Show & Tell Friday: Monster Turtles, Mountains & More

Happy August, everyone!

What a July it was--hot, muggy, rainy, busy and fun. My baby girl is officially 3 months old, and I can hardly believe it. When you were a kid, didn't it annoy you how grown-ups used to always talk about "time flying"? Then, of course, you yourself become a grown-up and realized, Daggum it--they're right.

Some good stuff to share today:

1.) A year in the life ...

Have you seen this video from a father in the UK who took video clips of every day of the first year of his son's life and put them all together? Each day is a second, and it's adorable. You don't have to know the baby or the family to appreciate the wonderful, precious and fleeting nature of life.

2.) Monster turtle

This is random. And creepy. But I had to share. Look what's been hanging out under the dock at my family's lake house in the South Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains:

 

Yep. Right under the dock, next to the steps where we--and the dogs and kiddos--enter to the water, swim, and hang out. It's a prehistoric mega-turtle. And it had babies. Gulp. And check out my goodlookin', and very brave cousin, Toly. He's a rock star.

3.) What I'm reading now ...

This week, I'm finishing up Diana Gabaldon's A Trail of Fire and am dipping my toes into A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. It's set in the '30s on a New England beach. Here's what bestselling author Elin Hildebrand has to say about it: "An intricately woven tale of friendship, betrayal, old families, and closely guarded secrets. It is what every beach book should aspire to be--smart and engrossing."

Yes, there are a lot of summer novels about old New England families on old New England beaches staying in old New England beach houses. But being a Southerner and unfamiliar with the terrain, I can't get enough of them. Plus Ms. Williams looks young and adorable in her author photo, and I'm always impressed with young successful writers. Check out her author website and more about A Hundred Summers here.
 

3.) Artist-in-Residence at The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Saturday I'll be headed to Sunset, South Carolina and The Reserve at Lake Keowee to begin my week as an Artist-in-Residence. I'll be meeting with book clubs reading Keowee Valley, giving history talks about the area, and enjoying informal time with community members. I can't wait!

Additionally, at the beginning of the next week--Sunday, August 11--I'll be one of the featured authors at the 2013 Birchwood Book and Author Fair at The Lodge at Table Rock State Park in S.C. I'll be meeting readers, signing books, and reading some from Keowee Valley. I hope if you're in the area, you'll join me!


4.) "Play On" ...

Not to make y'all too jealous, but this is where I live. Tough, right?

Check out this short video of Transylvania County and Brevard, North Carolina, put together by several folks in town. It'll make you want to hop in the car and get yourself to our mountains as quickly as possible.

On a side note, so much of this area is the setting and inspiration for Keowee Valley. I obviously love it, and loved walking my main characters, Quinn and Jack, through such a gorgeous and awe-inspiring landscape. Take a look here.

Happy August, all!

Show & Tell Friday: Books, Music, Babies & Weddings

Well, it has been about the rainiest July I can remember here in Western North Carolina. The rivers are moving into the flood plains, hiking trails turning into creeks, sugar ants invading the kitchen, mosquitoes buzzing around in relentless packs, and paddlers all around these parts downright rejoicing. We expect the everyday afternoon thunderstorm in the mountains, but this is just silly.

At least some days, like today, we’ve had sun. I hope you are enjoying the summer sun wherever you may be!

Some good stuff to share today:

1.) The Lone Ranger soundtrack:

Love it or hate it (and the critics, of course, hate it) the new Lone Ranger movie has an absolutely incredible score. I saw the movie Saturday night, when my husband took pity on me after a particularly tough week of mama-ing the 3 year-old and the infant (remember: it rained and didn’t stop), so I went by myself. Have you ever been to a movie by yourself? Sitting alone in the pitch dark, drinking a Coke without having to share, and just soaking it in? It’s glorious. And it’s one of my favorite things to do. Everyone should give going to a movie alone a try.

