A Lady from Blackfoot Just Made My Day

Sorry, as of late, I've been rather remiss in writing on this blog. I was waiting for the "just right" item to come along, something as special as Jamey's letter of gratitude from the Vietnam soldier in my last message.
Yesterday an e-mail from a young mother in Idaho provided exactly what I needed. The following is one of the nicest fan letters Ociee Nash has ever received.
Here it is:

"Thank you for writing the wonderful stories of Ociee and her family. Your books have brought great delight into our life. I first stumbled upon Ociee through netflix and the great movie "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" which my kids and I have greatly enjoyed. From there I went on Amazon and ordered your first three books of Ociee. What a delight!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have read your books with my seven year old daughter mostly before bedtime, while her two little brothers were already in bed. Reading about the life and adventures of your grandmother strengthened the bond between my daughter and me. We thoroughly enjoy your writing and Ociee. The kind spirit of Ociee provides a beautiful role model for my daughter. She loves reading and your books provide a wholesome, family friendly, and clean reading material for my child.
Last night we finished "The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash" and my daughter and I looked at each other sadly, saying "This is it. This is the last book."
Luckily I went on your website this morning and found out that you have two more books about Ociee and her family. I was so excited, I just about called my daughter at school to tell her the great news. We would love to order the last two books on Ociee from you! Please let me know how much they are and where to send the money.
I can't repeat how grateful I am for your writing and what a wonderful special bond Ociee helped create between my daughter and me. Thank you for your time and talent.
Have a great day!
Manu Hatch from Blackfoot, Idaho"

As I told this lovely young lady, my head is permanently swollen from such generous praise. It is support like this that keeps us writers happily typing away on our computers!
In closing, I sincerely thank my new friend Manu and her charming daughter, Hannah, for this email, as well as for the delightful ones that followed, along with the precious photographs of Hannah, her horse, AND her two little brothers.
By the way, Hannah, age 7, is working on a story of her own. It's about one of her farm animals, but I'll say no more . . . wouldn't want to give away her idea!

Merry Christmas to the Hatch Family and to all dedicated readers of every age. I hope everybody will get a new book or two as a gift this year.

Happy, Healthy New Year, Yawl from Ociee and her Grandgirl

An unexpected thank you note . . .

Yesterday I received the most surprising email. Seems a young man was looking for his father's hero who turned out to be-----are you ready? My husband Jamey!!!!
He found the man of my dreams through a search which connected him to Jamey's character in "The Adventures of Ociee Nash". The determined guy then wrote to me through my website asking, "Is your husband the Jamey Propst who went to the University of Alabama?"

Long story shortened, the fellow wanted to locate Jamey for his father Tom, who had long hoped to thank Jamey for saving his life. Yes, indeed! While my dear husband was serving in Vietnam, one job he had was assisting new arrivals with their assignments. Upon hearing Tom's warm Southern drawl, Jamey immediately recognized him from their ROTC days at the university. Apparently, Jamey had acquired some "Brownie Points" and was able to redirect his buddy's orders to a much safer spot down in South Vietnam.
Here 40+ years later, Tom plans to correspond with Jamey to extend a word of thanks. Can't wait for the two of them to chat.

Yet another benefit of writing books and my blog is reconnecting with folks from our past. THIS, however, was a very special such connection. Lt. Jamey Propst was reminded of something he'd been able to do for someone, oh so long ago. As his wife, it was especially nice to discover his ROTC buddy has been speaking kindly of my guy for more than four decades and counting!

I am mighty proud of my husband; retired banker, fabulous grandpa, great golfer, and now, "life-saver", at least, in the heart of one man's family. MMP

Yes, it was a GREAT time!

The Suwanee Festival of Books was one fantastic event! Some 100 authors spent this weekend sharing stories, teaching classes, sitting on panels, selling books, and simply chitchatting with gracious knows how many festival goers.

