by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 20, 2018 | Appalachian, Church, Family, History, Writing
I had the pleasure of attending the French Creek Pioneers gathering this past weekend with my dad and brother. This is a meeting of folks descended from the original settlers of French Creek, Va., back in the early 1800s (before West Virginia became a state). There...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 16, 2018 | Uncategorized
It’s funny how something can be wonderful and deeply sad at the same time. One of Appalachia’s sweet ladies is at home in heaven today. Earlier this year I wrote about my friend Anne–Queen of the May. Her 96th birthday was on May 1 and last night she...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 13, 2018 | Love
Twice yesterday I heard someone talk about the importance of sharing words of love or affirmation. That old saying about how sticks and stones can break bones but words can never hurt is nonsense. Words can be excruciating. Conversely, they can be precious, healing,...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 9, 2018 | Appalachian, Food, Nature
No, it’s not a pet name for your grandfather. September is when pawpaws–also known as Appalachian bananas–are getting ripe. A pawpaw is a large, greenish oval that’s the largest, edible native fruit in the U.S. Folks say it tastes like a cross...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Aug 6, 2018 | Reading, Writing
. . . or do I mean subjective? I got scores back from RWA last week. (That’s Romance Writers of America.) I entered The Sound of Rain in the “Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements” category. Spoiler alert–my story didn’t win. I...
