You'll find that in-depth discussion on Carol Baldwin’s blog 
HERE 

Plus, when you click over to Carol's blog,
you can enter a giveaway. 

One lucky winner
will receive a FREE advance copy of 
Just Between Sam and Me.
Book giveaway ends 21 September 

btw.... Miss part 1 of our co-authoring convo with Carol Baldwin?

Visit my YouTube channel to catch us in a video convo
about how Rosie and I began our writing partnership. ​
​

Covid’s got us locked down and staying close to home. But imagination can take us anywhere. Are you up for a literary Photo Walk? All the way from summer’s green-drenched country roads in North Carolina to autumn tints in rural Missouri? 
 
Start your journey in Carolina with me to fetch the perfect cover art for my newest tale for tweens, Just Between Sam and Me, launching 2 December 2020. 

Then click over to Midwestern countryside for cowriter Rosie Russell's blog at the end of this post. She's got a sweet cover reveal video just for YOU.

btw...more book cover art fun for you with links at the end
... animated book cover vid from Auden Johnson in the Big Apple
... slow build reveals using images from Sandra Bennet from Down Under.
​

Cowriter Rosie Russell and I
virtual-brainstorm cover concepts for weeks
for our new book for 8 to 12-year olds.

We want the perfect image
to engage young readers. 

We nail our back cover quickly ...

​... but
​the front image remains elusive.

Eureka!!!!!
We finally find that consummate image!

Artist Irene A. Jahns is on it.

Days pass
until it's time for me to fetch Irene's cover rendering
at her family’s farm 
30 miles from my North Carolina home.
 
 Blazing heat and stifling humidity
on this summer morning.
​
AC cranked high in the car,
I speed along the highway 
until it siphons off onto two-lane roads
snaking between towering stands of kudzu that blot the sky. 

​
​
​Argh. 
Despite my trusty GPS,
​I miss the turn. 

I circle back
and bounce down the dirt lane
 to Irene in the farmhouse ahead.

​
We agree on a Covid safe-distancing spot
​ to talk and exchange the cover. 

Best.
Art Hand-off
​Location.
​EVER!

​​We sit opposite each other on pool chairs.
A third chair between us keeps us 6 feet apart.
​Irene spreads her drawing pencils and canvas
on the empty place between us.

Two black farm cats nose around to see what’s up.
After all, our titular SAM is an orange tabby.
​
Maybe those real cats sense a kindred spirit
​ with our fictional feline [wink].

​

​​As Irene and I discuss finishing touches,
art-challenged me watches 
​as she adds her last strokes. 

​I’m fascinated by the textured canvas.
It lovingly laps up Irene's watercolors.

Dabs of color here.
​
A few drops of water there
  from a kitchen water glass
swished onto her brush.

The cover comes to life before my life!
​
How does she do that?!?!?!? 

Half hour later,
the completed canvas drying and protected in my car,
I’m speeding home.
​
​Can’t wait to send Rosie a snapshot, 
and
deliver the canvas to our graphic designer, 
who will work her magic
turning Irene's watercolors into our cover. 

​
And we

​can’t wait

to show that finished cover to

YOU! 

Ready to continue your literary blog cruise?

Meet Rosie Russell next in Missouri
and catch her cover reveal video for 
Just Between Sam and Me

It will be a cool autumn afternoon when you arrive.
Rosie’s waiting for you on the front porch. 

Rumor has it
she may serve up
her famous country-fried steak
if you want to stay supper.
(It's our main character's fave meal)
​
Hope you enjoy our cover 
and
​Midwestern hospitality 
with Rosie Russell.

Click HERE
to continue your blog cruise. 

More Book Cover Art Journeys  

 My #Gr8Blogs writerly pals from around the globe have fab book cover stories, too. Check 'em out below! 

