In 1995, Geraldine Queen of Tuckasegee
called, asking me to write the story of her son, Tony, who had been the victim
of local crimes leading to his death. At first I worried about achieving the
right way to tell the story; after all, my books were labeled historical
fiction. After much deliberation, and encouragement from my husband, Phil
Scopelite, editor of a magazine in Chicago at the time, I accepted. When the
manuscript was completed, I approached my publisher. The editor told me it would
be two years before the book would be on the market. This was unacceptable to
Geraldine and myself, so we set out to raise the funds to do it ourselves. The
first printing of the book almost sold out within four months of its published
date.
And so, the success of this endeavor whetted our
appetites—my sister's and mine. Visions of publishing the voices that otherwise
would never be heard flooded our minds. We would position ourselves to assist
others, at minimal cost, in getting the books they had within them out on
paper...and then provide the publishing knowledge we'd learned to get the
manuscript into book form...and another aspect of Catch the Spirit of
Appalachia's mission would be realized—to save our local heritage before our
knowledgeable elders were lost to us.
Just this month,
March 2006, Catch the Spirit has achieved another of it's long-term goals. We
have just established The Catch The Spirit of Appalachia Endowment Fund with the
North Carolina Community Foundation. All proceeds from the endowment each year
will go to support and publish writers, artists and craftspeople of Western
North Carolina. Thus the more people choose to donate toward this endowment, the
more books, the more support for arts and crafts. In other words, more books
such as those listed below will materialize in coming years. My heart sings!
—Amy Ammons
Garza
Note: To read more about the CSA Endowment, or to
donate, go to:
Description of Published Books in order of
publication date
CRIME STORY
I Am Somebody, The Story
of Tony Queen $11.95
(Ammons Communications, LTD, 1996)
In
March of 1994, at the age of 24, Tony Queen, a North Carolina mountain boy was
beaten and tortured, forced to endure a week of unspeakable pain and to perform
indecent acts beyond all reason. He was placed unconscious into a 2' x 4'
trailer closet and the door nailed shut. This account of Tony Queen's life (and
death) also has 15 interviews with those who knew him before and after his
tragic death at the hands of seven "friends." ISBN
#0-9651232-0-0
Songs of the Soul $5.00
Marie Jovich
(1988)
Book One: Marie’s talent surfaced when she became handicapped
and paralyzed. After a period of years, she learned to live with the frustration
of being completely immobile. She then acquired peace of mind. With the help of
others, Marie began to write inspirational poems--poems that rose out of heart
and soul. Marie caught the spirit from within without even leaving her bed.
Marie Jovich lived in Chicago, IL.This book was written to commemorate Chicago’s
St. George Church’s 85th Anniversary.
Gentle Breath $5.00
Marie Jovich
(1992)
Book Two: Inspirational poetry that speaks of a woman’s soul as
she lies in bed not able to move any muscle except her neck and head. The words
came into her mind, she repeated them over and over to memorize, and then her
companion wrote them down for her.
Beneath the Balsams
$10.00
Joy Phillips Hoyle
(1996)
Joy has written about her family and their way of life as she
knew it in the late 1940's and 1950's. As you read her stories and
poetry, you will meet a mountain family with close ties and values molded into
her at a young age and have remained with her through the years. "Life at the
old homeplace consisted of no electricity, nor indoor plumbing until several
years after I grew up. It was there, beneath the balsams, four miles
below the Blue Ridge Parkway, I learned the importance of hard work, discipline
and doing God's will in His green cathedral." ISBN
#0-9651232-1-9
Tales of Grandpa and Gum Branch
$15.00
Russell
Groover (1997)
As a young boy, Russell grew up in Liberty
County, Georgia in a little town called Gum Branch. He loved his grandpa;
he loved the humor and spirit of that generation. "I can still see the
spirit of the people who settled the area almost two hundred years ago in their
descendants—ambitious, honest, hard-working people who are the backbone of this
country. Over the years when I have felt that our nation has lost the
