|
Danna Estridge has been writing since before she entered grade school. She learned to read at age 3, and loved reading so much that she started writing her own stories. She even wrote plays that she and her younger sister acted out for the family.
"I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing something--stories, poems, journals, plays--always putting words on paper,"
Estridge said.
She had two poems published in an anthology in the early 1980s, but she didn't actively pursue publication until she decided to seek a college degree at age 40.
"I had the talent, but I didn't have the confidence I needed," Estridge said. "I wrote for family and friends, but I didn't think I was good enough for a wider audience."
Earning a Bachelor's degree in journalism from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky helped build confidence in her writing skills. So did writing and editing newspapers for eight years. Winning several Kentucky Press Association awards didn't hurt, either.
Estridge wrote her first book for publication, Marking Time in Woodford County, Kentucky: The Stories the Historical Highway Markers Don't Tell You, while working as curator for the Woodford County Historical Society in Versailles, Kentucky. The historical society publishes and sells the book.
As the title suggests, the book gives the details that the markers don't have space to relate. The book was a merger of two of her passions--writing and history.
Living history was the subject of her second book, Helping History Come Alive: How to Plan, Organize, and Promote a Civil War Reenactment or Other Living History Event, which she co-wrote with long-time friend Juanita Westerfield, an expert on the subject who needed to partner with a good writer to see her project become a reality.
That book is available in e-book format.
Estridge published her third book, The Genealogist's Guide to Digital Photography, in September, 2009. It was the outcome of working with genealogists for nine years while curator for the Woodford County Historical Society.
"I saw a lot of genealogists who wanted to use their digital cameras to enhance their genealogy projects, but they didn't know the proper techniques to get good images," Estridge said. "I helped people at the Woodford County Historical Society while I was there, but I couldn't help genealogists who didn't come there to research. So I wrote a book to help those I couldn't reach personally."
In addition to writing books, Estridge writes and photographs for small businesses in her area. She also photographs pets and other animals.
Estridge lives in Southeastern Kentucky near where she was born and grew up.
|
|
