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Publishing Saving our heritage one leaf, one book at a time  Why we publish... 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: http://www.spiritofappalachia.org/14.html 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 $12.95by 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 $21.95A 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 $21.95by 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 $20.00by 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 $20.00by 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  Seizing the Moment $19.95 by Jean Sutton Mincey & Etheree Burkett Chancellor (2008) Two women with years of experience in the art of cross-stitch and knowledge of the great outdoors have teamed together to share their expertise in a most unique way. Etheree Burkett Chancellor, nature photographer, "seizes the moment" by capturing 28 wildflowers of the Great Smokies with the camera, and then she and Jean Sutton Mincey, stitcher and quilter, have created designs of the wildflower photos, stitching in time the brilliant colors and shapes from the mountainsides of Appalachia so you can cross-stitch your own wildflower gardens. ISBN# 978-0-9815702-0-4  Tales from the Streets of Tampa $19.95by Russell Groover (2008) Tales from the Streets of Tampa is dedicated to the men and women of the Tampa Police Department, Past and Present. Author Russell Groover takes us through his years as a policeman...from walking the beat to retiring as a motorcycle cop in the Traffic Division of the Tampa Police Department in Florida. The book is full of stories, some funny, some touching, some almost unbelievable. 250 pages of behind the scenes adventures and everyday life of a policeman. Wonderful reading. ISBN: 978-0-9815702-1-1 Precious Memories of Graham County $19.95  by Louise Huscusson Stewart (2008) A descendent of the pioneers of Graham County, North Carolina, Lousie is a correspondent with the Graham Star Newspaper, who has interviewed over 100 members of the community since 2003. She lives in the house (c1899) in which she was born. She attends all the programs for and about the veterans of Graham County, and the celebrations of those whose descendants settled the area. The articles and stories within this book represent and honor the men and women who have made this country strong. ISBN: 978-0-15702-3-5  The Ladies of Madison Manor $14.95by Peggyann Ryan (2008) Meet the Ladies of Madison Manor...Their leader, Tess O'Leary always has the last word; Nell Fogarty, whose huge energy gobbles up people and news, and events; Mary Clare Mulvihill, has one foot on the planet, the other in the galaxies. Pegyann Ryan brings these characters alive through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl struggling to find her way in the Irish society of 1940's West Side Chicago. ISBN: 978-0-9815702-6-6  Cats Without Cages $19.95by Harold Sims (2008) The story of Catman2 and a most unique one-of-a-kind sanctuary for cats written from the heart of a man who has provided more than just a home for felines...he has devoted the rest of his life to their welfare. An inspiring account of a man who was determined to bring to life a dream of providing a real home without cages for as many cats as he could. rescue This story proves that you can achieve your most heartfelt desire if you put your mind to it. A "how-to" book in building a warm and inviting sanctuary for cats. ISBN: 978-0-9815702-5-9  Cherokee Mountain $14.95by Kirby A. Claphan (2008) “Cherokee Mountain” is a book Kirby Claphan has written to read to his children, and for you to read to your children. They are stories about events in his life, and since he thinks kids should hear stories that are simple and natural...he writes about what he holds dear. Growing up in a cotton mill community in Greenwood, South Carolina, Kirby lived four houses down from his grandparents who were of Native American descent. You might say they raised him because he was always there listening to their stories of the old times and how his great grandfather caught turtles, and hunted for possums and rabbits. A genuine message of the natural side of life. Fully illustrated in color by Doreyl Ammons Cain. ISBN: 978-0-9815702-2-4 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. |
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