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By Sheryl James. 2013
Over the course of its history, the state of Michigan has produced its share of folktales and lore. Many are…
familiar with the Ojibwa legend of Sleeping Bear Dunes, and most have heard a yarn or two told of Michigan's herculean lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. But what about Detroit's Nain Rouge, the red-eyed imp they say bedeviled the city's earliest residents? Or Le Griffon, the Great Lakes' original ghost ship that some believe haunts the waters to this day? Or the Bloodstoppers, Upper Peninsula folk who've been known to halt a wound's bleeding with a simple touch thanks to their magic healing powers? In Michigan Legends, Sheryl James collects these and more stories of the legendary people, events, and places from Michigan's real and imaginary past. Set in a range of historical time periods and locales as well as featuring a collage of ethnic traditions--including Native American, French, English, African American, and Finnish--these tales are a vivid sample of the state's rich cultural heritage. This book will appeal to all Michiganders and anyone else interested in good folktales, myths, legends, or lore.By Walter Fulcher. 1940
The folklore of Texas' Big Bend region was still in the making during Walter Fulcher's lifetime. Born in Lampasas County…
in 1887, he worked on the Martin Ranch near Sheffield when a young man. There he witnessed events in the last outlaw activities of the Black Jack Ketchum gang. He also listened to legends told almost as gossip, and some of the legendary figures were still alive—or said to be alive, usually in hiding. In every village there was sure to be some ancient with a good memory and a better imagination, and Walter Fulcher heard many versions of many tales. He has set them down as he heard them, as simple folk tales that reflect the color of a wild and vivid country in 400 years of its settlement.By Daniel W. Patterson. 2000
On a wintry night in 1831, a man named Charlie Silver was murdered with an axe and his body burned…
in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. His young wife, Frankie Silver, was tried and hanged for the crime. In later years people claimed that a tree growing near the ruins of the old cabin was cursed--that anyone who climbed into it would be unable to get out. Daniel Patterson uses this "accurst" tree as a metaphor for the grip the story of the murder has had on the imaginations of the local community, the wider world, and the noted Appalachian traditional singer and storyteller Bobby McMillon.For nearly 170 years, the memory of Frankie Silver has been kept alive by a ballad and local legends and by the news accounts, fiction, plays, and other works they inspired. Weaving Bobby McMillon's personal story--how and why he became a taleteller and what this story means to him--into an investigation of the Silver murder, Patterson explores the genesis and uses of folklore and the interplay between folklore, social and personal history, law, and narrative as people and communities try to understand human character and fate.Bobby McMillon is a furniture and hospital worker in Lenoir, North Carolina, with deep roots in Appalachia and a lifelong passion for learning and performing traditional songs and tales. He has received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award from the state's Arts Council and also the North Carolina Folklore Society's Brown-Hudson Folklore Award.By Denis Thériault. 2017
Twenty-two-year-old Tania has moved to Montreal to study, fine-tune her French and fall in love. Finding work as a waitress…
in an unpretentious down-town restaurant, she meets Bilodo, a shy postman who spends his days perfecting his calligraphy and writing haiku. The two hit it off. But then one stormy day their lives take a dramatic turn, and as their destinies become entwined Tania and Bilodo are led into a world where nothing is as it seems. A charming standalone work that reunites readers with the touching and much-loved characters first found in The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman, The Postman&’s Fiancée is an enchanting, poignant and bittersweet love story that will move readers, young and old alike.By Denis Thériault. 2017
*Selected for Simon Mayo&’s BBC Radio 2 Book Club* Secretly steaming open envelopes and reading the letters inside, Bilodo has…
found an escape from his lonely and routine life as a postman. When one day he comes across a mysterious letter containing a single haiku, he finds himself avidly caught up in the relationship between a long-distance couple who write to each other using only beautiful poetry. He feasts on their words, vicariously living a life for which he longs. But it will only be a matter of time before his world comes crashing down around him.By Dorothy A. Bell. 2020
