Something I love about writing a novel set in another era is that I get to mentally return to a simpler time. This doesn’t mean a perfect time, but only that the time was less complex in nature. Let’s take, for example, social media. Do you ever wonder what we did before social media? Oh, […]
Beth Bettencourt–The Idea
I discovered this painting (left) while working on my manuscript, working title: Beth Bettencourt. (I added the name next to it.) The book is set in 1962, during our time of Camelot, in my fictional Southern town of Bynum, Georgia. Bynum is not a real town but is based on my hometown of Sylvania, Georgia. […]
The Story Behind the Picture: Tel Hazor, Israel
by Eva Marie Everson On a crisp September morning in 2001, I stood beside my husband in the middle of 5th Avenue, New York City, as a plume of smoke rose to the south. We were both in shock; the morning’s events were beyond anything we could have imagined would happen to us during our […]
A Tribute to Lucinda Secrest McDowell
Dear Lucinda, Cindy. For years, whenever I drove through Thomasville (your hometown), I’d send a text message to you (later on, never while driving) saying, “Guess where I drove through today!” You’d know, of course. You’d answer back, “Thomasville!” The City of Roses had always been a connection for us, but it wasn’t our only […]
Cora Reads The Book
Eva Marie Everson On her twelfth birthday, Cora’s mother took her into her library, beautifully decorated with French provincial furniture and gold-embossed wallpaper, both which reflected in the polished flooring. She showed her oldest daughter the shelves of books kept dust-free by the beveled glass doors that, with the turn of a single brass key, […]
Dust: A Few Questions (for book clubs and private readers)
I’ve been asked to a few book clubs lately. We didn’t add book club questions at the back of “Dust,” but with the booking of so many clubs, I decided that I would come up with a few of my own. “Dust” is a complicated story (of sorts), which meant a few more than the […]
Spontaneous Creativity
The day had finally come, the day of my reckoning. The day my father had planned and paid for, my mother had fussed and prayed over, lighting her candles and repeating her promises to God. The day everyone said was the best day of the rest of my life. Married to Martin, the oldest son […]