Yes, friends, I did fine with my talk and panel discussion, and managed to sell some books, too. But mostly I had a ball hobnobbing with the likes of Terry Kay, Jackie Cooper, Haywood Smith, Dale Kramer, Ed Putnam, John Wilsterman and Patti Callahan Henry, along with soon-to-be published, Renea Winchester.
I also got to meet Melinda Long, who wrote the fantastic picture book about the little boy who becomes a pirate (until bedtime). It's been a favorite with our grandsons. Melinda autographed her new one for Loftin and Emmett and they are thrilled.

I saw Spider Man, enjoyed lots of talented dancers and musicians, and met a gentleman who wore a fish on his head as he played the piano. Needless to say, there was something for every taste and shopping need: book-wise, food and product-wise!

The festival planners didn't overlook a single detail from welcoming and taking care of authors to providing two days of fun for everybody who attended this, Suwanee's inaugural "celebration of the book."

Surely hope to be back next year! MMP

Saturday

Saturday is the big day in Suwanee, Georgia. The Suwanee Festival of Books kicks off at 10:00 a.m. My friend Ed Putnam, author of "The Final Season", checked out the venue today. He tells me it's a perfectly wonderful place for a book event.
Besides, even the weather man is cooperating with festival planners. Just image, a coolish day in the Atlanta area in AUGUST. A miracle, for sure!

I plan to chill out with Ed in his tent for a while in the early part of the day, then drop by The Brown Bag Deli and go to the Barnes and Noble Book Marketplace where "Creola's Moonbeam" will be for sale. I plan to catch Haywood's talk and Patti's talk on the main stage at 11:30 and 12 prior to making my way to the children's stage to tell folks about Ociee Nash at 12:30 . . . hopefully meet a few fans, then I'll go to Olde Towne Tavern and Grill for our 1:30 panel. Whew, that's a busy schedule. Next, Terry Kay speaks at 2, a talk I couldn't miss! Lastly, dear friend J. Kershaw Cooper speaks at 5 o'clock. What a perfect end to our authors day.

Am I ready? Sorta. Tomorrow, I must pack up books, get some change for customers, and pick out an outfit. So far, I'm thinking something comfy.
Also, after 18 months of letting my hair turn silver, I caved in today and got it colored again. Why not? After all, Ociee Nash was a blond until the day she died (age 94). She'd approve, wouldn't she?

Hope to see you at Suwanee Town Center Park day after tomorrow. Milam

A puzzlement

I just opened my website to find some 374 "hits". This brings the question: either I have a crazed person who checks on my site every few minutes, or there are 300+ folks who are a tad curious, but a bit too shy to write to me. I never, but never, receive comments. Please understand it's perfectly fine to contact me; no purchase is necessary.
For now, however, I will remain content with the website's attention!

I've mentioned the Suwanee Festival of Books a couple of times and hope to see lotsa folks there on Saturday, August 28, especially when I'm on the Childrens Stage at 12:30. Now I've also been invited to sit on a panel at the Old Town Grill to discuss children's literature. That event will be at 1:30. I figure by mid afternoon, I'll be without much else to say!

Speaking of children, our two precious grandsons, Loftin and Emmett, are due here shortly, so I must step out of author mode into MyMy, the doting grandmother's shoes.

Let me hear from you! Milam

More excitement about Suwanee

I was chatting with Ed Putnam, author of "The Final Season" when he suggested I check out the website for the Suwanee Festival of Books. Weeelllll, guess I should have done so before now, because much to my surprise and delight, along with Terry Kay, are several other precious and talented author buddies.

Included with Ed Putnam are J. Kershaw Cooper, Haywood Smith, Patti Callahan Henry, Franklin Cox, and John Wilsterman. This is going to be one fun event. For me, it feels a bit like a family reunion!

So mark your calendars for that last week in August: Saturday, August 28 (10 a.m to 6 p.m.) and Sunday, August 29 (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at Suwanee Town Center Park. Do check out the festival's website. The organizers are offering many exciting things to do for book lovers of all ages including, of course, authors with a terrific selection of books, presentations by authors, along with art and music, games and yummy food. I, for one, cannot wait.

Please try to get to the Children's Stage on Saturday at 12:30 where I'll be blabbing about our Ociee girl! *See yawl in Suwanee.

