Personal Story Publishing Project - spring 2025

Foiled—

Personal stories of great expectations gone awry by surprise, short-sightedness, or trickery.

Here is your next writing opportunity.
The Personal Story Publishing Project (PSPP) announces a new Call for Personal Stories for the spring 2025 collection. Selected true stories will resonate with the theme “Foiled”—personal stories of expectations, great and small, and what happened in your pursuit of them by surprise, short-sightedness, changing you mind, or being tricked by others. To some a road block is just a detour. To others a dead end to a dream, even perhaps a convenient excuse. Didn’t really want to go there anyway. Whether your decided on the sideroad or the sideline, you made a choice, and behind it is a story.

The Call is open through Dec. 15, 2024; publication is in March 2025. Word target: 750-800.

For more information about The Call for Personal Stories click on Personal Story Publishing Project in the menu above or here.

In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone
2nd edition (2024)

This biography of America’s pioneer hero tells his life story by putting it on the landscape, illustrated by photographs captured of living history reenactors during the last 20 years. Over 160 photographs illustrate the 186-page narrative of his life. A 60-page appendix with another 160 photos takes readers to 100 sites spread across 11 states where they can see markers, monuments, plaques, historic homes and replica forts. This book shares the episodes and adventures of Boone’s life which unfolded there, knitting them together to reveal the full sweep of his adventurous life spanning a remarkable 86 years. These are places commemorated by prior generations of Americans where Boone lived, hunted, fought, and dreamed of the next frontier. Step into America’s story.

That Southern Thing

This 2020 collection is the third anthology in the series for the Personal Story Publishing Project. Forty-two writers from around the South—now or formerly—share 45 personal stories of their living, loving, laughing, loathing, and even leaving this unique, quirky, welcoming, troubled, challenging, and always interesting region. That Southern thing, whatever it is binds them and us together by geography, family, history, choice, happenstance, misfortune, and, for some, “by the grace of God.”

My Blessed Wretched Life: REbecca Boone's Story

Historical fiction by Kentucky author Sue Kelly Ballard tells the story of Daniel Boone’s family in the care of the person who knew him best—his wife, Rebecca Boone. Built upon historical accounts of time and place, Ballard, a descendant of Daniel and Rebecca, creates realistic dialog and weaves an engaging, enthralling account of the family’s experiences, one of the few treatments we have of the woman’s experience of the pioneer life. Autographed copies.

Exploring

This 2019 anthology is the second collection of stories for the Personal Story Publishing Project sharing 45 stories from writers in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, and Colorado. All the stories resonate with the theme of “exploring—discoveries, challenges, adventure.” It was in this spirit 250 years ago in 1769 that Daniel Boone first passed through the Cumberland Gap and hunted in the Kentucky wilderness for two years. Writers share stories of their own experiences of facing challenges, making personal discoveries, and having adventures.

Trailing Daniel Boone

During 1912-1915, the Daughters of the American Revolution in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky erected 50 cast iron tablets spanning across 400 miles to mark Daniel Boone’s Trail from the eastern foothills through the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky. This is the story of dedicated commemorators who captured a piece of American history just before it would have been lost forever to the ravages of time and development. See the 30 markers which have survived a century and join in discovering what happened to the 20 which have disappeared. Celebrate this great accomplishment of the Daughters of the American Revolution a century ago.

Bearing Up

This 2018 collection of 45 stories from writers in North Carolina and Kentucky is the first in the Personal Story Publishing Project series. All the personal stories resonate with the theme of “making do, bearing up, and overcoming adversity”—facing life’s challenges with grit, determination, and humor. These stories resonate with the spirit of Daniel Boone 250 years ago when he was trapped by an early snowstorm and had to winter-over during 1767-68 in the Appalachian wilderness with dwindling supplies, shot, and powder.

A Guide to the overmountain Victory National History Trail

Follow the Kings Mountain story across 330 miles lying in four states along the commemorative motor route honoring the “overmountain” militiamen who crossed the Appalachians and joined with other backcountry militiamen to “turn the tide” of the American Revolution. Visit historic markers, informative wayside exhibits, museums, replica forts, grave sites, and battlefields. Put yourself on the landscape to better appreciate this heroic story which helped garner our Liberty. Stretch your legs along 84 miles of walkable trail.  

In the footsteps of davy crocket

Bear hunter, scout, volunteer soldier, militia leader, state representative, U.S. Congressman, presidential hopeful, author, farmer, entrepreneur, son, husband, father, and martyr to Texas freedom—David Crockett (never “Davy”) led one of the most exciting and colorful lives in American history. This book shares the full story of his remarkable life by taking the reader to 49 sites spread across 10 states and the District of Columbia where the life of this celebrated frontier hero and American icon unfolded.

Scoundrels, Rogues, and Heroes of the old North State

These are 67 stories of some of North Carolina’s more colorful characters as revealed by Dr. H.G Jones, former director of the NC Department of Archives and History. Ann Bonney and Mary Read—a pair of women pirates, the true story of betrayal behind the Ballad of “‘Omi Wise,” the 73-year old NC governor who married a 15-year-old girl, Babe Ruth’s first professional homerun, Annie Oakley at Pinehurst, and aviatrix heroine “Tiny” Broadwick. It’s all here and more.

The Daniel Boone Wagon Train

In 1963, the Daniel Boone Wagon Train attracted enthusiastic pioneer “wannabes” to Northwest North Carolina for an exciting frontier experience, a three-day wagon excursion into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The rolling, rollicking party was so much fun, they continued it each June for 11 years. The stories of the annual events unfold against the backdrop of the tumultuous Sixties—Civil Rights Movement, the Beatles, the Space Race, Vietnam, and Watergate. Relive and remember it all.