Serious Wednesday: Cozy Mystery Author Carol Heilman Visits!

I'm tickled to introduce you to my friend, Carol Heilman! Her books are delightful and intriguing mysteries that are bound to keep your interest. Do check out her links to purchase them!

Is there a story behind your books?

Yes indeed. Agnes Hopper began as a short story—a writing assignment from a creative writing class. The story ended when Agnes walked away from a retirement home where the administrator ran a tight ship for sinister reasons. When I began asking

“What if Agnes stayed to help her friends?”

the story evolved into a book, and then a series. It’s been an adventure.

What started you on your writing journey?

I began writing in my fifties when I purchased a book on “free writing.” Completing those exercises took my breath away. I was hooked.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Mostly historical fiction

• The Cigar Factory by Michele Moore,
• The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd, and
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Which character in your newest release most interested you while you wrote? Why?

Nellie, a recent resident of the retirement home, who claims to be Minnie Pearl’s cousin twice removed. She looks like the little old woman who lived in a shoe. She is a kleptomaniac, a quirky character who lends a sense of humor to the story.

Why do you write in the genre you do?

I love the people and their lives in small southern towns where a mystery thrives in the hot, humid air.

What is a favorite memory from your childhood?

Summer evenings spent listening to my coal miner daddy and uncle tell stories on our front porch while lightening bugs danced along the wood’s edge.

Share a verse or Scripture passage with us that is special to 

you. (and why it's special)

2^nd Samuel 22:17 NIV

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters."

I was in my early thirties at the time when the Lord spoke to me through this verse. I was drowning in deep waters of bitterness yet He rescued me with His steadfast love. He has remained faithful and true.

Buy her books here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0792DNZMW/

About Carol:

Carol Heilman, a coal miner's daughter, married her high school sweetheart, a farmer's son. She began writing family stories, especially about her dad's Appalachian humor, for newspapers and magazines. One day her mother said, "We don't have any secrets any more!"

Carol's book series, Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar and Agnes Hopper Bets on Murder, was inspired by her mother's spunky spirit and her dad's humor.

She has relocated, along with her husband of fifty-plus years, from the mountains of NC to Charleston, SC. The low country is now their home. They love to play cards, go antiquing, hike, and visit grandsons on the east and west coasts.

Be sure to check out her books. You'll not want to miss them!
Blessings!

Please Welcome Carol Heilman and her new Mystery: Bets on Murder

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE mysteries and suspense (with a touch of humor and romance!). So it is with real pleasure that I welcome Carol Heilman back to my blog today. Do check out her books! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Who is Agnes?

Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar began as a short story that ended when the seventy-plus widow ran away from her retirement home. When the curtain dropped on the final scene, I squirreled the story away. Months later, when I pulled it out and reread it, doubts about the conclusion gnawed at my writer’s gut. Would a feisty, headstrong, outspoken woman such as Agnes escape into the night and never be heard from again? “What if” questions began popping into my mind and would not leave me alone

And so I began a long discussion with Agnes. What if you bumped into an old friend who lived there and then you stayed around long enough to make some new ones? What if you began to realize the administrator of the home ran a tight ship for sinister reasons? Would you care enough to stick around? To become a voice for those who were afraid to speak up?

The novel evolved from there. Along the way, Agnes and I fell in love with some quirky characters. Writing Agnes’ story has been an exciting journey. Her second book, Agnes Hopper Bets On Murder, has a release date of April 15^th. We are conspiring on her next adventures in book three.

I dearly love the elderly, and that’s a good thing because now I am one. Agnes has a spunky spirit much like my mother’s and the humor often comes from my daddy, who was an Appalachian coal miner.

ABOUT CAROL:

Carol Heilman, a coal miner's daughter, married her high school sweetheart, a farmer's son. She began writing family stories, especially about her dad's Appalachian humor, for newspapers and magazines. One day her mother said, "We don't have any secrets any more!"