...   animated book cover creation vid from Auden Johnson in the Big Apple HERE
...  book image series builds cover excitement from Sandra Bennet from Down Under HERE

YOUR TURN
Are you art-challenged like me? To be honest, I was terrified I’d smear Irene’s watercolors before our graphic designer, Kayte, could work her magic to convert the original canvas into a high-resolution jpg cover. 
 
Or does drawing come naturally to you? Is painting or coloring-in a relaxing outlet for you, especially during Covid-19? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

​I thought I knew about co-authoring a children’s book when I started writing Just Between Sam and Me with Rosie Russell 17 months ago.

Hah! 

I learned a ton since we began collaborating on our tale for tweens. Co-authoring can be an exciting adventure. It can also be a nightmare if you don’t find the perfect writing partner as I was lucky to do with Rosie.

​
Join Rosie and me as we kick off a four-part series about cowriting in conversation with my fellow Tar Heel author, Carol Baldwin. This week, Carol talks with us in a video segment  about how we entered into our partnership ... a task more challenging because Rosie and I live 1,500 miles apart and met in person only once. 

We also share tips o Carol's blog after the video to ensure your writing collaboration succeeds before you write a sentence. 
​

​Hey, if you post a comment and drop your email on Carol’s blog, Rosie and I will send you a link to a free download of the first chapter of our new tale for tweens, Just Between Sam and Me. How cool is that! (offer ends 9 September 2020)
​
 

Ready to join us? 

Click below to Carol’s blog
for our convo about starting a co-authoring project.  

P. S. Come back 17 September to explore more in part 2 of this conversation.

​Rosie and I discuss how we manage nitty-gritty details of our collaboration 
– from collecting royalty taxes from authors living in different states
to file-sharing and writing roles
– and navigating bumps on the co-authoring road.  

Yep.
Another giveaway for one lucky winner, too.

See you in September!

Book nerd here. Freely admitting that books are my best friend, especially in a pandemic. Now more than ever, they help me cope and escape the headlines. To celebrate Book Lovers’ Day on 9 August in Coronaville, I channeled my covid-fueled frustration into a cringe-worthy new RAP – Really Awful Poem – about how books have been my lifeline in 2020.

Have a read, maybe a giggle or two, but only if you dare. It's really awful!

Hey, please be sure to scroll to the end for more bookish fun:

• watch this RAP in my first narrated YouTube video 
• find more ways to love books, from California to New Zealand and everywhere in between, with my awesome #Gr8Blog pals, who are also celebrating Book Lovers' Day

A Bibliophile's RAP (Really Awful Poem)
to Celebrate Book Lovers' Day
Covid 2020 Edition

by Cat Michaels
with deepest apologies to true poets everywhere

Covid’s got my head in a spin.
Makes me feel our world cannot win.
 
Everywhere I look –
Fright, anger and despair.
So I turn to books to escape outta there.

Nothing fancy.
Nothing deep.
Only pure escape is what I keep
​

Chick lit ...
   Beach reads ...
      Or light fantasy.
​Anything to make my heart
do a little dance-asy
 
Maybe even some happy-ending science-fiction!
Truly, anything gentle 
to take my mind off our global affliction.

Photo: Cat Michaels
​

​I might be on a sunny beach in Nantucket.
Or roaming English countryside, 
picking wildflowers with a bucket.
 
Doesn’t matter where.
just places Covid-free, please
for breaths of sweet germ-free air!
​

How I yearn to stand close,
with ease and no resistance.

And
​no more
virtual chats
or
bloody
social-distance!

Photo by Kamille Sampaio from Pexels

​Out of time.
Can’t think of more to rhyme.
​
So I’ll close and just say,
"Wretched Corona Virus, 

​you GO AWAY!”

But lastly, the most important part.
It comes with passion 
and straight from my heart.
​
To everyone, I plea:
Let's stick together 
and make this
wretched pandemic flee.
​
* Stay well 

* Spread kindness

​* Wear the mask

Masked Cat Michaels - Covid Summer, 2020

​For more Book Love RAP,
check out my YouTube channel below
to hear me narrate my Really Awful Poem.