values that once made it great, I have returned here and seen that those
values are still alive and well, and I have realized that as long as small
communities like this survive, our country will also." A humorous,
fun-loving book, Tales of Grandpa and Bum Branch gives us entertainment at its
best. ISBN #0-9651232-2-7
Sleep with the Wolf; Walk with the
Bear $15.00
Carolyn Cheatham
(1998)
This is a true story of one Native American woman's spiritual
journey. As with many women reaching middle age, she felt as if she was
on the down hillside of her life, only to find herself on an upward climb to a
rebirth. "Sister Wolf, Brother Bear...lost in my shadow, I did not hear
your footsteps. Were you the whispers I heard in the night? Were you the
rustle in the trees? Have you been with me all my life?" ISBN
#0-951232-4-3
Bringing Home the Wedding
$24.95
Elisa Gaye Wagoner
(1998)
in the child of Elisa Gaye Wagoner, a
designer and manufacturer of clothing for the romantic poetic woman. This
book gives brides and grooms detailed instructions for a dream wedding on their
own terms and within their budget without stress. The handbook highlights
preparing the home and outdoor wedding site, self-catering, complete menus and
35 tested recipes, custom sew-it-yourself wedding accessories, a beautiful
wedding for under $2000 and more! ISBN #0-9651232-5-1
Handed
Down then Passed Around
$10.00
Joy Phillips Hoyle (1999)
In
this her second book, Joy continues as the little girl who grew up on the Beech
Flat at the head of Caney Fork in Jackson County. Within the pages of this book,
in the style of a mountain "Erma Bombeck" Joy is entertainingly sharing and
handing down her memories, her stories, her wisdom. It is up to you, the
reader, to pass it around. ISBN #0-951232-6-X
Appalachian Traditions
$15.00
lesa w. postell
(1999)
Mountain Ways
of Canning, Pickling & Drying—lesa w. postell is a mountain woman who has
chosen to keep the traditions of her people, living peacefully with nature in
the mountains of blue smoke. She says, "The stories and teachings of the
people of this region are still present, yet vaguely heard. I fear for
this great heritage, that this heritage may be lost forever. With this
book, I am doing my best to assure the preservation of a lifestyle and heritage
known by few in this modern world." ISBN
#0-9651232-7-8
Seeing
is Sometimes Believing
$6.95
A Story of the
Cherokee
Davada L. Long
(2001)
A
Native American boy, Tsa-Ni (Johnny), from the Great Smokey Mountains shares his
mountain home & grandparents with the book's audience. When Tsa-Ni's
grandfather becomes very ill and leaves home to recover, the grandfather tells
the boy he will watch over him while he is gone. This book illustrates
just how the grandfather accomplishes this, to the amazement of the young
Cherokee boy.
A Pinch from the Little Brown Jar
$15.00
Linda Owen
Vinson (2001)
Memories and Recipes
from the Mountain—Winner of hundreds of First Place blue ribbons for her
canning, baking, sewing, photography, arts and crafts, Linda Owen Vinson has
shaped her life with her own hands. Her rendition of life amid her
cooking represents a single mother doing the best she could for her children,
with definite handicaps other people may not have experienced. And in
among it all, she created "cathead" biscuits, green beans and 'taters, chicken
'n' dumpling, chicken pot pie, southern fired chicken, fluffy banana
pudding...and much more, all mixed with a pinch from the little brown jar.
Read the book and find out just what is in that little brown jar!
ISBN #0-9651232-9-4
Gold Dust $5.00
Marie Jovich
(2002)
Book Three: This volume of poetry is the harvest of Marie’s
contemplative prayer. Though confined to her bed, she has touched all who
read her work. She offers us her poetry as a way of bringing the Gospel
home to each one of our hearts in a way that nourishes our faith, inspires our
lives and connects us to one another. (Father Arturo Perez Rodriguez, St. George
Church.)
White Feather
$14.95
by Nancy McIntosh Pafford (2004)
The story of
the life and times of a young Cherokee woman and her courageous determination
before, during and after the Trail of Tears exile of the Cherokee People. Told
through the eyes of a sensitive storyteller, White Feather follows the
historical facts of the removal of the Cherokee in 1838, at the same time giving
the reader a view of the human experience by allowing us to participate. "White
Feather came over the mountains and rode the wind alongside me...giving me a
story to tell...her story."
