Guestblog: Jackie Lee Miles + Cold Rock River contest

Today I welcome Jackie Lee Miles to my blog, I just today reviewed her book Cold Rock River.

At the end of the post there is a contest to win just this book

Jackie Lee Miles, Author of Roseflower Creek and Cold Rock River

All of my novels feature friendships. I think this goes back to my earliest memory of novels I loved.  I’m thinking of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Who could not be enchanted by their friendship? And what of Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility? The Dashwood sisters, all of them—Elinor and Marianne and Margaret were great friends one to the other. And I have to mention John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men which broke my heart. But the friendship between Lennie and George is too dear to forget to mention.

In my novel Roseflower Creek, protagonist Lori Jean is thrilled when Carolee moves to town. Lori Jean says Carolee wasn’t stuck on herself like some girl’s at school. And she’s amazed at her kindness:

Carolee sure was pretty and a whole lot a fun, too. Me and her used to meet up before school and walk the rest of the way together.  She had herself a umbrella, too and when it rained she shared it with me ‘cause I didn’t have one.  That way I only got rained on part of the way.  And when it rained real hard, Carolee left early and come all the way to my house to get me, just so I wouldn’t get so wet running up to meet her.  That’s how special a friend she was ‘cause coming to get me was clear out of her way.

Wouldn’t we all love to have a friend like that! Sadly, Carolee’s in an accident shortly after her and Lori Jean’s friendship is firmly established. I won’t expound on the outcome in case you want to read the book. It’s on page 66 in you want to check it out. 

In my novel Cold Rock River, friendship plays a major role as well. Adie Jenkins, the protagonists gets pregnant before she gets married. Eventually she marries the father of the baby and settles down in his home town. There she meets Willa Mae, a mulotto women who was the mammy of Murphy Spencer, the man who owns the cabin she and her new husband Buck are renting. Willa Mae becomes a dear friend, helping to birth Adie’s baby and after they’re settled in even teaches her to cook. Adie, who is now chicken farming, meets the preacher’s daughter Margaret Mary, who captures Murphy’s attention. They become good friends, even though by now Adie realizes she herself is in love with Murphy. In one scene the young women are discussing whether Margaret Mary should marry Murphy since she’s convinced he really doesn’t love her like she loves him. Adie says:
“Who can say what love is anyway?”  I said.  “It ain’t what we read in books, I can tell you that.”

“I should marry him then, even though he doesn’t—?” she said.

“Be a fool not to.”

“Don’t want to be a fool,” she said.

“Surely not,” I said.  “Look where it got me.”

The wind shifted and sent us a good whiff of the chickens. “See what I mean?” I said.

We laughed, and while we did, more chicken smell floated into the room.  We laughed again.  Two more whiffs and we couldn’t stop.  We held our bellies and howled.  The more we laughed, the funnier it got.  Strips of girl giggles pealed out of our mouths and drifted out the same window the chicken odors floated in through.  Tears welled in our eyes and poured down our cheeks.  Still we laughed; laughed like we hadn’t had a good one in a very long time, like it might be even longer before we ever did again.  The chicken smells kept coming—real or imagined—they poured into the room.  My sides ached.  Guess hers did, too.  I rubbed at mine and she grabbed hold of hers, still we couldn’t stop howling.  The screen door squeaked open and Buck walked in.  What a fright we gave him.  There we sat, two girl hyenas laughing and crying, rocking our bellies, holding our sides, bound forever by coffee and babies and men and chicken shit.

Margaret Mary too meets a sorrowful end. Don’t want to give the story away so that’s all I’ll say, but you can pick up a copy and check it out for yourself.