(Please be kind.
It's my first RAP recording,
but you already know it's really awful, right [wink])

​

Even more book love for you ...
​

Carmela Dutra
How a chance encounter with a mystery novel
turns a book-hating teen into a bookworm

Julie Schooler
Three paradoxical takeaways
from Brene Brown’s self-help books​

Sandra Bennett
Characters in a book are like friends

Auden Johnson
Best horror tropes in books and movies

Rosie Russell
Fun facts, quiz and book giveaway

​

Your Turn
It's hard to stay upbeat in this marathon pandemic that's been going on for far to long.

​How are you staying positive during Covid? Are you reading more or less these days? What genre/kind of books do you prefer?  How might books help you cope? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

​Join the Fun * Join Cat's Readers' Room Team
​

​Click below 
to join Cat's Team
and download your free e-book today!

Rosie Russell and I have been working for weeks to come up with a knockout title for the children’s book we’re co-authoring for kids ages 8-12. Join us for an inside look at our quest as we announce our title in a one-of-a-kind video reveal.  (Think two authors attempting a video for the first time in a pandemic from 1,500 miles away.)
 
Plus, we have a bonus for you at the end of this post ...your exclusive FREE preview of our first chapter. It’s our way of saying THANKS for your company!

You’d think coming up with a title for a children’s book would be easy.  

Nope.  
 
My co-author Rosie Russell and I wanted something catchy to attract young readers in grades 4-6.  The title also had to hint at our story and characters without giving away too much.   
 
It was hard to move forward some days as the crush of pandemic fears blocked my creative mojo, but Rosie and I kept working in lockdown. As we polished our manuscript, we bounced titles back and forth in our respective writers’ rooms near Kansas City, Missouri, and Raleigh, North Carolina, from 1,500 miles/2,400 kilometers apart.
 
Our first choices were already used in other books or song titles. We kept searching. Brainstormed a list of nearly 100 possibilities. Used an online title generator. Asked our critique group and beta readers for suggestions.
 
After two months, we finally have a title that hits our sweet spots.
 
Rosie and I reveal our title in a 4-minute video.  (Yep, I'm in my glam shaggy quarantine hairstyle, so please be kind about my Covid styling -:D.)
​  

​Chapter Preview
​

As our way of saying THANKS!  .... 


Rosie and I are offering our readers an exclusive *free* preview of the first chapter of our book.  

You'll meet our characters named in the title (they might not be who you expect!) and explore their surroundings in Rosie’s corner of the world … the American Midwest.  
 
To get your complimentary Chapter 1 sneak peek, click the link below for your pdf download on ProlificWorks.  


Preview available only through 15 July 2020

*********************************************************
SPOILER ALERT!  
Stop reading this section and skip to the end if you want to be surprised
about the title and Chapter 1
*********************************************************

• What do you think of the title?  (Feel free to nom us for an Oscar for first film by clueless vid production authors <wink>).   
•  Did you suspect the identify of the titular Sam?  
  
• Was Sam who you imagined? 
  
• What do you think about what's going on just between Sam and the unidentified Me? 
  
• How was it for you exploring the book's settings in Rosie Russell's corner of the world? It's quite a change from mySweet T  settings on the North Carolina shore.
• Do you think the first chapter is enough of a hook to keep kids' turning the pages? ​

*********************************************************
 SPOILERS END HERE
*********************************************************

​Your Turn

I’m glued to the headlines these days but step away when the news gets too intense, which is every day.  My family, faith and writing keep me grounded.  And connecting with readers like YOU fuels my writing journey. Beyond grateful!

I'd love to know your reaction to the title and first chapter. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

How are you doing in Coronaville? Hub and I have been self-isolating since February when he came down with what we know was a common cold. After long months hunkering inside, our state’s stay-at-home mandate lifts. We decide it's time to explore.

