My Family..............

L/R: Son Todd, Hubby Eric, Daughter Melanie, Me, Son Marty

Melanie's Daughter Molly and Son Kohl

I haven't written much so far about my family on the blog. I have enjoyed reading about others families and seeing pictures so I thought some of you might like to see my bunch, or at least part of them. This picture was made May 12, 2007 at my daughters wedding. If you notice I had Red Hair! Trust me after I saw these pictures, I wasted no time in returning to my natural brunette hair, Red hair does not become me! And yes, my daughter did remarry after her ordeal with Domestic Violence.

Todd is my first born. After graduating from high school he enlisted in the US Army where he spent 22 years until retiring in 2008. He drove a Multiple Launch Rocket System in the ground battle of Desert Storm. He also did a brief stint in the 82nd Airborne at Ft. Bragg, NC. The last several years of his career were spent as a Army Recruiter in Stillwater, OK. He still lives there.He and his wife Lori own three large day-care schools there called; The Renaissance Schools.http://www.renkids.com/ Todd has five children and got his first grandchild, Amy Susanne this past November. Yes, that does make me "great nana".

Marty is my middle child. He lives in Dickson,TN, just a few miles west of Nashville, on our old home place.This is the farm where our house burned on Feb. 28, 1986. He has built a beautiful home there and has his own Lumber Mill there also. He and his wife Courtney have two children. I was told not long ago by a neighbor of Marty's that if they could elect a Mayor in Yellow Creek,the little community where he lives, they would elect Marty! Makes a Moma proud!

Melanie, my baby and only daughter, you know the named after GWTW Melanie, also lives in the same town as her brother Marty. She has her own company which does Home Decorating and Party Planning. Most have read her story of DV and her efforts to help other survivors of DV. She is now married to Randy. She has the two children pictured above. Kohl gave the bride away and Molly was a flower girl.

My Hubby has two sons, David and Brian. Anna,Brian's daughter, is his only Grandchild. Both boys work off shore. David operates a humongous crane that retrieves sunken oil rigs from the Gulf of Mexico and Brian is a Commercial Diver that makes under water repairs to oil rigs. Both live in New Orleans.So now you know a little bit about my crew. I am very proud of all of them

By the way.........the DSL is Fixed ! Thank Goodness! I have to be real careful now.....the new port and new modem has made it so fast and so sensitive that if I'm not careful it will post comments twice or erase whole sentences.

DSL Trouble = A New Read !

I have been for the last two days experiencing DSL trouble! It stays down more than up! The tech was here for hours yesterday but the problem got worse...the phone is messed up too now! So NO post till this thing gets figured out! I've already lost one in the middle of it!
However.......I started a new book from the TBR stack ! I was aghast as they all screamed.....pick me, pick me ! I was feeling like I needed something from the
"DARK SIDE". You know, bad mood, NO DSL ! So I picked a dark side mystery I'd gotten as a Christmas gift,Penumbra by Carolyn Haines. This book is soooooo good! I sure hope she donates it as a giveaway! So since I'm UP for the moment( DSL) I better post this before I hear GOODBYE and all is lost ! If I'm not leaving comments for you......you now know why !

A Week of Sheer Amazement .........

Author Carolyn Haines

When I started this blog my intention was to help the visitors toThe Writers Porch discover new Authors and great reads they may not have heard about.I never thought that it might win Awards from other bloggers or gain attention from any of my favorite Authors. I gave no thought to the fact I might become a fanatic blog stalker,meet a world of new friends, literally from around the world.I think that my taste in books is very diverse and I have such a passion for the written word that I can successfully recommend a really awesome read for just about everyone. Well, maybe that's a stretch, but I am amazed at how many have taken my advice and been pleased after reading the book ! I don't really call myself a good reviewer as I am so afraid I may say too much and spoil the read. I try to give a short detail of the setting, contents and my reaction to the book. I will Not recommend a book that I will not buy and read myself. If I feel there might be something offensive I Will warn the potential reader. I'm not fond of strong language in books but I can look past it, if the story has my attention. It's not like I'm innocent of throwing out a few four letter words myself on occasion!

I don't know how many books fill the Library shelves........more than I care to count, both physically and economically! This is my second Library, the first having been destroyed in a house fire on February 28, 1986.


This blog thing has turned into a real joy for me, although other things around Swiftwater Farm are suffering some neglect. HA! You too, huh? My reading time has been cut in half and that pains me. The TBR stack is screaming my name!


