Dear Friends and Readers,
Halloween is upon us and it is by far my favorite holiday. I don’t get a lot of trick or treaters anymore—I’ve scared too many children! I have a long, dark driveway bordered by cedar trees. I used to hide in the trees and jump out in a scary costume and send the kids running. The kids loved it, but the parents, not so much. So I no longer buy candy to give out. It’s better this way. The 8 dogs living with me get overwrought, so it’s good to be calm.
With pets being mentioned, if you have a black cat, please get him or her inside. People can be asshats to our furry black friends. I don’t get it, but a lot of people who would deny being superstitious are!
While I won’t be doling out candy, I will be participating in the Writerspace/Bookspace Halloween Bash tomorrow on the 29th. It’s a free event and my time slot is 6-7 p.m. Central time, along with several other authors. Come and join us. There will be giveaways and you can chat with some of your favorite authors. It’s always a fun mixture of folks on these celebrations. And goodness don’t we all deserve to have a glass of wine or a chocolate bar to celebrate the spooky season.
Come join the fun at bookspace.world – This is a FREE event with registration!
I’ve been watching horror movies all month long. It’s weird how comforting I find scary shows and movies. I know a few of you will understand this. Those who don’t like to be scared will just think we are weirdos. I’ve watched a few classics and some new things I found along the way.
Remember I have some spooky stories which I think you might like. THE DARKLING is set in Coden, AL and is about a family that takes in a young girl who turns out not to be what they expect.
And THE SEEKER is about a woman writing her doctorate thesis on Henry David Thoreau. She has a journal left to her by her deceased relative—who claims to be Thoreau’s lover. It is a creepy little story. This book was positively reviewed by the Thoreau Society. I figured they’d hate it, but they didn’t. They are lively readers of all fiction. Both e-books are .99 today!
Don’t forget the Pluto’s Snitch series, a supernatural detective series set in the 1920s’ South. I’m proud of all four books in the series and they are all now back in print. I want to write a fifth book in this series but I am just buried in work. If I am not writing Sarah Booth, I am promoting my books.
My little Pearl, my sister’s dog that came to me when Susan died, is not doing great. She is in kidney failure. We are fighting every day, but Pearl is 18. Susan rescued her off the mean streets of NYC. When Susan died, I had Pearl and some other pets transported down here to me and I have cared for them the past four years. She is a long-haired chihuahua and is very self-contained. I hate this so-called cycle of life. I just hate it. And yeah, I am whining. All of my pups are getting older now. As are the cats. (And me!) It is just too hard. But what can I do? Just endure it.
That’s all the news from South Alabama this time. Here’s a tune to celebrate the season, and Pearl’s birthright: Autumn in New York
Take a moment and enjoy what Priya has to say about her trip back on the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Until next time—Carolyn and the Critters
Dear Readers,
My sweetheart Jim introduced me to the music of Laufey last year. (Pronounced Lay-vay). With some reluctance, I went to see her concert film A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl at the theater. I had no clue how transfixed I would be for all 100 minutes. I quickly became obsessed with her music! This Grammy Award winner has brought jazz to a new generation and I am here for it. We knew we had to see her perform live sometime in the future. When the dates for her A Matter of Time tour were released, we noticed she would be playing in Nashville, TN this month. Now, that’s quite a bit of a drive, but we had also wanted to complete driving up the Natchez Trace and the Blues Trail that we didn’t get to finish last spring. So we decided to combine both things in the same trip!
Seeing Laufey in person made both of us incredibly giddy. The set design of the show was gorgeous and it paired fabulously with the theme of her tour. The artist herself was exquisite in all of her outfits as she danced and spoke and played up to the Nashville crowd. Best of all, she was masterful in her singing and stage presence and instrument playing. The only thorn in my side, and this is where I become a petulant old lady, but my only issue was the screeching teenagers who wouldn’t sit down. Then again, I’m to blame because I chose floor seats, totally forgetting the lack of stadium seating in those floor seats.. which means if the young folks in the rows in front of you stood up, you were blocked from viewing the stage. An eclipsed Laufey? Perish the thought. I’ve never gotten up and down from a chair MORE IN MY LIFE than at that concert, good gracious. Might have to get me a bottle of Osteo Bi-Flex now.
