Yes, NC is a beautiful place to live. We actually visited West Jefferson in the fall of 2013 on our first vacation in 13 years what with two girls who went to college plus maintaining a couple of horses on a small farm. We attended the Methodist church the Sunday we were there. We rented a cabin near the New River somewhat near Shatley Springs. It was the first vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon on a working cattle ranch in Colorado in 1983. But let’s get to the important thing: the book! Wow, so many layers of things. It’s hard to know what to talk about. I’ve been reading many mother daughter stories recently so there is the father daughter son story. How heart piercing! The coming of age story. Yes, there’s that. The whole concept of literary fiction. Indeed! I’d love to teach this in class if I were still teaching high school English! So rich in language and allusion and character and setting and vocabulary and atmosphere. You have a literary masterpiece here. I need to read it again now that I know the story because there is SO MUCH THERE. I ordered your book for my library but I never got to it, then we were moving, and what a job that is when you are retiring, downsizing, moving to another state. I so wish I had gotten to the Book Festival in West Jeff last year when you were there but alas I was not unpacked and hadn’t read the book yet. I am eager to see what/who will be featured this year. It wasn’t until we visited Bryson City – twice – in the years that followed the West Jeff trip that we encountered the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we had lunch one day and stepped onto the Appalachian Trail. I’d love to hike it but I don’t think I’ve ever been that hale and hearty. Throw in a couple of trips to Cherry Log, GA, and Franklin, NC, and Wears Valley, TN, and you can see the pattern we developed: visiting the mountains, which caused me to say one day, why don’t we live in the mountains and visit Indiana, just flip what we’ve been doing. So that’s the bold leap we made with retirement. I am a bookaholic, which is not surprising for an English teacher turned librarian, so I read, read, read…mostly on my deck of our cabin as I look on the Snowbird Mountains. I eagerly look forward to your next book, not to put too much pressure on you. I whipped through an your book in 24 hours because I just couldn’t put it down and then I want more right now! I read that you were also a lawyer so I understand that you cannot devote yourself to writing full time…yet. I do know it takes time and lots of it to create a really great book, as you have done.
I eagerly look forward to a day trip on the BRP. I do so want to get to Boone and Blowing Rock and Deep Gap and Glendale Springs and Sparta. I enjoy small towns, and I will find Old Buckram when I travel through them. That might happen sooner rather than later if the book festival shapes up in a way that appeals to me. We also need to travel the Cherohala Skyway. We’ve been up to Robbinsville three times but haven’t yet jumped on the skyway. There is so much to see here! I keep busy reading, going to two book clubs, and serving as a trustee on the library board here, which I am urging urging urging to join NC Cardinal so we can get newer books here in WNC sooner. I travel to Franklin every other week so I can get the books I want to read as the budget here in this regional library of Murphy, Andrews, Robbinsville, and Hayesville is not big enough to supply all the books I want to read. Phillip, I think big things are ahead for you, and I will keep watching for your next book, and I really will re-read The Barrowfields because I feel certain I didn’t capture it all the first time through.
Yes, NC is a beautiful place to live. We actually visited West Jefferson in the fall of 2013 on our first vacation in 13 years what with two girls who went to college plus maintaining a couple of horses on a small farm. We attended the Methodist church the Sunday we were there. We rented a cabin near the New River somewhat near Shatley Springs. It was the first vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon on a working cattle ranch in Colorado in 1983.
But let’s get to the important thing: the book! Wow, so many layers of things. It’s hard to know what to talk about. I’ve been reading many mother daughter stories recently so there is the father daughter son story. How heart piercing! The coming of age story. Yes, there’s that. The whole concept of literary fiction. Indeed! I’d love to teach this in class if I were still teaching high school English! So rich in language and allusion and character and setting and vocabulary and atmosphere. You have a literary masterpiece here. I need to read it again now that I know the story because there is SO MUCH THERE. I ordered your book for my library but I never got to it, then we were moving, and what a job that is when you are retiring, downsizing, moving to another state. I so wish I had gotten to the Book Festival in West Jeff last year when you were there but alas I was not unpacked and hadn’t read the book yet. I am eager to see what/who will be featured this year.
It wasn’t until we visited Bryson City – twice – in the years that followed the West Jeff trip that we encountered the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we had lunch one day and stepped onto the Appalachian Trail. I’d love to hike it but I don’t think I’ve ever been that hale and hearty.
Throw in a couple of trips to Cherry Log, GA, and Franklin, NC, and Wears Valley, TN, and you can see the pattern we developed: visiting the mountains, which caused me to say one day, why don’t we live in the mountains and visit Indiana, just flip what we’ve been doing. So that’s the bold leap we made with retirement.
I am a bookaholic, which is not surprising for an English teacher turned librarian, so I read, read, read…mostly on my deck of our cabin as I look on the Snowbird Mountains. I eagerly look forward to your next book, not to put too much pressure on you. I whipped through an your book in 24 hours because I just couldn’t put it down and then I want more right now! I read that you were also a lawyer so I understand that you cannot devote yourself to writing full time…yet. I do know it takes time and lots of it to create a really great book, as you have done.
I eagerly look forward to a day trip on the BRP. I do so want to get to Boone and Blowing Rock and Deep Gap and Glendale Springs and Sparta. I enjoy small towns, and I will find Old Buckram when I travel through them. That might happen sooner rather than later if the book festival shapes up in a way that appeals to me. We also need to travel the Cherohala Skyway. We’ve been up to Robbinsville three times but haven’t yet jumped on the skyway. There is so much to see here!
I keep busy reading, going to two book clubs, and serving as a trustee on the library board here, which I am urging urging urging to join NC Cardinal so we can get newer books here in WNC sooner. I travel to Franklin every other week so I can get the books I want to read as the budget here in this regional library of Murphy, Andrews, Robbinsville, and Hayesville is not big enough to supply all the books I want to read.
Phillip, I think big things are ahead for you, and I will keep watching for your next book, and I really will re-read The Barrowfields because I feel certain I didn’t capture it all the first time through.
Best wishes,
Wendy