Another Freebie

"Get Caught Reading at the Suwanee Festival of Books 2010"

There's a brand new book festival in the Atlanta area, and it's going to be a great one! The event is set for Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29.

I'm scheduled to speak at 12:30 Saturday on the Children's Stage. The address is Suwanee Town Center Park, 370 Buford Hwy NW. I truly hope to see you there! For complete details, kindly go to: suwaneefestivalofbooks.com.

Ociee Nash is continuing to receive lots of attention with the free KINDLE offer for "A Flower Blooms on Chartlotte Street"--------------AND she's very pleased! Hurry, however, the freebie only runs until August 12.

Signing off now; I'm looking forward to seeing Ociee fans in Suwanee that last weekend in August. Milam

Ociee is #5!!!!!

Things are popping for Ociee Nash this July 28 afternoon! Just hours after Kindle's offer was posted, "A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street" was #5 on the site's top 100 list. Naturally, Belle Books, Mercer Press, and this author are thrilled beyond words.

Even better, yours truly, "low-tech Milam" found the process simple to do. Please go to Kindle and type in the book's title. Voila, there she IS! AND FREE.

By the way, new reviews "want a sequel" so please tell your friends there are already FOUR sequels which we'd love to sell! MMP

OCIEE news!

I know, long time no hear. Sorry, but I was waiting to announce some reeeeeally great news!

"A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street", the first book in the Ociee Nash series, AND the one on which our movie, "The Adventures of Ociee Nash", is based, is available FOR FREE on Kindle now through August 8. Hurry!

This offer from Belle Books is intended to bring in new Ociee readers and drum up business for the other books in our series, "Ociee on Her Own", "The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash", Ociee and Ben Nash, the Asheville Adventure" and "Ociee Nash, the Finale."

Kindly help me tell folks about this lovely opportunity to meet my grandmother! Also please encourage your family and friends to go to my website Milam McGraw Propst.com to order books through me.
Having two publishers is complicated! So I'm standing by to answer any and all questions.
Lest you forget, I'm all too happy to SIGN, SELL, AND SHIP copies of ALL my books including "Creola's Moonbeam" and "It May Not Leave a Scar".

Again, the time is short for the free Charlotte Street; July 26-August 8.
Many thanks from Ociee's Granddaughter

Solution

A couple of new readers have alerted me to a bit of a problem. It seems that having two publishers is confusing to folks. So here are my thoughts on the subject.

Should you be interested either in discussing a book or books, or in purchasing copy/ies please e-mail me at milamwritesbooks@gmail.com. That way, I can answer your questions, discuss the stories, AND also sign and ship the books directly to you.
Say, if you live in Atlanta, I'll even deliver! Ha ha. Hmmmmm, maybe that's not a bad idea either.

Our grandsons, Loftin and Emmett are here, so I'm off to play Monopoly. Loftin, age 8, always beats me. Yesterday, I landed on his Boardwalk with four hotels and a house! Milam

Back to Work!

Jamey and I just got home from another fun, fun wedding. This one was in Highlands, N.C., not too terribly far from Ociee and Ben Nash's stomping grounds in Asheville. Yes, I did talk about my books to a couple of the wedding guests, because, believe it or not, they knew a little something about my work. Grin.

I've written on my Facebook page and am not terribly comfortable about this. I mentioned having a guest room closet overflowing with several hundred books for sale. Whether this is good marketing OR an invitation for bad guys to steal my identity, I know not for certain. Several people I trust, including my cousin Fred, tell me writing on Facebook can open folks up to all manner of problems.

That said, our son Jay Propst is now on Facebook, too, so I suppose we'll both be in duck soup should the harbingers of doom be right!
Would love to know what you think.

Gonna go unpack and do laundry now. Milam

St. Jude School

I had a ball with the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students at St. Judes last week. The children were receptive and very interested not only in our Ociee girl, but also in creative writing in general.

One enthusiastic English teacher, Cole Hansard, worked with his students in writing, illustrating, and even binding their very own books WITH marvelous covers. Yes, indeed, and very well done were their projects. I just wish I had enough time to read each and every one of their stories.

