Showing results by author "Julie McDonald" in All Categories

Betty Greene, 1920-1997 was a woman who accomplished many, "firsts," in the world of aviation. In this short story, about a 20 minute read, learn how Betty Greene used her love of flying to serve God all around the world.

This intriguing story, a 5-10 minute read, is free with Kindle Unlimited and will be FREE to all others as often as Amazon allows! Tom Vail was a young business executive in a 3- piece suit working in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 1980's he did a Colorado River raft trip through Grand Canyon. He fell in love with Grand Canyon, the Colorado River and river rafting. Two years later, he left his career in Los Angeles to work full time as a river guide. For 15 years he taught the evolutionary theory to his passengers as they went through Grand Canyon. In July of 1994 a passenger on the ...

I love my home state of Arizona! My family has been here for over 100 years. With some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet, it is indeed a land of color and contrast. Equally colorful are the many characters who have called Arizona home. John Shaw was killed in 1905 in a gun fight after robbing cowboys who were gambling in a saloon. He was buried where he fell and was dug up the next day by the same cowboys he robbed; to be given one last drink of whiskey. Arizona's lovable outlaw, Climax Jim, who escaped numerous prison cells. Dollie Wiley had a revolving door of husbands and her...

Biographies are a joy to write! I am often inspired by the lives of the people I write about. Not since I wrote about Clara Brown, in 2010, have I been so personally inspired and impacted by a life story. In this short story, about a 30-45 minute read, you will learn about this phenomenal woman. Blind, almost from birth, she became a spokesperson for the disabled, an accomplished musician, and a popular speaker and evangelist in her later years. She was known for her great joy and love for everyone. Fanny was considered one of the most influential women in the second half of the 1800's.

The complete Unbreakable Dolls series! A total of 20 stand-alone short stories of amazing pioneer women who settled the southwest, primarily in Arizona. Ranchers, business women, homesteaders, and Harvey Girls. After each story is a humorous story by the author's father which were published in the 1960s and 70s. The books are both educational and entertaining. Suitable for all ages, men and women, boys and girls. Enjoy!

Angels? Are they for real? Are they active today in our modern world? If you are a believer, you will be encouraged by the 9 short angel stories in this eBook, about a 20-30 minute read. If you’re a skeptic, I invite you to read and judge for yourself. These true stories are compelling and convincing! The question and answer section address common questions asked about angels with the answers based on scripture.

I'm always impressed with marathon runners. Anyone who enters, runs and completes this grueling race, regardless of their time, has my admiration. In the marathon of life, Barney Ford entered, raced, completed and won! What makes Barney Ford so admirable is that in his lane, he had a hurdle to jump every 100 yards. Hurdles of discrimination, prejudice, and lack of formal education. In this short story, about a 20 minute read, you will learn about this amazing man and all that he accomplished in his life time. He persevered against all odds to become a hero every American should read about.

This short story, about a 10 minute read, highlights the varied and numerous adventures, exploits and accomplishments of a remarkable man, Jim Beckwourth, 1798-1866.

In the 1800's, the old American West was a desirable destination for emancipated or escaped slaves. After the Civil War, many Blacks believed the West offered more opportunity, and less discrimination. In this short, 45 minute eBook, you will read 11 stories of Blacks who discovered the West was a place for them to not only survive, but thrive. You may have heard of some, such as Bessie Coleman, (cover photo) the first African American to earn a pilots license. Or, Justina Ford, a doctor in Denver, Colorado. Many are recently discovered gems, such as lawyer John Dennis Posten, who had a ...

In 1874, Alferd (odd, but correct spelling) Packer was accused of murdering, then eating his five prospecting companions in the rugged mountains of Colorado. Cannibal he was. Was he a murderer? What really happened to the men during that brutal winter of 1874? This short, 10 minute read, is the true story of Alferd Packer, Colorado's Cannibal and his vindication 100 years later.

