{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"32: Creating Your Own Category with the Scrapbook Novels Author, Caroline Preston","description":"Have you ever thought of doing something creative that has never been done before? My guest today, author and archivist Caroline Preston, is the creator of a whole new genre of literature. Her books and stories are exciting and revealing, combining her passions of writing and storytelling in a new and creative way. Ironically, Caroline\u2019s mother kept scrapbooks and made collages, which were a significant part of Caroline\u2019s past. She went on to work as an archivist at a museum in Salem, Massachusetts, before embarking on her writing career. Her latest book is the second of her \u201cscrapbook novels.\u201d Following the Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, The War Bride\u2019s Scrapbook, is \u201ca World War II love story, narrated through a new bride\u2019s dazzling array of vintage postcards, newspaper clippings, photographs, and more.\u201d In this novel, \u201cCaroline Preston has once again pulled from her own extraordinary collection of vintage memorabilia, transporting us back to the lively, tumultuous 1940\u2019s and introducing us to an unforgettable, ambitious heroine who must learn to reconcile a wartime marriage with a newfound self-confidence.\u201d I hope you enjoy this conversation with a truly inspirational creative, Caroline Preston. What you\u2019ll hear in this episode: Caroline\u2019s roundabout path to being an author How scrapbooks tell the story of World War II The uncertainty of people\u2019s lives during the WWII era How women accepted their rules but were early codebreakers in emergent feminism, which is a theme in the book The advertising messages for women during the era The main character in the book, and what she leaves behind Understanding what people\u2019s lives were in history and how they influenced those that came after them Why people didn\u2019t think their stories were even important Piecing together clippings, headlines, manuals, and flyers to tell the story Caroline\u2019s new approach: scrapbook novels with real material and artifacts What \u201ctransformative use\u201d means regarding permissions How the \u201cscrapbook novel\u201d idea came to Caroline Caroline\u2019s archival work in Salem, MA How women\u2019s lives are told in history through letters Putting it all together to tell a story With new technology, will our stories even be findable and retrievable in the future? Making everyday lives seem tangible How scrapbooks record momentous events and answer the When? And Why? The detachment of today\u2019s society from military life\u2014unlike the WWII era Caroline\u2019s thoughts on creativity: \u201cI thought I would just try to do this. I knew if it\u2019s interesting to me, then it will be interesting to others also.\u201d Resources:                                                www.carolinepreston.com The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh by Linda Colley Caroline\u2019s books: The War Bride\u2019s Scrapbook Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt Gatsby\u2019s Girl Lucy Crocker 2.0 Jackie by Josie ","author_name":"A Creative Approach Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/acreativeapproachpodcast.com","html":"