Q. Where There's A Will is a book for kids, right? What's it about?

Where There's A Will is a collection of eight Blue Ridge stories for young people—primarily middle-school students—but some of the stories are appropriate for upper elementary and even high school. With accompanying study guides based on the Virginia 6th Grade Standards of Learning, these stories set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are perfect for classroom study, home schooling, or family discussions about the things in life that really matter. Rich in family values, Where There's A Will is a book for both the young and the young at heart.

From the 1770s through the 1950s and beyond, the young protagonists in Where There's A Will learn important lessons in life. Talent, teamwork, everyday miracles, and dreams that do indeed come true are some of the motifs in the stories.

In "Where There's a Will," young Will, who feels inferior to his older athletic brothers, learns that his artistic talent can help his family.

Imogene in "Insult to Injury" wants to be cowboy hero Roy Rogers but becomes a hero in her own right with a little help from her dog and her mule.

Twin brothers Tim and Jim in "Sharing the Load" learn that teamwork can help defeat a bully as well as help an ailing uncle on his farm.

Meg in "Little Meg Reddingoode" saves herself and her grandmother by using good sense.

Joey in "You Don't Ever Know" learns that appearances can be deceiving.

Bobby in "Spelldown" learns that winning isn't everything.

Sophie Draper in "You Ain't Buck Nekkid & You Got Enough to Eat" learns that the ones she envies actually envy her, and that she has miracles all around her.

John Forbes Webster in "Last Wish" learns that dreams can come true.

Because some stories are set in earlier times, educators and parents can use the settings as discussions for what life was like in the 1770s ("Little Meg Reddingoode"), the 1880s ("Last Wish"), the 1940s ("Sharing the Load"), and the 1950s "(Insult to Injury" and "You Ain't Buck Nekkid & You Got Enough to Eat").


Q. The stories in this book are prize winners, aren't they?


Yes, an earlier version of "Where There's a Will," was second in the 2001 Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest under the title "In the Shadow." "Insult to Injury" won the 2001 Wytheville Chautauqua Adult Short Story category. "Sharing the Load" was second in the 1997 Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest. "Little Meg Reddingoode" was third in the Christopher Newport Writers Conference Juvenile Fiction Contest. "You Don't Ever Know" was second in the 1998 Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest. "Spelldown" won the 1999 Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest. "You Ain't Buck Nekkid & You Got Enough to Eat" won the 1996 Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest and the 1997 Women in the Arts contest. "Last Wish" is the first chapter of my novel, Patches on the Same Quilt, which won the 2001 Smith Mountain Arts Council Fiction Contest.


Q. What kind of readers would enjoy this book?


Both young readers, their parents, and grandparents would enjoy Where There's A Will, but the study guides are geared toward upper elementary and middle school--with 6th grade SOLs written by Kay McGrath who teaches sixth grade at Madison Middle School in Roanoke. Two of the stories--"Insult to Injury" and "You Ain't Buck-Nekkid and You Got Enough to Eat"-- were originally in my collection for adults, The Girlw Who Raced Mules & Other Stories. "Last Wish," the first chapter of my novel Patches on the Same Quilt, was originally a short story for middle-schoolers. Readers who like stories set in earlier times will especially enjoy Where There's A Will. Settings for the stories range from the 1770s to the 1970s.

Charlotte Webb, a third grade teacher at Sontag Elementary in Franklin County contributed a study guide for the title story. An elementary study guide for the story "Spelldown" doesn't appear in the book but is posted on Ferrum College's AppLit site. That guide was done by Tammy Wood of Meadows of Dan.


Q. Where did you get the idea for your book?


I've always liked "old-timey" stories. When I was a kid, I used to beg my grandmother to tell me about "the old-timey days." Some of the story ideas come from things I've observed; others are pure imagination. I try to use universal themes--winning vs. losing, being embarrassed by a family member, wishing for something seemingly unattainable. All these are concerns that young people have.

Regarding the collection itself: I already had these stories, most of which were written for various writing contests, so I simply arranged them in order and included guides.


Q. Is any of the book based on real events? On real people?


Only "Little Meg Reddingoode," the Blue Ridge version of "Little Red Riding Hood" is based on a real event: the Revolutionary War. Bedford County had many Tory sympathizers. When I did some genealogical research about my Holland ancestors, I learned that a Peter Holland had once captured three Tories while he was on his way home from a party in the Hale's Ford area. While I don't mention Peter Holland, I do mention a real person--my great-great-great-great grandfather Joseph Martin was in the Powell Valley during the Revolutionary War. Captain (later Brigadier General) Martin was one of the unsung heroes of that war, due in part to his "marital irregularities." I descend from his second wife if you don't count the Indian wives, his fifth wife if you do count them.

I worked a bit about World War II and FDR into "Sharing the Load," and I mentioned a few real people and places--Roy Rogers, Roanoke's Rialto Theater, and the Roanoke city market in "Insult to Injury."

My cousin Hunter appeared on the cover.

Photo by jeff Reid

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