Anyway, back to the music. Hans Zimmer composed the score. His stellar resume also includes Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Gladiator, and many more. I used to watch old black and white reruns of The Lone Ranger on TCM when I was a kid. Sitting in the theatre Saturday, totally caught up in Disney’s raucous escapism, I almost leapt from my seat when the Lone Ranger theme music burst out. Seriously, I looked around for my horse.

2.) What I’m reading right now (and just finished reading):

So I’ve got three books on my bedside table right now. More in-depth detail on these to come, but for now a wee breakdown. First, Raising Your Spirited Child: A guide for parents whose child is more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, and energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It was given to me by a friend. Since my almost four year-old is all of the above, it’s been pertinent and incredibly helpful.

Second, A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon. This one includes

four Outlander tales–basically stories involving different characters from her wildly popular Outlander novels. (Outlander is coming to the movie channel Starz as a mini-series in September 2014. If you haven’t read the novels or know who Gabaldon is, and you dig historical fiction, get thee to a library or bookstore forthwith.)

Lastly, there’s The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, which I finished last week and is already past due to the library. I have mixed emotions about this one, and I’d love to hear what you all have to say about it if you’ve read it. Besides the fact that it’s a novel for adults, and involves no magic, of course, it does touch on some of the same themes–mainly the existential and often cruel nature of modern life–as does the Harry Potter novels. And it’s dark. Really, really dark.
 



3.)  A truly Southern wedding announcement

My mother-in-law sent me a copy of this wedding announcement that a friend sent to her. The wedding took place on Fenwick Island, South Carolina, and boy if this announcement doesn’t shed a little light on just how particular in our tastes (and a bit nuts) we Southerners are, I don’t know what does.

Here’s a quick sample: “As evening fell, youngsters played in the yard and a canine guest swiped a piece of wedding cake.”

Check the announcement out in its entirety here.


4.) “Keep Your Heart Young”

I can no longer deny my love for singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. She’s awesome. This is her new music video for a song on her Bear Creek album called “Keep Your Heart Young.” She asked fans to send in home videos that she could add to her own, and apparently quite a few did.

I absolutely love this song, and my oldest daughter and I belt it out in the car whenever we get the chance.

 
5.) Willa, 12 weeks old

I know, I’m shameless. I can’t help it. I’m completely enamored with my new baby girl.

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

My Appearance Schedule at the Carolina Mountains Lit Festival

Hey, all. Hope you’re having a lovely Thursday so far! It’s a bright, sunny day here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Hard to believe it’s not raining, as we’ve had monsoon-like rain (or least it’s felt like it) these past several weeks.

Just wanted to share my appearance schedule for the 2013 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival in Burnsville, NC, coming up September 12 – 14. I’m thrilled about being part of this festival, as it’s got a wonderful tradition of truly bringing readers, writers, history lovers, and fans of Appalachian history and culture together. Not to mention the lauded authors who’ve participated over the years, including Ron Rash, Tommy Hays, Robert Morgan, Lee Smith, and so many more. This year I’ll be joining Elizabeth Kostova (the Keynote Speaker and author of The Historian and The Swan Thieves), Keith Flynn, Fred Bahnson, Stephanie Powell Watts, Abigail DeWitt, Dale Neal, and many more.

The full schedule will be available at the festival website on August 1st. But for now, here’s the information regarding my appearances:

Friday, Sept. 13
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. “Off the Beaten Path” SESSION 1
5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Town Center Legacy Room – BOOK SIGNING
7:00 p.m. Town Center Legacy Room – ART & THE STORIES BEHIND IT

Saturday, Sept. 14
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. “Off the Beaten Path” SESSION 2
5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Town Center Legacy Room – BOOK SIGNING
7:00 p.m. Banquet with Elizabeth Kostova

Other than these scheduled events, I’ll be attending sessions and readings, and hearing from the authors and historians that I admire.

Can’t wait! I hope you’ll join me: this truly is a fabulous festival.

New Podcast Interview

Hello, all!