AND the media specialist, Eleonora Straub, along with teacher, Terri Marks, produced binders with their students which included chapters about their goals and ambitions, service projects, and marvelous autobiographies along with delightful family photographs.
*Mrs. Straub's son, David, is a particularly nice young man who assisted me during the afternoon session. Thank you, David.

Fun for me, too, was seeing some familiar faces, including Charley Pickel, the son of one of my husband's former co-workers. The charming young man approached me following my talk to his class and introduced himself as Walt's son. I loved seeing him.

Another delightful young lady, Emily Lennings, also greeted me and announced that she is in the midst of writing her own novel about her sister and herself, and her grandmother's cats. Shhhhh, please don't give away her plot.
***One of the best things about my job is meeting my future competition.

Putting all work aside for now, however, I wish a very Happy Memorial Day to you to and yours.
Hats off this day to our military heroes!

Milam

Wednesday

I'm pretty pumped about a talk, make that three talks, I'm to give on Wednesday, May 26. I've been invited to St. Jude the Apostle School to chat with the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students about my Ociee series. The children will have seen the film, "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" by the time we meet, so there will likely be lots of cool questions about making the movie.
What I enjoy most about these conversations is always what the young people have to say to me. So this promises to be an interesting day. If not, I'll have to do most of the talking and that would be rather BORING.

That being said, hats off to teachers who can not only open young minds, but also keep control of their classrooms! I tend to stimulate my audiences a tad too much, which is the very reason I write books and not teach school. Hold positive thoughts for me next week. PLEASE.

What I really plan to accomplish is to encourage the girls and boys of St. Jude to read, read, read AND to write, write, write . . . not only during the summer but all the time as well. Shhhhh, don't tell them.

Confession: if I have one major regret from my younger days, it's that I lost my childhood diary (it was pink and had a lock and key). I never again got back into the fine habit of chronicling my thoughts. How I wish I could remember oh so much that's lost in my now well cobwebbed mind! Therefore, my mission is for these young students to avoid making that dreadful mistake by jotting down things in their own journals.

Enough of my sermon, I must now gather some thoughts for my very important audience next week. Milam

Cute Ociee Story

Our 4-year-old neighbor Alice was watching "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" with her parents and two older sisters, Emma and Lucy.
Toward the conclusion of the movie, one of the characters says, "God bless you, Ociee Nash."
Hearing this, darlin' little Alice questioned, "Why did he say 'God bless you'? Ociee did NOT sneeze."

Tomorrow!

Just a quick howdy-do and a reminder of tomorrow's booksigning! Franklin Cox, talented author of "Lullabies for Lieutenants" and I will be signing our books this very Thursday, May 6, from 5 to 7 at Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia. The book store is located in a shopping center at the corner of Clairmont and North Decatur (2076 No. Decatur Road).
Please refer to my last blog for additional comments. I'm off to visit a school this lovely May morning.
Hope you will enjoy your day, Milam

About time, huh?!

We've recovered from our Authors Gathering-----AND from our grandson Emmett's 5th birthday party . . . well almost!

Yesterday, because Abigail and (our son) William's yard was totally destroyed when a massive 100-year old oak tree crashed to the ground last week, we had Emmett's "Prince" party at our place.

Jamey and I lost count of the number of guests who came to honor the adorable birthday boy. In addition to Emmett, who was all decked out in his golden crown and Prince Charming costume, there was a real honest-to-gosh prince who did magic tricks for the children, along with a jumpy-jump with a sliding board, turns in both Jamey's 1949 Ford pickup truck and on the new pool ride, and some last minute surprises including "fireworks." Thanks, Uncle Jay.

Big brother Loftin was appropriately costumed as the purple prince, while Mommy and Daddy came as queen and king! Many of the attendees also dressed for the occasion as the beyond enthusiastic Prince Emmett welcomed his fellow princes and princesses, a knight or two, and Robin Hood himself.

