I'm
pleased and excited to welcome my friend, Yvonne Blake, to my blog today. Yvonne has published her first book, A Home for Phoebe.
This is an historical novel of an Indian woman and a young girl wandering the
hills of the Hudson Valley during the mid-1800’s. One flees prejudice, while
the other yearns for a home. Through the friendship of a peddler, a blind granny,
and blacksmith's family, they learn of forgiveness and faith.
Yvonne is embarking
on a blog tour that will showcase one of her main characters: Zeke the Peddler.
Let’s tag along to find out more about Zeke, Phoebe and Yvonne:
Zeke
hops down from his seat, wearing a floppy hat and a gray coat, with sleeves
much too short for his arms. His eyes sparkle and his mustache twitches, and he
seems as tall as a weather vane on the top of the barn. Removing his hat, he
bows low.
“Well,
good day, folks. What can I help you with ? This here is a regular gen'ral
store on wheels! Anything you want or need - I have it. Needles or tubs,
buttons or pans - jewelry and fancy perfume, too!"
As you
walk around the strange wagon, your eyes widen with wonder. There are pans,
kettles, tools, and things you never saw before. Through the back door, you can
see bolts of cloth, kegs, wash tubs, and hundreds of little boxes. Follow Zeke
from blog to blog, and at each spot you'll find something new.
10 Things You Might Not Know
About “A Home for Phoebe”
1. The
setting is real – a few miles east of Albany, New York.
2. The
Algonkin words are authentic, courtesy of Native American Languages.
3. The
character of Phoebe was “born” in a creative writing class in 1976.
4.
There are recipes for apple butter and egg noodles within the story.
5. The
incident about the skunk happened to her Grandaddy Beverly.
6.
There was an anti-rent war in New York during the time of the story.
7.
It’s not a typical romance book, but a hint of romance is there.
8.
Much of it is autobiographical. (Yes, I did roll big snowballs down a hill.)
9. You
learn of Irving, Van Buren, and Rensselaer.
10.
Lessons of faith, friendship, and forgiveness are woven throughout.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Yvonne Blake:
1. She was born on her grandfather’s birthday in a military hospital.
2. She could put together a puzzle of the U.S. when she was 2 yrs. old.
3. She knows how to say “Hello” in Navajo.
4. She swam in the Caribbean Ocean and ate raw conch.
5. She despises squash but likes liverwurst.
6. She played a flute in an All-State band in 5th grade.
7. She grew 6 inches in one summer when she was 14 but is still short.
8. She has traveled through 44 states but has never been to Washington D. C.
9. She studied French for 6 years and taught it for 4 years.
10. She has been a child of God for almost 50 years.
Yvonne
will be giving away a FREE copy of A Home for Phoebe at the end of the month, drawing a name from those who comment
on the blogs or on her Yvonne Beverly Blake author page on Facebook, so be sure you comment here on my blog or on her Facebook page for a chance to win! Zeke will be moving along next to
Full Sail Books
Amazon.com
15 comments:
Although the subject matter is different from what I usually read, it still sounds interesting. I would like to be entered for the book :)
Thanks, Loretta. I'll put your name on the list.
Thanks, Dee, for having me on your blog. This is so much fun!
As close as I am to Vonnie, I learned a little bit more about her this morning:) Her book is beautifully written and a joy to read. I highly recommend it!
What a wonderful setting for what sounds like an educational and inspiring book! Who also doesn't love a wagon coming down the street that sounds like a one-man band! How wide-eyed I would be! Also nice to know more about Vonnie...I met her so very briefly once. Blessings!
Very interesting, Dee. I could almost see that wagon. :)
I found it interesting, too, that one of the characters was birthed back in '76 in a writing class. We never know what piece will lead to the next thing, or when something will finally come to fruition. That's a blog post right there. :D
Fantastic post, Dee! I'm almost done reading this delightful book and I love the way lessons of faith, friendship, and forgiveness are woven throughout in such a natural way. A Home for Phoebe is an awesome read!
Smile . . . Thank you all for your encouragement.
I was going to read "just one chapter" in the middle of my home office work day. Shortly after, I abandoned Quicken to read "one more." If anyone asks, I'm in the office. wink...wink...Such beautiful writing :)
Thank you to all the commenters. I love Phoebe as a character and think she is wonderful!
I already bought an autographed copy for our daughter (I hope to read it later, myself). She was given the fantastic opportunity to read the book when it was a work in progress and was really excited to finally see the finished product :) She really enjoyed it!
I love your beautiful blog, Dee. Didn't realize I wasn't already a follower, but I am now :)
I'm coughing as I read. Could be the dust from following Zeke's wagon down the trail, or from the pollen fog I've been living and breathing in. It looks like I have a few days to catch my breath, shop, and mingle before we meet Suzanne. :D
Isn't this blog tour fun?
It IS fun, and especially because the story is wonderful and the writer is wonderful, too. :)
Thanks for all the comments. I'm still smiling thinking about Nancy reading "one more chapter."
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