Carol's book series, Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar and Agnes Hopper Bets on Murder, was inspired by her mother's spunky spirit and her dad's humor.

She has recently moved, along with her husband of fifty-plus years, from the mountains of NC to Charleston, SC. They love to play cards, go antiquing, hike, and visit grandsons on the east and west coasts

Check out her Social Media Links here:

Website: www.carolheilman.com

Author Page: amazon.com/author/carolheilman

Facebook www.facebook.com/carolgheilman

Twitter: twitter.com/CarolHeilman

The Worst Christmas Ever By Carol Heilman

From an early age, I discovered that sharing our Savior’s birthday resulted in sweet fellowship like no other.

 My favorite Christmas memories of childhood include relatives coming together from near and far in joyous celebration. Family would fill my grandparent’s house nearly to overflowing.

Mother and her four sisters, who always wore their red dresses, greeted each other with laughter and hugs, and they set aside any ill feelings that might have accumulated over the past year.

My uncles stood around and soaked up the good will. They wore proud smiles and shared corny jokes or talked of politics while my cousins and I ran in and out of the back door, playing tag or hide and seek, if the Kentucky weather proved mild enough. And when everyone finally sat down to eat, I feasted on little else but my grandmother’s chicken and dumplings.

Many years later, when my husband and I had children of our own, we began a tradition of including those around our table who would otherwise be alone. One Christmas, we had a row of walkers parked by the backdoor. We had more people who needed assistance than those who didn’t, but somehow we managed. My dinner couldn’t compare to my mother’s cornbread dressing or my grandmother’s chicken and dumpling, but no one seemed to mind.

Years passed on by. Then a Christmas came when the unthinkable happened. No one could come. Mother and Daddy were too frail and ill and even the best-cooked meal had no appeal. That was the same year our children, for one reason or another, told us they couldn’t make the trip to our North Carolina mountain home. Maybe next year.

On Christmas morning my husband and I met some friends, on their way out of town, at Denny’s for breakfast. Then we spent the day with my parents doing all we could to make them as comfortable as possible in their assisted living apartment. We were happy to spend our Christmas with them, but that night, on the way home, a lonesome feeling came over us. We stopped at Bojangles for dinner. While munching on fried chicken and biscuits, my husband said, ”This is the worst Christmas ever!” I could hardly swallow for the lump in my throat.

Throughout the day, we had talked with our son and his wife in Charleston, as well as our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson in California. That night we decided to check up on our west coast family again, but could not reach them by cell or house phone. Where could they be? Perhaps out to eat or to a movie, we reasoned.

We kept calling, but no answer. We finally went to bed, with phone in hand. We were getting more worried by the minute, when our grandson finally answered his mother’s cell phone.

“Where in the world are you?” asked my husband.

“At the airport. We’re on our way to your house.”

We jumped out of bed, full of energy and joy. They had been determined to surprise us and they certainly accomplished their mission. They turned our worst Christmas into one of our best.

Christmas, or any holiday, can be a lonely time. Sweet fellowship can make can make all the difference. Do you know someone who will be alone this Christmas? Reach out to him or her, and if possible, invite them into your home. Share our Savior’s birthday with others and you will be blessed. It might even be your best Christmas ever.


About Carol:
Carol Heilman, a coal miner's daughter, married her high school sweetheart, a farmer's son. She began writing family stories, especially about her dad's Appalachian humor, for newspapers and magazines. One day her mother said, "We don't have any secrets any more!"

Carol's book, Agnes Hopper Shakes Up Sweetbriar, was inspired by her mother's spunky spirit and her dad's gentle one, as well as both parent’s humor.

She lives in the mountains of NC with her husband of fifty-plus years. They love to play cards, go antiquing, hike, and visit grandsons on the east and west coasts.


http://www.carolheilman.com/




Buy her book here:
http://tinyurl.com/po2f77m




Wonderful inspiring story, isn't it! 
Blessings!