I'm pretty excited about this great podcast interview with me at Southern Spines! The interviewer, writer and editor Alison Law (and assistant program director of the upcoming AJC Decatur Book Festival) was deft and interesting, and I had a ball!

You can check it out at the Southern Spines website, or by going directly to iTunes and looking up "Southern Spines."

It's short (about 15 minutes) and FREE.

Show & Tell Friday: July 12, 2013

Well, it’s starting to look as if I may only be posting “Friday Show & Tell” editions for a while. Here is the reason for my inability to write:

She’s a cute little 8 week-old time-stealer, isn’t she?

Please forgive my absence. I’ll be back to fighting weight eventually.


A few things to share:

1.) Fireflies in the Garden

My husband and I realized the other night when we were awake in the wee hours that we’ve got some free movie channels on DISH. We started watching Fireflies in the Garden–which stars Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Emily Watson, Hayden Panettiere, Willem Dafoe and more–and were immediately hooked. It’s the story of Michael (Reynolds), a novelist  who returns to his childhood home for a celebration, but when a tragedy occurs instead, he’s forced to remember what it was like to grow up, and all that that process entailed: dealing with a difficult, writer father, his beloved mother, and so much more. The actor who plays young Michael (Cayden Boyd) is especially powerful. The title is taken from a Robert Frost poem, so points for that.

I love independent films, mostly because of their similarities to great novels: they can cross genres, span the generations, and take the time to pause in the simple moments without needing bang and flash. Fireflies in the Garden does all this: At times heartbreaking, at others downright hilarious, it’s worth checking out.

Take a look at the movie trailer here.


2.) SIBA Book Award Winners

SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) has announced its winners for the 2013 book awards, and there’s a whole list of great books from which to choose to add to your summer reading list. (Sadly, Keowee Valley didn’t make the cut. But thanks so much to all of you who voted for it!) The list includes novels, children’s books, Young Adult novels, poetry, nonfiction, and even a cookbook.

I’m particularly excited about reading Stand Up That Mountain: The Battle to Save One

Small Community in the Wilderness Along the Appalachian Trail, by Jay Erskine Leutze, which the SIBA web site says is ”the true story of a North Carolina outdoorsman who teams up with his Appalachian ‘mountain people’ neighbors to save treasured land from being destroyed.”

Check the entire list out here.
 

3.) Easy Ice Cream Cake

One of my best friends taught me how to make this crazy-easy ice cream cake. I just made if for the 4th of July. It’s easy to serve, easy to freeze, will feed a crowd, satisfies absolutely everyone, and is just plain scrumptious. My mouth’s watering just thinking about it. Here’s the recipe:

Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:
2 big boxes of ice cream sandwiches
Cool Whip (or, if you want to be fancy, make real whipped cream)
A bunch of your favorite candy bars
11 x 13 glass casserole dish (or, any other dish that can go in the freezer)
Seriously. That’s it.

Directions:
Open one box of ice cream sandwiches. Place the sandwiches so that they fill the bottom of the dish. (You may need to cut a few to fill it up.) Mash ‘em down a bit with your hands. Lick your hands. (Okay, wash your hands.) Spread half of the whipped cream over the top, then open the other box of ice cream sandwiches and make another layer: sandwiches, whipped cream … you get the picture. Next, crush up the candy bars (I use Heath Bars, but the options are endless) and sprinkle liberally over the top. Freeze for at least 1 to 4 hours before serving.

That’s it. It ridiculous how good this cake is, especially on a hot summer night.
Real Simple magazine has a little bit more complicated recipe (using real whipped cream made with confectioner’s sugar and less ice cream sandwiches) that’s worth checking out.

Enjoy!

Show & Tell Friday: The 4th of July Edition

Happy Pre-4th of July, all!

The 4th of July, or Independence Day, is my second-favorite holiday of the year. I’ve loved the 4th since I was a kid, mostly because of what we did: headed up into the foothills to my family’s lake house, spending the week swimming, waterskiing, tubing, grilling out, hiking, camping, shooting fireworks, playing cards, building bonfires, and basically getting into trouble.