BUT I AM SUPPOSED to be writing about professional topics. Right? SOOOO, here's an important announcement about an event this week:

THURSDAY, MAY 6, FROM 5 TO 7, FRANKLIN COX, the popular author of "LULLABIES FOR LIEUTENANTS" and I will be signing books at EAGLE EYE BOOK SHOP IN DECATUR. Try to drop by. A terrific independent book store, it is located at the corner of Clairmont and North Decatur Road.

As information: George Scott of Eagle Eye, hosted one of the very first Atlanta book signings for Kathryn Stockett, the now most famous author of "The Help."
***On a personal note, I'll always be thankful to my cousin Kathleen Plucker for flying down from Indiana to visit her best friend and take us both to meet Kathryn speak that evening.

I need to sign off because the men are here to pick up the jumpy-jump. Hmmm, perhaps George, you should have a jumpy-jump delivered for our event? It's a crowd pleaser!

Hope to see some of you on Thursday, Milam

WOW!

Good evening. I'm writing without my glasses, so please try to overlook any typos. I'm still too excited about our party's success to sleep, and I don't want to awaken Jamey to look for them.

Well over 200 folks came to our Authors Gathering and Book Signing on Sunday, and, lo and behold, they bought a huge number of books written by Frank, Ed, Jackie, Sam, Marilynn and Susanne, John, and me.
The weather was puuuurrrfect and the azaleas splendid. My dear bridge club ladies and authors Marilynn Winston and Sam (his wife, Pat) Heys provided the most delicious goodies for our guests.

My friend Betty Ann sent a darling bouquet, while one of our daughter's friends, and author Frank Cox each brought flowers. Two couples arrived bringing champagne, while our beloved neighbors, Mary and Marvin contributed wine. It felt like a birthday party as much as it did a book gathering. THANK YOU, everybody!

As I told my friend Pam today, I must admit to a bit of a letdown now that the special day is over. HOWEVER, writing this blog is perking me up considerably.

Our son Jay and his music partner Summer entertained with some of their new compositions. Grin. Several in their audience had lovely compliments about this, the duo's second only performance.

In an emotional and most surprising moment, a courageous friend appeared. Battling cancer, the wonderfully gifted sculptress, sporting her very cute chemo wig, said, "I just wanted to be here."
I couldn't believe she was. What an amazingly brave women is Dale.

Also, a little girl with gorgeous eyes, my new friend, came to the party to meet me. Elizabeth had seen the movie, "The Adventures of Ociee Nash." So charmed was I by this precious girl, I told her I was doubly happy Ociee's best friend, Elizabeth Murphy carries "her" name.

My sincerest gratitude to all who came. It was a marvelous day! I'm going back to sleep now. Milam

Busy Week Ahead

Whew, I've been pulling up weeds and trimming bushes today to get ready for the Georgia Authors Gathering at our house on Sunday, April 18.
To repeat, here's who is scheduled to participate in our special event: Sam Heys, J. Kershaw Cooper, Jaclyn White, E.C. Putnam, John Wilsterman, Franklin Cox, Marilynn Winston and Susanne Katz.
Please let me know via e-mail if you want to come to the party and meet everyone: Milamwritesbooks@gmail.com

So why did I spend the day weeding? With 200+ folks coming, our house can't possibly hold everyone, so we're counting big time on entertaining both inside AND out. If this gorgeous weather will hold for eight more days, we're golden.

On Wednesday, my sweet husband Jamey will take over yard beautification while I drive over to Alabama to visit my children's old school, Our Lady of Sorrows, in Birmingham. OLS is hosting its first "Ultimate Authors Day" and has kindly invited me to speak to the 4th and 5th grades about my now five Ociee books. I understand many of the children have seen "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" so it will be fun to hear what they think about our film.

When speaking at schools, I often encourage the students to interview some older people and ask questions about their childhoods (what games they played, what they ate, how they dressed).
Once a darling little boy told me he knew someone REALLY old.
"Who might that be?" I asked, thinking of a great grandparent pushing 90.
The ten-year-old excitedly replied, "My Daddy! Daddy's real old. Back when he was little, there were only three channels on his TV!"
All the boy's classmates gasped.
"Three channels," I mused. "Guess what? My family was one of the first on our street to buy a TV. The programs were all black and white and the screen was 'this big.'" I positioned my fingers to demonstrate the tiny image.
The room went totally silent.
I may as well have said, "My dinosaur is tied up out back."

