Why Write This

2012-08-06T19:47:00.001-04:00

Soon I hope to devote more time to this blog. In the mean time here is another picture of my mountains.

2012-07-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you just have to see the sky before dawn.

2012-06-11T09:19:00.003-04:00

Dec. 18, 2011
Morning frost in Western North Carolina

The quite moments in the early morning are a favorite of mine. You cannot see them in the photo but tiny ice crystals danced through the air like fluff from a summer daffodils glittering like diamonds in the first rays of the morning sun.

2012-05-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

Patients – Patience

The doctor has patience to see so many patients each day.

Patients - a person who is under medical care or treatment.

a person or thing that undergoes some action.

Patience - emphasizes calmness, self-control, and the willingness or ability to tolerate delay

2012-05-15T16:31:00.001-04:00

Wander
Wonder

I see these two words used incorrectly often so today's words are:
Wander - to move aimlessly about physically or mentally
Wonder - awe, the child gazed in wonder at the sky.

2012-04-30T17:58:00.000-04:00

No – know

No: opposite of yes

Know: have knowledge of

Be – bee

Be: to exist or live

Bee: flying insect

See – sea

See: visualize, look at

Sea: large body of water

2012-04-18T08:36:00.004-04:00

2012-04-18T08:30:00.002-04:00

Rote – wrote

Rote

A fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure

The rote he followed each day never changed.

Wrote

The past tense of write

She wrote the letter yesterday.

Right – rite – write

Right

A direction

We turned to the right after going through the tunnel.

Tom was right, the cards were stacked.

Rite

A formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary

The priest preformed the rite.

Write

The act of forming intelligent or not intelligent marks, symbols, or characters to relay information.

We will write the post today.

2012-04-11T18:06:00.001-04:00

Sense – since – cents

Sense – mental ability,

The sense of smell, hearing, taste …

Since – time

Every since I fell my foot hurts.

Cents – money value

You – Your – You’re

You meaning not me

Your - belonging to you – ownership

You’re – the words you are condensed

You’re should only be used if you can use you are in place of

You like deer can mean one or many.

By – Bye – Buy

By – near

The car was by the road. The car was near the road.

Bye – ending or leave taking

I told Sonia bye as she left. Tom said good-bye before hanging up the phone.

Buy – purchase

We will buy only what is needed.

Rein –Reign - rain

Rein – gear for a horse

He pulled much too hard and the horses reins causing the horse to jump.

Reign – rule

The queen’s reign was much too long.

Rain – something falling from above usually water

The rain fell so fast there was no time to avoid getting wet.

2012-04-07T05:49:00.001-04:00

A Whisper of Secrets

This is just a peek at what you will find inside this book

Preface

This story was written in memory of Jimmy and Carrie my

grandparents who instilled within me a love for storytelling and

mountain lore. These two were born in the last part of the 1800’s and

grew up in an area where education was not of the greatest importance

and both still spoke in the old dialect of their parents. They lived in

much the same way as their parents before them had in a deep cove

located in the wild and beautiful Appalachian mountain range.

This story was built around a story Grandpa told of a time when

he was a child. A time of superstition and mystery, a time when the

dusk just before dark was called the gloaming, a time when shadows are

deepest and the unknown spirits roamed the mountain valleys.

My favorite time was and still is the gloaming of the day. As a child

the greatest event of my day was spent listening to the old stories after

dinner was over and chores were done. This is the time my grandparents

referred to as the gloaming, the dusk just before dark.

Granny would say, “Come child ye granddaddy’s gonna tell a story

and you must listen close fur he’ll only tell it once tonight.”

We would either sit near the old pot bellied wood stove in the living

room or in summer on the front porch. Giggling I would climb up

beside Granny saying, “that’s silly Granny he’s Grandpa not Daddy.”

“Hush child and listen.”

Grandpa would spit either into the stove or over the banister of the

porch, wipe the dribble of snuff from his chin and begin in his soft low

voice.

Merlene M. Allison

The story as he told it went like this:

“I remember one time when a haint follured Papa home. It was late

fall and Papa had gone ta town, Momma and the rest of us young’ens

stayed at home. Well it got dark and Papa wouldn’t home yet. I guess

it was getting on to be about nine o’clock when we heard the awfulest

racket. Hit sounded just like you uz pullin the lag off some woman.

Momma made us young’ens gather in the livinroom an she locked all

the doors. Momma never had shot a gun but she got Papa’s old huntin

rife out and had me and my brother Joe to load it fur her.We sit there

froze in place fur a while then somethun run up on the porch and

started pounding on the door. Momma in her bravest voice called out,

“who’s that.” It wuz Papa and he started yelling, “let me in hit’s right

behind me.”

