Sharon M. Kennedy’s fourth and latest book from Modern History Press, “The SideRoad Columnist: Observations from an Upper Michigan Author,” contains Kennedy’s columns that used to run in The Mining Journal’s “Boomers and Beyond” section.

Kennedy, who lives in Brimley, said the book is a collection of a collection of newspaper columns she wrote over the past four to five years.

She explained her book-writing process.

“Sometimes it takes me two to three hours to rough out the first draft,” Kenney said in an email. “I set it aside for a day or two then return to it, and if it doesn’t read as I want, I can easily spend another 10 to 12 hours working on it. The trick is to make the work seem seamless to the reader.

KENNEDY

“To achieve that, it takes many hours and some research depending upon the topic. For personal stories, no research is needed. I tend to edit and tweak until the moment I hit ‘send.'”

In fact, she said it takes four to five hours to “rough out” one column.

The new “Columnist” book includes stories, each of which is complete on two pages, and printed into a slim volume that will easily fit into a purse or briefcase, according to a news release about the book.

In one story, Kennedy recounts a letter from her mother relating to the Sunday when their car got stuck in the mud, and both parents walked home.

“Her description of July 4th being celebrated with a simple sparkler will spark memories for oldsters,” the release states. “Her tribute to a pair of oven mitts, her ‘plastic tomato’ experiment, her requiem for her steel toe boots and her memories of the fields of her father will have readers recognizing their own lives as they relate to her words.”

The book is divided into six parts: “Memories of Bygone Years,” “Celebrating the Holidays,” “Sharing Common Experiences,” “Sundry Rambles,” “Our Family Life in the 1950s” and “An Oldster’s Viewpoint.”

Sarah Leach, outstate Michigan executive editor at Gannett Media, issued a testimonial about the book.

“Through her rich memories and witty observations, Kennedy offers a realistic perspective of today’s world with the sense of humor of a life thoroughly lived,” Leach wrote. “She will make you laugh and cry and think about your own life and all the lessons that come with it.

Kennedy believes in the purpose of reminiscing.

“As we age and see changes we have difficulty in accepting, I think it’s important to turn off our electronic devices and reflect on our past,” she said in an email. “Going all the way back to when we were youngsters and our cares were few gives us a temporary reprieve from our physical aches and pains, and takes our mind off the political and social messes that abound today.

“People who are over 60 years of age will relate to my stories and share them with their children and perhaps even their grandchildren as a means of trying to explain why oldsters are the way we are.”

However, Kennedy pointed out that she avoided any references to politics in this selection of columns with the hope that readers will enjoy each story as they recall similar events in their own lives.

The description of Kennedy’s new book on Amazon reads: “This book includes a mixture of nostalgia, humor, shared experiences and sundry observations. The stories are short — under two pages- — making the book ideal for readers who have limited time or are passengers on a journey. Readers will smile as they recall a time when boys slathered hair cream on their locks, women sported a bouffant hairdo and barnyards were a common sight.”

The book also is expected to be available soon at Snowbound Books in Marquette.

Kennedy said she enjoys hearing from readers. They may contact her at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com.