Ah minna hoe!

"Ah minna hoe! Ah minna hoe!" 

Can you translate these mysterious words into everyday English? When you read  Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, you'll know just what it means! 

Then, to continue the adventures and revelations, read The Witches of Moonlight Ridge, and find out how the legend and tragedy of Alfred Noyes' poem, "The Highwayman," is linked to the 1950s Alabama backwoods.

You may also meet the three weird sisters who are rumored to haunt the mysterious place called Cat Bluff, situated high above Moonlight Ridge and the pleasant town called Eden.

And what about that dog?

The Witches of Moonlight Ridge

Halloween is almost here, and witches are out and about on Moonlight Ridge.

Check back for updates and publications news as the witching season draws near!

The Witches of Moonlight Ridge

a novel

Coming in October, 2016

Typing, typing, typing! 

Book Two is coming along with quite a few surprises! Spring is here, and we're having stormy weather, but I'm tucked away, with a nice cup of coffee and a view of the green woods outside my back door. The Witches of Moonlight Ridge continues the story of Lily Claire and her crazy cousin, Willie T., out in the 1950s Alabama woodlands they call home.

In Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, (St. Leonard's Field 2015) the intrepid pair discovered a treasure map, solved a mystery, executed a daring rescue, and saved the day! Now, Lily Claire and Willie T. are once again exploring Moonlight Ridge and finding themselves up to their eyeballs in strange and wondrous adventures.

I'll post news and updates here, as the witching season, autumn 2016 approaches, and publication of The Witches of Moonlight Ridge draws near.

You can visit Moonlight Ridge on Pinterest.
www.pinterest.com/rameyc/moonlight-ridge

Moonlighting With Marsupials

I recently had the pleasure of attending the first annual Local Authors' Book Signing Extravaganza at Bessemer Public Library in Bessemer, Alabama. What an enjoyable day it was!

Couldn't take a live marsupial into the library, so here I am with Pascal the Possum, from my extensive collection of possumables.

I'm looking forward to an exciting autumn season and all the fun holidays ahead of us. Now is a perfect time to get your copy of the newly issued edition of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, and get ready for the sequel, The Witches of Moonlight Ridge, full of surprises and coming soon!

Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge

"Willie T. and I were expert doodle bug catchers. But once you've caught a doodle bug, there's not much to do except look at it and say, "Yep, that's a doodle bug!" then put him back in his doodle bug hole. And ugly? Hesperolean abdominalis is a gruesome sight." - Lily Claire Nash

I'm pleased to announce that Book One of the Moonlight Ridge Series, Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge will be available very soon in the long awaited second edition: projected date, around the third week of April 2015! I'm so happy to share this news with all my readers, fans, and friends.

Watch for updates and announcements of book-signing locations and times.

It's almost doodle bug season!

The Page 69 Test

Marshall McLuhan, the guru of The Gutenberg Galaxy (1962), recommends that the browser turn to page 69 of any book and read it. If you like that page, buy the book. I applied the Page 69 test to my novel, and found that it works! Browse powerfully and read page 69!

                                Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge - page 69
                                                                       .

I woke up gradually, drifting in and out of sleep, the afternoon heat on me like a heavy wool blanket. My mouth was dry and I drowsily tried to remember the last time I’d had a drink of water.“Mama,” I mumbled, wanting to ask for a glass of water. But my lips barely moved and my voice didn’t work right because my mouth and throat were so dry.

My eyelids were heavy and hard to open, but finally I was able to focus my eyes on my mama. She was standing at the screen door with her back to me. She was talking to someone standing on the other side of the screen, and as I became fully awake I saw the uniform and heard the gravelly voice, and I recognized Clyde Tucker, the chief of police.

My mother’s hand was on the screen door, as if she intended to keep the tall, pot-bellied policeman out of her house.

“Well, Clyde, she’s been right there asleep in that chair all afternoon, right there where she is now,” Mama said.

Officer Clyde Tucker leaned a little to one side so he could get a better look at me, I guess. He looked right at me, his forehead wrinkled under the bill of his policeman’s cap.

