"We had been walking about half an hour, following an old logging road through the lower meadow, up the side of the hill, then across the high meadow and into the woods."
That's the first sentence I wrote when I began creating my novel, Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge. Six years later, that sentence appears on page thirty-five of my published book. When I started writing, I knew the characters; I could see them in my mind, and I could hear their voices. I created a setting, a home for these two adventurous children. I could feel the summer heat, smell the grass and the pine trees and the honeysuckle, heavy and verdant. I watched the children toiling over rocky paths, under sheltering trees, and out into blazing sunlight, heard their laughter, felt the summer breeze on their sun-burned cheeks.
But I had no way of knowing what these two living, breathing creatures were about to do, how their story would evolve. That was still a mystery to me.
The creationism thrilled me; the evolution amazed me! When you turn a couple of wise and wonderful kids loose on the written page, you're in for some unexpected revelations!
And the book continues to evolve.. Here I am with the first edition, published in 2010.
And now Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge will soon be available as the first book in a four-volume Moonlight Ridge Series from Vanilla Heart Publishers.
And what is all this excitement about possums?
Where do those marsupials fit into the grand scheme of things on the evolutionary chart?
Read Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge and find out!
Ad Hudler, author of SOUTHERN LIVING and MAN OF THE HOUSE, shares a story of a less-than-ideal living situation, and how a well-timed book on Christmas helped to set things right.
We had just moved from Florida to New York with a newborn in tow, and life was crazy. Because my wife had work and I did not, the responsibility of the move fell on me. And before I could go back to work, I had to find some in-home care, so I placed an ad in the newspaper and found Gloria. I wasn't crazy about her, but she was best of the lot: an expressive, Italian mother, who, I'd discover later, had a son in prison.
Our problem was this: Gloria refused to do as I said because I was a man, and, in her opinion, no man could tell her what to do with a house and baby. We fought and fought and fought. She rebelled by eating all my favorite foods from the refrigerator (we'd later discover she had had her stomach stapled). She refused to use a car seat with our daughter. And her idea of cleaning the house meant puffing up the throw pillows.
"Can't you deal with her?" I asked my wife. "She won't listen to me."
"Honey," my wife replied, "Gloria is your direct report. You're responsible for her."
"But I've never managed people before," I said. "I'm a writer. I don't know what I'm doing here."
Christmas came a month later. In my stocking was a book from my wife: THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER, by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnsons.
I read THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER in one hour, and, in one week, Gloria was gone.
-- Ad Hudler
Tomorrow, Mary Carter and Robert Goolrick discuss two rather memorable reads, and revel in the power of a well-told story.
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Hi Ramey!
Thanks for starting off the tour! Lovely pictures, btw. :D
Wonderful post for the beginning of the tour ! Thank You !
I always love seeing a celebration of the South and Things southern !
www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com
Creationism and Evolution. I never thought of the writing process in those terms, but you hit the nail on the head, Ramey. Well said!
Thanks so much for visiting, y'all! Enjoy the blog tour.
Wonderful story and great blog Ramsey. As you described the world, I could see it, I could smell it, I believed it, well done! Your trailer for the book is very good and I especially loved the soft touch of the great southern music. You certainly did set the bar high on this first blog! lol
Yes! Creation and Evolution--a perfect analogy. I bet your world building is amazing. Just reading how you could feel the heat, smell the grass etc made me relive my own days roaming the hills on our 40 acres. The heat, the breeze, hiding in the shade, braving the sun for the fat blackberries... ah, those really were the days. My hills smelled more like cow patties, but *shrugs* :D
Well, characters just do whatever they want to do. I'm just glad there are more books coming along.
Malcolm
That sounds like an interesting series. Love the new cover too. Is it a mystery? We have possums that visit our yard here in Texas. A baby moved into one of our sheds for a time also.
Your descriptive paragraph makes me long to read SMOMR again. So that's what I'll do.
When a crisis threatens the town and danger threatens beloved family and neighbors, these two eight-year-olds depend on an unusual treasure map, along with their own courage and ingenuity, to restore peace and tranqility on Moonlight Ridge.
Lovely pictures and loving possum. The ones I've seen usually have bared teeth and shiny eyes. Will have to read the series, sounds like fun.
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Possums put up a big front when they feel threatened, then tend to run away or drop dead if you aren't adequately frightened by the teeth and eyes!
Thanks Jo! Hope the wolfeener doesn't get you this time!
Thanks, Malcolm!
Interesting commentary and preview of an interesting novel. Good work!
Camille
Keep on playing that sweet music of words!
Rebecca
I'll look forward to reading about the kids and the possum!
How interesting to find that your first sentence ended up on page 35 of the book. Books do come alive and go off on their own journeys sometimes, dont they?
Loved the kick-off post.
Love it. The title and content were so in tune. You led us on a journey of the writing of your book. I have read it and it is an absolutely wonderful southern novel. Congratulations on your new series.
Thanks to everyone for visiting Moonlight Ridge, and for leaving the great comments.
Thanks, Camille. Glad you stopped by!