Kayleen’s surprising answers:
1. She grew up with a love for horses, took riding lessons and has ridden horses in 13 states, including Alaska.
2. She interviewed an Indiana Supreme Court Justice for a magazine story on genealogy.
3. For many years she focused on travel writing during which she saw her first rodeo in Billings, Montana – and was thrilled!
4. She has not watched American TV/movies for more than a decade, preferring to view British and other European/ Australian shows and learn their cultures. Anyone else know what the bonnet on a car is?
5. She will soon celebrate her 41st wedding anniversary to the best man on earth and undoubtedly the only one who could ever live with her.
Kayleen Reusser has written professionally for 30 years. She has contributed several stories for Chicken Soup series, written for magazines and newspapers and penned 16 non-fiction books for middle grades.
Ten years ago, her writing took a turn when she interviewed a WWII veteran.
Inspired by her interview with the Marine who fought bravely in the Pacific from 1941-1945 and her desire to better support the military (Reusser is the proud wife and mother of Air Force airmen) and build a higher level of patriotism among Americans, she changed her focus. Today, she devotes her writing and speaking to the 260 WWII vets she has interviewed and other aspects of the war. She has written nine books about WWII.
In 2017, Reusser and her husband completed a 10-day WWII Tour of Europe. Since then, she has spoken to thousands of people about the brave vets she has met who fought in Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, Paris, Hitler’s retreat called Eagle’s Nest, Dachau, and more. Beginning in 2020, she expanded her reach with zoom talks around the US. She posts regularly to her blog and sends out a monthly newsletter.
Wow! She’s quite the prolific author. I’ll have to check out some of those books. I always appreciate writers who are dedicated to telling the stories of the WWII vets. They’re passing quickly, so it’s good for others to record their stories while they’re with us.
I’m amazed at her energy!
Joy, I agree with you…I am amazed at her energy, and also her passion. Thank you for such a wonderful introduction to this author and her books.
I was a pleasure to contribute to Joy’s fantastic historic blog! She is a new friend with a common interest of helping to preserve our nation’s military heritage. We all need good role models and our WWII vets are great ones! Thanks for this fun opportunity!