BUT– I’ll quit my whining because it was worth it and I scored some pretty cool merch before the show started. Now, if you care to humor a curmudgeon like me, do watch this video to get to know Laufey: Book Shopping with Laufey and then watch this one: More book shopping with Laufey. You watch those two short videos and you will become fond of her, I promise you.
Before we headed into that Bridgestone Arena, we checked out the Johnny Cash museum where we fought back tears at the end when they played a certain music video. We snagged a few souvenirs as we heard the song “Get Rhythm” in the giftshop which helped us get back in higher spirits. The weather was insanely perfect, cool and sunny and I was amazed at the groups of people drinking and singing their hearts out on these massive pedal-powered tavern bikes that cruise downtown Nashville with 80’s music blasting. Never have seen that before in my life! It’s nice to see people enjoy themselves. My sister Nikki said we had to visit The Parthenon at night, which we did, and it sure was pretty all lit up in the dark.
The next morning we drove down to the top of the Natchez Trace which was just as beautiful as the bottom portion. We made a stop to explore Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner. It’s a self-guided tour but the staff was happy to answer all of my questions. Faulkner’s wife Estelle had the BEST room in the house with that dreamy view of the trees in the backyard. And the grounds remind me of Carolyn’s farm which has a long trail leading up to the home. Plus, there’s a barn, a stable, and a garden. And of course I got a Rowan Oak tote bag and a bookmark from the giftshop.
The next few days were a mad dash adventure to capture photographs of all of the Blues Trail markers we wanted to visit. Unfortunately, some of the markers were stolen or taken down for repair. I was like a desperate madwoman calling around to get permission to visit the gravesite of Mississippi bluesman John Hurt. Access denied. We drove up a narrow rocky path only to get spooked by a treacherous sign that barked at us to KEEP OUT or else we might get shot at for trespassing. Trick or treat? Who knows, but it’s wrong for a gravesite to be off-limits to those who wish to grieve, but evidently the road leading up to his grave is considered private. Same deal with the gravesite of Blues guitar musician Willie Brown.
Here are some of the Blues Trail markers that we took a snapshot of.
I felt at such peace when we reached the B.B. King birthplace marker in Itta Bena, MS. We got there at dusk and it was so quiet and serene. It felt good to think of my favorite Bluesman as we stood on the ground near to where he was birthed to the world. He was a gift to society, all of that talent and storytelling and easygoing disposition despite a rough start. In the history of our peoples, it cannot be denied we were blessed to have gotten a B.B. That is a luxury we were afforded. And you know, I don’t own a record player, and maybe Santa will get me one if I’ve been good this year, but I felt compelled to procure one of B.B.’s vinyls at Cat Head, which is an awesome music store in Clarksdale, MS. Here’s some trivia.. Carolyn and I once perused this store a day after she sang at the Ground Zero Blues Club with her author friends.
Confession. I almost stole some cotton in Bolton, MS. We had passed by so many cotton fields bursting with giant blooms of cotton buds and they were calling my name. I was feeling antsy and wistful, because I wanted to get out and feel “the fabric of our lives”, but I kept quiet about it thinking Jim might think it was a silly reason to stop the car and use up our precious daylight time. But wait a minute, this was my vacation too! I piped up the moment we were in the middle of locating Charley Patton’s birthplace marker. I found me the perfect opportunity to jump out of the car since it was a super gravelly road where we were forced to travel at a snail’s place. And bonus– the cotton fields were easily accessible, so my dream came true. Oooo-eee, it was so much fun to touch them! The cotton plants themselves were delightful!
 The delectable bud of cotton I wanted |
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I had to fight HARD, this urge to steal a small sprig of the cotton. I really wanted to, I sure did. I couldn’t help myself but I was drawn in by this crop. The aesthetic, the problematic history, the reliance we have on it. How many crops have you seen in person that can produce a fiber?! Well, this wasn’t my cotton field– that’s what I told myself. So no, I didn’t end up plucking off a cotton bud as a keepsake. But it took me a few minutes hemmin’ and hawin’. Luckily, my Jim was patient and didn’t honk the horn at me to rush back.