ISBN
#0-9753023-0-2
Memories of Merritt Island
$19.95
by Gail Briggs Nolen
(2005)
Through
pictorial history beginning in the late 19th century, this book follows one
family’s journey from Germany to a new life homesteading in the isolated
wilderness and swampland of Merritt Island, Florida. Learn how the members of
this family were affected when their land and homes were taken by NASA to become
part of the Kennedy Space Center. ISBN #0-9753023-1-0
Sterlen, and a Mosaic of Mountain
Women $16.00
by Amy Ammons Garza
(2005)
Sterlen Galloway, the man whom Garza
writes about in this her third novel based on her family , is about a
musically gifted mountain man who has lived all of his forty-eight years in
the backwoods, visiting home after home carrying his banjo, his songs and his
stories. But then Sterlen meets Martha Ammons, Tom Ammons’ eldest daughter, and
love thrusts this man of music and song into the darkness of an abused woman’s
emotional pain. The book “Sterlen” continues to share authentic stories of the
Ammons and Owen families, plus lists their lineage in the back of the book.
ISBN 0-9753023-2-9
Catena
$19.95
by Calumet Region Writers
(2005)
The poems, essays, and fiction in the pages of
Catena lace together the experiences of all generations: love and loss, the joy
of friendship and family, the scars of abandonment, and the triumph of survival.
But art takes into account the routine and rumination of everyday life, too.
With seriousness and humor, these writers consider a drive into the city, the
sensations of fitness walking, an unexpected rival in love, and irritation at
the popular tendency to use nouns as verbs. The experiences are divergent and
individual, but the themes under which they unite are not. The voices we hear in
Catena speak for us all. ISBN #0-9753023-35100
The Life and Times of Mary Jane
Queen $10.00
by Mary Jane Queen
(2005)
This book with her artwork, her old photos, her stories, is
written entirely by Mary Jane. It’s as if you’re sitting there with her on the
porch being transported back in time. She tells it the way it was, with her
insights, humor and wonderful depth of memory. With ninety years behind her—of
living on the land, working with her hands, birthing and raising eight children,
making her own music—this woman of the mountains is an Appalachian heritage
treasure for Western North Carolina. She’s the true spirit of Appalachia!
ISBN #0-9753023-5-3
Cherokee Rose
$12.95
by Nancy McIntosh Pafford
(2006)
Cherokee Rose is the sequel to White Feather, who along
with her family, was taken from the mountains to walk the Trail of Tears,
eventually to return to her homeland years later. Cherokee Rose, great
granddaughter of White Feather, faces a similar trail as she, an orphan, learns
of her Cherokee Heritage, and in doing so, discovers a new destiny. ISBN
#978-0-9753023-5-4
The African Americans in Jackson
County $21.95 A Pictorical History — From Slavery to
Intergration
by Victoria A. Casey McDonald
(2006)
A pictorial history book featuring the African
Americans of Jackson County (pictures beginning in the 1700s) written by
Victoria A. Casey McDonald, Educator for Jackson County Schools. Included
within the book are her original collection of photographs with written
information that gives credence to this wonderful historical treasure never
before published. ISBN #978-0-9753023-6-1
Johnny, My Favorite Mouse $21.95
by Gail Nolen (2007)
Based on a true story, this hard back book tells of the adventures
Robert Andrew "Andy" Nolen enjoyed with his imaginary mice...Johnny
being his favorite. Gail Nolen relates the story from memories of her
son when he was four and five years old. Enjoy Johnny and Andy as they
go to school together, play in the mud, and attend church! ISBN
#978-0-9753023-7-8
Moving to Grahamtown $20.00
by Threatha Price Bennings
(2007)
Threatha has written the story of the community in which she grew
up—Grahamtown—(Forest City, NC). She has gathered together stories of
individuals, their struggles, their values, their skills and their
spirit of sharing and giving. Threatha writes: "Each story told is
true; the time period runs from 1923-1945. Times were difficult for
black people. Things were simple. Many people were poor and some did
not have book learning. We were finally free and our lives were
better...or so we thought." ISBN #978-0-9753023-8-5
Oneal's Memories $20.00
by Oneal Jenkins (2007)
Set in Graham County, Oneal ‘s Memories shares one woman’s history of
living into the 5th generation of mountain heritage. This is a story
that tells of how families lived in Western North Carolina in a time
when neighbors knew each other’s needs and went out of their way to
assist one another...it was a time when courtiers went “walking”
together.
ISBN# 978-0-9753023-9-2
For information
on publishing your own book, email Amy at v.ammons@mchsi.com.
For information
about writing your own book, go to Writing Workshops.
For
infomation about illustrating your own book, go to Art Workshops.
Ammons Communications
Publishers Imprint: Catch the Spirit of Appalachia,
Inc.