Escape with me on a photo walk around beautiful Symphony Lake, home of the North Carolina Symphony's summer concerts. Some people have a higher risk tolerance for venturing into a pandemic. Not me. I share five ways to stay safe as you enjoy outdoor public spaces during Covid.
​

​1.  Know Before You Go
​

Keeping it 100 here: I am nervous heading beyond my home during a pandemic,
so I review recommended health precautions and scout nearby locations.  

Hub and I decide on the town park
​with a greenway that wraps around Symphony Lake.
​ It's just a 10-minute drive away.

​






​The park's 1.5-mi/2.4km greenway  
passes Covid-deserted office parks
and the outdoor amphitheater
​where the North Carolina Symphony
​normally performs its outdoor summer concerts. 
But not this pandemic season.

Hey,
how do you like my
Covid Chic style <wink>?

​We prepare for our trek with ... 
water bottles
masks
hats
comfy walking shoes
a dab of sunscreen
tissues

​Living in a metro area of 1.2-million stay-at-home-fatigued people,
we leave early on a weekday morning
to avoid crowds and ensure 6 feet of separation.  
If the parking lot is jumping,
​we’ll head home.  

Score!  

No crowds.  
Just a few other walkers, moms with kids in strollers and a sole fisherman. ​

​2.  Get Lost in the Moments

It is beyond wonderful 
to walk outside once more in warm sunshine
on a beautiful summer day!  

​Catch the sweet honeysuckle?

​​Or delicious scent
​of  those dainty white Silverberry (Elaeagnus) blooms?
​

The park's wildlife
miss seeing their humans.

The Mallard family waddles over to say hello.

Mama turtle waves a flipper as she climbs on her loggy perch.

Even a shy heron lets us get close.

3.  Delight in an Ordinary Day

Oops!  
​Watch your step!

​I hate goose poop,
but
​ I don’t mind it today. 
 
Reminds me of when I yelped a few naughty words
and hopped around droppings
​back in olden days BC - Before Corona.
​

4.  Chill

We talk for awhile,
but my sweet introverted Hub
needs some quiet time.
​
​I don't mind.

​I find my bliss ...

Stopping to capture moments of this glorious day with my phone.

Tuning in to sights and sounds of the natural world.
Yep, I still hear everything
despite earbuds
plugged into my John Grisham audiobook.   

Because I've missed being in nature during quarantine ..
​Everything is louder.
Everything looks more vibrant.

​
See (and hear) for yourself
in my Symphony Stroll video

5.  Repeat

Wow!  
We finish the greenway loop! in no time.
Tempted to stay longer, but we want to keep our visit short. 
​
Hop into the car and take off your gear.  
​There's hand sani in the unlikely event we touched anything evil.

Aren't you more energized? A wee bit lighter in your soul? 
Feeling like I can return to my writer's den
and polish the final manuscript
of my middle-grade tale in a heart-beat -:D.

Thanks for your company.
I'm ready to stroll again soon! 
​

Your Turn

I cannot wait 
for the day we can be in our fave outdoor places 
without fretting about Covid.  

Have you ventured out of your Coronaville boundaries?  
Where have you gone?  
What tips can you offer to make an adventure safe and fun? 
 Please share in the comment section.

I never imagined anything could be worse than living in a world gripped by a killer virus.
 
But I was wrong.
 
These past weeks have been a continuous loop playing out of horrific killings of black men in violent take-downs.  I am shaken to the core.  How many times do we have to say Enough!
 
I don’t want a world of hate and injustice.

I am not proud of a nation where peaceful protesters are pummeled by tear gas and rubber bullets.  

And I struggle … Me.  A middle-aged, white women from a middle-class family. Part of the #MeToo movement, so I know about harassment and abuse of power.  But I have never been denied or threatened because of the color of my skin.
 
How can I make a difference? What if I speak out and say something wrong?

My super power since fourth grade has been writing. So, I write.  
 
Sending my words into cyberspace that express my frustration and wish for a better tomorrow.
​
Sharing wisdom from one of my favorite American history teachers, my brother, Coach Steve. 