Anyhoo.....This past week has been a week of sheer amazement to me where this blog is concerned! It being listed by my favorite Author Sharyn McCrumb as an interview forum. Receiving a e-mail from " Mockingbird" Author Charles J. Shields not only calling it "an excellent, excellent blog" but also offering his permission to post his beautiful piece " Let's Get Lost" ,as an exclusive!
This blog receiving four Awards this week from fellow bloggers!( TWO yesterday I've not yet got around to posting.)
It now has 18 Followers and has had 200 views from 12 countries in the past week.
Since I really just started doing serious posting in January, I think it's pretty amazing! I am just thrilled!

If you have viewed my profile, you know that I am making my first attempt at Novel writing. I started it in November and have what I feel are two chapters done.This book is NOT an attempt by me to become a published Author. It is my way of leaving an expression of my passion for the written word for my children, grandchildren and those that may come when I am long passed. A view of what I loved in my life.When I am done, I will publish it myself.

My true love is the books on the shelves in this room........the Authors whose hard work and passion brought them to print, whose characters have become beloved friends to me. I am truly a recluse at heart,these books allow me to be reclusive yet never alone. No matter my mood, I can pluck what I need to suit the mood from these shelves.My fear is that I will never live long enough to read all the books I want to read!

And so.........this blog is dedicated to all the Authors with the passion it takes to
home their craft and delight their readers!
I have decided that I might like this interview thing and so sent out a few invitations yesterday. I received great results. I will also be giving away some signed copies of their work.
I have no set plan or schedule as of yet but here's what's in the works........

North Carolina Author/Play write/Storyteller: Gary Neil Carden

Mississippi Delta Mystery Author: Carolyn Haines

Civil War Historical Fiction Author: Jessica James

I will be giving away a signed copy of Gary's book:" Mason Jars In the Flood"
Plus a DVD of his his live storytelling:" An Evening With Storyteller Gary Carden"
A DVD of his Play: " Prince of Dark Corners"

A signed copy of Jessica James' Civil War Love Story Novel: " Shades of Gray"

I will also be giving away signed books by Carolyn Haines. I have yet to learn how many or the titles. The above pictures are from my collection.

All the listed works are on my shelves and highly recommended ! Not a bad start eh? I thank them so much for their generosity, Also thanks to: Producer/Director
Neal Hutcheson of http://www.suckerpunchpictures.com/ for donating the DVD
of his film: "Prince of Dark Corners"

I have many other Authors in mind and will be sending out queries to them !
So we have much fun in store for the gracious visitors of The Writers Porch !!

An Exclusive From Author Charles J. Shields: Mockingbird, A Portrait of Harper Lee

Charles J. Shields has generously given this exclusive never before read piece to The Writers Porch ! We Are Honored To Be The First To Read It !

" LET'S GET LOST"

It happened somewhere as we were driving along Route 7 between Grenada and Greenwood, Mississippi.“You feel it?” I said to my wife. She nodded, smiling, and closed her eyes.

We were taking off, disappearing into the morning sunlight and the miles of cotton fields on either side of us. The road was just a flat ribbon of asphalt, a seam of black then and now. Time receded in the rear view mirror, too exhausted to keep up with us. We were feeling the thrill of answering the invitation that jazz trumpet player Chet Baker used to put to audiences, “Let’s get lost.”

“Lost” in the real sense wasn’t it exactly. We could find our place on the map if we needed to. But this back road that stubbornly turned away from the interstate was leading us to a place I’d been looking for, but couldn’t find. Maybe I’d been looking too hard for it.

People in the audiences I’d been speaking to on my book tour were looking for it, too. After I’d finish talking about my biography of Harper Lee, often someone would shyly approach me. If they weren’t holding a copy of my book, I could usually guess what they were going to ask.

“Have you been to where Harper Lee grew up?”

“Sure, several times.”

“Well, is it like she says it is in her novel? I’ve read it so many times! You know, old-fashioned— the real South?”

I knew they want me to say, yes, it’s the way you’re imagining it. Or better, it’s still the how Scout described it: “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.”

But it isn’t that way any longer. “No,” I’d say, “The town has changed. Everything has since then.”

My disappointed listener would nod in agreement. “Thanks. I didn’t think so.”

What they wanted wasn’t a glimpse of old, desperate South under the heel of the Great Depression, of course. It was a feeling. I had wanted it too as I drove through the South in pursuit of the spirit of To Kill a Mockingbird.

It had been so elusive. Always beckoning from an abandoned road I didn’t have time to explore, or suggested in the faded letters on a rusted sign.

But something was happening on Route 7 where the cotton fields were like green, inland seas. We were driving into it. You had to wait for it. It was just stillness.