Best get back to work. It's dark now, so I've come inside to make nametags for the authors. I also need to gather my books and pre-sign a few. Thank goodness my friends have offered to bake goodies for the party; I couldn't handle much kitchen duty! Milam

It's Spring at last

Hi everyone, Happy Easter and best wishes for Passover, too.

My Jamey is outside happily working in the yard. The cherry trees are blooming here on Cherrywood Lane as the daffodils are already beginning to fade. Everything is turning green AT LAST; greener than normal due to all our winter rain. Feels like we Atlantans have been let out of our cages as everybody seems to be out wandering about like dazed bears after our winter naps.

Actually, I have nothing of note to say other than I hope you dear readers will have a lovely weekend and enjoy some well deserved weather. *This is said with sincere apologies to precious family, friends, and fans who are still cold and/or wet.

Please, yawl, come on down. We're waiting for you with a glass of sweet tea. Milam

Encouragement

I traveled to Birmingham last week to speak to Ascension School and to have my first official Book Release party at the home of Margaret and Charles Farrell.
*I first met Margaret when I asked her daughters, Debra and Teresa, to babysit our children. The cautious mother immediately raced over to our house to check me out. To her, I must have sounded like a crazed and desperate woman (three children under six!). Our cup of coffee became a life long friendship.

The party was delightful due to those who came by, to her wonderful refreshments, and to the entire Farrel family, who appeared in full force to offer its warmest hospitality. I gave a short talk, hugged old friends along with some new ones, and sold a good many Ociee books. Going to Birmingham IS going home for me.

Earlier that morning, I visited the precious school headed by another beloved friend, Jerrie Elliott. Soon to retire from Ascension, Jerrie plans to restart her painting career. And why not; her husband George is the amazing photographer I've mentioned several times in previous blogs.
In fact, the generous George Elliott donated a couple of his photographs to the event. One I gave to Margaret, of course; the second to Betty George, who'd driven all the way from Montgomery to attend. Thank you, Betty!

As a point of interest, Betty remarked about how many talented people are in my circle of Alabama friends, including painter Diane Shepherd, photographers George Elliott and Becky Crum, and fellow authors Barbara Bullock and Ruth Cook. Having surrounded myself with gifted AND supportive friends has always encouraged me in my own creative efforts.
I truly hope my writing will uplift the readers of this blog. Milam

The Eagle Has Landed!

Were you to drop by our house this March morning, I'd have to let you in through the garage. Why??? Because our front entry is totally blocked with 600 copies of "Ociee and Ben Nash, the Asheville Adventure" AND "Ociee Nash, the Finale." The twins have arrived!!!!!!!
FuzionPrint did a marvelous job with our two Ociees. Thank you, again and again, smart, talented, careful Brian C. Aubitz.

Monday afternoon, my Mercer publisher, Marc Jolley was having copies of "A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street" loaded into my Jeep. He commented, "This is about a third the number of new books you'll be receiving."
To which my concerned friend added, "Milam, you DO realize how many books that'll be, don't you?"
MARC, I DO NOW!!!!

There's also a box full of 1000 postcards featuring Ociee's photograph, which I'll be using for publicity. Eh gads. There are some mighty busy days ahead for this writer.

Attention volunteers---------any persons wanting to help find places to store the beautiful books are welcome. Better still, all customers wanting to purchase books, COME ON!!!!!!
Ociee is grinning and so am I. Milam

Happy St. Patrick's Day Yawl

Well, the luck of the Irish is certainly with Ociee and me on this, the day before the March 17th holiday. I just got word from Brian Aubitz at FuzionPrint that my books are flying south, and, best of all, he says they look TERRIFIC.

The shipment includes 1000 postcards which feature my grandmother's photograph . . . or the primary reason I wanted to write the last book. YES, friends, I wrote an entire novel so we could put the real Ociee Nash on the cover.

