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Author Biographies A Traveler’s Guide: America’s Living History-The Early Years ISBN: 978-0-9792598-0-7 by Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker 224 pp with 500 color photos. Red Corral Publishing. $29.95
SUZANNE AND CRAIG SHEUMAKER, AUTHORS This husband-and-wife team has driven more than 125,000 miles by car and motorhome in recent years, exploring America. While searching out scenic locations for Craig’s stock photography business, they became intrigued by the many historic sites that preserve and replicate our nation’s history. Ultimately, their discoveries led them to form a publishing company and produce one of their own works, America’s Living History-The Early Years, as their first entry into the publishing world. Suzanne Sheumaker began her career writing about travel. After nine years, she switched to biomedical writing (her other major interest), but then returned to travel writing while touring the country with Craig. Although Suzanne’s family roots trace back through her mother to several Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620 America and to early pioneers traveling the Oregon and California Trails in 1846, a love of history had eluded her. She developed a commitment to the past by visiting living history sites. Craig Sheumaker is a graphic designer and photographer who has owned his own design firm, producing both print and multi-media projects for a wide range of business clients. Over time, he has emphasized his photography business and traveled with Suzanne to all 50 states, seeking out the best photo opportunities. Along the way, he too developed a passion for historic preservation. Why did they decide to create a 224-page history/travel guidebook? “We were frustrated by missing great places - learning about them after we had passed them by - and discovering other major attractions purely by accident,” Suzanne said. (Many sites either don’t have a sufficient advertising budget, or they fail to get on the radar screen of travel guide publishers.) “We also were tired of being lured to places which disappointed us because they were poorly maintained or not historically valid. Someone needed to take a comprehensive look at America’s living history attractions and identify the best sites. So we decided to take on the challenge,” she explained. “Over time, we developed a dual goal: excite others to explore their history and, by encouraging them to travel to historic sites, help preserve what remains from America’s past.” “We began by considering all historic attractions, regardless of their time period,” Craig added. “Our initial research identified close to 2,000 historical parks, specialty museums and heritage sites scattered throughout America. That number was just too great to put into one book and do them justice. So we divided the list into two periods of history: before the mid-1840s westward movement and after. We then focused on the earliest period. With further research, we reduced the list to about 450 sites, most of which we visited, and then narrowed our list down to 300 of the best sites for the book,” he stated. Craig designed the book, created a series of travel and historical maps and added 500 color photographs. Suzanne provided the text, which includes enough history to be helpful but not overwhelming. “Our goal is to make the travel experience easy and intriguing - not only for history buffs but also for readers who don’t realize that the past can be so exciting,” she said. ### © 2007 Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker and Red Corral Publishing. All rights reserved. Download in: MSWord or .PDF format. These materials are provided solely for editorial and promotional purposes relating to the book | ||
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