There was the year it rained the entire week, breaking all kinds of rain records. The water rose over the dock, and caused wood scorpions to emerge from beneath. We swam anyway. This was the same year our parents gave in and took us to the movies in the closest real town. One of the Batman movies was playing. The theatre flooded.

Then, there was the year we sunk our neighbor’s paddleboat. Not too much of a big deal, except the neighbors hadn’t given us permission to take it and the lake’s over 60 feet deep not too far out from our dock.

What about the year my father and friends told us a ghost story so gruesome (we were in elementary school), that some of the boys cried for days. Days. Hint: it involved a bloody tree trunk, a dead teenager named Fred, and an ax.

There were trips to the hospital (not so fun) broken-down boats, sliding rocks, midnight skinny dipping rendezvous in the middle of the lake, lightning storms, and more. One year, my friend Charley and I double-skied in the driving rain, slaloming behind my Dad’s boat. Our dads were the only people in it, wearing towels wrapped around their heads like turbans.

It was heaven.

Now, as a grown-up, I still love the 4th for those many memories, and the new ones I make at the lake with family and friends. But as a history buff–and now historical novelist–I love it for what the day means, and has meant for my country and for me as an American.

If I’m not careful, I could wax poetic about the founding of our country and all the incredibly gifted, inspired, flawed and fantastic men and women who made it possible. But I won’t. Perhaps that subject’s for a future essay, because–from all those months researching the time period of Keowee Valley, especially–I certainly have thoughts about our Founding, and where we’ve come as a country since. What I do know is that no matter how we fuss and fight among ourselves and our own political factions, we remain the world’s most incredible experiment in self-government. And this 4th of July, we’ll only be 243 years old.

So keep an eye on us. We’re still growing.

* Some fun 4th of July stuff to share:

1.) John Adams

John Adams, the second president of the very young United States, is one of my favorite American presidents and probably my favorite Founding Father. It also helps that his wife, Abigail, has got to be the coolest Founding Mother. And, we (the American people) happen to have more personal correspondence between the two of them than any of the other Founders. There’s no substitute for reading personal correspondence when studying history. You get it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Anyway, two Adams-based works you’ve got to check out this summer: 1) John Adams, the biography by the venerable (and Pulitzer Prize and Medal of Honor winner) David McCullough. Here, Adams comes to life–and so does his time–with stunning clarity. McCullough tells a story, and it’s wonderful. A must for anyone interested in learning about the reality of our country’s founding (and not just what the talking heads on TV and radio tend to spout). The book was a NYT bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize. And, 2) John Adams, the HBO miniseries, developed from the book. It stars Paul Giamatti as Adams, the incomparable Laura Linney as Abigail, Paul Dillane as Thomas Jefferson and Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin. It won dozens upon dozens of awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards for Giamatti and Linney as John and Abigail.

I own the miniseries (thanks, sister!), and I try to watch it around this time of year. For me, it’s like watching It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas.

2.) If you’re into the more militaristic aspects of that fateful year of Independence, you’ve got

to check out David McCullough’s 1776. More than John Adams, which concentrates mostly on Adams himself and how he came to be the man he was alongside our burgeoning country, 1776 centers on that year, on General Washington, on battles and troop movements, and the political and sometimes cultural realities. It’s utterly fascinating. It was a national bestseller, and won another Pulitzer Prize.

Moving on from McCullough …

3.) Birchwood Book and Author Fair

Ever visited the Blue Ridge Mountains of Upstate South Carolina, and gorgeous Table Rock State Park? Well, here’s your chance–and the opportunity to make a literary side trip, too. On Sunday, August 11 from 2 – 5 p.m., the Birchwood Center for Arts and Folklife will be hosting a Book and Author Fair at the Lodge at Table Rock State Park. There’ll be a chance to meet and talk with authors, hear readings from their books/novels, to buy books and to get your books signed. I’ll be there signing and talking about Keowee Valley, which is set in the surrounding areas! Other authors will include George Singleton, Dori Sanders, Susan Tekulve, Dot Jackson and more.