A word of warning, however, if you think she appears to be somewhat somber in the portrait, that's because posing with a serious expression on one's face was the custom in the late 1800's. For readers of the series, perhaps you will remember Ociee's lament that her mother's portrait wasn't smiling either. Like mother, like daughter, so they say.
As information, especially for history buffs, the photographic artist was J.E. France, whose studio was in Water Valley, Mississippi.

When I first came upon Ociee's long lost portrait, her image was so badly faded, it was only barely visible. Even so, my friends at Wolf Camera were able to bring her back to life! The first time I saw the enhanced image, I was struck by how similar my grandmother and my mother looked as little girls.

Maybe I should go outside and sit on the front porch, just in case the postman comes early tomorrow! MMP

Ociee's being printed TODAY!

Brian C. Aubitz, the world's most capable and patient printer, tells me we're on the homestretch with our two new books!
Last night he wrote that Book IV, "Ociee and Ben Nash, the Asheville Adventure" AND Book V, "Ociee Nash, the Finale" will be shipped to me by March 19!!!!!

My first "Book Release Party" is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, in Birmingham.

Here at home, Jamey and I are already busy readying things for our gigantic "Authors Gathering and Book Signing" on Sunday, April 18. As mentioned before, eight of my fellow Georgia authors will join in the fun that afternoon. In addition to a variety of book titles, we'll have live music and refreshments. The authors coming include J. Kershaw Cooper, Franklin Cox, Sam Heys, E. C. Putnam, Jaclyn Weldon White, John Wilsterman, Marilynn Winston and Susanne Cohn.

Our Ociee books look amazing, both have inviting covers, and a very nice paper choice and font. Please check them out on my website and see what you think of the real Ociee Nash.
As always, our home will become a bookstore as I begin to inundate our family and friends with Ociee announcements.

As information, Fuzion Print (Info@fuzionprint.com)will offer books for sale through their store in Minneapolis.

This time I'm also trying something a bit different. I've decided to mail books to readers, at least, I'm going to give that a try. A number of people have asked how to purchase autographed books if they live in other states. The only solution I could come up with was to sign and mail the books myself. We'll just have to see how this goes. Hopefully, I'll be so busy, our local post office will tell me to stop bringing in packages!

That's it for now. THINK OCIEE NASH! MMP

Ociee's on the last stretch!

Got word from the printer today . . . we'll have the final proofs of the two last Ociee books by week's end! I'm excited, of course, but kinda nervous, too. This is something akin to the week before one's baby arrives. And this time, it's gonna be twins! Well, not exactly; guess we could call the books "fraternal" twins.

As I've mentioned before, I'm especially thrilled about the cover for the final story. If you've read my blog, you may know that a few months ago I came upon a barely visible photograph of my grandmother, one I never knew existed. In it, Ociee is a little girl, perhaps 10-years-old. Sadly, the image was very unclear, almost ghostlike; but the magicians at Wolf Camera managed to bring her back to life!

Now, more than 110 years after the picture was taken, it will become the cover of Ociee Nash's fifth and final story.

About this, I am thrilled. Milam

P.S. There's something extra special about Ociee IV, too. THAT will have to wait until my next blog. Hint? Not yet! MMP

New DATE

OOOHHH NOOO!!!
The man of my dreams just reminded me that the final round of the Masters Golf Tournament is on the very Sunday I'd selected for our Authors Gathering. SOOOOOOOOO please correct your calendars to read:

Come one, come all! AUTHORS PARTY AND BOOK SIGNING: The PROPST'S HOME, SUNDAY, APRIL 18 from ONE til FIVE O'CLOCK

Scheduled to be part of our very special event are friends and fellow authors: Jaclyn Weldon White, J. Kershaw Cooper, E.C. Putnam, Franklin Cox, Sam Heys, and John Wilsterman.
Consider this as a mini-bookstore offering a variety of books featuring more than 25 titles. We hope to please every taste in reading for men and women, girls and boys.

More about our party is to come . . . Milam

Save the Date

Mark you calenders, we're having a party! Come one, come all . . .

