie businesses.
“I like to have a local author at these Ladies events,” said Susan Thurin, owner of Bookends on Main. “[Glenz] has a great story to tell.”
The Menomonie area conceals a history worth recognizing. And in her findings, arose one name, Andrew Moore.
In the commencement of the Civil War during the mid-to-late 1800s, one particular family settled in a familiar location, Dunn County. She found a contiguous story significant to our local history and heritage.
“That’s what always amazed me. Andrew Moore on the Moore Farm, I mean he wasn’t anyone important or anything,” added Glenz. “I couldn’t believe the stuff I found about that man and his connections.”
Genealogy has recently become of interest to more than just history buffs. In recent years, individuals have become more inquisitive as to where they came from. Who were my relatives? How did they influence who I have become?
Another story arose just a few years following “The Moore Farm Secret.” Glenz’s second novel, “The Photograph,” spoke of another significant and local history. Based on true events, but written in a fictional style, “The Photograph” follows four families from Fall Creek, Wisconsin and their excursion through the western plains during the early 1900s.
Though some backgrounds are rather insignificant when it comes to history, everyone has a story to tell. In “The Photograph,” Glenz shares her own family secrets, as one of the four families featured are her grandparents.
“It’s all based on fact,” added Glenz. “These people existed and what they did happened.”
Our backgrounds are buried in secrets and that of heritage and history, which can influence who we are and who we will become.
As Glenz added, “It makes you whole. It makes you complete.”
Glenz will be signing from 5-7 p.m. at Bookends on Main, located off Main Street in Menomonie.