“Don’t your sister have a little boy about that same age?” he asked, leaning a little further, his fat red face right up against the screen.

“My sister’s little boy is quarantined with the whooping cough! Clyde Tucker, don’t you come around here asking questions about our children! It sounds like you’ve got plenty to keep you busy without scaring our children to death. What in the world made you come here asking questions?”

*

Springtime Out On the Mountain

Oak Leaf Hydrangea on Moonlight Ridge

My Blood Kin

My cousin was named after our great-grandfather, William Theophilus Greenberry, who had been dead a long, long time when my cousin and I were born, and who had been a crazy man when he was alive. I don't know why, but it seems like our part of the country just breeds crazy people. We're from Moonlight Ridge, out on the mountain near a little town called Eden, Alabama.

Great Granddaddy W.T. Greenberry was a naturalist; he went on excursions, into the woods on Moonlight Ridge and all around Alabama, and wrote about leaves and weeds and flowers that he saw. He'd bring home specimens and try to get them to grow in his yard, and make up names for the ones he didn't know the names of. He perfectly loved a trillium! He always took a bottle of whiskey with him, and he always came home when the bottle was empty.

And Great Granddaddy W.T. Greenberry purely doted on possums!

Possum Love

Sleigh Bells and Ink Wells on Moonlight Ridge

Welcome to all the Blog Hoppers and visiters! In this joyous season of celebration, I'd personally like to celebrate all the wonderful books being written and the talented authors who write them!

Let me introduce myself: I'm Ramey Channell from Leeds, Alabama. My debut novel, Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, was published in 2010 by Chalet Publishers LLC.

Here I am with my book, the first in a series of four Moonlight Ridge novels.

I'm currently working on the next installment.
Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge is a work of fiction, based on remarkable real-life characters from my childhood and family history!
Filled with magic, music, laughter and a little touch of the supernatural,

it's a special story about two precocious children who take matters into their own hands,
solve a mystery, and save the day!

The next blogger after Moonlight Ridge is Leah Shalleda!

http://www.leahshelleda.com

Thanks so much to our sweet and talented Smoky Zeidel for all the work she did to pull this great idea together.

Autumn on Moonlight Ridge

Ramey and all the Moonlight Ridge Possums have been very busy during this changing of seasons. With speaking engagements, book signings, and book talks in Vestavia, at the Mountain Brook Emmett O'Neal Library, and with The Pensters of Fair Hope, Alabama, we have met so many sweet folks who are interested in the magic and music on Moonlight Ridge.

Hope to have pictures posted soon, and good news is just around the corner! The second volume in the chronicles of Moonlight Ridge is in the works! News about the upcoming sequel will be posted here.

Wishing everyone Happy Reading for the holidays!

The Songs of Moonlight Ridge

A few weeks back, I hosted a contest here on Moonlight Ridge. Originally, I asked three questions about some of the songs featured in Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, with a free copy of the book, like a carrot on a stick, to the first person to get all three answers!

Then, upon considering the possibilities of short-term memory loss and the possible unfairness of excluding those who had not yet read the book, I changed the rules (It's my contest, I can do that) so that anyone who left a comment was entered in the drawing for the free book.

Shelley who blogs at

http://bookfare.blogspot.com/

was the winner and has received her copy of SMOMR!

So, for anyone who may still be curious about the songs in question, here are the answers.

1- After chasing the hunting dogs, Rich Man and Poor Man, out of the house, what song did Great-granddaddy W.T. Greenberry sing to his marsupials?

Great Granddaddy W.T. sang Dona Nobis Pacem,
but in his version the words were "Oh, don't I know this possum?"

.

2 - What is the origin, title, or some of the words, of the strange song the children heard while they were in the woods near Grind Rock Spring?

Lily Clair and Willie T. heard somone singing Desdemona's Song, also known as Willow, Willow, from William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.
.

3 - What song did Willie T. sing when he was in the hole?