Momma run over and opened the door, Papa run in and closed

the door back. After he had a drink of water he set down and told us

about it.Papa said this haint started folluring him just at the mouth

of the cove. He could hear it walking in the leaves next to the wagon

trail. Finally the moon come out from behind the clouds and he saw hit

plain as day standing on the ridge above him. Hit wuz bigger’n a hoss,

hit even looked like a hoss an wuz as dark as midnight but when hit

rared up on hits hind lags an opened hits mouth he knowd hit wuz a

haint. Instood of hoofs hit had claws an when hit opened hits mouth ta

scream hit had teeth an fangs like a cat-e-mount that’s when he knowd.

We stayed up most of that night an watched ta see if it was gonna try

ta come in the house.

A note from the Author:

I have tried to make the words sound just the way he spoke, in my

mind I can still hear his soft voice in that old dialect. Can still feel the

awe of hearing the old haunting and ghost stories he told.I have taken

the liberty of changing his story adding characters and events in a more

modern time.Granny was a Native American Indian and had many

stories also. Many of her stories involved the next world to come. Not

wanting to leave her out I have taken a hint of the world to come and

woven it into A Whisper of Secrets.

Come, come walk with me maybe we too shall see that which roams

the darkened coves and deep valleys in yon mountain heights when the

gloaming comes.

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval

system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied

in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this

novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

Amazon.com

Barns & Noble

Books A Million

iuniverse also has an electronic version

2012-04-05T07:17:00.000-04:00

Just a bit about me.

Born on March 10, 1959 in Gwinnet county Georgia I am the second of four children born to Everett and Billie Jo McClure. My family lived in Gwinnet County until 1970 then moved to the small town of Hayesville in Western North Carolina where I grew to love the mountains as much as I loved to read.

For me the written words were magic, I remember my older sister Mary reading to me before I learned how to read. To me Mary was a supreme being simply because she could turn those little black marks into wondrous stories and at the time my greatest dream was to be able to do the same thing. I was in awe of her ability and determined that I to would gain this ability. By the time I was in second grade I was reading books from the high school section in the library and would read three every week while school was in session. Dad would not have a television in the house so reading was our entertainment. His opinion was that TV was going to be the ruination of the young people of the world; time was better spent doing something productive.

My father was a veteran of WWII and disabled so life wasn’t easy for a family of six. The small disability check Dad received from the veteran’s administration just barely kept the wolves from our door.

After we moved to North Carolina I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents who were wonderful storytellers, I would spend hours listening to them and they had some of the most interesting stories to tell. I loved spending the night at their house and waking up to the smell of bacon cooking and coffee brewing and hearing the soft voices of the adults talking quietly.

My mother passed away when I was eighteen and my father followed fourteen years later. My family was not especially close but after mom died my father and I built a close relationship and letting him go was hard.

At fifteen I left home and married shortly after. Quitting school and going to work in a local factory where I worked until my first child was born five years later. I then stayed at home for several years during which my second daughter was born. After my second child was born I returned to work in the factory and worked there until 1986 when I moved back to North Georgia with my husband Don and children Leona and Becca. One year later my son Matt was born.

After my son was born I become a stay at home mom for four years and found that I had free time on my hands so I went to the local library and checked out text books. After a few weeks I had taught myself what I would need and took the test for a GDE and earned it. As a child I had been an A, B student and had no problems passing the test.

When my son was four I returned to work in a factory and worked there until the company I worked for followed the path of other manufacturing companies and moved their plant to Mexico. At this point I decided to return to my education so I signed up at a local two year college and earned a degree in engineering. After graduating I went to work for the Georgia Department of Transportation as a Civil Design Engineer. As time went by I moved to another position in the Construction Department and have remained there. I enjoy the work and the people that I work with are great but I find myself turning back to my first love and that is the written word.

Throughout my life I have written short stories and many poems, which have only lay on my desk until I either tossed or filed away. The poetry I would write and give to someone in need.

In 2008 I finally decided to get serious with writing and pulling from stories heard as a child I wrote Where Does She Go. Being unsure of my ability this to was shelved. Then in October of 2011 I awoke one morning and realized that this story was destined to go the way of my past efforts so I decided to at least try and publish. After receiving a review of my work I was thrilled. I know that sometimes a review can make or break a person and many will dump the whole idea of writing but for me it was simply wonderful to get an honest opinion on my work, constructive criticism if you will.

After reading the review then going back to my manuscript I made a few changes thus Where Does She Go became A Whisper of Secrets. That one review changed my whole outlook on writing I became more conscious of how things should be worded in order to make the most of an idea, to make a story flow, and how to get the most from your characters.

I have always been an avid reader but in 2001 I lost my vision for a few months due to multiple sclerosis. When my vision returned I could not focus well enough to read like I had in the past. I still read but more slowly than before and require larger print. Where I would read as many as three books in a week I can now only manage one in a month now. Sometimes for me it is a struggle to simply walk across the floor but during those times I can work on my computer and I can change the font to a size that is easy for me to see.

