It’s July. That means Small Town Girl is officially released. It’s always a banner day for a writer like me when a new book hits the market. Way back in 1978 when my first book was published in the general market as a mass market paperback, I expected to see it on every stand. I didn’t think about how many …
Fiction and Fun in St Louis – the Gateway to the West
St. Louis – the Gateway to The West. Some might say St. Louis was the second gateway to the west, because at one time the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky was considered the western gateway. In the frontier days, the western frontier kept getting just a little farther west all the time as the pioneers kept moving on in search of …
Raspberries in God’s Pantry
June 24, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Do you love raspberries? The kind that grow out in the fields. Aunt Love says those are part of God’s pantry. She also says that about asparagus and cabbage. That’s a shelf in His pantry I don’t care if I get anything off of. Yuck! People at church are always …
Meet Me in St Louis
One of the fun things about writing in the Christian market is the writer friends you get to meet. Here I am with Laura Frantz. Laura published her first book, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, a few years ago. She lives in Washington state but she has Ky roots and is published by the same company as I am. So she e-mailed …
Roses – the Language of Love and Thanks
“The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.” Roses, those most romantic of flowers! And so, of course, many of the flower stories you shared with me feature roses. My husband is a very romantic guy and hardly ever forgets Valentine’s Day or our anniversary. One year he sent me a dozen perfect red …
Eighteen Mile Binoculars and Other Mysteries
June 17, 1964 Jocie Brooke reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. How about this neat ad I found in an old comic book? The very thing I need if I’m going to keep an eye on what’s going on. The ad says you can see up to eighteen miles. I guess that’s if no buildings or trees get in the way. But …
A Father’s Day Flower Story
“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” Happy Father’s Day to all of you out there who are fathers or had a father. The picture is of my husband and our first child. My husband and I were both so young, but we were a family. I’ve always loved this picture. You …
Loving Flower Stories
Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons. – Kahlil Gibran My giveaway contest to celebrate Small Town Girl is going great. Entries are coming in from all over and you wouldn’t believe how many of us are out there who “never win.” One of those people will be winning those wind chimes …
Caught Eavesdropping
June 10, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Main Street, Hollyhill. This sign is awful. I took a picture of it to try to convince Dad to start a campaign in the Banner for new street signs. What will people passing through think of a town that has a rusty sign for Main Street? Most of the folks here don’t …
Celebration Giveaway Fun
Prizes can be fun and so can contests to celebrate new books. I got my first copies of Small Town Girl last week and first thing I thought about was giving some of those books away – along with an added prize or two. I like to tie in the contest with the book. You remember that lilac colored Grandmother’s Bible I …