A Laura Creek Sweet Romance Escaping the machinations of her conniving, ruthless uncle, the intrepid Wren O’Bannon forms the Big…
O’ Corporation and purchases, sight unseen, a mercantile located in the remote Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. Driving her own freight wagons full of merchandise, with her dog Mac as her sole companion, Wren arrives at her destination. Is she heralded as a hero for arriving alive with her cargo intact? Is she welcomed as a savior, bringing staples and supplies to this out-of-the-way, podunk little village? Not a bit! No sooner does she alight from her wagon than she finds herself accused of thievery, chicanery, and out and out fraud. Sheriff Telt Longtree, confronted with a potentially explosive situation taking place on the street of his heretofore peaceful little town, finds himself serving as a mediator between the accuser, banker Howard Buttrum, and one grubby little muleskinner gal who claims to be the new owner of the mercantile. A farce ensues, and the stubborn, indefatigable entrepreneur Wren O’Bannon flies in the face of the banker’s prejudice against women owning and operating a business, while she denies her inclination to get all gooey inside whenever the sheriff is near. Although confused, Sheriff Longtree, intrigued to find this muleskinner gal is not grubby at all but rather lush and utterly fascinating, grows relentless in his pursuit to uncover all her secrets. One by one, the citizens of Laura Creek add their voices, their complications, and their speculations to the controversy. Meanwhile, the real, vindictive, and very dangerous enemy, Wren’s ruthless uncle, plots and plans his destruction of her dreams.By Dorothy A. Bell. 2020
A Laura Creek Sweet Romance – Book 3 1882 Blue Mountains, Oregon. Quinn O’Bannon found his niche managing the Laura…
Creek Mercantile. His cousin Wren, the owner of the mercantile, would like him to choose a wife and settle down. Free to take up his own pursuits and interests, out from under his big brother’s influence, Quinn is at last making his own way, his way. As a bachelor, he’s flattered to find himself sought after. He is included in every social gathering, and considered an asset to the company. He enjoys the experience, and yes, he likes to test it, see how far he can go with his easy smile and playful ways. All is fun and games until one day, a young woman, with three children in tow, enters his store and brazenly steals a coil of rope. Laura Creek is a small town, and thieving is unheard of. Quinn had, as a boy, stole his share of apples. Now though, on the other side of the counter, he doesn’t care for the game at all. After the thieving vixen and her gang’s appearance, things come up missing from his brother’s farm, his cousin’s porch, and lumber and building materials are disappearing from the loading dock. Quinn thinks he knows who’s pilfering, but why from the O’Bannons and no one else in town mystifies him. Who is she? And where’s the gang’s hideout? The mystery surrounding this young woman’s appearance begins to interfere with his social life and his flirtation with two pretty and highly eligible young ladies of interest. True McAdam, her younger brother Ryder, baby Jewel, and little sister Melody are orphaned, with no home and no hope. Tru sets out with her siblings in tow on a mission to destroy the O’Bannon family. It was an O’Bannon who drove their father to commit suicide and their mother to fade away, dying of shame and hopelessness. Quinn O’Bannon, the son of the lying cheat responsible for Tru’s family’s homeless state, isn’t exactly who Tru thought he’d be. There’s a generous and thoughtful man behind Quinn O’Bannon’s boyish façade. His flirtatious smile and dark eyes make him hard to resist. It is nearly impossible for her to maintain any level of hatred. Much to Tru’s dismay, she soon comes to the conclusion Quinn O’Bannon is why she’s here. Destiny brought her to Laura Creek under the guise of vengeance. But vengeance, it turns out, does not yield satisfaction. She’s here to meet her destiny, Quinn O’Bannon. She was led here with a purpose. Quinn is part of that purpose, but there is more. Quinn’s despicable and dangerous daddy, the man responsible for the McAdam children’s homelessness, is on the loose again. He must be stopped. Tru McAdam fulfills her destiny in more than one way in this tale.By Dorothy A. Bell. 2020
Royce O’Bannon doesn’t think much of himself, hungover, feeling worthless, doomed to be nothing more than a skunk and a…
