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?"

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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.
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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/

Contest Rules, They Are a'Changin'

Hey, y'all! Since it appears that we are struggling to remember the songs involved (!) I'm changing the rules of the contest. I can do that!.

Everyone who makes a comment on the Music on the Mountain post will be entered in the drawing for a free, autographed copy of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge.

.

So you guys stop running around in circles and scratching your heads. Just look at the three winsome pictures and say hi!

August 9, 2011

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

Shelley W.'s name was picked out of the hat by one of my possum friends, who was specifically trained to pick names out of hats in a non-discriminatory fashion!

Congratulations Shelley! Your signed copy of Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge will be on its way to you by Possum Express! Send me a message with your mailing address, and let me know if you'd like your website address displayed here.