From left standing are Jenny, Jordan, Rachel, and Abby, celebrating their mom’s 90th birthday. Sally Brown, their mom, is seated in front. Submitted photos

Telling stories about people and places is something Sara Brown never grows tired of.

In her new book “What’s Past is Prologue,” she shows how writing about common people draws her intrigue.

“I like to think about these people I’ve known throughout my life. I lived in many different places. I lived in Japan for four years, in Nigeria for two years, in Lebanon for two years, and then in India for five years.

Her book contains about 50 detailed vignettes which, if you are from Chautauqua County, may evoke memories. In it she talked about being the last generation of students to attend a one-room schoolhouse on Belleview Road in the town of Ellery where reading and writing was her favorite subject.

The book also contains memories of her travels with her husband, Fred, who was stationed in different parts of the world as a foreign news correspondent.

She said she is better known by her nickname “Sally.”

She said “Sally” is fairly common nickname for Sara.

“My parents believed in nicknames, and I don’t think my grandmother liked the name Sara, so I was always called ‘Sally,'” she said.

So “Sally” became her name.

Sally said at one point in her life, her dad who was a lawyer, offered to legally change her name, but she declined.

Sally said she views Alice Munro as one of her favorite authors because Sally tries to emulate her style of writing about common people.

“She wrote about very common people. But she found the thing that was special about them. And that’s what she wrote about. So, that’s sort of what I wrote about,” Sally said.

Sally brought a new computer and printer as she was enrolled in a class on how to use them in tandem.

Class was canceled.

So, instead of typing her manuscript for her book, she wrote it in longhand while she was figuring out on her own how to use the electronic devices.

Sally entrusted her four daughters, Abby, Jenny, Jordan, and Rachel to help edit the book.

Sally said that Rachel designed the cover.

“It’s my mother’s art, but I designed the cover,” Rachel said.

As for editing and proofreading the book, Rachel said, her sisters were in charge of those duties. Rachel had a hand in creating the order of the short stories and making sure the artwork was properly paired with the stories.

“They were very careful to keep it in my voice all the time,” Sally said.

The whole process too about nine months to complete with other editors proofing the final draft, Sally noted.

Sally said she borrowed the quote from William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” to use as her book title. To her the phrase fit nicely, she said, because she writes about things that happened long ago, that may be repeated later, and idioms.thefreedictionary.com confirmed her thoughts: “That which has happened in the past creates context or acts as the catalyst for what happens in the future.”

Recently, the author celebrated her 90th birthday and recalled how she traveled a great deal with her husband who was a correspondent for The Voice of America.

Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of more than 326 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms, according to insidevoa.com It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of more than 3,500 affiliate stations. Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press, the site continued.

Every two to four years, Sally moved with her family because Fred received a new assignment.

“He was usually reporting on events that were happening,” Rachel said of her father. “When he covered from Beirut, Lebonon, he had the whole region of the Middle East to cover. From India, he also covered Pakistan, and Afghanistan.”

Sally said Fred was gone a lot for his job, so she was left caring for her teen-aged girls and stressing over the dangerous situations Fred could be a part of.

Since VOA was part of the U.S. Information agency, Rachel recalled that her mom had to wear different hats — a mom, a wife, a host and a diplomat.

While in India, she said, she grew tired of the environment because of the Caste system — where one is not allowed to rise out of the social group one was born into. In other words, there is very little room for social mobility.

As a teenager, Rachel said, Beirut, Lebanon was her favorite place outside of the United States.

It’s not so bad there,” Rachel said of Beirut. “You are right on the sea and get a lot of breezes. It’s a very temperate climate. I just really liked the people and the environment.”

“What’s Past is Prologue” is available at Lulu.com, but Rachel said her mom is not trying to profit from the book, but rather wants people of the region to know about her growing up in Chautauqua County.