Facing Fallout by Dorothy Hemenway Carter

Sara Wright's little brother Carl is a very sick little boy and Sara thinks she knows why. Her discovery causes her to view her surroundings in a new light. As relationships change and her responsibilities grow, Sara is facing fallout.

Part mystery and part love story, Dorothy Hemenway Carter's first novel, Facing Fallout, is a good summer read. Dorothy captures the dynamics of a large hard working country family who, together, face life with faith and love. The characters in Facing Fallout will stay with you for a very long time.

Dorothy teaches high school English in Martinsville, Virginia. Her book is sold in local bookstores as well as on Amazon and she is currently working on two more books.

For more information regarding Facing Fallout, contact Dorothy at: carterdh@gmail.com

Meet Author Becky Mushko

You Meet The Nicest People In The Strangest Places

Seated in a funeral home at the visitation of a distant relative of my husband, we waited to join the end of a very long line of people going through the receiving line. Striking up a conversation with the couple next to us in the pew, it turned out that the woman and my husband were related: third or fourth cousins by marriage and several times removed or something like that. During that conversation, I found out that the woman next to me was an author. Over the next few minutes, I bought her book, "Patches On The Same Quilt," booked her to speak at the PAA Writer's Group and made a friend. Her name is Becky Mushko.

To date, Becky has given three talks in front of my writers group and is a wealth of information for seasoned as well as novice writers. She lives on a farm in Penhook, VA. with a bunch of animals: horses, cats and dogs. Her love of animals, country living and Southern Virginia come alive on the pages of her books.

Patches On The Same Quilt (and other books), by Becky, Mushko

"Patches On The Same Quilt" is a jewel and one of my favorite books. It is about a boy who longs for a horse. Becky's love of horses and country life are told with rich rural dialect as she intertwines and connects six generations of one Southern Virginia family.

Becky has written many books: "The Girl Who Raced Mules and Other Stories," "Where There Is A Will" and two Peevish Advise books which are a collection of Becky's Peevish advise newspaper columns, to name a few.

"Ferradiddledumday" is the Appalachian version of Rupplestiltskin. Now, "Stuck" is the latest in Young Adult books written by Becky.

My thirteen year old granddaughter, Sarah, stayed with me last weekend. She told me how much she was enjoying reading "Stuck" by Becky Mushko. Although a young adult book, there is plenty to hold an adult readers attention.

Jacie is the eleven year old main character in "Stuck" and she is dealing with the death of her mother. Jacies life is turned further upside down when her father announces that he has asked "Liz" to marry him. Faced with the prospect of having a new step-mother, mischievous nephews and spending time with them on a farm, Jacie feels stuck. Then Jacie meets Callie. Callie is also stuck. Callie is a ghost. How do they help each other? Read the book! I am glad I added "Stuck" to my granddaughter's summer reading list.

Becky's books are sold at Barnes and Noble, many local bookstores and on Amazon. Look for her at The Mountain Spirits Art Festival, October 1st in downtown Rocky Mount, VA. from 10am to 4pm.

Becky's blog: www.peevishpen.blogspot.com/
website: www.beckymushko.com

Moving Day: A Season of Letters by Ibby Greer

"Moving Days: A Season of Letters" is like reading a lovely Valentine card! In Ibby Greer's first novel, widow Ann Bow faces the challenges of being alone and elderly. We are drawn into Ann's rich life in Colorado through a series of letters.

As readers, we meet Ann's friends and family, taste her hot sweet tea and feel the chill of blustery Chinook winds. We experience love, hope and even death with Ann.

"Life is a series of details" my grandfather used to say. In Moving Day, the details are a sweet gift and those of us "of a certain age" will make Ann our new best friend.

Paper Faces: Babyboomer Memoir by Ibby Greer

From the 1950's into 2000, we glimpse into Ibby Greer's life through her poetry.

From hopscotch to sloppy joes in the school cafeteria to her love of traveling by train, these snippets weave a rich tapestry of one womans life. Memories of her mother and aunt talking "over black coffee, smoking Chesterfield Kings between sips and laughing." Ibby recalls pretty dresses, political assasinations, education, love, marriage and second chances.

In Paper Faces, we learn of Ibby's life through little vinettes in time. Peppered with family pictures, her book is funny, sometimes poignant and always revealing.

Someone once said "everyone has a story."

Ibby Greer has lived volumns.

Ibby Greer Paid Us A Visit

I was glad to return to Southern Virginia. I missed my husband, our herd of cows and new calves, the farm and the PAA Writers Group. Our speaker last week was Ibby Greer who treated us with a delightful talk.

Ibby is a resident of Rocky Mount and the widow of Keister Greer, author of "The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935." Some of my husbands relatives are in that book, but that is another story!