One cool thing we did is put on podcasts in the car to hype us up for the next destination. We got to hear an interview with William Lester who is the Executive Director of the Dockery Farms Foundation. He lives right next door to Dockery Farms and is friendly and proud of his role, and he invites you to contact him at 662-719-1048 to meet with ya’ll and give tours and answer any questions you might have about this historical site. You do realize Charley Patton lived on this plantation! This spot is regarded by many as the birthplace of the Blues. We felt the historical legacy of this property in our bones. Could be the power of suggestion, or maybe it was in the buzz of the flies on that hot afternoon day or in the musty air of the cotton gin. Either way, we felt something.
Perhaps the most enchanting encounter we had was at Robert Johnson’s Blues Trail marker in Hazlehurst, MS. The 1925 train depot was closed when we arrived. But we lingered, admiring the train on display outside and breathing in the air on this special land. Suddenly, a woman appeared and waved her keys in the air, inviting us into the train station which also happens to contain the Mississippi Music Museum. Had we left just a minute prior, we would have missed out bigtime. If you find yourself in Hazlehurst, MS, you simply must meet Sandra Hall who is the co-chair of the local chamber of commerce that keeps this museum hopping. Sandra had observed us milling around while she was on her way to open up the museum, and she welcomed us in like family. She is the perfect representation of Southern hospitality, I adored her and we felt right at home in her company. She proudly showed us around and regaled us with interesting insights of the mysteriously intriguing Robert Johnson. We got a couple of things from the giftshop too!
All of us must keep the history of the Blues alive, so let’s do our due diligence. And please do visit this lovely museum at the train depot and ask for Sandra. She’ll point you in the right direction of all the things.
There’s so much more I want to say but I’ll spare you the novel and skip to one of my favorite highlights. THE PETRIFIED FOREST. The town of Flora, MS knows what’s up! Am totally in awe of petrified wood, I love looking at it, I love being near it, I love marveling it. The little hike we took around the curved pathways was exhilarating. You’ll be given a Trail Guide which helps you identify what you’re looking at as you walk throughout the forest. I encourage you to visit it and to also check out the attached museum and giftshop which contain all kinds of goodies. I’ll treasure my time in the Petrified Forest for years to come.
It was a jam-packed week of traveling and we were ready to call it quits on living out of a suitcase. There are only so many gnats out in the country that a gal like me can tolerate before I become unhinged, and trust me, these irritating gnats loved to flit around the inside of the windshield. It was challenging to shoo them out. Got some mosquito bites too, but it was a price tag we were happy to pay, for the privilege of getting to honor our favorite Blues legends. Man, I’d love to go back in time and see the Blues emerge for the first time over a hundred years ago.
But it’s 2025 now and I am but a simple lady who can neither sing a tune nor play an instrument. I am content to simply enjoy the music the Delta has produced. I write all of this, sitting in an air-conditioned room, something I am aware that Faulkner would have disapproved. (I learned this at Rowan Oak, that he hated air conditioning and refused to have it installed in his home).
 We bought a replica of a bag of Sonny Boy corn meal at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, AR. |
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And special shoutout to my momma who has an active social life and works full-time but still managed to whip up a homemade meal for us to enjoy after our long drive back. Mom feels badly for Jim because I run a vegetarian kitchen, so she’ll drop off meat-filled dishes for him about once a week. She’ll text him in the morning about there being a sausage biscuit and hash browns waiting for him at the front door. And one time at the movie theater, she brought him a bag filled with fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy. I was flabbergasted but Jim grinned big and munched on that Southern feast in the dark. He was happy as all get out.
Now I’ll have to make sure he don’t get his paws on the discounted Halloween candy. That boy sure does love his candies and chocolates, bless his heart. But that’s Jim for you, forever keeping dentists in business.
Warmly,
Priya