Beginning a video series

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of videos (available here and on YouTube) explaining why 'a nice lady' would write novels set in Nazi Germany. Enjoy!

Taking a holiday break

As holiday prep cranks up, this blog will be on hiatus for a few weeks.

Blog readership has declined dramatically in the last couple of years. In January, I'll reexamine whether or not this one should return and in what capacity.

In the meantime, contact me: authorjeannemoran@gmail.com. Happy Holidays, everyone!

9-year-old convinces town council to lift an archaic law banning snowballs

For the last 98 years, Severance, Colorado has had an ordinance against throwing missiles of any type at trees, buildings, property, or people. According to Kyle Rietkerk, assistant to the Severance town administrator, snowballs qualify as missiles. Lots of kids have complained about the snowball ban over the years, and the town leaders have always told them the truth: the power to change the law is in your hands. No one has taken on the task.  

Until now. This winter, nine-year-old Dane Best learned about the ordinance when he threw snowballs at his little brother. He decided to do something about it. 

Dane gathered signatures from classmates and encouraged them to write letters to the city council. He and his family researched the laws in Severance, and learned how to go through the process of getting them changed. Then earlier this week, Dane made his presentation. After the board clarified some of their own questions with the young activist, the snowball ban was officially lifted.

Celebration broke out. With TV cameras rolling, Dane had the honor of throwing the first legal snowball in Severance in nearly a century. He also threw the second, at his younger brother Dax. 

First responders have each other's back

Troy Hill's place of employment was getting rid of a fully-stocked trailer that was no longer needed. The boss' wife had suggested the trailer be donated to someone who lost their home in California's recent Camp Fire, and the boss wanted Troy's help tracking down the right person.

Frustrated by his inability to tell a real need from a scam, Hill suggested they contact a first responder. He called the sheriff's department in Butte County, California, and within hours was connected with a young officer who had lost everything in the fire. Hill and his boss knew this officer, his wife, and their two children were indeed the family to receive this gift.

All they had to do now was transport the trailer 450 miles to the homeless family. Again within hours of Hill's plea for help, two off-duty officers volunteered to drive with him (900 round trip in one very long day.) A local business donated their heavy-duty truck to carry the load, and friends showed up with bags of toys for the family's children.