Willie T. sang Au Clair de la Lune, (to the tune of Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms) as it had been handed down from Paw Paw Jack Levert, a Cajun from South Alabama who played poker for a living and made homemade fiddles on the side.

So, as Heny Hope would say, there you have it. If you want to find out more about these, and other alluring tunes from the mountain, get yourself a copy of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, and join the fun!

Author Interview from Smoky Zeidel

SMOKY TALKS AUTHORS

It was my good fortune to be interviewed by Smoky Zeidel, an enormously talented writer and editor, on her website, Smoky Talks Authors. She is so easy to talk to, and such an interesting individual, she made the interview as easy as sweet potato pie!

Click the link beow to read the entire interview.

http://smokytalksauthors.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/a-talk-with-ramey-channell/

Music on the Mountain

Welcome to all my friends and talented writers from SheWrites, and to all the bloggers in The Blogger Ball #5.

To celebrate today, I'm giving away a signed copy of my debut novel, Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge. Below are 3 questions about the songs featured in my book, and everyone who gets all three (easy) questions right, will be entered in a drawing for the first free signed copy.

1- After chasing the hunting dogs, Rich Man and Poor Man, out of the house, what song did Great-granddaddy W.T. Greenberry sing to his marsupials?

2 - What is the origin, title, or some of the words, of the strange song the children heard while they were in the woods near Grind Rock Spring?

3 - What song did Willie T. sing when he was in the hole?

Place your answers in "Comments" for a chance to win a signed (and personalized) copy of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge. Everyone is eligible. I'll contact the winner for mailing address.

If you don't know the answers, ask somebody!

Here's the link to get back to 1st Books.

http://megwc.com/1stbooks/shewrites/

Sweet Music at Springville Road Library

This is your personal invitation to join us at the

Springville Road Regional Library

Sunday March 27th at 3:00 PM

for a special book program, discussion and booksigning.

Check out the announcement on the

Birmingham Public Library's Latest News, Reviews & Info

http://networkedblogs.com/eEZfM

Thanks to all my special friends and fans of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge.

I look forward to a fun afternoon with lots of smiling faces and maybe a few surprises.

Springtime on Moonlight Ridge

Goodness, y'all, it's March already! And in just a few weeks, I'll be inviting everyone for an afternoon program at Springville Road Library in Birmingham. I'll be there for a Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge event on Sunday, March 27 at 3:00 PM.

To check out the announcement, please visit Birmingham Public Library's Latest News at this address.

http://networkedblogs.com/eEZfM

Watch for updates as plans are finalized for this special event; there may be a few surprises as well as a surprise guest or two!

And I'll have a red calico Drunkard's Path Quilt, just like Lily Claire's, on display. The magic quilt fairies have been working overtime to help me get this treasure ready for our March 27th program.

Every time Lily Claire was tired, tearful, or had some serious thinking to do, she found the perfect retreat, on the sweet soft quilt her granny Rilla had given her.


I look forward to seeing everyone at the Springville Road Library for this afternoon of discussion, fun, laughter, and a celebration of good Alabama story-telling!

Merry Christmas From Moonlight Ridge

Christmas is coming

The possum's getting fat!

To order copies of

Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge

please contact me at
ramey2001@aol.com

Merry Christmas!

Woni's Wonderful Bookshelf

Saturday November 20th was a fun day in Sumiton, Alabama. I signed copies of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge at Woni's Bookshelf, met some very interesting and friendly book lovers, and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

Here, pictured left to right: Rick Watson, Woni Lawrence, Grace Smith and Jilda Watson. I'm seated in the middle. Dale Short made the photo and we're all looking at him!

Woni's Bookshelf is owned by Woni Lawrence and located at 140 Hull Road, Suite 2 in Sumiton, Alabama. There's always something going on at Woni's: writing classes, book talks, visits from door-to-door veggie salesmen, etc. And the book selection is awesome, along with intriguing and irresistable gifts of all kinds. New books, old books, gift items galore!

Book Review from Alabama Writers' Forum

Here we are, heading into the holidays, a perfect time for good books and good stories. Just out is a truly great review of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, posted on Alabama Writers' Forum's First Draft website. I was thrilled by the comprehensive description, and the way the reviewer identified with both the story and the characters. I just had to share this!