“Look!” I said, as we slowed and crept into Greenwood. It was early, and the streets were deserted. A few young men were scratching with rakes at the grass in from of the city hall, but all else was quiet. The brick buildings, many more than a century old, were half in shadows.

We came to a stop and lowered the windows. “You know,” I whispered, not knowing why, “if you never wanted to be found, you could come here.”

She drew a breath. “Why, who would have thought…”

“What?”

She pointed to the storefront we’d stopped beside. The Mockingbird Café.

Charles J. Shields, lives in Barboursville, Virginia and is the author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee (Henry Holt, $25), a New York Times Best Seller.

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I NEVER DREAMED !

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR: SHARYN McCRUMB

I started reading SharynMcCrumb books about twenty years ago.

If you read this blog, you already know that I give her credit for my love affair with books set in Appalachia.

She is without a doubt, my all time favorite Author ! I have never had the honor of meeting Sharyn in person, though I have occasionally dreamed that one day she would do a signing near me and I would haul my collection of her books to it and get them all signed! Maybe even be lucky enough to get my picture taken with her! I have however communicated with her a few times via e-mail. This is the good part !!

Sharyn has a new book coming out later this year" FASTER PASTOR " and has added

THE WRITERS PORCH to the list of INTERVIEWS !

You heard me right......... I, ( can you believe it?) will be interviewing my favorite Author!

I'll be one of the first to review the new book ! Does this mean I will get a "First Edition" signed copy? OMG........ I just now realized that possibility!! I NEVER DREAMED this could happen to me, what a dream come true !

http://www.sharynmccrumb.com

Miss Caroline's Porch

This poem was written in honor of Miss Caroline................. 1895-1981



THE WRITERS PORCH


The porch its self was long and wide
the ceiling oh so high.............
a swing, a glider, two straight chairs
eight rockers side by side...........

Somewhere in the midst of these
a faded wing back chair.......
where the Mistress of the porch
held court...........
Her wisdom, she did share

On a daily basis they would come
to gather on her porch........
some read, some sang, some just
took notes................
while others taped her voice......

For she had achieved what they
had not.......books that were in print
her wisdom and experience...........
were the porch's
main event...............

Miss Caroline's writers porch is a memory........held so dear,
the sight of her can still be seen...sitting in her chair......
I've no doubt .....there are many , writers just like me.........
who dream of having their own porch
where writing reigns supreme..........

copyright 1991/2009 Carol Murdock
Cannot be copied without permission

A Superior Scribbler Award.....Me?

Imagine my surprise when I am casually stalking my blog roll victims,

go to visit Catherine at A Thousand Clapping Hands and discover I have been awarded THE SUPERIOR SCRIBBLER AWARD !! http://www.athousandclappinghands/

Thank you Catherine! I shall clap my hands a thousand times in gratitude!

Of course with every Bloggy Award, there are a few rules. They are:

* Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the Award on to 5 deserving bloggy friends.

*Each Superior Scribbler must link to the Author and name of the blog from whom you

received The Award.

*Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog and link to this post

http://www.scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com/2008/10/200-this-blings-for-youhtml

which explains the Award.

*Each blogger who wins the Superior Scribbler Award must visit the above link and add their name to the Mr. Linky List. That way we will be able to keep up to date on who receives this Prestigious Honor!

* Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on their blog.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO THESE 5 WINNERS ............................................................

Wil @ Reader Wil.. http://www.readerwil.blogspot.com/ Wil never fails to delight me with her pictures, videos and stories. Wil is located in the Netherlands but makes trips back to Australia

where her daughter and grandchildren live. She is a survivor of a concentration camp in WWII.

Katherine @ Smoky Mountain Cafe :http://www.smokymountaincafe.blogspot.com/

Katherine found a new home in my beloved Smokey Mountains when she fled New Orleans

during Katrina. Her Cajun and comfort food recipes and pictures have brought new life to my kitchen!

Susan @ 29 Black Street :http://www.29blackstreet.blogspot.com/

She lives in a seaside village in Nova Scotia in a beautiful house with the ' les gang'. She is a designer of extraordinary proportions and a deep thinker of life. I enjoy stalking Susan and the gang everyday.

Angelena@ Little Mountain House: http://www.littlemountainhouse.blogspot.com/

Angelena lives in the country in The Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virgina. Remember

John Denver's song " Country Roads "? Angelena writes about her life and her raising three sons along with interesting tidbits such as the making of Hot Dogs !

Stevie Wren @ a little birdie told me so: http://www.alittlebidietoldmeso.blogspot.com/

Stevie is a extremely talented artist and poet who provides for some entertaining reads along with updates on a Squirrel that has invaded her garage!

So there you are girls............... I hope you all accept and enjoy your fame as a Superior Scribbler!

