Böcker utgivna av Hickory Hill

Leaves drift from the trees, opening up vistas that have been hidden for a while. Flowers are sparse. The garden has stopped producing and is in the process of being tidied for the coming winter's sleep. A dozen ruby throated hummingbirds vie for a place at the feeders, gulping up nourishment before they begin their long journey.The three goose families that called our pond home for weeks have all gone. The goslings, tiny and yellow when they first swam here were images of their parents when they departed. Perhaps we'll see them again.The foxes are long gone from the back yard where we watched them as they cavorted right outside our windows. We rarely glimpse the triplet baby skunks anymore, though there are always some animal to swoop in and take their place for a few days.There's a slight chill to the air as winter prepares to enter the seasonal cycle. My blessings are many in this country place I've called home for more than forty years. Every day is different, delighting us with beauty and change at every turn as the seasons unfold outside our door.Seasons celebrates the passage of time and the joy that comes with each season as it unfolds.

Longer ago than anyone can remember, a primordial forest stood sentinel over the massive, forgotten island of Terrene, which protrudes like a mighty ship of enormous proportions from the choppy waters of the Sea of Mists.When you think about it, it's quite easy to imagine why this land might have been lost to time. The dense, unabating mists which gave the sea its name, shrouded the island in a cloak of invisibility, and wary seamen were hesitant to risk their ships or their crews by traveling blind into this hidden realm.Even if the seaworthiest of ships somehow managed to blunder through the perilous mists, they would find only turbulent, unrelenting waters that would easily dash a ship to bits in a matter of minutes. If by some very unlikely chance, a courageous and wise sea captain somehow made his way through the waters, he would find steep, impenetrable mountains that formed the outer perimeter of the island, barring him from landing.As eons passed and this secret world was remade a thousand times over, the giant mountains grew ever taller. The vast ancient forest withstood the test of time, reaching towards the light, becoming denser and more menacing.As time continued to pass, changes were inevitable, and so it was with Terrene. Storms, lightning strikes, wind, drought, ever-changing temperatures, erosion, and much more played their parts. The land became more diverse, with flowing grasslands, deep valleys, steep mountains, magical woodlands, and rivers traversing it from mountain range to mountain range.Then, almost as though they fell from the sky, creatures of every ilk began to make their home on Terrene. Your guess is as good as mine as to how they got there, but there they were, nonetheless. Elves, piskies, gnomes, fearsome wolves, giant eagles, mighty dragons, warrior insects, and the wizard dragon master himself.And after many, many more years had gone by, humans appeared. Only a few at first, but over the years there were more, and more, and more. Still, for all that, the island remained sparsely populated and peaceful by most measures - until evil entered stealthily one day and threatened the island and its inhabitants with annihilation.

From a beautiful old country home set among live oaks and roses facing the temperamental Gulf waters of the Mississippi Coast to the bewitching city of New Orleans and the hypnotic swamps and bayous to its south, three middle-aged sisters find themselves entangled in a series of mysteries they are determined to solve.In the summer of 2010, the Meriwether sisters, Vy, Rose, and Indigo, return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to live in their family home after spending years apart pursuing their own endeavors. Three years later, as they start to relax after renovating their home and gardens, Indigo finds a mysterious trunk in the brimful attic she is cleaning out to refurbish as an apartment for herself. The sisters are curious about the paintings found inside that were mailed to their great-grandparents in the 1940s, but they cannot find any explanation as to where they came from or who the artist was.As they mull over this discovery, the sale of a nearby home sends them peeking out windows and knocking on doors trying to catch a glimpse of their new reclusive neighbor. Only random lights at night and an occasional twitched curtain suggest that anyone lives there.Then a spontaneous trip to New Orleans sends them on a mission to find a young girl they believe might be in danger. Following leads that take them into the swamps south of New Orleans, the talents of all three sisters are needed to guide them: Vy's artist's eye, Rose's sleuthing, and Indigo's intriguing instincts.Written by three sisters, each creating her own character, the fictitious Vy, Rose, and Indigo have distinct personalities and led independent and far-flung lives before coming together under one roof in the house their great-grandparents built overlooking the ever-changing waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Independent, caring, smart, carefree, fearless, funny, and hospitable, these women are a testament to Southern women and all people living life with humor and zest.