I love the mountains and spend as much time as possible at the property my husband and I own in the Southern Appalachians of North Carolina. While living there full time I did not realize how peaceful how calming the mountains are but living away for twenty five years then going back makes a person appreciate the beauty of those old mountains. With no cities nearby the night sky is so much more vivid a storm louder and where else could you stand on the front deck at four thirty in the morning and look over and see a bob cat sitting on the steps beside you as if he owned the place. Where else could you go for days and not hear a siren screaming somewhere near? If you hear a vehicle you know who it is just from the sound and if you don’t recognize the sound you go to see who it is.

I enjoy painting also and occasionally I will pull out the oils, I also enjoy quilting, cooking, and gardening. The thing I enjoy most is spending time with my family, to have all my children and their families together for a home cooked meal is the best.

I am presently working on a novel that deals with a family haunted by an ancestor from the far past who is intent on destroying them and the life they have built.

2012-04-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

Today's word:

Right - direction - opposite of wrong
Write - To make letters, numbers, or symbols on a surface with pen or pencil
Rite - A ceremonial act

2012-03-30T06:38:00.000-04:00

As promised Y

You - Your - You're

You - Meaning not me
Your- Shows ownership
You're - You are
Did you find the cat?
Is that your cat?
When you're going to the store will you look for the cat?
You may only use the word you're if it can be changed to you are.
By the way you is like deer, you can mean one or all.

Unless you are in the south then it becomes you'all. Which when pronounced sounds like ya'll rhyming with wall.

2012-03-29T07:26:00.004-04:00

Another face of the mountain. No matter what I do these mountains will be my inspiration for they are the artistry of God. Never the same, each and every time I look a new scene appears.
A Whisper of Secrets was inspired by these wonderful secretive mountains.

2012-03-29T07:06:00.003-04:00

More terrible T's

Two -Too - To

Two - Meaning the number 2

Too - Use in place of also

To - Use to as a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb.

Bob has two cars.

Bill too has two cars.

Together Bob and Bill went to town.

Next the letter Y, you - your - you're

2012-03-28T12:31:00.000-04:00

Let's talk about those terrible T words.

Their - There - They're

What do they mean and where do you use them?

Their - Meaning someone other than you
We went to their blog.

There - A place, somewhere other than here
We will walk over there.

They're - Used in place of they are
They're going to town.
They are going to town.

How many times have you seen these word misused?

Many words in the English language are closely spelled and sound much the same, I know this can be a bit confusing but we need to take the time and learn the correct uses of these words and the correct spelling.

I recently tried to read an excerpt from a book that was on the verge of being published and though the story might have been great the writer had made so many mistakes that I could not follow the text. This I found in the first paragraph alone.

Ok Bob you and Kera get down here now, come on the too of you now. There coming and will be soon. I want to close this gate before they get here.

Don't you think this would have been better if written like this:
Bob you and Kera, come on I want the two of you down here now.They're coming and will be here soon, I would like to have this gate closed and locked before that time.

Maybe I should have included more terrible T's, including To - Too -Two. Next lesson.

If you have words that someone misuses and it gets to you leave a comment and I will add them to my weekly (maybe daily list) with the correct spelling and use.

2012-03-28T07:20:00.002-04:00

Mark Twain once said:
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

The quote speaks for itself
If someone says or does something to make you feel less than you are remember this quote.

2012-03-27T08:09:00.001-04:00

Keep your mind active, if you have a case of writers block do a cross-word puzzle, read a book, do something that will force you to give your mind a workout. Do it simply to sharpen your mental skills.

2012-03-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

I have come to realize that to have only one or two books out that are best sellers does not add up to having twenty out that sell only a few each day.

2012-03-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/merlene-M-allison?keyword=merlene+M+allison&store=allproducts

2012-03-22T18:23:00.000-04:00

My first novel was released on February 3, 2012. A Whisper of Secrets was a wonderful journey for me. I began writing it in October of 2008 and finished the first draft in March of 2009. At that time I had titled the manuscript (Where Dose She Go) then shelved it for the next three years. While searching for something one day in late 2011 I stumbled across the manuscript and decided; what could I lose if I tried to have it published, absolutely nothing.
After receiving a review and making some changes I self published. Having a copy of the slender beautifully covered book in my hands was great. To know that I had actually accomplished this gave me a sense of self confidence.

2012-03-22T07:53:00.001-04:00

Nothing can compete with nature's quiet beauty. The quiet peacefulness of a mountain morning can be found no where else on earth.

Why are writers different

2012-03-21T10:25:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was asked the question, "How do you come up with a story?"

My response was to ask another question. When you ride down a road and see kudzu covered trees what do you see?

The answer I received was kudzu covered trees.

Laughing, my answer to your original question is this, I do not see simple vine and trees I see the shapes standing there. Maybe this tree is a dinosaur, that one a dragon or if shaped right a cave.

My point is that almost everything you see can be turned into a story but most people are blind to the mysteries of imagination.