drunk like his old man. He holds little hope for his own future but would like to think his younger brother Quinn could do better than waste his life aiding and abetting their old man in his hedonistic pursuit of depravity. Their cousin Wren offers the brother’s another way, a way far from their father’s destructive influence. But cousin Wren’s way means a dull life of work, no booze, no excitement or willing women. If they refuse her offer, Royce and Quinn are certain to do serious time for their misdeeds. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the brothers choose Laura Creek. Bucking against the constraints and conditions put upon him, Royce keeps one thought in mind, escape from the no-nothing little mountain village of Laura Creek. And then one cold fall night, the beautiful, crippled, courageous music teacher, Cleantha Arnaud, entered his life. Their instant attraction to one another inspires Royce as no other man or woman has ever inspired him before. For her, Royce embraces the concept he can be better, do better even though he sees little hope he’ll ever be worthy, or be able to provide for her, give her the home, the life she deserves. Cleantha, feeling more as a broken ornament than a living being with needs, desires, and dreams, sees beneath the cocky, bad-boy façade of the town’s infamous reprobate, Royce O’Bannon. She sees a kindred spirit—an outcast, an oddity like herself. Admitting to their weaknesses and insecurities, their mutual passion for music seals the bond between them. The dream in sight, Cleantha at his side, a life of bliss and fulfillment, and peace within their reach, all is shattered by the one true Reprobate, Stanly O’Bannon, Royce’s sire. Daddy is a hard-drinking, ruthless man out for revenge against his traitorous sons and the town that gave them a second chance. Royce will have to face down his demons to survive. Cleantha holds the key to hope and Royce holds the key to her heart. Together they both know all too well. They are as a bow to the fiddle…the one is nothing without the other.By Deirdre Paulsen. 1985
By Pamela Clare. 2012
Pamela Clare brings her expert plotting, sizzling chemistry and thrilling adventure to her sweeping MacKinnon's Rangers series, in the grand…
tradition of The Last of the Mohicans, perfect for fans of Maya Banks, Monica McCarty and Zoe Archer.They were a band of brothers, their loyalty to one another forged by hardship and battle, the bond between these Highland warriors, rugged colonials, and fierce Native Americans stronger even than blood ties.Major Connor MacKinnon despises his commander, Lord William Wentworth, beyond all other men. Ordered to rescue Wentworth's niece after the Shawnee take her captive, he expects Lady Sarah Woodville to be every bit as contemptible as her uncle. Instead, he finds a brave and beautiful lass in desperate peril. But the only way to free Sarah is for Connor to defeat the Shawnee warrior who kidnapped her - and claim her himself.Torn by tragedy from her sheltered life in London, Lady Sarah is unprepared for the harshness of the frontier - or for the attraction she feels toward Connor. When they reach civilization, however, it is she who must protect him. For if her uncle knew all that Connor had done to save her, he would surely kill him. But the flames of passion, once kindled, are difficult to deny. As desire transforms into love, Connor will have to defy an empire to keep Sarah at his side.Be swept away by the other sexy MacKinnon's Rangers in Surrender and Untamed. Or take a wildly romantic ride with Pamela Clare's I-Team: Extreme Exposure, Hard Evidence, Unlawful Contact, Naked Edge, Breaking Point, Striking Distance, Seduction Game.By Michael E. Bell. 2001
For nineteenth-century New Englanders, "vampires" lurked behind tuberculosis. To try to rid their houses and communities from the scourge of…
the wasting disease, families sometimes relied on folk practices, including exhuming and consuming the bodies of the deceased. Author and folklorist Michael E. Bell spent twenty years pursuing stories of the vampire in New England. While writers like H. P. Lovecraft, Henry David Thoreau, and Amy Lowell drew on portions of these stories in their writings, Bell brings the actual practices to light for the first time. He shows that the belief in vampires was widespread, and, for some families, lasted well into the twentieth century. With humor, insight, and sympathy, he uncovers story upon story of dying men, women, and children who believed they were food for the dead. This Wesleyan paperback edition includes an extensive preface by the author unveiling some of the new cases he's learned about since Food for the Dead was first published in 2001.By Camilla Townsend, Nicky Kay Michael. 2023
The Lenape tribe, also known as the Delaware Nation, lived for centuries on the land that English colonists later called…