What an interesting person Ibby is! She has written two books of her own: a novel "Paper Faces: Babyboomer Memior" and her novel, "Moving Day: a Season of Letters."

A talented artist, Ibby paints gourds as well as on canvas. She is also a "connection Specialist" who conducts workshops with wit and whimsy- including life coaching, social media, grief and survival, writing classes and etiquette.

Ibby's home is the historic "The Grove" in Rocky Mount and she resides with a ghost!

For historic/ghost tours or for information regarding her books contact Ibby at: ibbygreer@embarqmail.com and to view her artwork, go to: www.blueladyarts.com

Thanks, Ibby and please come back to visit often.

Art in My Sister's Backyard

This lovely lady is called "The Sprite of Spring." A few years ago, a grandchild was being baptized in the pond and many family members and clergy were coming to witness the event. My sister put clothes on The Sprite of Spring. I think she looks just fine in the buff.

Dinosaurs Live in My Sister's Backyard

My Sister and her husband have a lovely country home outside of Wichita. There are plenty of deer, wild turkey, pheasant, rabbits and owls but down by the pond there are dinosaurs lurking about.

Exploration Place on the River in Wichita, Kansas

Keeper of the Plains # 2 Post

Across the Arkansas River from the Trolls hiding place is The Keeper of the Plains sculpture. I wrote about the Keeper on April 4, 2010 but it is worth mentioning again. The Keeper of the Plains is the focal point of an eight year, $20.6 million dollar river beautification project that was completed in 2007. Not far from the statue is The Mid-American All Indian Center which houses a museum, gift shop, cultural center and The Gallery of Nations for Special Events.

The Wichita Troll

A fun tour along the Arkansas River is to find the Wichita Troll. The Troll is a seven foot tall sculpture by artist, Constance Ernall. He is green, unkempt, very ugly and resides beneath the sidewalk. The Troll is chained to underground pipes by his wrists and ankles and at night a green light illuminates his lifelike form. Covered by a metal grate, the Troll's huge head looks upward as he scowls at anyone who locates him in his cave. He looks menacing and it is rumored that he has a twin brother hidden in some yet undiscovered location in Wichita. True? Who knows.

The picture shows him in his underworld prison. He is hard to see clearly but check him out! Google Images: the Wichita Troll for a better view.

The Giant's Bathtub and Other Interesting Places

A few weeks ago, in Wichita, my brother, sister and I drove around the city visiting places close to our hearts when we were children.

In Oak Park, we visited The Giant's Bathtub. This bathtub shaped pond sits in a lovely shaded spot and has been called The Giant's Bathtub as long as we can remember. Our grandmother used to take us there on summer days long ago. I recently read an article on the Internet where someone remembered ice skating on the pond in the 1930's.

Across the road, used to be a small mound of a building that had something to do with the water department. We called it "The Witches Cave" and it always seemed scary and mysterious to us as kids. Sadly, The Witches Cave was torn down long ago.

Close by in another section of the park stands Park Villa (see picture above.) I remember "dancing out" there in front of an audience while my Aunt Cherry (Irene Larmer) accompanied us on the piano. I took dance classes at the Claudia Mundy School of Dance for years as did all the little girls in our neighborhood. Claudia believed that her students should have experience in front of any available audience. We tapped our little feet off for nursing homes, amusement parks as well as the annual recital. Tap, ballet, jazz and acrobatics were a big part of our lives and I have the home movies to prove it!

2010, My Mother's House

"If this old house was built on memories, it would last 1000 years." This is the first line of a song I once heard.

On a recent plane trip home from Wichita, Kansas, I couldn't help but think back to the house where I grew up. My mother, father and I moved to the brand new house in the brand new sub-division when I was four years old. The year was 1950. Old home movies and photos show little stick trees that, more than sixty years later, canopy the street. My sister and brother were born and we shared our home with dogs, birds, a rabbit and even an alligator named Pete. (That is another story.)

There were many children in the neighborhood. We played outside every day in the summer, running through sprinklers, riding bikes and playing games such as Mother May I and jump rope. We put on shows for our parents, little skits and dances. At night, the adults would pull up lawn chairs and talk while the children would lie on blankets and look up at the stars. TV was new and we watched our share of "My Little Margie," "Flash Gordon," and "Our Hit Parade," but in the summer everyone stayed outside cooking on grills and watching children play. Neighbors knew neighbors back then.

A few days before, my siblings and I left our childhood home for the last time. Our beloved mother died last September and we just moved our step-father into an independent living retirement community. After three days of packing up the family crystal, china, pictures and antiques we wanted to keep in the family, we turned the house over to an estate sale company and realtor.

In those last few days, we didn't call it "Mother's house" or "home" anymore. We called it by the house number, 2010. I think it help to distance us from the place where we grew up. As we locked the door and left the house for the last time, we bid farewell and took our memories with us.