Natalie Bright is a freelance writer and works as an office
manager for an oil and gas company. She also enjoys talking to groups about
oil and writing. Married to a petroleum geologist, they have two sons and
live in the Texas Panhandle.
Author Note:
The idea for this book began as a handout for classes touring the Petroleum Wing of a local museum. As a volunteer docent, I wanted to provide additional information about the industry. After careful consideration of what was needed to compliment my talks, I realized the false information and myths about the industry are endless. All the while my husband, who is a petroleum geologist, encouraged me to write a book.
Months of research turned into years and a manuscript slowly took shape. My goal was to put a face to the millions of dedicated families who work in this industry.
A local photographer, Joe Don Stevens, appeared out of the blue and offered to help. I think his efforts resulted in extraordinary pictures which brought life and clarity to the project. At this point, Oil People seemed to take off on its own, and I found myself hurrying to keep up.
Thanks to Sherri at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, for recommending an invaluable book, and to Warren Stricker, at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum Archives, who searched through his abundant collection of historical photos. Ryan Smith at the Texas Energy Museum in Beaumont willingly shared his thoughts on an oil book targeted to middle grades. My utmost gratitude goes to the hundreds of children, along with their teachers, who provided questions and comments leading to lively discussions about oil. Special thanks to Phyliss Miranda, Jodi Thomas, Sharon Stevens, and the rest of my writers critique group for their thoughtful critiques and guidance.
Oil has a huge impact on modern society, and I hope this book successfully pays tribute to the millions of dedicated workers and scientists, both past and present, who labor tirelessly to discover and produce American oil.