In my novel All That’s True, debuting in January 2011, friendship also plays a major role. Protagonist Andi St. James and her best Friend Bridget discover that Andi’s father is having an affair with Bridget’s stepmother. This leads to some major sleuthing. In addition to being stunned by what they find they are also mesmerized by what they’re witnessing:

We haven’t told anyone, yet. We still can’t believe it ourselves. Besides, we’re not sure who to tell: her father, or my mother, or maybe a priest. It’s complicated. For now, we’re just watching them boff each other. It’s disgusting, but we can’t seem to help ourselves. Now that we know what they’re doing, we camp out in the bushes behind the cabana that’s behind Bridget’s house and just wait for them to show up. Mostly they do the same things to each other, over and over, but we watch like it’s the very first time.
© all passages, Jackie Lee Miles, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2010

Obviously my writing always includes friendship. I can’t help myself. Friends are everything to me, so I assume they are for my characters, too. And I’m a firm believer that a friend is never a coincidence in your life. They’re certainly not in my novels. I hope you’ll read and find out why.

All great best,
Jackie Lee Miles

Thanks for stopping by with this interesting post Jackie. I enjoyed Cold Rock River and the characters you created.

About the Author
Jackie Lee Miles lives in Georgia with her husband, where she is a featured speaker at book clubs, schools, and writer’s workshops. The author of three novels, Roseflower Creek was her first, published to critical acclaim. When not writing, Ms. Miles tours with the Dixie Divas, four nationally published book-writing belles. Her next novel, All That’s True, will be published by Sourcebooks Landmark in early 2011. For more information, please visit http://jlmiles.brinkster.net/. 

Contest: 


2 lucky readers will get a copy of Cold Rock River


Open to US and Canada.


If you are entering please ask Jackie a question, or comment on the book (or even ask me a question what I thought) It's just so much more fun than a simple enter me.


Ends July 7th ( a later change)

And leave your email if it's not in your profile

Review: Cold Rock River - Jackie Lee Miles

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 368
Published: July 1st 2010

Seventeen-year-old Adie Jenkins is newly married and newly pregnant, though not necessarily in that order. Unready for fatherhood, her skirt-chasing husband isn't much help. But in this stunning tale that redefines intimacy, love, and family, Adie discovers hope where she least expects it: from her sweet neighbor Murphy, from the world-wise midwife Willa Mae, and in the worn pages of the diary of a slave girl-a girl who is much closer to Adie than she thinks.

This was a heartbreaking tale at times, neither of the women in this book had it easy. First there is Adie Jenkins, who gets pregnant and marries at 17. But her husband does not leave his wild ways and she is pretty much left to fend for herself most of the time. But she find friendship in her neighbours and one of them, Willa Mae reads from a book. Another heartbreaking tale about a young slave girl who lost her children.

The books tells much of Adie's family history and how things happened like they did. Like the loss of her little sister that broke the family in half. Her sisters exploits, and how her other sister started to eat, and eat. And of course her own mistake. But Adie was strong, she would not give up, not even when it looked dark at one time and my heart was in my throat because of he injustice she suffered. But friends, family and that diary helped her along, and she never gave up. The road to happiness is not an easy one.

Then there is the diary, I did have problems at first, because of the way it looked, but I got used to it. Of course then there was the other problem of understanding, I had this sometimes in the book too cos of their southern accent.. But I got used to it, I have obviously spent too little time in the south. To the diary, a woman called Tempe is telling her life story. How she grew up on a plantation, how she got used and pushed around, how the war came, and ended and how she set out on a long journey. She had it bad at times, and she still had hope. It was a fascinating story, and it took turns I did not see coming. And at other times I was shaken by the cruelty of their masters. 

I enjoyed the friendship she formed with Willa Mae, this very old midwife who helps her along, and her next door neighbour Murphy who helps her when she needs it. But he also lets her be independent. 

Friendship and hope was the best part of this book because it showed the way. The agony of not knowing what was coming next at a certain time in the book made me want to stop reading, but at the same time read on to find out, and wish for the best.

I liked how she wove two stories together, about two entirely different women, but who at the same time were very much alike.

A tale of the south in the 60's, friendship, loss, love, finding your own way, and a look back at how slaves were treated 100 years before. A different world.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Very nice, I am sure they would have been friends if they had met.

Reason for reading: Copy from the publisher

Final thoughts: I liked this look at the south of the US, I seldom find myself reading about it.

3,5