Praying our words are a first step for listening, understanding and joining with others to create a powerhouse for change.

Looking Up
by Cat Michaels

There is good in our world.
There is hope in our world.
There is kindness in our world.
 
But there also must be
justice and dignity 
for everyone in our world.
 
Let's keep looking up to find that goodness.  
Together.
 
Stamp out hatred.  Together.

Stop senseless violence against people
whose eyes have different shapes,
whose skin has darker hues. Together.

No finger-pointing.
No blame game.
​Work to change a nation. Together.
 
Now, please.  Together!
 
Gotta be NOW!

The second in our three-generation family of educators, my brother “Nunz” teaches history in a culturally diverse high school in an urban Connecticut city. He has also coached sports during his 30 years in education, working with kids of all ages, races, and socio-economic backgrounds.  I share his wisdom for these times, a good place to start.
​
​

Here For You
A White Person's Promise
​by Coach Steve
​

Your Turn

What can you do in your circle of influence to start the change?  
​Please share your positive thoughts for looking up in the comments.
​ 

We’re living the stuff of a science-fiction movie.  Cue the ominous sound track.

Deserted schools and highways.  Shuttered stores.  Empty grocery shelves.  An invisible enemy threatening millions across the globe.  

We want to the film to end and reset to normal. But the nightmare doesn’t go away after the credits roll.  
 
Fortunately, communities are joining together to find creative ways to support each other during this worldwide health crisis.  Ways we couldn’t even imagine BC (before Corona).  

Ways like a Neighborhood Chalk Walk.  

Come along with me on a springtime photo walk through my ‘hood in central North Carolina.   See how Socially Distant Sidewalk Art delivers hope and smiles to a quarantined community. 

Hey, be sure to click through to the YouTube link at the end of this post for more sights and sounds of a Neighborhood Chalk Walk that will lift your spirits.
​

How’s your stress level these days
​in our upside-down world?
​ ​

Mine is off the charts.  To be honest, it’s hard to concentrate on writing my adult fiction and editing my middle-grade tale, let alone deciding what's left in the pantry for breakfast.

I do my best to maintain balance and health.  Geez, I lost 3 pounds.  Time to indulge in more stress eating!?!  

I stick to a daily routine.  Seek creative outlets.  Find gratitude in small things (like toilet paper and cleaning supplies - enough for us but not hoarding).  Reach out to family and friends on Zoom and social media virtually or wave to neighbors over the fence.  

These tactics work during the day,
but my worries spin out at night.  
Bizarre dreams
keep me tossing and turning,
waking up tired and drained.
Sigh.
​

Like everyone else, I hunger for human contact.

My suburban neighborhood near Raleigh, North Carolina, came up with a brilliant solution for coming together during our state-wide Stay at Home Order.  Our social team, via private Facebook group, asked residents to chalk sidewalks in front of their homes with encouraging messages and images for everyone to enjoy.  
​​

Then the best part: 
sharing our creations with a stroll in the 'hood
 at safe distances from each other. 
​

Please imagine ...

A sunny spring day. 
 
Gentle temps and breezes tickling your face.

Carolina-blue skies warming your heart.  

Birds chirping. 
 
Cherry and redbud trees blooming their sweet buds off.
(We also have pesky yellow pine pollen everywhere,
but we ignore it
in the glory of being outside and together, even from 6-fee away.)
​

Ready to stroll with me?  

We'll find ...

​​

HOPE ...

​
​INSPIRATION ...

​JOY ...

​SMILES
​(there's always a joker in the crowd -:D)

Thanks for walking with me! 

That was just a taste of our chalking the walk.
To continue your happy escape ...

please click over to my YouTube video below.  

Find more sights and sounds
​on your Chalk Walk  
as a neighborhood 
brings hope, smiles, and more
to you and our quarantined community. 


​In the meantime ...

Stay Strong

Be Well

Keep Kind. 

