Beth Durham's Blog, page 25

Plans for Emma: The Period

 

We’ve been exploring the ‘who, what, when where and how’ of Plans for Emma over the past few weeks.  Now we’ve arrived at the when and it’s one of my favorite parts.

It may well be the greatest part of being an author to choose just when your characters live.   I’ve seen stories from the Bible set in modern times – Francine Rivers wrote Hosea set in the old west and I couldn’t put it down.  There’s a new book out that juxtaposes a sovereign Jewish nation with 1930 and 1940’s Europe – just how...

Plans for Emma: The People

 

As I promised last week, I want to share with you some of the people and the places you’ll read about in Plans for Emma. 

I’ve mentioned many times in The Stories that the people of the mountain inspire me.  They are a strong, God-fearing people that haves thrived through adversity most of us would run from.  I admire my people and I long to share them with a world that has only mocked and disdained them.

Plans for Emma springs from the story my Great Grandfather told of how he met his wife....

Plans for Emma Chapter 1

I wanted to give you a little taste of the new book.  Now I confess that I meant to post this months ago – because of course I optimistically believed it would be on shelves around the world long before this.  However, I don’t find it on the blog, and it’s probably changed a little since then.  So here you go, chapter 1…

 

Sunlight dripped through the overarching trees painting a golden mosaic on the hard packed dirt road.  Stopping in the middle of the path, Emma England admired the beauty ar...

Announcing: Plans for Emma

It’s been 2 years since I released the novella Replacing Ann and you were all so kind in reading it and reviewing it on Amazon.com.  And then you asked for more! 

Well it may have taken a little longer than many of us hoped but here you go… I am thrilled to announce the release of Plans for Emma. 

Here’s the short synopsis from the back cover:

Everyone has plans for Emma England but she knows she must follow God’s plan for her life.  She meets Preston Langford by chance at the creekside near he...

Country Cadillac

I'll be super-brief today as I prepare to say a LOT over the next few weeks.

I found this great picture in the collection of Monterey Dispatch papers from the 1980's.  There's an article to accompany it and I promise to share that with you one day soon.

In the meantime, I wonder how many of you remember wagons being on the road regularly.  My daddy remembers wagons tied at the Decoration.  He remembers folks eating their dinner on the tailgate.  And best of all he remembers going to the store...

Stranger Marker

I found this article from the Monterey Dispatch printed in the mid 1980’s and found it fascinating so I wanted to share…

 

What is This Strange Marker?

Shortly after the end of the last century, a worker along a section of what was once the pioneer road through Middle Tennessee, The Walton Road, accidentally discovered markings under a heavy layer of moss growing over a huge stone.  The chance of seeing much markings under such a growth of moss was remote in itself.  The worker carefully remov...

Loafing Locales

Men Loafing, Crossville, Tennessee 1937

Photo from: http://photogrammar.yale.edu/records/...

After last week’s article about General Stores one Facebook friend pointed out that the Peter’s Store in Clarkrange was a longtime home of the post office and it got me to thinking about the places people hang out. 

A couple of years ago I found a list of the post office location in Tennessee and shared them here.  That article mentioned only in passing that the post offic...

The Country Store

Peter's Store was the primary Country Store in Clarkrange

It goes without saying that some subjects can be covered with a quick article while others require volumes.  The Country Store is certainly a voluminous topic. 

I ran upon an article in a 1980’s era copy of The Monterey Dispatch written by Mary Robbins that got me thinking I ought to spend some time – someday – detailing events at the area’s country stores.  I want to share parts of her article verbatim with a promise to further explor...

Pass the Word

Today if you need to send a message to a friend, neighbor or business, you have a wide range of tools at your disposal.  From social media to a simple telephone call your thoughts can be received within moments.  But that’s not always been the case – in fact it hasn’t been that way for very long at all.

Do you remember when long distance phone calls were expensive and letter writing was downright common?  I know y’uns won’t remember when letter writing also costly but it’s not too hard to do...

Mystery Picture

I have this picture of a lovely lady with her two children.  Based on her clothing I’m guessing she’s in her early twenties and the picture was probably made during the 1920’s.  Therefore she was born right around the turn of the 20th century.  I’m just sure that she’s some of my family because she looks an awful lot like one of Daddy’s first cousins.

I do not know her name.  No one seems to know her name.  I’ve asked the oldest members of my family.  I’ve asked those in the family who are mo...