Forgotten Tales from Abingdon, Virginia and the Holston River Valley (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781480063006)

As an 8th generation descendent of Washington County, Virginia settlers, Donna's goal is to make history come alive for the average person. She has written 9 other books of regional history, historic images, and legends and ghost stories. Growing up, she was surrounded and fascinated by stories and history, but she saw that "musty old history books" were not fascinating for everyone. She realized that presenting history in a visual format and through stories and legends, could draw in readers of all ages and varied backgrounds. Thus, her first book, a middle-school level mystery, Plumb Full of History: A Story of Abingdon, Virginia. Combining her B.A. in archeology and anthropology and a Masters in Urban Planning and Historic Preservation with her true calling, Donna went on to compile 9 books of local history of the Abingdon and Washington County region. Donna is an award-winning writer, producing works that have been recognized by the North Carolina Society of Historians, Now & Then journal at ETSU, the Virginia Highlands Festival creative writing contest, and the Virginia Festival of the Book. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in Appalachian Heritage, Smoky Mountain Living, High Country Magazine, High Country News, and Branches. Her various jobs have included archeologist, museum educator, urban planner, environmental and cultural resource planner for the US Air Force at the Pentagon, adjunct instructor at Appalachian State University, freelance writer and editor, real estate broker, and mother. Donna divides her time between the mountains of western North Carolina and her hometown of Abingdon, Virginia, with her two sons and one schnauzzer, Cocoa.