When Meriwether Lewis took a couple of bullets too many in his room at the Grinder’s Stand early in the morning of October 11, 1809, I’m sure Urban Dance Squad’s “Famous When You’re Dead” wasn’t playing in his head beforehand, nor was he thinking that he’d be immortalized in countless books, films and other media well into the present day.

In her new book, To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis Charleston, SC based author Andra Watkins brings Lewis back to life in a beautiful and memorable manner, as his ghost becomes the guide for a young girl in 1977 as the pair travel from New Orleans to Nashville. Without spoiling much, the book grabs you from the first page and holds you down page after page thanks to Watkins’ solid pacing and fine writing style that blends fact, fantasy and fiction as the travelers work to overcome a few interesting obstacles of the living and dead variety… Continue reading →