We're gonna get through this together!
​

Please click over to my YouTube channel
​for more sights and sounds from a neighborhood Chalk Walk.

​YOUR TURN

I hope you’ll be inspired to find ways to bring your community together from safe distances, too.  Hang signs off the balcony or in windows.  Leave luminary or holiday lights glowing at night.  Please share your ideas in our comment section.  We need them!

Imagine ... a young girl trekking across uncharted wilderness with her family in search of a new home in a new land.  That's exactly the story author C.M. (Connie) Huddleston unfolds in her newest historical fiction for tweens, young adults, and even adults, Caintuck Lies Within My Soul: The Jemima Boone Story.

 Join me on a Cat's Corner Book Spotlight to .... 

• Preview Jemima's adventures that will captivate older students.
• Meet author C. M. Huddleston, who lives in a log cabin in Jemima Boone's beloved Kentucky countryside. How cool is that!
• Learn more about Connie and her unique connection to Kentucky in my author Q & As. 
• Read my review.

About the Book
​

Title: Caintuck Lies Within My Soul | Author: C.M. Huddleston | Publication Date: February 2020 | Publisher: Interpreting Times Past Press | Pages: 222 | Recommended Ages: 11-16

* Amazon US  |  Barnes and Noble *

​Caintuck Lies Within My Soul: The Jemima Boone Story is an historical biography that presents the story of Jemima Boone, Daniel's daughter. Written in novel form, C.M. Huddleston relates the story of Jemima's life, especially her dream of moving west of the Appalachian Mountains to live on America's first frontier. 

Set during America's Revolutionary War, Jemima's experiences west of the mountains include her capture by Indians and the 1778 siege of Boonesborough. Based on years of historical research, this historically accurate novel relates one of America's great adventure stories.

Author Interview
with Award-winning writer, C. M. (Connie) Huddleston

Cat:     What inspired you to write this book? 
CM:     Since I can remember, I had a great interest in Kentucky history, especially the early explorations. I have read more Daniel Boone bios than I can remember. I especially like Robert Morgan’s “Boone: A Biography.” Then a several years ago, I discovered few young Kentuckians know who Jemima Boone was! They hadn’t even heard the story of her kidnapping. So, I decided she would be my next protagonist. 

Cat:   I'm so impressed with your real-life connection to Jemima and that you live in a  log cabin!  Do you have other personal connections to Kentucky and pioneer women like Jemima Boone?  
CM:     I do!  Sukey Thomas Miller, my fourth-great-grandmother, was a Kentucky pioneer.  She dared to travel west for a new life beyond the Appalachians.

​Cat:     That is so cool that you can trace your family's roots.  What’s your next project?
CM:     Oh, heavens, can you tell me?  Right now, I have just finished the edits on a bio of James Stephens Bulloch, Theodore Roosevelt’s maternal grandfather. It will be released late in February at his former home in Roswell, Georgia. My brain has been tied up with these two projects. Perhaps in a month or so, I’ll know!
​

Cat:   ​How about another historical fiction for your next project, please?  What's your favorite book you read as a child?  Bet it's about an historic event.
CM:     For years, when I visited my grandmother, I read and re-read a book called The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert.

​This book tells a story of survival in post war Germany.

​I really don’t remember the story now, but I plan to re-read it soon, you see,  I now own that book once located in the upstairs bedroom of a house that holds so many great memories.

Cat:     Wow!  You have the original book from your childhood readings. Favorite genre to read OR last book you finished?
CM:     Historical fiction. I just finished The Last Letter from Juliet by Melanie Hudson. WOW! I could not stop reading, turning the page, and enjoying this fabulous story of a woman aviator of WWII. 

​Cat:    "Last Letter" is another book for my TBR stack.  Change of pace from history and writing here, Connie: If you could be be a Disney character, who would you be, and why?
CM:     I'd want to be like Uncle Remus (but not like the stereotyped character in the film).
​I love to tell stories as he did, and have been told I am good at it.