4.) Last, some quotes about Independence Day, democracy, and more, just to get you in the spirit:

“Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.” ~ Sydney J. Harris

“Our political institutions work remarkably well. They are designed to clang against each other. The noise is democracy at work.” ~ Michael Novak

“A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.” ~James Freeman Clarke

“He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.”  ~ Thomas Paine

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”  ~ William J. Clinton

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”  ~ Erma Bombeck

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”  ~ Albert Camus

Have a wonderful 4th of July, everyone. Let freedom ring!

Show & Tell Friday: Summer Solstice Edition

Hey, all! I'm posting this here and at my author website a wee bit early. This is the fault of baby brain: if I waited until tomorrow, I'd never remember.

Today is the Summer Solstice: the longest day of the year, the official first day of summer  and, as it so happens, my husband’s birthday!

Oh, how I love the summer. Sunday was the first night I’d noticed the lightning bugs. I’m sure they’d been around already, but we’ve got an infant in the house, and so some things have lately gone unnoticed. We tried to get our 3 year-old to catch them with us, attempted to explain just how cool these little glowing creatures are, that they mean summer and freedom and magic–but she just wasn’t into it. Oh, my broken heart. But she’ll get it one day.

Some good stuff to share:

1.) Native Eyewear is sponsoring a contest called the “Locals Only Project,” where viewers can vote for the best outdoor town. Native Eyewear will travel to that town and make it the centerpiece of their next catalog. My town, Brevard, NC, is up this year! And we are truly lucky and blessed to live where we do: in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at the foot of Pisgah National Forest, with the best mountain biking track and hiking trails East of the Mississippi.

Check us out and vote here.

2.) Last night I pulled a movie from our DVD library that I haven’t watched in a long time. Called True Women, it was a CBS miniseries in the ’90s starring Angelina Jolie, Dana Delany, and Annabeth Gish, and based on the novel by Janice Woods Windle. I’d picked the DVD up in some pile of “for sale” stuff a while back. Set over five decades, starting in 1830s Georgia and Texas, against the backdrop of the Indian Removal (Trail of Tears), the Alamo and Texas independence, the wars with the Comanches, and eventually the Civil War and women’s suffrage, it’s full of capital-D Drama.

Parts of it are overly-sentimental–mostly the over-the-top Southern accents, which only Gish really gets right–but it’s a rousing adventure and a story of three very independent Southern women in a wild and dangerous time. The relationships between Delany’s and Gish’s character (they play sisters), and between Delany and her character’s husband (played by veteran Western actor Powers Boothe) is lovely and real.

Check it out: an escapist adventure for a few hot summer nights! (And I bet you could get it for free from your local library.)

3.) Speaking of libraries–very cool places to be in the summer–here’s the list of the latest books I’ve checked out. (All novels.) They’re sitting on my bedside table and the side table where I feed my baby. I’m optimistic I’ll make it through all of them in time to check out more for July, especially considering the wee hours and I have grown quite friendly:

Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Casual Vacany by J.K. Rowling

I’ve got to admit: I’m a chronic re-reader. I just finished re-reading Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, and Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. And, I recently gulped down Susanna Kearsley’s newest, The Firebird, as soon as Amazon.com delivered it to my door earlier this week. More on that soon!

4.) In my CD player: (And, yes, I still have a CD player) I’m currently listening to new albums by two camp buddies of mine (read: friends I worked with for years at a camp in the NC mountains): Bradley Carter’s The Real Job (CD jacket designed by another camp buddy and talented artist, A.J. Power) and Shannon Whitworth’s High Tide.

Quite a bit of talent comes out of the NC mountains. Check them all out when you have a chance. And I’ll write more later about all these books and this great music, here and at my blog. No guarantees on when (she types as the infant cries from the bassinet), but it’ll come.

Happy Summer Solstice to everyone!