Sunday, April 11, Jamey and I will host a gathering at our home for our Ociee girl. We're introducing her new books, the last two of the Ociee Nash series. My other novels will be available, too. We'll serve lemonade and light refreshments, well maybe we will!

Also, because I'm not one to call lots of attention to myself, we're inviting some fellow authors to sell their books, too. So far Jaclyn Weldon White and J. Kershaw Cooper have promised to join us. The gathering will start at 1 o'clock.

I do have one concern, however, that's how to collect money. For those who know me, that's always a dilemma; I'm a writer not a banker. Math terrifies me. Guess we'll simply ask our guests to bring cash and/or multiple checks for the various authors. Anyone have a suggestion for us?

Jamey's helping me by proofreading the galleys while I write this blog. How sweet is that! He just called to say he's found a typo. Gotta run . . . Milam

Decision Made!

The last two books in "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" series will come out SOON!
That's TWO books. After much angst, research, and study, I'm going with two 200-page stories, both of which are, this very minute, sailing through cyberspace to a fine young printer in Minnesota!

Brian Aubitz of Fuzion Print is one enthusiastic fellow. In fact, Brian tells me "we" can anticipate seeing the new covers in just a couple of weeks. ("We" being one Jamey Propst, my new business partner, in this two-book venture of ours.)

Here's the most exciting part of the project for me. The final cover will feature a recently discovered and restored photograph of my beloved grandmother as a little girl. Five books into her story, and I'd never seen her as a child!!!! More about this will be shared in future blogs.

Ociee's grinnin' grandgirl

New Idea

My new book or books will be out in April, if not sooner; and I'm looking for input from Ociee's loyal readers. This book/s will mark the conclusion of the Ociee Nash series. AND, da, da, DAAA, there's going to be a little surprise at the very end, an epilogue. Lots of folks have asked me about the "older Ociee" so this may answer some of your questions about my grandmother.

At present, I'm thinking about combining the last two Ociee novels (numbers 4 and 5) into one, a two-part book of some 400 pages. Whatcha think about that?

As always, I'll keep everyone posted on this blog. Anyone wanting a copy hot off the press, be sure to let me know. Milam

Kindle

I understand Kindle is quite a nice device for folks who want to read books electronically yet still enjoy having something to hold in their hands. So it is with great pleasure I announce the first two books in the Ociee series are available on Kindle: "A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street" and "Ociee on Her Own."

In case you missed it, our FILM, "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is available on Netflix. Jamey and I need to heed our son's advice and sign up for that good deal.

The above said, I'm sure my sainted grandmother's eyebrow is raised, and she's urging readers to go to Mercer University Press and order the first two books the old-fashioned way, and then go to Belle Books to order the most recent in the series: "The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash."
Ociee might also suggest checking out "Creola's Moonbeam" which, by the way, is a novel based loosely on her granddaughter's own real life experiences.

Now if all of this is completely confusing, just call me and come by. I've stockpiled everything in the guest room closet!

Happy reading or viewing or clicking or whatever is your pleasure. Milam

Tide Rolled and 2010 Brings New Ideas

Of course, we are delighted our beloved BAMA won the National Football Championship. However, as a mom, I'm sick about the University of Texas quarterback and his awful injury. It was worlds more fun to beat Florida. That said, I'm mighty happy for the University of Alabama and the players, and for the fans, the coaches, and for the proud parents of players, too.
By the way, congratulations to Joel Davis's parents Cynthia and Bill. Their son wrangled a last minute ticket to the game and added to his family's treasure trove of memories as lifelong Tide fans. *They are so crimson and white, we're still amazed Joel is Joel and not "BEAR" Davis.

We're finally beginning to thaw out from an ice and snow storm here in what was formerly referred to as Hotlanta. If you're staying inside like us, curl up and finish reading "The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash" because a new book is coming in the spring. I'm doing something different this time; the book will be 400 pages telling several stories in two parts.

If you're interested in coming to my release party, please let me know. I'm having several other authors as well so there will be reading material for every taste. Much more about the party and the book will appear here in the weeks to come. Right now, this writer has bunches of work to do.

Happy New Year, Milam