First Draft Reviews Online, Alabama Writers' Forum, November 2010
http://www.writersforum.org/

Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge
Reviewed by Perle Champion

In Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, Ramey Channell doesn't narrate as Lily Claire, she is Lily Claire.

For those of you who've had no children, and/or have forgotten what it's like to be one, buckle up. This is not a slow walk of a book. Lily Claire's breathless detailed telling of just about everything that happens in her small world is told as if it was the most important thing in all the world, and you should know it.

Channell steps into Lily Claire's very person and stays there throughout the entire book. You, the reader, are her confidant as she learns of ordinary heroes, and ponders the serendipity of life. You are privy to the secret world of a childhood whose freedom few have known and many today would envy.

Around the mysterious map to an imagined treasure she and Willie T. find in an unlikely place, she weaves her history and that of all the diverse and sometimes eccentric folks and topics that inform her world. All are treated with that light childish and non-judgmental matter-of-factness that is so refreshing and true to the nature of the very young.

There is no heavy hand here about the "Ku Kluxes' " quick-to-lynch mentality or the superstitious nature of rural peoples that make the white lies Willie T. and Lily Claire tell necessary. It's just plain necessary to protect the slow one and the black one in their midst, who are the most likely scapegoats for a crime that was no crime at all.

Channell has the sure cadence of a storyteller that is not only simple, sincere, and to the point, but it's part of the music. Is there music on Moonlight ridge? Yes, but it is not just played, sung, or spoken aloud. It exists in the steady pace of the story, the people, the laughter, the polysyllabic names, and the language.

Having lived in the south off and on for many years, I didn't need the handy glossary at the back of the book to tell me that "boocoos" means "lots." Just goes to show that being raised in the South is useful. This book was not just boocoos of fun to read, it is a gentle reminder of my own idyllic summers when every day held the promise of adventure, just like Lily Claire's.

Perle Champion is a freelance writer and artist.


Thanks so much, Perle, for this wonderful and greatly appreciated review!

Book Program with Castalia Literary Club

Tuesday, September 21st, it was my pleasure to meet with the ladies of the Castalia Literary Club. After an absolutely delicious and abundant lunch in the Family Life Center of the Leeds First United Methodist Church, I talked about how I came to write Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge, and the characters from my childhood who inspired me.

There were lots of questions, discussion and laughter after I read a chapter, Coming Into This World, which relates the surprising hi-jinks that took place the day the main characters, Lily Claire and Willie T. were born in the little town of Eden, Alabama. Several of the ladies present were so familiar with the rural mountain area near our hometown, which was the inspiration for Eden, we all felt like we were talking about our own childhood home. There were lots of shared memories and stories from the past.

There is truly nothng I like better than sharing a story that brings enjoyment, laughter and joy, and these sweet, gracious ladies were the perfect audience. And rest assured, there was ample discussion about the beloved possums of Moonlight Ridge!

Alabama Author's Debut Novel

What kind of music drifts across the mountain ridge above the tiny rural Alabama town of Eden, and what are the secrets hidden on the mountain paths, under the ancient trees, and under the mysterious moon of Moonlight Ridge?

Discover a family history filled with a legacy of curiosity, courage and delightful eccentricity, in a setting where the natural fauna and flora of the woods of Alabama create a wonderland for two unusual children.


Can you hear children's voices, singing and laughing as they dance beneath sweet gum, dogwood, and sycamore trees, with the gentle Alabama breeze murmuring leafy music around them?


















Wouldn't you like to see what these two precocious cousins see, hear the whispery secrets, and feel the ancient magic in the deep woods and on dusty red-dirt trails, as they look for answers and follow their hearts 'out on the mountain?'

All these secrets and mysteries come to life on the pages of

Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge.

Read it and discover an enchanted world you'll not soon forget.

Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge

ISBN 9780984083688

by

Ramey Channell

Published by Chalet Publishers LLC