The Poetry of the Appalachias: Linda Dickert’s ‘The Mountains Belong to Me’

Cries of coyotes, the croak of frogs and chirping of crickets exemplify the concertos of the Smoky Mountains. I appreciate the age-worn rocks’ accommodating a waterfall’s endless challenge. I hear gospel songs, and I can see myself clogging to great blue grass harmonies.

Publisher: Ammons Communications
Publication Date: 6/3/2013
ISBN-13 (eBook): 9780989216968
Price: $4.00

All proceeds from this book will go to Spark Companions, a non-profit organization
that helps individuals unable to pay for vet bills.

 Linda Dickert’s collection of poetry and prose celebrates life in the Great Smoky Mountains. Her short essays, conversations, and inspirations draw from the happenings in the mountains of North Carolina, sharing with readers the spirit of the Appalachians and instilling an appreciation for the natural world and our responsibility to protect and cherish it. Dickert also gives readers an opportunity to reflect on their own environment and connection with nature.

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Linda Dickert was born in Asheville, North Carolina in a time when people loved the Smoky Mountains more for their healing powers than for their monetary gain through logging and deforestation. It was in the mountains that she fell in love with the magnificence of the Appalachians and its ability to cleanse the spirit. Her book “The Mountains Belong to Me” is a culmination of a lifetime of experiences and adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains. She now lives in Cullowhee, North Carolina with her husband, one dog, and three cats.

Praise for The Mountains Belong to Me

Such a great book…you feel the writer’s passion for her work…I’d like to applaud Linda Dickert because she makes the verses in the book come alive and sing out to the world. She creates pictures of delight, beauty, serenity and hope, as evidenced by the illustrations embedded in the collection…Truly amazing!     – Arianne Claire

Dickert manages to capture the wildlife and sense of freedom in the rugged outdoors…The Mountains contains poems of imagery and feeling…A very nice collection of poetry and memories.     – Joseph Spuckler

 

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Don’t miss out on Carol McConkie’s debut novel! Reader Reviews for ‘Fat Girl Fairy Boy’

Frieda Kunkelheimer knew she wasn’t welcome in the world from her earliest stirrings. She also knew she was big and ugly, as proclaimed by her grandmother on the day of her birth. Though Frieda Kunkelheimer later blossoms into a beautiful and successful Hollywood film star, it had been determined, even before birth, that she was unwanted and unloved.

En route to a film shoot, the embittered, aging actress known as Frie, and Robin, her phobic, gay makeup artist, survive a plane crash in the jungles of Central America only to be held hostage by El Salvadoran guerrillas. Their self-absorbed lives take a backseat to the events of their capture as a bizarre set of circumstances unfold and kindle courage, compassion, and forgiveness they never thought possible.

‘Fat Girl Fairy Boy’ is written in masterful prose, and filled with rich characters, McConkie mixes irony, humor, and pathos while weaving multifaceted storylines into a wildly entertaining adventure. Few experienced novelists fare as well as McConkie in this debut literary event.

ISBN-13 (eBook):  978-1-938568-19-0

Price: $4.99

Publisher:  Blue Star Books

Publication Date:  4/1/2013

See what readers are saying about the novel:

Wow, just wow! In a little over 200 pages, McConkie created not just one, but two, enormously well-developed and multi-dimensional characters . . . . Self-discovery, character growth, adventure, and survival . . . McConkie’s writing is one of the best I’ve read. She’s eloquent and descriptive in a slightly off-beat manner, but is at the same time succinct and straightforward.

– Kayla Sanchez, Thousand Lives Book Reviews

A book you can’t put down . . . The characters are very compelling and relatable,  you get attached to them within a few chapters into the book. You want to watch them succeed and triumph through their hardships. The book plays almost like a movie. . . . McConkie’s writing has humor mixed with darker undertones, keeping the read interesting and dramatic. . . . It is worth every second you put into it.

– Lauren Simonis

Fascinating characters. . . . very well written with realistic dialog and enticing descriptions.

– Nicole Poweleit

I was drawn into it. . . .The personal histories were very fun to live through, and I loved the cultural nuances. . . .What surprised me most was the character progression by the end. There was a lot of character development, and all of it was believable.

– Katie Cross

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AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING eBOOK RETAILERS!

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Explore the ups and downs of life in ‘Raging River: A Book of Dramatic Writings,’ by Terry Michelsen

Terry Michelsen’s ‘Raging River’ is a collection of dramatic personal writings inspired by the author’s professors at Western Carolina University. Each piece takes the reader on a poignant journey from themes of madness, through family, fear, loss, guilt, and awakening, and finally to change. Michelsen’s semi autobiographical work is a look into her story of survival amidst the fault of memory, the experience of trauma and transition, and the transformative power of truth.

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Terry Jean Wiemuth Michelsen moved to the mountains of western North Carolina from the suburbs of Chicago in 2001.  Michelsen holds a B.A. in English Literature, an M.A. in History, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in English/Professional Writing.  Her most treasured career was as Academic Advisor at Western Carolina University employing her intuitive skills as counselor and mentor to her students.  Her position was eliminated due to budget cuts which provided her with her most cherished opportunity to become a writer.

Michelsen’s publications include ‘Birds of Spirit,’ ‘Sweet Earth,’ ‘Raging River, ‘and ‘Soaring on Wings of Word.’  Her poetry has been published in ‘Mused Literary Review.’  Her historical scholarship was published in ‘Women Building Chicago 1790-1990’ (2001) edited by Schultz and Hast, and was cited in ‘Good Heart’s (2006) by Suellen Hoy.  Her book reviews on academic advising have been published in ‘NACADA.’  Also a painter, her paintings are displayed at galleries, bookstores, and festivals.

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AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING eBOOK RETAILERS!

(click on the logo to view product page and purchase)