Happy Halloween

Circa 1982 (or so)

Cec And Me hosted by Twila Belk & Cecil Murphey

I'm so excited. My good friend Twila Belk has a new online radio show on Toginet.com! She and best-selling author Cecil Murphey will be on each Tuesday night at 8 PM, 7PM central LIVE. They'll be interviewing guests each week on a variety of subjects from the serious to the not-so-serious with honesty, candor and a healthy dose of humor.

This Tues (October 18th) will be an interview with Jonathan Friesen, author of the ALA award-winning book, Jerk, California. Jerk is the story of a high school senior named Sam who just happens to have Tourette's Syndrome. It is a subject Jonathan knows from the inside out as he, too, was diagnosed with TS at the age of 19. Tune in tomorrow night and hear this fascinating interview.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

Big Stone Gap is the story trials and tribulations of Ave Maria Mulligan, a 30-something woman raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia who discovers her life and family are not what she thought they were.
Reminded me of the Mitford books with a small mountain town (dare I say "Hillbilly") sort of flavor.

Gentle humor, sweet romance, sassy women, kind and compassionate with a heroine called Ave Maria. What's not to like?

I do have to share my favorite passage in the book with you. Here goes:
"...I've made it my business to observe fathers and daughters. And I've seen some incredible things, beautiful things. Like the little girl who's not very cute--her teeth are funny, and her hair doesn't grow right, and she's got on thick glasses--but her father holds her hand and walks with her like she's a tiny angel that no one can touch. He gives her the best gift a woman can get in this world: protection. And the little girl learns to trust the man in her life. And all the things that the world expects from women--to be beautiful, to soothe the troubled spirit, heal the sick, care for the dying, send the greeting card, bake the cake--all of those things become the way we pay the father back for protecting us. It's a fair exchange..."

I like to think of myself as a strong, independent woman, but I gotta tell you, those words ring true in my heart.

Treat yourself to a sweet, funny story this fall. Get to know Ave Maria and all the quirky characters of Big Stone Gap, VA.

Cecil Murphey Talks About His Writer to Writer Blog