Thompson Falls resident Terri Drake Stoltz takes readers to a simpler time with her newly-released book, “Remember When: Recollection from a Montana Generation X-er.”

Stoltz has lived in Thompson Falls for 11 years, but has been in Montana for most of her life.

Stoltz summarizes the book as a reflection on the way life used to be.

“The whole gist of it is basically about how life was so much simpler when we were kids, people my age, and how it is drastically different nowadays.

Though she has no formal training or education in writing, Stoltz has always wanted to write, and recently found the time to do so.

“When my last child left home from high school, I just didn’t know what to do with myself,” Stoltz said. “I’ve always wanted to write, and I have all kinds of ideas in my head, so my husband said, ‘Why don’t you write a book?” I chose this topic for my first book and I’ve already started my second.”

Stoltz started about June of last year and the process of writing the book it took a little over a year. Stoltz found that the longest part of the process was editing the work and getting it all to the publisher.

“Once the editing process was finished it went pretty quickly,” Stoltz said. “But it is a short book. It’s a quick read, is what I’ve been telling people.”

One unique feature of the book is that it also allows the reader to write down his or her own memories. At the end of each chapter, readers can write down their own recollections, and hopefully pass that on to their children, according to Stoltz.

Stoltz wrote the book mainly from her own perspective, from how how life was and how she raised her children. The book also makes a comment on how the childhoods of this generation are vastly different from those of her own generation.

“Now today, I feel really horrible for this, the generation Y-ers are too busy,” Stoltz said. Through it all, Stoltz has kept one thing in mind as the goal of her book.

“Bringing joy and happiness to people has been one of the most rewarding parts of this. I am hopeful that people will start spending some quality family time together and maybe we can get our priorities back in order,” Stoltz said. “That’s the last chapter of the book and I think that it’s just what I want to do, to let people know that it can be better.”