Cat:     I think you're a great storyteller, too -:D.  Hey, make us hungry. What’s your favorite dessert?
CM:     Anything with apples, apple pie, apple cake, apple tart with crème Anglaise, apple strudel, etc. 
​

Cat:    Yum!  Nothing like the smell of apples baking.  One last question... what else might readers like to know about you, Connie?
CM:     I started writing fiction late in life after careers as a teacher, archaeologist, and historic preservation consultant. I am now happily enjoying putting stories on paper. I especially enjoy the research needed to write good historical fiction. 

Cat:  I'm not surprised you love research and historical fiction, Connie.  And you're an archaeologist, too!  Your skills blend perfectly in Jemima's tale.  

We'll give you a short break from authoring after releasing two books this winter -:D   Thanks for stopping by Cat's Corner and sharing your newest tale.  All the best and happy tales!

My Review

The author's depth of knowledge and research are evident in this book.  Huddleston introduces readers to Daniel  Boone and his wife, Rebecca, early in their marriage as Jemima is born in 1762, the fourth of the couple’s ten children.  This section is written in a third-person point of view to lures readers into the setting and 18th-century time period. 
​

"Still small for her age, Jemima unfailingly did her chores, never complaining, as long as she had time to fish, hunt ginseng, and wander the surrounding hills.  She still begged her older brothers to teach her to shoot, but always out of her mother’s hearing.  Rebecca had promised her daughter that she could learn just as soon as she turned eight years old." *

As Jemima grows to adolescence and moves west with her family, the author reveals her protagonist in a captivating first-person voice, even hinting of a misdirected flirtation that will appeal to young adult readers.  
​

​"As Simon left our cabin, he pulled me outside for a private word.  “Jemima, while I applaud your brave actions comin’ to my aid today, I’d prefer you stayed safely out of harm, as I like my women alive when I court them.”

“I guess you better stay out of the way of Indians, then as I also prefer my beaus alive and in one piece," I stammered. “Besides, I was savin’ my Daddy, not your worthless hide,” I shouted.  

​Thinking I’d ended this conversation, I’d turned toward the cabin when Simon whirled me around and kissed my thoroughly.  That man did know how to kiss a girl." *

This transition to the main character's voice makes the passages feel as if Mima is talking directly to readers. It took awhile for me to get used to the dialogue written in old-timey dialect, but it gives the book a more authentic feel and does not distract.

Huddleston chronicles Mima through marriage, birth, and Indian scares.  I especially enjoyed the true-to-life scene with the family gathered round their patriarch, Daniel Boone, reading a  then-current book written about his accomplishments.

​I highly recommend Caintuck Lies Within My Soul: The Jemima Boone Story for older readers and young adults.   I can also see it used in the classroom for supplementary reading in a history course.  American History buffs will not be able to get enough of this tale, and they will be impressed by C. M. Huddleston's respect for research and accurate portrayal.
​

Excerpts: ​"Caintuck Lies Within My Soul," by C. M. Huddleston

About the Author

Connie M. Huddleston loved history and dreamed of writing a book even as a child. However, she got sidetracked. She became an Army wife, a mother, an elementary school teacher, an archaeologist, and an historic preservation consultant, before publishing her first book!  

In February 2019, she published her fourteenth and fifteenth volumes, all dealing with her first love, our nation’s past. Seven are fiction, five for children and two for YA/Adult, all under the name C.M. Huddleston. Her other works are histories for adults on a variety of subjects including four about President Theodore Roosevelt’s maternal family.

​Now a full time author, Connie resides in a log cabin near Crab Orchard, Kentucky, with her husband and their Australian Shepherd Katie. They all enjoy the quiet of rural Kentucky.

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How are you and yours in these wild times of Covid-19?
 
As an author, I usually don’t have trouble finding words, but this global pandemic is insane.  I struggle to stay upbeat and decide what to write to you.  Forced jolliness doesn't suit me.  Ditto with gloom and doom.  

