Della Spearman is a former journalist. Her work has appeared in newspapers in Detroit, San Antonia, Atlanta, and Dubuque, Iowa. She lives with her family in the Atlanta metropolitan area. She plans to attend Central Baptist Seminary in 2015. She is a Public Historian at the American Baptist Historical Society and loves to garden as a Master Gardener with the UGA Cooperative Extension Service.
From the farms and pastures of the north Georgia mountains, where pine trees grow in the brick red clay, the tradition of storytelling is alive and well. As rustic as a barbed wire fence, as homey as a light in the window, In the Pines is a collection of stories and poems told in the voice of a vanishing people. Funny, poignant, and reminiscent of events and personalities familiar to us all, you will come away feeling that someone in the book reminds you of a person you know. This is not a book about the magnolia and cotillion south, but about the lives of Appalachian people who lived a hardscrabble life at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains. So, take a journey into the lives of the Appalachian people and listen to the characters tell their stories of joys and struggles, and everyday life in the mountains, in the pines.
When Alex's father takes her to their favorite beach she brings a dandelion with her to make a special wish, but upon arrival she sees another little girl who might need the wish much more than she does..
In our nation, where once scholars roamed the halls of academia, we now have socialists, anarchists, and even avowed terrorists donning professor’s robes....Where people were once innocent until proven guilty, they are now found to be guilty, despite their innocence, by the prosecutorial mainstream media and in the court of public opinion....Where the anti-establishment of the 1960s and ‘70s have now become the establishment of the past three decades....Where once policemen and servicemen were revered and honored and criminals, thugs, and enemies were reviled and abhorred, now the reverse is true....Where we now have people who kneel during the playing of our national anthem, yet fewer and fewer people are kneeling in prayer in our houses of worship....Where once the Judeo-Christian principles on which our nation was founded were valued and protected, our principles are being demeaned and attacked. Is this not the world turned upside down?
Recollections of My Life of Santa Claus and Other Magical Adventures is the story of a small-town Santa Claus who eventually becomes an inductee into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. Tim shares his early beginnings as Santa and also recounts some of the magical adventures of his youth during the Christmas holidays. He also shares some of his favorite visits with children over the past four decades during his role of being the jolly old man in red. Other “Magical” Adventures covers Tim’s personal experiences meeting and working with an array of well-known people. His life takes him on an unbelievable journey where he is asked to help a man who spent the majority of his life working with the king of rock and roll. He also spent a couple of days with a well-known singer and songwriter who leaves his music career to become a politician. Tim becomes acquainted with an American hero who had an unbelievable secret of being the voice of one of Walt Disney’s most memorable characters. During his life, he becomes friends with the daughter of the world’s most famous clown when he discovers that she lives in his hometown. He also shares the stage with one of the greats in NASCAR during one of the most difficult times in the history of automobile racing. Tim has also been blessed to meet some of the greats in entertainment including one of the biggest comedic legends of all time, the biggest name in the world of magic, a well-known crooner and Broadway star, plus, he even meets the daughter of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas!
Growing up in a small Southern town can be a phenomenal experience for a young boy who has any measure of curiosity and imagination. Whimsical tales of youthful frolic and childish nonsense provide a jovial flair to memories of yesteryear. But when a shameful secret of monumental magnitude rears its’ ugly head and penetrates the soul of a young man, it causes him to wonder who he really is; and, if who his very own father claimed to be was, in fact, reality. In “60 Cents”, Brad Hulsey’s life journey takes you through a myriad of high and low moments that exemplify the triumphs, struggles and realities that all humankind faces. Brad’s startling revelations and long-sought-after redemption and reconciliation stir a multitude of feelings and emotions that, ultimately, lead to new-found self-recognition and eventual forgiveness for the sins of the father – and the grandfathers.
This collection of stories occurred in the area of Stamp Creek and Sutallee of Cherokee County, Georgia from around 1830 until 1950. They present a picture of survival that was dependent on the determination of those who lived in the area. The reader will enjoy stories of Government Bureaucrats having acted in a way contrary to what was authorized by congress, Al Capone’s alluded to contacts in the area, and an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch that dealt with Illegal Whiskey sales, among many other interesting tales.