True stories of fascinating pioneer women in Arizona. Featuring: Sarah Ashurst who tied her two year old daughter Eve to a wagon wheel so she wouldnt wander off while she gave birth, unassisted to the baby that would become Arizona's first senator. That was only the beginning of Sarah's adventures as she and her family headed to the Arizona Territory! Kate Lyall, a single mother with four children homesteaded in Southern Arizona in Doubtful Canyon, so named because early pioneers were "doubtful" they would survive. Martha Purtymun baked a saw into a cake to help her father, the very ...

At age 36, Clara Brown was separated from her beloved husband, Richard, and three children on the auction block. After being freed at the age of 57, she begins a tireless search for her only remaining family member, her daughter Eliza Jane. Clara worked her way west on a wagon train bound for Colorado by doing laundry and cooking for 26 single men who were on the wagon train. What Clara accomplishes in her 28 years of freedom will simply astound you

The wonderful and inspiring story of Clara Brown, 1800-1885, is one of my all-time favorite stories! At age 36 Clara was separated from her beloved husband Richard and three children on the auction block. After being freed at the age of 57, she begins a tireless search for her only remaining family member, her daughter Eliza Jane. What Clara accomplishes in her 28 years of freedom will simply astound you! I first wrote about Clara Brown in my book Unbreakable Dolls, Too. This single story eBook is the expanded version, with much more information and 9 photos.

This is the true story (15 minute read) of Margaret, 12 and Susan, 10 Wilkerson. In the winter of 1839, Margaret and Susan fled slavery in Tennessee and ran for the safety of their Grandparents, 200 miles north in Indiana. This story is action packed and thrilling from start to finish! While I believe people of all ages will enjoy it, I wrote it with grade school children in mind.

Eight true stories of amazing women in Northern Arizona who have not been written about before. Bess Siler (cover photo) was born in poverty in Michigan. She became a Harvey Girl and went on to become a prominent business woman and property owner in Arizona. Belle Mexicano’s life on the reservation is fascinating as well as her traditional Navajo wedding. Beautiful Cherie Blair was a rodeo champion and the American All Around Cowgirl of 1940.

Dorothy McKibben was the, "front man," for the Manhattan Project in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dorothy and Robert Oppenheimer became life long friends, in this fascinating story. Ester Ahn Kim, a Korean Christian, refused to bow at a shrine. She was taken prisoner and held until the United States liberated Korea after World War II. Her faith was amazing, and God used her greatly during her imprisonment. Philip Johnston and the Navajo Code Talkers. This story takes place in and near my home town, of Flagstaff, Arizona. The United States was losing the war in the Pacific, because the Japanese were...

This is the inspiring short story, 45 minute read, of a teacher who had a vision to reach and teach "all who wish to learn." Emily Griffith started her Opportunity School on September 7, 1916 in Denver, Colorado. It was open to people of all nationalities, all colors, all ages and all walks of life. This remarkable woman accomplished so much in her lifetime! Learn about her first teaching job in a sod schoolhouse on the Nebraska plains, her time in Denver where she helped thousands of people, and her later years in a rustic cabin high in the Rocky Mountains northwest of Denver.

Olive Dove was born in 1901 in South Dakota to a Sioux Indian mother and a German father. She ran away from home at age 14 after her mother’s death. Upon arriving in Winslow, Arizona a few years later, she became a Harvey Girl and changed her name to Juanita Gale. She would change her name one more time to Cecil after her marriage to George Creswell. You will never forget this story of a frontier woman!

In 1943, J. Robert Oppenheimer was named the Director of the Manhattan Project. It was his responsibility to recruit scientists from around the globe to come to a secret city, high a top a mesa in Los Alamos, New Mexico, 35 miles from Santa Fe. Here, the scientists would collaborate together to make an atom bomb, before Germany did, and end World War II. An essential piece of the puzzle was to recruit a local from Santa Fe, to be the face of the Manhattan Project at 109 East Palace. This person would need to be above reproach and totally trustworthy. They would need to be capable, hard ...

While writing one of my favorite stories, Fanny Crosby, I stumbled upon a gem. The mostly unknown story of the Jubilee Singers, from Fisk University, in Nashville Tennessee. In this short, but touching story, about a 15 minute read, you will learn how the cultural treasure of African Spirituals were introduced to America, and to the world in 1871.