New Jersey. But once America gained its independence, they were forced to move further west: to Indiana, then Missouri, and finally to the territory that became Oklahoma. These reluctant migrants were not able to carry much from their ancestral homeland, but they managed to preserve the stories that had been passed down for generations. On the Turtle’s Back is the first collection of Lenape folklore, originally compiled by anthropologist M. R. Harrington over a century ago but never published until now. In it, the Delaware share their cherished tales about the world’s creation, epic heroes, and ordinary human foibles. It features stories told to Harrington by two Lenape couples, Julius and Minnie Fouts and Charles and Susan Elkhair, who sought to officially record their legends before their language and cultural traditions died out. More recent interviews with Lenape elders are also included, as their reflections on hearing these stories as children speak to the status of the tribe and its culture today. Together, they welcome you into their rich and wondrous imaginative world.By Jonathan Kruk. 2011
A storyteller examines Irving&’s &“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow&” and the lore that inspired it, as well as other local…
legends of the Hudson Valley. The story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman is one of America's best-known fables, but what other stories does the Hudson Valley hold? Imps cause mischief on the Hudson River, a white lady haunts Raven Rock, Major Andre&’s ghost seeks redemption and real headless Hessians search for their severed skulls. These mysterious and spooky tales from the region&’s past inspired Irving and continue to captivate the imagination to this day. &“Kruk has been enchanting audiences with his dramatic, enticing storytelling ability for 20 years.&” —Suzanne Rothberg, Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow PatchBy Pamela Clare. 2008
Pamela Clare brings her expert plotting, sizzling chemistry and thrilling adventure to her breathtaking MacKinnon's Rangers series, in the grand…
tradition of The Last of the Mohicans, perfect for fans of Maya Banks, Monica McCarty and Zoe Archer.They were a band of brothers, their loyalty to one another forged by hardship and battle, the bond between these Highland warriors, rugged colonials, and fierce Native Americans stronger even than blood ties.Though forced to fight for the hated British, Morgan MacKinnon would no more betray the men he leads than slit his own throat - not even when he was captured by the French and threatened with an agonizing death by fire at the hands of their Abenaki allies. Only the look of innocent longing in the eyes of a convent-bred French lass could make him question his vow to escape and return to the Rangers. And soon the sweet passion he awoke in Amalie had him cursing the war that forced him to choose between upholding his honor and pledging himself to the woman he loves.Be swept away by the other sexy MacKinnon's Rangers in Surrender and Defiant. Or take a wildly romantic ride with Pamela Clare's I-Team: Extreme Exposure, Hard Evidence, Unlawful Contact, Naked Edge, Breaking Point, Striking Distance, Seduction Game.By Pamela Clare. 2006
Pamela Clare brings her expert plotting, sizzling chemistry and thrilling adventure to her sweeping MacKinnon's Rangers series, in the grand…
tradition of The Last of the Mohicans, perfect for fans of Maya Banks, Monica McCarty and Zoe Archer.They were a band of brothers, their loyalty to one another forged by hardship and battle, the bond between these Highland warriors, rugged colonials, and fierce Native Americans stronger even than blood ties.Iain MacKinnon had been forced to serve the British crown, but compassion urged him to save the lovely lass facing certain death at the hands of the Abenaki. He'd defied his orders, endangered his brothers, his men and his mission, all for a woman. But when he held Annie's sweet body in his arms, he could feel no regret. Though he sensed she was hiding something from him, it was too late to hold back his heart. In love and war, there are times when the only course of action is... Surrender.Be swept away by the other sexy MacKinnon's Rangers in Untamed and Defiant. Or take a wildly romantic ride with Pamela Clare's I-Team: Extreme Exposure, Hard Evidence, Unlawful Contact, Naked Edge, Breaking Point, Striking Distance, Seduction Game.By Mike Winchell. 2019
The spellbinding true account of the scientific competition to light the world with electricity.In the mid-to-late-nineteenth century, a burgeoning science…
called electricity promised to shine new light on a rousing nation. Inventive and ambitious minds were hard at work. Soon that spark was fanned, and a fiery war was under way to be the first to light—and run—the world with electricity. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of direct current (DC), engaged in a brutal battle with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, the inventors of alternating current (AC). There would be no ties in this race—only a winner and a loser. The prize: a nationwide monopoly in electric current. Brimming with action, suspense, and rich historical and biographical information about these brilliant inventors, here is the rousing account of one of the world’s defining scientific competitions. Christy Ottaviano Books