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 | Jul 26, 2018 | Appalachian, History, Writing
I’m always looking for inspiration for my characters and in WV I don’t have to look far. Take, for example, the Wild Man of Clay County. First, his name was Orval Elijah Brown–a most excellent name for any character. Second, he spun his penchant for...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 19, 2018 | Appalachian, Family, History, Nature
There’s been some talk lately about how hillbilly is a derogatory word that shouldn’t see the light of day. So I’m going on the record to say I not only don’t mind the word, but that I think we should reclaim it. Consider the word’s...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 5, 2018 | Appalachian, History, holidays
Just like everywhere else in the country, folks in Appalachia spent yesterday enjoying cookouts, eating watermelon, warning the kids not to burn themselves with sparklers, and maybe enjoying some patriotic music. We grilled hot dogs and chilled our watermelon in the...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 21, 2018 | Food, History
Yesterday was West Virginia Day. That would be the 155th birthday of my home state. Often, I celebrate the day by subjecting my readers to the history of how West Virginia became a state (and was almost called Kanawha, which I think would have been nice!), but this...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | May 31, 2018 | Appalachian, History, Writing
I’m currently working on a story idea that involves a feud. One of my goals in writing stories set in my beloved Appalachians is taking some of the stereotypes and clichés and either debunking them or shedding new light on them. So. Feuding. In the style of the...