Yet, I want to reach out and connect.  
 
That’s why I’m revealing very personal take-aways from my third week of self-isolating in the #Gr8Blogs Coping in Coronaville Blog Hop and share how a simple flower gives me hope.

Let's commiserate and encourage each other as humanity morphs into crisis. Please read on to find why I refuse to waste away in Coronaville.  Then find more ideas and inspiration from my #Gr8Blogs partners at the bottom of this post.
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​3 Weeks of Social Distancing and My New Normal

It’s our third week of social distancing  here in central North Carolina since Hub developed what we now know was a common cold.  We were alarmed at first.  It was early days for the US outbreak, so we didn’t know what to expect.  We self-quarantined, watching symptoms develop from six feet away.  I did my best to tamp down anxiety and stay hopeful, but I was scared.  
 
Fortunately, Hub never developed a cough or fever, and I never caught any of his symptoms.  <knocking on wood here>.

He and I are beyond blessed!  
 
We continue social-distancing despite being healthy.  It’s an easy adjustment since we both work from home.  We stick to our established schedules and have enough food and supplies.  

Hub works on projects and his third ginormous jigsaw puzzle.  I edit book drafts and send manuscripts for my middle-grade tale to beta readers.  To stay active, I work in my new garden and practice yoga from an app instead of the gym. 

​Fighting Despair
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TBH, I’m anxious about hovering at that age bracket, where we are advised to take extra precautions and stay home.  That’s why online grocery shopping has become our latest venture.  
 
It’s also why shaggy hair is my new normal after cancelling my monthly haircut appointment with Betsy.  She’s been styling my hair for 20 years and is near retirement age.  I worry about her and other small business owners trying to stay afloat.  I mail Betsy a check for the missed haircut just the same; it had been earmarked for her all along.

​I fret about the pandemic’s ripple effect.  I believe its fallout will be with us long after everyone recovers physically. Unprecedented layoffs. Kids depending on school lunches looking elsewhere for food, or, worse, going without. Sigh.

I watch newsfeeds of empty city streets juxtaposed against vacationers frolicking on beaches. It frustrates me that some people still don't get it, and more will die before reality sinks in.

I gasp seeing military convoys in Italy carrying bodies to final resting places because local officials cannot handle rising mortality rates.  

​I worry most about health care workers on the front lines, who don’t have adequate supplies or equipment to protect them. Having to choose between saving their patients or staying alive for their families is a choice no one should ever have to make.

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I Refuse to be Wasting Away in Coronaville

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​Whoa! 
 
See how easy it is slip down a dark hole of fear and despair! 
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Instead, I seek kindness and light.  

​Like schools providing lunches to kids despite shuttered classrooms.  

Distilleries crafting and giving away hand sanitizer instead of whiskey.  

Neighbors offering to fetch groceries for those at high risk.  
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Relatives gathering outside a nursing home window
to sing happy birthday to an elderly loved one quarantined inside.
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​I chill and take a cue from my garden.  
 
From my office window, I can see a beautiful Lenten Rose (Hellebore) resting in rich black soil. Transplanted from my former garden, it survived two winters in a plastic pot before a place was ready for its new home.
 
This perennial’s unique blush-pink double blooms dazzle and always bring a smile.
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So, from my garden for YOU ...

I'm sharing the aptly named

Lenten Rose
 
Lovely and reliable …
Tough as nails, bouncing back every winter
no matter what …
Lifts the heart on dark days ...

We all need more of a Lenten Rose spirit!
​(or you could say, "give 'em Hellebore" -:D)
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​You are in my heart. 

Be well.
 Stay strong.
Show kindness.
Keep connected.

We’re gonna get through this!
xxx,
Cat

Your Turn

These are unprecedented and distressing times. What are you doing to stay calm and sane?  Please share in the comment section.

But before you go ... click over to these #Gr8Blogs for more inspiration.