The weather has cooled off. It’s about ten degrees cooler today than yesterday. It feels pretty good, but I don’t like it much below 70degrees. Does it seem like I talk about the weather a lot? Well, I suppose I do. But it’s because the weather is a neutral topic. You know people don’t like to have you talk about politics, religion, etc. Here in the south, another topic of diversion in mom n’em. Yes, we like to talk about our mothers and especially our grandmothers. My grandmother, Dot Robinson Barnwell, is doing well at age 92.
As I may have mentioned before my grandma is a thrice published author. Her first two books were published in 1962 and 1965 respectively. The two novels are in the “young adult fiction” genre. Head Into The Wind’s main charater Toby is based on my grandfather George Barnwell. Its the coming of age story of a rural boy who is growing up on a cotton farm, orphaned at age 9. My grandfather was in fact orphaned at age 9. His mother, my great grandmother, Maggie Pettigrew Barnwell raised my granddad along with his two older brothers, Curry and Albert. They were actually tobacco farmers, as you can imagine, on a farm in Caswell County NC. Times were tough for them growing up and struggling through the Great Depression. Head Into The Wind was a minor best seller and gained my grandmother, an English teacher by profession, some fame locally.
My grandma’s second book is called Shadow On The Water. The main character in this book in a young girl named Cameron. It too is a coming of age story and addresses a lot of the internal and external struggles that an adolescent girl faces. Of course the book is considered “retro” now. The struggles my grandmother’s generation faced were somewhat milder in comparison to what I or those younger than me faced when we grew up. Nonetheless, the book has timeless elements and is a good, quick read if you have interest in NC authors.
Years From Home is my grandmother’s latest novel. It was published when she was ninety years old. It is a retrospective of her life. The characters in the book are her family members, including siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins…It is a cool book. My grandma got the inspiration for writing a third book from when I was a child. I used to stay with my grandparents on weekends and my grandma would always tell me a story at bedtime. But the stories were not made up fairy-tales, they were stories from her own childhood and youth. I loved hearing them , they were so interesting. Anyhow, I think anyone would enjoy reading this book. You can buy it from Amazon or Publish America.
The first two books are also available online from used book stores if you can find one. I have seen them online. They should also be in the library under local author section.
I been out a lot this week attempting to sell ads for 99blocks magazine. Its going pretty well and I am getting used to the pat excuses, rejections or ”no’s” from people. But I don’t take it as a permanent no, only a temporary no, which will turn into a “yes” with a little time and persistence. People are funny though, it seems they will tell you anything just to get rid of you. But I have to say the majority of business owners have been cordial and honest. Sometimes, I may get a bit disappointed when I have approached a business about buying advertising and they said they don’t do advertising, or they have no advertising budget, or their budget is used up for the year, etc, etc….. then later I will see that same business’s ad in another publication. Oh well, I can only do my part. I think with time people will be clamouring to get into 99blocks due to the fact that we can do the most for them. Just my opinion.