My Unwanted Visitor

An unwanted visitor has descended upon me
I failed to keep him out
I have my squatters rights he says
when your bones start wearing out

There's no such thing as golden years
it's a rusty lie he states
if you manage to live long enough
it's me who lays in wait

I'll tap you on the shoulder
I'll pat you on the back
I'll sit upon your bended knees
I'll attack your hips and neck

There's one thing for certain
I'll be here until your gone
so pop a pill to ease your ills
while I make myself at home

copyright 2009 Carol Murdock

Domestic Violence--- A Rampant Disease

On August 27, 2007, The Tennessee Legislature's Family and Children's Committee called a special meeting to hear the testimony of the women pictured above concerning Domestic Violence and Judicial Corruption in the Family Court System of Tennessee.
Pictured left to right : Joni, Melanie(my daughter),Rosine, Susie, Danielle,Mary, Kay,Jinida, Me.

As I was cruising the blog yesterday, I came upon a blog post by a woman who had been asked to participate in a Meme about 10 honest things she'd never revealed about herself. One of the things she listed was that she had once been homeless after escaping a violent marriage.
It brought back a lot of memories.

Every Nine seconds in America, a woman is beaten or killed by her husband, ex-husband, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend. It is a rampant disease that is most often , kept hidden and untreated. Domestic Violence like Cancer, is no respecter of persons. It affects all social levels
of the American population. One of the women above is herself, an Attorney. Two of the women above were married to Medical Doctors. One was married to a Policeman. One to an Airline Pilot. One to an Engineer. All hold college degrees, one has two Masters. Except for me and Kay, all were involved in extremely Nasty Divorce/ Custody Wars in the Tennessee Family Court System that cost over $600.000.00 each! High profile divorce/custody cases are big business in the court system. They were all victims of Domestic Violence.

I was oblivious to this problem when my daughter's husband began to abuse her. I had never seen Domestic Violence in my family. I could not fathom why she did not just leave him ! My daughter was a very beautiful,educated, self confident young woman, why would she allow herself to be treated this way by anyone I asked? I can tell you this, being the parent of an abuse victim is hell on earth. I truly wanted to kill him! I had to pray constantly over the murder in my heart. My job was to protect my child, my only daughter, my baby girl and yet I was helpless ! Only she could make the choice to leave and she was petrified to do it! This went on for five years and two beautiful children were born. He would tell her he would kill her. He would tell her he would take her children from her. His family was wealthy and well connected in the court system, she believed she would lose. She did leave, thank God. The war that ensued after, lasted three years !
This is what I learned during those three years. This problem is in EVERY single state in America. The court systems in this country refuse to recognize and educate their Judges
about Domestic Violence ! Custody is for sale and goes to the highest bidder ! If you have the money, are willing to spend it, you can get what you want in the courtroom, even if you are a convicted felon drug dealer ! If you did not call the Police and report the abuse, the Judge will not believe your allegations.
I spent those three years educating myself about Domestic Violence by talking to heads of DV Groups, law enforcement officials, victims and mental health professionals. When women are abused, they usually don't tell anyone until it becomes severe and then they usually only tell someone close they trust not to revel their secret. Their self esteem becomes virtually non-existent.
They fear the repercussions of leaving more than the abuse. They fear for their life and the lives of their children if they leave. They DO NOT often report the abuse to law enforcement because they fear further abuse afterwards as a result. Escaping an abusive relationship requires courage that most abuse victims have had beaten out of them.
If you know someone who is a victim, continue to encourage them to leave but understand they are afraid. Tell them to keep a journal of every incident of abuse, date, time, and pictures if they can. Encourage them to seek counsel such as a Minister or Therapist who not only will keep it confidential but will have documented records that can be used in court. Ninety-five percent of Abusive Men fight for custody of the children if they have financial means. They see it as their last form of control over their victim. There are hundreds of Father's Rights Group who help with the cost. There are Attorneys who specialize in Father's Rights Custody Battles because they get kick backs from the state.

Now for the men readers...........................
I am not a man basher. I know there are wonderful husbands and fathers everywhere. There are many cases of Domestic Violence against men too but the percentage is less than Ten Percent of all cases. There are cases in which the father may truly be the best parent to raise the children, but not where there is Domestic Violence involved. Children raised in the midst of DV
often become adult abusers. Children in the custody of abusers tend to become the victim when the mother is no longer there to abuse. If you have time to volunteer......get involved with a Safe House, help victims see there is life after .
My daughter has formed a non-profit " Hope For New Beginnings" in her town and hopes to open an abuse safe house for women and their children by 2010.